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 LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
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 oFPROMlNENTANPRiPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 
 
 OF THE COUNTY 
 
 TOGETHER WITH- PORTRAITS -AND -BIOGRAPHIES-OF-ALL • THE 
 
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 1890.
 
 
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 ^^«S^IIE grentcst of English histui-ians, Macaulay, and onn of the most brilliant writei's oi 
 // 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 Biographical 
 Ai-uu.M of this county has been prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and 
 taking tiierefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, our 
 corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by their 
 enterprise and industry, brought the county to a rank second to none among those 
 comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life 
 struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelli- 
 gent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the 
 imitation of coming generations. It tells iiow some, commencing life in povert}', by 
 ndustry 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 
 niaiiv, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content 
 to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — "they have done what 
 tiiey 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 
 Ije 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 
 "■iven 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 additioii 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 famil}' 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, thougii repeated calls were made 
 at their residence or place of business. 
 
 15iO(ii; uMiic Ai. I'l ru.isiiiN(i Co. 
 CuiCAOO, October, 1800. 
 
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 FIRST PRESIDENT. 
 
 
 HE Father of our Country was 
 liorn in Westmorland Co., Va., 
 'Feb. 22, 1732. His parents 
 were Augustine and Mary 
 (Ball) Washington. Tlic family 
 to which he belonged has not 
 been satisfactorily traced in 
 England. His great-grand- 
 father, John Washington, em- 
 igrated to Virginia about 1657, 
 and became a pros|)erous 
 planter. He had two sons, 
 Lawrence and John. The 
 former married Mildred Warner 
 and had three children, John, 
 Augustine and Mildred. Augus- 
 tine, the father of George, first 
 married Jane Butler, who bore 
 him four children, two of whom, 
 Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
 maturity. Of si.x children by his 
 second marriage, George was the 
 eldest, the others being Betty, 
 Samuel, John Augustine, Charles 
 and Mildred. 
 Augustine Washington, the father of George, died 
 in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his 
 eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on 
 liie Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, 
 and to George he left the parental residence. George 
 r;xeived only such education as the neighborhood 
 scliools afforded, save for a short time after he left 
 school, when he received private instruction in 
 mathematics. His spelling v/as rather defectiv*. 
 
 Remarkable stories are told of his great i)hysica. 
 strength and development at an early age. He was 
 an acknowledged leader among his companions, and 
 was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair- 
 ness and veracity which characterized his whole life. 
 
 When George was 14 years old hehad 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 
 abandontd. Two years later he was appointed 
 surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. Li 
 this business he spent three years in a rough frontier 
 life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
 essential to him. \\\ 1751, though only ig 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 Lidians. Soon 
 after this he sailed to the West Lidies with his brother 
 Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They 
 soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence 
 died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter 
 who did not long survive him. On her demise the 
 estate of Mount Vernon was given to George. 
 
 Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddle, as Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was- 
 reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- 
 tary districts, of which the northern was assigned- to 
 Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this 
 a very" perilous mission was assigned him and ac- 
 cei)ted, which others had refused. This was to pro- 
 ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- 
 western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed 
 was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand, 
 and the journey was to be made without military 
 escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 
 trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near 
 losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished 
 a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment 
 of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com- 
 mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was 
 commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was 
 then begun against the French and Indians, in which 
 Washington took a most imjx)rtant part. In the 
 memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad- 
 dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer 
 of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
 day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock 
 ivere disabled early in the action, and Washington 
 alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter 
 to his brother he says: "I had four bullets through 
 my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped 
 unhurt, though death was leveling my companions 
 on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was 
 not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken 
 direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit 
 him. 
 
 After having been five years in the military service, 
 and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he 
 took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the 
 ex[)ulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, 
 CO resign his conmiission. Soon after he entered the 
 Legislature, where, although not a leader, he look an 
 active and im|X)rtant part. January 17, 1759, he 
 married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy 
 widow of John Parke Ci'Stis. 
 
 \Vhen the British Parliament had closed the port 
 •)f Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces 
 that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." 
 It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- 
 gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- 
 deli)hia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, 
 peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Wash- 
 ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
 Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of 
 England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- 
 cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the 
 first acts of this Congress was the election of a com- 
 mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and 
 responsible office was conferred upon Washington, 
 who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted 
 it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he 
 receive no salary. He would keep an exact account 
 of expenses and expect Congress fo 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 disadvantage, and while his 
 forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every 
 obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion 
 and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest 
 nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 17^-5, Washington, in 
 a parting address of surpassing beauty, lesigned his 
 
 commission as commander-in-chief of the army to 
 to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He 
 retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed 
 his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all 
 connection with public life. 
 
 In February, 1 7 89, Washington was unanimously 
 elected President. In his presidential career he was 
 subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a iiew 
 government ; trials from lack of confidence on the pan 
 of other governments ; trials from want of harmony 
 between the different sections of our own country; 
 trials from the impoverished condition of the country, 
 owmg to the war and want of credit; trials from the 
 beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His 
 clear judgment could discern the golden mean ; and 
 while perhaps this alone kept our government from 
 sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to 
 attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and 
 very annoying. 
 
 At the expiration of his first term he was unani- 
 mously re-elected. At the end of this term manv 
 were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely 
 refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March, 
 1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi- 
 dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there 
 his few remaining yeais free from the annoyances of 
 public life. Later in the year, however, his repose 
 seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France. 
 At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
 take command of the armies. He chose his sub- 
 ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat- 
 ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
 home. In accepting the command he made the 
 reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
 it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations 
 his life was suddenly cut off. December 12, he took 
 a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling 
 in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated 
 fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- 
 teenth his body was borne with military honors to its 
 final resting place, and interred in the family vault at 
 Mount Vernon. 
 
 Of the character of Washington it is impossible to 
 speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad- 
 miration. The more we see of the operations of 
 our government, and the more deeply we feel the 
 difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, 
 the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- 
 ent and character, which have been able to challenge 
 the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- 
 tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits 
 of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will 
 be as lasting as the existence of man. 
 
 The person of Washington was unusally tan, erect 
 and well proportioned. His muscular strength was 
 great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry. 
 He commanded respect without any appearance of 
 luuightiness, and ever serious without being dull.
 
 M'^iJdm2^
 
 SEOOND PRESIDENT. 
 
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 OHN ADAMS, the second 
 ?,. President and the first Vice- 
 -President of the United States, 
 was born in Braintree ( now 
 Quincy),Mass., and about ten 
 miles from Boston, Oct. 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 was a farmer of limited 
 means, to which he added the bus- 
 iness of shoemaking. He gave his 
 eldest son, John, a classical educa- 
 tion at Harvard College. John 
 1755, and at once took charge of the 
 school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a 
 'school of affliction," from which he endeavored to 
 "ain jelief 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 
 h.id thought seriously of the clerical profession 
 but seems to have been turned from this by what he 
 cernied " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- 
 cils, cf diabolical malice, and Calvanistic 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 percep- 
 tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in 
 1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, 
 and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his 
 marriage, (lyC's), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa- 
 tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial 
 steps toward holdin^, a town meeting, and the resolu- 
 
 tions he offered on the subject became very populat 
 throughout the Province, and were adopted word for 
 word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos- 
 ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous 
 and prominent advocatesof the popular cause, and 
 was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- 
 lislature) in 1770. 
 
 Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates 
 from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress, 
 which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himselt 
 by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- 
 vocated the movement for independence against tli? 
 majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved 
 and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies 
 should assume the duties of self-government. He 
 was a prominent member of the committee of live 
 appointed June 11, to prepare a declaration of inde- 
 pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but 
 on Adams devolved the task of battling it through 
 Congress in a three days debate. 
 
 On the day after the Declaration of Independence 
 was passed, while his soul was yet warm with th? 
 glow of e.xcited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife 
 which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated 
 l)y the spirit of |)rophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the 
 greatest ipiestion was decided that ever was debated 
 in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or wil 
 be decided among men. A resolution was passed 
 without one dissenting colony, ' that these United 
 States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- 
 pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of 
 July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history 
 of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated 
 by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary 
 festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of 
 deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty 
 God. It ought to be solemnized with i«mp, shows.
 
 24 
 
 JOHN ADAMS. 
 
 games, sijorts, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations 
 from one end of the continent to the otlier, from this 
 time forward for ever. Vou will think me transjKirted 
 with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware ot 
 the toil, and blood and treasifre, 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, 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 Benijamin 
 Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in 
 the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money 
 from the French Government. This was a severe trial 
 to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, 
 compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- 
 posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis- 
 ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
 1779, In September of the same year he was again 
 cliosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- 
 ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce 
 with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet 
 might be found willing to listen to such proiX)sels. He 
 sailed for France in November, from there he went to 
 Holland, where he negotiated imi>ortant loans and 
 formed important commercial treaties. 
 
 Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed 
 Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement, 
 toil and an.\iety through which Mr. Adams had passed 
 threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con- 
 tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he 
 was advised to go to England to drink the waters of 
 Bath. A\hile in England, still drooping and des [end- 
 ing, he received dispatches from his own government 
 urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
 negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was 
 delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through 
 storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,he made the trip. 
 
 February 24, 1785, Congress apixsinted Mr. Adams 
 envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face 
 to face the King of England, who had so long re- 
 garded him as a traitor. As England did not 
 condescend to apixsint a minister to the United 
 States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom- 
 plishing but little, he sought permission to return to 
 nis own country, where he arrived in June, 1788. 
 
 When Washington was first chosen President, John 
 Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at 
 home and abroad, was chosen Vice President. Again 
 at the second elecrion of Washington as President, 
 Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- 
 ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was 
 elected President,though not without much opposirion. 
 Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by 
 Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 
 
 T/hile Mr. Adanis was Vice President the great 
 
 French Revolution shook the continent of Europe, 
 and it was upon this point which he was at issue with 
 the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson. 
 Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people 
 in tlieir struggle, for he had no confidence in their 
 power of self-government, and he utterly abhored the 
 classof atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it. 
 On the otlier hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
 enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or- 
 iginated the alienation between these distinguished 
 men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ- 
 ized, Adanis at the head of the one whose sympathies 
 were with England and Jefferson led the other in 
 sympathy with France. 
 
 The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more 
 moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the 
 old age of Mr. Adanis. The violence of party feeling 
 had died away, and he had begun to receive that just 
 appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till 
 after death. No one could look ujxjn his venerable 
 form, and think of what he had done and suffered, 
 and how he had given up all the prime and strength 
 of his life to the public good, without the deepest 
 emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar 
 good fortune to witness the complete success of the 
 institution which he had been so active in creating and 
 supixirting. In 1824, his cup of happiness was filled 
 to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest 
 station in the gift of the people. 
 
 The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half 
 century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the 
 signers of that immortal instrument left upon the 
 earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is 
 well known, on that day two of these finished their 
 earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as 
 to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. 
 Adanis 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 
 customar)' celebration of the day, he exclaimed " Ix- 
 DEPENDENCE FOREVER." When the dav was ushered 
 in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, 
 he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew 
 what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor- 
 ious fourth of July — God liless 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, 
 "Jefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re- 
 signed his spirit into the hands of his God. 
 
 The personal appearance and manners of Mr. 
 .'Vdams were not particularly preixsssessing. His face, 
 as his portrait manifests.was intellectual ard expres- 
 sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his 
 manners were frequently abrupt and uncoufteous. 
 He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor 
 the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked 
 the manners and address of Jefferson.
 
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 THIRD PRESIDENT. 
 
 27 
 
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 )^j HOMAS JEFFERSON was 
 born April 2, 1743, at Shad- 
 ^^u-ell, Albermarle county, Va. 
 His parents were Peter and 
 Jane (Randolph) Jefferson, 
 the former a native of Wales, 
 and the latter born in Lon- 
 don. To them were born six 
 daughters and two sons, of 
 whom Thomas was the elder. 
 When 14 years of age his 
 fatiier died. He received a 
 most liberal education, hav- 
 ing been kept diligently at school 
 from the time he was five years of 
 age. In 1760 he entered William 
 £;nd Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat 
 of the Colonial Court, and it was the obodeof fashion 
 and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17 
 years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine 
 horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he 
 was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha- 
 able in his morals. It is strange, however, under 
 such influences,that he was not ruined. In the sec- 
 ond year of his college course, moved by some un- 
 explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, 
 society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had 
 previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen 
 hours a day to hard study, allowing himself for ex- 
 ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out 
 of the city and back again. He thus attained very 
 Irigh intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso- 
 pliy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and 
 Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished 
 scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls; and 
 
 there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a 
 more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. 
 
 Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
 study of law. For the short time he continued in the 
 practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distin- 
 guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a 
 lawyer. But the times called for greater action. 
 The policy of England had awakened the spirit of 
 resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged 
 views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led 
 him into active [jolitical life. In 1769 he was chosen 
 a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 
 r 77 2 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti- 
 ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow 
 
 Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, there 
 was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which 
 commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and 
 beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new 
 home; and here he reared a mansion of modest ye* 
 elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon 
 became the most distinguished resort in our land. 
 
 In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
 where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
 writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
 was placed upon a number of important committees, 
 and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw- 
 ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- 
 mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, 
 Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. 
 Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed 
 to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested 
 a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con- 
 gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made 
 in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 
 4, 1776, What must have been the feelings of that
 
 28 
 
 THOMAS JEFFERSON. 
 
 man — what the emotions that swelled his breast — 
 who was charged with the preparation of that Dec- 
 laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of 
 America, was also to publish her to the world, free, 
 (.overign and independent. It is one of the most re- 
 markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort 
 i.fihemindof its author exist, that alone would be 
 sufficient to stamp his name with immortality. 
 
 In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
 Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. Atonetime 
 the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to 
 Moniicelio, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five 
 minutes elapsed after tlie hurried escape of Mr. Jef- 
 ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- 
 sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never 
 very good, was much injured by this excitement, and 
 :n the summer of 1782 she died. 
 
 Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
 Two years later he was appointed Minister Plenipo- 
 tentiary to France. Returning to the United States 
 in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State 
 in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned 
 Jan. r, 1794- In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- 
 dent, and four years later was elected President over 
 Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In 
 1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, 
 and George Clinton, Vice President. 
 
 The early part of Mr. JelTerson's second adminstra- 
 tion was disturbed by an event which threatened the 
 tranquility and peace of the Unior. ; this was the con- 
 spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election 
 to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled 
 ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a 
 military expedition intc the Spanish territories on our 
 southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there 
 a new republic. This has been generally supposed 
 was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been 
 generally known what his real plans were, there is no 
 doubt that they were of a far more dangerous 
 character. 
 
 In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for 
 which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined 
 to retire from political life. For a period of nearly 
 . )rty )'ears, he had been continually before the pub- 
 .ic, and all that time had been employed in offices of 
 the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de- 
 voted the best part of his life to the service of his 
 country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his 
 declining years required, and upon the organization of 
 the newadministration, in March, 1809, he bid fare- 
 well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello. 
 
 Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole 
 families came in their coaches with their hoises, — 
 fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and 
 nurses,— and remained three and even six months. 
 Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a 
 fashionable watering-place. 
 The fourth of July, 1826, being the fifrieth anniver- 
 
 sary of the Declaration of American Independence.' 
 great preparations were made in every part of th'.' 
 Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and 
 the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemni!_\ 
 of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer 
 and one of the fetv surviving signers of the Declara- 
 tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill- 
 ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and 
 had been continually increasing, compelled him to 
 decline the invitation. 
 
 On the second of July, the disease under which 
 he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced 
 state that his medical attendants, entertained no 
 hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly 
 sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the ne.v 
 d;iy, which was Monday, he asked of those around 
 him, the day of the month, and on being told it was 
 the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish tha, 
 he might be permitted to breathe the airof the fil'tietl- 
 anniversar}'. His prayer was heard — that day, whose 
 dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, 
 burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for- 
 ever, .^nd what a noble consummation of a noble 
 life! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- - 
 the day v,'hich his own name and his own act had 
 rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and 
 festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, 
 as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, 
 was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life. 
 
 Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
 dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear 
 him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. 
 Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of 
 freedom; hand in hand, during the dark and desper- 
 ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and 
 animated their desponding countr}-men; for half a 
 century they had labored together for the good of 
 the country; and now hand in hand they depart. 
 In their lives they had been united in the same great 
 cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not 
 divided. 
 
 In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin,_ rather 
 above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
 were light, his hair originally red, in after life became 
 white and silver)'; his complexion was fair, his fore 
 head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and 
 thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as 
 well as personal courage ; and his command of tem- 
 per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends 
 never recollected to have seen him in a passion. 
 His manners, though dignified, were simple and un- 
 affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that 
 all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver- 
 sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic; and 
 his language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
 was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is 
 disceniable the care with which he formed his style 
 upon the best models of antiquity.
 
 
 (Zyiy<-^ 
 
 ^. ^ 
 
 iti-^U^H ^'"h.
 
 FOURTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 3^ 
 
 PIIQES npDisoii. 
 
 AMES MADISON, "Father 
 „ of the Constitution," and fourth 
 'S;'"' President of the United States, 
 was born March i6, 1757, and 
 died at his home in Virginia, 
 Z"*^' June 28, 1836. The name of 
 James Madison is inseparably con- 
 nected with most of the im|)ortant 
 events in that heroic period of our 
 „ country during which the founda- 
 tions of this great repubhc were 
 laid. He was the last of the founders 
 of the Constitution of the United 
 States to l.>e called to his eternal 
 reward. 
 
 The Madison family were among 
 the early emigrants to the New World, 
 landing upon the shores of the Chesa- 
 jieake but 15 years after the settle- 
 ment of Jamestown. The father of 
 James Madison was an opulent 
 planter, residing upon a very fine es- 
 tate called "Montpelier," Orange Co., 
 Va. The mansion was situated in 
 the midst of scenery highly pictur- 
 esque and romantic, on the west side 
 of South-west Mountain, al the foot of 
 Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of 
 Jefferson at Monticello. The closest jjersonal and 
 political attachment existed between these illustrious 
 men, from their early youth until death. 
 
 The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted 
 mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of 
 r8 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. 
 Here he applied himself to study with the most im- 
 
 prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three 
 hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so 
 seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor 
 of constitution. He graduated in 177 i, with a feeble 
 body, with a character of utmost [lurity, and with a 
 mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning 
 which embellished and gave proficiency to his subsf 
 quent 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 tlie society with which he asso- 
 ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong 
 love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of 
 a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turii of 
 m.ind, and his frail health leading him to think that 
 his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten- 
 tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mmd 
 singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with 
 almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed 
 all the arguments for and against revealed religion, 
 until his faith became so established as never to 
 be shaken. 
 
 In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he 
 was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to 
 frame the constitution of the State. The next year 
 (T777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly. 
 He refused to treat the whisky-lovir.g voters, and 
 consei|uently 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 E.secutive Council. 
 
 Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
 Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained 
 member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his
 
 32 
 
 JAMES MADISON. 
 
 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 illustrious men in 
 our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of 
 the most conspicuous positions among them. 
 
 For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con- 
 gress, one of its most active and influential members. 
 In the year 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 na- 
 tional government, with no power to form treaties 
 which would be binding, or to enforce law. There 
 was not any State more prominent than Virginia in 
 the declaration, that an efficient national government 
 must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison 
 carried a resolution through the General Assembly of 
 Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis- 
 sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss 
 this subject. Five States only were represented. The 
 convention, however, issued another call, drawn up 
 by !\lr. 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 that Confederate League. The delegates met at 
 the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island 
 was represented. George Washington was chosen 
 president of the convention; and the present Consti- 
 tution of the United States was then and there formed. 
 There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac- 
 tive in framing this immortal document than the mind 
 and the pen of James Madison. 
 
 The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, 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 ixjwer at home and little respect 
 abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by tne conven- 
 tion to draw up an address to the people of the United 
 States, expounding the principles of the Constitution, 
 and urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
 to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and 
 went into efTect 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 fascination, 
 whom he married. She was in person and character 
 (]ueenly, and probably no lady has thus far occupied 
 so prominent a [xisition in the very peculiar society 
 w'lich has constituted our republican court as 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 destioyed our commerce, and 
 our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison 
 was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiiiiig 
 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 nonchal- 
 ance 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 gun- 
 deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the 
 battles of England. This right of search and im- 
 pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce 
 the British cabinet to relinquish. 
 
 On the iSth of June, r8r2. 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, i8i3) 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 infan . 
 navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap- 
 pling 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, 
 18 13, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole 
 coast of the United States under blockade. 
 
 The Emperor of Russia offered his services as nie 
 ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit- 
 ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks 
 of the Patu.xet River, near its entrance into Chesa- 
 peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens- 
 burg, upon Washington. 
 
 The straggling little city of \\'ashington was thrown 
 into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict 
 at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the 
 metropolis. The whole popuUiticn fled from the city. 
 The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the Wliite 
 House, with her carriage drawn up at the doer 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 beirg 
 captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential 
 Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in 
 Washington were in flames. 
 
 The war closed after two years of fighting, and or. 
 Feb. 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 beau- 
 tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re- 
 mainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the 
 age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi- 
 son died July 12, 1849.
 
 7 
 
 -p-^^^
 
 FIFTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 35 
 
 AMES MONROE, the nrth 
 . Presidtntof The United States, 
 was born in Westmoreland Co., 
 Va., April 28, 1758. His early 
 life was passed at the place of 
 nativity. His ancestors had for 
 many years resided in the prov- 
 ince in which he was born. When, 
 at 17 years of age, in the process 
 h of completing his ed\ication at 
 William and Mary College, the Co- 
 lonial Congress assembled at Phila- 
 delphia to deliberate upon the un- 
 just and manifold oppressions of 
 Great Britian, declared the separa- 
 tion of the Colonies, and promul- 
 gated the Declaration of Indepen- 
 dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly 
 probable that he would have been one of the signers 
 of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left 
 school and enlisted among the patriots. 
 
 He joined the army when everything looked hope- 
 less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased 
 from day to day. The invading armies came pouring 
 in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the 
 mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, 
 who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con- 
 tinding with an enemy whom they had been taught 
 to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James 
 Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through 
 difficulty and danger, the United States owe their 
 political emancipation. The young cadet joined the 
 ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country, 
 with a firm determination to live or die with her strife 
 
 for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel- 
 ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and ^^'hit'; 
 Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it flee' 
 before its foes through New Jersey. In four months 
 after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots 
 had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of 
 Trenton he led tiie vanguard, and, in the act of charg- 
 ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left 
 shoulder. 
 
 As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro- 
 moted a captain of infantry ; and, having recovered 
 from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, 
 receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an 
 officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam- 
 paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy 
 wine, Gerniantown and Monmouth, he continued 
 aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his 
 position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a 
 regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed 
 owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon 
 this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
 that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable 
 ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, 
 entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; 
 but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volun 
 teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits. 
 
 In 1782, he was elected from King George county, 
 a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that 
 body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive 
 Council. He was thus honored with the confidence 
 of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having 
 at this early period displayed some of that ability 
 and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards 
 employed with unremitting energy for the public good,
 
 S6 
 
 JAMES MONROE. 
 
 he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of 
 ihe Congress of the United States. 
 UeeplyasMr. Monroefslt the imperfei tionsof theold 
 Confederacy, he was opposed to the new Constitution, 
 -.hinking, with many others of the Republican parly, 
 that it gave too nmch power to the Central Government, 
 and not enough to the individual States. Still he re- 
 tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm 
 supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition 
 secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member 
 uf the United States Senate; which office he held for 
 four years. Every month the line of distinction be- 
 tween the two great parties which divided the nation, 
 the P"ederal and the Republican, was growing more 
 distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep- 
 arated them were, that the Republican party was in 
 sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a 
 strict construction of the Constitution as to give the 
 Central Government as little power, and the State 
 Governments as much [X)wer, as the Constitution would 
 warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England, 
 and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
 stitution, which would give as much power to the 
 Central Government as that document could possibly 
 authorize. 
 
 The leading Federalists and Republicans were 
 alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the 
 good of the nation. Two more honest men or more 
 pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and 
 James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In 
 building up this majestic nation, which is destined 
 to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the com- 
 bination of their antagonism was needed to create the 
 light equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de- 
 nounced as almost a demon. 
 
 Washington was then President. England had es- 
 poused the cause of the Bourbons against the princi- 
 ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn 
 into the conflict. We were feeble and far away. 
 Washington issued a proclamation of neutrahty be- 
 tween these contending powers. France had helped 
 i;s in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms 
 of Europe were now combined to prevent the French 
 from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse 
 than that which we had endured ^ Col. Monroe, more 
 magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
 whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in 
 their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous 
 and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres- 
 ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in 
 magnanimity. 
 
 Washington, who could appreciate such a character, 
 developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness, 
 by a])pointing that very James Monroe, who was de- 
 nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister 
 of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
 Monroe was v.'elcomed by the National Convention 
 in France with the most enthusiastic dijroonstraUpns- 
 
 Shortly after his return to this countn', Mr. Mon- 
 roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the 
 office for three yeais. He was again sent to France to 
 co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining 
 the vast territory then known as the Province of 
 Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob- 
 tained from Spain. Ttieir united efforts were suc- 
 cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen 
 millions of dollars, the entire territor)' of Orleans and 
 district of Louisiana were added to the United States. 
 This was probably the largest transfer of real estate 
 which was ever made in all the history of the world. 
 
 From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob- 
 tain from that country some recognition of our 
 rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those 
 odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng- 
 land was unrelenting. He agam returned to Eng- 
 land on the same mission, but could receive no 
 redress. He returned to his home and was again 
 chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned 
 to accept the jjosition of Secretary of State under 
 Madison. While in this office war with England was 
 declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during 
 these tr)'ing 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. LTpon the return ol 
 peace he resigned the Department of War, but con- 
 tinued in the office of Secretary' of State until the ex- 
 piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec 
 tion held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself had 
 been chosen President w^ith but little opposition, and 
 upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four years 
 later he was elected for a second term. 
 
 Among the important measures of his Presidency 
 were the cession of Florida to the L^nited States; the 
 Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.'' 
 
 This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe 
 doctrine," was enunciated by him in r823. At that 
 time the United States had recognized the independ- 
 ence of the South American states, and did not ^\ish 
 to have European powers longer attempting to sub- 
 due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine 
 is as follows: "That we should consider anyattemjjt 
 on the part of European powers to extend their sys- 
 tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous 
 to our peace and safety," and "that we could not 
 view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing 
 or controlling .American governments or provinces in 
 any other light than as a manifestation by Euroi^ean 
 powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United 
 States." This doctrine immediately affected the course 
 of foreign governments, and has become the approved 
 sentiment of the L^nited States. 
 
 At the end of his second term Mr. Monroe retired 
 to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830, 
 when he went to New Vork to live with his son-in- 
 law. In that city he died, on the 4th of July, 1S31
 
 
 5. 5, Ai 
 
 CuiyyxS
 
 SIXTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 35 
 
 
 
 
 3OI7I] Qail]6Y ^ID^gillQS. 
 
 =^l^^ 
 
 OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the 
 
 .m sixth President of the United 
 "S* States, was born in the rural 
 Y home of his honored father, 
 .; /J John Adams, in Qaincy, Mass., 
 U^, on the I ith cf July, 1767. His 
 mother, a woman of exalted 
 worth, watched over his childhood 
 during the almost constant ab- 
 sence of liis father. When but 
 eight years of age, he stood with 
 ' Ills mother on an eminence, listen- 
 ing to the booming of the great bat- 
 tle on Banker's Hill, and gazing on 
 upon the smoke and flames billow- 
 ing up from the conflagration of 
 Charlestown. 
 
 When but eleven years old he 
 took a tearful adieu of his mother, 
 to sail with his father for Europe, 
 through a fleet ot hostile British cruisers. The bright, 
 animated boy spent a year and a half in Paris, where 
 his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as 
 minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted 
 the notice of these distinguished men, and he received 
 from them flattering marks of attention. 
 
 Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
 cou/.try, in T779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again 
 lohn Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he 
 applied himself with great diligence, for six months, 
 .to Jtudy; then accompained his father to Holland, 
 v'here he entered, first a school in .\msterdani, then 
 the University at I.eyden. About a year from this 
 time, in 178 1, when the manly l:oy was but fourteen 
 yea-s of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min- 
 ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. 
 
 In this school of incessant labor and of enobling 
 culture he s[)ent 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 private tutor, at Hague. Thence, 
 
 in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father u: 
 Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance 
 with the most distinguished men on the Con'inei.t 
 examining architectural remains, galleries of paintings 
 and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again 
 became associated with the most illustrious men of 
 all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temijoral 
 themes which can engross the human mind. Aftj- 
 a short visit to England he returned to Paris, ana 
 consecrated all his energies to study until May, 17.S5, 
 when he rettirned to America. To a brilliant young 
 man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, 
 and who was familiar with the eticiuctte of courts, a 
 residence with his father in London, under such cir- 
 cumstances, must have been extremely attractive 
 but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he ]ire- 
 ferred to return to America to complete his education 
 in an .'Vmerican college. He wished then to study 
 law, that wUh an honorable profession, he might be 
 able to obtain an independent support. 
 
 Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twent;- 
 he studied law for thiee years. In June, 1794, be- 
 ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap- 
 pointed by Washington, resident minister at the 
 Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reacheo 
 London in October, where he was immediately admit- 
 ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckncy, 
 assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with 
 Great Britian. After thus spending a fortiiigbit ir 
 London, he proceeded to the Hague. 
 
 In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal a.-; 
 minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal 
 upon arriving in London, he met with despatches 
 directing him to the court of Beiiin, but requestiig 
 him to remain in London until he should receive his 
 instructions. While waiting he was married to a:i 
 American lady to whom he had been previously en- 
 gaged, — Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter- 
 of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in I ondon ; 
 a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom- 
 plishment which eminently fitted her to move in ti.e 
 elevated sphere for which she wcvs destined.
 
 ♦o 
 
 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 
 
 He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ; 
 where he remained until July, 1799, when, having ful- 
 filled all the purjxases of his mission, lie solicited his 
 recall. 
 
 Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to 
 the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then 
 was elected Senator of the United States for six years, 
 from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his 
 ability and his experience, placed him immediately 
 among the most prominent and influential members 
 of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern- 
 ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach- 
 ments of England, destroying our commerce and in- 
 sulting our flag. There was no man in America more 
 familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon 
 these jxjints, and no one more resolved to present 
 a firm resistance. 
 
 In 1S09, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres- 
 idential chair, and he immediately nominated John 
 Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign- 
 ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked 
 at Boston, in August, 1809. 
 
 While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- 
 dent. He devoted his attention to the language and 
 history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the 
 European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to 
 the Climate and astronomical observations; while he 
 Kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and 
 Latin classics. lu all the universities of Europe, a 
 more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. 
 All through life the Bible constituted an imjxirtant 
 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 apjxjinted Mr. 
 .\dams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num- 
 erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he 
 sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the 
 iSth of August, he again crossed the threshold of his 
 home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon- 
 roe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary 
 of State. 
 
 Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second 
 term of office, new candidates began to be presented 
 for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought 
 forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. 
 Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and 
 sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- 
 ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four; 
 William H. Crawford, forty -one; Henry Clay, thirty- 
 SL'/en. As there was no choice by the people, the 
 (piestion went to the House of Representatives. Mr. 
 Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and 
 he was elected. 
 
 The friends of all the disappointed candidates now 
 combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon 
 Mr. .Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in 
 *Hp pa.st history of our country than the abuse which 
 
 was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this 
 high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was 
 an administration more pure in principles, more con- 
 scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun- 
 try, than that of John Quincy Adams; and never, per- 
 haps, was there an administration more unscrupu. 
 lously and outrageously assailed. 
 
 Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- 
 stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising 
 early, and taking much exercise. When at his home in 
 Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast, 
 seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said 
 that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his 
 own fire and applying himself to work in his library 
 often long before dawn. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired 
 from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew- 
 Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- 
 dent. The slavery question now began to assume 
 {xirientous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to 
 Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un- 
 abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re- 
 main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was 
 elected representative to Congress. For seventeen 
 years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre- 
 sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to 
 do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of 
 " the old man eloquent." Uixsn taking his seat in 
 the House, he announced that he should hold him- 
 self bound to no party. Probably there never was a 
 member more devoted to his duties. He was usually 
 the first in his place in the morning, and the last to 
 leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could 
 be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The 
 battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against 
 llie proslavery party in the Government, was sublime 
 in Its moral daring and heroism. For persisting in 
 presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he 
 was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, 
 with expulsion from the House, with assassination; 
 but no threats could intimidate him, and his final 
 triumph was complete. 
 
 It has been said of President Adams, that when his 
 body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of 
 fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little 
 child, he was accustomed to repeat ever\' night, before 
 he slept, the prayer which his mother taught him in 
 his infant years. 
 
 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 paraly- 
 sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him. 
 For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to 
 the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- 
 ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and 
 said " This is the end of earth .-"then after a moment's 
 pause he added, ^^ I aw amtcnt" These were the 
 last words of the grand " Old Man Eloquent."
 
 C2,.^^.?-Z.^5^^..^c;=rr74L,^^-^^^- 
 
 /^*
 
 SEVENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 43 
 
 j^-JismoM^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 NDREW JACKSON, the 
 seventh President of the 
 'United States, was born in 
 Waxhaw settlement, N. C, 
 March 15, 1767, a few days 
 after his father's death. His 
 parents were poor emigrants 
 from Ireland, and took up 
 their abode in Waxhaw set- 
 tlement, where they lived in 
 deepest poverty. 
 Andrew, or Andy, as he was 
 universally called, grew up a very 
 rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
 features were coarse, his form un- 
 gainly; and there was but very 
 little in his cliaracter, made visible, which was at- 
 tractive. 
 
 When only thirteen years old he joined the volun- 
 teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 
 1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and 
 imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer 
 ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am 
 a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of 
 the dauntless boy. 
 
 The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate 
 dIow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. 
 .\ndrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- 
 ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other ujxjn the 
 head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert 
 with the same demand. He also refused, and re- 
 ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite 
 disabled him, and which probably soon after caused 
 his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and 
 were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their 
 mother was successful mi "I'olaining their exchanj^e. 
 
 and took her sick boys home. -After a long iilnoss 
 Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon 
 left him entirely friendless. 
 
 Andrew supported himself in various ways, si:has 
 working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and 
 clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he 
 entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, 
 gave more attention to the wild amusements of the 
 times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed 
 solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of 
 which Tennessee was then a part. This involved 
 many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of 
 every kind, but .Andrew Jackson never knew fear, 
 and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish 
 with the Sharp Knife. 
 
 In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who 
 supposed herself divorced from her former husband. 
 Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, 
 to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been 
 definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage 
 ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur- 
 rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. 
 Jackson into disfavor. 
 
 During these years he worked hard at his profes- 
 sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, 
 one of wjjich, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- 
 ially disgraceful. 
 
 In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then 
 containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the 
 people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- 
 stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven 
 counties, .\ndrew Jackson was one of the delegates. 
 The new State was entitled to but ofie member in, 
 the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack-' 
 son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he 
 rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its
 
 44 
 
 ANDREW JACKSON. 
 
 sjsiio.is, — a distance of about eight hundred miles. 
 
 Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- 
 cratic pxrty. Jefferson was his idol. He admired 
 Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. 
 Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose 
 second term of office was then expiring, delivered his 
 last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a 
 complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson 
 did not approve of the address, and was one of the 
 twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to 
 say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been 
 " wise, firm and patriotic." 
 
 Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
 Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. 
 Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Coint 
 of his Slate, which position he held for si.x years. 
 
 When the war of 181 2 with Great Britian com- 
 menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. 
 Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was 
 an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who 
 would do credit to a commission if one were con- 
 ferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson 
 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 at- 
 tack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was 
 in command, he was ordered to descend the river 
 with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The 
 expedition reached Natchez; and after a delay of sev- 
 eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything, 
 the men were ordered back to their homes. But the 
 energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire 
 devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him 
 golden opinions; and he became the most popular 
 man in the State. It was in this expedition that his 
 toughness gave him the nickname of " Old Hickory." 
 
 Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. 
 Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman 
 made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in 
 which a younger brotlier of Benton's was engaged, 
 he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was 
 lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the 
 Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from 
 Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- 
 tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De- 
 cisive action liecame necessary. Gen. Jackson, with 
 his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in 
 a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis- 
 tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 
 army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama. 
 
 The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on 
 one of the bends of the Tallaijoosa River, near the cen- 
 v^er of Alab;una, about fifty miles below Fort Strother. 
 With an army of two thousand men. Gen. Jackson 
 traversed the pathless w-ilderness in a march of eleven 
 days. He readied their fort, called Tohopeka or 
 Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend 
 
 of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres o< 
 tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow 
 neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast- 
 work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, 
 with an ample suplyof arms were assembled. 
 
 The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des- 
 perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When 
 bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en- 
 deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- 
 ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was 
 awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the 
 river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as 
 they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war- 
 rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam 
 tlie river and escaped. This ended the war. The 
 power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold 
 plunge into the wilderness, with its terriffic slaughter, 
 so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants 
 of the bands came to the camp, begging for peace. 
 
 This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con- 
 centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the 
 allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will 
 than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian 
 campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he 
 was appointed major-general. 
 
 Late in August, with an army of two thousand 
 men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to 
 Mobile. A British fieet came from Pensacola, landed 
 a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, 
 and from both ship and shore commenced a furious 
 assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length 
 one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. 
 
 Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little 
 army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
 And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, 
 was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won 
 for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his 
 troops, which numbered about four thousand men, 
 won a signal victory over the British army of aliout 
 nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the 
 loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. 
 
 The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men-, 
 tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 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 the government, he met with 
 the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of 
 his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has 
 perhaps never been s\upassed. From the shock of 
 her death he never recovered. 
 
 His administration was one of the most memorable 
 in the annals of our countiy; applauded by one party, 
 condemned by the other. No man had more bitter 
 enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his 
 two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where 
 he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack- 
 son's life were that of a devoted Christian man.
 
 ^ 7 //Z>'^^ ^C^3 U^iL^z,,^
 
 EIGHTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 47 
 
 •^^t:@>^2s«s^7^5=^^^^^V€)^(^><2)(^^ 
 
 
 ARTIN VAN BUREN, the 
 eighth President of the 
 United States, was bom at 
 Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 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. 
 
 Tliere is but little in the life of Martin Van Buren 
 of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged 
 in no wild adventures. Thougii his life was stormy in 
 ix)litical and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many 
 signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those 
 .incidents which give zest to biography. His an- 
 cestors, as his iiame indicates, were of Dutch origin, 
 and were among tiie 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 un-_ 
 usual 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 luid not a collegiate education, seven 
 years of study in a law-office were re(iuired of him 
 before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with 
 a lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pur- 
 sued his studies with indefatigable industry. After 
 ij'.ending si.K years \\\ an office in hjs native village, 
 
 he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his 
 studies for the seventh year. 
 
 In 1S03, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of 
 age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- 
 lage. The great conflict between the Federal and 
 Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van 
 Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had, 
 perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the 
 many discussions which had been carried on in his 
 father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with 
 Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused tlie 
 cause of State Rights ; though at that time the Fed- 
 eral party held the supremacy both in his town 
 and State. 
 
 His success and increasing ruputation led him 
 after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, th. 
 county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years 
 constantly gaining strength by contending in the- 
 courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned 
 the bar of his State. 
 
 Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mi. 
 Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
 beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
 years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump- 
 tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep ovei 
 her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was 
 an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record 
 (if those years is barren in items of [)ublic interest. 
 In 181 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to 
 the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to 
 Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1815, he was ap- 
 pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved 
 to Albany, the capital of the State. 
 
 While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
 pominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had
 
 4'^ 
 
 MARTIN VAN BVREN. 
 
 ihe moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
 not require that " universal suffrage" which admits 
 ;he vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of 
 governing the State. In true consistency with his 
 democratic principles, he contended that, while the 
 jiath 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 182 I 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 
 Ihe approval of men of all parties. No one could 
 doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the 
 interests of all classes in the community. 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 
 .tie Senate. He had been from the beginning a de- 
 jermined opposer of the Administration, adopting the 
 -'State Rights" view in opposition' to what was 
 deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 
 
 Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governorof 
 the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his 
 seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United 
 States contributed so much towards ejecting 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 re- 
 garded throughout the United States as one of the 
 most skillful, sagacious and canning of politicians. 
 It was supposed that no one knew so well as he how 
 ;o touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all 
 ;he wires to put his machinery in motion; and how to 
 organize a political army wliich would, secreily and 
 fte^'thily accomplish the most gigantic results. By 
 these powers it is said that he outv.'itted Mr. Adams, 
 Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
 tew thought then could be accomplished. 
 
 When .\ndrew Jackson w.as elected President he 
 appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This 
 ]X)silion he resigned in 1831, and was immediately 
 appointed Minister to England, \Vhere he went the 
 same autumn. Tlie Senate, however, when it met, 
 refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned 
 
 home, apparently untroubled; 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 tliat 
 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 favor- 
 ite ; and this, probably more than any other cause, 
 secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execu 
 tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re- 
 ceived 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 in 
 volve this country in war with England, the agitation 
 of the slavery question, and finally the great commer- 
 cial panic which spread over the country,.all were 
 trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at- 
 tributed to the management of the Democratic party, 
 and brought the President into such disfavor that he 
 failed of re-election. 
 
 With the exception of being nominated for the 
 Presidency l)y the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 1848, 
 Mr. Van Buren lived quietly u[)on his estate until 
 his death. 
 
 He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal liabits. 
 and living within his income, had now fortunately a 
 comiietence for his declining years. His unblemished 
 character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned 
 patriotism, and the distinguished positions which he 
 had occupied in the government of our country, se- 
 cured to him not only the homage of his party, but 
 the respect ot the whole community. It was on the 
 4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from 
 the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald^ 
 he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics 
 of the country. From this time until his deatli, on 
 the 24th of July, 1S62, at the age of eighty years, he 
 resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of 
 culture and of wealth; enjoyirg in a healthy old 
 age, probably far more liappiness than he liad before 
 experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life.
 
 
 /i^. J^ )9<^.iyL^
 
 NINTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 S' 
 
 wiLtiAM "m&^m 1411^®! 
 
 
 
 ILLIAM HENRY HARRI- 
 SON, the ninth President of 
 the United States, was born 
 at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. 
 His father, Benjamin Harri- 
 son, was in comparatively op- 
 ulent circumstances, and was 
 one of the most distinguished 
 then of his day. He was an 
 intimate friend of George 
 Washington, was early elected 
 a member of the Continental 
 Congress, and was consijicuous 
 among the patriots of Virginia in 
 resisting the encroachments of the 
 British crown. In the celebrated 
 Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- 
 rison and John Hancock were 
 both candidates for the office of 
 si)eaker. 
 
 Mr Harrison was subsequently 
 chosen Governor of Virginia, and 
 was twice re-elected. His son, 
 i William Henry, of course enjoyed 
 
 in childhood all the advantages which wealth and 
 intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
 ing received a tliorough common-school education, he 
 entered Hampden Sidney College, where he gradu;ited 
 with honor soon after the death of his father. He 
 --len repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine undtr 
 the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianshiji of 
 lobert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, 
 ■■igners of the Declaration of Independence. 
 
 .'Jl>on the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- 
 withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he 
 abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, 
 having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi- 
 
 dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old. 
 From that time he passed gradually upward in rank 
 until he became aid to General Wayne, after wiiose 
 death he resigned his commission. He was tlien ap- 
 pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This 
 Territory was then entitled to but one member in 
 Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that 
 position. 
 
 In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory 
 was divided by Congress into two portions. The 
 eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced 
 in the State of Ohio, was called '' The Territory 
 north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which 
 included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and 
 Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil- 
 liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was aji- 
 jwinted by John Adams, Governoi' of the Indiana 
 Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of 
 Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as 
 extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He 
 was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- 
 vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now 
 rapidly increasing white population. The ability and 
 fidelity with which he discharged these resjionsible 
 duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four 
 times appointed to this office — first by John Adams, 
 twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi- 
 dent Madison. 
 
 When he began his adminstration there were but 
 three white settlements in that almost boundless region, 
 now crowded with cities and resounding with all the 
 tumult of wealth and traffic. One of these settlements 
 was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at 
 Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French 
 settlement. 
 
 The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrisoi. 
 reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. Abou' 
 
 LIBfiARy 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 AT UfiSAMA- CHAMPAIGN
 
 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 
 
 the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers, 
 of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of 
 these was called Tecumseh, or " Tlie Crouching 
 Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet." 
 Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man 
 of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit- 
 able perseverance in any enterprise ni which he might 
 engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, 
 and had long regarded with dread and with hatred 
 the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting- 
 grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was 
 anorator, wlio could sway the feelings of the untutored 
 Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which 
 they dwelt. 
 
 But the Prophet was not merely anorator: he was, 
 in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested 
 with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a 
 magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter 
 the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went 
 from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent 
 by the Great Spirit. 
 
 Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate 
 the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- 
 canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. 
 October 28, 18 12, his army began its march. When 
 near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made 
 their appearance and inquired wliy Gov. Harrison was 
 approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a 
 short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- 
 ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. 
 
 But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with 
 the Indian character to be deceived by such protes- 
 tations Selecting a favorable sijot for his night's en- 
 campment, he took every precaution against surprise. 
 His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept 
 upon their arms. 
 
 The troops threw themselves upon the ground for 
 rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his 
 loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The 
 wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in 
 the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- 
 tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It 
 was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In 
 the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- 
 ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all 
 the desperation which superstition and i)assion most 
 highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
 little army. The savages had been amply provided 
 with guns and ammunition by the English. Their 
 war-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets. 
 
 The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the 
 light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- 
 jus yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a 
 speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's 
 troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them 
 until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous 
 charge with the liayonet, and swept every thing be- 
 fore them, and completely routing the foe. 
 
 Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
 to the utmost. The British descending from the Can - 
 adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but 
 with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the 
 forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn- 
 ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier 
 was pluiiged into a state of consternation which even 
 the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. 
 The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the 
 forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra- 
 tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made 
 the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. 
 Under these despairing circumstances. Gov. Harrison 
 was appointed by President Madison commander-in- 
 chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake 
 Detroit, and to protect the frontiers. 
 
 It would be difficult to place a man in a situation 
 demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; bui 
 General Harrison was found equal to the position, 
 and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re 
 sponsibilities. 
 
 He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing 
 with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while 
 pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in a 
 valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket 
 lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British officers, 
 his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle. 
 The only fare he could give them was beef roasted 
 before the fire, without bread or salt. 
 
 In 18 r 6, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of 
 the National House of Representatives, to represent 
 the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an 
 active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with 
 force of reason and power of eloquence, which' arrested 
 the attention of all the members. 
 
 In 1819, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
 Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors 
 of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The 
 same year he was chosen to the United States Senate. 
 
 In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him 
 forward as a candidate for the Presidency against 
 Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of 
 Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re -nominated by his 
 party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated 
 by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency. 
 The contest was very animated. Gen Jackson gave 
 all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but 
 his triumph was signal. 
 
 The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster 
 at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most 
 brilliant with which any President had ever been 
 surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin- 
 istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country 
 more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and 
 jo)'ous prospects. Gen. Harrison was seized by a 
 pleurisv-fever and after a few days of violent sick- 
 ness, died on the 4th of April; just one month after 
 his inauguration as President of the United States.
 
 '"vrL
 
 TENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 55 
 
 tenth 
 Ja Presidentof the United States. 
 He was born in Charles-city 
 Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He 
 was the favored child of af- 
 fluence and high social po- 
 sition. At the early age of 
 twelve, John entered AVilliam 
 and Mary College and grad- 
 uated with much honor when 
 but seventeen years old. After 
 graduating, he devoted him- 
 self with great assiduity to the 
 study of law, partly with his 
 father and p.irtly with Kdmund 
 Randolph, one of the most distin- 
 guished lawyers of Virginia. 
 
 At nineteen years of age, ne 
 commenced the practice of law. 
 His success was rapid and aston- 
 ishing. It is said that three 
 months had not elapsed ere there 
 was scarcely a case on the dock- 
 et 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 
 Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
 i:ratic 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 or his county. 
 
 When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected 
 a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and 
 ably with the Democratic party, opposing a national 
 bank, internal improvements by the General <<)vern- 
 
 ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict con- 
 struction of the Constitution, 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 Co., 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 canstantly increasing, he was chosen 
 by a very large majority of votes. Governor of his 
 native State. His administration was signally a suc- 
 cessful one. 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 wayward 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 taking his 
 seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi- 
 tion. He opposed the tariff; lie spoke against and 
 voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren- 
 uously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resist- 
 ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen- 
 eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. 
 Calhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen. 
 Jackson, by his opposition to the nuUifiers, 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 rplit in the Democratic
 
 56 
 
 JOHN TYLER. 
 
 party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef- 
 fersonian, gave him a dinner, and showered coraph- 
 nients ujK)n him. He had now attained the age of 
 forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con- 
 sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri- 
 vate affairs had fallen into some disorder; and it was 
 not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice 
 of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan- 
 tation. Soon after tliis 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 to nominate a President in 
 1839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har- 
 rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disapjwintment of 
 the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili- 
 ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the 
 convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres- 
 ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa- 
 thy with the Whig party in the Noilh : but the Vice 
 President has but very little power in the Govern- 
 ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre- 
 side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap- 
 pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a 
 Democratic Vice President were chosen. 
 
 In 1841, ^ir. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi- 
 dent of the United States. In one short month from 
 that time, Eresident Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler 
 thus -cund himself, to his own surprise and that of 
 the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential 
 chair. This was a new test of the stability of our 
 institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our 
 country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler 
 was at home in Williamsburg when he received the 
 unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri- 
 son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of 
 April was inaugurated to the high and responsible 
 office. He was placed in a position of exceeding 
 delicacy and difficulty. All his longlife he had been 
 opposed tc the main principles of the party which had 
 brought him into power. He had ever been a con- 
 sistent, honc.t man, with an unblemished record. 
 Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should 
 he retain them, and thus suiround himself with coun- 
 sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own .'' or, 
 on the other hand, should he turn against the party 
 whicii had elected him and select a cabinet in har- 
 mony with himself, and which would opiX)se all those 
 views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub- 
 lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in- 
 vited the cabinet which President Harrison had 
 selected to retain their seats. He reccommended a 
 day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and 
 bless us. 
 
 The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the 
 incor|X)ration of a fiscal bank of the United States. 
 The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with 
 his veto. He tsugeested, however, that he would 
 
 approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he 
 proiX)sed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and 
 privately .<:ubmitted 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 severely 
 touched the pride of the President. 
 
 The opposition now exultingly received the Presi- 
 dent into their arms. The party which elected him 
 denounced him bitterly. AH the members of his 
 cabinet, excepting Mr. AVebster, 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 were at 
 an end. 
 
 Still the President attempted to conciliate. He 
 appointed a new cabmet of distinguished Whigs and 
 Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party 
 men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessar)' to resign, 
 forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus 
 the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra- 
 tion passed sadly away. No one viras satisfied. The 
 land was filled with murmurs 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, he retired from the 
 harassments of office, tothe regret of neither party, and 
 probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first wife, 
 Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842; 
 and in June, r844. President Tyler was again married, 
 at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a 3'oung lady of 
 many personal and intellectual accomplishments. 
 
 The remainder of his days Mr. T\ ler passed mainly 
 in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For- 
 est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in 
 his manners, richly furnished with information from 
 books and experience in the world, and possessing 
 brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was 
 the scene of unasual attractions. With sufficient 
 means for the exercise of a generous hospitaliU', he 
 might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few 
 friends who gathered around him, were it not for the 
 storms of civil war which his own principles and 
 jK)licy had helped to introduce. 
 
 When the great Rebellion rose, which the State- 
 rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Cal- 
 houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his 
 allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed- 
 erates. He was chosen a member 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.
 
 '■%(' - 

 
 ELEVENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 59 
 
 \ AMESK. POLK, the eleventh 
 |],jj President of the United States, 
 ^V was born in Mecklenburg Co., 
 ,3 N. C.,Nov. 2, 1795. His par- 
 .■aai) "^'^'^ were Samuel and Jane 
 (Knox) Polk, the former a son 
 of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
 at the aI)ove place, as one of the 
 first pioneers, in 1735. 
 
 In the year 1006, with his wife 
 and children, and soon after fol- 
 lowed by most of the members of 
 the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi- 
 grated some two or three lumdred 
 miles farther west, to the rich valley 
 of the Duck River. Here in the 
 midst of the wilderness, in a region 
 which was subsequently called Mau- 
 ry Co., they reared their log huts, 
 and established their homes. In the 
 hard toil of a new farm in the wil- 
 derness, James K. Polk s[)ent the 
 early years of his childhood and 
 youth. His father, adding the pur- 
 suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, 
 gradually increased in wealth until 
 he became one of the leading men of the region. His 
 mother was a superior woman, of strong common 
 sense and earnest piety. 
 
 Very early in life, James developed a taste for 
 reading and ex[)ressed the strongest desire to obtain 
 a liberal education. His mother's training had made 
 liim methodical in his habits, had taught him punct- 
 uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty 
 principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his 
 father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a 
 
 sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the 
 
 counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits. 
 
 This was to James a bitter disappointment. He 
 
 had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks 
 
 were irksome in the e.xtreme. He remained in this 
 
 uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his 
 
 earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made 
 
 arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon 
 
 after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy- ^Vith 
 f ^ 
 
 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 Cliapel 
 Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of 
 scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing 
 
 himself to be absent from a recitation or a relii;ious 
 service. 
 
 He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be* 
 ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in 
 mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty- 
 three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this 
 time much impaired by the assiduity with which he 
 had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of 
 relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the 
 office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk 
 renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who 
 resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few 
 miles from Nashville. They had probably been 
 slightly acquainted before. 
 
 Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican, 
 and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi- 
 cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was 
 constantly called upon to address the meetings of his 
 party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that 
 he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump. 
 He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and
 
 /AMES K. POLK. 
 
 :ourterus in his bearing, and with that sympathetic 
 nature in the jo) s and griefs of others which ever gave 
 him troops of friends. In 1S23, Mr. Polk was elected 
 to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his 
 strong influence towards 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 Co., Tenn. His bride was 
 altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul- 
 ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a 
 membor of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave 
 to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that 
 for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con- 
 tinuec' in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, 
 only l^at he might accept the Gubernatorial chair 
 of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious 
 member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was 
 always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever 
 he spoke it was always to the point, and without any 
 ambitious rhetorical display. 
 
 During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was 
 Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused, 
 and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr, Polk per- 
 formed his arduous duties to a verj' general satisfac- 
 tion, 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 the 14th of Octo- 
 bfer, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841, 
 his term of office expired, and he was again the can- 
 didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated. 
 
 On the 4th of March, iS45,Mr. Polk was inaugur- 
 ated President of the United States. The verdict of 
 the countryin favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted 
 its influence ujxjn Congress ; and the last act of the 
 administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- 
 nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 
 ^d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to 
 the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas 
 as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, 
 Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and 
 left the country, declaring the act of the annexation 
 to be an act hostile to Mexico. 
 
 In his first message. President Polk urged that 
 Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- 
 ceived into the Union on the same fooling with the 
 other States. In the meantime. Gen. Taylor was sent 
 
 with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was 
 sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the 
 western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly • 
 two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, 
 where he erected batteries which commanded the 
 Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated or 
 the western banks. 
 
 The anticipated collision soon took place, and wa: 
 was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The 
 war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration 
 with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first 
 called one of "observation," then of "occupation,' 
 then of " invasion, "was sent forward to Monterey. The 
 feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly 
 and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement 
 alone can reveal the misery which this war caused. 
 It was by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration 
 that the war was brought on. 
 
 'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was 
 prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands 
 We now consented to peace upon the condition that 
 Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, 
 all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal- 
 ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of 
 Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This 
 was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the 
 size of New York, Thus slavery was securing eighteen 
 majestic States to be added to the Union. There were 
 some Americans who thought it all right : there wtre 
 others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution 
 of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and 
 more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this 
 money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. 
 
 On the 3d of March, 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. Taylor; and the same even- 
 ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to 
 Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. 
 He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, 
 and his health was good. With an ample fortune, 
 a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties 
 of tlie dearest nature, it seemed as though long years 
 of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the 
 cholera— that fearful scourge — was then sweeping up 
 tlie Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, 
 and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fifiv-fourth. 
 year of his age, greatly mourned by his couriirymc,';
 
 7^^:^^:^^^i^L.-'>2^/(^^^t^^^>^^: —
 
 TWELFTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 63 
 
 
 ia^^ 
 
 ^'^SSi^ 
 
 v^^r 
 
 
 
 ^iJ- 
 
 ^ ACHARY 'I'AYLOR, twelfth 
 
 f;>) President of the United States, 
 
 |j"'was born on the 24th of Nov., 
 
 1 7 84, in Orange Co., Va. His 
 
 So father, Colonel Taylor, was 
 
 a Virginian of note, and a dis- 
 
 ■^ tinguished patriot and soldier of 
 the Revolution. When Zachary 
 was an infant, his father with his 
 wife and two children, emigrated 
 to Kentucky, where he settled in 
 the pathless wilderness, a few 
 miles from Louisville. In this front- 
 ier home, away from civilization and 
 all its refinements, young Zachary 
 :ouUl enjoy but few social and educational advan- 
 tages. 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 char- 
 acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and 
 iianifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight 
 ?he Indians who were ravaging tlie frontiers. There 
 is little to lie recorded of the uneventful years of his 
 childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation. 
 In 1S08, his father succeeded in obtaining for him 
 the commission of 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 
 'rom one of the first families of Maryland. 
 
 Immediately after the declaration of war with Eng- 
 land, in 18 1 2, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been 
 promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort 
 Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above 
 Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder- 
 ness by Gen. Harrison,on his march to Tippecanoe. 
 It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians, 
 kd by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken 
 
 company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of 
 whom were sick. 
 
 Early in the autumn of 18 12, the Indians, stealthily, 
 and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Tlic.r 
 approach was first indicated by the murder of two 
 soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor 
 made every possible preparation to meet the antici- 
 pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of 
 forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, 
 waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that 
 in the morning their chief would come to liave a talk 
 with him. It was evident that their object was merely 
 to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
 Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kejjt 
 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 cap- 
 ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor- 
 ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can 
 conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc- 
 ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses- 
 Until si.x o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict 
 continued. The savages then, baffled at every point, 
 and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. 
 Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the 
 rank of major Ity brevet. • 
 
 Until the close of the war. Major 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 Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which 
 empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little 
 to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one 
 best could. There were no books, no society, no in-
 
 64 
 
 ZACHARY TAYLOR ■ 
 
 tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful 
 . years rolled oil Gradually he rose to the rank of 
 colonel. In the Black Hawk war, which resulted in 
 tlie capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor 
 took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. 
 
 For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in 
 the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in 
 employments so obscure, that his name was unknown 
 oeyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. 
 In the year 1S36, he was sent to Florida to compel 
 the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- 
 tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, 
 ha.f promised they should do. The services rendered 
 he.e secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of 
 the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated 
 tc ;he rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon 
 after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- 
 mand of the United States troops in Florida. 
 
 After two years of such wearisome employment 
 amidst the everglades of the peninsula. Gen. 'Faylor 
 obtained, at his own request, a change of command, 
 r.nd was stationed over the Department of the South- 
 west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, 
 Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters 
 at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his fixmily 
 to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. 
 Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were, 
 f'rom the world, but faithfully discharging every duty 
 imjxjsed 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 
 i)y the United States. Soon the war with Me.xico 
 was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
 Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the 
 Me.xicans. The rank of major-general by brevet 
 was then conferred upon Gen. Tajlor, and his name 
 was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in 
 the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
 Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over 
 forces much larger than he commanded. 
 
 His careless habits of dress and his unaffected 
 r-implicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, 
 the sobriquet of " Old Rough and Ready.' 
 
 Tne tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista 
 ;"pread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The 
 name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The 
 U'hig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- 
 ful popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un- 
 lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the 
 Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an- 
 nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de- 
 claring that he was not at all tjualified for such an 
 office. So little interest had he taken in ]3olitics that, 
 for forty years, he had net cast a vote. It was not 
 without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen 
 who had been long years in the public sersnce found 
 */.iir claims set aside in behalf of one *fhose name 
 
 had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo 
 Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena 
 Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re- 
 marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made." 
 
 Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine 
 writer His friends took possession of him, and pre- 
 pared such few communications as it was needful 
 should be presented to the public. The popularity of 
 the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri- 
 umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, — 
 Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren. 
 Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good 
 old man found himself in a very uncongenial position, 
 and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. 
 His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably 
 tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party 
 was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi- 
 tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was 
 pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery 
 stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found 
 the political conflicts in Washington to be far more 
 trying to the nerves than battles with IMexicans 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 woids were, "I am not afraid to die. I am 
 ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died 
 universally respected and beloved. ^An honest, un- 
 pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the 
 affections of the people ; and the Nation bitterly la- 
 mented his death. 
 
 Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with 
 Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful 
 description of his character: — " With a gooci store of 
 common sense. Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en- 
 larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse 
 with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse- 
 quence. The frontiers and small military posts had 
 been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his 
 rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim- 
 plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju- 
 dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the 
 tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, 
 chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or hisha! 
 a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave 
 a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out 
 side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the 
 offender to be a co.xcomb (perhaps something worse), 
 whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase, 
 'touch with a pair of tongs.' 
 
 "Any allusion to literature beyond good old r)il- 
 worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a 
 sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter 
 unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In shorf 
 few men have ever had a more comforcanie, lanc;- 
 saving contempt for learning of evei'y kind."
 
 -^j^f^ JL
 
 THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 67 
 
 $^\^^$"^$#$;;S>&■S'S^§^?^;,^r|JJ~;,$55»$;•;$<s.•J;;;'Jl§.$;;;$rS)$;|;$•^ 
 
 MlLLMn FILLMHRE. 
 
 -■^ 
 
 
 
 '«' 
 
 >®f| ILLARD FILLMORE, thii- 
 ■•1^ tcenth Presidentof the United 
 ^1' States, was born at Summer 
 ,;/ Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on 
 the yth of January, 1800. His 
 father was a farmer, and ow- 
 ing to misfortune, in humble cir- 
 cumstances. Of his mother, the 
 daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, 
 of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been 
 said that she possessed an intellect 
 of very high order, united with much 
 personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- 
 position, graceful manners and ex- 
 ([uisite sensibilities. She died in 
 1831 ; liaving lived to see her son a 
 young man of distinguished prom- 
 ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high 
 dignity which he finally attained. 
 
 In consequence-of tlie secluded home and limited 
 means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad- 
 vantages for education in his early years. The com- 
 mon schools, rtiiich he occasionally attended were 
 verv imperfect institutions; and books were scarce 
 and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- 
 acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he 
 was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ; 
 intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred 
 influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, 
 and had laid the foundations of an upright character. 
 When fourteen years of age, his father sent him 
 some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of 
 Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier, 
 Neai' the mil! there was a small villiage, where some 
 
 enterprising man liad commenced the collection of a 
 village library. This proved an inestimable blessing 
 to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- 
 ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied v, iih 
 books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate 
 and the selections which he made were continually 
 more elevating and instructive. He read history 
 biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- 
 kindled in his heart a desire to be something more 
 than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be- 
 coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, 
 educated man. 
 
 The young clothier had now attained the age of 
 nineteen years, and was of fine personal ap|)earanre 
 and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so hapjiened tha'. 
 there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample 
 pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter 
 AV'ood, — who was struck with the prepossessing au- 
 pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- 
 ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and 
 attainments that he advised him to abandon his 
 trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The 
 young man replied, that he had no means of his own, 
 r.o friends to help him and that his previous educa- 
 tion had been very imperfect. But Judge AVood had 
 so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to 
 take him into his own office, and to loan him such 
 money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous 
 offer was accepted. 
 
 There is in many minds a strange delusion abou': 
 a collegiate education. A young man is supposed tn 
 be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- 
 lege. But many a boy loiters through university hal' :, 
 Hnd then enters a law office, who is by no means fes
 
 68 
 
 MILLARD FILLMORE. 
 
 well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was 
 Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- 
 mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during 
 which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- 
 tense mental culture. 
 
 In 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 commenced the 
 practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, 
 his practice of course was limited, and there was no 
 opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame. 
 Here, iiT the year 1826, he married a lady of great 
 moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station 
 she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers. 
 
 His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
 his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate, 
 gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to 
 enter into partnership under highly advantageous 
 circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in 
 Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1S29, 
 he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the 
 State of New York, as a representative from Erie 
 County. Though he had never taken a very active 
 part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with 
 the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, 
 and he found himself in a helpless minority in the 
 Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parties, 
 that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very 
 unusual degn e the respect of his associates. 
 
 In the autmiin of 1832, he was elected to a seat in 
 the United States Congress. He entered that troubled 
 irena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our 
 national history. The great conflict respecting the 
 national bank and the removal of the deposits, was 
 then raging. 
 
 His term of two years closed ; and he returned to 
 his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- 
 utation and success. After a lapse of two years 
 he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- 
 elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe- 
 rience as a representative gave hmi stiength and 
 confidence. The first term of service in Congress to 
 any man can be but little more than an introduction. 
 He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- 
 gies were brought to bear upon the public good. Every 
 measure received his impress. 
 
 Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and 
 his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, 
 he was elected Comptroller of the Stat^. 
 
 Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven 
 years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in 
 Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con^ 
 siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to 
 find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- 
 dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the , 
 waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old 
 soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles 
 with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be 
 proclaimed in trumpet-tones all over the land. But 
 it was necessary to associate with him on the same 
 ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. 
 
 Under the influence of these considerations, tlie 
 namesofZachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became 
 the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for 
 President and Vice-Peesident. The Wliig ticket was 
 signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1S49, 
 Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard 
 Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. 
 
 On the f)th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but 
 about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
 tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- 
 stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- 
 dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which 
 the illustrious Uaniel Webster was Secretary of State. 
 
 Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to contend 
 with, since the opposition had a majority in both 
 Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate 
 the South; but the pro-slavery party in the .South felt 
 the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliation. 
 The population of the free States was so rapidly in- 
 creasing over that of the slave States that it was in- 
 evitable that the power of the Government sliould 
 soon pass into the hands of the free States. The 
 famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr. 
 Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Ex[>edition 
 was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr, Fill- 
 more, having served one term, retired. 
 
 In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres- 
 idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten 
 by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in 
 retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, 
 he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that 
 his sympathies were rather with those who were en- 
 deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President 
 Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any 
 cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. 
 He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe 
 old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874-
 
 FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 71 
 
 
 ^ '' "" ^FHflNKLIN PIERCE- ^^ .^^ -.,:,,,, .::::^^ 
 
 
 ^ RANKLIN PIERCE, the 
 
 ^ tointeenth President of the 
 
 ' United States, was born in 
 
 ' ''%\(sA!>^dT'^-''^ Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 
 vt... . ^rvo < ■ . - L 2 J, 1804. His father was a 
 Revolutionary soldier, who, 
 with his own strong ami, 
 hewed out a home in the 
 wilderness. He was a man 
 of inflexible integrity; of 
 strong, though uncultivated 
 mind, and an uncompromis- 
 ing Democrat. The mother of 
 Franklin Pierce was all that a son 
 could desire, — an intelligent, pru- 
 dent, affectionate, Christian wom- 
 an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. 
 
 Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- 
 erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the 
 love of old and young. The boys on the play ground 
 loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors 
 looked upon him with pride and affection. He was 
 by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, 
 doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact 
 which taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
 veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
 devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body, 
 in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy. 
 
 When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he 
 entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was 
 one of the most poi^ular young men in the college. 
 The purity cf his moral character, the unvarying 
 courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and 
 
 genial nature, rendered him a universal favoiite 
 There was something very peculiarly winning in his 
 address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- 
 gree studied : it was the simple outgushing of his 
 own magnanimous and loving nature. 
 
 Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce 
 commenced the study of law in the office of Judge 
 Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of 
 the State, and a man of great private worth. Thi' 
 eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his 
 father's prominence as a i)ublic man, and the brilliant 
 political career into which Judge Woodbury was eii- 
 tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the fici- 
 nating yet perilous path of political life. With all 
 the ardor of his nature he es[>oused the cause of Gen. 
 Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the 
 practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected 
 to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here 
 he served for four yeais. The last two years he was 
 chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. 
 
 In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected 
 a member of Congress. Without taking an active 
 part in debates, he was faithful and laljorious in duty, 
 and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom 
 he was associatad. 
 
 In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, 
 he was elected to the Senate of the United States; 
 taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced 
 his administration. He was the youngest member in 
 the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane 
 Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- 
 plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every 
 station with which her husband was honoiod. Of the
 
 72 
 
 FRANKLIN PIERCE. 
 
 three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with 
 their parents in the grave. 
 
 In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame 
 and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his 
 residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. 
 President Polk, ujwn his accession to office, appointed 
 Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but 
 the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous 
 professional engagements at home, and the precariuos 
 state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the 
 same time declined the nomination for governor by the 
 Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. 
 Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of 
 brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his 
 troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of Maj', 1847. 
 He took an important part in this war, proving him- 
 self a brave and true soldier. 
 
 When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native 
 State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- 
 cates of the ISTe-xican war, and coldly by his oppo- 
 nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, 
 very frequently taking an active part in political ques- 
 tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery 
 wing of the Democratic party. The compromise 
 measures met cordially with his approval ; and he 
 strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- 
 mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious 
 sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin- 
 guished as a " Northern man with Southern principles.'' 
 The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
 quently regarded him as a man whom they could 
 safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 
 
 On the I 2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- 
 tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the 
 Presidency. For four days they continued in session, 
 and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a 
 two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown 
 for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation 
 brought forward his name. There were fourteen 
 more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly 
 gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he 
 received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all 
 other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was 
 the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with 
 great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas- 
 sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their 
 electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce 
 was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
 States on the 4th of March, 1853. 
 
 His admiflistration proved one of the most stormy our 
 country had ever e.xperienced. The controversy be- 
 tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its 
 culminating point. It became evident that there was 
 an "irrepressible conflict" between them, and that 
 this Nation could not long e.xist " half slave and half 
 free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad- 
 ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate 
 the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
 year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution 
 of the Union were borne to the North on every South- 
 ern breeze. 
 
 Such was the condition of afi"airs when President 
 Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term 
 of office. The North h'ad become thoroughly alien- 
 ated 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 ad- 
 ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the. South, also, 
 unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo- 
 cated those measures of Government which they ap- 
 proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had 
 rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be 
 able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped 
 him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
 tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two 
 had died, and his only surviving child had been 
 killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his 
 wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of 
 ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The 
 hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left 
 alone in the world, without wife or child. 
 
 When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di- 
 vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr. 
 Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he 
 had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to 
 that pro-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 Gov- 
 ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until 
 the time of his death, which occurred in October, 
 1869. He was one of the most genial and social of 
 men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal 
 Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen- 
 erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al- 
 leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns- 
 people were often gladened by his material bounty.
 
 
 --fe>«.. 
 
 (Z^Z^J (^'auo-/l^/yp2.€^y^^
 
 I'IFTEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 75 
 
 ■ «<« 
 
 - »>» 
 
 l<'^tgg>i^t!^i^i^t^>^(^t^r;^,':.',.vi, ■.,': 
 
 \:^y ■• ■ ' ."j f^s^csiitgiit^ '^■^t^t^'^^ ;^JTj 
 
 
 ■'v.V^i'("';V^i-^.':.',<^;:;',V;',V,i^;:i,iV;t ,.'1^,-1,.;^. 
 
 *ts) 
 
 »»> 
 
 AMES BUCHANAN, the fit- 
 s^gleeiith President of the United 
 1^ States, was born in a small 
 frontier town, at the foot of the 
 eastern ridL;e of the Alleglia- 
 nies, in FrankUnCo., Penn.,on 
 the 23d of Ainii, 1791. The I'lace 
 where the humble cabin of his 
 father stood was called Stony 
 '' Batter. It was a wild and ro- 
 mantic siiot in a gorge of the moun- 
 tains, witli towering summits rising 
 grandly all around. His father 
 was a native of the north of Ireland ; 
 a poor man, who had emigrated in 
 1783, with little property save his 
 own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married 
 Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, 
 and, with his youug bride, plunged into the wilder- 
 ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a 
 clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per- 
 form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se- 
 cluded home, where James was born, he remained 
 for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual 
 advantages. When James was eight years of age, his 
 father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where 
 his son was placed at school, and commenced a 
 courseofstudy in English, Latin and Greek. His 
 progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he 
 entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de- 
 veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among 
 the first scholars in the institution. His application 
 to study was intense, and yet his native powers en- 
 
 abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with 
 facility. 
 
 In the year 1809, he graduated with the highest 
 honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of 
 age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of 
 athletic siiort, an unerring shot, and enlivened with 
 an e.xuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately 
 commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, 
 and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was 
 but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose 
 in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand 
 with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but 
 twenty-si.x years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- 
 cessfully defended before the State Senate oie of liie 
 judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of 
 impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally 
 admitted that he stood at the head of the Ijar; and 
 there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lu- 
 crative practice. 
 
 In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
 candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
 ten years he remained a member of the Lower House. 
 During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally 
 tried some important case. In 1S31, he retired 
 altogether from the toils of his profession, having ac- 
 (piired an ample fortune. 
 
 Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency, 
 appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The 
 duties of his mission he jjerformed with ability, which 
 gave satisfaction to all parties. Lfpon his return, in 
 r 833, he was elected to a seat in the United States 
 Senate. He there met, as his associates, V/ebster, 
 Clay, ^\■right and Calhoun. He advocated the meas- 
 ures proposed by President Jackson, of luiting repri-
 
 7<5 
 
 JMAfES BUCHANAN. 
 
 sals against France, to enforce the payment of our 
 claims against that country ; and defended the course 
 of the Pre,-.ident in his unprecedented and wholesale 
 removal from office of those who were not the sup- 
 porters of iiis administration. Upon this question he 
 was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. 
 He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging 
 from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure 
 against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits. 
 Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the 
 District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the 
 circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United 
 States mails. 
 
 As to petitions on tlie subject of slavery, he advo- 
 cated that they should be respectfully received; and 
 that the rejily should be returned, that Congress had 
 no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," 
 said he, " might as well undertake to interfere with 
 slavery under a foreign government as in any of tlie 
 States where it now exists." 
 
 Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. 
 Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, 
 took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of 
 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 (trande into that territory was a declaration 
 of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the 
 account of tlie course our Government pursued in that 
 movement. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly w-ith 
 the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension 
 of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind 
 to bear against the W'ilmot Proviso. He gave his 
 cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1S50, 
 which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, 
 upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. 
 Buchanan with the mission to England. 
 
 In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven- 
 tion nominated Mr. Buciianan for the Presidency. The 
 political conflict was one of the most severe in which 
 our country has ever engaged. All the friends of 
 slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re- 
 striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre- 
 mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re- 
 reived 114 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
 174, and was elected. The [wpular vote stood 
 1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for ESuchanan. On 
 March 4th. 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four 
 vears were wanting to fill up his threescore years and 
 ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been 
 all'.ed in jjolitical i)rinciples and action for years, were 
 seeking the destruction of the Government, that they 
 might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a 
 nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. 
 In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be- 
 wildered He could not, with his long-avowed prin- 
 
 ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in 
 their assumptions. As President of the United States, 
 bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws 
 he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind, 
 imite with those endeavoring to overthrow tlie repub- 
 lic. He therefore did nothing. 
 
 The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration 
 nomin.aied Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer 
 in the ne.xt Presidential canvass. The pro-slaverv 
 party declared, that if he were elected, and the con- 
 trol of the Government were thus taken from their 
 hands, they would secede from the Union, taking 
 with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at 
 Wasliington, and the lion's share of the territory of 
 the United States. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery 
 party was such, that he had been willing to offer them 
 far more than they had ventured to claim. All the 
 South had professed to ask of the North was non- 
 intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu- 
 chanan had been ready to offer them the active co- 
 operation of the Government to defend and extend 
 the institution. 
 
 As the storm increased in violence, the slaveliolders 
 claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow- 
 ing that Congress liad no power to prevent it, one of 
 the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im- 
 becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He 
 declared that Congress had no power to enforce its 
 laws in any State which hnd withdrawn, or which 
 was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This 
 was not the doctrine of .Andrew Jackson, when, with 
 his hand upon his sword-hilt, he e.xclaimed. " The 
 Union must and shall be preserved!" 
 
 South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly 
 three months before the inauguration of President 
 Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair. 
 The rebel flag was raised in Charleston: Fort Sampler 
 was besieged ; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals 
 were seized; our depots of military stores were plun- 
 dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were 
 appropriated by the rebels. 
 
 The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our 
 Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked 
 on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, 
 and close the administration, so terrible in its weak- 
 ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver- 
 ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the 
 scepter. 
 
 The administration of President Buchanan was 
 certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
 perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with 
 ])leasure. 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 onr countrv'^ 
 banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellio". 
 H-^ died at his Wheatland retreat, June i, 1868.
 
 .^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 Q^j^^-<^^' 
 
 't^TI^x
 
 SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 79 
 
 ABRAHAM > 
 
 )S2il^J^J^ 
 
 •^ < LlNCOLNn > i 
 
 i 
 
 I'.RAHAM LINCOLN, the 
 sixteenth President of the 
 J United States, was horn in 
 Hardin Co., Ky., Feb. 12, 
 i<So9. About the year 1780, a 
 man by the name of Abraham 
 Lincohi left Virginia with his 
 family and moved into the then 
 wilds of Kentucky. Only two years 
 after this emigration, still a young 
 man, while working one day in a 
 field, was stealthily approached by 
 an Indian and shot dead. His widow 
 was left in extreme poverty with five 
 little children, three boys and two 
 girls. Thomas, the youngest of the 
 boys, was four years of age at his 
 father's death. Tiiis Thomas was 
 the father of .Abraham Lincoln, the 
 President of the United States 
 whone name must henceforth fcever be enrolled 
 with the most prominent in the annals of our world. 
 Of course no record has been kept of the life 
 of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among 
 the poorest of the (loor. His home was a wretched 
 log -cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest. 
 Education he had none; he could never either read 
 or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for 
 himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his 
 starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend- 
 .ess, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him- 
 self out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a 
 laliorer in the fields of others. 
 
 When twenty-eight years of age he built a log- 
 cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
 daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi- 
 grants, who had also come from Virginia. Their 
 second child was Aliraham Lincoln, the subject of 
 this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble 
 woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn 
 a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die iri a hovel. 
 "All ihat I am, or hope to be," e.xclaims the grate- 
 ful son " I owe to my angel-mother. 
 
 When he was eight years of age, his father sold his 
 
 
 Whert 
 
 cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana 
 two years later his mother died. 
 
 Abraham soon liecame the scribe of the uneducated 
 community around him. He could not have had a 
 better school than this to teach him to put thoughts 
 into words. He also became an eager reader. The 
 books he could obtain were few ; but these he read 
 and re-read until they were almost committed to 
 memory. 
 
 As the years rolled on, tlie 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 mar- 
 ried when a child of Ijut fourteen years of age, and 
 soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr. 
 Thomas Lincoln sold out liis squatter's claim in 1830, 
 and emigrated to Macon Co., 111. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. 
 With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing 
 another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at thi> 
 until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their 
 small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when 
 he announced to his fatlier his intention to leave 
 home, and to go out into the world and seek his for- 
 tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how liril- 
 liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of 
 education, and was intensely earnest to improve his 
 mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin 
 which ardent spirits were causing, and became 
 strictly temi)erate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi- 
 cating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in 
 God's word, " Thou shalt not take the name of the 
 Lord thy God in vain ;" and a profane expression he 
 was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His 
 morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated 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 the Illinois, and thence Ijy the Mis- 
 sissippi to New Orleans. W'hatever Abraham I,in- 
 coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give 
 great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven-
 
 8o 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
 
 tare his employeis were so well pleased, that upon 
 his return tiiey placed a store and mill under his care. 
 
 In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he 
 enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He 
 returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 
 years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but 
 was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew 
 lackson the appointmentof Postmaster of New Salens, 
 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 hg 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 
 iVir. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and 
 began his legal studies. When the Legislature as- 
 sembled 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 re- 
 moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. 
 His success with the jury was so great that he was 
 soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. 
 
 In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
 Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. 
 In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, 
 in 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 con- 
 test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most 
 notable part of his history. The issue was on the 
 ilavery question, and he took the broad ground of 
 .he Declaration of Independence, that all men are 
 created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- 
 test, but won a far higher prize. 
 
 The great Republican Convention met at Chicago 
 on the i6th of June, i860. The delegates and 
 strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty- 
 five thousand. An immense building called "The 
 Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven- 
 tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes 
 were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame 
 as a statesman had long filled the land, was tiie most 
 urominent. It was generally supposed he would be 
 the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however,' received 
 the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then 
 dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the 
 bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him: 
 and as little did he dream that he was to render services 
 to his country, which would fi.x upon him the eyes of 
 the whole civilized world, and which would give him 
 a place in the affections of his countiymen, second 
 only, if second, to that of Washington. 
 
 Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180 
 electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, 
 constitution.iUy elected President of the United States. 
 The tirade of abuse that vas [Mured uixin this good 
 
 and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was 
 greater than upon any other man ever elected to this 
 high position. In February', 1S61, Mr. Lincoln started 
 for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his 
 way making speeches. The whole journey was froughi 
 with much danger. Many of the Southern Stales hud 
 already seceded, and several attempts at assassination 
 were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti- 
 more had arranged, upon his arrival to "get up a row," 
 and in the confusion to make sure of his death witii 
 revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled 
 the plot. A secret and special train was provided to 
 take him from Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an 
 une.xpected hour of the night. The train started at 
 half-past ten; and to prevent any possible communi- 
 cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con- 
 federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had 
 started the telegraph-mres were cut. Mr. Lincoln 
 reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, 
 although great an.xiety 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 opix)nents before the convention he gave 
 important iX)sitions. 
 
 During no other administration have the duties 
 devolving upon the President been so manifold, and 
 the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to 
 the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and 
 feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in 
 his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he 
 learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in 
 determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his 
 trials, bo»h personal and national. Contrary to his 
 own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the 
 most courageous of men. He went directly into the 
 rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, 
 with no guard but a few sailors. From the tisie 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 Fords' Theater. It 
 was announced that they would be present. Gen. 
 Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- 
 ing, with his characteristic kindliness of heart, that 
 it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, 
 very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to 
 the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth 
 entered the bo.x where the President and family were 
 seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the 
 next morning at seven o'clock. 
 
 Never before, in the history of the world was a nation 
 plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler. 
 Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless 
 anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was 
 in tears. His was a life which will filly become a 
 model. His name as tjie savior of his country ""ili 
 live with that of Washington's, its father; hiscf^-:ntry- 
 mcn bein" unable to decide whi< h is t'"; ereaict.
 
 c 
 
 ^^^^:^^^^:2t^2>t^
 
 SE VENTEENTH PRESIDED T. 
 
 ^y 
 
 
 mmmmM'm nnik^-ismM^ 
 
 .4 
 
 
 NDREW JOHNSON, seven- 
 teenth President of the United 
 ^States. The early Wic of 
 Andrew Johnson contains but 
 the record of poverty, destitu- 
 tion and frieiidlessness. He 
 was born December 29, 180S, 
 in Raleigh, N. C. His parents, 
 belonging to the class of the 
 "poor whites " of the South, were 
 in such circumstances, that they 
 could not confer even the slight- 
 est advantages of education upon 
 their child. When Andrew was five 
 years of age, his father accidentally 
 !ost nis life while herorically endeavoring to save a 
 friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew 
 was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the 
 labor of his mother, who obtained her living with 
 her own hands. 
 
 He then, having never attended a school one day, 
 and being unable either to read or write, was ap- 
 prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman 
 was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion- 
 ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often 
 read from the speeches of distinguished British states- 
 men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more 
 than ordinary native ability, became much interested 
 in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he 
 was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. 
 
 He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and 
 with the assistance of some of his fellow- workmen, 
 learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- 
 man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner, 
 
 pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book 
 but assisted him in learning to combine the letters 
 into words. Under such difficulties he pressed 01. 
 ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours 
 at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest 
 and recreatiori to devote such time as he could to 
 reading. 
 
 He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 
 Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos 
 sessed some education. Under her instructions he 
 learned to write and cipher. He became prominent 
 in the village debating society, and a favorite with 
 the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- 
 ganized a working man's party, which elected him 
 alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which 
 position he held three years. 
 
 He now began to take a lively interest in political 
 affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes, 
 to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a 
 member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- 
 see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. 
 He became a very active member of the legislature 
 gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 
 1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Tan 
 Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to thos.. 
 of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired mucli 
 readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
 his reputation. 
 
 In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he 
 was elected a member of Congress, and by successive 
 elections, held that important post for ten years. In 
 1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and 
 was re-elected in 1855. In all these res|)onsibIe posi- 
 tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abi.
 
 84 
 
 ANDREW JOHNSON. 
 
 ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- 
 ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected 
 United States Senator. 
 
 Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
 the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his 
 reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- 
 ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable 
 sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, 
 and become merged in a population congenial to 
 themselves." In 1850, he also supported the com- 
 promise measures, the two essential features of which 
 were, that the white people of the Territories should 
 be permitted to decide for themselves whether they 
 would enslave the colored people or net, and that 
 the *"ree States of the North should return to the 
 Souih persons who attempted to escape from slaver)'. 
 
 Mr. Johnson was neverashamedof his lowly origin: 
 on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that 
 he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir," 
 said he oa the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget 
 that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam 
 was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav- 
 ior was the son of a carpenter." 
 
 In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of iSuo, iie 
 was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the 
 Presidency. In 186 1, when the purpose of the South- 
 irn Democracy became apparent, he took a decided 
 stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery 
 must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever 
 cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly 
 imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of 
 Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the 
 Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- 
 pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he 
 established the most stringent military rule. His 
 numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In 
 
 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 i)unish. * * 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 iiv.onsistency with, and the most violent 
 
 opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech. 
 
 In his loose policy of reconstruction and general 
 amnesty, he was opposed by Congress; and he char- 
 acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly 
 defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In 
 the beginnirig of 1868, on account of "high crimes 
 and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the 
 removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten- 
 ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre- 
 ferred against him, and the trial began March 23. 
 
 It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three 
 months. A test article of the impeachment was at 
 length submitted to the court for its action. It was 
 certain that as the court voted upon that article so 
 would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced 
 the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces- 
 sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac- 
 quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against 
 him. The change of one vote from the not guil/y 
 side would have sustained the impeachment. 
 
 The President, for the remainder of his temi, was 
 but little regarded. He continued, though impotently, 
 his conflict with Congress. His own party did not 
 think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi- 
 dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar- 
 alleled since the days of Washington, around the name 
 of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. 
 The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the 
 President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was 
 there presented to a man a better opportunity to im- 
 mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a 
 nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home 
 in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in 
 politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting 
 struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten- 
 nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con- 
 gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special 
 session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of 
 March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the e.x-President 
 made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter 
 Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was 
 apparently in his usu.il vigorous health, but on reach- 
 ing the residence of his child the following day, was 
 stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. 
 He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at 
 2 A.M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun- 
 eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August, 
 with every demonstration of respect.
 
 • 
 
 /^ ^^--^-^
 
 etgh ternth fresideiyt. 
 
 h 
 
 (<§§/9XeVV®)@^yN2s€^^' 
 
 LYSSES S. GRANT, the 
 eighteenth President of the 
 P United States, was born on 
 the 29th of April, 1822, of 
 Christian parents, in a humble 
 home, at Point Pleasant, on the 
 banks of the Ohio. Shortly after 
 his father moved to George- 
 town, Brown Co., O. In this re- 
 mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses 
 received a common-school edu- 
 cation. At the age of seven- 
 teen, in the year 1839, lie entered 
 the Military Academy at West 
 Point. Here he was regarded as a 
 soiid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of 
 sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank 
 as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the 
 middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- 
 fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- 
 souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary 
 solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating 
 Indians. 
 
 The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
 sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first 
 battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here 
 for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at 
 Resaca de la Palma, his second battle. At the battle 
 of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that 
 he performed a signal service of daring and skillful 
 horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- 
 munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along 
 a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. 
 Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, 
 grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one 
 side of the anii^il, ran the gauntlet in entire safety. 
 
 From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, 
 to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In 
 preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he 
 was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the 
 battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a 
 first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha- 
 pultepec. 
 
 At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re- 
 turned with his regiment to New York, and was again 
 sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The 
 discovery of gold in California causing an immense 
 tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. 
 Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in 
 Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- 
 migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. 
 Grant resigned his commission and returned to the 
 States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- 
 tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but 
 little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- 
 munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into 
 the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga- 
 lena, 111. This was in the year i860. As the tidings 
 of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears 
 of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, — 
 "Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though 
 I have served him through one war, I do not feel that 
 I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge 
 my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword 
 and see Uncle Sam through this war too." 
 
 He went into the streets, raised a company of vol- 
 unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, 
 the capital of the State, where their services were 
 offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by 
 the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. 
 Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the 
 volunteer organization that was being formed in the 
 State in behalf of the Government. On the 15th of
 
 88 
 
 UL YSSES S. GRA NT. 
 
 June, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as 
 Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- 
 unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who 
 had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such 
 that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- 
 General and was ]3laced in command at Cairo. The 
 rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth 
 of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap- 
 peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The 
 rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and 
 stripes were unfurled in its stead. 
 
 He entered the service with great determination 
 and immediately began active duty. This was the be- 
 ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond 
 he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and 
 effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- 
 prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henrj' 
 won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight 
 at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the 
 victor)', and the brave leader of the boys in blue was 
 immediately made a Major-General, and the military 
 district of Tennessee was assigned to him. 
 
 Like all great captains. Gen. Grant knew well how 
 to secure the results of victory. He immediately 
 Dushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the 
 terrible l)attles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the 
 siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an 
 unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty 
 thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- 
 non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most 
 severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered, 
 and opened up the >Iississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 
 
 Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with 
 Gen. Banks in a movement upon Te.\as, and pro- 
 ceeded to New Orieans, 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 Tliomas at Cliattancoga, and 
 by a v/onderful series of strategic and technical meas- 
 ures put the Union Army in fighting condition. Then 
 followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout 
 Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
 were routed with great loss. This won for him un- 
 bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru- 
 ary, 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 utxsn '.li»> duties of his new office. 
 
 Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge 0/ 
 the array to concentrate the widely-dispersed National 
 troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal 
 capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de- 
 stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as- 
 sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole 
 continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these 
 majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. 
 Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains 
 were burdened with closely packed thousands. His 
 plans were comprehensive and involved a series of 
 campaigns, which were executed ivith remarkable en- 
 ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur- 
 render of Lee, April 9, 1865. 
 
 The war was ended. The Union was saved. The 
 almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen. 
 Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal- 
 vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered 
 the countr)' brought him conspicuously forward as the 
 Republican candidate for the Presidential chair. 
 
 At the Republican Convention held at Chicago. 
 May 21, 186S, he was unanimously nominated for the 
 Presidency, and at the autumn election received a 
 majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294 
 electoral votes. 
 
 The National Convention of the Republican party 
 which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872, 
 placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term 
 by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati- 
 cally indorsed by the people five months Liter, 292 
 electoral votes being cast for him. 
 
 Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant 
 started upon his famous trip around the world. He 
 visited almost every country of the civilized world, 
 and was everywhere received with such ovations 
 and demonstrations of respect and honor, private 
 as well as public and ofiicial, as were never before 
 bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. 
 
 He was the most prominent candidate before the 
 Republican National Convention in 18S0 for a re- 
 nomination for President. He went to New York and 
 embarked in tlie brokerage business under the firm 
 nameof Grant iS: 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 sufl^ered in his stoic-like 
 manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as 
 General of the .^rmy and retired by Congress. The 
 cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 
 1885, the nation went in mourning over the death of 
 the illustrious General.
 
 s. 
 
 'L^.^, 
 
 oA 
 
 IT' 
 
 -J
 
 NINETEENTH VRESIDKNT. 
 
 9» 
 
 ^-as 
 
 m^ 
 
 RUTHERi:ORD B, HAITES. 
 
 UTHERFORD B. HAYES, 
 the nineteenth President of 
 the United States, was born in 
 Delaware, O., Oct. 4, i8z2„al- 
 most three months after the 
 death of his father, Rutherford 
 Hayes. His ancestry on both 
 the paternal and maternal sides, 
 was of the most honorable char- 
 acter. It can be traced, it is said, 
 as far back as 1280, when Hayes and 
 Rutherford were two Scottish chief- 
 tains, fighting side by side with 
 Baliol, William Wallace and Robert 
 Bruce. Both families belonged to the 
 nobility, owned extensive estates, 
 ' and had a large following. Misfor- 
 tune ovwcaking the family, George Hayes left Scot- 
 Jand in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
 George was born in Windsor, and remained there 
 during his lile. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar- 
 ried Sarah L.:e, and lived from the time of his mar- 
 riage until h^s death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel, 
 son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac- 
 turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, 
 son of Ezekiel and grandfatHer of President Hayes, was 
 born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, 
 blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to 
 Vermont at an uiiknown date, settling in Brattleboro, 
 where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- 
 erford Hayes the father of President Hayes, was 
 
 born. He was married, in September, 18 13, to Sophia 
 Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi- 
 grated thither from Connecticut, they having been 
 among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. 
 Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 
 1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders 
 of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers 
 in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 The father of President Hayes was an industrious 
 frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me- 
 chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock- 
 ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to 
 undertake. He was a member of the Church, active 
 in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con- 
 ducted his business on Christian principles. After 
 the close of the war of 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, nor railways, 
 was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was 
 first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter 
 mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived 
 in 1S17. He died July 22, 1S22, a victim of malarial 
 fever, less than three months before the birth of the 
 son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- 
 reavement, found the support she so much needed in 
 her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
 household from the day of its departure from Ver- 
 mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted 
 some time before as an act of charity. 
 
 Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the
 
 9a 
 
 RUTHJiJiFORD B. ffAVESl 
 
 subject of this sketch was so feeble at binli that he 
 was not expected to live beyond a month or two at 
 most. As the months went by he grew weaker and 
 weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- 
 quiring from time to time '" if Mrs. Hayes' baby died 
 uist night.' On one occasion a neighbor, who was on 
 familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the 
 l)oy"s big head, and th;; mother's assiduous care of 
 aim, said in a bantering way, '• That's right ! Stick to 
 iiim. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't 
 ivonder if he would really come to something yet." 
 
 " You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. " You 
 vait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him 
 President of the United States yet." The boy lived, 
 in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy 
 death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was 
 drowned, he became, if. possible, still dearer to his 
 mother. 
 
 The boy was seven years old before he w<:nt to 
 school. His education, however, was not neglected. 
 He probably learned as much from his mother and 
 sister as he would have done at school. His sports 
 were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being 
 his sister and her associates. These circumstances 
 tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo- 
 sition, and tliat delicate consideration for the feelings 
 of others, which are marked traits of his character. 
 
 His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest 
 in his education ; and as the boy's health had im- 
 proved, and he was making good progress in his 
 studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre- 
 paration commenced with a tutor at home; but he 
 was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the 
 Wesleyan University, in Middlctown, Conn. He en- 
 tered Kenyon College in 1S38, 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 determined to enter 
 the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- 
 mained two years. 
 
 In 1845, after graduatmg at the Law School, he was 
 admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly 
 afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law 
 with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- 
 mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, 
 and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro- 
 fession. 
 
 In 1849 he moved to Cincmnati, where his ambi- 
 tion found a new stimulus. For several y^ars, how- 
 ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at 
 this period, had a powerful influence u[X)n his subse- 
 quent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss 
 Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of 
 Chiticothe; the othei was his introduction to the Cin- 
 cinnati Literar)' Club, a body embracing among its 
 members such men a.s'^hief Justice Salmon P. Chase, 
 
 Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many 
 others hardly less distinguished in after life. The 
 marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as 
 everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our 
 Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced 
 and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did 
 more than she to reflect honor upon American woman 
 hood. The Literar}' Cluu brought Mr. Hayes :'nto 
 constant association with young men of high cliar- 
 acter and noble aims, and lured him to display ''.le 
 qualities so long hidden by his bashfulneis and 
 modesty. 
 
 In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judg; of 
 the Court of Common Pleas; but he declined to ac- 
 cept the nomination. Two years later, the office o* 
 city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council 
 elected him for the unexpired term. 
 
 In 1861, when the Rebellion broke out, he was ai 
 the zenith of his professional !ii.. His rank at the 
 bar was among the the first. But the news of the 
 attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take -in 
 arms for the defense of his conntrj-. 
 
 His military record was bright and illustrious. In 
 October, 1S61, he v/as made Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
 in August, 1S62, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio 
 regiment, but he refused to lea.^e his old comrades 
 and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he 
 was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle 
 of South Mountain he received a wound, .and while 
 faint and bleeding disjjlayed courage r:nd fortitude 
 that won admiration from all. 
 
 Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after 
 his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed 
 in command of the celebrated Kanawha division, 
 and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles 
 of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was 
 promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevettsd 
 Major-General, "for gallant and distinguished fervices 
 during the campaigns of 1864. in AVest Virginia." In 
 the course of his arduous services, four horses were 
 shot from under him, and he was wounded four times 
 
 In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from 
 the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem- 
 ocratic. He was not present during the campaign, 
 and after his election was imix)rtuned to resign his 
 commission in the army ; but he finally declared, " I 
 shall never come to Washington until I can come liy 
 the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866. 
 
 Ir. 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor cf Ohio, 
 over Hon. Allen G. Thumian, a populni Democrat. 
 In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton. 
 Ho was elected Governor for tha third term in 1875. 
 
 in 1876 he was the standard beaier of the Repub- 
 lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a 
 hard long contest was chosen President, and was in 
 a\igurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his 
 full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to his party, 
 but his administration was an average nv^
 
 TiVENTIETH PRESIDENT. 
 
 95 
 
 F. 
 
 ^T^r'/^sy^'T?^^ 
 
 * J.'AA'"'^'*^- ■■* frlvV WPTB?ATf.TO, ft 
 
 mmM. 
 
 ««^;S«s^;S-*^!&*-g;g<i>s;s-^:S-4's:s-#^;g-*g;g*-g:;;-5-^::j*^:g#Svg-«>^;ija 
 
 ■If I ,ti 
 
 AMES A. GARFIELD, twen- 
 tieth President of the United 
 States, was born Nov. ig, 
 1831, in the woods of Orange, 
 Cuyahoga Co., O His par- 
 ents were Abram and Eliza 
 (Ballou) Garfield, both of New 
 England ancestry and from fami- 
 lies well known in the early his- 
 '"^ tory of that section of our coun- 
 try, but had moved to the Western 
 Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- 
 ment. 
 
 The house in which James A. was 
 born was not unlike the houses t)f 
 poor Ohio farmers of that day. It 
 ..IS about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be- 
 ,ween the logs filled with clay. His father was a 
 lard working farmer, and he soon had his fields 
 .:leared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built. 
 The household comprised the father and mother and 
 heir four children — Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and 
 'ames. In May, r82 3^ the father, from a cold con- 
 .racted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At 
 ihis time James was about eighteen months old, and 
 Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can 
 ffll how much James was indebted to his biother's 
 ceil and self sacrifice during the twenty years suc- 
 ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very 
 much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- 
 itrs live in Solon, 0.,near their birthplace. 
 
 The early educational advantages young Garfield 
 enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of 
 them. He labored at farm work for others, did car- 
 penter work, chopped wood, or did anytliing that 
 would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed 
 mother in he' 'tm ggles to keep the little family to- 
 
 getlier. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his 
 origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- 
 gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they 
 ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor 
 the humblest fjiend of his boyhood was as kindly 
 greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the 
 sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness 
 of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
 sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain, 
 modest gentleman. 
 
 The highest ambition of young Garfield until hi 
 was about si.xteen years old was to be a captain of 
 a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard 
 a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She 
 finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the 
 understanding, however, that he should try to obtair 
 some otlier kind of employment. He walked all the 
 way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city. 
 After making many applications for work, and trying 
 to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with 
 success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
 Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re- 
 mained at this work but a short time when he wen'; 
 Iiome, and attended the seminary at Chester for 
 about three years, when he entered Hiram and the 
 Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in 
 tlie meantime, and doing other work. This school 
 was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1S50, of 
 which church he was then a member. He became 
 janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way. 
 He then became both teacher and jinpil. He soon 
 " exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the 
 fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which 
 he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon- 
 ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram 
 College as its President. As above stated, he early 
 united with the Christian or Diciples Church at 
 Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- 
 ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where 
 he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of 
 Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion :
 
 96 
 
 JAMES A. GARFIELD. 
 
 " President Garfield was more than a man of 
 strong moral and religious convictions. His whole 
 history, from boyhood to the last, siiows that duty to 
 man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and 
 faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs 
 of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In 
 ;ny judgmeni. there is no more interesting feature of 
 his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of 
 Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent 
 sympath)' which he ever showed in their Christian 
 communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty 
 and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to 
 the less stately and cultured Christian communions 
 in which they have been reared. Too often it is true 
 that as they step upward in social and political sig- 
 nificance they step upward from one degree to 
 another in some of the many types of fashionable 
 Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the 
 church of his mother, the church in which he was 
 trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an 
 evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- 
 tarian charity for all 'who loveour Lord in sincerity.'" 
 
 Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss 
 Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. 1 1, 1858, who proved herself 
 worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and 
 mourned. To them were born seven children, five of 
 v/hom are still living, four boys and one girl. 
 
 Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856, 
 jn Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three 
 '/ears later he began to speak at county mass-meet- 
 ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he 
 was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio 
 Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, 
 and in 1861 was admitted to the bar. The great 
 Rebellion broke out in the early part of t'nis year, 
 and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had 
 talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re- 
 ceived his commission as Lieut.-Colonel of the Forty- 
 second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 
 14, 1861. He was immediately put into active ser- 
 vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action, 
 was placed in command of four regiments of infantry' 
 and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
 work of driving out of his native State the officer 
 '^Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of 
 those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given 
 to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed- 
 ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- 
 ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him 
 Brigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had 
 been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years 
 before, so now he was the youngest General in the 
 army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, 
 in its operations around Corinth and its march through 
 .Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the 
 General Coutt-^Lartial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John 
 Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose- 
 crans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff." 
 
 The military l^story of Gen. Garfield dosed with 
 
 his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he wor 
 the stars of the Major-General. 
 
 Without an efibrt on his part Ge» Garfield was 
 elected to Congress in the fall of 1S62 from the 
 Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio 
 had been represented in Congress for si.xty years 
 mainly by two men — Elisha AVhittlesey and Joshua 
 R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he 
 resigned his place in the army. At the time he en- 
 tered Congress he was the youngest member in thai 
 body. Ther^; he remained by successive re- 
 elections until he was elected President in 1880. 
 Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since 
 the year 1864 you cannot think of a question whici. 
 has been debated in Congress, or discussed before sk 
 tribunel of the American people, in regard to whict 
 you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu- 
 ment on one side stated, in almost every instance 
 better than by anybody else, in some speech made in 
 the House of Representatives or on the hustings by 
 Mr. Garfield." 
 
 Uix)n Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to 
 the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the 
 same year, was nominated as the candidate of his 
 party for President at the great Chicago Convention. 
 He was elected in the following November, and on 
 March 4, 1881, was inaugurated. Probably no ad- 
 ministration ever opened its existence under brighter 
 auspices than that of President Garfield, and every 
 day it grew in favor with the people, and by the first 
 of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre- 
 liminary work of his administration and was prepar- 
 ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams 
 College. While on his way and at the depot, in com- 
 pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind 
 him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. 
 The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the 
 assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the 
 left coat sleeve of his victim, but in.licting no further 
 injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was 
 " the shot that was heard round the world " Never 
 before in the history of the Nation had anything oc- 
 curred which so nearly froze the blood of the peop?° 
 for tlie moment, as this awful deed. He was smit- 
 ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and 
 was at the summit of his ]X)wer and hope. For eighty 
 days, all during the hot months of July and August, 
 he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained 
 master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent 
 bearing was teaching the country and the world the 
 noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the 
 very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass- 
 ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept. 
 19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J, on the very bank of the 
 ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The 
 worid wept at his death, as it never had done on the 
 death of any other man who had ever lived upon it. 
 The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe- 
 cuted, in one year after he committed the fou; deed.

 
 TWENTY.FIRST PRESIDENT. 
 
 99 
 
 
 
 
 HESTER A. ARTHUR, 
 
 ^ twenty-first Presi'^.^ni. of the 
 
 United States, was born in 
 
 Franklin Cour ty, Vermont, on 
 
 thefifthofOdober, 1830, and is 
 
 the oldest of a family of two 
 
 sons and five daughters. His 
 
 father was the Rev. Dr. William 
 
 Arthur, a Baptist c''.,rgyman, who 
 
 emigrated to th.s country from 
 
 the county Ant am, Ireland, in 
 
 il his 1 8th year, and died in 1875, in 
 
 Newtonville, neai Albany, after a 
 
 long and successful ministry. 
 
 Young Arthur was educated at 
 Union College, S( henectady, where 
 he e.xcelled in all his studies. Af- 
 ter his graduation he taught school 
 f||||i in Vermont for two years, and at 
 ojlla the expiration cf that time came to 
 New York, with $500 in his pocket, 
 and entered the office of ex-Judge 
 ^ E. D. Culver as student. After 
 I being admitted to the bar he formed 
 a partnership with liis intimate friend and room-mate, 
 Henry 0. Gardiner, with the intention 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 returned to New York, where they 
 hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success- 
 ful career almost from the start. General Arthur 
 soon afterward nvur'^d the daughter of Lieutenant 
 
 Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at 
 sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in 
 recognition of tiie bravery he displayed on that occa- 
 sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthurs 
 nomniation to the Vice Presidency, leaving two 
 children. 
 
 Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity 
 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 Jon- 
 athan 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 tlio 
 Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal. 
 Wm. 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 slave-holders, 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 General 
 Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings, 
 a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth 
 Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare. 
 General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a 
 verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa- 
 ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride 
 on their cars, and the other car companies quickly
 
 CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 
 
 followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- 
 nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- 
 sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. 
 
 General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention 
 at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
 Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the 
 Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- 
 ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed hmi Engineer- 
 in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- 
 tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas- 
 ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered 
 great service to the Government during the war. At 
 the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the 
 practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. 
 Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney 
 of New Yoik, was added to the firm. The legal prac- 
 tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- 
 tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able 
 lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if 
 not indeed one of national extent. 
 
 He always took a leading part in State and city 
 jiolitics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of 
 New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc- 
 ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 
 ?o, 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 'fading politicians of the Re- 
 publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and 
 fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for tlieir 
 respective candidates that were before the conven- 
 tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re- 
 ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur 
 for Vice-President. The campaign which followed 
 was one of the most animated known in the history of 
 our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of 
 the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his 
 party made a valiant fight for his election. 
 
 Finally the election came and the country's choice 
 .vas Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated 
 March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President. 
 A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen 
 President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then 
 came terrible weeks of suffering, — thosf momenta of 
 anxious suspense, wher the hearts of all civilized na- 
 
 tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re- 
 covery of the noble, the good President. The remark- 
 able patience that he manifested during those hours 
 and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf- 
 fering man has often been called upon to endure, was 
 seemingly more than human. It was certainly God- 
 like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr, 
 Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his 
 credit that his every action displayed only an earnest 
 desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to 
 serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi- 
 ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested 
 in deed or look of this man, even though the most 
 honored position in the world was at any moment 
 likely to fall to him. 
 
 At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar- 
 field from further suffering, and the world, as never 
 before in its history over the death of any other 
 man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of 
 the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of 
 the high office, and he took the oath in New York. 
 Sept. 20, 1881. The position was an embarrassing 
 one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all 
 eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, 
 what policy he would pursue, and who he would se- 
 lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been 
 greatly neglected during the President's long illness, 
 and many important measures were to be immediately 
 decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him he 
 did not fail to realize under what circumstances he 
 became President, and knew the feelings of many on 
 this point. Under these trying circumstances President 
 Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own 
 hands ; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of 
 affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so 
 wisely that but few criticised his administration. 
 He served the nation well and faithfully, until the 
 close of his administration, March 4, 1S85, and was 
 a popular candidate before his party for a second 
 term. His name was ably presented before the con- 
 vention at Chicago, and was received with great 
 favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity 
 of one of the opposing candidates, he would have 
 been selected as the standard-bearer of his party 
 for another campaign. He retired to private life car- 
 rjing with him the best wishes of the .American peo- 
 ple, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory 
 to them and with credit to himself.
 
 y^i^trL^- 
 
 Oyt^x^i
 
 TWENTY-SECONn PRESIDENT. 
 
 >o3 
 
 
 >: 
 
 
 ^^-^x:^^^ 
 
 ^M^ 
 
 OOP . 
 
 ' ooo 
 
 TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE- 
 LAND, the twenty- second Pres- 
 ident of the United States, was 
 born in 1S37, in the obscure 
 town of Caldwell, Essex Co., 
 N. J., and in a little two-and-a- 
 half-story white house which is still 
 standing, characteristically to mark 
 the humble birth-place of one of 
 America's great men in striking con- 
 trast with the Old World, where all 
 men high in office must be high in 
 origin and born in the cradle of 
 wealth. When the subject of this 
 sketch was three years of age, his 
 father, who was a Presbyterian min- 
 ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, 
 by way cf the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to 
 Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a 
 larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
 straggling of country villages, about five miles from 
 Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born. 
 
 At the last mentioned place young Grover com- 
 menced going to school in the "good, old-fashioned 
 way," and presumably distinguished himself after the 
 manner of all village boys, in doing the things he 
 ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of 
 all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he 
 arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the 
 capacity of the village school and expressed a most 
 
 emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this 
 his father decidedly objected. Academies in those 
 days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to 
 become self-supporting by the quickest possible 
 means, and this at that time in Fayette'/ille 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 com- 
 menced his career as salesman, and in two years he 
 had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness 
 that his employers desired to retain him for an in 
 definite length of time. Otherwise he did not e.\- 
 hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or 
 eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. 
 Bat instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette- 
 ville, he went with the family in their removal lo 
 Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a 
 high school. Here he industriously pursued his 
 studies until the family removed with him to a point 
 on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a 
 village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, 
 N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching 
 but three Sundays. This event broke up the family, 
 and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a 
 small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in a 1 
 asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for twcj 
 years, and although he obtained a good reputation ir 
 this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not hii
 
 I04 
 
 S. GROVER CLEVELAND. 
 
 calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, 
 he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going 
 to a city. Hi first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as 
 there was some charm in that name for him; but 
 before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to 
 »sk the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted 
 stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not 
 speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do, 
 my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
 law," was the reply. -' Good gracious ! " remarked 
 ihe old gentleman ; " do you, indeed .' What ever put 
 Ihat into your head? How nuich money have you 
 got?" •Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got 
 
 After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a 
 place tempDiarily as assistant herd- keeper, at $50 a 
 year, wiifle he could " look around." One day soon 
 afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, 
 Bovven & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he 
 wanted. A number of young men were already en- 
 gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and 
 ne was finally permitted to come as an office boy and 
 aave the use of the law library, for the nominal sum 
 of $3 or §1 a week. Out of this he had to pay for 
 his board and washing. The walk to and from his 
 uncle's was a Ion" and rugged one; and, although 
 the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
 shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had 
 Bone — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. 
 On the first day of his service here, his senior em- 
 ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him 
 with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's 
 where they all begin." A titter ran around the little 
 circle of clerks and students, as they thought that 
 was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ; 
 Dut in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
 Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland 
 exhibited a talent for e.Kecutiveness rather than for 
 chasing principles through all their metaphysical 
 possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do 
 t," was practically liis motto. 
 
 The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was 
 eiected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in 
 which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell 
 to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two 
 criminals. In iSSi he was elected Mayor of the 
 City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es- 
 pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms 
 
 in the administration of the municipal affairs of that 
 city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his 
 performance of duty has generally been considered 
 fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer- 
 reted out and magnified during the last Presidential 
 campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in 
 a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniaui- 
 tous street-cleaning contract: "This is a time foi 
 plain speech, and my objection to your action shall 
 be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of 
 a mos bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme 
 to betray the interests of the peopls and to worse 
 than squander the people's money." The New York 
 Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve- 
 land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there- 
 upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire 
 State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, 
 and his administration of the affairs of State was 
 generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if 
 any, were made very public throughout the nation 
 after he was nominated for President of the United 
 States. For this high office he was nominated July 
 ir, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at 
 Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. 
 Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, 
 Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.: and he 
 was elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
 thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub- 
 lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve- 
 land resigned his office as Governor of New York in 
 January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as 
 the Chief Executive of the United States, in which 
 capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of 
 March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected 
 the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State, 
 Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the 
 Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary 
 of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; 
 Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New 
 York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of 
 Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas, 
 of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of 
 Arkansas. 
 
 The silver question precipitated a controversy be- 
 tween those who were in favor of the continuance of 
 silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. 
 Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his 
 inauguration.
 
 m^z^c^y. 1. 
 
 V^:>
 
 TWENTY-THIRD TREv^^lDENT. 
 
 Ill" 
 
 '^-. 
 
 -4?> <^ 
 
 vi^'sq^^i^iaSii 
 
 
 .-J^!^ 
 
 U'-- • , < 
 
 m ^^. u,j^i?isona 
 
 '^'^^^TllS- 
 
 
 liEXJAMIN IIAKRISOX", the 
 I \ , twenty-third I'resident, is 
 ■ -^ the descendant of one of the 
 historical families of this 
 _- country. The head of the 
 family was a Major General 
 Harrison, one of Oliver 
 Cromwell's trusted follow- 
 ers and fighters. In the zenith of Crom- 
 well's iwwer it became the duty of this 
 Harrison to jxarticijiate in the tri.il of 
 Charles I. and afterward to sign the 
 death warrant of the king. He subse- 
 quently paid for this with his life, being 
 hung Oct. 13, 1600. His descendants 
 came to America, and the next of the 
 family that appears in history is Benja- 
 min Harrison, of Virginia, great-grand- 
 father of the subject of this sketch, and 
 after whom he was named. Benjamin Harrison 
 was a member of the Continental Congress during 
 the years ^774-5-6. and was one of the original 
 Eigners of the Declaration of Independence. He 
 was three times elected Governor of Virginia. 
 Gsn William Henry Harrison, the son of the 
 
 dlslingmshcd patriot of the Revolution, after a suc- 
 cessful career as a soldier during tlie War of 1812, 
 and with -a cle.an record as Governor of the North- 
 western Territor3-, was elected President of the 
 United States in 1S40. His career was cut short 
 by death within one month :;fter his inauguratioiv 
 President Harrison was born at Nor'Ji Bend, 
 Hamilton Co., Ohio, Aug. rlO, 1833, His life up to 
 the time of his graduation b^' the Miami University 
 at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a coun- 
 trj- lad of a faniil}' of small means. His father was 
 able to give him a good education, and nothing 
 more. He became engaged while at college to tii2 
 daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of a female school 
 at Oxford. After gr.iduatiug he determined to en- 
 ter upon the studj' of the law. He went to Cin 
 cinnati and then read law for two years. At tht 
 expiration of that time young Harrison receiviAl tt' 
 onlj' 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 mone}' and go to some Eastern town an '. be- 
 gin the practice of law. He sold his lot, and with 
 the money in bis pocket, he started out witii his 
 young wife to fight for a place 'n the world. Z'-e
 
 lOi^ 
 
 isEIS.iAMJN HARRISON. 
 
 decided to go to ladianapolis, which was even at 
 that time a towu of promise. He met with slight 
 t'licouragement at first, making scarcely auj'thing 
 the first j-ear. He worked diligently, applying him- 
 self closely to his calling, built up an extensive 
 practice and took a leading rank in the legal pro- 
 fession. He is the father of two children. 
 
 la 1860 Mr. Harrison was nominated for the 
 position of Supreme Court Eeporter, and tlien be- 
 gan his experience as a stump speake: He can- 
 vassed the State thoroughh', and was elected by a 
 handsome majority. In 18G2 he raised the 17th 
 Indiana Infantrj-, ami was chosen its Colonel. His 
 regiment was composed of the rawest of material, 
 out Col. Harrison emploj-ed all his time at first 
 mastering military tactics and drilling his men, 
 when he therefore came to move toward the East 
 with Sherman his regiment was one of the best 
 firilled and organized in the army. At Resaca he 
 especially distinguished himself, and for his braver}' 
 r.t Peachtree Creek he was made a Brigadier Gen- 
 eral, Gen. Hooker speaking of him in the most 
 eoraplimentarj' terms. 
 
 During the absence of Gen. Harrison in tiie field 
 he Supreme Court declared the office of tiie Su- 
 preme Court Reporter vacant, and another person 
 was elected to the position. From the time of leav- 
 irg Indiana with his regiment until the fall of 1864 
 he had takenno leave of absence, but having been 
 nominated that year for the same office, he got a 
 thirtj'-day leave of absence, and during that time 
 made a brilliant canvass of the St^te, and was elected 
 for another terra. He then started to rejoin Sher- 
 ican, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet 
 _ever, and after a most tr^'ing siege made his way 
 to the front in time to participate in the closing 
 incidents of the war. 
 
 In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined c, re-election as 
 .reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 1876 
 £6 was a candidate for Governor. Although de- 
 eated, the brilliant campaign he made won for him 
 a National reputation, and he was much sought, es- 
 pecia'-.j? in the East, to make speeches. Iii 1880, 
 iis usua!, he took an active part in the campaign, 
 iiid w:i elected to the United States Senate. Here 
 lie served six years, anr v/as known as one of the 
 ablest men, best lawyer-- ..nd strongest debaters in 
 
 that body. "With the expiration 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 countrj-. The 
 convention which assembled in Chicago in June and 
 named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bearer 
 of the Republican party, was great in every partic- 
 ular, and on this .account, and the attitude it as- 
 sumed ujion the vital questions of the day, chief 
 among which was the tariff, awoke a deep interest 
 in the campaign throughout the Nation. Shortl}- 
 after the nomination delegations began to visit Mr. 
 Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This move- 
 ment became popular, and from all sections of the 
 country societies, clubs and delegations journej'ed 
 thither to pay their respects to the distinguished 
 statesman. The popularity of these was greatly 
 increased on account of the remarkable speeches 
 made by Mr. Harrison. He spoke dail^' all through 
 the summer and autumn to these visiting delcg.a- 
 tious, and so varied, masterly and eloquent were 
 his speeches that they at once placed him in the 
 foremost rank of American orators and statesmen. 
 
 On account of his eloquence as a speaker and his 
 power as a debater, he was called iipon at an un- 
 commonly early age to take part in the discussion 
 of the great questions that then began to agitate 
 the countrj^. He was an uncompromising anti 
 slaverv man, and was matched against some of ll:e 
 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 eloq-'ence 
 as an orator he never spoke for oratorical effect. 
 but his words always went like bullets to the mark 
 He is purely American in his ideas and is a spier 
 did type of the American statesman. Gifted will^ 
 quick perception, a logical mind and a ready tongue, 
 he is one of the most distinguished impromptu 
 speakers in the Nation. Mauj- of these speeches 
 sparkled with the rarest of eloquence and contained 
 arguments of greatest weight. Many of his terse 
 statements have already- become aphorisms. Origi- 
 nal in thought, precise in logic, terse in statement, 
 yet witlial faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as 
 the sound statesman and briJi'nn' orator c-^ the day
 
 -^aA- ^ 4 
 
 
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 M^

 
 ^:^i'i^C^-i^c^cyA^
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 HADRACH BOND, the first 
 Governor of Illinois after its 
 organization bs a State, serving 
 from i8 1 8 to 1822, was born in 
 Frederick County, Maryland, 
 in tlie 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 Twelftli 
 and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3, 
 i8i2, 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 liistory 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-eniji- 
 t'on 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 ilie 
 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 greai 
 rivers near the center ,of the Great West, would 
 rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter- 
 prise, they obtained a special charter from the Legis- 
 lature, incorporating both the City and the Bank of 
 Cairo. 
 
 In 1818 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor 
 of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6 
 that year, which was several weeks before Illinois 
 was actually admitted. The facts are these: In 
 January, 181S, 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 lautude 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 rime Illinois comprised but eleven counties, 
 namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson, 
 Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington 
 and Franklin, the northern jjortion of the State be- 
 ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears 
 that Mr. Bond was honored by the naming of a
 
 SHADRACH BOND. 
 
 county before he was elected Goveracr. The present 
 county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80 
 miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor 
 the oeople 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 Siate, even 
 before tlie 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, liis 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, whan thi f minis 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 le idersliip 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 fiist 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 apix)inted by the General Assembly." The 
 Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large appoint- 
 ing power in the Governor ; but for the purpose of 
 getting one man into office, a total change was made, 
 and the jxiwer 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 
 10 explore the route and prepare the necessary sur- 
 veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution; 
 but, being unable out of its own resources to defray 
 the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned 
 until some time after Congress made the grant of 
 land for the purpose of its construction. 
 
 On the wliole. Gov. Bond's administration was 
 fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from 
 any party. In 1S24, 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- 
 [Xjsition, 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 becaine 
 ix)rtly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were 
 strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and 
 eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died 
 April 1 1, 1830, in peace and contentment.
 
 Ld^^<U^ Co^U^
 
 GO VERNORS OF JLLIA'OJS. 
 
 
 
 ]££)\var5 Coles. 
 
 W-'V^^-'^ 
 
 "^W 
 
 5><s!;-<«iW®>'fe 
 
 DWARD COLES, second 
 Governor of Illinois, 1823- 
 . 6, was born Dec. 15, 1786, 
 in Albemarle Co., Va., on 
 the old family estate called 
 " Enniscorthy," o n the 
 Creen 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. 
 Tliis college he left in the summer of 
 1807, a short time before the final and graduating 
 exa'iii lation. Among his classmates were Lieut. 
 Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Wni. S. Archer, 
 United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice 
 B.ildwin, of the United States Supreme Court. Tl-.e 
 President of the latter college, Bishop Madison, was 
 a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir- 
 cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming 
 personally acquainted with the President and re- 
 ceiving a position as his private secretary, 1809-15. 
 The family of Coles was a proininent one in Vir- 
 ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old- 
 fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by 
 such rotables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison, 
 Monroe, the Randolphs, Tazewell, Wirt, etc. At the 
 age of 23, young Coles found himself heir to a plant- 
 ation and a considerable num'ier of slaves. Ever 
 since his earlier college days his attention had been 
 drawn to tlie questioi of slavery. He read every- 
 
 thing on the subject that came in his vvay, and 
 listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more 
 lie 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. M idison was because he believed 
 that through the acquaintances he could make at 
 Washington he could better determine in what part 
 of tire non-slaveho'ding 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-
 
 ii6 
 
 EDWARD COLES. 
 
 ander) of the error committed by his minister at 
 \\\isliington, and the consequent withdrawal of the 
 the latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles 
 visited olher parts of E,urope, especially Paris, where 
 he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette. 
 
 Ill 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 ihem iiis intention until one beautiful 
 morning in .A-pril, as they were descending the Ohio 
 River. He lashed all tiie 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 ashojre at their pleas- 
 ure. A desorijjtion of the effect upon the negroes is 
 best described in his own language : 
 
 "The effect upon them was electrical. They stared 
 at nr.e and then at each other, as if doubting, the ac- 
 curacy or reality of wliat they heard. In breathless 
 silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word, 
 Init with countenances beaming with e.xpression 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 
 o;i me." 
 
 Before landing he gave them a general certificate 
 of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu- 
 lariy with tiie 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 EdwardsviLe, 
 at that time one of the principal land offices in the 
 State. While acting in this capacity and gaining 
 many friends by his [wliteness and general intelli- 
 gence, the greatest struggle tliat ever occurred in 
 Illinois on tlie slavery quesiion culminated in the 
 furious contest characterizing the campaigns and 
 elections of 1822-4. In the summer of 1823, when a 
 new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr. 
 Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions, 
 iiuiting forward for the executive office Joseph 
 Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C. 
 ISrowne 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 yeiled 
 and groaned and spat fire. 
 
 The Constitution, not establishing or [lermitting 
 slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be 
 defective by the slavery politicians, and they desired 
 a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub- 
 mit a new Constitution; and the dominant politics 
 of the day was "Convention" and "anti-Conven- 
 tion." Both parties issued addresses to the people. 
 Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address 
 published by the latter party. This address revealed 
 the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly man- 
 ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti- 
 mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in 
 which the Governor was placed at that time. 
 
 Our hero maintained himself honorably and with 
 supreme dignity throughout his administration, and 
 in his honor a county in this State is named. He 
 was truly a great man, and those who lived in 
 this State during his sojourn here, like those who 
 live at the base of the mountain, were too near to see 
 and recognize the greatness that overshadowed them. 
 
 Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop 
 De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter 
 of Hugh Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestrv , 
 whocamito 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, aid 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, 1S68, and is buried at 
 Woodland, near that city.
 
 ' c^ c^-(^(ysi^^
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 
 
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 INIAN EDWARDS, Governor 
 
 ! from 1827 to 1830, was a son 
 V- of Benjamin Edwards, and 
 ' was born in Montgomery 
 n County, Maryland, in March, 
 .^ 1775- His domestic train- 
 '^ ^' ing was well fitted to give 
 his mind strength, firmness and 
 I'.o; orable 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 
 piinciples. His education in early 
 youtli was in company with and 
 partly under the tuition of Hon.\Vni. 
 Wirt, whom his father natronizcd 
 and who was more than two years 
 older. An intimacy was thus 
 foriiiid 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 
 i.'ounty before he was 21 years of age, and was re- 
 elected by an almost unanimous vote. 
 
 In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the 
 following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes- 
 see. About this time he left Nelson County for 
 Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his 
 dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and 
 devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He 
 then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and soon 
 becanre an enrinent lawyer, and inside of four years 
 he filled iu succession the offices of Presiding Judge 
 of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourth Judge of 
 the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of tlie 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 tlie Jefferson and Clinton 
 ticket. Lr 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 iSog, 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 
 .^pril 24, T809. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in 
 June, and on the r rth of that montli took the oath of 
 office, hx. the same time he was appointed Sui)erin- 
 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
 
 NINIAN EDWARDS. 
 
 vole, to select Iheir 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 181 2; and a fresh interpretation of 
 the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de- 
 predations, and was not re-settled for many ve.irs 
 afterward. 
 
 As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in 
 181 2, 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 
 e.x-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 .^.ble de- 
 L)ater and a conscientious statesman. He thought 
 . eriously of resigning this situation in 182 1, but was 
 Dcrsuaded by his old friend, Wm. Wirt, and others to 
 . ontltiue 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, a,id an ambitious candidate for the Presi- 
 dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of 
 his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in 
 '.rder fully to investigate the charges. The result 
 was the excuI|)ation 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 
 .his connnonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main- 
 tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an important 
 r.ctor in the great struggle which ended in a victory 
 for his parfy in 1824. 
 
 In 1826-7 the Winnebago and other Indians com- 
 mitted soue depredations in the northern part of tiie 
 
 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 Wnr." A few 
 chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson 
 succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief, 
 and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at 
 least until the troubles commenced which ended in 
 the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre- 
 tation of treaties and execution of their provisions 
 Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The 
 Indians kept themselves generally within the juris- 
 diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor, 
 Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote that ready cor- 
 respondence with him was difficult or impossible. 
 Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to 
 the protection of the Illinois frontier, seems to have 
 been very efficient and satisfactory. 
 
 For a considerable portion of his time after his re- 
 moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his 
 farm near Kaskaskia, which he had well stocked with 
 horses, cattle and sheep from Kentucky, also with 
 fruit-trees, grape-vines and shrubbery. He estab- 
 lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively 
 in mercantile business, having no less than eight orten 
 stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding 
 the arduous duties of his office, he nearly aUvays 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 w',s also liberal to tlie i)oor, several widows and 
 ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to htm 
 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 weh' 
 known to the people of the " Prairie State," namely, 
 Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Sujierintendent 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 1S24; and from the lat- 
 ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his 
 death, July 20, 1833, of Asiatic cholera. Edwards 
 County is alsQ named in his honor.
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 i^ejii 
 
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 » >i ■ # ■ — o<sti<tfj)i.-js>o— ii} > ;t - • 
 
 ^^'i-.OHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831- 
 
 ■ '%«« 4' ^V'^s born in Montgomery Coun- 
 v5i ty, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26, 1788. 
 His father, Robert Reynolds and 
 ''- *rr '^ '• 'lis mother, «(r Margaret Moore, 
 were both natives of Ireland, from 
 which country they emigrated to 
 the United States in 1785, land- 
 ing at Philadelphia. The senior 
 Reynolds entertained an undying 
 hostility to the British Govern- 
 ment. When the subject of this 
 sketch was about six months old, 
 his parents emigrated with him to 
 Tennessee, where many of their 
 relatives had already located, at the base of the 
 Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of 
 the present city of Knoxville. There they were ex- 
 posed to Indian depredations, and were much molest- 
 ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior 
 of the State. They were poor, and brought up their 
 children to habits of manual industry. 
 
 In 1800 the family removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with 
 eight horses and two wagons, encountering many 
 Hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed 
 the most of his childhood, while his character began 
 to develop, the most prominent traits of which were 
 ambition and energy. He also adopted the principle 
 and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating 
 liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal, 
 
 this time to ilie " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of 
 the Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest 
 of Edwardsville. 
 
 On arriving at his 20th year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing 
 that he must look about for his own livelihood and 
 not yet having determined what calling to pursue, 
 concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly 
 went to such an institution of learning, near Knox- 
 ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his 
 diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of 
 his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered 
 wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a 
 shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himseli' 
 into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of 
 Knoxville! He attended college nearly two years, 
 going tlirough the principal Latin authors; but it 
 seems that he, like the rest of the world in modern 
 times, had but very little use for his Latin in after 
 life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good 
 degree of literary discipline. He commenced the 
 study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble 
 came on and compelled him to change his mode 
 of life. Accordingly he returned home and re- 
 cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and 
 law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of 181 2 he was 
 admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About tiiis 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.
 
 JOHN REYNOLDS. 
 
 From his services in the West, in the war oi 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 spriiig 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 
 iudicial 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- 
 .rnor, 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 reccmmended 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 gubernatcrial 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 
 gcrf.ral CJovernment the war was terminated without 
 much bloodshed, but after many serious fights. This 
 wir, as well as everything else, was materially re- 
 tarded by the occurrence of Asiatic cholera in the 
 West. This was its first appearance iiere, and was 
 I he ne.xt event in prominence during Gov. Reynolds' 
 lerm. 
 
 South Carolina nullification coming up at this time, 
 £ was heartily condemned by both President Jackson 
 ,.nd 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 cOiisidering himself a backwoodsman, as 
 'e had scarcely been outside of the State since he 
 ;)ecame of age, and had spent nearly all his youthful 
 lays in 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 offi'.ers the votes 
 should be given viva voce, each member in his ])lace 
 naming alovid 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. Daring his sojourn in that city he was 
 married, to a lady of the place. 
 
 In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company 
 with a few others, he built the first railroad in the 
 Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long, 
 leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to 
 the bank of the river opposite St. Louis. Having not 
 the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it 
 by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com- 
 pany sold out, at great sacrifice. 
 
 In 1S39 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the 
 Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow 
 money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord' ngly, he 
 repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining 
 a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth 
 of what was wanted. The same year he and his 
 wife made at our of Europe. This year, also, Mr. 
 Reynolds had the rather awkward little responsibility 
 of introducing to President Van Buren the noted 
 Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, as a " Latter-Day 
 Saint!" 
 
 In 1846 Gov, Reynolds was elected a member of 
 the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu- 
 larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter 
 for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis, 
 a distance of nearly 14 miles. This was immediately 
 built, and was the first road of the kind in the State. 
 He was again elected to the Legislature in 1852, when 
 he was chosen Speaker of the House. In i860, aged 
 and infirm, he attended the National Democratic 
 Convention at Charleston, S. C, as an anti-Douglas 
 Delegate, where he received more attention from the 
 Southern Delegates than any other member. He 
 supported Breckenridge for the Presidency. After 
 the October elections foreshadowed the success of 
 Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo- 
 crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi- 
 ately preceding- and during the late war, his corre- 
 spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern 
 secession, and about the first of March, 1861, he 
 urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the 
 treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsenal 
 at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rather talkative 
 man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch- 
 words that ever gained currency, besides many cun- 
 ning and odd ones of his own manufacture. 
 
 He was married twice, but had no children. He 
 died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close 
 of the war,
 
 U--(^»'i^^
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 127 
 
 . — ->5— =S- — o<s$-^il»-^-o— s»-5-< 
 
 
 »■. 
 
 X. 
 
 ILLIAM LEE U. EVVING, 
 '^ Governor of Illinois Nov. 3 
 j^;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 
 Moi cys ut Vandalia soon after the organization of 
 mi:- State, and that the public moneys in his hands 
 vere deposited in various banks, as they are usually 
 ■'■ \\\y /resent day. In 1823 the State Bank was 
 obbed, by which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand- 
 dollar deposit. 
 
 Vhe subject of this sketch had a commission as 
 Colonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies 
 lie acred also as Major. In the summer of 1832, 
 ^hen i vras rumored among the wliites that Black 
 Hawk ar.d 'lis men had encamped somewhere on 
 Rock River, Gen. Henry was sent on a totn- of 
 reconnoisance, and with orders to drive the Indians 
 from the State. After some opposition from his 
 subordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed u|) 
 Rock River in search of the enemy. On the 19th of 
 July, early in the morning, five baggage wagons, 
 
 camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti 
 cles were piled up and left, so that the army niig'; 
 make speedy and forced marches. For some mil. ■ 
 the travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swanvis 
 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 53 
 miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed 
 became fresher, and was strewed v/ith much property 
 and trinkets of the red-skiiv; tli.it they had lost or 
 thrown awaj to hasten their march. During 'he 
 following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and 
 the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were dior. 
 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 reache 1. 
 Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued, 
 resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's 
 men. The next day they continued the chase, and 
 as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians 
 leading toward the Mississippi, Maj, Ewing formed 
 his battalion in order of battle and awaited the order 
 of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the 
 ground and ordered a charge, wiiich 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 
 
 WILLI AM L. D. EWING. 
 
 eluding Black Hawk himself, across ilie Mississippi, 
 while Gen. Atkinson, commander-in-chief of the ex- 
 pedition, with a body of the army, was hunting for 
 them "11 another direction. 
 
 In tiie above affair Maj. Ewing is often referred to 
 as a "Ger.eral," wl;ich 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 
 Cei:ate, was chosen to preside over that body. At 
 ihe August election of 1S34, Gov. Reynolds was also 
 elec'ed to Congress, more than a year ahead of the 
 lime 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 terra. Ac;ordingly he set out for Wash- 
 ington in November of that year to take his seat in 
 Congress, and Gen. Ewing, by virt.:e of his office as 
 President of the Senate, became Governor of the 
 Stat"; of Illinois, his term covering only a period of 
 15 days, namely, from the 3d to the lytii days, in- 
 clusive, of November. O.i the 17th 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 jx'licy adopted by his predecessor; and 
 on the same day Governor elect Joseph Duncan 
 vas sworn into offi^ e, 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 29th of December, 1835, Gen. Ewing was 
 elected a United States Senator to serve out the 
 unex|)ired 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 1S37 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 
 Audit':-r 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.
 
 I,
 
 ,,^;;'^^^'«^^?^^<>-i^?^^/^'t__
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 «3' 
 
 ,^^(P))" err 
 
 la,. .i2i~^»g|5!/Z'J'''»^ a 
 
 flwHicam. 
 
 '^^^ 
 
 OSEPH DUNCAN, Governor 
 i§j5 1834-8, was born at Paris, 
 Ky., Feb. 23, 1794. At the 
 tender age of 19 years lie en- 
 listed in the war against Greal 
 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-Geneial 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 fur introducing tlie 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, 
 ^s 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 militasy achievements. His chances of success 
 against Cook were generally regarded as hopeless, 
 but 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 M'- 
 Cook. The result of the campaign, however, was .1 
 source of surprise and amazement to both fue-.-.d; 
 and foes, as Mr. Duncan came out 641 votes ahe.id' 
 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 per3onal 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 pardcipate 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, forineriy hii 
 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 ;ii 
 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 above all. 
 other issues that could arise; but he was doubtless
 
 '32 
 
 JOSEPH DUNCAN. 
 
 sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter 
 j;ad 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 
 rgain St the course of the President. The measures 
 -.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 
 raainly to tanks 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- 
 'upted the Slate. The hard times of 1837 came on, 
 ind the disasters that attended the inauguration of 
 ;hese 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; 
 Lut as many jealous men had hold of the same plow 
 handle, no success followed and each blamed the other 
 'or the failure. In this great vorte.x Gov. Duncan 
 was carried along, suffering the like derogation of 
 character with his fellow citizens. 
 
 At the height of the e.\citement 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, Qaincy via Springfield to the Wabash, 
 Bloomington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, — in all 
 about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the 
 improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia, 
 Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ; 
 also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis- 
 tributed to the various counties wherein no improve- 
 ments were ordered to be made as above. The 
 estimate for the expenses for all these projects was 
 ;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 
 :n 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 the 
 State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for 
 its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close. 
 There was, of course, considerable excitement over 
 the matter, the two main points competing for it be- 
 ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat- 
 ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully 
 allayed. 
 
 Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1S38. In 1842 
 he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu- 
 tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against Adam 
 W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the 
 Democrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi- 
 date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died 
 before the campaign had advanced very far, and his 
 party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected, 
 receiving 46,901 votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and 
 909 for Hunter. The cause of Democratic success 
 at this time is mainly attributed to the tem[X)rary 
 support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the 
 want of any knowledge, on the part of the masses, 
 that Mr. Ford was opposed to any given [xjlicy 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 purjMse. He possessed a clear 
 judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral 
 courage to carry out his convictions of right. In his 
 deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira- 
 tion of the people. His intercourse with them was 
 both affable and dignified. His jx)rtrait 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 
 eves 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.
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 '35 
 
 
 
 ^i^ 
 
 ^Y|]M^10MAS CARLIN, tlie sixth 
 i..2^Jlrm Governor of the State of 
 Ilhnois, serving from 1838 
 to 1842, was also a Ken- 
 tuciiian, 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'nnent and maturity, applied 
 himself to those branches of learn- 
 ing that seemed most important, 
 and thus became a self-made man ; 
 and his taste for reading and 
 study remained with him through 
 life. In 1803 his father removed 
 to Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he 
 died in 1810. 
 
 In 181 2 young Carlin came to Illinois and partici- 
 pated in all the "ranging" service incident to the 
 war of that period, proving himself a soldier of un- 
 daunted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca 
 Huitt, and lived for four years on tlie bank of the 
 Mississippi River, opposite the moutli of the Mis- 
 sojiri, where he followed farming, and then removed 
 to Greene County. He located the town site of Car- 
 TOiton, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal 
 donation of land for county building purposes. He 
 was the first Sheriff of that county after its separate 
 organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a 
 Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the 
 Black Hawk War he commanded a spy battalion, a 
 post of considerable danger. In 1834 he was ap- 
 pointed by President Jackson to the position of 
 Receiver of Public Moneys, and to fulfill the office 
 
 more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy. 
 While, in 1838, tlic 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 asseinbled, nominated Mr. Carlin for the 
 office of Governor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten- 
 ant Governor, while the Whigs nominated Cyrus Ed- 
 wards, brotherof Ninian Edwards, forn.ierly Governor, 
 and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly 
 for a continuance of the State policy, while Car'tu" 
 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,- 
 
 Upon the meeting of the subsequent Legislature 
 (1839), the retiring Governor CDuncan) in liis mes-
 
 136 
 
 THOMAS CARLIN. 
 
 sage six)ke 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. Cti'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 
 tc 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 apjMintment 
 through three administrations, was determined to 
 keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car- 
 lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in 
 this regard, however, was finally sustained by the 
 Supreme Court, in a quo warranto case brought up 
 before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov- 
 ernor had nominated for the office. Thereupon that 
 dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!' 
 endeavoring to estabhsh the principle of life-tenure 
 of office. 
 
 A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici- 
 ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges 
 were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas 
 Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B. 
 Scates, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas — 
 all Democrats. 
 
 It was during 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 soraewliat in State politics. On 
 account of tlieir believing — as they thought, accord- 
 ing to the New Testament — th;it 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 Monnons 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 iS4o-r, 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 darinj; to 
 oppose) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir- 
 tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinate with the Fed- 
 eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the 
 Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov. 
 Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader, 
 as a fugitive from justice. Gov. Carlin issued the 
 writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved. 
 It was again issued in 1842, and Smith was arrested, 
 but was either rescued by bis followers or discharged 
 by the municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus. 
 
 In December, 1841, the Democratic Convention 
 nominated .A.dam W. Snyder, of Belleville, for Gov- 
 ernor. As he had been, as a member of the Legisla- 
 ture, rather friendly to the Mormons, the latter 
 naturally turned their support to the Democratic 
 party. The next spring the Whigs nominated Ex- 
 Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime 
 the Mormons began to grow more odious to the 
 masses of the people, and the comparative prospects 
 of the respective parties for success became very 
 problematical. Mr. Snyder died in May, and 
 Thomas Ford, a Supreme Judge, was substituted as 
 a candidate, and was elected. 
 
 At the close of his gubernatorial term, Mr. Carlin 
 removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where 
 he spent the remainder of his life, as before his ele- 
 vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 1S/.9 
 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.
 
 0, 
 
 {^/-'i^yv-OLj
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLTNOIS. 
 
 »39 
 
 
 ^mmm^mm mm. 
 
 
 
 JKOMAS FORD, Governor 
 from 1842 to 1S46, and au- 
 thor of a very interesting 
 history of Illinois, was born 
 at Uniontown, Pa., in the 
 year i Soo. His mother, after 
 the death of her first hus- 
 band (Mr. Forqaer), married Rob- 
 ert Ford, yfho 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 
 itev yirls. With a view to better her 
 ^ condition, she, in 1804, removed to 
 jA, ,>^-c^ 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 louard 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 Mr. Humphrey, 
 for which he had to walk three miles. His mother, 
 though lacking a thorough education, was a woman 
 of superior mental endoivments, 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 bat 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 fur 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, obtained a grant 
 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
 
 ■ 4° 
 
 7'HOMAS FORD. 
 
 this genileinaii, Mr. Ford turned his attention to the 
 study of law; but Forquer, then merchandising, re- 
 garding liis education defective, sent him to Transyl- 
 vania University, where, liowever, he remained but 
 one term, owing to Forquer's failure in business. On 
 liis return he alternated his law reading with teach- 
 ing school for support. 
 
 In 1829 Gov. Edwards appointed hira 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, witliout oiJposition, twice a 
 Circuit Judge, o.ice a Judge of Chicago, and as As- 
 sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, when, in 1S41, 
 the latter tiibunal 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 Jefiferson- 
 ian principle, — Never to ask and never to refuse 
 office. Both as a lawyer and as a Judge he stood 
 disirvedly 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 
 "ound, lucid and able expositions of the law. In 
 |)ractice, 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 10 be a seeker for the position of door- 
 keeper, and was waited upon at liis hotel near mid- 
 r.ight by a knot of small office-seekers with the view 
 of effecting a " combination ! " 
 
 iVIr. 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 o:ie 
 side, and a small mouth. 
 
 The three most important events in Gov. Ford's 
 r.dministration were the establishment of the high 
 financial credit of the State, the " Mormon War "and 
 .he Mexican War. 
 
 In the first of these the Gjvernor proved himself 
 'o be eminently wise. On coming into office he found 
 'he State 1) idly pxralyzel byilie ruinous effects of 
 the notorious "internal inii>iovenient " 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 country, committed misdemean- 
 ors, taught dangerous doctrines, suffered the loss of 
 theirleader, Jo Smith, by a violent death, were driven 
 out of Nauvoo to the far West, etc. Having been a 
 Judge for so many years previously, Mr. Ford of 
 course was non-committal concerning Mormon affairs, 
 and was therefore claimed by both parties and also 
 accused by each of sympathizing too greatly with the 
 otlier side. Mormo:iism 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 
 th It 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.
 
 — ^5:^^^^>^^
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOJS. 
 
 US 
 
 Augustus €. French. | 
 
 
 
 AUGUSTUS 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 
 Frencli, who emigrated from England 
 in 16S7 and settled in Saybury, Mass. 
 In early life young French lost his 
 father, but continued to receive in- 
 struction from an exemplary and 
 Christian mother until he was i 9 years 
 old, when she also died, confiding to 
 his care and trust four younger broth- 
 ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with 
 parental devotion. His education in early life was 
 such mainly as a common school afforded. ■ For a 
 brief period he attended Dartmouth College, but 
 from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers 
 and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently 
 read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and 
 shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at 
 Albion, Edwards County, where he established him- 
 self in the practice of law. The following year he 
 removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained 
 eminence in his profession, and entered public life 
 by representing that county in the Legislature. A 
 strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste- 
 phen A. Douglas. 
 
 In 1839, Mr. French was appointed Receiver of 
 the United States Land Office at Palestine, Craw- 
 ford County, at which place he was a resident when 
 
 elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1844 he was 
 a Presidential Elector, and as such he voted tor 
 James K. Polk. 
 
 The Democratic State Convention of 1S46, meet- 
 ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French 
 for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were 
 Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of 
 Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scates. 
 Richard M. Young and A. W. Cavarly, — an array of 
 very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per- 
 haps defeated in the Convention by the rumor that 
 he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, 
 as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant 
 Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi- 
 dates were Lewis Ross, \Vm. 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 exposi^d Mr. French's 
 record and connection with the passage of the in- 
 ternal improvement system, urging it against his 
 election; but in the mcntime 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 ofSce, received 5,152 vot<»s
 
 144 
 
 " AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH. 
 
 By the new Constitution of 1S48, a new election for 
 State officers was ordered in Novembei 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 incumbenj 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 opix)sitlon 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 I^. 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 Me.\ican 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 im- 
 mediately subject to State taxation; before this they 
 were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar- 
 rangement the revenue was materially increased. 
 About the same lime, the distribution of Government 
 land warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty 
 threw upon the market a great quantity of good 
 lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State. 
 The same Legislature authorized, with the recom- 
 mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern 
 Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the 
 first in the State and now a section of the Wabash, 
 St. Louis & Pacific) It sold for §100,000 in bonds, 
 although it had cost the State not less than a million. 
 Tiie 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 tl':.-^ 
 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 passed 
 a law to exempt homesteads from sale on executions 
 This beneficent measure had been repeatedly urged 
 upon that body by Gov. French. 
 
 In 1S50 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 thers complained that 
 the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable 
 land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re- 
 sulting in favor of the St. Louis project ; and since 
 then a good site has existed there for a city (East St. 
 Louis), and now a score of railroads center there. 
 
 It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted 
 to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of 
 the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, 
 which constituted the most important epoch in the 
 railroad — we might say internal improvement — his- 
 tory of the .State. The road was rushed on to 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 185 I 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 comple.xioned, 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 1S65, at his home in Lebanon, St 
 Glair Co., 111.
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 »47 
 
 
 y^^^^Wi^g^^^a^j^^qp^ 
 
 
 
 s^<^-«l>-fe'« 
 
 ';j|OEL A. MATTESON, Governor 
 ,^*» I S5 3-6, was born Aug. 8, 180S, 
 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, 
 tauglit school, visited the prin- 
 cipal Eastern cities, improved a farm his father had 
 given him, m.ide a tour in the South, worked there 
 m building railroads, experienced a slorm on the 
 Gulf of Mexico, visited the gold diggings of Northern 
 Georgia, and returned via Nashville to St. Louis and 
 through Illinois to his fatlier's home, when he mar- 
 ried. In 1833, having sold his firm, he removed, 
 with his wife and one child, to Illinois, and entered 
 a claim on Government land near the head of An 
 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 
 three or four houses l;etween liini and Chicago. He 
 opened a large farm. His family was boarded 1 2 
 
 miles away while he erected a Iiouse 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 1S35 he bought largely at the Government land 
 sales. During th.e speculative real-estate mania which 
 broke out in Chicago in 1S36 and spread over the State, 
 he sold his lands itnder the inflation of that period 
 and removed to Joliet. In 1S38 he became a heavy 
 contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Upon 
 the completion of his job in 1841, 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 olTered 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 apuortionment, John 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
 
 148 
 
 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 liours 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 oa 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. Tints 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 partj', 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 
 lyincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska " 
 candidate for the United States Senatorship, while 
 Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-nom- 
 inated by the Democrats. But after a few ballotings 
 in the Legislature (1855), these men were dropped, 
 and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, 
 was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson, 
 then Governor, by the latter. On the nth ballot 
 Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac- 
 cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson 's 
 term expired, the Republicans were fully organized 
 as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a 
 full national and State ticket, carrying the State, but 
 not the nation." 
 
 The Legislature of 1855 passed two very import- 
 ant measures, — the present free-school system and a 
 submission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the 
 people. The latter was defeated by a small majority 
 of the popular vote. 
 
 During the four years of Gov. ISL-itteson's admin- 
 istration the taxable wealth of the State was about 
 trebled, from $137,818,079 to $349,951,272; the pub- 
 lic debt was reduced from $17,398,985 to $12,843,- 
 144; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the 
 State resumed paying interest on its debt in New 
 York as fast as it fell due ; railroads were increased 
 in their mileage from something less than 400 to 
 about 3,000 ; and the population of Chicago was 
 nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad- 
 rupled. 
 
 Before closing this account, we regret that we have 
 to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an 
 upright man and a good Governor, was implicated 
 in a false re-issue of redeemed canal scrip, amount- 
 ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon Cir- 
 cuit Court the State recovered the principal and all 
 the interest excepting $27,500. 
 
 He died in the winter of 1872-3, at Chicago.
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 151 
 
 
 ■^^£.' 
 
 r^'-:-/ 
 
 ig ILLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov- 
 iiV'~ ernor 1857-60, was born 
 ■«? April 25, iSii, 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 accpiired 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,
 
 '52 
 
 WILLIAM H. BISSELL. 
 
 of Monroe County, by whom he had two children, 
 bot.h daughters. She died soon after the year 1840, 
 and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter 
 of EUas K. Kane, previously a United States Senator 
 from this State. She survived hirti but a short time, 
 and died without issue. 
 
 When the war with Mexico was declared in 1846, 
 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 Douglas, and 
 thus became identified with the nascent Republican 
 party. 
 
 During his first Congressional terra, while the 
 Southern members were following their old practice 
 of intimidating the North by bullying language, 
 and claiming most of the credit for victories in the 
 Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the 
 Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena 
 Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern 
 troops ; whereupon Davis challenged Bissell to a duel, 
 which was accepted. This matter was brought u|j 
 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 rS56, 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. .\. Richardson, of Adams County, 
 for Governor, and t'ol. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook 
 Countv. f'!-- Lieutenant Governor The result of the 
 
 election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard- 
 son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a 
 ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal- 
 anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor. 
 His message to the Legislature was short and rather 
 ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup- 
 posed obligations of the people to the incorporators 
 of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re- 
 opening the slavery question by allusions to the 
 Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion- 
 ment bill, based upon the State census of 1S55, 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 tliat 
 the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light, 
 'mplicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent 
 State officials. The principal and interest, aggregat- 
 ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except- 
 ing $27,500. (See sketch of Gov. Matteson.) 
 
 In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu- 
 lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and 
 thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a 
 million dollars. The State Government was impli- 
 cated in this affair, and to this day remains unex- 
 plained or unatoned for. For the above, and other 
 matters previously mentioned. Gov. Bissell has been 
 severely criticised, and he has also been most shame- 
 fully libelled and slandered. 
 
 On account of exposure in the army, the remote 
 cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance 
 into his system and eventually developed paraplegia, 
 affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left 
 his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco- 
 motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was 
 generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste- 
 rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its 
 stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18, 
 i860, over nine months before the expiration of his 
 gubernatorial term, at the early age of 4S years. He 
 died in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. 0/ 
 which he haf* been a member since 1854.
 
 11
 
 ■ffl
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 '55 
 
 CS1 
 
 10 ten 
 
 ■■■s-^ 
 
 
 
 « >5:] ' ca »- 
 
 .^:()HN WOOD, Governor 1860-1, and 
 E^ the first settler of Quincy, 111., 
 was born in the town of Setnpro- 
 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 lai.guages, who, after 
 
 "V-^'i" 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- 
 mg 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 i82r 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, 
 
 rS X 20 feet, the first building ia Quincy, of whitl 
 he then became the first and for some months tlic 
 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 ye. 
 untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept 
 by the maje=itic Father of VVaters, 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 .-^tlas ever to amount to 
 anything! " 
 
 Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is .•> 
 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 tiie next summer Quiiiry was se- 
 lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then 
 containing but four adult male residents and half
 
 '50 
 
 rOHN WOOD. 
 
 lliat number of females. Sinoe that period Mr. 
 Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un- 
 lil 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 
 ^ace of a constant large opposition political majority. 
 In 1850 he was elected to the Stale Senate. In 1S56, 
 on the organization of the Republican party, he was 
 chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the 
 ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the 
 death of the latter, March 18, i860, he succeeded to 
 the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until 
 Gov. Yates was inaugurated nearly ten months after- 
 ward. 
 
 Nothing very marked characterized the adminis- 
 tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam- 
 paign of i860, resulting in the election of the honest 
 lUinoisan, 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 nacion from destruction. 
 In 186 1 ex-Gov. Wood was one of tlie five Dele- 
 gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at 
 Washingtoii, and in April of the same year, on the 
 breaking out of the Rebellion, he was appointed 
 
 Quartermaster-General of the State, which position 
 he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com- 
 mand as Colonel of the 137th 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 grjwing around him, 
 and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the 
 wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second 
 only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in 
 beauty, prosperity and promise; whose people recog- 
 nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and 
 liberality that attach to the name and lengthened 
 life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor." 
 
 Gov. Wood was twice married, — first in January, 
 1826, to Ann M. Streeter, daughter of Joshua Streeter, 
 formerly of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. They had 
 eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in 
 June, 1S65, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow 
 of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4, 
 1 880, 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 Atciiison, Kansas, and 
 all the rest are still at Quincy.
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 159 
 
 alAA:5I?y?'i^^ ■• \- \ S.-^ AA :• V U VA V-V A ■■ V- >\ y.^ A. \.A*,^ A -v 
 
 
 'Richard yates, the "War 
 
 ^ ■' Governor,' 186 1-4, was born 
 =>f Jan. 18, 18 18, on the banks of 
 \ the Ohio River, at Warsaw, 
 ■> Gallatin Co., Ky. His father 
 ^ moved in 1831 to Illinois, and 
 after stopping for a time in 
 Springfield, settled at Island 
 Grove, Sangamon County . Here, 
 after attending school, Richard joined 
 the family. Subsequently he entered 
 Illinois College at Jacksonville, 
 where, in 1837, he graduated with 
 first honors. He chose for his pro- 
 tession 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 tlie political hustings, and, being a 
 passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the 
 West. Henry (^lay, he joined his political fortunes to 
 he party of his idol. In r 840 he engaged with great 
 'vdor in the exciting "hard cider" campaign for 
 r^arrison. 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- 
 •rythat by 1850 his large Congressional District, 
 trtending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties 
 . orth to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him 
 tne Whig nomination for Congress. His Democratic 
 opponent was Maj. Tliomas L. Harris, a very pop- 
 ular man who had won distinction at the batde of 
 'irro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had 
 beaten Hon. Stephen T. Logan for the same position. 
 
 I two years before, by a large majority. Yates wa." 
 1 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 becaiiie 
 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 ;?oo votes, after the 
 district had two years before given Pierce 2,000 
 majority for President. 
 
 The Republican State Convention of i860 met at 
 Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov- 
 ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B. 
 Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming- 
 ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were 
 also candidates before the Convention. Francis A. 
 Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated for 
 Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr. 
 Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re- 
 membered as characterized by the great whidpool 
 which precipitated the bloody War of the Rebellion. 
 The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen of 
 Crawford County, for Governor, and Lewis W. Ross, 
 of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The 
 Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party 
 had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear- 
 ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr. 
 Yates 172,196 votes, and Mr. Allen 159,253. Mr. 
 Yates received over a thousand more votes than did 
 Mr. Lincoln himself. 
 Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the
 
 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 llie 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 iiiDholding the Government. 
 He had a deep hold upon the affections of tlie 
 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 ver)' 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 battle of 
 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 
 ill 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 affiiirs 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 
 I S62, were the chief local topics that were exciting 
 during the Governor's term. This Convention assem- 
 bled Jan. 7, and at once tooic 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 Con-.titution. Notwithstanding the 
 law calling the Convention required its members to 
 take an oath to support the Constitution of the State 
 as well as that of the general Government, they 
 utterly refused to take such oath. They also as- 
 sumed legislative powers and passed several import- 
 ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present 
 executive duties. Gov. Yates was provoked to tell 
 them plainly that " he did not acknowledge the right 
 of the Convention to instruct him in the performance 
 of his duty." 
 
 In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats 
 by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after 
 a recess, met Joine 2, that year, and soon began to 
 waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and, 
 while the two houses were disagreeing upon the 
 question oi sidpuwimg siiie die, the Governor, having 
 the authority in such cases, surprised them all by 
 adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the 
 first Monday in January, 1865 ! " This led to great 
 excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the 
 Governor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in 
 his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive 
 abuse for weeks and months afterward. 
 
 During the autumn of T864 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. W 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.
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 163 
 
 -^^■ 
 
 Mickard J. Oglesby 
 
 -4^= 
 
 ->l3. 
 
 
 
 =^|%?HUCHARD J. OGLESBY, Gov- 
 ernor 1865-8, and re-electtd 
 in 1872 and 18S4, was born 
 July 25, 1824, in Oldliam Co., 
 Ky., — the State wiiich 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 Ciuz 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- 
 
 Ep 
 
 pany of eight men, Henry Prather being tlie leader. 
 
 In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and 
 was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticke: 
 of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe, 
 x\sia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his 
 return home he resumed the practice of law, as a 
 member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby. 
 In 1858 he was the Republican nominee for the 
 Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the 
 Hon. James C. Robinson, Democrat. In i860 lie 
 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 WIS shortly entrusted with important com- 
 mands. For a time he vvas stationed at Bird's Point 
 and Cairo; in April he vvas 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 i:i 
 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-
 
 164 
 
 RICHARD J. OGLESBY. 
 
 mediate deith. That rebel ball he carries to thii 
 day. 0;i his partial recovery he was promoted as 
 •Major Ge leril, for g ilLiiitry, his comaiissioa 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 fro. 11 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 folio iv- 
 ing, to court-martial and try the Surgeon General of 
 the Army at Washington, where he remained until 
 May, 1864, whsn he returned home. 
 
 The Republican, or Union, State Convention of 
 1S64 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 gav,; Gen. Oglesby a majority 
 of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a 
 majority in both tlii Legislature and in the repre- 
 sentation \n 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 look from it 
 his only son, an intelligent and sprightly lad of si.'c 
 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 13th 
 amend.nent to the Constitution of the United States, 
 abolishing slavery. This session also signalized 
 itself by repealing the notorious " black laws," pari 
 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 e.xtended 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 
 prof^-sed, and some passed. Tiie contests over the 
 .ocation of the Industrial College, the Capital, the 
 
 Soutliern Penitentiary, and the canal enlargement 
 and Illinois River improvement, dominated every- 
 thing else. 
 
 During the year 1S72, it became evident tliat i( 
 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 Bjveridge, 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, — ihe Democratic defection being 
 caused mainly liy their h iving 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 :iiet 
 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 parly 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- 
 ]5le elected a Legislature which was a tie on a jjint 
 ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the 
 jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of 15,018 for Gov- 
 ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The 
 Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on 
 account of its equal division between the two main 
 parlies and the consequent desperate tactics of each 
 parly to checkmate the latter in the organization of 
 the House. 
 
 Gov. Oglesby is a fine-appearing, affable man, with 
 regular, well defined features and rotund face. In 
 stature he is a little above medium height, of a large 
 frame and somewhat fleshy. His physical appear- 
 ance is striking and prepossessing, while his straight- 
 out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are well 
 calculated favorably to impress the average masses. 
 .Ardent in feeling and strongly committed to the pol- 
 icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism 
 among Republicans, while at the same time his iovial 
 and liberal manner prevents those of the opposite 
 party from hating him. 
 
 He is quite an effective stump orator. With vehe- 
 ment, passionate and scornful tone and gestures, 
 tremendous physical power, which in speaking he 
 exercises to the utmost; with frequent descents to 
 tlie grotesque; and with abundant homely compari- 
 sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest 
 vernacular and enforced with stentorian emphasis, 
 he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure.
 
 &,.-^^^6^—
 
 GO VER IVORS OF ILLTN^OIS. 
 
 I .7 
 
 
 J HN 1£ Pa L 31 ER 
 
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 'c:s':'\\ 
 
 f^ 
 
 i|f»« ernor 
 
 3;OHN Mc AULEY PALMER, Gov- 
 [869-72, was born on 
 Engle Creek, Scott Co., Ky., 
 .■£'''-'' WH ~V Sept. 13, 1817. During his in- 
 •54gio''^'4j^JO^- .il.>5* fancy, his father, who had been 
 a soldier in the war of 1S12, re- 
 moved to Christian Co., Ky., 
 wliere 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 
 His father, an ardent Jackson man, 
 was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which 
 he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 183 1 
 he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County. 
 Here the labor of improving a farm was pursued for 
 about two years, when the death of Mr. Palmer's 
 mother broke up the family. About this time Alton 
 College was opened, on the "manual labor " system, 
 and in the spring of 1S34 young Palmer, with his 
 elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained 
 18 months. Next, for over three years, he tried 
 variously coopering, peddling and school-teaching. 
 
 During the summer of 1838 he formed the ac- 
 quaintance of Sle|)hen A. Douglxs, then making his 
 
 eaily aptitude. 
 
 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- 
 iinville, 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 Cariinville 
 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, wliile he diligently pursued his 
 profession, he participated more or less in local 
 politics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. In 
 1 847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con. 
 vention, where he took a leading part. In 1S52 ht 
 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 partj 
 issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for tht 
 Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuinj, 
 a circular to tliat 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 
 he put in nomination for the , United States Senate 
 Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men 
 who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their 
 support and elected their man. 
 
 In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State 
 Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in 
 1859, but was defeated. In i860 he was Republican 
 Presidential Elector for the State at large. In 1861 
 he was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re- 
 publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at 
 Washington. 
 
 When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his 
 services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the 
 14th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the engagements 
 at Island No. lo ; at Farmington, where he skillfully 
 extricated his command from a dangerous position ; 
 ai Stone River, where his division for several hours, 
 Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a 
 rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major 
 General; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's 
 divisions for two hours maintained their position 
 when they were cut off by overpowering numbers 
 Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the 14th 
 Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign. 
 At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert 
 disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as- 
 signed to the military administration of Kentucky, 
 which was a delicate post. That State was about 
 half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter 
 element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves. 
 He, who had been bred to the rules of common law, 
 trembled at the contemplation of his extraordinary 
 power over the persons and property of his fellow 
 men, with wliich he was vested in his capacity as 
 military Governor ; and he e.xhibited great caution in 
 the execution of the duties of his post. 
 
 Gen. Palmer was nominated for Governor of Illi- 
 nois by tiie Republican State Convention which met 
 at Peori.i May 6, 1868, and his nomination would 
 probably liave been made by acclamation had lie not 
 oersistenily declared that he could not accei)t a can- 
 
 didature for the office. The result of the ensuing 
 election gave Mr. Palmer a majority of 44,707 over 
 John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee. 
 
 Oil the meeting of the Legislature in January, 
 1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was 
 that portion of the Governor's message which took 
 broad Slate's rights ground. This and some minor 
 points, which were more in keeping with the Demo- 
 cratic sentiment, constituted the entering wedge fur 
 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 hmited 
 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^.ilror.:i subscriptions, 
 the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The new State 
 Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a 
 peaceful " revolution" which took place during Gov. 
 Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the 
 great Chicago Fire of October, 187 1, 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 .\merican in his fundamental principle' 
 of statesmanship.
 
 CT^^^i^i^gL.^ / A-e^l^C^)^-uUe^
 
 L?i.' VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 171 
 
 
 
 OHN LOWRiE BEVER- 
 IDGE, Governor 1873-6, was 
 born in the town of Greeii- 
 wu:h, Washington Co., N. Y., 
 July 6, 1824. His parents 
 were George and Ann Bever- 
 idge. His father's parents, An- 
 drew and Isabel Beveridge, be- 
 fore their marriage emigrated 
 from Scotland just before the 
 Revolutionary War, settling in 
 Washington County. His father 
 was the eldest of eight brotliers, 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 
 j" 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 tnan, 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 19th 
 year. Later in life he became a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still 
 holds. 
 
 Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed- 
 ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood 
 only by rigid economy and industry, could not send 
 him away to college. He was raised upon a farm, 
 and was in his 18th year when the family removed 
 to De Kalb County, this State, when that section was 
 very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000 
 inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a 
 farm laborer, teaching school during the winter 
 months to supply the means of an education. In the 
 fall of 1842 he attended one term at the academy at 
 Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several 
 terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris, 
 Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At 
 this time, the fall of 1845, '''•^ parents and brothers 
 were anxious to have him go to college, even though 
 he had not inoney sufficient; but, n^t willing to bur- 
 den the family, he packed his trunk and with only 
 $40 in money started South to seek his fortune.
 
 J72 
 
 JOHN L. BEVERIDGE. 
 
 Poor, alone, wiihout friends and influence, lie 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- 
 cemlier, 1S47, he returned North, and Jan. 20, 1848, 
 he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in the old Clark- 
 Sireet 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 1S49, through the mismanagement 
 of an associate, he lost what litde he had accumu- 
 lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to 
 earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb 
 Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro- 
 fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival 
 from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in 
 money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself 
 and family. He borrowed a little money, practiced 
 law, worked in public offices, kept books for some of 
 the business men of the town, and some railroad en- 
 gineering, till the spring of 1854, when he removed 
 to Evanston, 12 miles north of Chicago, a place then 
 but recently laid out, under the supervision of the 
 Northwestern University, a Methodist institution. 
 Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial 
 agent and business 7nanager. Here Mr. Beveridge 
 prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law 
 office in Chicago, where he found the battle some- 
 what hard; but he persevered with encouragement 
 and increasing success. 
 
 Aug. 12, 1861, his law partner, Gen. John F, 
 Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment cf 
 cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a 
 company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais- 
 ing the company, of course enlisting himself along 
 with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles, 
 111., was mustered in Sept. tS, and on its organiza- 
 tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at- 
 tached, Oct. II, to the Eighth Cavalry and to the 
 Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment 
 until November, iS6j, 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 1 863, 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 17th 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 Cliicago, 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 
 one term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced 
 law and closed up the unfinished business of his 
 office. He was then elected State Senator; in No- 
 vember, 187 1, he was elected Congressman at large; 
 in November, 1S72, 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 tlie 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, 1 88 r, he has also been 
 .Assistant United States Treasurer : office in the 
 Government Building. His residence is still at Ev- 
 anston. 
 
 He has a brother and two sisters yet residing in 
 De Kalb County — James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet 
 Henry and Mrs. Isabel French.
 
 GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 •75 
 
 8EELB Y 31, VULLOM. -t 
 
 — ^ 
 
 ll^'' HELBY M. CULLOM, Gover- 
 nor 1877-83,15 the sixth child 
 of the late Richard N. Cullom, 
 and was bora Nov. 22, 1829, ia 
 Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa- 
 ther tlien 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 
 cajiital from Vandalia to Springfisld. 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, 
 nowever, he spent several months teaching school. 
 
 and in the following summer he "broke prairie "with 
 an o.x team for tlie 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 .\nti-Nebraska ticket. 
 
 In 1 85 6 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
 
 176 
 
 SHELBY M. CULLOM. 
 
 law until i860, 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 1861, he was a candidate 
 for the State Constitutional Convention called for 
 that year,' but was defeated, and thus escaped the 
 disgrace of being connected with that abortive party 
 scheme to revolutionize the State Government. Li 
 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 euleied upon a larger political field, 
 being ixsminated as the Republican candidate for 
 Congress from llie Eighth (Springfield) District, in 
 opposition to the incumbent, JohnT. Stuart, who had 
 been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over 
 Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Chicago. 
 The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem- 
 ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he 
 was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler, by 
 the magnificent majority of 4 103! In 1868 he was 
 again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards, 
 another of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes. 
 
 During his first term in Congress he served on the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs and E.xpenditures in 
 the Treasury Department; in his second term, on 
 the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Territories ; 
 and in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of 
 O/.io, to the Chairmanship of the latter. He intro- 
 duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of 
 law in Utah, which caused more consternation among 
 the Mormons than any measure had previously, but 
 which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the 
 Senate. 
 
 The Republican Convention which met May 25, 
 1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor; while the 
 other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor 
 of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the 
 Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists, 
 placed in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy 
 
 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 
 1S73 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed 
 to gather force from that time to the end of Gov. 
 Cullom's first administration. This unspeculative 
 period was not calculated to call forth any new 
 issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time 
 put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that 
 had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring 
 classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East 
 St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring 
 men for a short time refused to work or allow others 
 to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and 
 the wheels of industry again set in motion. 
 
 In May, 1880, Gov. Cullom was re-nominated by 
 the Republicans, against Lyman Trumbull, by the 
 Democrats; and although the former party was some- 
 what handicapped in the campaign by a zealous 
 faction opposed- to Grant for President and to Grant 
 men for office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected 
 by about 314,565, to 277,532 forthe Democratic State 
 ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was 
 about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again 
 becaine Republican, and no representative of the 
 Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov. 
 Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, iSSi. In his mes- 
 sage he announced that the last dollar of the State 
 debt had been provided for. 
 
 March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United 
 States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul- 
 lom was chosen to succeed him. This promoted 
 Lieutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov- 
 ernorship. Senator Cullom's term in the United 
 States Senate will expire March 4, 1889. 
 
 As a practitioner of law Mr. C. has been a member 
 of the firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, at Spring- 
 field; and he has also been President of the State 
 National Bank. 
 
 He has been married twice, — the first time Dec. 
 12, 1855, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had 
 two daughters; and the second time May 5, 1863, 
 to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is a member of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mr. 
 C. is also in sympathy.
 
 iH
 
 GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 '79 
 
 Ai^mW^> 7^^. 
 
 
 ^^%m^ 
 
 ^«-^H*<^ 
 
 OHN MARSHALL HAMIL- 
 TON, Governor 1883-5, ^^.s 
 born May 28, 1847, in a log 
 house upon a farm about two 
 45? miles from Richwood, Union 
 County, Ohio. His father was 
 Samuel Hamilton, the eldest son 
 of Rev. VVui. Hamilton, who, to- 
 gether with his brother, the Rev. 
 Samuel Hamilton, was among tlie 
 early pioneer Methodist preachers in 
 Ohio. The mother of tlie 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 liome in Union County, O., 
 and, loading his few household effects and family 
 (of six children) into two emigrant covered wagons, 
 moved to Roljerts Township, Marshall Co., 111., being 
 21 days on the route. Swamps, unbridged streams 
 and innumerable hardships and privations met them 
 on their way. Their new liome had been previously 
 selected by the father. Here, after many long years 
 of toil, they succeeded in paying for the land and 
 making a comfort^b't^ home. John was, of course, 
 
 brought up to hard manual labor, with no schooling 
 except three or four months in tlie year at a common 
 country school. However, he evinced a capacity 
 and taste for a high order of self-education, by 
 studying or reading what books he could borrow, as 
 the family had but very few in tlie house. Much of 
 his study he prosecuted by tlie 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 1S60 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, lie 
 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,
 
 i8o 
 
 JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON. 
 
 and in the following May he again enlisted, for the 
 fourth time, when he was placed in the 141st 111. 
 Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111., 
 for the 100-day service. He took with him 13 other 
 lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the 
 service. This regiment operated in Southwestern 
 Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine. 
 The following winter, 1864-5, '^'■- Hamilton taught 
 school, and during the two college years 1S65-7, he 
 went through three years of the curriculum of the 
 Ohio VVesleyan 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 tnoney as a temporary Professor 
 of Latin at the Illinois Wesley an University at 
 Bloomington, he entered the law office of Weldon, 
 Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of 
 this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge. 
 .\dniitted 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. Tlieir business was then 
 small, but they increased it to very large proportions, 
 practicing in all grades of courts, including even the 
 U. .S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued 
 unbroken until Feb. 6, 1883, when Mr. Hamilton 
 was sworn in as E.xecutive of Illinois. On the 4th 
 of March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con- 
 gress. 
 
 In July, 187 I, Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen 
 M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. VVni. 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 Iiis party, and was 
 elected by a majority of 1,640 over his Democratic- 
 Greenback opponent. In tlie Senate he served on 
 the Cominittees 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. K\. this session, also, was passed the 
 first Board of Health and Medit al Practice act, of 
 which Mr. Hamilton was a champion, agair,:'; .. 
 much opposition that the bill was several times 
 "laid on the table." Also, this session authorized 
 the location and establishment of a souihern peni- 
 tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session 
 of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President /rt) /t'>«, 
 of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John 
 A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who wa", this lime 
 elected without any trouble. 
 
 In May, 1880, Mr. Hamilton was noininated 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 Robett Bell, of Wabash 
 County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and 
 Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. He engaged 
 actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected 
 by a majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor, 
 he presided almost continuously over the Senate in 
 the 32d General Assembly and during the early days 
 of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship. 
 When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom 
 to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton 
 succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the 
 oath of office Feb. 6, 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. Clair and Madison 
 Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the 
 State militia, the adoption of the Harper high-license 
 liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc. 
 
 The Governor was a Delegate at large to the 
 National Republican Convention at Chicago in June, 
 
 1884, where his first choice for President was John 
 A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but 
 he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr. 
 Blaine, true to his party. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton's term as Governor expired Jan. 30, 
 
 1885, when the great favorite " Dick " Oglesby was 
 inaugurated.
 
 '^^ 
 
 
 t/^^^z^^
 
 JOSEPH W. FIFER. 
 
 183 
 
 
 ^^'^ .-f; .t. A it- <ii.vi ^. i-i-i ^^, .r. .t. 
 
 ■•o*o.-(g^<A^..o*o.- 
 
 ^^:,q)5 
 
 :<)SKPH WILSON FIFER. This 
 distinguished gentleman was 
 ;-iw elected Governor of Illinois 
 ;:: November 6, 1888. lie was 
 popularly known during the 
 campaign as "Private Joe." He 
 had served with great devotion 
 to his couutrj' during the Re- 
 jjellion, in the Thirtj'-third 
 Illinois Infantry. A native of 
 Virginia, he was born in 1840. 
 Ilis parents, John and Mary 
 ( Daniels) Fifer, were American 
 born, though of (Tcrman de- 
 scent. Ilis father was a brick 
 and stone mason, and an old 
 lliMuy Clay Whig in politics. John and Mary 
 Fifei- liad nine children, of whom Joseph was the 
 sixth, and naturally with so large a family it was 
 all tlip father could do to keep the wolf from the 
 d<i(ir; to say nothing of giving his children aiiy- 
 thing like good educational advantages. 
 
 Young Joseph attended school some in Vir- 
 ginia, but it was not a good school, and when 
 his father removed to the West, in 1857, Josi'pii had, 
 not advanced mucii further than tiie -First Reader." 
 
 Our suliject was sixteen then and suffered a great 
 misfortune in the loss of his mother. After the deatii 
 of ^Irs. Fifer. which occurred in Missouri, tlie 
 family returned to Virginia, but remained only u 
 short time, as during the same jear Mr. Fifer 
 came to Illinois. He settled in McLean County and 
 started a brickyard. Here Joseph and his broth- 
 ers were pnt to work. The elder Fifer soon 
 bought a farm near Bloomington and began lifi'a.s 
 an agriculturalist. Here Joe worked and attended 
 the neighboring school. He alternated farm-work, 
 lirick-layiug, and 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 glimiise 
 when coming from Virginia, yet he did not know 
 just how he was going to get out into it. He 
 could not feci that the woods around the new 
 farm and the log cabin, in whii'h the family lived, 
 were to hold him. 
 
 The opi)ortunity 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 Comi)any C, 33d Illinois Infantry; 
 he being then twenty years old. lu a lew day
 
 184 
 
 JOSEPH W. FIFER. 
 
 the regiment was sent to Camp Butler, and then 
 over into Missouri, anil saw some visiorous service 
 there. After a second time helping to chase Price 
 out of Missouri, tlie .'53d llegiment went down 
 to Milliken's Bend, and for several weeks "Private 
 ■Toe " worked on Grant's famous ditch. The regi- 
 ment tiien joined the forces operating against Port 
 (Jilison and Vickshurg. Joe was on guard diilj- in 
 llie front ditches when the Hag of surrender was 
 run nj) on the 4th of July, and stuck tiie haj'onet 
 of his gun into the embankment and went into the 
 cit}' witii the vanguard of Union soldiers. 
 
 The next day. July .ii, the 33d 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, ter- 
 ribly wounded. He was loading his gun when a 
 minie-ball struck him and i)assed entirely through 
 his body. He was regarded as mortally wounded. 
 His brother, George, who had been made a Lieu- 
 tenant, proved to be the means of saving his life. 
 The Surgeon told him unless he had ice his brother 
 Joe could not live. It was fifty miles to the nearest 
 point where ice could Ije obtained, and the roads 
 were rough. A comrade, a^IcLean county man, who 
 had been wounded, offered to make the trip. An 
 amlndance was secured and the brother soldier 
 started on the journey. He returned with the ice. 
 but the tri]). owing to the roughness of the roads, 
 was very hard on him. After a few months' care- 
 ful nursing Mr. Fifer was able to come home. The 
 33d 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 j'ears. He 
 was mustered out in October, 1804, having been 
 in the service three years and two months. 
 
 "Private Joe" came out of the army a tall, 
 tanned, 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- 
 l)le 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 entered 
 Wesleyan I'niversilN' Jan. 1. 1865. He was not a 
 brilliant student, being neither at the head nor the 
 foot of his class. He was in great earnest, how- 
 ever, studied hard and came forth with a well- 
 stored and disciplined mind. 
 
 Immediately after being graduated he entered 
 an ollice at Bloomington as a law student. He had 
 already read law some, and as he continued to work 
 h.ard, with the spur of poverty and promptings of 
 ambition ever with him, he was re.ady to hang out 
 his professional shingle in 1869. Being trust- 
 worthy he soon gathered about him some influen- 
 tial friends. In 1871 he was elected Corporation 
 Counsel of Bloomington. In 1872 he was elected 
 State's Attorney of McLean Count}-. This ottice 
 he held for eight years, when he took his seat in 
 the State Senate. Here he served for four years. 
 His ability to perform abundance of hard work 
 made him a most valued member of the Legisla- 
 ture. 
 
 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 
 onh- 150 pounds. He has a swarthy complexion, 
 keen black eyes, quick movement, and possesses a 
 frank and s.ympathetic nature, and naturally makes 
 friends wherever he goes. During the late Guber- 
 natorial campaign his visits throughout the State 
 proved a great power iji his behalf. His happy 
 faculty of winning the confidence and good wishes 
 of those with whom he comes in personal contact is a 
 source of great popularity, especiall}- during a polit- 
 ical battle. As a speaker he is fluent, his language 
 is good, voice clear and agreeable, and manner 
 forcible. His manifest earnestness in what he says 
 as well as his tact as a public speaker, and his elo- 
 quent and forceful language, makes him a most 
 Viiluable campaign orator and a powerful pleader 
 at the bar. At the Hc[)ublican State Convention, 
 held in May, 1888, Mr. Fifer was chosen as its candi- 
 date for Governor. He proved a popular nominee, 
 and the name of "Private Joe" became familiar 
 to ever^^one 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.
 
 INTRODUQTORY. 
 
 HE time has arrived wlitu it 
 becomes the duty of tlie 
 people of tliis county to per- 
 petuate the names of their 
 pioneers, to furnish a record 
 of their early settlement, 
 and relate the story of their 
 progress. The civilization of our 
 day, the enlightenment of the age 
 and the duty that men of the pres- 
 ent time owe to their ancestors, to 
 themselves and to their posterity, 
 demand that a record of their lives 
 and deeds should be made. In bio- 
 graphical history is found a povi'er 
 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 
 :>{ settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an 
 actual necessity exists for the collection and [)reser- 
 vation of events without delay, before all the early 
 settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. 
 
 To be forgotten lias been the great dread of mankind 
 from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, 
 in spite of their best works and the most earnest 
 efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of 
 their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion 
 and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- 
 tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. 
 ThT pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the 
 names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- 
 mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from 
 buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people 
 
 to perpetuate the memory of their achievements. 
 The erection of the great obelisks were for the same 
 purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find tht 
 Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- 
 ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their 
 great acliievements and carry them down the ages. 
 It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling 
 up their great mounds of earth, liad but this idea — 
 to leave something to show that they had lived. All 
 these works, though many of 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 tliat then lived. The great pyramids and 
 some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; 
 the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- 
 bling into dust. 
 
 It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli- 
 gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating 
 a full history — immutable in that it is almost un- 
 limited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and 
 this is through the art of printing. 
 
 To the present generation, however, we are in- 
 debted for the introduction of the admirable system 
 of local biography. By this system every man, though 
 he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, 
 has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, 
 through the coming ages. 
 
 The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the 
 physical man is left. The monument which his chil- 
 dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme- 
 tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his 
 life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, 
 which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated 
 by a record of this kind. 
 
 To preserve the lineaments of our companions we 
 engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col- 
 lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we 
 think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to 
 wait until they are dead, or until those who know 
 them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to 
 publish to the world the history of those whose lives 
 are unworthy of public record.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 The PeorSa Public Library. 
 
 HE Public Library of Peoria is located in a 
 central part of. the city, occupying- the Mer- 
 cantile Library 15uilding — a three-story 
 structure of pressed brick, with brown stone trim- 
 mings — situated on the Main Street corner oppo- 
 site the Court-IIouse. This library was ostalilislied 
 only in the year 1880, but represents several older 
 institutions — the German Library Association iiav- 
 ing been merged into it in 1881, and a year later the 
 library of the Mercantile Library Association; this 
 was among Peoria's earliest educational institutions, 
 dating back to 1856, and continuing always a popu- 
 lar and valual)le adjunct to the citj^'s prosperity. 
 
 The present library offers all its privileges free 
 to any citizen or propert}^ owner of Peoria, has a 
 membership of five thousand persons, and is rap- 
 idly extending the valuable collection of books 
 upon its shelves, already amounting to some forty 
 thousand volumes. These works are divided among 
 all branches of literature — are strong in history, 
 theolog}', science and political economy. The arts 
 also are well represented, and especially the de- 
 partment of practical arts, trades and manufactures. 
 
 Here the intelligent workingman, mechanic or 
 engineer, may have access to books upon all the 
 most important technical manipulations and com- 
 mercial industries; and the student of general 
 science may find means of information regarding 
 the results of the latest investigations, and kec^p 
 abreast with the science of the day. The branches 
 of lighter literature are not neglected, new and 
 entertaining books of travel are constantly pur- 
 chased aud always in demand, while the standard 
 
 novels and current fiction of the better class are 
 freely provided. In tlie juvenile department are 
 not only wholesome tales and the dear old fairy 
 legends, but books upon science, histor}- and travel, 
 delightfully adapted to interest these y<ning readers 
 and give them a taste for more solid reading later 
 on. 
 
 That these books are appreciated ancl widely 
 read may be inferred from the number circulated 
 — the issue amounting to ninety thousand volumes 
 during the year. 
 
 The Public Library is undoubtedly a strong fac- 
 tor in the city's progress, in the intelligence of its 
 men and women, the growing beauty of its arciu- 
 tectuie, its excellent sanitary condition, and wise 
 management throughout. 
 
 In addition to the issue department, the library 
 has a bright, pleasant reading room open through- 
 out the day and evening, where the leading news- 
 papers, and the best periodical publications of the 
 United States, England and Germany, some two 
 hundred in number, are kept on file; also a study, 
 where the student may find perfect quiet in which 
 to consult books of reference or valuable volumes 
 which mjiy not be taken from the library; and a 
 bindery which is carried on solely- for the use of 
 this institution, repairing old books and binding 
 the magazines, pamphlets and other unbound vol- 
 umes which find their way into the library, in most 
 durable and creditable style. 
 
 The library is entirely dependent upon the city 
 for its support, but is in a prosperous condition, 
 receiving from the City Council a generous appro- 
 priation each year, raised by a special tax levied 
 for this purpose. 
 
 'i&''^'-
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 c^ 
 
 ' WS!Si-!2^-^->i'i-A- 
 
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 ^NE of the most important fac- 
 ** ^ tors iu the business develop- 
 ment and prosperity of a 
 .3~j, city, county or State, is its 
 jkSVt^ railroad communications. A 
 retrospection of the history 
 of the South Platte Country since 
 :J the advent of railroad facilities, will 
 convince the careful observer of the 
 immense benefit resulting from the 
 introduction of this essential adjunct 
 of commercial enterprise. The fol- 
 lowing brief sketches of the leading 
 railroads of this section of the great 
 coniinon wealth will form an interesting feature of 
 this Alhum. It m.ay be remarked in this connec- 
 tion tii.at the roads referred to are not only the im- 
 portant coriiorations of Kansas, but stand among 
 the first in the Nation. 
 
 ►?-«^'=^^=4^-^ 
 
 -S^^3- 
 
 -* i ^- 
 
 Cliiciiffo, Rock Island & Pacific 
 
 S among the oldest and most important trunk 
 lines, having Ciiicago for its eastern terminus- 
 til the completion of tliis road in Illinois marked 
 an imiiortaiit era in the development of the north- 
 ern and western portion of the State, as well as 
 contributing to the upbuilding of many thriving 
 
 manufacturing cities on its line — notably Joliet 
 Moline, Rock Island and Davenport; also with its 
 two branches extending to Peoria, has opened up 
 good markets for the extensive coal and agricul- 
 tural resources of that locality, likewise giving a 
 rapid impetus to the commercial and manufactur- 
 ing resources of Peoria. Moline (except Chicago), 
 is probably the most important and extensive man- 
 ufacturing city on the line, and through the enter- 
 prise of the great Rock Island Route it has been 
 enabled to la}' down its manufactured wares to the 
 farmers of Southern Iowa, Northern Missour-i and 
 Kansas, cheaper than by any other road, and the 
 vast lumber interests of the cities of Rock Island 
 and Davenport have by means of this line been 
 enabled to reach the most important, as well as the 
 most remote, places in Kansas. The Rock Island 
 has always been in the very van of railroad prog- 
 ress; while always solid and substantial, yet it has 
 ever been steadily and constantly building new 
 lines and extending its system until it now ramifies 
 into the best regions of the Mississippi and Mis- 
 souri Valleys. It lines extending to Deuvcr, Colo- 
 rado Springs, and other points iu Colorado, offer 
 unsurpassed facilities, to the tourist or man of busi- 
 ness for elegant and comfortable traveling; its 
 superb dining cars have among travelers made it 
 renowned as among the best roads of the West. In 
 brief the Rock Island Companj* has by a judicious 
 system of permanent improvements, and by the in-
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 troduction of all modern appliances which tend to 
 the preservation of life and property, placed itself 
 in such a condition, materially and pliysically, that 
 its financial future cannot be affected by the con- 
 tingencies which seriously aflfect other roads. Its 
 success as one of the great highways of the West 
 is an assured reality. It might be appropriately 
 noted here that while much of this road's past suc- 
 cess may be attributed to its admirable geograph- 
 ical location, embracing a ver\' rich section of the 
 country for local traffic, and with a termini on Lake 
 Michigan, the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers a.nd 
 Denver, the heart of the Rocky Mountain le- 
 gions, equally as much is due to the stability of the 
 management, and to the fact that the property has 
 never yet become the foot-ball of speculators. It 
 is not surprising tiiat the Chicago, Rock Island & 
 Pacific has maintained a firm position as an invest- 
 ment in the moneyed centers of the world, and it 
 has acquired a well-merited popularity with the 
 traveling and shipping public. Its steel rails and 
 well ballasted road-bed have long since made it the 
 favorite with shippers, and its freight traffic is im- 
 mense and growing. At Council Bluffs and Omaha, 
 connections are made with all roads centering 
 there. It is the most direct and shortest route be- 
 tween Omaha and Chicago — and hence the favorite 
 of shippers. At Davenport a branch diverges to 
 the Southwest, and extends to Kansas Cit}', Leav- 
 enworth, Atchison and St. Joseph. 
 
 At St. Joseph the road crosses the Missouri and 
 enters Kansas; at Horton the line diverges and ex- 
 tends up into Nebraska as far as Nelson; from 
 Fairbury, Neb., the line extends through Northern 
 Kansas to Denver, and Colorado Springs. From 
 Horton the line leads in a south westerlji- direction 
 through Topeka, the capital of the State; thence to 
 Herington, Hutchinson and to Liberal, the latter 
 place on the line of the Indian Territory. At Mc- 
 Farland a spur extends in a northwestern direction 
 through Manhattan and Cla}^ Center to Belleville, 
 wliere a junction is made with the main line to 
 Denver, Col.; at Herington a short branch goes to 
 Abilene and Salina. From Herington the line 
 I)asses south through Wichita and Wellington to 
 Caldwell, on the line of the Indian Territorj'. 
 
 With its accustomed energy this road was the 
 
 first to complete its line into the Oklahoma country, 
 passing through Kingfisher, and having El Reno 
 for its Southern terminus. 
 
 CIIAKACTEinSTICS OF THE KOAD. 
 
 The whole number of miles operated by tlie Chi- 
 cago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway at the present 
 time, including second tracks and sidings, is about 
 four thousand and ninet}'-three miles. The main 
 track mileage in the following States is: Illinois, 
 236 miles; Iowa, 1,066.10; Missouri, 286.70; Kan- 
 sas, 1,147.37; Nebraska, 140.97; Colorado, 376.06 ; 
 and Indian Territory, 106.75 — 186.70 second track, 
 and about 565.45 side track. 
 
 This company has a contract for joint use of 
 track with the Hannibal <t St. Joseph between Kan- 
 sas City and Cameron Junction; with the Union 
 Pacific Railwa}^ from Kansas Cit}- to North Topeka, 
 also from Linion to Denver; and with the Denver 
 & Rio Grande between Denver and Pueblo. 
 
 The principal shops of this company are located 
 at Chicago, 111.; Rock Island, 111.; Stewart, Iowa; 
 Trenton, Mo.; Horton and Goodland, Kan.; and 
 Roswell, Colo. Solid ti-ains, carrying all classes 
 of passengers, are run through between Chicago, 
 Denver, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, via St. Josepli, 
 Kansas Cit}- and Topeka; through trains to Wich- 
 ita, El Reno (Ft. Reno), Hutchinson, Dodge City, 
 Salina and Abilene. The line is equipped with 
 first-class baggage, mail, smoking cars and coaches; 
 chair cars of the latest improved pattern of chairs, 
 and Pullman Palace Sleeping Cars. Dining cars 
 are now running on all through passenger trains 
 between Colorado points and Chicago, and also 
 between Council Bluffs and Chicago, and eating- 
 houses are located at convenient points on all divis- 
 ions for the accommodation of local trains. It is 
 contemplated to establish dining-car service on tlic 
 whole line, in the near future. In regard to freight 
 traffic, the management has a comprehensive S3S- 
 tem of through cars and way -billing to all promi- 
 nent points in the West, Northwest and Southwest. 
 Having their own rails between Chicago, Peoria 
 .and Kansas City, St. Joseph, Omaha and Denver, 
 no delaj's or transfers between Chicago and any of 
 these points. Also run through cars to the Pacific 
 Coast via all lines having terminals on the coast.
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 Less tb:in car-load shipments to all prominent 
 poinis in through cars, thus avoiding transfers and 
 delay. Special attention is paid to live stock from 
 all points on the line. At present there is one 
 hundred and eight^'-seven miles of doiible track 
 being operated, one hundred and eighty-one miles 
 of which is located in Illinois, between Ciiicago 
 and Rock Island ; the balance in Iowa, from Da- 
 venport to what is known as Double Track Junc- 
 tion, about six miles west of Davenport on the 
 Council Bluff line. 
 
 The experience of the p.ast has clearly demon- 
 strated that whatever is undertaken b}^ the mana- 
 gers of tiie Rock Island is not merely done, but 
 done well, that they possess to an almost unlimited 
 extent the confidence of Eastern and European 
 capitalists, and that thej' are remarkably shrewd 
 and f.ar-seeing in anything which affects the present 
 or the future interests of their propcrt3'. 
 
 It will be oliserved that all the great leading 
 marts of trade in Kans.as are tapped by this road, 
 thereby giving to that portion of the West a strong 
 au<l substantial competitive market with the great 
 Eastern commercial centers. 
 
 -•AEfir;?^-" 
 
 P^4— »-^^V?3ra'»%. 
 
 Arcliison, Toiicka & Sauta l^'e Kailvvay, 
 
 5S: OPULARLY known as the Santa Fe Route. 
 jjj The initial lines of this great system were 
 first built from Atchison to Topeka, in 
 |£ 18G9, and for man}' years the former city 
 was the Eastern terminus of the road. The man- 
 agement of the Santa Fe, with wonderful energy, 
 pushed out its lines in every direction into the 
 j'oung and growing State of Kansas, and in tlu; 
 majoriU' of instances preceding settlement and 
 civilization. Tiiis road was the first to penetrate 
 across the southern part of Colorado, via Pueblo 
 and Trinidad into New Mexico, until its lines pene- 
 trated the old adobe town of Santa Fe, wiiosc citi- 
 zens were Jialf S|ianish .and half Mexican. As its 
 course penetrated tlie wilderness it sometimes fol- 
 lowed the old Santa Fe Trail, and generally not far 
 distant at any time from the "trail" whicli had 
 
 been made famous yeai's before by trappers and 
 also by the CJovernmcnt freighters. The mar- 
 velous growth and development of the Slate of 
 of Kansas is in a great measure due to the enter- 
 prise and public spirit of the managers of the Santa 
 Fe Sj'stem. Not only did they devote the'.r en- 
 ergy to the upbuilding of the road, but at great 
 expense they maintained cmigr.ation and Colonial 
 agents in the various countries of Euiope, as well 
 as in the Eastern, Middle and Southern States, 
 thereby advertising tiie State of Kansas as no other 
 State has heretofore been done. Its climate, its 
 soil and great advantages to the home seeker were 
 at times full}' portrayed by the enterprise of this 
 road — every fostering care was given to the stock 
 and ranch men, to the merchant, the mechanic and 
 the manufacturer to settle in Kansas — as a result 
 we have here a State in the center of the Union, of 
 boundless agricultural resources, settled by a wide- 
 awake, enterprising and prosperous people. The 
 Santa Fe owns and operates more miles of road in 
 Kansas than any other lin(!, with its vast system of 
 East and West, North and South lines reaclung 
 every important town in the State, and penetrating 
 sixty-throe counties in Kansas. The magnitude of 
 its business is immense. Its lines beginning at the 
 Missouri River towns in Kansas are St. Joseph, Atch- 
 ison, Leavenworth and Kansas City; extends south 
 to Coffeyville, Arkansas City, Hunnewell, Caldwell, 
 New Kiowa (thence to the Pan Handle of Texas), 
 and north to Superior, in Nebraska; Concordia, 
 Clay Center. Minneapolis, and other Northern 
 Kansas cities. Its main lines and branches reach 
 nearly every important city in the Sta,te. St. Jo- 
 seph, on the Missouri side of tlu^ river, has a popu- 
 lation of nearly one hundred thous.and, and its 
 wiiolesale trade is heavy throughout the West. 
 Atchison is a growing city of about twenty thous- 
 and people; the .Soldiers' Orphans Home of the 
 State is located here. Leavenworth, with her thirty 
 thousand people, is an important manufacturing 
 center. Leavenworth was the earliest famous city 
 of Kansas, as it w.as the original outfitting point for 
 travel and traffic across the plains. The Kansas 
 system may be described as a main cast and west line, 
 over four hundred miles in length, with branch 
 lines extending in every direction where an area of
 
 T H A N 8PORTATION. 
 
 particularly rich country, or some other special 
 advantages invited a line of rails. 
 
 Tlie road from Topeka, after 1869, was extended 
 west and south, and then east to Kansas City bj' 
 purchase of a line built by another companj'. From 
 Kansas City, in 1887-88 the line was extended to 
 Cliieago, under the name of the Chicago, Santa Fe 
 & California Road; in 1887, also the purchase of 
 the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Road, and the ex- 
 tension of the Kansas lines through the Indian 
 Territory to Texas, gave the companj- a line to the 
 Gulf of Mexico. So that .at the present time the 
 Santa Fe System proper begins at Chicago, passes 
 through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, 
 Indian Territory, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona 
 and California, and has for itg Southern terminals 
 Galveston, on the Gulf of Mexico, and El Paso, on 
 tlie Mexican frontier; and for its Western terminals 
 San Diego and Los Angeles, on the Pacific Coast, 
 (San Francisco being practically a Pacific-Coast 
 terminal, as it is reached via Mojave, over the 
 tracks of the Southern Pacific Railway); and for 
 its Northern terminals Chicago, St. Joseph, Mo., 
 Superior, Neb., and Denver, the capital of Colo- 
 rado. 
 
 Chicago to Kansas Citj' is practiealU' an air line, 
 being the most straight and direct of any road 
 between the two cities. It passes through a large 
 number of important towns in Illinois, including 
 Joliet, witli its great steel works, and other manu- 
 facturing interests. Tlie next imjjortant place is 
 Streator, a few miles south of the latter place; a 
 branch extends to the thriving citj' of Pekin, on 
 the Illinois River. From Streator tlie main line 
 crosses the Illinois at ChlUicothe, and extends 
 through Peoria and Knox Counties to the beauti- 
 ful -ind enterprising city of Galesburg, here it 
 comes in competition with several lines of the 
 Burlington .Sj'stem; thence running in a southwest- 
 erly direction through a rich and populous section, 
 crossing the Mississippi at Ft. Madison, on a mag- 
 nificent steel bridge. Here the companj' have 
 established shops, that being the terminus of the 
 two operating divisions of the road. From Ft. 
 M.adison by a spur Keokuk is reached. Tlie line 
 through Missouri shows very heavy construction 
 work, inaile to secure what was desired in the waj- 
 
 of distance and grades. Along the Santa Fe new 
 towns are springing up, and new industries are be- 
 ing developed. Twenty miles east of Kansas City 
 the Missouri River is crossed bj' a steel bridge, so 
 that the line enters Kansas City on the south sids 
 of the river. From Kansas City to Topeka the 
 line runs on the South bank of the Kansas River; 
 at Wilder and HoUiday are points for the depart- 
 ure of branch lines— one northwest to Atchison, 
 and the other southwest througli Ottawa and South- 
 ern Kansas, being known as the Southern Kansas 
 division of the Santa Fe System. From Lawrence 
 to Topeka the road is still in the Kansas Vallej', 
 through a veritable garden. Native trees of great 
 height overhang the railway here and there, and in 
 the siH'ing and summer the crops look green and 
 luxuriant. The approach to Topeka is through the 
 long yards, and by the vast machine shops of the 
 Santa Fe Company, across various broad streets to 
 a commodious brick station. 
 
 The general offices of the road are in Topeka, 
 and occupy a handsome and commodious building 
 near the State capitol. From Topeka to Denver 
 the Santa Fe Route runs for about seventj'-five 
 miles in a south westerlj- direction to the upper wa- 
 tei's of Neosho River, at Emporia, passing through 
 Osage Countj', where are found some of the richest 
 coal fields of the West. At Newton the line di- 
 verges south through Southern Kansas, the Indian 
 Territory and Texas to Galveston; continuing 
 west from Newton the first citj- of importance 
 reached is Hutchinson ; here are some of the heaviest 
 salt works in the United States, besides other ex- 
 tensive manufacturing interests. AVest of Hutch- 
 inson the line extends through a fertile, prosperous 
 and rapidly growing district. The line is beautified 
 here and there bj' manj' thriving pities and villages. 
 At La Junta, in Colorado, the line for New Mex- 
 ico, Arizona and bej^ond, turns south. Pueblo, 
 sixty-five miles due west of La Junta, for years the 
 terminus of the Santa Fe Sj'stem, is a growing 
 manufacturing city. It is admirabjj- located with 
 reference to the great ore-pi'oducing canons of Col- 
 orado. All roads leading to it, coal, iron, silver, 
 gold, lead, copper, building stone, everything in 
 fact which is produced in tlie greatest mining State 
 in the Union, roll naturally down hill to I'nelilo.
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 Beyond Pueblo to the west are many thriving cities 
 founded on mining and agriculture, notaljly : Lead- 
 ville, the greatest mining camp in Colorado; while 
 forty miles north, on the line of the Santa Fe, are 
 the lovel}' villages of Colorado Springs, and Maui- 
 tou, nestling at the foot of Pike's Peak. Manitou 
 is at the mouth of a deep canon, and is one of the 
 most lovely summer resorts in America. Near here 
 is the famous "Garden of the Gods," whose won- 
 drous beauty and grandeur is unsurpassed. From 
 Color.ado Sfjrings westward, through Manitou and 
 np the canon beyond Pike's Peak, the Colorado 
 Midland Railway is pushing its wa)' far toward the 
 the western borders of the State. Eighty miles 
 north of Colorado Springs the Santa Fe line ter- 
 minates at Denver, a magnificently built city of 
 nearly two hundred thousand people. It is prob- 
 able that no American city has so many features of 
 unique beauty as Denver. Its splendid public build- 
 ings, and its broad avenues lined with beautiful 
 residences, cozily located at the foot of the snow- 
 capped mountains of the Rocky range, render it 
 unlike any other city of its size in the world. The 
 ride from Pueblo to Denver along the foot of the 
 mountains is one never to be missed. The snow- 
 covered peaks, the many combinations of sun and 
 cloud, and rain and snow; the marvelous atmos- 
 phere, all combine to surprise and charm the be- 
 holder. 
 
 From Newton to Galveston, the line leaving the 
 main east and west line in Kansas at Newton, runs 
 directly south to Galveston. The first place of 
 importance reached is the phenomenal city of Wich- 
 ita, located on the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers, 
 a city of thirty-five thousand people, where only a 
 few 3'ears ago was an Indian trading-post. Wichita 
 is one of the most remarkable cities in the West. It 
 has a heavy and growing wholesale trade, and a 
 large amount of manufacturing business, including 
 the Burton Stock Car Works, the Dold & Whit- 
 aker Meat-Packing establishments. The city is 
 handsomely laid out, and has many handsome pub- 
 lic buildings, commodious business houses and 
 sp.acious resiliences, situated on broad avenues, 
 lined with beautiful shade trees. South of Wichita 
 is a cluster of growing cities, comprising Winfiold, 
 Wellington, Arkansas City and Caldwell. Wichita 
 
 and Arkansas City liave pioliled much by the 
 opening up of Oklahoma to settlement. Entering 
 the Indian Territory the line passes through a 
 magnificent agricultural country, as yet almost 
 wholly undeveloped. In Texas the principal cities 
 on the line between the Indian Territory and Gal- 
 veston, are Gainesville, Paris, Ft. Worth, Cleburne, 
 Dallas, Morgan, Temple, Brenham, Houston and 
 Richmond. Galveston, the terminus, is a rapidly 
 growing city of fifty thousand inhabitants. It is 
 charmingly situated on the Gulf Coast, and has an 
 unsurpassed climate in both summer and winter. 
 
 From La Junta to El Paso, the line leaving La 
 Junta climbs to the summit of the Raton Range, 
 seventy -six hundred and twenty-two feet above the 
 sea. On the way up it passes through the impor- 
 tant Colorado towns of El Moro and Trinidad. The 
 village of Raton is an important division point for 
 the railway, and then comes Las Vegas and its 
 famous hot springs, six miles distant from the main 
 line, but connected with it by a short line with 
 good equipments. At the Hot Springs is the Phoe- 
 nix Hotel. The springs are unsurpassed anywhere 
 in the world, and the hotel is conducted by the 
 company in the most generous manner imaginable. 
 The springs are forty-two in number, and are hot 
 and cold, and have a variety of mineral properties 
 which render them remarkably strong in their cura- 
 tive power. South of Las Vegas the line passes 
 through fertile valleys, heavy forests, and lilack 
 and rugged canons, until the valley of the Rio 
 Grande is reached. A branch line from Lamy ex- 
 tends up the mountain to Santa Fe, the capital of 
 New Mexico, next to St. Augustine, the oldest city 
 in America. Santa Fe has a new State House, and 
 its quaint old churches and dwellings are inter- 
 spersed with modern structures. It should be seen 
 before the peculiar charm of its antiquity has been 
 entirely destroyed. Albuquerque, Socorro and San 
 Marcial are the chief points between Santa Fe and 
 El Paso. All are important points for the business 
 of mining, cattle raising and general commerce. 
 From Riucon a branch line leads to Deming, where 
 junction is made with the Southern Pacific Rail- 
 way, and to Silver City, and to the other mining 
 townsof Southern New Mexico. It is the fortunate 
 destiny of New Mexico generally, and the Rio
 
 TRANSPORTATTON. 
 
 Grande \ alk'v [),iriiciil:irly, to soon take front rank 
 in the line of fruit production. Thegra|)es produced 
 in the Lower Rio Grande Valley are not surpassed 
 in either quality or quantity by the product of any 
 part of the Continent. 
 
 From Albuquerque to tlie Pacific Coast, in the 
 heart of New Mexico, due west, the Atlantic & 
 Pacific Railroad forni.s the main Santa Fe Route to 
 California. The line passes through a great mining 
 and stock-raising countr\', where the climate is per- 
 fect. Prescott, the capital of Arizona, is reached 
 by a branch from Prescott Junction. Constant 
 changes of scenerj' characterize the line, and the 
 crossing of the Colorado Canon is one of the most 
 remarkable accomplishments known in the railroad 
 world. In Southern California the lines of the 
 California Central & Southern reach every impor- 
 tant city. Barstow, San Bernardino, Colton, San 
 Diego, National City, Los Angeles, and a hundred 
 other beautiful towns offer unequaled inducements 
 to the seeker after health, wealth and pleasure. 
 San Francisco and other cities of Central and 
 Northern California are reached bj' the lines of the 
 Southern Pacific by virtue of a special arrangement 
 for traffic. Between Chicago and Kansas City 
 meals are served on the finest dining cars; on the 
 other lines and branches are superb eating-houses 
 and hotels. No expense is spared in securing ele- 
 gant accommodations; the supplies are secured 
 from the best markets East and West. 
 
 From the resume thus given of the facilities pos- 
 sessed by the Santa Fe Railway, for interchanging 
 traffic at its termini and various junctions, it must 
 be apparent to the reader that the line is admirably 
 
 siUialed, and Uiat in many respects iL uccu[>iis a 
 strategic position, superior to that of other trans- 
 Missouri and Mississippi railroads. These advan- 
 tages have been utilized in the past, as they will be 
 in the future, in developing the localities through 
 which the various branches extend, and to build 
 up the permanent prosperity of the property whose 
 histoiy is so closely interwoven with the settlement, 
 development and prosperity of the West beyonil 
 the Missouri River. Its local traffic compares fa- 
 vorably with that of otlier competing lines. To 
 this purely local traffic must be added the contri- 
 butions of its several termini, all large cities and 
 prominent trade centers in tlie Missouri and .Mi 
 sissippi Valle3's. With the growth and steady 
 development of the manufacturing and other indus- 
 tries of Chicago, Kansas City, St. Joseph, Atchi- 
 son, Leavenworth, Topeka, Wichita, Galveston, 
 El Paso, Pueblo and Denver, the Santa Fe Rail- 
 wa3' must materially make corresponding strides 
 toward attaining that proud financial position which 
 has been the life dream of its originators and 
 present owners. Under the present progressive and 
 conservative management, all advantages of geo- 
 grapical position, and all the resources of the 
 tlirough line will be constantl}' utilized in building 
 up the future prosperity of the road itself, and in 
 developing the e:^tended area of Chicago's com- 
 mercial supremac}^ The Land Grant from the 
 Government amounted substantiallj^ to three mill- 
 ion acres. In brief its commanding geographical 
 position, coupled with its direct Eastern alliance 
 for through business, must render the Santa Fe 
 eventually one of the most remunerative of our 
 Western railroads.
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 The Wabash. 
 
 F5«.() THE public aii'l our thousands of. readers 
 in general: — It will no doubt be interesting 
 'I' to all if we give a brief deserii)tion of 
 this road. The Wabash, as now known, lias been 
 operated under several names from time to time. 
 It is the offspring, as it were, of the lirst line of 
 road projected in Illinois, then known as the 
 Northern Cross Railroad, extending from Dan- 
 ville to Quincy. This was chartered in 1837. and 
 upon it the first locomotive w.as placed in the 
 winter of 1838-30, running from Meredosia, on 
 the Illinois River, to .lacksonville. In 1842 the 
 road was completed fi'om Jacksonville to Spring- 
 lield. and three trips were made per week. The 
 track was of the old Hat rail style, which w.as made 
 by nailing thin strips of iron on two parallel lines 
 of timbers placed at the proper distance apart, and 
 running lenglhw.ays of the road. The engine as 
 well as the road soon became so impaired that the 
 former had to be abandoned, and mules substituted 
 as the motor power. However, such locomotion 
 was destined to be of short duration, for the State 
 soon after sold the entire road for a nominal sum, 
 and thus for a short time was suspended one of the 
 first railroad enterprises in Illinois. But in the 
 West a new era — one of prodigious industrial 
 activity and far-reaching results in the practical 
 arts — was dawning, and within thirty j-ears of llie 
 temporarj' failure of the road mentioned, Illinois 
 had outstripped all others in gigantic internal im- 
 provements, and at present has more miles of rail- 
 road than any other State in the Union. 
 
 The Great Western, whose name has been suc- 
 cessively changed to Toledo, Wabash & Western, 
 Wabash, and Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, and 
 Wabash Railroad, and The Wabash, the last of 
 which it still bears,was an extension of the Northern 
 Cross Railroad, above mentioned, and traverses some 
 of the finest portions of Illinois, Indiana and Oiiio. 
 It soon became the popular highway of travel and 
 traffic between the East and the West. Through a 
 system of consolidation, unparalleled in American 
 railways, it has become a giant among them, and 
 has added many millions of dollars to the value of 
 bonds and shares of the various companies now- 
 incorporated in the AVabash system. The road 
 
 takes its title from the river of that name, a tribu- 
 tary of the Ohio, which ie part separates the States 
 of Illinois and Indiana. In looking over the map 
 of the Wabash Railroad it will be seen that the 
 line extends through the most fertile and wealthy 
 portions of the center of the United States, having 
 termini at more large cities than any other West- 
 ern road. It was indeed a far-reaching sagacit3' 
 which consolidated these various lines into the 
 Wal)asli system, forming one immense chain of 
 great commercial activity and i)ower. Its ter- 
 minal facilities are unsurpassed by an}- competing 
 line. Its home offices are established in commo- 
 dious quarters in St. Louis. The lines of the road 
 are co-extensive with the importance of the great 
 transportation facilities required for the products 
 of the Mississippi Valley. This line passes through 
 the States of low-a, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio 
 and Jlichigan. 
 
 The various lines of load m.ay be divided into 
 the following: 
 
 Miles. 
 
 St. Louis to Chicago 286 
 
 Toledo to Kansas Cit\- GG2 
 
 St. Louis to l)es Moines 360 
 
 Logansport to Detroit 207 
 
 Chicago to Lr.keton Junction 123 
 
 Clayton to Keokuk 42 
 
 Bluffs to Quincy 10.5 
 
 Streator to Forest 37 
 
 Attica to Covington 15 
 
 Champaign to Sidney 12 
 
 Edwardsville to Edwardsville 
 
 Crossing 9 
 
 liement to Allamont and Etlinghani 63 
 
 Brunswick to Omaha 225 
 
 Roseberry to Clarinda 21 
 
 Salisbury to Glasgow 15 
 
 Centralia to Cnlumbia 22 
 
 Bliles of main lines and branches. . 2204 
 
 From the above main line and branches as in- 
 dicated, it will readily be seen that the Wabash 
 connects with more; large cities and great marts of 
 trade than any other line, bringing Omaha, Kansas 
 City, Des Moines, Keokuk, tiuinc}-, St. Louis, 
 Chicago, Toledo and Detroit together with one 
 continuous line of steel rails. This road has an 
 immense freight traffic of the cereals, live-stock, 
 various productions and manufactured articles of
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 the West and the States through which it passes. 
 Its facilities for rapid transit for the vast produc- 
 tions of the packing houses of Kansas C'it}- and 
 St. Louis, to Detroit, Toledo and the Eastern marts 
 of trade, is unequalled. A large portion of the 
 grain productions of Ivansiis, Nebraska. Iowa, Mis- 
 souri, Illinois and Indiana, finds its way to the 
 Eastern markets over the lines of this road. The 
 \Vabash has always taken an advanced position in 
 tariffs, and its course toward its patrons has been 
 just and liberal, so that it has always enjoyed the 
 commendation of the business and traveling public. 
 The road bed is one of the best in the country, and 
 is ballasted with gravel and stone, well tied and 
 laid with steel rails. The bridges along the var- 
 ious lines and branches are substantial structures. 
 The depots, grounds and general property of the 
 road are in good condition. The management of 
 the Wabash is fully abreast of the times. The 
 road is progressive in every respect. The finest 
 passenger cars on the continent are run on its lines, 
 and every effort made to advance the interests of 
 its patrons. The passenger department is unex- | 
 celled for the elegant and substantial comfort ] 
 afforded travelers. On several of the more im- 
 portant branches of the S3'stem. dining cars are 
 run. 
 
 Other Roads. 
 
 '^^Z MONG the other roads may be mentioned 
 
 ^jlM the Toledo, Peoria & Western, which ex- 
 
 7; £i tends from tiast to West across Illinois, 
 
 ^' from State line to Warsaw and Keokuk on 
 
 the Mississippi River. This road places Peoria in 
 
 direct communication and connection with many of 
 the leading roads of Illinois, having special traffic 
 arrangements with the Wabash and the Jackson- 
 ville Southeastern, for Chicago and St. Louis, 
 with headquarters in Peoria, with a total of about 
 two hundred and thirty miles. The Jackson- 
 ville Southeastern and the Peoria, Decatur A: 
 Evansville, with their varied traffic arrangements, 
 have opened up a territory for the large commer- 
 cial interests of the citj' to the southeast, and the 
 Lake Erie k Western and the Ohio, Indiana & 
 AVestern. together with the Cleveland, Columbus, 
 Cincinnati tfe St. Louis, and the Peoria & Pekin 
 Union, have extended iu a marked degree tlie 
 field and traffic for the operations of the growing 
 commercial and manufacturing metropolis of the 
 Illinois A'aliej'. 
 
 The freightage done by the steamers plying on 
 the Illinois River in the early days, furnished the 
 first transportation facilities, and is even now a 
 lively competitor for the trade between Peoria, 
 St. Louis and other Southern markets. 
 
 The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy with its vast 
 system and ramifications through Illinois, Iowa and 
 Nebraska, brings to the doors of Peoria the exten- 
 sive cornfields of the localities through which it 
 passes, and lays down by cheap rates, to the exten- 
 sive distilleries of the city, the cereals of the great 
 Northwest. This road also is a large competitor 
 for the passenger and freight business between Peo- 
 ria and Chicago. 
 
 Tlie Central Iowa, like the Chicago, Burlington 
 <fe Quincy, taps the great corn belt through which 
 it passes, und besides has opened u|) in the south- 
 ern portion of the county a vast coal field, thereby 
 assisting largely in the development of the wealth 
 of the county and city. 
 
 -^^^^
 
 \k 
 
 
 ^^^^s^^fe 
 
 -^ 
 
 K7 
 
 PEORIA COUNTY. 
 
 ILLINOIS. 

 
 IMTRODUQTORY. 
 
 jHE 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, 
 'W'l^ an(j relate the story of their 
 progress. The civilization of our 
 day, the enlightenment of the age 
 and the duty that men of the pres- 
 ent time owe to their ancestors, to 
 themselves and to their posterity, 
 demand that a record of their lives 
 and deeds should be made. In bio- 
 graphical history is found a power 
 to instruct man by precedent, to 
 enliven the mental faculties, and 
 to waft down the river of time a 
 «afe 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 
 3f 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 dowii 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 employe'd to prevent oblivion 
 and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- 
 tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. 
 Th'; pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the 
 names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- 
 mations made by the atcheologists of Egypt from 
 buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people 
 
 to perpetuate the memory of their achievements. 
 The erection of the great obelisks were for the same 
 purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the 
 Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- 
 ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their 
 great achievements and carry them down the ages. 
 It is also evident that the Mound-builders, 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 of them costly in the ex- 
 treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac- 
 ters of those whose memory they were intended to 
 perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of 
 the people that then lived. The great pyramids and 
 some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; 
 the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- 
 bling into dust. 
 
 It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli- 
 gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating 
 a full history — immutable in that it is almost un- 
 limited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and 
 this is through the art of printing. 
 
 To the present generation, however, we are in- 
 debted for the introduction of the admirable system 
 of local biography. By this system every man, though 
 he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, 
 has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, 
 through the coming ages. 
 
 The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the 
 physical man is left. The monument which his chil- 
 dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme- 
 tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his 
 life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, 
 which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated 
 by a record of this kind. 
 
 To preserve the lineaments of our companions we 
 engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col- 
 lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we 
 think it necessary, as we speak only trutli of them, to 
 wait until they are dead, or until those who know 
 them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to 
 publish to the world the history of those wliose lives 
 are unworthy of public record.
 
 
 -c*'*'
 
 •iStr^^ J//?'^A^^i^ 
 
 r
 
 JL^z-^zl^<-J2*^ 
 
 ^1-0UU^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 193 
 
 
 P' JB33Q) f r [1J4 :FM1S« 
 
 
 'SS^!- 
 
 ^T^^-'y^y. 
 
 OHIAS S. BRADLKY. The 
 rocoi'd of the life of Mr. 
 ™ I'liacUej' is an interesting- one; 
 it is a record of energy, of 
 xa perseverance in the face of 
 ditlieiilties, and of success. 
 Throiigli tiie fift3'-six years of 
 liis life, some of it in shadow, 
 some of it in sunsliine, he re- 
 tained Ids simplicitj', hischeer- 
 \^ fulness and his belief in human 
 nature. We do not measure a 
 man's life by years, but b}' inten- 
 sitj". If we measure the life of Mr. 
 Bradley by the work he accom- 
 plished, then lie is the most venerable of men, not- 
 withstanding the fact that death called him hence 
 when less than three-score years of age. As a 
 prominent citizen of Peoria in its earlier history, we 
 are pleased to present his biography and portrait 
 to our readers. In connection with it the portrait 
 of Mrs. Bradley is also presenteii. 
 
 Kentucky was the early home of Mr. Bradley, 
 and in Mt. Sterling, that State, he was born Janu- 
 ary 21, 1811. lie came of substantial stock that 
 originated in Ireland, and was a son of Judge Will- 
 iam and Rebecca (Smith) Bradley, the former of 
 whom was Circuit Judge and lived for niany3'ears 
 in Switzerland County-. Ind. He served as a mem- 
 
 ber of the Indiana Legislature two terras, and for 
 a number of years was engaged in mercantile pur- 
 suits. Later he became interested in farming. 
 
 In the family of Judge Bradley by his first wife 
 there were seven children, of whom Tobias S., 
 our subject, was the eldest. The latter was edu- 
 cated in the common schools of Vevay, Ind., where 
 he commenced his business career as a clerk in the 
 store of Judge Maliii, and with him he remained 
 several years. Finally going to New Orleans, he 
 began dealing in pioduce along the river, and in 
 the meantime was married, ^May 11, 18.37, to Miss 
 Lydia Moss. This lady was the daughter of Zela 
 and Janet (Glasgow) Moss, the f(jrmer of whom 
 was a clergyman of the Baptist Church and a Quar- 
 termaster in the Revolutionary War. He also held 
 a Captain's commission. After the war he re- 
 moved to Kentucky, of wldcli lie was a [lioneer 
 settler, during the Indian troubles repairing to 
 Bryant's Station for safety. After his first visit to 
 Kentucky he returned to the Old l)omiiiit)ii. mar- 
 ried and lived there about three years, then again 
 settled in Kcntuckj'. in 1794. After a residence 
 of ten years in Clark County, he wmit to Boone 
 Count}', and subsequently to Switzerland County, 
 Ind. Whileon a visit to his son in Peoria in 1839, 
 he died, and was buried in the Springdale Ceme- 
 tery. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Bradley lived ten years
 
 194 
 
 POUTRAIT AND BIOUliAPIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 in Switzerland Count_v, Ind., and in 1847, remov- 
 in<f to Peoria, lliis State, oocupied himself in saw- 
 milling, farming, distilling and lianking. At the 
 time of his death, iMa^- 4, 18G7, he was President 
 of the First National Bank and of the Mercantile 
 J^ibrary Association, also City Treasurer. Politi- 
 cally he was alvva_vs a stanch Democrat. 
 
 Of the six children born to Mr. Bradley and his 
 estimable wife all died in infancy with the excep- 
 tion of one who lived to be fifteen years old. Mrs. 
 Bradlej' is a lady of nuin^' noble qualities, being 
 benevolent, charitable, and active in all good 
 works. She built, in 1885, what is kfown as the 
 Bradley Home for Aged Women, which furnishes 
 a comfortable retreat whither a goodly number 
 have already resorted to spend their declining 
 years in i)cace and quiet. She was one of the 
 largest contributors to the founding of the Brad- 
 ley Hospital, and seemingly employs her leisure 
 moments in devising some method by which she 
 may aid the unfortunate. She gave to the city of 
 Peoria forty acres, which, in honor of her de- 
 ceased daughter, is known as the Laura iiradley 
 Park, and is located at the cit\' limits on Main 
 Street. It is her |)urpcse at her death to add more 
 lanci to this. Nature has done much towards mak- 
 ing it a desirable spot for a park, which when 
 handsomely improved will be an ornament to the 
 city. 
 
 It is also the intention of Mrs. Bradley to have 
 established in the cit}- of Peoria, after her death, a 
 Polytechnic school for girls and boys, which will be 
 located on Main Street, on a tract of ten acres ad- 
 joining or near the Home for Aged Women. 
 Around this tract will be a bro.ad avenue. The 
 school will be as nearly free as ])0ssible, and its 
 doors will be opened especially to the l)Oj-s and 
 girls of the city and county of Peoria. In religion 
 Mrs. Bradley is a Universalist, belonging to the 
 church of this denomination in Peoria. She was 
 left with ample me.ans bj- her departed husband, a 
 goodly portion of which she disburses in a manner 
 cliaracteristic of her well-known thoug.'itfulness and 
 generosity. Her charities have always increased 
 in the ratio of her growing fortune. Honor and 
 friends have conic to her, and an old age crowned 
 whh blcpsings, but even more welcome is a con- 
 
 sciousness of a life well spent, and the glad re- 
 joicing in the inward voice sounded from the 
 depths of her being, " Inasmuch as ye have done it 
 to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it 
 
 unto Me." 
 
 . -;»!».-;»s» Jj^^f«5<?-.«5«J-. 
 
 'HOMAS S. LANE. No element has been 
 firiX "lo''*^ potent in the rise and progress of the 
 
 immense agricultural interests of I'eoria 
 
 County than its native-born citizens, and as a rep- 
 resentative of such this gentleman occupies an 
 honorable position in its farming community. He 
 has a well-conducted and finely-improved farm, in 
 Trivoli Township, and his home here is one of the 
 most attractive in the locality. 
 
 Our subject comes from one of the earliest and 
 best families of tiie township. (For an account of 
 his ancestr\' see biography of George J. Lane on 
 another page of this volume.) He was born April 
 17, 1847, in the humble log house which consti- 
 tuted the pioneer home of his parents on section 
 29, Trivoli Township. He had excellent school 
 advantages and as soon as he was old enough was 
 set to work to assist his father in his labors. At the 
 age of twenty lie received a certificate to teach, but 
 never availed himself of it as his attention was de- 
 voted entirely to agricultural [nirsuits. When he 
 was twenty-one he undertook the management of 
 the home farm on shares, and carried it on suc- 
 cessfully for some years. In 1873 he bought one 
 hundred acres of his present farm for 84.800, and 
 subsequentl}' sold twenty acres of it which was 
 timber land. 
 
 Mr. Lane did not take up his residence on his 
 farm until 1882. By the quiet force of persistent 
 labor, directed by a thoughtful, well-trained mind, 
 wise judgment and constant devotion to duty, he 
 has greatly improved his estate, and increased its 
 value. He is the proprietor of eight3'' acres of land 
 on section 29, forty acres on section 22. and seventy 
 iicres of the old homestead that belonged to his 
 father, on section 29, comprising in all two hun- 
 dred and ten acres of highly cultivated land. It 
 is well-fenced and well-drained, having twelve 
 thousand and three hundred tiles on it; beautiful
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 195 
 
 groves and a fine orchard a<lorn tlie place, which 
 is am|)ly supplied with hiiildings of a substantial 
 order. Mr. Lane's farm is well slocked, he having 
 some good cattle and draft horses, using two teams 
 in his farm work, and he makes a specialty of Po- 
 land-China hogs. lie onl}- operates one hundred 
 and twenty acres of his land and from the rental 
 of the rest lias a good source of income. 
 
 Mr. Lane was married in Trivoli Township in 
 his present house, before breakfast, June 11, 1868, 
 to Miss Ann M. Ralston. She is a woman of ex- 
 ceptionally fine character and her zealous help lias 
 greatly lightened tiie burtlen of his toilsome years. 
 She was born in Salem, Westmoieland County, Pa., 
 September 2, 1845. Her father, Samuel Ralston, 
 was a native of the same county, and was a son 
 of one John Ralston, who was born in Ireland and 
 after his emigration to this country, made his 
 home in Pennsylvania, where he carried on farm- 
 ing until his death. He was a soldier in the War 
 of 1812. Mrs. Lane's father was a farmer in his 
 native State until he came to this county in 1865, 
 and settled in Trivoli Township. Later he bought 
 a place here, and a fevv years after that he bought 
 a residence in Farmington.and died there in Septem- 
 ber, 1877. He was a Presbyterian in religion and 
 strong in tiie faith. The maiden name of his wife 
 was Jane Buchanan, and she was born in the Key- 
 stone State, a daughter of David Buchanan, also a 
 native of that State, and a farmer and bkicksmith. 
 He was a soldier in the War of 1812. He came 
 herein 1870 with his wife and they died in Farm- 
 ington. Mrs. Lane's mother departed this life in 
 1878. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ralston were the parents of eleven 
 children, namely: Margaret, now Mrs. J^eahman 
 of Yates City; Ann M.,wife of our sidiject; Alex- 
 ander, a resident of Montana who enlisted in 
 1862, in the Eighty -sixth Illinois Cavalry in which 
 he served until the close of the war; James C, a 
 grocer of Farmington who enlisted in the Eighty- 
 sixth Illinois Infantry, and served until the close 
 of the war; David 15., a resident of Lexington; 
 John C ; Lizzie, who died in 1870; Elijah M.. a 
 resident of Trivoli; Samuel II., commission raer 
 chant and dealer in horses at Chenoa; Laura, nov^ 
 Mrs. Sceiber, of Denver; P^rank, who died in Den- 
 
 ver in 1888. Mrs. Lane's marriage with our sub- 
 ject has been blessed to them by the birth of three 
 children, of whom two are living: Wilbert C., and 
 James Otis. Their daughter Emma died at the 
 age of twenty-six months. 
 
 Mr. Lane is a man of sujierior intelligence, of 
 sound principles and of a blameless life, and is a 
 gentleman in the truest sense of the word. He is 
 serving his eighth year as School Director, and his 
 hand is seen in all plans to promote the educational, 
 religious or material status of the community. He is 
 one of the leading members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, has been Steward and held other church 
 ofIices,and is Superintendent of the Sunday-School. 
 No man has done more to establish the Methodist 
 faith here than he. lu 1884, he was one of the 
 most |)rominent of the men who were interested in 
 the building of the new church; he was one of the 
 building committee and did nearly all of the work 
 in connection with the erection of the building, 
 and he is now Trustee of the church. Our subject 
 has served on the Petit and Grand Juries. He 
 IS a Democrat in his political views but is not radi- 
 cal. 
 
 ,^HARLES A. KRUMPE. The dairy busi- 
 ness is by no means an unimportant in- 
 dustry, nor the man who abl}- conducts it 
 undeserving of consideration among the capable 
 and industrious citizens of any locality. Among 
 those in this section who are carrying on this bus- 
 iness is Charles A. Krumpe, who resides upon sec- 
 tion 13, Kickapoo Townshij). He owns a fine 
 farm of three hundred acres, and a herd of about 
 one hundred cows. The dairy products are dis- 
 ))osed of in Peoria, where his reputation is thor- 
 oughly established. Althougli Mr. Krumpe gives 
 his chief attention to the dairy business, he has by 
 no means neglected I he improvement of his estate, 
 but on the contrary has placed upon it an attrac- 
 tive residence and a full line of excellent farm 
 buildings. 
 
 Mr. Krumpe was bom in Germany November 28. 
 18.3.S, and reached the age of eleven )'ears in the 
 land of his birth. He then went to live with an
 
 196 
 
 PORTRAIT ANDBBIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 uncle in Kiissia, remaining there until nearly six- 
 teen years old. when he embarki'd for America, 
 find, landing at IS'ew York, went to Butler County. 
 Pa., where he was engaged in farm work until about 
 I wontj"-t\vo years old. He then came to Peoria, 
 J II.. soon afterward entering the emplo}- of Peter 
 Fry, on whose farm he worked about fourteen 
 months. Since th.it time he has been engaged in 
 different occupations for himself, graduallj- accu- 
 mulating property, and since early in the '70's 
 giving his attention to the stock business, farming 
 and dairy work. He carries on an extensive bus- 
 iness in the latter lino, as has been iMeviously in- 
 timated. 
 
 The rites of wedlock were celebrated between 
 IMr. Krumpe and Miss Sabine Ditewig, in Peoria, 
 in April. 18G5. The bride was born in Germany 
 in 1842. Siie is a notable housewife, a woman of 
 intelligence, kindliness and devotion to her famil3\ 
 Mr. and Mrs. Krumpe have four living children, 
 named respectively, Minnie, Frederick, Edward 
 and Ida. Minnie is now the wife of Frank Apple. 
 The parents have buried two children: Emma, who 
 died W'hen about two years old; and Charles, at 
 the age of eighteen months. 
 
 Mr. Krumpe luas served as School Director, but 
 does not aspire to oflicial honors. In politics he 
 gives his vote to the man whom he considers best 
 qualified to serve the people. Not only has he 
 acquired a good reputation as a farmer and dairy- 
 man, but he is regarded as one who deals honor- 
 ably by his ffcllow-raen, is deeplj- interested in the 
 public welfare and willing at all times to do what 
 he can to promote the best interests of the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 *» "^ * 3 »' S * I * ^ 
 
 \f/OHN H. FRANCIS. This gentleman is one 
 of the most prominent business men of Peo- 
 ria, which has been the seat of extensive 
 financial operations on his part for some 
 years. AVhatever he has undertaken has been en- 
 tered into with a full determination to make of it a 
 success, in so far as that end depended upon his 
 efforts, and he has been rewarded by a first class 
 reputation in commercial circles and a large share 
 
 of worldly goods. His palatial residence occupies 
 a commanding site on the bluff overlooking the 
 city, in the neighborhood considered most desira- 
 ble for dwellings, and is fitted up in a manner that 
 is in keeping with tlie position occupied by those 
 who dwell therein. 
 
 The subject of this notice is the eldest son of 
 Littleberg and Polly (Hubbard) Francis, natives of 
 Kentucky, in which State the preceding generation 
 in both lines had been pioneers. Pennsydvania h:id-. 
 been the former home of the grandparents, the an- 
 cestors being German in the maternal line and 
 Scotch in the paternal. The parents of our subject 
 removed from Kentucky to Dearborn County, Ind.. 
 during his childhood, he having been born in Lex- 
 ington, Ky., May 7, 1829. His youth was spent in 
 the Hoosier State, in attendance at the common 
 school, and in assisting in the labor performed on 
 the home farm. 
 
 When he had reached his nineteenth year young 
 Francis started out to battle for himself, drifting 
 West as far as Peoria, 111., where he began to work 
 at the cooper's trade, which he had learned at his 
 old home. After following his trade some five 
 years he bought a small interest in the distillery 
 business of Moss, Bradley & Co., continuing in the 
 firm until 1866, when a change was made and he 
 purchsed the interest of his partners. He then took 
 in a Mr. Zell, the style of the firm being changed 
 to Zell & Francis, and the business continued by 
 them a number of years. In 1878' Mr. Francis 
 disposed of his entire interest in the business, but 
 not being satisfied to remain idle, he built what is 
 known as the Monarch Distillery at Peoria, but 
 which was owned by the Monarch Distillery Com- 
 pany. The same year he organized what became 
 the Great Western Distilling Company and had built 
 the Great AVeslern Distillery, and also an interest 
 in the Peoria Distilleiy. where he operateil exten- 
 sively until he disposed of his entire interest to the 
 Whiskey Trust in 1887. 
 
 For some time past Mr. Francis has devoted his 
 time to looking after his financial interests in the 
 city, enjoying the pleasures which his abundant 
 means allow r.nd the society of family and friends 
 as he could not do when deeply immersed in busi- 
 ness affiiirs. He is a stock-holder in the First Na-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 197 
 
 tional Bank of Peoria, holding the office of Director, 
 and in the Spring of 1865 became a stockholder 
 and Director in the Adams Street Railway lines, 
 but lias since disposed of his interest. He was also 
 a Trustee in the Cattle Dealers' Trust. For seven 
 consecutive years he represented the First Ward as 
 an Alderman and he is at present an Alderman 
 from the Seventh Ward. In politics he is .somewhat 
 conservative, voting with the Republican party in 
 National matters, but in local affairs giving his 
 ballot to the man he thinks best fitted for the place. 
 Mr. Francis has been tvvice married, his first 
 companion having been Miss Harriet Ingali, of 
 this city, who was removed bj' death in 1872. She 
 left five children, viz: John H., Jr., William E., 
 Hattie, Josephine and Bruce. Hattie is the wife of 
 William McMullen, an extensive lumber dealer in 
 Minneapolis, and Josephine, the wife of John C. 
 Wind, of Peoria. After having remained a widower 
 some two 3'ears, Mr. F'rancis became the husband of 
 Miss .Mary Ingali, a sister of his first wife and the 
 youngest daughter of William and Chastine Ingali, 
 of this city. This union has been blest bj- the birth 
 of one daughter — Maude. It would naturally be 
 supposed that the family of Mr. P'rancis would re- 
 cc ive the best advantages for mental and social 
 culture, and such has been the case. 
 
 Bdim ^1 nHQf 
 
 R. JOHN MURPHY has long been promi- 
 nent among the leading men of the medical 
 profession in Peoria, having practiced there 
 •nger than other living physician, although another 
 < minent member of the faculty. Dr. R. Boal, is 
 some years his senior. He came to Peoria in 181(1 
 from New Orleans, where he had gone from his na- 
 tive place, near Belfast, Ireland, to succeed to the 
 practice of a relative, long a distinguished phys- 
 ician of the southern metropolis. The climate of 
 the South not agreeing with Mrs. Murijli}-, he was 
 compelled to leave there, and after traveling ex- 
 tensively over the then West, finally settled in 
 Peoria. 
 
 At that time there was nothing es|)efially at- 
 tractive auout the miniature citv of Peoria, with 
 
 its twelve hundred inhabitants, and certaini}- there 
 was no indication of its ever reaching the proud 
 position which it now occupies. Dr. Murphy was 
 simply f.ascinated by the extreme beauty of the 
 locality, and while under the spell determined to 
 make it his future home, and has ever since re- 
 mained faithful to the city of his early choice. 
 
 Dr. Murphy is a graduate in medicine of the 
 University of Edinburgh, and a member of the 
 Royal College of Surgeons, London. His early 
 opportunities of gaining a thorough knowledge of 
 his profession in the lecture rooms and hospitals of 
 London and Edinburgh, have continued to be culti- 
 vated by him, and he has devoted himself to the 
 the study of the various departments of his profes- 
 sion and to the elucidation of the many intiicate 
 and complicated questions which are constantly 
 arising in medical science. 
 
 At the period of his arrival in Peoria it con- 
 tained a galaxy of [ihysicians, such as is rarely 
 met with in a provincial town. It was composed of 
 Drs. Rouse, Dickenson, Fry, Andrews .-uid Arn- 
 old, all of them able and profound members of 
 their profession, and also learned and cultivated 
 men. In conjunction with them, the subject of the 
 preserit sketch founded Peoria's first Medical and 
 Surgical Society, of which he has always continued 
 an active and interested member. It is now the 
 oldest organization of its kind in the State, and 
 has been of marked utility in molding the ethics 
 of the medical faculty of Peoria and in giving tone 
 and character to the profession in Central Illinois. 
 Of the founders of this societ3' Dr. Murphy is 
 now the only li\ing representative; all of the 
 others, full of 3ears and honors, have passed the 
 bourne from which no one ever returns. lie is also 
 one of the few remaining original members of the 
 Illinois State Medical Society, and of the Ameri- 
 can Medical Association. As a faithful and skillful 
 physician Dr. Murphy is widely known throughout 
 the West, and has made for himself hosts of warm 
 and lasting friends. 
 
 As was to be expected of a man of his natural 
 ability and extensive educational advantages. Dr. 
 Murphy speedily achieved a large and lucrative 
 practice, and bj' judicious investments, it is untler- 
 stood, has been able to amass rpiite a large fortune.
 
 198 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 He li;is Ihe rf[)ulati()n of managing liis private af- 
 fairs with caiiliou and priulenc-e, and alliiough im- 
 mersed in [lis still large practice, and constantly 
 increasing private business, he finds leisure for his 
 vacations, and enjoys them with a zest and relish 
 which many younger men would do well to imitate. 
 In addition to his being a skillful and [.oinilar 
 medical practitioner. Dr. Murphy has long been 
 recognized as a man of fine literary tastes, spend- 
 ing his spare hours in his library, among bis books, 
 and filling the interstices of bis time in the culti- 
 vation of general literature. Although an able 
 writer and a fluent speaker, familiar with lustory, 
 and en rapport with all the important topics of the 
 day, he has never thrust liiniself prominently for- 
 ward in politics or religion, and has always avoided 
 every species of controversy. Seldom mingling 
 in general society, and usually reticent when he 
 <1oes, he is said to be a most agreeable companion 
 in private life, having under his control the con- 
 centrated results of omuiverous reading, and of 
 long intercourse with the world. His literary 
 education was received in the colleges of Belfast 
 and Dublin, he being an A. M. of the former. 
 
 ENRY W. JONES. In traveling through 
 It Peoria County, a stranger would note with 
 satisfaction the signs of prosperity and good 
 taste which mark manj' of its rural abodes. 
 One of the most attractive to be seen in Kickapoo 
 Township is that of the above-named gentleman, an 
 old settler, whose estate has taken on the character 
 of those who have so long occupied it. The entire 
 two hundred acres are carefully and intelligently 
 managed, neatness and order being every where 
 apparent and indicating that the owner makes of 
 farming both an art and a science. The buildings 
 which have been erected are well designed, commo- 
 dious and conveniently disposed, and are kept in 
 first-clais order. 
 
 In Culpeper County, Va., in 1782. Henry Jones 
 was l)orn. Some two ye.irs" later, near the Juniata 
 River in Pennsylvania, Sarah Zi;in opened her e^es 
 
 to the light of d.'iy. 'I'his couple, upon growing to 
 maturity, married and settled in Gallia County, 
 Ohio, whence they removed to Jackson County 
 about 1824. In 1831 thej- came to Peoria County, 
 111., settling in Limestone Township, on what was 
 known as Jones' Prairie or .lones' .Spring. There 
 Mr. Jones breathed his last about 1852, his wife 
 surviving several years. Their fauiilj' comprised 
 two sons and six daughters. 
 
 The sixth child in this family was born in Gallia 
 Count}', Ohio, February 7, 1819, and christened 
 Ilenrj- W. This lad came to Peoria County with 
 his parents when in his thirteenth year and grew to 
 manhood on his father's farm in Limestone Town- 
 ship. He remained under the parental roof until 
 his marriage, which occurred in the fall of 1842, 
 when he set up his own home in the same township. 
 About a jear and a half later he removed to section 
 34, Kickapoo Township, where he has continued to 
 reside, making farming his chief business and secur- 
 ing a merited reward for his industry and good 
 judgment. 
 
 The wife of Henrj' AV. .lones was known in her 
 maidenhood as Miss Rebecca Miller, and was born 
 in Shelby County, Ky., December 28, 1821. She is 
 the seventh in a family comprising six sons and two 
 daughters born to Reuben and Nancy (Sturgeon) 
 Miller. They were natives of the Blue Grass State, 
 in which the}' were married ami spent their wedded 
 life. Mr. Miller died in Shelby County about 1826 
 and in 1834 his widow with her family came to 
 Peoria County, 111. She settled in Kickapoo Town- 
 ship, dying therein 1872. There the marriage rites 
 of her daughter Rebecca and our subject were cele- 
 brated October 30, 1842. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Jones twelve children have 
 been born, of wliom we note the following: Clar- 
 issa C. is the wife of Francis Peppard ; Lovina is 
 the wife of Charles Daly; Amanda E. married 
 Thomas Necorab; Charles P., who married Miss 
 Caroline Daly, died in Limestone Township, March 
 17, 1888; Lucinda is the wife of Robert Awl; 
 James H. married Miss Alice Brown and lives in 
 Kickapoo Township; Malinda J. is the wife of Al- 
 fred Kershaw, of Elmwood Township; John F. died 
 when about eleven years old; George N. died when 
 two years old; .\nna died in infamy; Adeline C. is
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 199 
 
 the wife of William Edwards, of Rosefield Town- 
 ship; Euphemia is the wife of Hicliard Lonsdale, 
 Jr., of Kiclvapoo Township. 
 
 Probablj' no citizen of Kiclvapoo Township li;is 
 borne a more active part in local affairs than the 
 subject of this sketch. He is deeply interested in 
 the welfare of this section of the country and e\ er 
 ready to bear a part in movements which will i)ro- 
 mote it. His fellow-citizens recognize this fact, 
 and also his intelligence and good judgment, and 
 have therefore called for his services as School Di- 
 rector, School Trustee, Highway Commissioner, 
 Justice of the Peace and Assessor. He is liberal 
 in his religious views, honorable and upright in his 
 dealings, kindly in social and domestic relations, 
 and deserving of that which he receives — the 
 tho>'ough respect and good will of his associates. 
 His wife is a fitting companion for a man of his 
 calibre, bearing well her part in the duties of life 
 and winning many friends thereby. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our 'subject was 
 James Jones, a Welshman, who married Sarah 
 Howdeshell, who was of German and English ex- 
 traction. They were among the early settlers of 
 the Bucke3'e State, in ivhich they were gathered to 
 their fathers. 
 
 <ji| AMES CLARK. The subject of this sketch 
 is one of the oldest settlers of Peoria County, 
 having migrated from Adams County, Ohio, 
 (^j// to the place where he now lives in October, 
 1 S37. He was bo. n in Adams County, Ohio, June 
 4. 1815, where he grew to manhood and lived until 
 he was about twenty-two years of age when, as 
 tihiive stated, he removed to Peoria County and 
 settled in Hollis Township. Although he changed 
 his residence from one State to another, geograph- 
 icall}" considered, he has not clKinged his condition 
 raaUinKjnially viewed, but has passed his life in a 
 Slate of single blessedness. During the first winter 
 lie was a resident of this count}- he worked in the 
 lily of Peoria, and in the second spring hired out 
 to a Mr. Stephens, on the LaMarsh Creek, near 
 where he now resides. Thronnliout the second 
 
 winter of his residence in the county he employed 
 himself at his trade of a lilacksmilh, which he had 
 learned in Ohio. In addition to the trade above 
 mentioned, he had served an appprenticeship to 
 to the gunsmith trade. He carried on blacksmith- 
 ing upon the homestead in the intervals of opera- 
 ting his farm. He commenced the united operations 
 in 1840 and pursued them until nature proteste<l 
 too strongly, when he was compelled to relinquish 
 ,ictive work and give himself up to the enjoyment 
 of the repose his long and busy life had rendered 
 necessarj'. 
 
 In 1858 our subject was elected School Treasurer 
 of the townshi]), and has held that ofHce continu- 
 ously to the present time. He was Road Commis- 
 sioner of the district for twenty-six years. He is a 
 Republican in political sentiment and takes an act- 
 ive interest in all questions affecting the welfare of 
 the district in which he lives. His age and well- 
 known integrity and intelligence make him an 
 authority upon almost nil questions arising for dis- 
 cussion in the neighborhood. He is held in hii^li 
 esteem bj^ all who are lu-ivileged to secure his .ac- 
 quaintance. 
 
 Mr. Clark lives on his farm. Init rents it and re- 
 sides on the same, where he is kept from the loneli- 
 ness he might otherwise feel by the jiresence of his 
 brother Esau, who makes his home with him. The 
 younger man was born in 1825, and removed to 
 this county in 1857, coming to his brother, with 
 whom he has since resided. Sarah, a sister of Mr. 
 Clark lived with him for a number of years until 
 her death in 1866. She was ihe widow of Sol B. 
 McCall, and had one child — F. M. McCall, now a 
 resident of Nebraska, removed hither from Ohio. 
 
 The parents of our subject were John and I<]liza- 
 beth (Gall) Clark. The father was a native of 
 Ireland and left that country when a child of four 
 years. The mother's family, the Galls, were of 
 Dutch ancestry and belonged to that portion of the 
 Dutch who settled New York and were driven 
 out by the P^nglish when the latter obtained poses- 
 sion of that State. George, the father of Mrs. Clark, 
 and grandfather of our subject, was a hero of the 
 Revolutionary War. His son George, served in the 
 War of 1812. At Hull's surrender he was taken 
 as one of the prisoners and, along with his com-
 
 200 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 rades, put into a jien and fattened on raw corn. 
 Histoiy does not inform us how tlic experiment 
 succeeded, but the end of the war mercifull}' ter- 
 minated their sufferings and restored them to their 
 homes and civilized surroundings. The grand- 
 mother of our subject, the wife of George Gall, was 
 a Miss Susie Nichols, and was a fitting mate for a 
 brave man in those troublous times. 
 
 ^E 
 
 E^^^ 
 
 \f7 B. MARTIN. M. D. Prominent among 
 I (© ''''^ successful physicians of Peoria Count}' 
 iJL^!^ may be properly mentioned Dr. Martin, who 
 h.is a finely equipped office at No. 303 Main Street 
 and an elegant residence at No. 1001 Perry Street 
 North. 
 
 The main incidents in the life-history of Dr. 
 Martin are esseutiall}' as follows: He is the offspring 
 of an excellent family, his father being Dr. James 
 W. Martin, who came to Peoria in 1862 and fol- 
 lowed his profession succcssfull}' until the illness 
 which resulted in his death, November 5, 1881. 
 He was born near Harper's Ferry, Ya., and in early 
 manhood married Miss Mary Gardner, of Ohio. 
 The}- located in Fairview, Fulton County, 111., 
 where Dr. Martin. Sr.. practiced medicine. In 
 Peoria he became prominent and popular, and by 
 his genial disposition drew around him hosts of 
 friends. The wife and mother is still living, mak- 
 ing her iiome with her son, L. B. Besides the lat- 
 ter, five other sons survive: W. C. is one of the 
 successful dentists of the city; two of the sous are 
 in Iowa — John V., a physician, and Francis G., a 
 merchant; Eugene C. is traveling for the well- 
 known wholesale grocery house of Sprague & War- 
 ner, of Chicago; J. W. is a merchant at Mossville, 
 this State. 
 
 The subject of tiiis notice was born in Catawba, 
 Ohio, March 28,1845, and completed his education 
 at Galesburg, this State. He commenced reading 
 medicine under the instruction of his father and 
 then took a course of lectures in Rush Medical Col- 
 lege, Chicago, from which he was graduated in Feb- 
 ruary, 1868. Shortly afterward he entered upon the 
 re ular practice of his profession which he has since 
 
 followed with uniform success. He gives little at- 
 tention to politics with the exception of voting the 
 Republican ticket. lie was at one period the Pen- 
 sion Examiner of this district, but resigned in favor 
 of Dr. Spaulding, as the duties of this position in- 
 terfered too much with his general practice. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was united in marriage 
 with Miss Mary Hughes, October 1, 1868. Mrs. 
 Martin was born in Peoria and is a daughter of 
 William and Maria Hughes, the former of whom 
 settled in Peoria as early as 1845, and established 
 himself as a wholesale cooper. To the Doctor and 
 Mrs. Martin there have been born eight children, 
 who form an unbroken household circle which has 
 thus far been uninvaded by the destroyer. These 
 are named respectively, Leonidas B., Jr., Hughes, 
 Maude, Mabel. Ethel, J. W., Harry and Bruce. The 
 eldest son is stud3'ing dentistry but the others, with 
 the exception of the two youngest, are attending 
 fhoool. Mrs. Martin is a member in good standing 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 —5- -^^ ^— 
 
 EZRA DOTY YARNES. One of the most 
 pleasant homesteads of Trivoli Township is 
 ! that owned and in part operated by the gen- 
 tleman whose name heads this sketch, and who. as 
 a skillful agi'iiulturist and enterprising citizen, is 
 identified with many important measures in the de- 
 velopment of the resources of Peoria County. His 
 farm of one hundred and sixty acres is located on 
 section 20, and is embellished by a commodious 
 and conveniently-arranged residence, a good barn, 
 50x60 feet, and other outbuildings essential to the 
 proper conducting of a modern farm. His estate 
 is largely devoted to the cultivating of the vari- 
 ous grains, although he gives considerable atten- 
 tion to the raising of stock. 
 
 .Tracing his ancestry back a few generations, we 
 find that Isaac Yarnes. the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, came from Germany at an early date, and 
 settling in Juniata County, Pa., there passed the 
 remainder of his life. He was a Captain in the 
 AV'ar of 1812. Among his children was one son, 
 Isaac, the father of our subject, who was born in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 201 
 
 Penns3ivani.i and was a fanner by occupation. At 
 one time he made a trip to Ohio on foot, going as 
 far west as the JLaumee Kivcr, and returning to 
 the Keystone Slate, where he died in 1851. Po- 
 litically, he was a Whig, and in matters of religion 
 was a consistent ineniber of the liaptist Church. 
 His wife bore the maiden name of Jane Arnold, 
 and was a native of Juniata County, Pa., descend- 
 ing from German ancestors. Slie passed away in 
 Pennsylvania in 1880, having survived her hus- 
 band many years. 
 
 Tiie gentleman of whom we write was one of a 
 large fainil}-, ten children having been born to 
 his parents, of whom he was the third in order of 
 birth. The others were: Arnold, a farmer in Juni- 
 ata C'ounty. Pa.; Isaac, who is engaged as a farmer 
 in Fulton County, Pa.; Mitchell, a resident of 
 Juniata; Michael, who lives in California; Plia'be, 
 Mrs. Stewart, died in Trivoli Township; Mary, 
 Mrs. Grafton, is a resident of Harford County, Md.; 
 Anna M.. Mrs. Robison, also lives in Harford 
 Count}-. Md.; Elizabeth, Mrs. Grafton, lives in the 
 same county; Sarah, Mrs. Horning, is a resident of 
 Juniata, Pa. The natal d.a}' of our subject was 
 August 9, 1831. and the place of ills birth ]\lilliin. 
 Juniata County, Pa. He remained on the parental 
 homestead, attending the district schools, until the 
 age of eleven j-ears, when he began to work out. 
 His remuneration was not ver}' large, leceiving the 
 first five jears. respectively, §1.50, §2.50, 85, §6.50. 
 $8, $9 per month. 
 
 At the age of nineteen years our subject began 
 an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade in Juni- 
 ata County; later he worked at Mifflin as a jour- 
 neyman, being a practical blacksmith. Having, in 
 1857, accumulated §100 by hard work, he went bj' 
 rail to Logausport, Ind., and engaged in work as a 
 blacksmith and farmer for a few months. In the 
 fall of the same year he located in Pekin, where he 
 sojourned until the spring of 1858. Lancaster was 
 his next home, and there he erected a blacksmith's 
 shop and worked at his trade. He also bought 
 properly and remained in that place for four or 
 five years. Then, selling out, he removed to Orion 
 Township, Fulton County, 111., bu3ing eighty acres, 
 which he improved and cleared. There also he put 
 up a shop and labored as a blacksniilli in addi- 
 
 tion to his farm duiies, hauling the lumber for the 
 building from Peoria. He remained in Fulton 
 County until 1866. then going to KImwood Town- 
 ship, bought a one hundred and sixty acre farm 
 on section 36. To this estate eiglii}- acres were 
 added later, making two hundred and forty, which 
 he improved and embellished with substantial build- 
 ings, etc. He resided there until 1869, continuing 
 to manage u shop in connection with his farm 
 labor. 
 
 The present fine property of Mr. Varnes was pur- 
 chased in 1886, and two years later he traded one 
 hundred and sixtj' acres of his farm in Elmvvood for 
 a farm in Russell County, Kan., of one hundred and 
 sixty acres. His place is surrounded witii hedge 
 fence, neatly trimmed; the Land is tiled, and other- 
 wise improved. He still owns eighty acres in Elm- 
 wood Township, which is also improved. Perhaps 
 the most important event in the life of our subject 
 was his union with Miss Jane Kepner, which was 
 celebrated at the bride's home, in Delphi, Ind., 
 July 20. 1858. This Lady w.as born in Pennsyl- 
 vania to Jacob and Mary Kepner, both natives of 
 Juniata County, where Mrs. A'arnes was also born. 
 In 1837 the father came to Ohio, and remained 
 during one winter near Chillicothe. In the spring 
 of 1838 he removed still further west, locating in 
 Carroll County, Ind., between Delphi and Logans- 
 port. There he put up a log cabin and improved a 
 farm comprising eighty acres of land. He died at 
 his home in February, 1886, at the age of eighty- 
 five years. Prior to the Civil War he was a Demo- 
 crat, but later became an ardent Republican. He 
 was a- consistent member of the Presbyterian 
 Church. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Varnes 
 was Leonard (u'oinger, a native of Penns3dvania; 
 he was taken prisoner by the Indians, and kept 
 until almost starved to death. He finally escaped 
 bj' contriving a raft, on which he floated down the 
 river. He died in the Keystone State, the mother 
 also passing away in that State at the age of 
 eighty years. 
 
 Mrs. Varnes was one of a family of eight chil- 
 dren, namely: .Samuel, in Kokomo, Ind.; John, de- 
 ceased; Henry, also in Kokomo, Ind.; Catherine, 
 Mrs. Bimgham.am; Adeline, Mrs. Collins, both of 
 Indiana; Jane, Mrs. Varnes; Susanna, Mrs. Rhor-
 
 202 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 habaiigh, deceased; Nancy, Mrs. Gardner, of Cam- 
 den, Ind. Samuel and Henry were in an Indiana 
 regiment during the late war, but escaped unhurt. 
 Mrs. Varnes was born in Juniata County, Pa., and 
 when two years old went with her parents to Ohio, 
 and later to Indiana, where she was rea'ed to 
 womanhood. 
 
 Unto Mr. and Mrs. Varnes ten children have 
 been born, namely: William A., who operates an 
 eighty-acre farm in Brimfield Township; Mary J., 
 who is the wife of Lee Thurston, and resides in 
 Elm wood Township; Ezra D., Jr., who resides in 
 Trivoli Township and operates a farm; George 
 Stewart, Sarah E., Clara E., Emma M., and Albert 
 G. at home. Two children are deceased. Mr. 
 Varnes is interested in the cause of education, and 
 has served as School Director for many years. He 
 was Justice of the Peace for four years in Orion 
 Township, also as Township Clerk. Together with 
 his family, he worships at the Old School Baptist 
 Cliurch, in Hilmwood Township. an<l is Deacon 
 tliere. His part}' belief coincides with the i)lat- 
 forni of the Democrats, although he votes inde- 
 pendently, supporting the men that he considers 
 most fitted for the office, lie and his wife are held 
 in high esteem wlierever known, and are welcomed 
 in tl)e best society of the community. 
 
 ^rp^^HARLES R. HIGGS. This young gentle- 
 ' ^^ man bears the distinction of being the sec- 
 ^_J(/ end largest landowner in Trivoli Township, 
 his fine property consisting of five hundred and 
 eighty acres, improved in three different farms. 
 Probablj- no other resident of the township, at 
 least in the agricultural districts, has prospered as 
 well in the same length of time, and certainl}- few 
 men of his years have been able to secure so in- 
 dependent a financial position. 
 
 The father of our subject was Thom.ns Iliggs, 
 bi.rn in Spratton, Northamptonshire, England, Oc- 
 tober 13, 1809, son of Joseph Higgs, the owner 
 of several houses there and the manager of a sheep 
 ranch. Tliomas Higgs was reared and educated in 
 liis native [ilace, and becoming of age determined 
 
 to emigrate to America, it being the intention of 
 bis brother James to accompany him. Their fa- 
 ther tried to dissuade them, and finally succeeded 
 in persuading James to remain at home, but 
 Thomas was firm in his determination. He crossed 
 the Atlantic, in the spring of 1831, on the sailer 
 "Caledonia," landing in New York City, Apiil 24, 
 among strangers, but with money enough to take 
 him back to England in case he was dissatisfied 
 here. Going to Elizabetlitown, N. J., he began 
 working on a farm for a Dr. Doty, with whom he 
 remained three years. There he was married, in 
 1834, to Miss Caroline Doty, a cousin of his em- 
 ploj-er, who was born in New Jersey in 1810. 
 After a time Mr. Higgs emigrated westward with 
 a one-horse wagon, bringing his wife and young 
 son Joseph to Central Illinois. 
 
 On reaching this county Mr. Higgs had money 
 enough to buy a quarter section of Government 
 land, which he did in Trivoli Township, building 
 a log house and beginning the improvement of 
 the virgin soil. In 1842 he built a frame house, 
 and on April 27, 1843. tlie former dwelling was 
 totally destroyed by the cyclone. Ii. 1.S39 his 
 oooil wife (lied, having Imnie him two ehildrcn: 
 Joseph, now a farmer in this township; and 
 Charles, who died at the age'of six months. The 
 land then occupied by Mr. Higgs is now owned by 
 our subject. On July 17, 1842, Mr. Higgs was 
 ajjain married, his bride being Mrs. Harriet (Rich- 
 mond) Holcomb, who ably assisted him in bnild- 
 ing up his fortunes and rearing their family to 
 honorable and useful careers. Mr Higgs con- 
 tinued his agricultural work, buying land from 
 time to lime, having at one time about one thou- 
 sand acres, eight hundred and eighty of which was 
 ' improved real estate in I'eoria and Marshall Coun- 
 
 I ties. 
 
 Thomas Higgs was a thorough American in feel- 
 ini'. He came to America because he despised the 
 
 ! oppressive government of his native land, and de- 
 
 I sired to escape from the tyranny and penury which 
 dominate that country. His first political atfilia- 
 lion was with the Whig party and la^er he became 
 a i:)emocrat. He belonged to the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Cliurch, in whieh he at one time held an 
 
 ' official position. (»no of the most prosperous men
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 203 
 
 in the townsliip, tie was also one of the most pub- 
 lic spirited ami enterprising, donating liberally to 
 whatever woulil improve the condition of the 
 country. He helped to build and support the five 
 churches which were around him, and assisted 
 in the building of the railroad through the 
 township. His personal popularity was great, all 
 being his friends who knew him. lie died as he 
 had lived, without an enemy, the date of his de- 
 cease being August 26, 1889. To him and his 
 second wife five children were born, our subject 
 being the fourth on the familj' roll. The first- 
 born, Thomas, an attorney at Storm Lake, Iowa, is 
 now visiting his father's old home in England; 
 John W. lives in Trivoli Township; Carrie H., 
 who married William Lawrence, died in this town- 
 ship; Mary Alice breathed her last when twentj'- 
 two years old. 
 
 The mother of our subject is a daughter of Na- 
 thaniel and Hannah (Durgee) Richmond, the for- 
 mer a native of Litchfield County, Conn., andthe 
 latter of Washington Count}-, N. Y. The par- 
 ents of Mrs. Richmond were Nathan and Lydia 
 (Pitcher) Durgee, the Durgees being of English 
 descent, and Grandfather Pitcher having been a 
 large landowner in the Em|)ire .State. Nathaniel 
 Richmond having gone to Washington Count}', 
 N. Y., from his native State about the time of the 
 War of 1812. acted as a teamster for the American 
 Army for a time. After his marriage he returned 
 to Connecticut, remaining until 1818, then remov- 
 ing to Jackson County, Ohio, where he was en- 
 gaged in farming until 1828. Selling his prop- 
 erty he then removed to the adjoining county, 
 Athens, where he became the possessor of five 
 farms, some of which he cleared. He was exten 
 sivel}' engaged in stock buying, driving his stock 
 to Eastern markets or to the coast, thus realizing 
 large profits and accumulating a fortune. 
 
 In 183G, Mr. Richmond came to Illinois and 
 buying about a section of land in Knox County, 
 used the balance of his capital in stock dealing. 
 He was out in all kinds of weather, driving his 
 herds to Ohio, New York, etc. He has swam 
 the Illinois River with five hundred head of 
 cattle, the process being to ride into the stream a 
 couple of times for trial, then get hold of some of 
 
 the gentler animals, foico them into the water, and 
 in that way get the entire herd over. In' 1841 he 
 engaged in pork packing at Pekin, and did a large 
 business, but having lost heavily bj' the failure of 
 some of the banks, w.as obliged to sell a great deal 
 of his i)ropert}'. Returning .again to farm life he 
 retrieved his fortunes to some extent prior to his 
 death, which occurred in Knox County, when he 
 had reached the age of eighty-one years. His 
 brothers were men of |)rorainence and popularity 
 in the East, all accumulating fortunes in profes- 
 sions or merchandising. His father, Edward Rich- 
 mond, a native of Connecticut, was a successful 
 merchant in Washington, but late in life removed 
 to Ohio, where he established several sons in mer- 
 cantile jiursuits in various cities. He was a son 
 of Sil.as Richmond, a native of England, who died 
 in Connecticut. 
 
 The mother of our subject was horn in Litch- 
 field ('(junty, Conn., February 12, 1816, being the 
 third in a family of eight children. She was two 
 years old when her parents journeyed by a river 
 boat and wagon to Jackson County, Ohio, where 
 she attended school in a log schoolhouse until 
 twelve years old. From that time until her first 
 marriage, November 9. 1834, she lived in .\thens 
 County. She was united with Capt. John llol- 
 comb, a native of Virginius, Vt., with whom she 
 came to this county with a team, their location 
 being in Hollis Township. Capt. Holcorab owned 
 some four hundred and eighty acres at the present 
 sice of the village of Mapleton, upon which they 
 located, building a log house on a side hill, where 
 they resided until his death, in 1838. Mrs. IIol- 
 comb then disposed of her dowry and went to live 
 with her father in Knox County, remaining there 
 until her marriage to Mr. Higgs. While in Knox 
 County she taught school one summer. She had 
 two children by her first marriage: Eliza, who 
 married Benjamin Alward and lives near Canton, 
 Fulton Count}'; and Charles, who died when four 
 months old. Capt. Holcomb had been in this sec- 
 tion prior to the Black Hawk War, during which 
 he served as Captain of a company in Gen. Still- 
 man's regiment, spending the most of bis time in 
 scouting. He helped build Ft. Clark. 
 
 Our subject was born in this township May 2,
 
 204 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 1850, reared and educated here, learning farming 
 in boj'hood and having a natural inclination to- 
 wards stock, of winch he made playmates when 
 young. When of age he came into possession of 
 sixty acres, which he began farming for himself, 
 living nt home until his marriage, July 25. 1876. 
 to Miss Olive D. Gove. This estimable lady was 
 born in this township, being a daughter of James 
 K. Gove, a native of Maine and an earlj' settler 
 here. After their marriage Mr. and ;\Irs. Higgs 
 settled on his father's farm, of which lie took the 
 entire charge, doing a successful business. He has 
 bought land at various times, eighty acres ad- 
 joining the old homestead having cost him 16.000. 
 He rents some of his land, personally p.aymg his 
 chief attention to the stock business. He feeds 
 two to three cars of hogs and some cattle, and 
 raises hogs, cattle, and horses extensively. He 
 was at one time engaged in raising mules, making 
 money at that business. He has about two hun- 
 dred head of sheep, raising Cottswold and Oxford 
 Downs. 
 
 The home of Mr. Higgs is brightened by the 
 presence of four children — Alice L.. Thomas A., 
 Hattie M. and Charles L. He is an active member 
 of the Democratic party and of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 ATTHEW GRISWOLD. One of the old- 
 est and most prominent men of Peoria is 
 the above named, who is now dealing in 
 real-estate. He has been identified with 
 the business interests of tliis citj' for half a centur}' 
 and none stand higher in financial circles than he. 
 His character is unimpeachable, and the interest 
 which he has taken at all times in public enterprises 
 of an educational or moral value, stamp him as a 
 man of excellent judgment and great intelligence. 
 John L. Griswold, a brother of our subject, was 
 born in the Empire State, in the year 1808, and 
 came to Peoria in 1839. He first entered into busi- 
 ness with A. G. Curtenius, the connection continu- 
 ing until the death of Mr. Curtenius in 1857. The 
 business was then continued by John and Mattiiow 
 
 Griswold until 1863, when the former sold out and 
 retired. He was connected with the gas company, 
 interested in the building of the bridge, and was for 
 some time Director of the Second National Bank 
 of Peoria. He departed this life January 4, 1883. 
 
 The gentleman whose name initiates this sketch, 
 was born in the Empire State, November 20, 1816, 
 being a son of N. L. and Ann (Sickles) Griswold. tiie 
 former a well-known importer of New York City. 
 Matthew remained in his native city until 1840, 
 when he came to Peoria and entered the business es- 
 tablishment of Iris brother and Mr. Curtenius. He 
 continued an emploj'e of the house until 1845, 
 wlien he became a partner. The grocery business 
 was continued by the brothers Griswold for some 
 3-ears after the death of Mr. Curtenius, but finally 
 disposed of by them after the}' had won a most 
 excellent reputation, and realized a fair degree of 
 profit from their labors. 
 
 Our subject had become interested in real estate, 
 and continued in the buying and selling of lands 
 and houses. He has added more than one sub- 
 division to the city, and yet retains extensive in- 
 terests in cit}- property. For a long period he was 
 Secretary of the Gas Company, of which he lias 
 been Director for over thirty-five years. He was 
 Treasurer of the old Peoria Wagon Bridge Asso- 
 ciation from 1849 until the bridge was sold to a 
 Mr. Cole. He was connected with the old library, 
 of which he was a Director, and President of the 
 Board until it was merged into the City Library. 
 He is now President of the Peoria Public Library, 
 wliich was organized over ten years ago. and has 
 been active in the building of the block by the Li- 
 brary Association. He lias no political aspirations, 
 being content to simply- deposit liis vote, which is 
 a Democratic one. For fortj'-one years he has been 
 one of the members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. 
 He is now a Warden and a member of the Build- 
 ing Committee for the new edifice which is being 
 erected on the corner of Monroe and Main Streets. 
 
 An important step in the life of Mr. Griswold 
 took place November 8. 1849, when he became the 
 husband of Miss Charlotte Young, of Balston 
 Springs, N. Y. This cultured and most estimable 
 lady was called from time to eternity November 30, 
 1884. She was the mother of four children, three
 
 c^^z.-<^M--^ <377^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 20" 
 
 of whom survive to mourn the loss of a devoted 
 mother, and console their father in iiis bereave- 
 ment. Tliry are Mar}', wife of A. W. Littleton, of 
 Quiney; Nathaniel, who married Miss Nellie Ho- 
 gue livf's in Peoria, and is engaged in a vvliolesale 
 cracker business; Louisa, wife of Warren L. Pierce, 
 a coal dealer of Peoria; Charlotte, who married 
 William Larkin, is now deceased. Her death took 
 place at her home in Chicago, August 16, 1890. 
 
 *OSIAH FULTON. On the opposite page is 
 presented a portrait of this venerable gen- 
 tleman, who is distinguished as being the 
 ffi^JJ oldest living pioneer of Peoria County. He 
 was one of the earliest settlers of this county, hav- 
 ing come liere seventy-one years ago. For many 
 years he was actively engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suils in Richwood Townsliip, in wiiose early his- 
 tory he was a prominent figure, locating here when 
 it was scarcely more than a tract of wild prairie. 
 His name is indissolubly associated with its growtli 
 not only as a practical farmer, but also on account 
 of the prominent part he took in the (idministration 
 of its puljlic affairs. He is now an honored inmate 
 (if the home of his son George, where he is pleas- 
 anljy spending the declining }'ears of an honorable 
 life that has passed tlie ninetieth mile stone on the 
 [With of an eventful existence. 
 
 The parents of our subject. James and Jane 
 (Crow) Fulton, were natives of Lancaster County, 
 Pa. In an early day they removed to the wilds of 
 what is now West Virginia, and settled witliin 
 eight miles of where Wheeling now stands, and 
 where Mr. Fulton was engaged in operating a saw- 
 mill on the banks of the Ohio. He finally built a 
 boat, and in it he and his family floated down the 
 Ohio to Cincinnati, and after remaining in the vi- 
 cinity of that city a short time, again took to the 
 river and started for another settlement. After 
 living in different places, passing through many 
 liardships, and meeting with various fortunes, the 
 family at last arrived at Ft. Clark, on tiic present 
 site of Peoria. The fnithful mother finally suc- 
 cumbed to the trials and privations of pioneer life. 
 
 dying in 1828, on the land now occupied hy Syl- 
 van Park. The father died in 1827, in Ohio, 
 whither he had gone to transact business, and in 
 his death Peoria County lost a useful and active 
 pioneer. To those worthy people were born four sons 
 and two daughters, Josiali being the third child in 
 order of birth. 
 
 He of whom we write was born within eight miles 
 of where Wlieeling, W. Va., now stands, February 
 19, 1800, being the date of his birth in that beauti- 
 fid locality. April 15, 1819, a bold, intrepid, self- 
 reliant youth, our subject and six others started 
 out on the long and, at that time, dangerous jour- 
 ney to the Prairie State, and finally came to where 
 Peoria now stands, which was then the site of a 
 primitive fort called Ft. Clark, garrisoned by a 
 troop of Government soldiers. They had culti- 
 vated about twenty-five acres of the land around 
 the fort and had planted the tract with corn and 
 potatoes, which formed a great addition to tiieir ra- 
 tions. Indians were much more |)lenliful than 
 white men wiien our subject first located here, and 
 there were but verv few evidences of civilization 
 ir. the wild, uncultivated country, where the settle- 
 ments were few and scattering, and the |)ioneers 
 had scarcely entered upon the vast work that they 
 gradually accomplislied in the development of the 
 countrj'. 
 
 Mr. Fulton has lived to see the results of his fel- 
 low-pioneers' labors, in which he bore an honorable 
 part, and has seen the wonderful transformation 
 that has changed old Ft. Clark from a primitive 
 fortification to a beautiful city. Of the small com- 
 pany of men who made that eventful journey from 
 the little ^'irginiun hamlet to this county, our sub- 
 ject is the only survivor. Notwithstanding that 
 lie is upwards of ninety years old and in his pio- 
 neer life here suffered from the lack of many, we 
 might almost say, of all comforts, and of some of 
 the necessaries of life, and had to endure hard- 
 ships of which the present daj' and generation 
 can know nothing, he is still hale and healthy, 
 having scarcely ever been sick, and retains iiis 
 mental faculties to a marked degree. He has al- 
 ways made his home in Peoria County since com- 
 ing to this State, and his chief occui)ation has been 
 farming.
 
 208 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Mr. Fulton was married in the spring of 1832, 
 in Peoria, to Jliss Augusta P. Huglies. a native of 
 Georgia. After a peaceful and happj' wedded life 
 of more tban ordinary duration there passed away 
 from tie scene of her usefulness the companion and 
 helpmate of our subject who for fifty-five years had 
 walked by his side, and had aided him greatly in 
 his life work b3' her wise counsel and cheerful help. 
 B\- their marriage they became the parents of ten 
 children, six sons and four daughters, named as 
 follows: Nancy J., Rebecca, Samuel, Elizabeth, 
 Joseph, M.<iry, George, Albert, Josiab, Jr., and Ja- 
 cob. Nancy is the wife of William .Sammis; Re- 
 becca is the wife of Edward ^lansBeld; Samuel is a 
 carpenter ;Elizabeth is the wife of Jacob \V. Slough; 
 Joseph married Sarah Henderson; Mary is the wife 
 of John E. JIcDerraott; George married Mary 
 Wahl; Albert married Emma Cartwright; .Fosiab, 
 Jr., died in 188G, aged forty-two years; Jacub re- 
 sides in Richwood Township. 
 
 Mr. Fulton's life record shows him to be a man 
 eminently worthy of all respect and esteem, and 
 these are fully accorded to him by the entire com- 
 munity. He was the first .Supervisor of Kichwood 
 Township, and held that office several years. He 
 has hold the office of Township Treasurer, and has 
 filled most of the important offices of the township 
 with great credit to himself and greatly to the ad- 
 vantage of the township. He was elected Magis- 
 trate for a period of four years, but declined to 
 serve. In his early d.aj-s he was a Whig in his 
 political views, but after the formation of the Re- 
 publican party he fell into the i-anks and h.is since 
 been its firm supporter. 
 
 RTHIR THOMAS BIRKET, a native of 
 Illinois, and a well-known prominent citi- 
 lii zen of Peoria, is one of the most practi- 
 cal and wide awake of the intelligent, en- 
 terprising business men of the county, and as an 
 extensive dealer in real estate, building and selling 
 houses etc., he has contributed his quota to the up- 
 building of this city, where he has a beautiful 
 
 home, replete with all the modern comforts and 
 conveniences. Bneh' located at No. 1799 Monroe 
 Street. 
 
 Mr. Birket w.as born in Tazewell County, Janu- 
 ary 10, 1843, a son of John and Marjory (Thomas) 
 Birket, natives respectivelj- of Lancashire, England, 
 and Ohio. The mother's parents came from Penn- 
 sylv-inia. John Biiket was one of the earlj- pio- 
 neers of Peoria, coming here in 1826, and be- 
 came prominent in promoting the growth of the 
 city. He entered the land now including the 
 location of the Peoria pottery, Gallagher and 
 Birket's first, secoml and third additions; Lake 
 View Driving Park; the Water Works, in short, 
 all the northe.istern part of Peoria. Mr. Birket 
 was pr.actic.1ll3- a carpenter and joiner, but he also 
 followed farming, coal mining and dealt in meat. 
 From 1839 to 1849 he operated a saw-mill near 
 in Washington,Tazewell County. In the latter year 
 he returned to Peoria, embarked in the real-estate 
 business and laid out an addition to the city. To 
 him and bis wife were born three children: John 
 Charles, of Peoria: William Armstead of Abbey- 
 ville, Reno Count3-, Kan.; and Arthur Thomas. 
 
 The latter of whom we write received excellent 
 educational advantages, and having a natural ap- 
 titude for mathematics and a taste for civil engineer- 
 ing and surve3-ing,he fitted himself for the profes- 
 sion of a civil engineer and in order to pursue bis 
 studies to better ad vantage, went to England in 1862 
 and studied under the best masters there for a period 
 of little more than two 3-ears, and gained a thor- 
 ough, i.u'actical knowledge of his calling. Upon 
 his return to his native couutr3- be was honored 
 bv being appointed Deputy Surveyor of Tazewell 
 Couut3-. He held that position three 3-ears, when 
 he came to Peoria and accepted the responsible 
 office of Civil Engineer for the city. He act^d in 
 that capacity for two 3"ears and w.as then elected 
 to the office of County Surveyor, which position 
 ! he held the ensuing six years, it having been 
 through the influence of Thomas King, that he en- 
 tered the business of land surve3-ing here. He did 
 the transit work as assistant on the preliminar3' 
 work for the line of the Indiana, IJloomington & 
 I Western Rtiilro.ad. In 1875 he served the cit3- .is 
 : Alderman and since then for several terms. He is a
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 209 
 
 prominent member of the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows and the Old Settlers' Society. He 
 is a Republican in iiulilics and always was. Since 
 taking up his residence in this city, Mr. Bir- 
 liet, by his honorable, upright course in a busy 
 life, has proved a great addition to the citizenship 
 of the city with whose interests he is so thoroughl}- 
 identiBed and in business and social circles he is 
 recognized as one of our best men. 
 
 Our subject has been ver^' happy iu his domes- 
 tic life as b}' his marriage with Miss Katie R. Lup- 
 ton in June 1866, he secured the devoted compan- 
 ionsliip of one who fills in a perfect measure the 
 position of wife, mother and friend. Mrs. Birket 
 is a daughter of Thomas S. Lupton, of Cincinnati, 
 Ohio. Four children complete the home circle of 
 our subject and his estimable wife. Arthur T., who 
 married Nellie Pratt and resides in the cit}-; May 
 Belle, Alonzo L. S. ; and Katie R. The three 
 30unger children reside at home with their par- 
 ents. 
 
 --*--^^^^ 
 
 (^p5*)H0MAS TALLYN, deceased, was for man}' 
 //^ years a member of the farming communitj' of 
 
 V J this county, owning and managing a fine farm 
 
 on section 32, Radnor Township, which is still in 
 the i)ossessiou of his widow and family. 
 
 Our subject was a native of Devonshire, Eng- 
 land, where he was born in the month of March, 
 IH2(), and there amid its pleasant scenes, the first 
 twent^'-seven years of his life were passed. At 
 tliat age two of the most important events of his 
 life occured, his marriage and his emigration to 
 the United States. The maiden name of the woman 
 of his choice was Elizabeth Fry, she being the 
 daughter of Thomas and Betsey (Snell) Fry, and 
 a sister of Thomas Fry, and of Mrs. John Ford, 
 whose biographies appear in this volume. 
 
 Immediately after his marriage our subject came 
 with his bride to America, where they hoped 
 to establish a home for themselves. After land- 
 ing on these shores the}- came to this count}', and 
 nearly a year later located on section 32, Radnor 
 Township. They were among the pioneers of this 
 regiiin and in the busy y('ar^* that followed our sub- 
 
 ject developed and improved a valuable farm where 
 his wife and children have a comfortable substan- 
 tial home. 
 
 August 14, 1876, the useful career of our sub- 
 ject was brought to a sudden close by his prema- 
 ture death. Nine days before that he had fallen 
 from a stack of grain, and received mortal injuries. 
 His death when it seemed that many j'ears of use- 
 fulness were before him, was a sad blow to his 
 family, to whom he had ever been an affectionate 
 husband and a wise father, and the community 
 was deprived of a valuable citizen whose work 
 h.ad greatly aided in extending the agricultural in- 
 terests of the township. 
 
 Mr. Tallyn was happ}- in his married life, i)os- 
 sessing in his wife a companion and helpmate who 
 sought in every way to aid him, and ever looked 
 carefull}' after the comforts of the household. Their 
 marriage was productive to them of eight chil- 
 dren whom they named, William W., Thomas F., 
 Elizabeth A.. Frank H., Lucy P., John A. and 
 Marj' B.;one child died in infancy unnamed. Lucy, 
 who w.as the wife of William Jones, died in Dunlap, 
 May 20, 1886. Mr. and Mrs. Tallyn were charter 
 members of the Kickapoo Baptist Church, with 
 whose good work Mrs. Tallyn is still identified. 
 
 ^ 
 
 /^EORGE W. DcMARS, Jr., is one of the 
 .'ll |_— , most enlightened and enter|)rising farmers 
 ^^jjj and stock- raisers of Logan Township, and 
 is managing his extensive farming interests in that 
 community after the most approved methods. He 
 is a Pennsylvanian by birth, born in Dauphin 
 County, October 5, 1844, and is a son of George 
 W. and Eliza (Ranch) DuMars. His father was 
 born in Ilarrisburg, Pa., P^ebruary 4. 1805, coming 
 of an honorable lineage, the DuMars family orig- 
 inating in France. The mother of our subject was 
 born in the same county as her husband, Novem- 
 ber 5, 1812. She died iu their home in the Key- 
 tone State, December 6, 1850. 
 
 George DuMars, Sr.,is a son of one John DuMars. 
 who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, his an- 
 cestors having left France and settled on that
 
 210 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Islaud. His wife, Jane Mills, was born in the same 
 count}' as himself, and they came to the United 
 States in the spring of 1804. being six weeks on the 
 way, and took up their residence in Harrisburg, 
 Pa. He was a weaver by occupation and followed 
 that calling until he was unable to compete with 
 the numerous factories that sprang up in this coun- 
 try several j-ears after he settled in it. Later in life 
 he ran an hotel in Harrisburg. He and his wife were 
 at orie time members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, but subsequently united with the Presby- 
 terians. He was a I-'ree and Accepted Ma?on. He 
 was the father of several children, namely, Thomas, 
 George W., William, James, and Mary, wife of Jlr. 
 Lambdin. The father of our subject was the 
 only survivor of those children, and w.is liberally 
 educated in the city schools of Harrisburg and in 
 an academy there. At the age of twenty he adopted 
 the profession of a teacher, and for thirty years 
 pursued it with success. During some period in his 
 life he was a clerk in a general store in Lingles- 
 town. Pa., and fur a short time was in business for 
 himself. In the spring of 1855 he started for Illi- 
 nois, traveling b}- rail to Pittsburg, and thence l)v 
 boat to this State, being two weeks on the way. He 
 lived in Tazewell Connty until September, when he 
 came to Logan Township, and purchased eighty- 
 seven acres of hand on section 7, where he dwelt un- 
 til March, 1889, when he became an inmate of the 
 home of his son George W., on section 9. In the 
 meantime he had been quite prosperous in his call- 
 ing and had accumulated one hundred and ninety 
 acres of land. For mauj' j-ears he was active in 
 public and political life. For two 3-ears he was 
 Supervisor of the township and also served as As- 
 sessor, lie was a man of strong mind, and w.as firm 
 and outspoken in his views on the issues of the day, 
 and in early life a Whig, joined the ranks of the 
 Republican party after its formation. He has been a 
 faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 for many years. 
 
 Mr. DuMars has been twice married, the maiden 
 name of his first wife, the mother of our subject, 
 was Flliza Ranch, and she was a daughter of John 
 and Catherine Ranch, who were natives of Penn- 
 sylvania. Her father was twice married, and she 
 was the onl}' child of liis first union, and by his 
 
 second marriage he h.ad four children. Mr. DuMars 
 was the father of nine children by his first marriage 
 as follows: Catherine J., wlio died in childhood: 
 the second child died in infancy; Mary Eliza, wife 
 of S. S. Graham; John W., who was a member of 
 Company B, Eleventh Cavahy, and was present at 
 the battle of Shiloh, and died at Memphis, Tenn., 
 June 22, 1862; the fifth child died unnamed; 
 Nancy J., the wife of William O. Norvall. of Mc- 
 Cook, Neb.; George W., Willijim T.,aud Dr. R. A. 
 Mr. DuMars' second wife, to whom he was married 
 March 22, 1863, was Sarah Ainsworth Allen. She 
 was born October 5, 1805, sind died September 15, 
 1869. She was a consistent Christian and a mem- 
 ber of the ^lethodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 George W. DuMars, Jr., of whom this sketch is 
 written, was a lad of eleven years when he accom- 
 l)anied his father to this State. He was educated 
 in the common schools, and afterward pursued a 
 line course of study at Worthing. Warner & Co.'s 
 College, from which he was graduated with honor. 
 He was thus well equipped for the battle of life, 
 and choosing the calling to which he had been bred 
 he purchased sixt}' acres of land on section 5, Logan 
 Township, and h.as ever since been a resident of 
 of this place, with the exception of two years spent 
 in McLean County. He had a farm in that county 
 which he sold on his return to this township, and 
 he repurchased eighty acres of land, of which he 
 afterward disposed at an advance, and then bought 
 all of the homestead. In the year 1888 he here 
 purchased the eighty-acre tract where he resides 
 on section 9, and is now the proprietor of two 
 hundred ,and forty-eight acres of land, which is 
 in a fine condition, its well-4illcd fields yielding 
 abundant harvests, and its neat substantial build- 
 ings, being an attractive feature of the landscape. 
 
 Mr. DuMars has been twice married. April 9, 
 1868, he was wedded to Sarah E. Shepherd, a native 
 of Logan Township and a daughter of Nelson and 
 Elizabeth (Rynearson) Shepherd, who were among 
 the earliest settlers of this county, coming here 
 from Pennsylvania at a ver}' early date. He and 
 his wife had a family of three sons and four daugh- 
 ters. The wife of our subject died in the spring of 
 1871, leaving one son — Charles E. 
 
 Mr. DuMars was a second time married, March
 
 PORTRAIT AND HIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 211 
 
 11. 1875, taking as his wife Sarali E. McAlistcr, 
 who was born in Logan Township December 21, 
 1853, and is a daughter of James and Elizabeth 
 (Proctor) JIcAlister. Two children have born of 
 tiiis union — Arthur Eugene and Cecil Ainsworth. 
 Mr. and Mrs. DuMars are members in high 
 standing of the Methodist J^piscopal Church, and 
 among the loailers in its charitable and other good 
 works. Their home, the center of true refinement 
 and culture, is an attractive one, and their place in 
 the society of this count}- is among its best people. 
 Mr. DuMars is a well-rend antl educated man and 
 holds advanced views on all subjects, paticularly 
 in regard to politics, and since he cast his first vote 
 for a Presidential candidate for Gen. Grant, he has 
 been true to the Republican party. 
 
 ^'- 
 
 EWTON C. DOrCiHERTY. Side by side 
 in their responsibility for the i)roper traiii- 
 'il: .^i ing of the young, stand the home and the 
 school, and inasmuch as to many a true home life 
 is denied, the moral and intellectual status depends 
 solely upon the influences thrown around them in 
 school days. It is therefore of prime importance 
 that the instructors of our land be men and women 
 of large hearts and grand characters, as well as of 
 mental culture and development. The office of 
 Superintendent of Schools is one of grave respon- 
 sibility, and he wha worthily fills it is entitled to 
 high esteem and an honored place on the scroll of 
 f^me, and it is the purpose of the biographical 
 writer to see that N. C. Dougherty is not passed by 
 "unhonored and unsung." 
 
 Mr. Dougherty is a native of the Ke3'stone State, 
 born on a farm in Chester County, near Kennet 
 Square, January 10, 1847. He is the youngest son 
 and child of Philip and Hattie (Perry) Dougherty, 
 , both natives of the same count}-. The father is of 
 Scotch-Irish extraction and the mother of English 
 descent, her grandfather having come to America 
 in 1700. Both parents are still living on the old 
 homestead, the father now in his eighty-second 
 and the mother in her eighty-first year. 
 
 The boyhood of our subject was passed in the 
 
 usual manner of a farmer's son, his studies being 
 prosecuted in the district schools until he was 
 fourteen years old. He then entered Newark 
 Academy, but six months later became a student in 
 the State Normal School, at Millersvillc. where he 
 prepared for college. In 1864 he matriculated in 
 I'nion College, in New York State, from 'which iie 
 was graduated in 1H(;8. The following year he 
 came to the Prairie State as Principal of the schools 
 in Morris, Grundy County, going thence to Mt. 
 Morris, Ogle County, where he became Principal of 
 the Rock River Seminary. This institution Is one 
 of .the oldest in the State, and from it have gone 
 forth some of the most talented men of the common- 
 wealth, among them Senators Cullom and Farwell, 
 ex-Gov. Beveridge, Hon. R. R. Ilitt, Chairman of 
 the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Hon. 
 James A. Rawlins, Chief of Gen. Grant's staff. 
 
 Mr. Dougherty remained at the head of that in- 
 stitution until 1878, when he came to Peoria and 
 took up the duties of Superintendent of the city 
 schools. He ranks among the best educators in this 
 State that has so long prided itself on the cfliciency 
 of its school system, and is out-ranked by few, even 
 of those in which settlements were first made and 
 schools first organized. His commanding personal 
 appearance is but the index of a brain whose 
 powers are sufficient to gras)) abstruse topics and 
 present them clearly and logically to less cultured 
 minds, and the heart that Ijeats in sympathy with 
 the needs of those in whom the hope of the Nation 
 rests. He is highly regarded as a citizen, popular 
 in the community, and endeared to his pupils by 
 many encouraging wjrds and helpful deeds. He 
 is a member of Temple Lodge No. 46, Free and 
 Accepted Masons, and Commandery No. 3. He is 
 also identified with the Congregational Church. 
 
 It would naturally be su|)posed that Mr. Dough- 
 erty would choose for a wife a lady of rare mental 
 attainments.as well as estimable character and social 
 qualities. Such was the case ; she whom he won 
 being Anna, daughter of Dr. Richard Edwards, 
 now Superintendent of Instruction for the State of 
 of Illinois. Thf.ir marriage rites were celebrated 
 at the home of the bride's parents, December 25, 
 1871, and they have three children, Mabel, Horace 
 and Ralph, who are developing talent and courtesy
 
 212 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBU5: 
 
 m 
 
 under tlie exani|iU' :\\\'\ wise training of tlie fatlier 
 and mother. The Su|;erintendeiil's dwollins' on 
 Ea«t Bluff Street is llie center of a circle that in- 
 cludes the best and most talented residents of the 
 city and frequent visitors from otlier cultured so- 
 ciety-. 
 
 AMES A. WONDER, who entered the Gov- 
 ernment service in November, 1889, as 
 United States Storekee[)er. has become well 
 known in IVoria by reastm of a lonu r.esi- 
 dence and a connection with the [irotcclive measures 
 ailoptcd here. He is a respected member of the 
 (irand Aimy of the Republic, commemorating by 
 his connection with that order the days which he \ 
 spent ill campaign life and on fields (jf battle dur- 
 ing the dark days of the Civil War. He comes of 
 loyal ancestr\', his maternal grandfather having 
 been a member of Gen. AVashington's body guard 
 during the entire period of the Revolution. His 
 own connection with the army began during the 
 Mexican War, when he was a drummer boy at Ft. 
 McHenry. His father had objected to his going 
 to Mexico, but was finally prevailed upon to give 
 his consent and to |)ut liiin in the ch.arge of Ca[)t. 
 Goodv.'in H. Irvin, with whom be got as far as the 
 flirt mentioned. 
 
 Our subject was born in jMitHiii County, Pa.. 
 October 14, 1829, and begun his residence in Peo- 
 ria in 1857. Here he entered a sawmill as fore- 
 man, but soon taking the Pike's Peak fever made 
 bis way to Colorado in search of a fortune. Like 
 many another he soon realized the habit of the 
 '•fickle jade" to fly from those who would woo her, 
 and not being able to pick up the precious metal 
 .as he had expected he returned to Peoria in the 
 condition known as being ••dead broke." Here he 
 secured a position on the police force, retaining it 
 until the outbreak of the Civil War when he en- 
 listed as a private in Company A, Fort^'-seventh 
 Illinois Infantry. He was iiromptly made drum 
 major and commissioned by Gov. Yates. The 
 Forty-seventh was sent to St. Louis, assigned to 
 Fremont's command and took part in the battles 
 of Osage Bridge and Island No. 10, together 
 
 with the minor conllicts and tedious duties of 
 campaign life which fall to the lot of all soldiers. 
 Mr. Wonder followed the destinies of the regi- 
 ment until a general order was issued in 1863 for 
 mustering out all commissioned drum majors, when 
 he returned to the North. 
 
 After reaching Peoria Mr. Wonder took a posi- 
 tion in the Provost Marshal's office remaining 
 there until the affairs of the office were closed up. 
 He llien re-entered the (lolice force, becoming Cap- 
 tain, a jiosition which he held four years. This 
 was prior to the days of a Chief of Police in the 
 city and as Captain, Mr. Wonder accomplished sev- 
 eral needed reforms in the service. In 187"2 he be- 
 gan work in the shops of the Toledo, Peoria k 
 Warsaw Railroad Compan}'. wlierc he labored al- 
 together eight years, although not consecutively, 
 as he alternated it witii police service. He after- 
 ward became depot master and finally entered 
 the Government service as before mentioned. 
 
 Mr. Wonder was fortunate in securing for his 
 wife a lad}' of estimable character.domestic virtues 
 and pleasing social qualities. This was Miss Emma 
 P. McKee, of Lewistown, Pa., with whom he was 
 united August 31,1853. The union has been blest 
 by the birth of two sons, named respectively: Will- 
 iam S. and James F. A peaceful and law-abiding 
 citizen, a man of intelligence and good habits, Mr. 
 Wonder is respected as he deserves and his wife 
 is nowise behind him in the esteem of those who 
 know them. 
 
 ANIEL H. FLAG LORE, JM.D.. is num- 
 bered among Peoria's successful practiti- 
 tioners of physics and surgery. He is a close 
 student whose sole ambition has been to 
 succeed in the profession which he chose — a desire 
 which has met with an admirable reward. He was 
 fortunate in being surrounded in bis earlj' life by 
 the circumstances which enabled him to study in 
 the best schools and fit himself as thoroughlv as he 
 wished for his battle of life. 
 
 Dr. Flaglore was born in Newburg, N. Y., 
 whence his father. Valentine Flaglore, removed to
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 213 
 
 New York City in 1840. The \-oiith was given 
 every advantage, incliuliiig the privilege of at- 
 tending the New Yorlc Classical Institute, immedi- 
 ately after his gratUiation from which he began 
 the study of his chosen profession with I'rofessor 
 Williaras.of Cincinnati Medical College. After three 
 years of study with that able anatomist and physi- 
 cian, he entered Bellevne Hospital and Medical 
 College, whence he took his degree after a three 
 years' course. 
 
 In 18G6 Dr. Flaglore came West and began 
 pr.actiee in Bureau County, this State. He next 
 spent a 3ear in Lhillicothe, whence lie removed to 
 Glasford, remaining there until 18.S2. He then 
 located at Peoria where he has Iniilt up a most ex- 
 cellent reputation, both as a professional man and 
 as a private citizen. In the midst of his busy 
 career he finds time to pursue ins investigations, 
 deeming it his duty as well as his [ileasure to learn 
 all that is possible in those fields of science which 
 Imve a hearing upon his profession. He is a mem- 
 l)er of the Masonic order and one of the most 
 prominent Druids in the State, having repeatedly 
 held the highest honors in that excellent fratern- 
 ity. 
 
 An important step in the life of Dr. Flaglore was 
 t^iken in 1868, at which time the rites of wedlock 
 were celebrated Itetween him and Miss Hannah M. 
 Hinkle. a native of Peoria. It would naturally 
 be supposed that the lady whom Dr.F'laglore desired 
 for a companion would have a cultured mind, a 
 sincere symijathy in his pursuits, and a kindly na- 
 ture. Such is the case and Mrs. Flaglore discharges 
 her duties cheerfully and concienlionsly. 
 
 ^w)OHN WILSON. The experience of this 
 gentleman has been a varied one, and many 
 an intereslintr tale might he tell of the 
 ■\§!// scenes he has witnessed or i)articipated in 
 during former years. He occu|)ies a pleasant resi- 
 dence on Pecan Street, Peoria, and within the walls 
 of tlie home friends find a cordial welcome and 
 generous hospitality dispensed with grace. The 
 subject of this notice is at the head of the Wilson 
 
 AVholesale Grocery Companj-, which does a busi- 
 ness of about $900,000 per year, and is interested 
 as stockholder or proprietor in other affairs of im- 
 portance. There are few men now living in Peoria 
 who are better versed in the growth of this city 
 and the elements that have led to its prosperity 
 than Mr. Wilson, who came here in boyhood and 
 has virtuallj- grown with the town. 
 
 In England the eyes of Henry Wilson and Mar- 
 tha Wood opened to the light of day, and in that 
 grand country they grew to maturity and were 
 united in marriage. In 1827 they emigrated to 
 America, making their home in the Empire State 
 until 1835, when they came to Peoria. Mr. Wil- 
 son had been a farmer in his native land, but in 
 New York he engaged in clerking, and after com- 
 ing West ho resumed his old occupation, but did 
 not long survive to pursue it, being called from 
 time to eternity the fall after his rc'raoval hither. 
 The family at that time consisted of nine children, 
 four of whom yet live. They are Mrs. Jane 
 Wham, of tills city ; Ileniy, a farmer in Nebraska; 
 John; and William, who resides in the State of 
 Washington. 
 
 The birth of John Wilson occurred in Pongh- 
 keepsie, N. 1'. June 4, 1827. In that city he ob- 
 tained a part of his education, completing his 
 studies here. For a number of years he dev(<ted 
 himself to farming, and he also learned the cooper's 
 trade with (ieorge Woodruff. When the gold 
 fever broke out in 1850 he joined the throng of 
 fortune seekers, and with an ox-team crossed the 
 plains to tlie Fldoiado on the Pacific coast. He 
 followed mining successfully until 1852, when he 
 returned to the States, buying cattle in Iowa and 
 Missouri and driving them on east of the Missis- 
 sippi, where their sale proved a fair speculation. 
 He made a second trip to California, going via 
 Panama and walking across the isthmus. On his 
 return, in 1851t, he came by the way of Nicaragua, 
 New Orleans and up the Mississippi River. 
 
 Mr. Wilson established himself in the grocery 
 business after his return to Pcoria.continuing in that 
 line of trade two j'ears and then entering the cattle 
 business, buying extensively from the lieiul waters 
 of the Missouri, south to Texas, He now his a cattle 
 ranch in New Mexico, which has been eslal)lished
 
 214 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 alioiil fourteen 3'efii's, :iiid in tl:e nianasjenient of 
 whicli a Mr. Holcomb is associated with tiim. He 
 has rniseil, bought and sold cattle, liavini!; a varied 
 ixperience in lliis business as well as in other oc- 
 cupations. He feeds as high as seven thousand 
 head per year. He is a member of the corporation 
 running tlie Hamburg Distillery at Pekin. of whicli 
 lie was for a luimber of 3'ears President. Tiic es- 
 tildishment has a capacity of twentj-flve hundred 
 bushels. The wholesale grocery business in which 
 Mr. Wilson is interested was entered upon by him 
 in 1885, in connection with C. E. Hale, who sub- 
 sequently removed to Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 An interesting event in the life of our subject 
 was the occasion of his marriage, June 5, 1855. 
 1 1 is bride was Miss Emily J., daughter of Samuel 
 Woudi'uff. a lady of refinement and womanly ac- 
 complislimeuts that merit and win regard. Seven 
 children have been born to the happy couiile. Two 
 of their ofTspriug, Cora and Alfred, died in child- 
 hood. The living are Arthur W. ; Everett W., 
 wlio is in Pekin with the Hamburg Distillery; 
 Charles S., also in that place; John A., a travel- 
 ing salesman for the grocery house; and Freder- 
 ick L., who remains at home. 
 
 The political affiliation of Mr. Wilson is with 
 the Republican party. As a citizen he is reliable 
 and pul)lic spirited; as husband, father and neigh- 
 bor, kindly and cordial; and as a business man 
 honorable, enterprising and judicious. 
 
 ^Jin^Hf 
 
 S>ERION RR08. These agreeable, hospitable 
 gentlemen rank among the successful farm- 
 ers of Trivoli Township, where they oper- 
 (@/ ate an estate consisting of one hundred and 
 sixty acres on section 29, and forty acres of timber. 
 They are engaged in farming and stock-raising, 
 making a specialty of the latter, to which tbey 
 have devoted more and more attention each year 
 since they took possession of the farm. They raise 
 from one hundred to one humlred and fifty head 
 of hogs of good grades, have twenty to thirt}' head 
 of road horses, and are the happy possessors of the 
 finest driving team in the township. This span is 
 
 of Morgan and Flying Cloud, and of Morgan Clay 
 blood. Their younger brother, John, who lives 
 with them, owns Eureka, an Abdallah and Morgan 
 stallion, whose record is 2:40. 
 
 The Yerion line is of French and German origin, 
 the remote ancestors of our subjects having been 
 residents in Alsace. Their grandfather, William 
 Yerion, a native of Pennsylvania, accompanied a 
 colon}- to Virginia, where he was engaged in farm 
 ing and distilling. About 1840. he came West, 
 located on raw land near Brunswick, 111. .and improv- 
 ing one hundred and sixty acres, resided thereon 
 until 1855. He then sold, bought another tract of 
 raw land in the vicinity of El Paso, farmed there 
 some five j'cars and then moved into the village. 
 Later he became a resilient of Iiloominglon, pass- 
 ing his last days there an<l dying in 1885, at the 
 age of eighty-four years. 
 
 Among the members of the family of Grandfather 
 Yerion was a son. William, who was born in Vir- 
 ginia, but became a resident of the Prairie State in 
 early boyliood. His first emplo^'raent away from 
 home was driving a team when the Illinois Central 
 Railroad was being built through Woodford 
 County. lie next bought forty acres of land in 
 that county, improved and resided upon it until 
 1881, when he took up his abode in Farmington, 
 Fulton County. There he spent the remnant of his 
 days, dying in 1885, in his fifty sixth year. He 
 was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church and during the last thirteen years of his life 
 a local minister. He was a strong Democrat in 
 politics, a self-made man in finances, and an honored 
 citizen. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of our subjects was 
 George Patten, who was born in Ireland and brought 
 to America li}' his parents wdien eight years old. 
 The family settled in West Virginia, whence Grand- 
 father Patten removed to jNIcLean Count}', III. .and 
 later to Buchanan County. Mo. He was of the 
 Protestant religion. His occupation was that of a 
 farmer. His daughter Catherine, became the wife 
 of William Yerion, Jr., sharing his joys and sor- 
 rows until 1878, when she entered into rest. Like 
 her husband, she was an hf)nored member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. She was the mother 
 of five children, four of whom arc living in Tri-
 
 Judge Charles Ballance.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 217 
 
 voli Township. Tliese are, Adclia F., Alva A., 
 George W. and .folin D. The fourtli child. Joseph 
 R., is engaged in tlie grocery business in Farming- 
 ton. Fulton County. 
 
 Alva A. Yerion w.is horn in El Paso Township, 
 Woodford Counts', November 1, 1857, and iiis 
 brother, George W., February 3, 1 860. Tlieircliihl- 
 liood was spent on the farm, their time being di- 
 vided between home duties and attendance at the 
 common schools, which were in session only dur- 
 ing the winter montlis. In 1880 tiiej' came to Tri- 
 voli Township, Alva being in the e_mplo3- of D. B. 
 Stookey four years, and George working at various 
 places until 1884, wlien they formed tlie present 
 partnership, renting the land from their stepmother. 
 Tliey began business with a capital of ^700, engag- 
 ing in farming, raising grain principally, and as 
 fast as possible turning their attention toward stock. 
 A" before stated, tliey are successful in the em- 
 ployment thoy have chosen, and as Lhey are still 
 comparatively young, are likely to become the 
 possessors of a comfortable fortune b}' the lime 
 tliey have reached middle age. 
 
 The elder of our subjects is unmarried, but 
 George W. took a wife January 10, 1889. This 
 was Miss Lucy, daughter of William H. and Re- 
 becca (Dunn) Meeker of this township, whose fam- 
 ily history will be found elsewhere in this work. 
 Mrs. Verion was reared in this township, educated 
 in its schooLs and Stted for usefulness in her sphere. 
 She is the mother of one child — Cena. She and her 
 Inisband are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Concord. Both the Yerion brothers are 
 IJemoerats; Alva has been delegate to count}' con- 
 ventions and is now Constable. 
 
 «. : ;g^J^j^j>^: : . 
 
 !W ^^- (^'HARLES BALLANCE. The record 
 of the life of Mr. Ballance is an interesting 
 one; it is a record of energy, of persever- 
 ance in the face of difficulties, and of final 
 success. Through the long period of his life of 
 more than three-score and ten years, he retained 
 his enter[)rise of disposition, his cheerfulness and 
 his belief in human nature. As a member of the 
 
 bar he was quick in decision and prompt in execu- 
 tion; he saw at a glance the diflicult jwinl in any 
 case, and as readily pursued the means that must 
 be used to gain success. His portrait, which is 
 presented in connection with this account of his 
 life, will be welcomed by the many friends to 
 whom a long acquaiutaiicc had endeared him. 
 
 Tracing the ancestry of our subject, we find that 
 he was descended from an ancient familj', who re- 
 sided in Durham, England, and some of, whom ini- 
 migr.atcd to Virginia more than two centuries ago. 
 The grandfather, bearing the same name as he of 
 whom we write, was a Revolutionarj' soldier and 
 was killed during that famous conflict. Our subject 
 was a son of Willis and Rejoice (Green) Ballance, 
 natives of Culpeper County, Va., and during their 
 residence in Madison Countj', Ky., their son Charles 
 was born November 10, 1800. His boyhood days 
 were passed in Kentucky, and ambitious to obtain 
 an education, he did whatever he could to procure 
 the means, p" 1 for several years engaged in teach- 
 ing. He subsequently read law in Harrodsburg 
 with Judge Terrj' T. Hoggin, and v^s admitted to 
 the bar when about tsventy-nine or thirt}' years of 
 age. 
 
 Entering upon the practice of his profession in 
 Kentucky, Judge Ballance continued there two or 
 three 3'ears, and then, coming to Illinois opened an 
 office in Peoria in 1832, and there he was engaged 
 in active professional work until the time of his 
 death. His legal ability was of a superior order 
 and in all questions regarding the land laws and 
 rights of propert3'-holders he had no equal and was 
 famous as a laud-title Iaw3'er. During those early 
 daj's the settlers of Peoria were much troubled to 
 secure titles to their lands, on account of the 
 "French claims," and with unfaltering faith and true 
 courage he took up the battle in their beha.lf, 
 against these old claims. He waged a long and bit- 
 ter warfare against the French claimants, and at 
 last secured to the rightful owners the peaceful 
 possession of their property. He had in early 
 times purchased a large tract of land in the lower 
 end of the city, where some of those French claims 
 rested and as a result of his litigations, gained a 
 clear title to them, and their possession added 
 much to his wealtli. Besides attending to the inter-
 
 218 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ests of bis large clientage, Mr. Baliance published 
 a histor\- of Peoria, a hook of two liuiiflred and 
 sevcnlj- pages, this being the last work of his life 
 and appearing in 1870. 
 
 His fellow-citizens oecasionallj- called Mr. Bal- 
 iance to devote some of his energy and valuable 
 time to aiding in the administration of public 
 affairs, and thus in 1852, he was Alderman of the 
 citj- from the First Ward, and in 1855, served very 
 acceptably as Mayor of the city. He passed from 
 the busy scenes of earth August 10, 1871, and thus 
 was rounded out and finished an eventful life that 
 was closely associated with the rise and progress 
 of the city and county. His death caused a gen- 
 eral feeling of regret throughout this section of 
 Illinois, where he was so well known and where his 
 ability and the strict integrity of his character 
 made hini respected and esteemed by the entire 
 comraunit}'. Mr. Baliance took a livel3" interest 
 in politics aud supported the Whig party so long 
 as it existed, and on the organization of the Re- 
 publican party he became one of its strongest sup- 
 porters. 
 
 During the Civil War Judge Baliance was a 
 stanch Union man, and raised, largely at his own 
 expense, the .Seventy-seventh Regiment. Illinois 
 Infantrv. of which he was ejected Colonel. On ac- 
 count of his advanced age he resigned before the 
 regiment was ordered to the front. His son-in law. 
 L3'sander R. Webb, w.is elected LieutenaiU-Colonel 
 of the Seventy-seventh Regiment and participated 
 in all the battles in which they took jiart. While 
 gallantly leading the men he was killed in the dis- 
 astrous Red River Expedition. His share in the 
 success of the Union was no inconsiderable one and 
 his name is held in grateful remembrance by the 
 people of Peoria and the citizens of Illinois, where- 
 ever patriotism is known. 
 
 The wife of our subject, to whom he was in- 
 debted for a happj' wedded life and the comforts of 
 a well-appointed home, survives him. She occu- 
 pies an elegant residence at No. 212 Randolph 
 Avenue, and in this beautiful home is quietly pass- 
 ing the declining years of a well-spent life. She is 
 a true Christian and a member of the Second Pres- 
 byterian Church, in whose good work she has long 
 1 ten active. She bore the maiden name of Julia 
 
 Schnebly, and was born in' Maryland, July 13, 
 1816. Her parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Suavely) 
 Schnebly. were natives of Washington County, 
 Md., where her father carried on farming exclu- 
 sively-. Concluding that slavery was wrong he 
 came West in the fall of 1835, and settled among 
 the pioneers of Peoria County-, where he died in 
 1852. He had been a Whig .all his life and in the 
 days of the incipiency of the Republican party be- 
 fore Us org.inization, he was at loss to know where 
 he belonged, and asked Mr. Baliance. "Where do I. 
 amidst the confusion, belong?" 
 
 The wedding of our subject and his estimable 
 wife was celebrated March 24, 1 836. They reared 
 nine children, of whom the following six are liv- 
 ing: Mrs. Daniel N. Bash, wife of Maj. Bash, of 
 the regular army; Mrs. James M. Rice, wife of an 
 attorney- in Peoria: Charles, now living in Omaha; 
 Willis H., is one of the owners and Secretary of 
 Gipps Brewery Company; Mary B.. wife of H. O. 
 Collins, an attorney of Los Angeles, Cal.;.John G., 
 First Lieutenant of Twenty-second Infantry, 
 United States Army, now stationed at Ft. Keogh, 
 Mont. The deceased are Josephine R., first wife of 
 Daniel N. Bash; Julia, former wife of Leslie Robi- 
 son. and Amv. former wife of William S. Brackett. 
 
 lU 
 
 NSLOW S. STEVENS. The agricultural 
 interests of this county have received an 
 
 added impulse within the last decade from 
 its native-born sons, who have come forward to aid 
 in the work so well begun by their pioneer sires in 
 developing and advancing the rich resources of 
 this region. Among these, the gentleman whose 
 name heads this sketch is deserving of notice. He 
 has a farm in Trivoli Township that is complete 
 in all its appointments, and ranks among the best 
 estates in the vicinity. 
 
 Trivoli Township is the birthplace of our sub- 
 ject, and here he was born on his father's home- 
 stead, June 6. 1856. He is a son of Joseph F. 
 Stevens, who was born near Danbury, Conn., in 
 1814. His father, Zadock Stevens, was also a native
 
 PORTKArr A>'!) UIOItRAPHICAL ALliUM. 
 
 219 
 
 of tlial New England State. He was a n»a^<^n nnd 
 also cai rierl on farming to some extent, lieing the 
 owner of a small farm. His clays were passed amid 
 the rural scenes of his native place. He married 
 Maiy Ann Wliite. who traced her ancestry back to 
 the pilgrims of the "Mayflower." 
 
 Joseph Stevens had a farm in Connecticut, and 
 w.as engaged m agricultural pursuits there for sev- 
 eral years. In 1840, he came here with his father 
 and hrother Zadock and took a contract to build the 
 jail in Knoxville, and retuii.ed home the same fall. 
 While here he bought a tract of laiul in Trivoli 
 Township, and in 1844 he came by stage and water 
 and located on his i)lace, which comprised eighty 
 acres of hind in a wild condition. He added to his 
 land from time to time and now has one hundred 
 and twenty acres on seelions 3 and 4, besides the 
 original eighty forming bis homestead, on which he 
 resides with his son Zadock. He has attained the 
 venerable age of seventy-dve years, and was very 
 active until 1887, when he had a stroke of paraly- 
 sis. He has borne a prominent part in the public 
 and political life of the township, holding respon- 
 sible offices, vvas Supervisor tiu'ce years. Collector 
 the same length of time and Assessor two years. 
 Religiously, he is a believer in the Universaiist 
 faith. Politically, he stands stanchly by the Dem- 
 ocratic part\-. His wife, who is about sixty-five 
 years old, is his stay and comfort in his old age. 
 Her maiden name was Sallie Rice and she was born 
 near Louisville, K}'. Her father was also a native 
 of that State. He crossed the river into Indiana, 
 and after living there three years came to this State, 
 settled in Knox County near Henderson, where he 
 improved a farm, ami on it made his home until 
 death. 
 
 The parents of our subject had eight children, 
 named as follows: Plxjcbe, Mrs. JNIeeker, of Pawnee 
 County, Neb. ; ]Mar}-, who died here; Zadock, living 
 on the homestead ; Alonzo, who died at the age of 
 two years; Onslow; Ella. Mrs. Davis, of Pawnee 
 County; Eiiinia. Mrs. Bradley, who lives in Dan- 
 bury, Conn., near the ancestral home; Eva, at home 
 with her |)arents. 
 
 Onslow S. Stevens was given good educational 
 advantages in the public schov)ls and in two years' 
 allentlance at the High School. As in the case of 
 
 most farmers' lads, his services were early required 
 on the farm, and he remained at home until he was 
 Iwentj'-five, affording his father valuable assistance 
 in the management of his agricultural interests. 
 At that age he went to Nebraska to secure one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of land in Pawnee County, 
 performing the entire journey thither with a team 
 and wagon. He made some improvements on his 
 homestead, which was four miles east of Pawnee 
 City, and had some breaking done, and the next 
 year exchanged it with his brother for the one 
 hundred and sixty he now owns and occupies. Fie 
 located on it and engaged in general farming and 
 stock-raising, and constantly improved the i)lace. 
 His wife's health became impaired and in the fall 
 of 1888 besought to improve her condition by 
 traveling through Iowa and Kansas. On his return 
 in the fall of the year he bought twenty acres of 
 land on section 3. The land had become impover- 
 ished and the buildings dilapidated, but by vigor- 
 ous work he has restored the place and brought 
 about a new order of things. In 1889 he put up 
 his present residence, and added other necessarv 
 new buildings. His farm comprises one hundred 
 and eighty acres, including the original homestead 
 located on sections 3 and 4, is well watered bj' 
 Clark's Branch, and forty .acres of it are devoted 
 to pasture, and he rents all but sixty acres. He 
 is actively engaged in raising hogs and in feeding 
 them, his preference being the Chester-White breed. 
 He has good draft horses and his place is otherwise 
 well stocked. 
 
 The wedding ceremony that united our subject 
 with Miss Hattie Orton. was performed in Trivoli 
 Township, March 3, 1881. One child, whom they 
 have named Maud, completes their happy house- 
 hold. Mrs. Stevens is a native of this State, her 
 birthplace being in Henry County. Her father, 
 Brenard Orton, came to Trivoli Township with his 
 parents when a boy, they being among the earlv 
 pioneers of the place. He married here and subse- 
 quently engaged in farming in Henry Count3\ He 
 finally returned to Peoria and from here wient to 
 Barber County, Kan., where he lives in honorable 
 retirement with his son. 
 
 Mr. Stevens is gifted with physical and intellect- 
 ual activity, decision of purpose and calm jud"--
 
 220 
 
 POUTHAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ment, which traits are not onl}' useful to him in the 
 conduct of his affairs, but render him a most desir- 
 able public official, and in him Trivoli Township 
 has one of its most efficient Highwaj- Commission- 
 ers. He is serving his second year in this important 
 office, and is Treasurer of the Board. In his polit- 
 ical belief he is a Democrat. He has served on the 
 Grand and Petit Juries. He belongs to the Ma- 
 sonic fraternit}-. being a member of Lodge No. 192, 
 at Farmington. 
 
 
 ^AMES H. BUCHANAN, one of the most 
 ' popular j'oung farmers of Trivoli Township, 
 is pleasantly located a mile from Cramer, his 
 snug farm comprising eighty acres on sec- 
 tion 17, where he has made various improvements 
 such as might be expected of an enterprising and 
 successful agriculturist. When he took possession 
 of the place it was somewliat improved, but the 
 dsvelling was destroyed by fire in 1884. The same 
 summer he put up a nevv one, soon adding a barn 
 and other buildings, setting out orchards and 
 groves, and bringing the land to a fine state of im- 
 provement and cultivation. The farm is outlined 
 and divided by hedges and l)oard fences of stabilit}- 
 and neatness. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan is of Pennsylvania birth and an- 
 tecedents, belonging to a family of whom further 
 facts ma}- be learned by perusal of the sketch of 
 his father, Alexander Buchanan, which is included 
 in this Album. He was born near Cougruity, 
 Westmoreland County, March 9, 1856, his father 
 at tliat time being a merchant in the town where 
 our subject remained until nine years old. He then 
 went to Murrysville with his parents, living there 
 about five years. He attended the common schools 
 and finally entered the Turtle Creek Academy, 
 afterward the Laird Institute, pursuing his studies 
 there one term before removing from the State. His 
 boyisli games were frequently enjoyed over the 
 ground now occupied by the Murrysville gas wells. 
 
 Ill 1867 the family came to Illinois, traveling by 
 rail to Farmington and locating on a farm in this 
 county. There our subject bore a part in farm 
 
 work during llie summers, spending the winters in 
 scliool until lie was seventeen jears old, when he 
 entered the High School at Farmington, studying 
 there six months. The following winter lie en- 
 gaged in teaching in Timber Township, but one 
 term was sufficient, and determining that pedagogi- 
 cal labor was not his forte, he returned to his 
 father's farm. From that time until the spring of 
 1881 he stayed there, helping to pay for tlie ijjace 
 and develop its resources to the fullest extent. 
 
 An important step in the life of Mr. Buchanan 
 was taken September 1, 1880, when he became the 
 husband of Miss Elizabeth J. Shofe, their marriage 
 rites taking place in Peoria. The bride was born 
 •on Delevan Prairie, Tazewell County, November 7, 
 1856, has spent her time in that and Peoria Coun- 
 ties, much of the .time in Pekin and Peoria, having 
 the advantage of the excellent common schools 
 until twelve years old when she began to make her 
 own way. .She learned the tiade of a dressmaker 
 in Pekin and worked at it in that place until the 
 confinement proved injurious and she was recom- 
 mended to undertake the more healthful occupation 
 of housekeeping. She is refined in manner, dis- 
 pla3'S a decided taste for the beautiful in nature 
 and art, and is as highly esteemed for her virtues 
 as any lady iu the neighborhood. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan located on their 
 present estate, where the}- now have so attractive a 
 home. The husband is busied with general farm- 
 ing, his principal crop being corn, and feeds much 
 of the produce to hogs, of which he raises full- 
 blooded Poland-Chinas. His drove comprises from 
 fifty to ninety head, and he likewise has full- 
 blooded Short-horn cattle, draft horses and road- 
 sters of excellent qualit}'. The equines are of 
 Fairy Gift and graded Clydesdale stock. The 
 dwelling is brightened by the presence of two in- 
 teresting children: Harry D. and Russell S. 
 
 Mrs. Buchanan belongs to the Presbyterian 
 Church, which her husband attends and supports. 
 He is a Republican, stanch and true. He has served 
 as School Director and in other ways assisted in 
 the better civilization snd material advancement 
 of this section. His intellect is naturallj^ keen, his 
 manners pleasing, and his character is such as to 
 win respect. No man takes greater interest in the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 221 
 
 public welfare than he, and none enjoy more of the 
 friendslup of tliosc wlio know llieni. At one lime 
 he was the e.indulate for Township Clerk on the 
 ticket of tlie party tliat is in the minority licre, yet 
 he came within fifteen votes of securing the 
 election. 
 
 The fatlier of Mrs. Buchanan was horn in tiie 
 Buckeye State and learned tlie trade of a coo|)e!-, 
 following it there for a number of years. In the 
 '40s he came to Illinois, first locating in Tazewell 
 County, then coming to Penria County, and work- 
 ing at his trade in Pekin and Peoria alternatel}'. 
 lie now owns a home in the county seat, which has 
 been his ciiief residence for j-ears. For a time he 
 was eng.aged in farming in Timber Township. He 
 was a soldier throughout the ^Mexican War, and in 
 1861 enlisted in Company G, Forty-seventh Illinois 
 Infantry, serving three years in the Union army, 
 lie had the rank of Sergeant, participating with 
 the regiment in various battles until taken sick, 
 after which he was placed in ihe Invalid Corps at 
 St. Louis as an officer. He belongs to the Society 
 of Mexican War Veterans, to the Republican party, 
 and to the Methodist. Kpiscopal Churcli. 
 
 The mother of Mrs. Buchanan was Lucinda 
 Staples, a daughter of .bisiah Staples, an Indiana 
 farmer, that State having been her birl,hplace. Her 
 father made an early settlement in Washington, 
 Tazewell County, this State, finally dying there. 
 Mrs. Lucinda Shofe died in Timber Townshiii, tliis 
 count}-, in 1805, and her husband afterward mar- 
 ried Rohema Robbins. Mrs. Buchanan is one of 
 four cliildren. Her elder broliiei-, John, left Peoria 
 in 1S8G and has not since been heard from; Josiah 
 S. lives in Trivoli Township; Mrs. Mary K. Cole 
 lives in Peoria. 
 
 \|^UGENE F. BALDWIN, a well-known news- 
 mi paper man of Peoria and one of the propri- 
 / l ^~' ^ ' etors of the Grand (Jpera House, was born 
 in Watertown. Litchfield County, Conn., December 
 1. 1840. His parents, Stephen and Julia (Pardee) 
 Baldwin, were early settlers of that section but na- 
 tives of the State. The fatlier was a deacon of the 
 
 Presbyterian Church about sixty years. He died 
 in Peoria at the home of our snhjoct when eiglity- 
 two years old. Stephen Baldwin first came West 
 in 1818, locating at Shawneetown, this State, thence 
 going to New Orleans where he sojourned a twelve- 
 month, tlienee returning to Connecticut. The 
 famil}- came West again in 1855, making their home 
 in Wisconsin until 18(;() when they removed to Ill- 
 inois. From that time until 1877 when he came 
 to live with his son, Stephen Baldwin resided in 
 various places. 
 
 The gentleman whose name initiates this notice 
 spent the days of his bo3hood in AVestern New 
 York, whence at the age of fifteen he departed to 
 Wisconsin, spending his time principally in Mil- 
 waukee until about twenty 3-ears of age. In 1800 
 he taught school in Clinton County, III., after 
 which he attended tlie Normal University a twelve- 
 month. Thoroughly patriotic, the Civil War had 
 not long been in progress ere he took arms in de- 
 fense of the flag, being enrolled September 17, 18G I , 
 in Company B, Twelfth Indiana Infantrj'. Being 
 discharged a year later he resumed the profession 
 of teaching at Chillicothc, Peoria County, 111., but 
 in a short time removed to Peoria where in 1803 
 he was appointee! Principal of the old First Dis- 
 trict school. The same year lie entered the news- 
 paper business as local editor of the Tmimcript. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Baldwin liouglit the El Paso ./o»/virt/ 
 which he carried on eleven months, then started 
 the Peoria ]ici!ti'ii\ coiiLinuiug that publication un- 
 til 1872. His next enterprise was to edit the 
 Rock Island Union for the short period of three 
 months, after which he returned to Kl Paso, bought 
 back the Journal and personally conducted it un- 
 til 1873. He then formed a business connection 
 with Jacob B. Barnes and together they continued 
 the publication of tlie Journal until 1877. In 
 September of that j'car they returned to I'eoria, 
 soon afterward starting the daily edition of the 
 Journal, which has a large circulation, is a recog- 
 nized power in the journalistic work of Peoria 
 and vicinity', and as a shrewd, newsy sheet com- 
 m,ands the attention of visitors to the city. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin possesses recognized literary ability, 
 keen judgment regarding char.acter, and is able 
 to make cfifective use of logic or sarcasm as occa-
 
 222 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 sion seems to him lo demand. In 1»81 be began 
 the construction of the Grand Opera House wliich 
 being completed liie following jear affords favor- 
 able quarters for the Journal. 
 
 The wife of Mr. Baldwin is a lad^' of acknowl- 
 edged intelligence and refinement, possessed like- 
 wise of the shrewdness and energy characteristics 
 of those born in New England. .She was known 
 iu lier maidenhood as Miss .Sarah Jane Gove. Mv. 
 and Mrs. Baldwin have three living children — 
 Ethel, Frank and ^lildred, and have lost one. 
 Their wedded life has covered a period of almost 
 a quarter of a ceutur}', the date of their marriage, 
 being April 23, 1866. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 ^^EORGE F. EMERSON. One of the prom- 
 Ill ,_-, inent wholesale establishments of Peoria 
 ^^^ is that of Curamings & Emerson, dealers 
 in heav}' hardware, wagon and carriage stock, 
 with a large trade in this .State and Iowa. Af- 
 ter acting as book-keeper for the firm of Cum- 
 mings & Stone one j'ear, ^Ir. Cnmmings succeeded 
 and our subject continued with him three 3'ears as 
 book-keeper. In 1872 he purchased an interest in 
 the business and since that time has been adding 
 his ability and energy and since January, 1878, 
 the date of his partner's death he has had exclusive 
 control. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write is a son of 
 Enoch G. and Harriet V. (Waters) Emerson, of 
 New England. The father was horn in Rochester, 
 Vt. and the mother in Lebanon, N. H. Enoch 
 Emerson had been obliged to shift for himself ] 
 fvvm boyhood, his father having died when he w.as ' 
 four jears old. He learned the tanner's trade in 
 Boston, but after coming AVest devoted himself to 
 farming for many 3'ears. He took up his residence 
 ill Tazewell Count}' in 1831, remaining there until ' 
 March 18()."), when he removed to Peoria and en- 
 tered the paper trade and the manufacturing of 
 paper collars. His business was burned out in 
 1SG8. He breathed his last Christmas day, 1874, 
 at the age of si.xty-two years. The parental house- 
 hdld consisted of seven children, of whom the sur- 
 
 vivors are: George F., Don Carlos and Achsah, 
 all living in Peoria. 
 
 George F. Emerson w.as born at Morton, Taze- 
 well County, April 4, 1847. His fundamental ed- 
 ucation was obtained in the district schools and 
 he further prepared himself for the practical du- 
 ties of life bv studying at AVorlhiugton ife War- 
 ner's Commercial College, from which he was grad- 
 uated in 186.5. He became assistant book-keeper 
 for D. .C. Farrell, subsequent!}' book-keeper for 
 Bohbcfe McClellan, and finally entered the estab- 
 lishment in which he now has an interest. He is 
 well fitted for a successful business career, having 
 inherited much of the shrewdness which charac- 
 terizes the Yankee race and combining with it the 
 energj' of the Westerner. 
 
 Mr. Emerson was united iu marriage November 
 7. 1871, to Miss Harriet C. .daughter of Nelson S. 
 and Mary (Monroe) Woodruff. The living chil- 
 dren of this union are a son and daughter — Frank 
 and Grace bj' name. Mr. Emerson belongs to the 
 Calvary Presbj'terian Church, is a popular and re- 
 spected member in the society in which he moves, 
 and has an excellent reputation among the business 
 men for his honorable dealing and financial tact. 
 
 OAPOLEON DUNLAP. The son of a pioneer 
 / family, and a jiioneer himself, "Sir. Dunlap 
 ; occupies an honorable position among the 
 
 farmers and stock-growers of thiscount}', who have 
 been instrumental in developing its agricultural in- 
 terests, and have been such potent factors in plac- 
 ing it on a sound financial basis, as one of the 
 wealthiest counties in the State of Illinois. He is 
 the proprietor of a finely improved farm on section 
 3, Radnor Township, where many years of his life 
 have been passed. 
 
 Our subject is a son of Smith Dunlap. who was 
 born near Can.ajoharie, Montgomer}' County, N. Y., 
 and his mother, Eleanor Lane, was also a native of 
 that county. In 1838 they came to this State, and 
 located among the pioneers of Radnor Townshi|), 
 and here passed their remaining da3's. Mr. Dun- 
 lap became one nf our most suhslantial citizens,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 223 
 
 and for manj' years abl3- discharged tlie duties of 
 tlie office of Justice of the Peace. 
 
 Our subject was the youngest of a family of five 
 sons and five daughters, and lie was born on the 
 parental homestead, in the town of Sandy Creek, 
 Oswego County, N. Y., August 31, 1823. He was 
 a bright, self-reliant lad of fourteen or fifteen years 
 when he accompanied his father and mother to 
 their new pioneer home in this township, where he 
 has since lived. He earlj- acquired a sound prac- 
 tical knowledge of farming, and when he attained 
 man's estate, adopted that calling for his lifework. 
 He now owns oue hundred and eighty acres of finely 
 tilled land, on which he has erected a conveniently 
 arranged set of buildings, and has otherwise greatly 
 improved, and increased the value of his property'. 
 
 April 22, 1848, was the date of the marriage of 
 Mr. Dunlap with Miss Eliza Robinson, their mar- 
 riage being solemnized in Trivoli Township. Mrs. 
 Dunlap's parents, George and Maria (Gaylor) Rob- 
 inson, natives respectively of New Lisbon, Otsego 
 County, N. Y., and of Connecticut, were early pio- 
 neers of this county, coming here in the month of 
 June, 1836, and passing their remaining days in 
 Trivoli Township. They had six sons and six 
 daughters, of whom Mrs. Dunlap was tiie fourth in 
 order of birth, and siie was born in New Lisbon, 
 N. Y., January 2, 1829. 
 
 Our subject and his wife arc the parents of ten 
 children, namely: George, a clergyman in the Pres- 
 byterian Church, and at present settled in La Salle 
 County', who married Miss Sarah A. Hervey ; Eme- 
 line, wife of Harvey Comp; Thomas, who died in 
 infancy; Harriet M., wife of George V. Yates; 
 Franklin; Walter, who died at the age of seven 
 years; Flora, wife of James E. Watson; Ellen E., 
 who died when about two j'earsold; Leslie S., and 
 Stella R. 
 
 Mr. Dunlap occupies an important place in the 
 citizenship of the county. He has represented the 
 township on the County Board of Supervisors one 
 term, has been Highway Commissioner for several 
 years, and has held various school offices. He is a 
 man of fine character and a blameless life, and hold- 
 ing serious and earnest views on all the importnnt 
 questions of the d.ay,' he is ever found firmly advo- 
 cating the right. He is a Prohibitionist in princi- 
 
 ple, but acts independently in politics. He and his 
 wife, who is a woman of rare intelligence, and is 
 highly spoken of on all .sides, are among the most 
 valued members of the Presbyterian Church, and 
 the lives that they lead testify to their Christian 
 worth. 
 
 - o<r>o . 
 
 <T/ OHN JACKSON. Among those old settlers 
 in Peoria County whose life labors liave re- 
 sulted satisfactorily and enabled them to 
 ,5^^/' retire from active duties with a competence, 
 is the gentleman above named, who resides in Rad- 
 nor Township. His comfortable and pleasant 
 dwelling is situated near the village of Dunlap, 
 surrounded by two hundred imi)roved acres, where 
 waving grain, fruitful orchards, well-kept stock 
 and good farm machiner}- show what manner of a 
 man the owner of the estate is. Neatness and or- 
 der prevail about the home wherein good cheer is 
 abundant and hospitality reigns. 
 
 Our subject is a son of a worthv English couple, 
 Brj'an and Hannah (Jennings) Jackson, who emi- 
 grated from Yorkshire to the United States in 
 1819, settling in Delaware. There the husband 
 and father died in 1829, the wife and mother de- 
 parting this life also in AVilinington. Their family 
 consisted of ten sons and daughters, of whom our 
 subject was the youngest. He was born in York, 
 shire, August 10, i807, and coming to America 
 with his parents lived in Delaware seventeen years. 
 In the meantime he had grown to man's estate, 
 adopted the occupation of farming and already was 
 doing good work in that line of labor. In May, 
 1837, he came to this countj', since which date he 
 has continued to reside in Radnor Township. 
 
 Here Mr. Jackson took up the life of a pioneer, 
 displajing the indomitable energy, cheerful spirit, 
 hospitality and endurance that marked the true 
 frontiersman, and have made the name of pioneer 
 oue honored by all mankind who appreciate the 
 comforts of our later civilization. So much has 
 been told of the surroundings in this county at 
 that period, that it is needless for us to do more 
 than mention the rude log caliius, the distant 
 neighbors, the scarcity of what are called the com-
 
 •224 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 forts of life as regards fooil and clotliing, the de- 
 tails of this picture being readily filled in liy the 
 imagination of the reader. 
 
 Realizing the wortli of a conii)anion, Mr. Jackson 
 wooed and won Mrs. Klizabetli (Jordan) Auckland, 
 daughter of Paul and Rosamond Rose (Graves) 
 Jordan, natives of Lincolnshire, England, in which 
 country they died, and widow of William Auck- 
 land, who breathed his last in Muskingum Count3', 
 Ohio, in 1850. She had five children by her first 
 marriage — Thom;is, Shadrach, Meshach, Elizabeth 
 and Ann Auckland. The wedding of Mr. Jackson 
 and Mrs. Auckland took place February 26, 1852, 
 and has been blessed to them by the birth of six 
 sons and daughters — Lavinia, Caroline M., Dora, 
 John R., Mary J. and Lincoln B. Lavinia is now 
 the wife of Moses Harlan ; Dora, of Charles Wig- 
 ginton; John married Miss Savanna Auckland; 
 Lincoln, Miss Isabella Wood. Mary J. died at the 
 age of tliree years. 
 
 Tlie neighbors of our subject liave reposed con- 
 fidence in him in m.aking him Highway Commis- 
 sioner and electing him to the various school olHces, 
 in every position gaining from him efficient and 
 faitlifid service. He and his wife are active mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, ever striv- 
 ing to carry out in their daily lives the virtues 
 inculcated in Holy Writ, and winning the respect 
 of their acquaintances, over whom they wield an 
 influence toward all that is improving and ele- 
 vating. 
 
 VILLIAM G. BULL. From Colonial days 
 until now, the fondest dream indulged in 
 by thousands of dwellers in the mother 
 country, has been that of crossing the sea and be- 
 coming citizens of tlie United States, where mode- 
 rate finances would secure more of the comforts of 
 life, and better opportunities for educational and 
 social progress than in their native land. This 
 dream has Ijcen realized b}' man^- who liavc become 
 recognized as among our best men. One, now a 
 citizen of Peoria, tells us that in boyhood's golden 
 days he often thought of America as a proper lionie, 
 and now that many years iuive found him in llie 
 
 enjoyment of his desires, he can but think that our 
 skies are a deeper blue, our opportunities infinitely 
 greater, and our possibilities vastly be3-ond those 
 of his native land. Years of prosperity such as 
 ci>uld not have come to him there, have been his 
 lot here, and he has no reason to regret having 
 crossed the hrin3' deep. 
 
 Mr. Bull was born in Oxfordshire, England, Sep- 
 tember 18, 1823, being a son of William and Eliza- 
 beth (Grant) Bull. He learned the trade of a car- 
 penter, and became a contractor, continuing to 
 pursue that business after emigrating to Amer'ca, 
 which he did in 1855. His first location in tlie 
 New World was Akion, Ohio, where he remained 
 but a year ere taking up his abode in the Prairie 
 State. In Peoria he not only continued to contract 
 for the construction of buildings, but made a spe- 
 cialtj- of plaster contracts, and many houses still 
 standing are witnesses to his skill and honor in ful- 
 filling his obligations. He graduall}- drifted into 
 the handling and making of mantels and grates, and 
 in 1870, in connection with John F. King, era- 
 barked regularly in this industry as a specialty. 
 Tlie business relation continued until the present 
 year (1890), when a daughter, Emma E., took 
 charge and continues the business. Even after t;ik- 
 ing up the special work, Mr. Bull cntiniied to 
 make and fill contracts for the erection of buildings 
 and is still thus occupied. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married, first to Miss 
 Anna Adkins, in Oxford, England. The union re- 
 sulted in the birth of four children — I>mma E., 
 Hannah A., Carolina, and Laura Maria. The last 
 two named are deceased. The second wife of our 
 subject was Mrs. Annabel (Cowperthwaite) Adams, 
 of Philadelphia, a lady of Quaker extraction, highly 
 esteemed for her quiet kindliness, amiabilit3-, and 
 general intelligence. This union has been produc- 
 tive of two children, one of whom, George, is now 
 learning his father's trade. The other child, Caro- 
 line F. is deceased. Mrs. Bull at the time of her sec- 
 ond marriage, had one daughter b3^ her former 
 husband, William Adams, named Williamanna 
 Adams, now the wife of Harry E. Sloan, of Peoria. 
 
 Mr. Bull came to Peoria during the Presidential 
 campaign, resulting in the election of Buchanan. 
 .Such a polilical struggle was [jossesscd of iiovelt3-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 227 
 
 to liini, and the liirht of suffrage witL so few re- 
 strictions, gave him new ideas of sovereignty. A 
 study of politics, and a gatliering of impressions 
 made iiini a Republican, and in a quiet, earnest way 
 he has alwaj-s affiliated with the party he first chose. 
 As a citizen, lie is held in the highest esteem, lend- 
 ing a hand to all local improvements calculated to 
 promote the beauty and welfare of Peoria, and 
 quietly, unobtrusively driving his business. He 
 has accumulated properly here, and as he s.ays, 
 '•makes more in three hours here, than he could in 
 England in a week." He is an honored member of 
 the Masonic fraternil}'. 
 
 //^) H-^K^^ES P. KING. Mr. King, whose i 
 (l( trait is shown on the opposite page, ne 
 
 ^^^ little introduction to the citizens of Pe( 
 
 HARLES P. KING. Mr. King, whose por- 
 
 leeds 
 Peoria 
 
 County, as he is numbered among its leading men, 
 :ind has been for a number of years President of 
 the Peoria National Bank. He has held this posi- 
 tion since 1880, at which time the Second National 
 was merged into the present institution, the charter 
 of the Second National expiring. This was suc- 
 ceeded by the banking house of L. Howells & Co., 
 which was organized January 1, 1860, and which 
 succeeded J. P. Hotchkiss & Co., organized in 
 1852. 
 
 The Second National Bank opened its doors for 
 business January 1, 1864, with a capital stock of 
 $•200,000. L. Howells w.as the first President, and 
 he held his position until his death. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Mr. King, who had for some years been 
 the Vice-President, and was one of the original 
 stockholders. When the bank went into liquida- 
 tion it paid r$275,000 to the stockholders. At the 
 time of the reorganization the old officers were re- 
 placed, and the new bank went into operation with 
 a surplus of $40,000. The officers were Charles P. 
 King, President; George McElvain, Vice-Presi- 
 dent; R. A. Culler, Cashier, and C. C. Lyons, As- 
 sistant Cashier. The Directors were Charles P. 
 King, George JIcElvain, C. C. L3-ons, Philip Zell, 
 L. F. Houghton, William .Tack, and N. C. Dougherty, 
 now Superintendent of Scliools. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born l'"('bru:uy 11, 
 
 1817, in the town of Adams, Jefferson County. 
 N. Y., and is a son of Henry and Betsey (Allen) 
 King, who, while Charles P. was an infant, removed 
 into an adjoining township. The father occupied 
 himself as a farmer and cari)enlcr, and Charles P. 
 remained with his parents until approaching his 
 major it}'. 
 
 Leaving his native State in the spring of 18.38, 
 Mr. King came to Peoria. When nineteen years 
 old he had bought his time of his father, paj'ing 
 him the sum of $12.50 per month until becoming 
 his own man. In the meantime he had learned 
 carpentering, and was well fitted b}- the habits of 
 industry to which he had been trained to make his 
 own wa3' in the world. The parents remained resi- 
 dents of Jefferson County until their decease. 
 
 Mr. King followed his trade one year after com- 
 ing to Peoria, then changing his occupation some- 
 what, engaged as second engineer on a steamer ply- 
 ing the Illinois River between Peoria and St. Louis, 
 and he was thus occupied three j'ears. In the 
 meantime he was becoming a prominent citizen, in- 
 teresting himself in local affairs, and after filling 
 other positions of trust and responsibility, was 
 elected, in 1853, a member of the Illinois Legisla- 
 ture, on the Democratic ticket. At the expiration 
 of his term of service he returned to Peoria and 
 engaged as a contractor and builder, also in the 
 engineering department of one of the leading dis- 
 tilleries, and was thus occupied until 1857. That 
 year he associated himself in partnership with the 
 firm of Lightner, Schimpferman <fe Co., which then 
 became the leading distillery company in that sec- 
 tion. Afterward Mr. Schimpferman disposed of 
 his interest in the concern and was succeeded by 
 Mr. Zell. The establishment was known as the Star 
 Distillery, under which title it was successfully 
 operated until 18G6. 
 
 During the above-mentioned year Messrs. King 
 & Leightner withdrew from the distillery, Mr. 
 King becoming interested in the banking business, 
 at which he has since continued. In the meantime 
 he, with others, organized the Savings Bank of Pe- 
 oria, of which he is now one-third owner, and also 
 has an interest in various manufacturing concerns, 
 owning considerable slock therein. He has alw.ays 
 miiiutaincd a warm interest in educational matters.
 
 228 
 
 FOR TRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ami for severiil terms has served as Scliool iJireelor 
 in his district. He represented I'eoria Township in 
 the County Board of Supervisors five or six terms. 
 He east iiis first Presidential vote for Martin Van 
 Buren, the opponent of William Henry Harrison, 
 and uniformly votes the straiglit Democratic ticket. 
 Mr. Kinji- was first married in 1810, to Miss 
 Emily Jacobs, wlio became the motiier of four 
 children, only two of whom are living, both 
 daughters. Ada is the wife of M. Huffman, of 
 (Juincy, this .State; ^lay is the wife of W. H. Benton, 
 of Peoria. Mrs. Emily King departed this life April 
 28, 1888. Mr. King contracted a second marriage 
 in April, 1890, Mrs. Susan S. Clegg becoming his 
 wife. 
 
 ^" 
 
 ^^^^i^- 
 
 -^ 
 
 y^?ILLIAM McLEAN. No resident of Chilli- 
 / cothe. is lietter known in this part of tlie 
 county, than lie whose cognomen initiates 
 this sketch. For years lie was prominently identi- 
 fied with the business and social interests of the 
 place which he saw develop from a hamlet to a 
 thriving little city. Having retired from the ardu- 
 ous duties in which he was long engaged, he is now 
 enjoying all of the comforts and many of the luxu- 
 ries of life in a [jleasant retreat on the corner of 
 Fourth and Beech Streets. His lunne is one of the 
 most comfortable and attractive places within the 
 corporation, the grounds being adorned with beau- 
 tiful Bowers and shade trees, and the dwelling bear- 
 ing equal evidences of neatness and good taste. 
 
 Mr. McLean is a native of Edinlnirgh, Scotland, 
 born June 17, 1816, and the oldest child of Daniel 
 and Ann (Cameron) McLean. His fatlier was of 
 Highland-Scotch parentage, being the son of Will- 
 iam and Margaret (Dewey) ]McLean. who died in 
 Edinburgh when quite old. There Daniel McLean 
 was reared, learned his trade, and lived until thirty- 
 nine years of age, when he closed his eyes in death. 
 His widow, who was also of Highland stock, sur- 
 vived him a number of years, dyina- at the age of 
 fifty-five. Both were of the Presbyterian faith, as 
 were their progenitors. Their family consisted of 
 three sons and two daughters, of whom our subject 
 and a sister, Maria, are the onl}' survivors. The 
 
 sister came to America after her brother, and she 
 also is living in Chillicothe, the widow of James 
 Anderson. 
 
 The sul)je(-t of this sketcli was eleven years old 
 when his father died, and he was thrown upon his 
 own resources for a livelihood. He was bound out 
 for six years to learn the trade of a confectioner, 
 which he followed until he came to Chillicothe. In 
 the winter of 1842 he emigrated to America, mak- 
 ing his first home in St. Louis, Mo., and remaining 
 there until 18o3. He then removed to Peoria 
 County, and putting up a little stock of goods, be- 
 gan selling groceries in Chillicothe. His entire 
 stock did not amount to more than |;700, but from 
 this moderate beginning he has accumulated an 
 abundant fortune. His success has been quite re- 
 markable, his industry and economy, although great, 
 having been equalled by that of many men who 
 have failed to reap the reward he has done. Com- 
 bined with these important qualities has been a 
 business tact which made his labors effectual. He 
 owns a largo amount of fine business property, the 
 McLean l)locks being an ornament to the city. 
 
 Mr. McLean has been active in all that goes to 
 advance the interest of the city, giving liberally of 
 Ins means as well as of his lime and influence. He 
 is public-spirited in the fullest sense of that term, 
 and one of the most influential men in this part of 
 the county. He was one of the first Aldermen un- 
 der the city government. In 1884 he represented 
 the Twenty-sixth District in the State Legislature, 
 having- been elected on the Democratic ticket. He 
 was a member of the Committee on Public Build- 
 ings and (! rounds, that on River and Harbor Im- 
 IMovements, and the Labor and Industrial Commit- 
 tee. He also belonged to the committee whose 
 duty it was to visit the charitable institutions of 
 the State, and in the work of each and all, he took 
 an active part. He introduced bill No. 260, which 
 is an act to protect the public from imposition in 
 relation to iianned and preserved food, and the bill 
 was passed with little opposition. 
 
 For five years Mr. McLean has been a member 
 of the County Board of Supervisors. He is very 
 prominent in the Masonic order, being a Knight 
 Templar. Well informed on many topics, he is 
 especially versed in histoiy, that of his native conn-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 229 
 
 try flowing from his lips with fluency and correct- 
 ness. He lias traveled extensively, visiting many 
 prominent places in Europe, and the scenes and in- 
 cidents of his journe3ing are vividlj' portrayed by 
 liim. One of his pastimes is the construction of 
 typical cities, castles, etc., wliicli handiwork is beau- 
 ful and instructive. The stuniiness of the Scotch 
 character is exemplified in his life, and meets with 
 a corresponding degree of respect from those about 
 him. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. McLean and Miss Margaret 
 Menzies, was celebrated in Edinburgh, Scotland, 
 June 22. 1837. The bride was born in Glasgow, 
 May 22, 1817, but her parents, James and Dorcas 
 (Wilson) Menzies, spent the later years of their life 
 in Edinbiugh. They were active members of the 
 Baptist Church, and carefully reared their off- 
 spring. The mother died at the age of sixty years, 
 and the father wIhmi four-score and three. Mrs. Mc- 
 Lean is the second in a family of twelve children, 
 two (jf whom besides herself, came to America. 
 Tluse were a brother, Robert, now deceased, and a 
 si.sli'i-, Ann, wife of George McMurray deceased, 
 now living in Chillicothe. Mr. and Mrs. McLean 
 are the pai-ents of one child, Dorcas, who married 
 (Icorge P. Lester, a groceryraan in Chillicothe. To 
 this cou|)le have been born three children; Anna, 
 who is still at home; William, a sliijjping clerk in a 
 wliohsale house in Omaha, Neb.; and Edward, 
 wlio is with William Meade, the Chillicothe drug- 
 gist. 
 
 *LI MITCHELL. A stroll through the streets 
 |-«j of the thriving city of Chillicothe will jire- 
 |l — ^ sent to the view manj' business establish- 
 ments, and bring before the mind of the ob- 
 server many (jueries as to the standing of the 
 proprietors in financial circles, and the traits whicli 
 have led to their position. Should inquir3' be 
 made regarding a jewelry establishment located on 
 Second Street, and bearing the name of Eli Mitch- 
 ell, it would be fiunul that it was established in 
 June, 18G2, and from a small beginning a good 
 business was built up. A skillful artisan. Mi'. 
 Mitchell has a particularly good business in re- 
 
 pairing, his reputation being second to none in the 
 city. 
 
 Mr. Mitchell was born in Yorkshire, England, 
 not far from Hallifax, March 22, 1820, being of 
 pure English stock and a member of a family which 
 had been represented in Yorkshire for generations. 
 He grew to maturity in his native shire, learning 
 the trade of a jeweler in Ovcnden, and afterward 
 working as a journeyman. He married Miss Mary 
 Ashworth, who was born and reared in the same 
 part of England as himself, and is of an equally 
 pure English lineage. After the birth of five 
 children, including a pair of twins that died in 
 England, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell determined to seek 
 a home in America, believing that here thej' would 
 secure greater prosperity and better opportunities 
 for their children. 
 
 The couple set sail from Liverpool on the '' Chi- 
 cago "in the latter part of April, 1858, passing 
 four weeks on the broad Atlantic. During this 
 time their j'oungest child died and was buried in 
 the great deep. They landed in New York, and 
 continuing their journey westward via Chicago, 
 located in Chillicothe, 111. Here Mr. Mitchell es- 
 tablished a permanent business, which has grown, 
 by reason of his thorough workmanship and relia- 
 ble dealings, into a flourishing enterprise. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. iSIitchell well represent their race, 
 and have long been known among the bettsr class 
 of citizens, whose lives are spent in quiet useful- 
 ness. Mrs. Mitchell attends the Reformed Episco- 
 pal Church. Mr. Mitchell is a supiK>rter of the 
 Republican party. Four children have been born 
 to the worthy couple since they came to America, 
 but all died young. Their two living children are 
 Anna, wife of Lyman Andrews, a prominent grocery 
 dealer of Chillicothe, and Eli A., now I'ostmaster 
 here, who married Miss Helen Fisher, of this city. 
 
 The father of our subject was David Mitchell, 
 a mechanic and spinner for woolen cloth. He did 
 much work in the mechanical department of the 
 factory in which he was engaged, and was regarded 
 as a skilled workman in both lines of his acquire- 
 ments. He died at the age of fifty-six years, in 
 Elland. in his native shire. His wife survived him 
 and died at the age of sixty-two years. Both were 
 identified with ihe Methodist Church of England.
 
 230 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOC RAPIIICAI. AI.BT'M. 
 
 They were the parents of six children, two of 
 whom died in early life. Edward. Grace and Eliz- 
 abeth are now livinii in Halifax, Yorkshire, our 
 subject being the only one of the family to come 
 to America. His brother is a carpenter, and he 
 and his sisters are m.irried. 
 
 ■+f=^^=€-M- 
 
 Y OSEPH BRODMAN, Superienteudent of the 
 House of Correction at Peoria, is a native 
 of France, his natal daj' having been Xo- 
 vember <S. 1847. He w.as seventeen months 
 old when his parents emigrated to America, enter- 
 ing the United States via New Orleans, and making 
 their first home at Chillicothe, Ohio. Thence they 
 came to Peoria in 1855. where the father breathed 
 his last December 1, 1887, and where the mother 
 still lives. They instilled into their son good 
 principles, a desire for usefulness, and a determi- 
 nation to bear well his part in life; also giving him 
 the best educational .advantages which were possible 
 to them during his early years. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write spent the days 
 of his boj'hood in Peoria, at the age of thirteen 
 beginning an apprenticeship in a furniture house, 
 his chief occupation being chair painting. He 
 worked with the same firm until 1865, when he en- 
 listed in the Union Arm}', but on examination was 
 rejected. He then look up work in a plow manu- 
 factory, where he remained until 1867, when he 
 left the TobeA' & Anderson Plow Works for a po- 
 sition as coach painter on the Toledo, Peoria & 
 Warsaw Railroad. He remained in the employ of 
 the road until 1882, when, without solicitation on 
 his part, he was selected jailor for this couutj-, un- 
 der C. L. Berry, Sheriff. In his official capacity 
 he acted from December 4, 1882, until July 1. 
 1890, when he was chosen Superintendent of the 
 House of Correction. 
 
 The appointment of Mr. Brodman to his present 
 position was due to liis verj' marked ability to con- 
 trol men, no man in the State having a better re- 
 cord as a dealer with criminals. He brings to his 
 new position an experience which has taught him 
 the value of various characteristics in the governor 
 
 anil the governed, and there is no doubt that his 
 control of the institution will redound to his own 
 honor and increase its success in the work for which 
 it w.HS founded. His methods are humane and 
 firm, characterized by strict justice and honesty 
 in the treatment of those under him. The polit- 
 ical affiliation of Mr. Brodman is with the Demo- 
 cratic part}'. He is a live, wide-awake man, well 
 informed on all topics of public interest, thorough- 
 going in whatever he undertakes, and to be relied 
 upon in an emergency. He w.is married October 20. 
 1872, to Fredrika Blumb. They have three sons — 
 Arthur. Elmer and Howard. Mrs. Brodman is a 
 native of Peoria, the daughter of Peter B. and 
 Marie (Kricger) Blumb. They were both natives 
 of Germany, and settled in Peoria in 1833, having 
 driven in a w.agon from Baltimore. Md., to that 
 city. 
 
 — ^>#^ — 
 
 ICHAEL E. ERLER. Among those who 
 //' ^ iV '^*'"b' came to this section of the country 
 111 may be mentioned the subject of this bio- 
 graphical notice, who is the oldest living 
 watchmaker in Peoria. He hiis aceumuLated 
 wealth, is one of the substantial men of the city, 
 and has Iiere a fine residence on Erler Street and 
 other valuable propert}-. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Michael and 
 Christina (Fischer) Erler, natives of Altenburg. 
 (Tcrmanj'. The father was born in 1805 and died 
 in the Fatherland in 1844, ere j'et he had attained 
 tlie meridian of life, he being but tliirt\--nine years 
 old at the time of his demise. The mother w.as 
 born in 1799, came to this eountrj' in 1853, and 
 died in Newburg. Washington County, Wis., in 
 1883, at the venerable age of e-ghtj'-four j'ears. 
 
 Three children were born to ilichael and Chris- 
 tina Erler, of whom our subject and his brother 
 August are the only ones now living. August 
 lives in Newburg, Wis. Michael, of whom we 
 write, was born in the city of Reichstadt, Germany, 
 June 23, 1829. and until he was fourteen years old 
 he attended school in his native town, obtaining a 
 substantial education. At that age he wasappren- 
 tice<l to learn the trade of a watchmaker with
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 231 
 
 Richard Wagner, of Ronneburg, with whom he 
 remained four j'ears, acquiring in the meantime a 
 thorough mastery of the intricacies of his chosen 
 vocation. In his nineteenth year, after si)cnding 
 a year in Zeitz on the completion of liis trjide, he 
 set sail for America, taking pass.Tge at Bremerha- 
 ven on the sliip "Williams." After a voyage of 
 fort}' da\s lie landed safely at New York, where 
 he remained hut a short time. He tlien made his 
 way to I'eoria, and on the 1st of August, 1818, 
 arrived in this cit}-. He soon found oniploynient 
 at his trade, lie being an expert, very skiilful with 
 his tools, and during the ensuing two years was in 
 the employ of Fred Menkens. 
 
 At the expiration of that time Mr. Erler started 
 in business for himself, on Water Street. He was 
 very much prospered, as he applied himself closely 
 to the management of his alTaiis, and in 1870 
 had accumulated a sufficient competency to retire, 
 and did so, disposing of his business to John C. 
 AVoelfe. An idle life did not satisfy our subject, 
 however, and he subsequently entered Mr. 
 Woclfe's employ as watchmaker, that gentleman 
 being glad to avail himself of his services. As be- 
 fore mentioned, he has gathered together a hand- 
 some propert}-. He has a commodious residence, 
 with eleven acres of valuable land, besides several 
 tenement houses and many vacant lots. He is a 
 man of earnest, strong character and intelligent 
 mind, and his honesty and unswerving integrity in 
 all the traiisaction.s of life have gained him a high 
 place in the regard of all who know or associate 
 with him. Of a truly religious nature, he is a firm 
 Swedeuborgian in liis views of the right conduct 
 of life and of the hereafter. He contributes liber- 
 ally to the church, and to all things tending to ad- 
 vance the welfare of the community. In politics, 
 he is with the Republicans. 
 
 Mr. Purler was married in June, 1850, to Miss 
 Laura Leline, whose paients were early pioneers 
 here, and were also natives of Germany, as was 
 Mrs. Erler. The following five of the seven chil- 
 dred born to Mr. ami ;Mrs. Purler are living: Frank, 
 a goldsmith, who is married and resides in Peoria; 
 Max, a wealthy pliotographer of Peoria, is also 
 married; William, foreman of the Damas Keening 
 works at the watch factory in Peoria; Minnie, at 
 
 m 
 
 home with her parents; and Edward, who is en- 
 gaged with his brother Mas in the photograph 
 business. Malvine died in infancy. Bertha mar- 
 ried Philip A. Hensler, and died leaving a son. 
 Max, who is tenderl}- cared for by Mr. and Mrs. 
 Erler. 
 
 f; ESSE Y. FORNEY is classed among the 
 wealthy, liberal and progressive farmers 
 and stock-raisers of Peoria Count)', who 
 havi contributed a large quota towards its 
 material development and i)resent high financial 
 standing. He has for many years been identitied 
 with the extensive agricultural interests of Kicka- 
 poo Township, where he has a large and valuable 
 farm, and has actively aided in the greater part 
 of the growth of the townshi]). 
 
 George Forney, the father of our subject, was 
 born near Hanover, York County, Pa., while his 
 mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Young, 
 was born in that town, and there both she and her 
 husband died. Thej- had a family of six children, 
 of whom our subject was the fourth in order of 
 birth. 
 
 Our subject was born near Hanover, Pa., 'Slay 
 "24, 1822, and there grew to man's estate, making 
 his home in the place of his nativity till his mar- 
 riage. After that important event in his life Mr. 
 Forney came with his bride to Peoria, arriving 
 here May IT, 1852. The}' began their wedded life 
 in Kickapoo Township, of which they have ever 
 since been honored residents. Our subject has 
 given his attention to agricultural pursuits to some 
 purpose and by persistent toil, directed by excel- 
 lent judgment and sound business principles, has 
 accumulated a valuable property. He owns a 
 large farm of four hundred and sixty -seven acres, 
 under fine tillage, and he has erected a neat and 
 well-ordered set of buildings, and everything 
 about the place bears the impress of a master hand 
 and mind. 
 
 In March, 1852, Mr. Forney and Miss Catherine 
 Feeser unit<'d theii lives and fortunes, the cere- 
 mony that made them one being solemnized in 
 York, Pa. Mrs. F'orney is the second child in a
 
 232 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 fsmil}- of four childien of John and Hannah (Sten- 
 ecifer) Feesor, natives of Maryhmd, in vvhich .State 
 she was born October 16, 1824. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Fornej- are tlie parents of six ciiiklren. of wliom 
 tlie following three are living: David married a 
 Miss Cannagahan; Georgia Etta is the wife of 
 James H.Ford; Luta M. is the wife of Cliaries 
 Ford. The names of the deceased children are; 
 Karl, wlio died when about four years old; Luella, 
 who died when about five years old; and Lillie, 
 who died wiieu ten years old. 
 
 For many years a resident of this county, Mr. 
 Forney is weU-known and his character for mor- 
 alitj', true piety, unostentatious character and lib- 
 eral spirit have won him golden opinions on all 
 sides, and no one is more truly respected than lie, 
 his wife sharing in the general esteem in which he 
 is held. His financial standing in the county 
 speaks well for his practical ability as a farmer and 
 stock-raiser of roundabout common sense and 
 acute judgment. In religion he is a Lulheian.and 
 the church of that denomination in Kickapoo finds 
 in him and his wife, two of its most conscientious 
 members and generous supporters. Politically our 
 subject adheres to the Republican party, Qrmly 
 believing its tenets the best calculated to enhance 
 the highest interests of the country wherever tliev 
 are carried out. 
 
 4f-::-i--~ «- 
 
 GEORGE A. WILSON, a native of Illinois 
 , and a son of one of its early pioneer fami- 
 s^^^^^ lies, has, since attaining manhood, taken a 
 conspicuous part in the public, political and social 
 life of this county, and is jironiinent as an attornej- 
 and business man, having an extensive law practice 
 in Peoria, his place of residence, besides being gen- 
 eral agent for the German Fire Insurance Com- 
 pan}% of Illinois, a home company. He is a veteran 
 of the late w;ir, and is deserving of all honor for 
 his patriotic course during those •■limes that tried 
 men's souls." 
 
 Mr. Wilson was born in Tazewell County, three 
 miles from Peoiia. on the parental homestead, De- 
 
 cemlier 9, 1840, being the date of his birth. He is 
 a son of the late J.acob and Erail^' (Donahoe) AVil- 
 son, natives respectivelj- of Tennessee and Ken- 
 tuck}', the mother being of Irish extraction, as her 
 family name indicates. They were married in In- 
 diana, and early in their wedded life, in the prime 
 and vigor of a stalwart manhood and noble woman- 
 hood, sought the wilds of this State to build up for 
 themselves and the children that might come to 
 them, a comfortable home. They located in Taze- 
 well Count}' in 1823, and were among its first set- 
 tlers. In 1824, Mr. Wilson entered a half section 
 of land in Fond du L,ao Township.which is still in his 
 name, and hy careful, patient and unceasing labor 
 made of it a valuable estate, and tor many yeais 
 was .actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, he 
 being a thorough practical farmer, as was his fa- 
 ther before him. At his death September 15, 18C9, 
 Tazewell County was called upon to mourn one of 
 its most faithful and sagacious pioneers, who during 
 a residence there of nearly half a century had 
 borne himself honorably in all the relations of life, 
 and was looked upon with esteem by a large circle 
 of friends and acquaintances. His wife survived 
 him many years, her death finally occurring No- 
 vember 25, 1888. .it an advanced age, and both are 
 now peacefully slee[)ing' in Springdale Cemetery. 
 
 Those worthy people were the parents of eight 
 children, of whom five are now living: Joseph F., 
 a resident of Washington City; George A.; Charles 
 B., Deputy Circuit Clerk of Peoria County; Sarah 
 E. and Mary, residing at No. 710, Jackson Street, 
 Peoria. Joseph was a gallant soldier in the late 
 war. and his name is inscribed on the Roll of Honor. 
 He had his lower jaw shot aw,ay at Ft. Donelson 
 while bravely fighting at the front, and has an arti- 
 ficial jaw. Robert T. w.as a sutler in the army dur- 
 ing the war. and was killed by the guerrillas near 
 Helena on the Mississippi River, seven balls enter- 
 ing his body, killing him instantly. Thomas W. 
 was accidentally killed in Peoria. 
 
 George A.Wilson was reared in agricultural pur- 
 suits, but as he had a natural taste for learning, he 
 preferred entering one of the professions, and was 
 given every advantage to secure a liberal educa- 
 tion. He attended Eureka College three years. and 
 selecting the medical profession as the most desira-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 233 
 
 ble. he became a stmleiit in Dr. Arnold's office at 
 Peoria in 18.53. The breaking out of the war found 
 our subject still pursuing- his medical studies, lie 
 watched the progress of the war with grave interest 
 as the days darkened and matters continually grew 
 more serious, and at length he threw aside all per- 
 sonal aims and ambitions, resolving to offer his ser- 
 vices to the Government, and go out in the ranks 
 to aid in lighting his country's battles, and April, 
 1861, he enlisted in Couipany G, Seventeenth 
 Regiment Illinois Infantry, serving as private and 
 non-commissioned officer until Se[)tember 2, 18G2, 
 when he was appointed First Assistant Surgeon of 
 the Fcnu'teenth Cavalry, which position he retained 
 with honor until April 14, 18G5. The most im- 
 portant engagements in which he took an active 
 part were those of Frederick, JId., Vi. Donelson 
 and Shiloh, and as Surgeon he accompanied his 
 regiment on many a march and raid. While on the 
 Stonenian raid he was taken prisoner, and was in 
 Confederate strongholds at Macon, Ga., and 
 Charleston, S. C, about four months, and w.as fin- 
 ally exchanged the last of October, 1864, and glad 
 was he to breath the air of liberty once more after 
 ills experience of life in rebel dungeons. 
 
 As soon as the war closed Dr. Wilson established 
 himself as a medical practitioner, and was thus en- 
 gaged until he was called to public life in the fall 
 of 1868, when he received the compliment of nomi- 
 nation and election to the important otlice of Cir- 
 cuit Clerk of Peoria County, ut the hands of his 
 Democratic friends. His discharge of the duties 
 devolving upon him in that capacity showed him 
 to have been peculiarly adapted to the position, 
 and he retained the office during a period of eight 
 3'ears. He then abandoned official life for awhile to 
 engage in the practice of law, which he gave up in 
 turn to accept the position offered him by President 
 Cleveland iu 1885, as Collector of Internal Reve- 
 nue for District No. i). He was alert, faithful and 
 capable in that position, and made one of the best 
 officers who had ever held the office. .July 15, 1889, 
 President Harrison, in pursuit of the policy to the 
 "victor belongs the spoils," saw fit to remove Mr. 
 Wilson from the Internal Revenue office and re- 
 place a Republican. He then resumed tlie practice 
 of law, and also accepted the general agency of the 
 
 German Fire Insurance Company of Peoria, 111., a 
 home institution, whose affairs are in a nourishing 
 condition. 
 
 Mr. \Vils(jn and Miss Helen M. Hoskinson were 
 united in marriage February 23, 1867, and they 
 have established in this city one of its most charm- 
 ing homes. Mrs. AV^ilson is a daughter of John L. 
 Hoskinson, a well-known resident of Macomb, Mc- 
 Douough County. 
 
 Mr. Wilson is of a briglit, genial, frank nature, 
 a man of broad outlook, lilieral in his views, and 
 his tact and executive ability have gained him an 
 enviable reputation among the leading men of the 
 (;ity. He is very |)rominent in Democratic circles, 
 and received the nomination by acclamation for 
 Congress, at the convention held August 25, 1890. 
 He is conspicuously identified with the Grand 
 Army of Republic of this city and State, and was 
 Commander of his Post in 1880. 
 
 
 OHN WEAVER, M. D. The Homeopathic 
 school of medicine has an excellent repre- 
 sentative in Chillicothe in the person of the 
 gentleman above named. He is the possessor 
 of a cultured mind, well-bred manners, and a broad 
 knowledge of the principles of therapeutics as 
 understood by the medical school of which he is 
 an exponent. During the few years in which he 
 has been established in this thriving city his |)rac- 
 tice has been steadily growing, proving remunera- 
 tive to himself and valuable to the community. 
 
 The natal day of Dr. Weaver was February 20, 
 1852, and his birthplace near Canton, this State. 
 His preliminary education was obtained in the 
 public schools of Fulton Count}', and from his es- 
 timable parents he received the best of home 
 training. He began his medical studies with Dr. 
 W. B. Bolton In Cuba, with whom he read medi- 
 cine four years. He then entered the Homeopathic 
 Medical College, in St. Louis, Mo., from which he 
 was graduated in March, 1879. 
 
 The early practice of our subject was in (ilas- 
 ford, this county, but after some months he re- 
 moved to Canton, Fulton County, and formed a
 
 234 
 
 POKTRAIT AND P.IOOTJ APIIICA L ALI5UM. 
 
 partnership with his fdriuer preceptor, wlm beeauie 
 a resident of Canton in 1878. and in 1887 entered 
 the ministry, and who is now a minister of the 
 Metliodist Protestant Church, in Princeton, Bureau 
 County. Tlie parlnershiji was dissolved after tliree 
 years' continuance and Dr. Weaver spent one year 
 traveling in the West witli his wife for the benefit 
 of her health. l?eturning to this State, lie located 
 in Chillicothe in .Tuly, 1884. and lias continued to 
 reside in this place. 
 
 The lady whom Dr. Weaver won for liis wife was 
 one with whom his acquaintance began in eariy 
 life, and with who?e character and acquirements he 
 was thoroughly acquainted. This was Miss Har- 
 riet A. Bolton, of Canton, daughter of his medical 
 preceptor. She was born in Allegheny Cit}-, Pa., 
 October 22, 1856, but has lived in the Mississippi 
 Valley since she was five years old. In Iowa, Kan- 
 sas and Illinois she has resided at various times, 
 but the latter has been her home for many years. 
 Here she was mainly educated, hsr young lady- 
 hood being passed in Canton. She is the mother 
 of three children, one of whom died in infancy and 
 one, Louie V., when fifteen months old. The liv- 
 ing child bears the name of Mary B. 
 
 Dr. Weaver belongs to Calumet Lodge, No. 196, 
 I. O. O. F., in which he lias filled all the chairs. 
 He is also a member of George Washington Lodge, 
 No. 222, A. F. & A. M. His vote is cast with the 
 Democratic party. He and his wife belong to the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was Matthew W. 
 Weaver, of Scotch-Irish stock, and a native of Vir- 
 ginia. He married Miss Sarah Parrish, who was of 
 Irish extraction. In later life they removed to Ohio, 
 where the wife died when quite aged. The hus- 
 band afterward went to Canton, III., making his 
 home with his son, Jacob, dying about 1860 at 
 the extreme age of one hundred and one years and 
 seven months. He had never taken a dose of 
 medicine from a physician, being hale ami hearty 
 all his life. 
 
 The father of our subject was Jacob Weaver, 
 born in Loudoun County, Va., in 1806. He was 
 about sixteen years old when he started out on his 
 own account, and going to Oliio, settled in Cler- 
 mont County, when it was still a sparsely settled 
 
 legion. There he continued to live until 1840, 
 when he settled on a now farm in Fairview Town- 
 ship, Fulton County, III. Some lime later he sold 
 out and purchased other lands near Canton, dur- 
 ing the progress of his labors improving consider- 
 able land in the county, being ever hard-work- 
 ing and energetic. He finally, in 1884, disposed 
 of his landed estate and retired to Canton, where 
 his death occurred July 30, 1889. He was a Meth- 
 odist in religion and a Democrat in politics. 
 
 His first wife, Jane Patchel, was born in Ohio, 
 and died there in middle life, leaving five children, 
 one of whom, Zaehariali, now survives, his home 
 being in Monterey, Fulton County. The second 
 marriage of Jacob Weaver took place near Cincin- 
 nati, his bride being a native of that city and 
 named Mary A. Cummins. Her parents were Irish. 
 She was reared and educated in Hamilton County, 
 and is now living in Canton, this State, with some 
 of her children. She is more than seventy 
 years of age, yet active and useful. She is a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Of the second marriage of Jacob Weaver there 
 were horn nine children, four boys and five girls, 
 five of whom are living, named resiiectively: 
 George H. resides in Colorado; Eliza P]., now Mrs. 
 Young, resides on the homestead; our subject; 
 Joseph L. resides in Peoria County; and Jacob, 
 Jr., resides in Canton. 
 
 ANIEL F. KAIJM. The name of Raum 
 is familiar to the ears of all American citi- 
 zens who know the part taken tiy the 
 Prairie State in the Civil War, and are 
 .acquainted with the political history of the nation 
 since that time. In generations prior to that of 
 our subject it has been liorne by men who served 
 liie State and nation edlcientlv on fields of battle, 
 in legislative halls ami in the legal arena. In the 
 person of our subject it is becoming well known in 
 Peoria. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was an Ensign 
 and Lieutenant in the War of 1812 and the Black 
 Hawk War. He came to Illinois in 1822 and was
 
 9l^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 237 
 
 a member of tlie legisialure when Vandalia was tlie 
 capital of tbe State. He enjoyed the distinction 
 of being the longest continuous ofKce holder in the 
 country, being County Clerk of Pope County 
 thirt}--five years. He svas an ardent Union man, 
 and undoubtedly did more than any other one man 
 in his localit}' to foster a feeling of loyalty about 
 tlie time of the breaking out of the Civil War. He 
 lived to see the reconstruction measures carried 
 out, dying in 1870. 
 
 The parents of our subject are Gen. Green B. 
 and Maria (Field) Raum, now of Washington, D. C. 
 His maternal grandfather, Daniel Field, came to the 
 Prairie State while it was yet a Territory. During 
 the late war Green B. Raum entered the service as 
 Major in the Fifty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and was 
 promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General. At 
 the close of the war he returned to the active prac- 
 tice of the law, in which he has gained an eminent 
 name. He was elected to the Fortieth Congress 
 and served with distinction. From August, 1875, 
 to April 30, 1883, he was Commissioner of Internal 
 Revenue, and in October, 1889, was appointed 
 Commissioner of Pensions. 
 
 The subject of this biographical sketch was born 
 in Pope County, 111., and grew to manhood there, 
 attending the public schools, and afterward attend- 
 ing AVhipple Academy and Illinois College, at Jack- 
 sonville, 111. He entered the Columbian Law 
 School, in Washington, D. C, and was graduated 
 therefrom in the class of 1878. He located in 
 Peoria in 1881, where he has since practiced his 
 profession. He married a young lady of Aurora, 
 111., formerly known as Miss Rae Copley. 
 
 *»E-^- 
 
 ylLLIAM R. HAMILTON. The growth of 
 Peoria has been witnessed by Dr. Hamilton 
 since 1848, at which time he arrived here, 
 and during the j^ears of his residence he has be- 
 come widely known for his enterprise in the behalf 
 of her interests as well as for his own individual 
 advancement. He is now living in retirement, 
 looking after his extensive pr(ipert3' interests, and 
 
 enjo3^ing the esteem of all to whom his labors are 
 known. He is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church and his Christian life adds to the regard 
 bestowed npon him for his professional skill and 
 business tact. 
 
 The immediate progenitors of our subject were 
 Richard and Ann (Reynolds) Hamilton. The 
 former was born in Cumberland County, Pa., and 
 the latter in Birmingham. England, whence she 
 was brought when six 3'ears old. Mr. Hamilton 
 was a farmer, an<l was the father of eleven children, 
 those who now survive being Mrs. Mary C. Elliott, 
 of Denver, Col., William R., and Dr. John L. The 
 mother died September 17, 1830, and the father in 
 December, 1844. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write, was born in 
 Venango County, Pa., February 18, 1816, and re- 
 ceived his education in his native State and in 
 Ohio. When about twenty years old he started on 
 foot for the Buckeye State, having $o.62^ in his 
 pocket. For two years he taught in Portage 
 County, alternating his teaching with attendance at 
 Windham Academy. From that section he went 
 to Clark Count3-, where he also taught, as he like- 
 wise did in Logan County, during this time begin- 
 ning the reading of medicine. In his medical 
 studies he was guided bj' his brother, James W., 
 who practiced many years in Logan Count}', djing 
 there in 1879. 
 
 After attending lectures at Willoughby, Lake 
 County, the young physician began practice in 
 Huntsville in 1840. There he remained eight years, 
 successfully pursuing his chosen vocation and 
 building up the largest practice in the county. In 
 those days the life of a physician was even more 
 arduous than at present, as the roads were not so 
 good and much riding had to be done on horse- 
 back. Dr. Hamilton possessed a wonderful stock 
 of vitality which carried him through an experi- 
 ence which would have proved very wearing upon 
 many men. When he determined to move farther 
 west and selected Peoria as his new home, he made 
 the journey hither on horseback, entering this place 
 an entire stranger. 
 
 Opening an office Dr. Hamilton resumed his 
 professional labors, to which he had devoted his at- 
 tention for twelve years when he was elected Maj'or
 
 238 
 
 PORIRAIT AND2BI0GRAPH1CAL ALBUM. 
 
 and gave bis attention to the affairs of the inuuiei- 
 pality. He was eleeted on the Hepublicau ticket 
 by a majority of two hundred and fifty-two, al- 
 though but three weeks before the Democratic ticket 
 with Douglas at its head had been carried ))j' three 
 hundred majority. Dr. Hamilton therefore had a 
 part in the organization of the Republican party in 
 this section. He had formerly been a Whig, vot- 
 ing for William Henry Harrison in 1840. Prior to 
 to his election to the >Iayoralt_v he had served as an 
 Alderman. 
 
 In 1860. Dr. Hamilton went to Pennsylvania and 
 engaged in the oil business. Immediately after 
 the battle of Chattanooga, in 18G3, he went South 
 as a volunteer surgeon under a commission from 
 Gov. Morton, of Indiana. He and his companions 
 were the first surgeons from the North to reach the 
 battle-ground. In 1864, he was again a volunteer 
 sursreon after the battle in front of Petersburg. In 
 1 865, he returned to Peoria and during the suc- 
 •ceeding year built a fine block on the corner of 
 Adams and Liberty Streets, which is a splendid 
 property. In 1867, during the agitation regard- 
 ing the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad, he partici- 
 pated in the work, was elected a Director and then 
 made President, a capacity in which he served ' 
 seven years. He succeeded in raising between 
 §600,000 and S700.000 in subscriptions along the 
 route. He made all the arrangements for ironing 
 and equipment of the road, making atrip East to 
 accomplish this end. In 1875, the Doctor en- 
 gaged in the coal trade, continuing in the business 
 until 1881, when he sold out. Since that time he 
 has not been engaged in active business further 
 than that of looking after his propertj' interests. 
 
 Dr. Hamilton has been married three times. His 
 first matrimonial alliance was contracted in 1839, 
 his bride being Miss Catherine F. Wright, who 
 died in 1866, after nearly thirty years of happy 
 wedded life. The union had resulted in the birth 
 of four children, two of whom are now living. 
 They are Mrs. Catherine Hill of this city, and Mrs. 
 Amanda Gregg, a widow, living with her father. 
 In 1867, Dr. Hamilton married Miss Fannie T. 
 Norton, who survived until April 27, 1879. Slie 
 bore her husband two children — Ma}' and William, 
 the latter now in the drug business in this citv. 
 
 The lady who now occupies the place at the head 
 of Dr. Hamilton's household, became his wife in 
 May, 1880, prior to which time she was known as 
 Mrs. Sarah M. Dewej-. 
 
 A lithographic portrait of Dr. Hamilton appears 
 elsewhere in this work. 
 
 Ql'ILA MOFFATT has made a business of 
 operating mines in Peoria County, these 
 4* manj' years, besides giving much attention 
 (^J to agriculture, and his success in the 
 
 management of these two industries has placed him 
 among the most substantial men of Limestone 
 Township where he has a verj- attractive home re- 
 plete with all the comforts and luxuries of mod- 
 ern life. Its location is one of beautj-, as it is on 
 the bluffs just five miles from the court house, 
 overlooking the cit}' and commanding a lovely view 
 of the surrounding country. 
 
 The Moffatts were of Scotch origin and this rep- 
 resentative of the family was born on the Stat« 
 line between Wisconsin and Illinois, and does not 
 know whether he is a "Badger" or a '-Sucker." 
 The place of his birth is near Scales Mound, Jo 
 D.iviess County, and the date of that important 
 event in his life was October 8, 1837. His father, 
 Benjamin F., was a son of Joseph and Mary 
 (Piper) Moffatt, who at one time lived in Boston 
 after their marri.age and subsequently removed to 
 Ohio, and were among it-s pioneers and there the 
 mother died in 1819, leaving eleven children. In 
 1822, the father with eight children came to this 
 State from Cincinnati. The names of the children 
 accompanying him were: Alva, Aquila. Marv. 
 Sarah. Olive, Benjamin F.. Eliza and Elisha, an<l 
 many of these grew to be old and honored citi- 
 zens of Peoria. 
 
 Benjamin F. Moffatt. the father of our subject, 
 received his education in the village of Peoria,and 
 in due time was married to Miss Nanc}' J. Risdon, 
 a native ot Connecticut. He took an .active part 
 in the Black Hawk War, serving along the river 
 ,as far as Wisconsin. His wife died in 1853 at the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOC KAI'IIK'AL ALHUM. 
 
 239 
 
 age of tUirtj'-three. Her marriasre with Mr. Mof- 
 
 fatl was fruitful of nine cliildrcu. of wlioni llu' 
 following six gix'w to niatuiity — Thomas, Aquila, 
 Mary Ann. Klinira, Joseph and Alva, anil three 
 of these are still residents of Peoria and virinity. 
 
 Our suhjeet was born during the lead mining 
 troubles in Jo Daviess County, and the early years 
 of his life were passed there until he was seventeen 
 years old. He attended school in Wisconsin and 
 in 18.54 accompanied his father to Peoria, and 
 continued his education at tlie brick school-house. 
 At the age of twenty years he started out in life 
 for himself, and at the age of twenty-four had done 
 so well that he was enabled to marry and establish 
 a home for himself. The maiden name of the young 
 lady whom he then invited to share his life and 
 fortune with him was Mary Ball, a daughter of 
 .Samuel Ball. She was born in Wales of English 
 parentage and came to the United States with her 
 father and mother in 184;i. Thev first located 
 in I^ennsylvania, whence they came in 1852 to 
 this county and settled on section 25, where Bar- 
 tonville now stands. Thc3' ha(i .a farm there of 
 tliirt\- .acres, which they cultivated, and where 
 they made their home until the father closed his 
 mortal career February 3, 1879. The mother lived 
 with Mrs. Moffatt after that until her death which 
 occurred June 21, 1890. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Moffatt have hail eight children 
 born to them, and have lost two (twins) who died 
 attheageof five months. Their other children are: 
 Franklin A., born April 27,1862, who married Miss 
 Amelia Treasure and has two children — Walter 
 G. and Earl; Edward, born in 1861; Sarah; Ettie, 
 wife of Harry Wolland, a member of an old pio- 
 neer family ; they have two boys — Leslie and 
 Aquila; Samuel and Annie. Miss Annie is a 
 young lady of much musical talent, which has been 
 carefully eultiv.ated and she is now a successful 
 teacher of music. 
 
 Mr. Moffatt has followed mining and farming 
 for many years very prosperously. He has had a 
 farm of sixtj'-eight acres all of w-hich has coal un- 
 der it and he has disposed of the coal at a good 
 round price. He formed a co-operative coal com- 
 pany and opened a bank on his place which is now 
 worked by another company, and he has otherwise 
 
 extensively operated mines. He bought his home 
 
 iTi 1881, and liuilt a fine, large residence on the 
 bluffs. 
 
 Mr. Moffatt proved his patriotism and loyally 
 to his country during the trying times of the late 
 civil strife, by the faithful ami competent service 
 that lie rendered the Government as an enrolling 
 officer for the draft to serve the papers on the cit- 
 izens who were drafted. In 1865 he enlisted in 
 Company G, Fourteenth Illinois Infantry, and 
 took part in the campaign against Johnston near 
 Raleigh, N. C. and was on many a hard march. He 
 with other members of his regiment marched out to 
 Fort Kearney, a distance of six hundred miles, and 
 after seven months in the army our subject was hon- 
 orably discharged at Ft. Leavenworth Ivan., and 
 returned to private life. 
 
 Mr. Moffatt is a self-reliant, stiaight-forward 
 man, of good practical views of life and of excep- 
 tional habits, and his standing in the community is 
 among our best and most reliable citizens. He has 
 held the otKce of School Director and whether in 
 educational, moral or material matters, lie is never 
 backward in contributing his quota to advance the 
 interests of township and county. 
 
 LEXANDER BUCHANAN has the choic- 
 
 @YL| est location for a farm residence in the 
 
 i\ township of Trivoli, having on section 17, 
 
 what is considered one of the best farms 
 
 in all the country around and he ranks amongst the 
 
 most intelligent, progressive and skillful farmers 
 
 and stock-raisei's in the county. 
 
 Our subject is of Pennsylvania birth and ante- 
 cedents. His father, David Buchanan, was born 
 in Westmoreland County, Pa., in 1792. His grand- 
 father, David Buchanan, a native of Count3- An- 
 trim, Ireland, came to this country- in Colonial 
 times, when he w.as eighteen \'ears old, and after 
 living in Eastern Pennsylvania, became a pioneer 
 of Westmoreland Count}', in 1791, locating on a 
 tract of land in the woods. He cleared it of the 
 primeval forest trees that stood upon it and was 
 very successful in his attempts to evolve a farm
 
 240 
 
 rOKTRAir AM) P.rOGRAPUlCAL ALBUM. 
 
 from tlie wilderness, iind at the time of liis death, 
 in 1817, had aociniiulaled a comfortable proijertj-. 
 He was a Presbyterian Elder in the church of that 
 denomination at Congruity. 
 
 The sire of our subject was a blacksmith b3' trade 
 and had a shop" in bateui Township, where he also 
 engaged in farming, having there one hundred acres 
 of land. During the AVar of 1812 he acted as 
 teamster, drawing wood for the use of the soldiers. 
 His oldest brother was lieutenant of a company 
 that took part in that eontiict. Mr. Buchanan lived 
 in his native State until 1869, when he disposed of 
 his property in order to take up his residence in 
 Illinois. After coming here he bought eiglitj- acres 
 of land on section 17, Trivoli Township, which he 
 was engaged in improving until his wife died. He 
 then lived with his children until his death in 1880 
 at the age of eighty-eight j'ears. He was a man of 
 firm and lofty principles, and was a strong Repub- 
 lican and a sturdy Presbyterian. 
 
 Tlie maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 w.is McBride, and she was born in Westmoreland 
 Countj', Pa., on the Loyal Hannah Creek. She was 
 a daughter of James McBride, who was a farmer 
 there. Her death occurred here on her husband's 
 homestead in 1872, at the age of eighty years. A 
 true Christian womin, slie was a consistent member 
 of the Presbyterian Church. .She w.as the motlier 
 of nine children, of whom we record the follow- 
 ing: James is a retired farmer in Westmoreland 
 County, Pa.; Jane, Mrs. Ralston, died here; D. 
 Wilson lives in Kansas: Martha, Mrs. Irwin, died 
 in Colorado; Alexander; Mona, Mrs. Marshall, died 
 in Farmiugton; Prudence, Mrs. Sloan, lives in 
 Westmoreland County; Margaret, Mrs. Rainej'. died 
 in Westmoreland County; Elizabeth, Mrs. Cun- 
 ningham, lives in Yates City. 
 
 Alexander Buchanan was born in the town of 
 Congruit\- in the count}' of Westmoreland, Pa., 
 Julj' 25, 1825. He passed his early years on his 
 father's farm and in attendance at the district 
 school, which w.ns at first conducted on the sub- 
 scription plan in a rude log house, with slab seats, 
 puncheon floor and mud and stick chimney. Hard 
 work at farming was his portion. He remained at 
 home until he was thirtj' years old and then started 
 a general store at Harvey's Eive Points, with a capi- 
 
 tal of $100. He remained at the corners until 
 1864, then moved to Murrysville, where he was 
 quite successful in the same business in which he 
 had invested some >!4,000 or »5,()00. He also ran 
 a huckster wagon to Pittsburg twice a week and 
 made that venture profitable. 
 
 In the spring of 1867 Mr. Buchanan sold out his 
 business intending to eng-age in farming, but he 
 could not come to terms with his father, and in the 
 fall he emigrated to this county, shipping his goods 
 to Farmiugton, where he arrived October 3, 1867. 
 He bought one hundred acres of his present farm 
 in Trivoli Township for §7,500. This w.as counted 
 the best farm in the county, and after it came under 
 his management lie kept it in a good condition, 
 kept the buildings in good repair and made money 
 from its fertile soil. The next year he bought 
 twenty-five acres more, and later forty acres, and 
 then fifteen acres, and in 1888 ten acres on section 
 17. He now has one hundred and ten acres in one 
 body, having given eighty acres of his land to his 
 son. His land is all tillable and is under fine culti- 
 vation, is fenced and hedged into five fields. He 
 has a large house and a commodious barn, 30x64 
 feet in dimension, windmill and tank, groves and 
 an orchard, constituting in all one of the finest im- 
 proved places in the vicinity. He raises corn and 
 grain but his hobb}' is horses and hogs. He has 
 full-blooded Short-horn cattle and fine draft horses. 
 
 The first marriage of our subject, which took 
 place in Alleghany Count}', Pa., in 1854, was with 
 Miss Martha Irwin, a native of that countv, and a 
 daughter of Henry and Catherine Irwin. Her 
 father was a farmer there until his death, while her 
 mother died in the home of our subject, at the re- 
 markable advanced age of ninety years. December 
 23, 1884, death crossed the threshold of the home 
 of our subject, and removed the wife who had 
 traveled by his side thirty years. Four children 
 had been born of their marriage, namely: James, a 
 prominent farmer here who is represented in this 
 work; Margaret L., Mrs. VauPalten. a resident of 
 this township; John, a clerk in Elmwood. and a 
 child died in infancy. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject w.as to Miss 
 Margaret Mewhirter, and was celebrated November 
 20, 1888, in his native county. Mrs. Buchanan
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 241 
 
 was also born in Wi'stnior(^lan<l County, near Con- 
 gruitv, lior father, John Mewhirter, liaving l)cen a 
 prominent fanner there until his death in 1882. 
 His father came to this country from Ireland. INIrs. 
 Buchanan's mother was Jane MeChesne}- before her 
 marriage, and she was a native of Westmoreland 
 County and a daughter of William McChesne}', who 
 was also born in that county. His father came to 
 this country from County Antrim, Ireland. The 
 mother died in 1888, leaving four children: Mai- 
 garct, Mrs. Buchanan , Mary L., Sarah J., and Anise, 
 the latter three living in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan is a true gentleman in all respects. 
 He is a deep thinker, is well informed, and is an 
 interesting conversationalist, while his wife is a 
 lady of culture and has a most loveable disposition, 
 and both are very highly regarded by the entire 
 community. He does not aspire to ollice, although 
 he is a strong Republican and has taken an active 
 part in politics as a delegate to county and State 
 conventions. lit has been Trustee of the Presby- 
 terian Church at Farmlngton and is one of its most 
 prominent members. 
 
 
 
 l-;ILLIAM WYKOFF, of the firm of Wylcoff 
 & Graham, the leading merchants of Tri- 
 voli, is a man of prominence and influence 
 in this part of the county. He is one of the pioneers 
 in the mercantile business in New Trivoli, open- 
 ing iiere the first store, and putting in the first stock 
 of goods that was ever sold here. He is a repre- 
 sentative veteran of the late war, in which he did 
 and suffered much for his country. 
 
 Pete Wykoff, the father of our subject, was a na- 
 tive of New Jersey, and was a son of Ruloff Wy- 
 koff, who was also born in that State, and was of 
 German extraction. He was among the early set- 
 tlers of Highland County, Ohio, where he carried 
 on farming until the time of his death. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in the pio- 
 neer home of his parents in Ohio, and early learned 
 the trade of a carpenter, which he followed for 
 twent3--one years, the latter part of the time being 
 a contractor and, builder. In 1812 he too became 
 
 a pioneer, coming to this Slate with a team and 
 wagon, bringing with him his family, and settling 
 in the neighborhood of Springfield, 111., where ho 
 had a farm which he managed, while at the same 
 time he engaged in his business as contractor. In 
 1854 he removed to I'coria, where he ran a dairy 
 farm. In 18.58 he located on a farm in Logan 
 Township. He subsequently bought a farm of 
 eighty .acres in Trivoli Township, and there estab- 
 lished his home, and there his death occurred in 
 1860, at the age of sixty-seven years. He was a 
 stanch Democrat, and a follower of Douglas. 
 
 The mother of our subject, whose maiden name 
 was Eliza Fox, was liorn in Highland Coun1,y, Ohio, 
 and was of English descent. After his father's 
 death, she sold the farm on which they then resided 
 and bought one of eighty acres in Trivoli Town- 
 ship, upon which she lived until her death in 1880, 
 at the age of sixty-seven years. She was a consis- 
 tent Christian woman of the Uaptist faith. She was 
 the second wife of the father of our subject. By his 
 first marriage he had one child, Peter, who lives in 
 Decatur. B3' his second marriage eight children were 
 born, namely: Mary A., now Mrs. Graham, of 
 Farmington; Sarah A., Mrs. E. Wykoff, of Deca- 
 tur; William; James, a resident of Decatur; Jacob. 
 who lives on the old home farm in Trivoli Town- 
 ship; Jennie, now Mrs. Eslinger, of EIniwood; 
 Helen, now Mrs. Bergett. of Elmvvood; Oscar, of 
 Trivoli Township. 
 
 William WykofT was born near Berlin, Highland 
 County, Ohio, November 14, 1840. He was eight 
 years old when his parents brought him to this 
 State, and for a few yeurs lived on a farm near the 
 city of Springfield, and had excellent district school 
 advantages. In the fall of 1854 he came to Peo- 
 ria, and engaged in work on a dairy farm on the 
 west bluff, the present site of North Peorin. In 
 1858, he came here and worked on the farm, and 
 remained at home with his mother until 1862. 
 
 In the month of August, that year, Mr. Wj'koff 
 threw aside his work to take part in the great con- 
 flict that was then going on between the North and 
 the .South, and enlisted in Company D, Eight3--sixth 
 Illinois Infantry, which w.as mustered in at Peoria, 
 and sent to Louisville, Ky. Our subject and his 
 conn-adcs marclied to Crab Orchard, and took an
 
 242 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 active part in the battle at that place, and subse- 
 queutly fous>lit at Nashville, and were engaged in 
 various skirmishes. He M'intered there and was on 
 provost duty, and the regiment was tlien ordered 
 South to Brentwood, a fortified place. The men 
 were afterward sent bade to Nashville, and again 
 faced the enemy in the l)atlle at JMurfreesboro. In 
 the spring of 1864 Mr. WylvOiT and his fellow sol- 
 diers started with Sherman on his Atlanta cam- 
 paign, but he was soon taken sick with the measles, 
 and was sent to the hospital. As soon as able he 
 was placed on detached duty, and acted as guard in 
 different places in Nashville, and was finally sent 
 to Chicago in the fall of 1864, on detached service. 
 So ably did he discharge the duties devolving upon 
 iiim in every case and under all circumstances, that 
 he was promoted to be Sergeant soon after he was 
 mustered in, and in Chicago had a position in the 
 (Juartcjrmaster's department, as Commissary Ser- 
 jeant, which office he held until the close of the 
 war. He was mustered out witli his regiment in 
 Cliieaao, June 15, 1865, and was honorably dis- 
 ciiaryed as Sergeant of Company D. He was in all 
 respects a true soldier, upon whom liis superiors 
 could place the utmost reliance. He experienced 
 many privations and hardsiiips, which resulted in 
 the loss of his health, and thus gave up tiiat which 
 is almost dearer than life itself, for the sake of his 
 country. 
 
 After his discharge from the army, our subject 
 retuiued home and gave his attention to farming, 
 renting a farm in Elmwood Township, one year, 
 and then buying a farm on section 2, Trivoli Town- 
 sliip, comprising forty acres. This joined his 
 motlier's place, and he farmed them together, hav- 
 ino- the control of one hundred and sixtj' acres of 
 land, which he managed with excellent success un- 
 til 1874. He then rented his place, which he kept 
 in his possession until the spring of "90, when he sold 
 it at a good price. He still has a residence and two 
 acres of laud at Old Trivoli, though he makes his 
 home iu New Trivoli. In 1874 he bought in with 
 J. Johnson at Trivoli, and they ran a general 
 store under the firm name of Johnson & Wykoff, 
 doing a good business. 
 
 When the railroad was talked of, our subject was 
 enthusiastically iu favor of it, gave his iulluencc 
 
 to aid in bringing it here, and canvassed the town- 
 ship to get up a subscription, and gave all he could 
 afford. The result was tiiat the railroad came here 
 in 1880, and he sold out his interest in the store in 
 Old Trivoli to his partner, and moved to the new 
 town to establish himself in the business here. 
 He went into partnership with Mr. Robinson, put 
 in a new stock of goods in the store he opened here, 
 which he has since enlarged, and is prosperously 
 conducting an extensive mercantile business, deal- 
 ing in flour and carrying n large line of everything 
 that is to be found in a general store. For the I'rst 
 four years he was interested in the implement busi- 
 ness here, and also in the grain trade. His partner, 
 Mr. Robinson, retired from business after the first 
 year, and William Christy took his place, and 
 the business was managed under the firm name of 
 Wykoff & Christy until the spring of 1890, when 
 Mr. Christ}- sold out to Mr. Graham. 
 
 Our subject was married in Kickaiioo to Miss 
 Thalia Carter, their marriage being solemnized Sep- 
 tember 15, 1874. Mrs. Wykoff is a woman of in- 
 telligence and education, and was a school teacher 
 prior to her marriage. She is a native of Michigan 
 and came here when a girl. The pleasant home 
 circle of our subject and his wife is completed by 
 their three children — Levar, Bernard, and Clifton. 
 
 Mr. Wykoff was appointed Postmaster of New 
 Trivoli, and served until 1885. lie has been School 
 Director for years, and is a Grand Army man, be- 
 longing to Daniel McCook Post, in Elmwood. He 
 is a true-blue Republican, is very prominent in the 
 councils of his party, and has been a delegate to 
 nearly every convention, and for eight years was 
 a member of the Central Committee. 
 
 EVI B. PITNEY, residing on Adams 
 f(§] Street, Peoria, is in the Revenue service 
 1^-^ . here as storekeeper, and is a most efficient 
 and trusty official. He vr&s born in Licking County, 
 Oliio, November 29, 1825. His parents, Samuel 
 and Sarah (Jones) Pitney, were also natives of 
 that Slate. The father came to Illinois, and was 
 an honored resident of Hancock Countv until his
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ■213 
 
 death, which occurred in 1880 at the advanced age 
 of eighty-one years. Tlic mother of our subject 
 had died in 1852. 
 
 Mr. Pitney, of whom we write, passed liis early 
 life on a farm, assisting in its management and 
 attending the public schools when they were in 
 session. He continued to carry on farming until 
 he went to California in 1859. He remained there 
 until 1867, and then retraced his steps to Illinois, 
 coming by wa^' of the Isthmus. After his return 
 lie entered the emplo.y of the Wabash Railroad 
 Company for ten j'ears, and then went in the em- 
 l)loy of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- 
 road, and was with them until 1889. In that 3ear 
 he was chosen as storekeeper in the United States 
 Revenue service, and his commission for the office 
 was dated in October of that year. lie h.id been a 
 resident of Peoria for some time, locating here in 
 1884. 
 
 Mr. Pitney and Miss Sarah Lewton, a native of 
 Can oil Countj', Ohio, were united in marriage in 
 the month of September, 1869. Of their three 
 children — Blanch, Willie Arthur and Cljde Hersey 
 — one is now deceased, Willie Arthur, who died in 
 infancy. 
 
 Our subject has been a member of the Independ- 
 ent Oriler of Odd Fellows for nearl3- half a cen- 
 tury'. His religious views find expression in the 
 faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which 
 he is a member. Since 1856 be has been a sturdy 
 advocate of the policy of the Republican party. 
 He is a man who is true to his convictions, is loyal 
 in his friendships, and none know him but to accord 
 him the respect due to his years and station. 
 
 ^P^EORGP: G. GEKiER. This gentleman is 
 ill ^=^ President of the Peoria Pump<fe Implement 
 ^<gJ4 Company, located on the corner of Chestnut 
 and Water Streets. The manufactory covers 
 100x181 feet, now employs twenty-five men, and 
 is fitted with power and first-class machinery. The 
 caiiacity is now being enlarged, and within the year 
 will be doubled, so that one hundred pumps per 
 day, in addition to other work, will be turned out. 
 
 The twelve railroads which enter Peoria will be 
 connected with the establishment by tracks on 
 either side. Wood and chain pumps of all kinds, 
 tubing, water pipes, veranda columns, farm wagon 
 shoveling boards, and wheel-barrows are made, 
 special attention being given to the first article 
 named. The company sells to the jobbing trade 
 from New England to the Coast, kee|)ing men on 
 the road whenever they can keep up with their 
 orders. The pump works were established about 
 twenty-flve years ago, but have been under the 
 present management two years, and were incor- 
 porated January 1, 1889, with a capital stock of 
 §30,000. The officers are: G. G. Geiger, Presi- 
 dent; II. R. Geiger, Jr., Secretary and Treasurer. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in Marion, 
 Ohio, October 3, 1850, being a son of Daniel and 
 Margaret (Halvorstott) Geiger. He grew to man- 
 hood in his native place, acquiring an excellent 
 education, after which he worked in a machine- 
 shop at Cincinnati. In ftla}-, 1875, he came to 
 Peoria to handle musical goods, and during the 
 past five years has been handling real estate both 
 in Peoria and the West, proving very successful in 
 his operations. He has been a member of different 
 stock companies, and although still comparatively 
 a young man, has displaj'ed striking qualities as an 
 oi'ganizer and controller of business affairs. 
 
 In September, 1877, Mr. (ieiger received his 
 commission as Captain of a military company, at 
 the head of which he remained three 3'ears, being 
 considered by Gov. CuUom one of his best officers. 
 His company was G, Seventh Illinois National 
 Guards, which was of service during the labor 
 troubles and strikes. Capt. Geiger took great in- 
 terest in the organization and discipline of his 
 command, feeling a just pride in their soldierly 
 appearance and conduct. He remained with them 
 a j'car after the expiration of the regular term of 
 enlistment, when the pressure of private business 
 caused him to resign. 
 
 October 2, 1878, the rites of wedlock were cele- 
 brated between G. G. Geiger and Ida J. Bootz. 
 The bride was born in Peoria, in which city her 
 parents, Peter and Lydia liootz, were early settlers. 
 She received an excellent education, a good school- 
 ing in housewifely arts, and has shown wisdom in
 
 244 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the care of hur tiuusuUold affairs aud the training 
 of the chihiren who have come to lier. The union 
 has been blest by the birlh of five sons and daugh- 
 ters, four of whom survive. The3' are named re- 
 spectively: Gilbert l^., Hattie P., Garland \. and 
 Grace I. Mr. Geiger is a prominent member of 
 the Masonic fraternity, liaving taken. thirt3--two 
 degrees, wliicii are all that the rites bestow, except 
 as an lionorary degree to high officials of State or 
 National repute. Mr. and Mrs. Geiger. it is per- 
 haps needless to sa}', are highly respeeted and 
 exert an influence which is felt far bej^ond their 
 own home. 
 
 ' OSEPH SHOLL. One of the most important 
 industries of Limestone Township, is the de- 
 velopment of coal mines, where veins of the 
 imprisoned sunshine await the pick of the 
 hardj- men who bring to the upper world this great 
 agent for heating purposes. The firm of A. Sholl 
 <fe Sons is the best known in this region, the original 
 member having been tlie pioneer in the coal busi- 
 ness in the township. He established himself when 
 the demand for coal was very small, enlarging the 
 business as the demand increased, until now he and 
 his sons are the sole proprietors of all the coal lauds 
 along the bluffs from Bartonville to Mollis, except 
 a few isolated pieces. Tlie sons — Henrj- S., James 
 M.. Samuel V. and Joseph, now carry on the busi- 
 ness, the father having retired from active partici- 
 pation. They use the best of hoisting machiner}- 
 and employ in the neighborhood of one hundred 
 men, eighteen of whom are on regular salar3-. Their 
 shipping facilities are of the best, .as their coal field 
 is accessible to the Peoria & Pekin Union Railroad, 
 and also to the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad. 
 Our subject is Superintendent of the incline 
 shaft, which has a capacity of fifteen flat cars, or 
 about seventy-five hundred bushels per day. that 
 being the largest output from anj' mine iu the vi- 
 cinity of Peoria. This will be increased as the de- 
 mands require, as their fields contain other excel- 
 lent veins beside that which they are now working. 
 They are at present taking out from vein Ko. 4, 
 
 which is four feet six inches thick, without a clay 
 se.am. Under this lies vein No. G. and still lower 
 the3' have one hundred and fifty feet, thirty-eight 
 inches thick, which furnishes coal of a superior 
 quality and is underlaid bj' a stratum of excellent 
 pottery el.ay. It is the intention of the firm to open 
 two more mines in the vicinitj' in the near future. 
 
 A ms^rkcl for the most of the produce of A. Sholl 
 & Sons is found in the citj' of Peoria, they having 
 a yard on South AVashington Street, with a clerk 
 and book-keeper conGtnntly in attendance. James 
 Sholl, who has charge of the financial part of the 
 business, is considered one of the best and shrewd- 
 est salesmen iu the Slate. He resides at No. 1001 
 North Jefferson Street. 
 
 Adam Sholl, the father of our subject, is a native 
 of Prussia, whence he emigrated to the United 
 States in 1834. He landed at New Orleans, reach- 
 ing Peoria in 1836, near which pKice he carrieil on 
 a farm for several years. He also made a business 
 of shipping coal, and a qiiarter of a century ago es- 
 tablished the business which has grown to sucli 
 proportions as to emplo\' the best faculties of sev- 
 eral of his descendants, together with quite a large 
 force of employes. He was married in Peoria to 
 Miss Charlotte, daughter of James Monroe, whose 
 history is found elsewhere in this Albl m. For a 
 number of years Mr. and Mrs. Sholl resided on Jef- 
 ferson Street, then selling out they purchased land 
 in Limestone Township, and took up their abode 
 there. They now have about sixteen hundred 
 acres of farm and mineral lands there, together 
 with a fine propert}' in Pekin, where thej' now re- 
 side. They have had seven sons and two daughters, 
 five of the famil3- still living. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch 
 was reared in Peoria and on the farm iu Limestone 
 Township, receiving his earl}' education in the Peo- 
 ria schools and finishing with two and a half j'ears 
 of study in Heckling College. Abingdon. From his 
 youth he h.as made coal dealing his business and is 
 expert in handling that important article of com- 
 merce. 
 
 After his marriage he built a house near the 
 mines on the bluff, afterward moved to the count}' 
 seat, but finall}' rctuined to the country and is now 
 occuinina' the old homestead on which he has built
 
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 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 247 
 
 :i fine residence. He is reganied willi much respect 
 by liis many acquaintances on account of his iiisfh 
 degree of business ability, his excellent education, 
 and above all, for the sterling traits of his char- 
 acter. He is liberal in politics, interested in the 
 advancement of education and everything wliich 
 will tend to the personal welfare and material pros- 
 perity of the citizens of tlie great commonweaitli. 
 He and liis family support the l?aptist Chnrch. 
 
 The beautiful home of our subject is presided 
 over by an educated and most estimable lady who 
 was formerly knovvn as Miss Mary E. Jenkins. She 
 is a daughter of George Jenkins, a pioneer of Hollis 
 Township, who for twent}' years was a Supervisor 
 and for a long time Chairman of the Board. Miss 
 Jenkins became the wife of our subject December 
 5, 1861. Their family consists of five sons and one 
 daughter. The oldest son, R.aymond P., a young 
 man of excellent education, is now weighmaster 
 at the mines. The second son, Joseph D., is en- 
 gineer of the mines near which he lives with his 
 wife and one child. The third son, Robert Lee, has 
 charge of the farm, in operating which he is as- 
 sisted by his younger brothers, James N. and Arch- 
 ibald E. 
 
 '•— Hf- 
 
 — .-5N^'« 
 
 R. JUSTIN H. WILKINSON. Among the 
 retired men of Peoria, who, as old age 
 comes creeping on, can cease from undue 
 anxiety regarding the daily bread, and en- 
 joy all of the comforts, and many of the luxuries 
 of life in an elegant home, is Dr. Wilkinson, whose 
 portrait with that of his estimable wife is presented 
 on the opposite page. He now has large property 
 interests, having made fortun.ate investments, and 
 having, in addition to his practice, exercised his 
 financial abilitj^ to some extent in other pursuits 
 which added to his means. For thirty years he was 
 engaged in serving humanity through his knowl- 
 edge of medical science, winning a reputation for 
 practical skill in the ajiplication of the theories witli 
 which his mind is stored, and ever endeavoring to 
 keep abreast of ihe liini-s in his knowledge regard- 
 
 ing all that pertains to the profession which he had 
 cliosen. 
 
 Dr. Wilkinson is the oldest of ten children born 
 to Joseph and Eliza (Harlan) Wilkinson, who were 
 natives of A'irginia and North Carolina respect- 
 ively. He comes of sturdy stock, the paternal 
 line being English and Welsh, and the maternal 
 ancestors a few generations back having accom 
 panied Penn to America. Of the parental family 
 four daughters and two sons are now living. The 
 birthplace of Dr. Wilkinson was Warren County, 
 Ohio, and his natal day July 20, 1823. At the age 
 of five years he became a resident of Parke County, 
 Ind., where he lived until twenty-five years old. 
 He obtained an excellent education, completing a 
 literary course at Asbury University, Greencastle, 
 Ind., in the Class of '45. He studied medicine 
 with Drs. Allen & Weaver, in Rockville, Ind., at- 
 tended lectures at Louisville, (Ky.,) Medical Col- 
 lege, and after becoming a full fledged physician, 
 in 1848 came to Peoria County, III., and estab- 
 lished himself for practice. 
 
 Among the pursuits to which Dr. Wilkinson de- 
 voted his attention more especiall^^ after retiring 
 from practice in 1879, and in which he invested his 
 capital, were those of farming, merchandising, min- 
 ing, etc. He owns a thousand acres of land, on 
 much of which, in this county, coal mines have 
 been worked for fifteen years. In 1889 Dr. Wilk- 
 inson retired from active life, feeling that his pro- 
 fessional labors of over a quarter of a century- had 
 fairly entitled him to rest, to say nothing of the 
 other occupations of long and busy years. 
 
 In choosing a life companion. Dr. Wilkinson 
 made a fortunate selection, and for forty years his 
 home has been presided over b}' a lady of great 
 worth. She bore the maiden name of Isadore E. 
 Edwards, and is a daughter of Thomas and Eleanor 
 (Scott) Edwards. The father of the former was a 
 cousin of Gov. Ninian Edwards, so prominently 
 connected with the history of the Prairie State. Her 
 father was born in a fort at Cold Stream, Hampshire 
 County, Va., where lie lived until lie came to Illi- 
 nois. He carried on a woolen factory. His death 
 occurred in this State in 1854. The Edwards faui- 
 il}^ is of English stock, while the maternal gran<l- 
 father of Mrs. Wilkinson, Samuel Scott b}- name,
 
 248 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPIIK AL ALBUM. 
 
 came from ScoUmiuI. The uuuriage of Doctor and 
 Mrs. Wilkinson took place Janiiury 'iO, 1850, and 
 of this union were horn four cliililren. all deceased. 
 .Mthoiigli released from hiisiness cares. Dr. Wilk- 
 inson is hy no means an idle man. He finds suffi- 
 fAcni to occupy him in the literature of the d;iy, in 
 the interests of humanity, and particularly in Sun- 
 day school work, in which he has long l)een an ac- 
 tive participant. For seven years he was President 
 of the County Sunday-school Association, and he 
 has repeatedly served as a delegate to State Sunday- 
 school Conventions. He and his wife are devout 
 members of the Methfidist Episcopal Church. His 
 political vicvvs .accord with those expressed by the 
 platform of the Republican part}', with which he 
 always cast£ his vote, although he is not a politi- 
 cian in the ordinary acceptation of that term. 
 
 y^-ILLIAlM McCORMICK, a successful, en- 
 terprising fanner and public-spirited citi- 
 zen of Trivoli Township, is the fortunate 
 owner of three hundred and twenty-three acres of 
 good farming land here, and several city lots in 
 Peoria. His home farm consists of one hundred 
 and sixty acres on section 20, all tillable, well- 
 fenced, supplied with a good house, three barns, a 
 windmill, and other necessary buildings, and beau- 
 tified with orchard and groves. The other farm, 
 also well improved and furnished with good build- 
 ings, comprises one hundred and sixty-three acres 
 on sections 32 and 33. 
 
 Mr. McCormick is descended from the sturdy 
 Scotch, who found a refuge in County Antrim, Ire- 
 land,during religious persecutions in their own land. 
 His grandfather and liis father who bore the same 
 given name, Alexander, were natives of the Emer- 
 ald Isle, and farmers in the vicinity of Carlyles. 
 His father was also a weaver by trade, doing cus- 
 tom work. He sold his farm, and in 186,i emi- 
 grated to America, locating in Central Illinois, 
 where he spent the remainder of his life, breathing 
 his last in 1880. Following the example and teach- 
 ings of his forefathers, he was a stanch member of 
 the Presbyterian Church. His wife, formerly Jane 
 
 McGugen. a native of the same count}- as himself, 
 was of English and Scotch descent. She survived 
 until 1884. when she too crossed the river of death. 
 
 The parental family consisted of eight children, 
 our subject being the (irst-born. James, the sec- 
 ond son and child, died in Pliiladelphia; Mrs. Rose 
 Taggartdied in Knox County, this State. September 
 27,1884; Mrs. Martha McKonney resides in Phil- 
 adelphia; Mrs. Mary Clark is living in Nebraska; 
 Catherine lives in Philadelphia; ]\Irs. Rachel Ray 
 is a resident of Xeliraska; Mrs. Maggie Ilousholdcr 
 lives in Iowa. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write, was born at 
 Carlyles, County Antrim, Irel.and, three miles from 
 the Irish Channel, .lune 4, 1831. He was brought 
 up on a farm, enjoying the privileges of good dis- 
 trict schools, and was early taught industrious hab- 
 its. He remained with his parents until nineteen 
 years of age, when, believing that he could better 
 his condition by so doing, he emigrated to Amer- 
 ica. Leaving Liverpool March 12, 1851, on the 
 sailer ''Tuscarora." he landed in Philadel|>hia twen- 
 ty-eight days later, and in a short time was engaged 
 in the iron mines, getting out ore. In this employ- 
 ment he spent the winter, working in the harvest 
 field, or at other farm labor in the summer, until 
 1854, when he went to California, via New York 
 and the Isthmus. 
 
 Landing at San Francisco, Mr. ^McCormick went 
 up to Red Bluff, one of the foot hills on the Sacra- 
 mento River, where he spent the winter in pros- 
 pecting, but made nothing. He remained in the 
 Golden Slate, however, three }-ears, finally securing 
 some money. In 1857 he returned to Philadelphia, 
 remained there during the winter, and the follow- 
 ing spring came to Fulton County, 111. Li.icating 
 in Farmington, he opened a clothing establislimeiit, 
 carrying it on three 3ears, and building a good 
 business edifice. He then sold, and buying sev- 
 enty acres of land, moved into a log house, and 
 began farming. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. McCormick bought one hundred and 
 twenty acres of his present home farm, located here 
 and began improving the property which was run 
 down by continual use as corn land. By clovering 
 and (lasturing, he has brought it to a high state of 
 productiveness. In buying the property lie was
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 249 
 
 obliged to pay twelve and one-half per cent, inter- 
 est, but notwithstanding that high rate, svicccss at- 
 tended him, and ere long he added one hundred 
 and sixty acres adjoining, ;ind still later purchased 
 his other farm. Mr. McCormick pays considerable 
 attention to slock, making money with his droves 
 of hogs, draft horses, and his fine herd of cattle 
 which arc (iahvay crossed with Short- horns, bfith 
 full blooded. 
 
 The estimable woman who has charge of the 
 household economy on Mr. MeCormick's estate, 
 was known in former years as Miss Mary A. Rodg- 
 ers. She was born in County Donegal, Ireland, 
 reared and educated in iier native land, and was 
 united in marriage with our suliject in Peoria, Au- 
 gust 10, 1858. Theii- happy union has been blessed 
 by the birth of ten children — William, John, Mary, 
 Jane, George, Henry, Cliarlcs, Martha. Rachel, and 
 Ma3'. The first two are farming in this township; 
 the others still reside with their parents. Mary 
 and May have attended the Dixon and A'alparaiso 
 Noimal Schools, and Martha gives her attention to 
 school teaching; George is also a teacher, at pres- 
 ent advancing his learning in the school at Val- 
 paraiso, Ind. ; he formerly attended the Burlington 
 Business College. 
 
 Mr. McCormick adheres to the principles of the 
 Democratic party. He belongs to the Methodist 
 Episcopal CHiurch, and is one of those who helped 
 to erect the church edifice at Concord. Personally, 
 he possesses a very genial nature, which joined with 
 his fine cliaracter, makes him well liked by those 
 with whom he has to do, while his wife and the 
 various members of their family are also well re- 
 spected. 
 
 ^g^Ji^^e 
 
 ^^BRAHAM BRAYSHAW. Peoria is the 
 (@7lJ I home of many flourishing enterprises, and 
 j( IS> trade that falls below the tens of thousands 
 (Qyj yearly is scarcely noted as of more than 
 
 minor importance. One of the establishment* in 
 which a line business is done is that of the Mexican 
 Amole Soap Com|)anj-, of which the gentleman 
 above named is tlie President. The business had 
 pioveil a b.ad venture to its former managers but 
 
 feeling assured of the merits of the article manu- 
 factured, in which he had already some interest, 
 Mr. Braysliaw bought the patent and plant and has 
 in a short time brought up the trade to $40,000 per 
 annum. It is the nature of the President of the 
 company to push forward any enterprise in which 
 he engag'es,and from a line of manufacturers he in- 
 herits the spirit that can carry to a successful ter- 
 mination a large concern and the tact that can con- 
 trol the force needed in its work. 
 
 The Brayshaws have been cloth manufacturers for 
 several generations and in that business he of whom 
 we write was occupied in England, his native land. 
 He is a son of Benjamin and Anna (Berry) Bray- 
 sliaw and one of a family of twelve children. The 
 others remain in their native land and continue 
 the business of their forefathers. Abraham Bray- 
 shaw was born on Christmas Day, 1838, and left 
 the mother country when thirty years old. Taking 
 passage on a vessel bound to America, he landed 
 in New York in due time and there remained 
 two years superintending a woolen mill for James 
 Standring. He then came to the Prairie State and 
 locating in Peoria, engaged in the car|)et trade, con- 
 tinuing in that business until 1884. 
 
 About six years ago a company was organized 
 for the manufacture and sale of a prime toilet soap 
 and Mr. Braj'shaw became interested in it. The 
 corporation was known as Albaugh's Mexican 
 Soap Company, the President being Mr. M. H. 
 Haverhill. When the new organization was per- 
 fected the name was changed, and that of the root 
 whence the cleansing properties are derived was 
 incorporated with other words formerly used to 
 designate the company. The Amole soap is a 
 vegetable product, the tree from which it is made 
 having high healing as well as cleansing qualities, 
 and being therefore especially adapted to toilet use. 
 
 Shortly after reaching America, May 13, 1868, 
 Mr. Brayshaw led to the hymeneal altar Miss Car- 
 oline Wilb}', who, like the man of her choice, was 
 liorn in the mother countr}-. She possesses a fine 
 nature, much intelligence and pleasing manners, 
 and is the chief member of the household to the 
 husband and children to whose comfort she ever 
 ministers. Mr. and Mrs. Brayshaw are the parents 
 of three living childien — Benjamin W., who is in
 
 250 
 
 POin-RAIT AXD BlOURArHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the factoiT with liis father; Waller, a student in 
 college; and Clarence S., who is still at home. Mr. 
 Brnyshaw is a charter member in the lodge of 
 United Workmen of this city. He gives his vote 
 and influence to the Democrat party, in whose 
 principles he believes. 
 
 A^■1U .SMITH. This gentleni.au is Manager 
 III of the Central Illinois Agency of the New i 
 f!^' York Life Insurance Conipanv. his head- 
 quarters being at Peoria and his territor3- embrac- 
 ing twenty counties. He began the duties of a 
 life insurance agent in March. 1887. and was so 
 remarkably successful that after about seven 
 months' work he w.is chosen by General State 
 Agent. L. C. Vanuxen, as Manager of the Central 
 Illinois Agency. He has been successfully pur- 
 suing the work, discharging the duties of his posi- 
 tion with satisfaction to his superiors and credit 
 to himself. 
 
 Mr. Smith is a son of .Tohn antl Anna (Havens) 
 Smith, early pioneers in McLean County, to which 
 the}' came from Ohio. In the county mentioned 
 our subject opened his eyes to the light December 
 31, 1836, spending his youth upon his father's 
 farm, except the d.iys in which he was pursuing his 
 advanced studies. These were prosecuted at the 
 Illinois Wesleyan Universit}', at Bloomington, an 
 institution in which he h.as been particularly inter 
 ested since his school days, and for which he is an 
 executive member of the Board of Trustees, an of- 
 fice to which he was elected in June, 1886. 
 
 At the completion of his course of study Mr. 
 Smith returned to his home and took charge of his 
 father's farm until the death of the latter, in 1882. 
 He was appointed administrator of the estate, and 
 the homestead being put up for sale, he bought 
 and still retains it. It comprises five hundred and 
 forty .acres near Hudson. Upon it our subject re- 
 mained until he began his life insurance work, 
 and be still gives considerable attention to the es- 
 tate, where he is interested in breeding fine cattle 
 and horses. Having quick intelligence and a keen 
 a|)preciation of good stock, he is likelj' to make a 
 
 success of his venture in that line, to which he 
 brings also the business tact which will lead to a 
 good disposal of members of his herds. 
 
 At the home of the bride, in Peoria. .July 18, 
 1889, the rites of wedlock were celebrated between 
 Mr. Smith and Miss Mary J. Eussell. This esti- 
 mable and accomplished lady was born in this city, 
 being a daughter of the late William and Susan 
 (Bl.ack) Russell. Mr. Smith has been a member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church since boyhood 
 and is regarded as one of those to whom a Chris- 
 tian profession means a conscientious discharge of 
 his o'.jligations to God and .man. He votes the 
 Republican ticket, and although he has never 
 cared for political preferment, has been elected to 
 various township offices, and was given the posi- 
 tion of School Treasurer five years. 
 
 ORN'ELK'S N. MIHIGAN. One of the 
 "^^ lights of the legal fraternity in Peoria is the 
 gentleman above named, who enjoys a lucra- 
 tive practice and a high reputation as an honorable 
 and capable attorney and counselor-at-law. He has 
 been in practice here since 1878, making a speci- 
 alty of criminal practice, for which his keen wit, 
 acute perception and accurate judgment of charac- 
 ter seem particularh' to qualify him. 
 
 Somcrville. Somerset County, N. J., w.as the 
 birthplace of our subject and his natal day March 
 15, 1856. His parents. Jeremiah and Catherine 
 (Tracy) I\Iihigan, were born in Ireland, Queens- 
 town being the birthplace of the latter. When a 
 young man Jeremiah Mihig.an emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, residing in New Jerse)' for a number of 3'ears. 
 There he married Miss Trac}', who bore him four 
 sons and two daughters. In June, 1856, the fam- 
 ily came to Peoria, 111., which was then but a 
 small town without a prominent building within 
 its borders. Mr. Mihigan made this his home until 
 his. death, which occurred October 28, 1879. at the 
 age of fifty-five years. He was an honest and law- 
 .abiding citizen, an excellent mechanic and a kind 
 husband and parent. His widow is still living in 
 this city, having with her her daughters, Maggie
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 2ol 
 
 M. and Katie. The lirotliers of our .subject are: 
 Daniel C, a railroad engineer; J. T., (^overnnient 
 Ganger; T. ■)., late engineer at the eity water 
 works, and now master nieclianie of the Toledo, 
 Peoria A.- Western Railroad, all making their homes 
 in Peoria. 
 
 The suliject of this notice grew to manhood 
 here, receiving his education in the city schools, 
 and beginning his career in life as a clerk in a 
 grocery store, busying himself in other employ- 
 ments suited to his years and knowledge prior to 
 the coniiuenceinenl of his law studies. He can re 
 call the time when the major part of the city was 
 but a cornfield, business being mostly confined to 
 "Water Street, and has seen every improvement 
 from the first reall3' good building erected, to the 
 last modern residence and elegant public building. 
 
 The law studies of Mr. Mihigan were pursued in 
 the oftice of Messrs. Whitney & Foster, of Pekin, 
 in which city he remained until admitted to the 
 hnv b}' the Su|ireine Court, ,at Ottawa, in 1876. He 
 located for pr.actiee in the city where his studies 
 had been [jursucil, remaining there two years. The 
 largi r city, which had long been his home, seemed 
 better suited for one of energetic disposition, and 
 hither he came, in 1878, to begin a career whicili 
 has stamped him as the possessor of natural abil- 
 ity and fine legal training, 
 
 Mr. Mihigan has been actively engaged in |)oliti- 
 cal work tvith the Democratic partj-, but has not 
 sought ofHce for himself. He is recognized as a 
 strong man in the political arena, and has, there- 
 fore, been sent as delegate to various conventions 
 and called upon to assist in securing for his friends 
 political honors and emoluments. Aside from this 
 work his whole attention is given to his profession. 
 His wife was born and rearetl in this city. 
 
 ^^^ ^ (S^r=^^7t<*^ ^ ^^ ^=^'^ 
 
 ■jflOHN IIERSCHRERGER. Among those 
 ' who have seen the fruition of their hopes 
 of comfortable fortune, and have retired 
 from active business life to enjoy the reas- 
 onable recreations suited to .ac'vancing ye;irs, is 
 John Herschberger, who for many years has re- 
 
 sided in Peoria. For nearly a quarter of a century' 
 he was identified with its business life as proprietor 
 and manager of establishments in which otheis 
 found employment, and in wiiich he had pre- 
 viously won the confidence of those for whom he 
 worked in handicraft. 
 
 The |)arents of our subject were Peter and Cath- 
 erine (Stalter) Herschberger, natives of Bavaria, 
 Germany, whence tiiey emigrated to America about 
 1830, locating in Hamilton Count3-, Ohio. There 
 their third child, our subject, was born, Ai)ril 2, 
 1835. He has three sisters and one brother, the 
 latter, Joseph, and one of the sisters, Mrs. (ieorge 
 F. Weber, being residents of Peoria. The other 
 members of the family circle are Mis. Madeline 
 Slaybach, of Tazewell County, and Mrs. Philopena 
 Sexton, of JNIissouri. The [jarents removed to Pe- 
 oria County, 111., in 1841, and here the father 
 died of cholera in 18^9. The widowed mother sur. 
 vived until August, 1887, breathing her Last at the 
 age of eighty-three _years. 
 
 John Herschberger learned the trade of a hai- 
 ness-maker, beginning an ap|)renticeship with 
 Philip Bender in 1849. After familiarizing him- 
 self with his liaudicraft, he followed the same 
 until 18tjl, when h'- entered the field of merchan- 
 dising as a dealer in shelf hardware, stoves and tin- 
 ware. In this business he was occupied three 
 j'ears, then bought an interest in a planing mill, 
 and subsequently the entire plant, carrying on the 
 business until 1884. Since that time he has been 
 engaged only in looking after his investments, 
 bearing the part which a good citizen should in 
 the worthy movements going on in the city, and 
 enjoying domestic and social life as he could not 
 do when occupied with business cares. He is an 
 honored member of the Baptist Church, and in 
 politics is, as he himself expresses it, -a Prohibi- 
 tionist clear to the backbone." 
 
 The lad\' who occupies the place of honor in the 
 household of Mr. Herschberger became iiis wife 
 February 8, 18G5. She was known in her girlhood 
 as Miss Sarah D. Bastow,an(l is a native of Kngland, 
 whence the family emigrated in 185L Mr. and Mrs. 
 Herschberger have lost four children and have five 
 living, the latter being named respectively, Will- 
 iam B., J. Herbert, Harrietta, Clarence B. and
 
 2o2 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Il.'utikl H. Mr. Ilersehbf rger \\a<\ nn excellent 
 reputalion in business circles, as he still has in 
 church and social life, and iiis good wife also en- 
 joys the confidence and esteem of their acquaint- 
 ances. 
 
 SAAC .lACKSOX MARSH. The death of the 
 late Isaac J. Marsh removed from Peoria a 
 'l\ gentleman who lind lllled a jKisition of respon- 
 sibilil}' and conducted himself as ticcame a man. 
 in dealings with his follow. men. in domestic and so- 
 cial relations, and in the jjroseculion of the duties 
 that lay before him as a member of business circles. 
 He was born in Champaign Count}-, Ohio. June 12, 
 1832. remaining at his birthplace until a few years 
 after he had entered his teens, when lie sought the 
 Pacific Slope. With a brother-in-law he crossed 
 tlie plains during the gold excitement and reaching 
 California spent two j-ears in survej-iug and sight- 
 seeing, but strange to say. not engaging in mining. 
 A part of this time was spent in Oregon. 
 
 Mr. Marsh returned to the States by wa\- of the 
 Isthmus, and having completed his journey from 
 New York to his native State, entered Antioch 
 College to complete his education. The famous 
 institution over which Horace Mann presided was 
 an excellent place in which to imbibe advanced 
 ideas regarding the use and beautj- of knowledge, 
 and gain the wisdom without which schooling is of 
 little benefit to ona's self or mankind. After finish- 
 ing his course of study Mr. Marsh came to Peoria 
 and for a time was engaged in various occupations. 
 
 The cry of a nation whose life was attempted by 
 traitorous hands aroused the spirit of Mr. Marsh, 
 and ho enlisted from Milford Center, Ohio, in the 
 one hundred days' service, afterward enrolling 
 himself again for a term of three years. On the 
 second occasion he went out as a Lieutenant, was 
 shortly afterward appointed Brigade Commissary 
 and in thai capacity served during the remainder 
 of the war. When mustered out of the service be 
 returned to Jlilford Center and while agent for two 
 r.ailroads, had iin elevator, antl handled grain on his 
 own account. 
 
 Prom that pliice Mr. Marsh came to Peoria as an 
 
 employe of the Peoria and Rock Island Railroad, 
 and for some time was General Manager of the 
 Coal Transportation of the Indiana, Blooming- 
 ton A Western Railroad. He next applied him- 
 self to business of his own until appointed by- 
 President Cleveland, United States Storekeeper. In 
 that position he also served under J. Starr until 
 taken ill in September, 1889, the sickness termina- 
 ting fatally on November 17. He was a member 
 of the Grand Arm>' of the Republic and of the In- 
 dependent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 The estimable and highly respected lady who be- 
 came the wife of our subject more than tiiirty 
 years ago, was born in Woodstock, Ohio. April 17, 
 1834, and bore the maiden name of Rebecca C. 
 Speers. Her parents, David and Sarah (Franklin) 
 Speers. ren\oved to Metamora, Woodford County, 
 III., when she was a j'oung lady of eighteen j'ears 
 and there her marriage was celebrated May 31, 
 18.56. She has one daughter, Orpha Angle, born 
 April 6, 18(51; one child, Charlie Spencer, died 
 aged nine months. She belongs to the Universalist 
 Cburcji in the tenets of which her deceased hus- 
 band found comfort. 
 
 -^ 
 
 ^KORGE T. PAGE. The law firm of Worth - 
 
 ington. Page & Brady, is recognized as 
 ^>i^i4 holding a prominent position in the legal 
 profession of Peoria County, and has well-equipped 
 offices in the citj' of Peoria, at the corner of Jeffer- 
 son Avenue and Hamilton Street. Mr. Pago is 
 comparatively young in the profession, but has 
 made rapid strides, possessing natural abilities of a 
 high order, and the perseverance and industry 
 which, together with a close application to the du- 
 ties of his calling, arc a' guarantee of success. He 
 is a native of this State, and was born in Woodford 
 County, September 22, 1859, to T. C. S. and Cor- 
 delia K. Page, living at home until he was seven- 
 teen years of .age. He attended school at Metamora, 
 and partially completed his studies in the Illinois 
 University at Champaign, after which he was for 
 a time engaged in teaching in his native county. 
 Mr. Page is a uopliew of Judge Shope, of the I Hi-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 253 
 
 nois Supreme Court, and a brother of Judge S. S. 
 Page, of the Peoria County Circuit Court. 
 
 Mr. Page has always been an industrious student, 
 and emerged from the university' more than ordi- 
 narily well-informed. He commenced the reading 
 of law with his brother, then senior member of the 
 firm of Pnge <fe Khvood, at Metamora, and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar January 14, 1882, by the Supremo 
 Court of Ottawa. He commenced the practice of 
 his i^rofession the following year in Denver, Colo., 
 seeking that region for the benefit of his health. 
 When sufficiently recovered, he returned to Peoria 
 and practiced law with his brother S. S. Page, and 
 alone, until March 1890, when the firm under the 
 title as it now exists, was formed. They give spe- 
 cial attention to corporation law, which they have 
 investigated to such an extent, that they are en- 
 abled to settle the knotty points which are con- 
 stantly arising and which are not thoroughly un- 
 derstood b3' the majority of practitioners. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was married Septem- 
 ber 7, 1887, at the bride's home in Decatur, 111., to 
 Miss Jessie Stevens. Of this union there has been 
 born one child, a son. Gerald II. 
 
 ICHARD SCHOLES, deceased, entered into 
 rest October 22, 1870, at his home in Chil- 
 licolhe. He was born in Bolton, England, 
 \\@ in 1804, of good P^nglisli stock, his mother 
 belonging to the Heaps family, well known among 
 the extensive manufacturers of the mother countr}-. 
 He was well educated, received careful home in- 
 struction, anil after graduation from the college of 
 his native cit^', when about of age, he set out for 
 America. He began his labors in this country by 
 teaching in New Jersey, succeeding .as an instruc- 
 tor and obtaining a financial start by this tempo- 
 rary expedient. He subsequently made several 
 trips to England for the purpose of securing help 
 for a New England cloth manufacturing company, 
 with which he was afterward connected as a pattern 
 m.aker. 
 
 After spending some jears with the firm of 
 
 Gregg & Co., Mr. Sclioles came to Illinois in 1837, 
 and secured a large tract of land in Sprague Town- 
 ship, ftlarshall County. After having improved 
 most of the farm he removed to Chillicothe, Peoria 
 County, engaging in the sale of merchandise and 
 grain. His experiences were many and varied.con- 
 siilerable propertj' being lost by him at times, but 
 the stubborn persistence characteristic of the Eng- 
 lisnman would not allow him to become discour- 
 aged under any reverses. His personal traits se- 
 cured for him the confidence and love of all who 
 made his acquaintance, and among those to whom 
 he was not porsonallj' known he was reputed a man 
 of activity, an honest citizen and a ripe scholar. 
 
 The efforts of Mr, Scholes toward intellectual 
 improvement did not cease with his school days, 
 but continued throughout his life, and he became 
 the possessor of the finest library in the county. 
 Although not an office-seeker, he took an active 
 l)art in local politics, during slavery times was an 
 Abolitionist and until his death a sound Republi- 
 can. He possessed much artistic ability, water colors 
 being his forte and beautiful scenes growing under 
 his brush. Natural history was made a specialty 
 by him until he became an expert. 
 
 The first marriage of Mr. Scholes occurred in 
 England when he was quite young, the bride 
 being Miss Elizabeth Crossdale, a well-educated 
 and refined lady of a goixl English family. A 
 few j-ears after he came to America she jf)iiR'd 
 lum, living with him in New England States until 
 in her prime when she was called hence. She died 
 at Fall River, Mass., leaving two children, of whom 
 Johi: died when 3'oung and Frank was accidenlallv 
 drowned in Marshall County, 111., in 1.S41, wlien 
 eleven years old. Mr. Scholes contr.acted a second 
 marriage in Massachusetts with Miss Jennie Dalrini- 
 ple; of this union there were three children: Agnes 
 Oakfor, of Fredonia, Kan. ; Alice H.nsmer, of 
 Chicago; Samuel D., of S|)ring6el(l, an attorne3'. 
 
 Mr. Scholes contracted a third matrimonial alli- 
 ance in Medina Township. Peoria County, 111., liis 
 bride being Mrs. Sarah H. Stillnian, nee Gillus, a 
 native of Salem, Washington County, N. Y., born 
 November 2,'), 1811. Her parents, Robert and 
 Esther (Baker) Gillus, natives of the same county 
 as herself, removed to Oswego County in later
 
 254 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 life, and' died tliere during; the same year, when 
 about four-score years old. They were well and 
 favorably known where they lived, and bolli were 
 members of tlie Conirrejiational Cliureli. Mr. Gil- 
 lus was a farmer. The father of Mrs. Gillus was 
 Capt. Thomas Baker, a Revolutionary soldier, wiio 
 was seriously wounded and drew a pension for 
 many years before his death. He w.as of Scotch 
 parentage. Mis wife, Mary Carswell. was the 
 daughter of a prominent man in Washington 
 County, her father having been High Sheriff of 
 Salem for many years. 
 
 Mrs. Sard) IL Scholes was reared and educated 
 in her native State, ciiiefly in Ontario County. 
 She first married Demming, son of Samuel and 
 Eunice (Demming) Stillman. who were natives of 
 Conni'clicut and had been educated for teachers. 
 After their marriage they removed to Oneida 
 County, N. Y., where the husband was engaged in 
 farming, and wdiere the son, Demming was born. 
 After the marriage of the latter he and bis wife re- 
 mained in the Empire State until I83G, when they 
 removed to Peoria, 111. There Mr. Stillman was 
 engaged in a hardware store two years, after which 
 he purchased a fine, unimproved farm in Medina 
 Township, which he made the scene of his labors 
 during the remnant of his days. He died in July, 
 1842, when in the prime of life, leaving behind 
 him the reputation of a good citizen. He was the 
 father of three children, the oldest of whom was 
 born in New York. One of them is now deceased, 
 namely, AValter D., who left a widow and two 
 sons in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he had prac- 
 ticed medicine sixteen years. The living children 
 are: Caroline, wife of Dr. William H. Wilmott, of 
 Lawn Ridge, Marshall County, and James, a sin- 
 gle man, who lives in Chicago. 
 
 By her marriage with our subject Mrs. Scholes 
 has became the mother of three children : Jennie, 
 wife of William Baldwin, a retired farmer and 
 travelling- in an, lives in Peoria; Thomas J., mar- 
 ried Lydia Ransom, of St. Joseph, Mo., resides in 
 Chicago, and is engaged with the Barnes School 
 Book Publishing House; and Charles resides in 
 Auburn, Sangamon Count3', where he was for- 
 merly engaged in the hardware trade. Mrs. .Scholes 
 is a member in good standing of the Congrega- 
 
 tional Church and several of her children are iden- 
 tified with the same society. Siie is looked ujjon 
 with great respect by tlie members of the commu- 
 nity among which she condncts her useful labors. 
 
 ^EORGE y. YATES is the son of a pioneer 
 (— - farmer of this county, and since attaining 
 li^J manhood has become connected with its 
 interests as a farmer and stock-raiser, owning and 
 O'jcupying a productive well tilled farm on sec- 
 tion 34, Akron Township. IITs parents. John and 
 Eleanor (Miller) Yates, were natives of West \ir- 
 ginia, the former born in Ohio County. They 
 spent the early part of their married life in that 
 county, and from there emigrated to this county 
 in 1849, and settled among the pioneers of Rad- 
 nor Township. There they lived some twenty 
 3'ears and then removed to Akron Township, where 
 the father's earthly career was brought to a close 
 in the mouth of March, 1879. The mother still 
 survives at a venerable age. To that worth}' couple 
 six children were born, all of whom lived to years 
 of maturit}'. 
 
 The subject of this biographical review was the 
 youngest child in the parental familj-. and he was 
 born on the 13th of March, 1844, in Ohio County, 
 W. Va., when that State still formed a part of the 
 Old Dominion. He was but five years of age when 
 his parents came to Peoria County, therefore the 
 most of his life has been passed within its bounds, 
 and he was reared under its institutions and edu- 
 cated in its schools. He w,as bred to the honorable 
 calling of a farmer, and lias made that vocation 
 his life work. His agricultural interests are cen- 
 tered in Akron Township, and he is managing 
 them judiciously and with good success. 
 
 In the upbuilding of a home our subject is 
 greatly aided by his wife, formerly Hattie M. Dun- 
 lap, daughter of Napoleon Dunlap, of Radnor 
 Township, of whom see sketch on another page of 
 this work. She was born in Radnor Township, 
 October 1.5, 1852. and was carefully trained and 
 educated liy her |)arcnts. Her marriage with our 
 subject was lUdy solemnized December 18, 1873,
 
 ^^-^-^^ ^yl^ZC^ 
 
 rt 771}^'} y j:£^ 
 
 'J
 
 roUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 257 
 
 and to them have come four chihlren, as follows: 
 IMyrlie JNL. who died when ciiilit nionlhs old; Charles 
 C. Alma H. and Ernest E. 
 
 Mr. Yates -s a fair-minded, lionorablo man, steady 
 and industrious in his habits, and in him and his 
 good wife the Presbyterian Church finds two of its 
 most worth j^ members, who deli,i;ht to aid in its 
 every good worii. 
 
 ~^^^ 
 
 AiMES DEAL. Perhaps no name is belter 
 known in Peoria than that wliitli initiates 
 this sketch, and which is held by a general 
 contractor and builder, whose portrait ap- 
 [jcars on tiie opposite page, and who is also a 
 member of the firm of James Deal & Co., builders 
 of grain elevators here. Many of the finest build- 
 ings in the city were designed and constructed by 
 Mr. Deal, although his work has been by no means 
 ciinSned to this city, but includes public buildings 
 in various localities. He is a native of Vermont, 
 born in Burlington, Wednesday, October 11, 1848, 
 and is the eldest son of Adam and Elizabetii 
 (Ilogan) Deal, natives of Canada and the North of 
 Ireland respectively. The father was a contractor, 
 and lie of whom we write inherits mechanical and 
 architectural skill which he has devcloi)ed by care- 
 ful training. His parents removed to Vermont, in 
 which State they were living when called to join 
 the silent majority. 
 
 The subject of tliis notice drifted west to Au- 
 rora. III., in boyliood, an<t there passed his school 
 days. On reaching his sixteenth year he began to 
 jc.iru the carpenter's trade, at which he served 
 ;iu a|)prenticeship of three years. After comple- 
 liuii bis lime he traveled and worked at his trade as 
 an employe a short lime, and then, associating 
 himself with Stephen Parry, began contracting. 
 In 18C.) he located in Peoria, where iiis reputation 
 as a skillful artisan and an able designer has led to 
 his iiaving the contracts for the best buildings here 
 during the last decade. 
 
 Among the edifices which have been put up by 
 Mr. Deal are the National Hotel, the Watson 
 Block, the Paddock Block, the County Insane 
 
 Asylum, and all of the costly' buildings wiiich have 
 been erected on the State Fair Grounds at Peoria. 
 Many wholesale business houses and elegant resi- 
 dences are monuments to his skill, the most impo- 
 sing of all being the Woolner Block, now being 
 pushed to completion, which is expected to be the 
 finest in the cit}'. Mr. Deal was also interested in 
 building the State University at Carbondale, the 
 County Poorliouse, and the Insane Asylum at 
 Carthage. 
 
 In September, 1869, Mr. Deal w.as united in mar- 
 riage with JMiss Fanny Benson, of Peoria, who was" 
 killed in the Chatsworth disaster in 1887, leaving 
 three children — William, Fran*k and Belle. He 
 contracted a second matrimonial alliance April 
 5, 1888, on which occasion his bride was Miss 
 Nellie Harsch, likewise of Peoria. This lady is a 
 favorite in society, and in her own home exhibits 
 the character and skill of the true home-keeper. 
 
 It will readily be seen that Mr. Deal possesses a 
 benevolent spirit and social nature, when the fact 
 is stated that he belongs to the Ancient Order of 
 United Workmen, Modern Woodmen, Royal Le- 
 gion and various Masonic lodges. He is enrolled 
 in Temple Lodge, No. 46, F. <fe A. M., and also in 
 the Chapter, Commander}' and Consistory. For 
 six years he served as a member of the School 
 Board. He owns and occupies a pleasant resi- 
 dence at No. 400 North Adams Street, where his 
 many friends are cordially welcomed by himself 
 and his charming wife. 
 
 OHN L CLARK. Too great honor cannot 
 be given to those who develop the mind and 
 train the heart of the young, and it affords 
 us pleasure to assist in preserving the record 
 of this gentleman, whose highest claim to future 
 remembrance rests upon his long years of pedagog- 
 ical labor. Many of his former pupils exchanged 
 his instructions for a place at the head of schools 
 where they, in turn, transmitted the truths of sci- 
 ence and morality to the boys and girls in whom 
 the hope of the nation lies, thus giving rise to the 
 familiar name of '-Teacher of Teachers" by which
 
 258 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 our subject is known to man}-. His present home 
 is on a fine farm of one liundred and sixty acres on 
 sections 26 and 36, Trivoli Townsliip, ?ltlioiigh he 
 lias retired from hard labor of body and mind, 
 finding great delight in the care of his garden and 
 otlierwise enjoying tlie ease and comfort due after 
 3'ears well spent. 
 
 Mr. Clark was born in Argyle, Washington 
 County, N. Y., April 6, 1815, was three years old 
 when his parents removed to Livingston County, 
 where they lived until 1821, then journe}'ed by 
 team to Buffalo, thence by boat to Monroe County, 
 Mich., remaining there until the father was called 
 hence two years later. Tlie widow with her family 
 then went to Lenawee County, bought one hundred 
 and ten acres of land in the dense forest, where our 
 subject labored at clearing and other home duties 
 so long as his strength would permit. He had been 
 ill before his father died, and the ague kept a hold 
 upon him until he became too reduced to endure 
 hard work, and developed into serious complaints. 
 The timber on the farm was black walnut of the 
 finest kind and the Raisin River afforded a con- 
 venient means of transportation for the logs that 
 floated down to the sawmills. 
 
 Being unable to aid upon the farm, Mr. Clark 
 went to Caledonia, N. Y.. to a brother and sister, 
 and attended the village school for a while, then, 
 having heard of an old [ihysician in West Avon 
 from whom it was thought he might derive some 
 benefit, he went there, making his home with the 
 doctor while taking treatment and at the same time 
 pursuing his studies in the academy. His treat- 
 ment had almost effected a cure, although ho never 
 wholly recovered from the effects of his early ill- 
 health. When twenty years old he began teaching, 
 his first school being a winter one at Leroy. At its 
 close he returned to Michigan, and secured a school 
 at Dundee, but in the fall took the position of 
 book-keeper and commissary for his brothers, who 
 liad a contract of sixteen miles of the Michigan 
 Southern Railroad, and wished his services. 
 
 After working for them two years, Mr. Clark re- 
 turned to the Empire State, drawn thither by the 
 charms of Miss Rachel Rogers, whom he won for 
 his wife, their wedding taking place in Livingston 
 County ,June 3, 1840, the ceremony being performed 
 
 by the Rev. I\Ir. Fisher, a Covenanter minister. 
 The bride was born in Washington County, her fa- 
 ther, David Rogers, being a descendant of the John 
 Rogers who was persecuted and burned at the stake 
 for his principles in the days when iMaiy, Queen of 
 Scots, upheld Catholicism by force. Tlie mother of 
 the bride was Mary Mills, who bore her husband a 
 large family, most of the male portion of whom 
 moved West and became farmers in Wisconsin. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Clark came to Michigan, where, 
 not long after, the wife was left while our subject 
 visited Illinois. He crossed tin; lake to Cleveland, 
 Ohio, went by stage to Columbus, and started on 
 the canal to Sparta, Randolph County, III. The 
 boat traveled so SI0WI3' that he and a nephew struck 
 out on foot for Peoria, four hundred and forty 
 rajles distant. During the winter he taught in the 
 village of Trivoli. then wentafter his wife, and also 
 brought with him on his return, a brother, Ben- 
 jamin, making the trip by wagon. He settled in 
 Smithville, teaching there three years and a half 
 when politics became a source of excitement, and a 
 Democrat was put in charge of the school, our sub- 
 ject being a strong Whig. 
 
 Our subject bought forty acres of raw land near 
 the village, built a dwelling and undertook other 
 improvements. The patrons of the school desired 
 him to resume charge after his successor had held 
 the place one term, and he accordingly returned to 
 his former position, and continued his labors until 
 the death of his companion, August 13, 1845. 
 Leaving the place then, Mr. Clark taught in Mercer 
 Count3', then in Greenfield, Greene County ,and after 
 some time went to Michigan, where August 1,1848, 
 he conti'acted a second matrimonial alliance, 
 wedding ^Nliss Laura M. McManus. This lady was 
 born in Chautauqua County, N. Y., and receiving 
 an invitation came to the home of a sister in Mich- 
 igan, filling a position as a teacher in both Lenawee 
 and Monroe Counties; she was also a successful 
 teacher in the neighborhood of her uncle in Ohio. 
 After his second marriage Mr. Clark came b.ack to 
 this county, continuing his pedagogical labors in 
 various districts for divers periods, giving the sum- 
 mers, for a few years, to work ujion a farm he had 
 bought, and at last tired of the cont'uual change 
 from farm labor to school turned his entire atten-
 
 PORI'RAIT AND lilOURAl'IllCAL ALBUM. 
 
 259 
 
 lion to farming. In 1853, he secured by trade 
 eigiitj acres of liis present farm, afterward buying 
 another tract of one hundred and sixty, luit sold 
 half of it, leaviuy in his possession a quarter sec- 
 lion. His vvife had cliargc of this until he aban- 
 doned the iMofession in which lie liad labored so 
 long and so well. lie operated it until tiie deatli of 
 ids wife, December 22, 1882, when he left it and 
 for some time afterward made Ins home witli bis 
 children in ISIissouri, Iowa and in .Livingston 
 County. HI. 
 
 At Peoria, March 4, 1889, Mr. Clark was again 
 married, winning as his wife Mrs. Mary J. (Mc- 
 Clelland) Davis. This lady was born in the North 
 of IrelamL reared there and highly educated. When 
 a j'oung woman she came to America with a sister, 
 becoming matron of an institution for tlie education 
 of negro children in New York Cit,\, in which her 
 sister also taught. For twenty- live years she held 
 her place at the liead of this institution, then mar- 
 ried her first husband, who liad at one time been 
 principal of the institute and whose acquaintance 
 slie had made there. He had resigned and moved 
 lo Michigan, and losing the companion of his early 
 3'ears, some years after her death married Miss Mc- 
 Clelland. They went to England where he died 
 two years later, when the widow returned to New 
 York and -was offered the position she had lield 
 prior to her marriage. Illness prevented her as- 
 suming its duties ami she came West to visit a 
 sister, coming to the home of her nephew, W. A. 
 Huston, in this county, where she met the subject 
 of our sketch when he was looking after his farm 
 property here. 
 
 By his first marriage Mr. Clark became the fa- 
 tlier of three children. Isabella is now living in 
 Adair County, Iowa; she married George Walford, 
 who was drowned. Martha E., formerly a teacher 
 in this State and Missouri, now lives in the Latter, 
 being the wife of I. J. Biller a farmer. Rachel R. 
 died in infancy in 1815. The second marriage of 
 our subject was productive to him of two children. 
 Sarah C. attended Monmouth College, married 
 Simeon Wright and died in Texas leaving an in- 
 fant son who still survives. Homer J. lives in Liv- 
 ingston County, being editor and joint proprietor 
 of the Pontiac Sentinel; be also attended Mon- 
 
 mouth College, was a teacher and was i)erfornung 
 the duties of Princii)al of Gibson City High School 
 when the editor of the Gibson City Charier desired 
 him to manage llie sheet a week while he took a 
 vacation; he did so and sometime after the return 
 of the owner formed a partnersliip with him in 
 buying out the Pontiac Sentinel and running it un- 
 der the st^yle of Lowry & Clark. 
 
 Our subject joined the Presbyterian Cliurch when 
 fifteen j'ears old and has been Ruling Elder since 
 1843. He has also been Superintendent of the 
 Sunday-school, and is now teaching the Bible Class 
 at Pennsylvania Ridge. In politics he has been a 
 true blue Republican since the disintegration of the 
 old Whig party. His farm is well improved, having 
 two dwellings, adequate outbuildings of various 
 kinds, fences, trees, etc., to mark it as a home of 
 [ilenty. In manners and conversational powers Mr. 
 Clark is pleasing, intelligent — in fact quite cuL 
 turcd. and cordial, making it a great pleasure to 
 converse witli him. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Hfeshire, 
 Scotland, May 10, 1764. He came to New York with 
 his parents in 1771, receiving a good education, in 
 common with his brother and sisters, and studied 
 medicine. He graduated from an alloijathic school 
 in the Empire State, engaged in the practice of 
 medicine in Argyle, N. Y. Going into speculation 
 he lost all his property, more than once, but after 
 each reverse would resume his profession with suc- 
 cessful results. He i)rospected for gold also, siiend- 
 ing much mone\' in that way. After living for some 
 years in Livingston C'ounty, he located in Michi- 
 gan, first spending a j'ear in Monroe and then 
 jjracticing in Raisinville until his death in 1823. 
 He and his lirother Robert were both Presbj'terian 
 in religion, and belonged to tiie Free and Accepted 
 Masons. 
 
 The mother of our subject was Isabella Camp- 
 bell, a native of Argyle, N. Y. ; she died in Michi- 
 gan, near Deerficld. She was the mother of fifteen 
 children, whose record is as follows: Eleanor died 
 in New York July 21, 1820 aged twenty-nine j'ears; 
 Margaret was thrown from a horse, having her 
 neck broken, in Blissfield, Mich. ; Robert died in 
 Randolph County. 111., in 1812; James R. died in 
 Minnesota in 1882, aged eighty-six years; Cather
 
 260 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ine in Randolph County-, 111., in 1837: Jane in 
 DeerBeld. Mich., in 1836, aged thirt}--four years; 
 William C Januarj- 28, 1849. aged forty-four; 
 Elizabeth in infancy ; Benjamin in Michigan in 1869, 
 aged sixty-two years; Daniel in Michigan: Ebene- 
 zer, in Washington Count}-, N. Y., aged two years; 
 Eliza, in Caledonia, N. Y., in 1840; Sally Maria in 
 Missouri in 1879; Martha G. in Caledonia, N. Y., 
 .iged twentj-nino years. Robert was in the War 
 of 1812. and Daniel in the Black Hawk War. 
 Robert was a physician, flually becoming quite 
 rich and prominent, and died near Sparta, Randolph 
 County, 111. Robert, brother of our subject's fa- 
 ther was elected to Congress about the year 1817, 
 where he as early in liie history' of our country as 
 this, bj' his fearless utterances on the subject of 
 slaverj- as the destined curse of our land, proves 
 himself to have been a strong abolitionist. After 
 his term of service in Congress expired he was ap- 
 pointed Government Land Agent, and b}' his wise 
 trading soon became quite rich and prominent. He 
 died near Monroe, Mich., leaving a large family in 
 opulent circumstances. 
 
 LBERTUS Y. BARTHOLEMEW. Peoria 
 l^ Count}" has but few more able, talented 
 men of business connected with its im- 
 mense farming and stock-growing inter- 
 ests, than this gentleman. Elmwood Township, 
 the scene of his agricultural enterprises and va- 
 rious pursuits has in him a valuable citizen whose 
 liberal, progressive public spirit has placed him 
 among the foremost in pushing forward every en- 
 terprise for its advancement, and no one has done 
 more in placing it in the front rank of its sister 
 townships than he. He owns a large farm, which 
 is considered one of the finest in this localitj', but 
 it does not suffice him for his extensive business, 
 as a raiser of cattle, hogs, horses and mules, and 
 he leases five hundred acres besides. 
 
 Our subject is a fine representative of a native- 
 born citizen of this county and township, Febru- 
 ary 26, 1838, being the d^-te of his birth. He 
 came of fine old New England parentage. His 
 
 father, Luzerne Bartholemew. was a native of 
 Connecticut, and emigrated from thtre to Illinois in 
 1837, coming all the waj- in a covered wagon. He 
 settled on a farm on section 6, building a log house 
 to shelter his family. He bought three eighties, and 
 later erected substantial buildings on his place, 
 among them a comfortable residence, treadmill, 
 windmill and woolen mill. He was a man of in- 
 finite lesources and equally expert in various call- 
 ings. Besides being a skillful farmer he was a 
 fine machinist, a successful boot and shoe mer- 
 chant, and also butchered cattle, shipping the pre- 
 pared meat in barrels to New Orleans on flat 
 boats. In 1848 he crossed the plains to Califor- 
 nia with a companj- of emigrants. He was made 
 the Captain of this band, driven thither by the 
 gold fever. While in California he captured a 
 grizzl}' bear, weighing about two thousand pounds. 
 After coming home he exhibited the bear through- 
 out the United States, in East and Southern Canada, 
 and in the fall of 1856 made a trip to Europe, ex- 
 hibiting the bear in all the leading cities. 
 
 During all these travels our subject was his 
 father's companiou, being thus enabled to gain a 
 fair knowledge of the world. Upon their return 
 home they disposed of the bear in Brandon, Vt., 
 for the sum of §10,000. Subsequently, while on 
 a visit to Connecticut in 1866 the father died. 
 He was twice married. His first wife was the 
 mother of our subject, and, like his father, was a 
 native of Connecticut. Her maiden name was 
 Betsey Yale, and she was a descendant of the fa- 
 mous Yale familj- of th.at State. She was a highly 
 educated woman, possessing great literar}' talent 
 and writing both prose and poetry with facility. 
 She had three children, of whom our subject is the 
 only survivor. John B. was a soldier in the 
 Eighth Missouri Infantry, and after a service of 
 nearl}- three years bravely yielded up his life in 
 the service of his country at the siege of Vicks- 
 burg. Sarah Helen died at the age of eighteen 
 years. 
 
 Our subject gained the preliminaries of his edu- 
 cation in the district school, and subsequently pur- 
 sued an excellent course of study in the Galesburg 
 Academy, never attending school but six months 
 after he w.as sixteen years old. He began life for
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 261 
 
 himself by working for his uncle in a hardware 
 store at $10 per month, his salarj' being raised to 
 §50 per month in 1859. He subsequent!}' clerked 
 in a dry-goods store for Cone & Wilcox for one 
 season. He then returned to his uncle and was 
 engaged in putting up lightinng rods, etc., for 
 one seasou. After tliat he vvas variously employed 
 in farming, shelling corn and threshing, and also 
 in raising stock. 
 
 Mr. Bartholemew began his farming operations 
 with an eight^'-acre tract of half improved land, 
 and has done so well iu its cultivation that he has 
 been enabled to buy more and now he has three 
 hundred and sixty-eight acres of land under good 
 tillage and highly im|)roved in ever}' respect, so 
 that it is justly considered the moet desirable stock 
 in the township. As before mentioned he is 
 largely engaged in raising stock and has acquired 
 wealth in his dealings. At one time he sold six 
 car loads of cattle which averaged over |80 per 
 head. 
 
 B}' his marriage to Miss Mar}- Ennis, which was 
 solemnized Ma}' 15, 1862, Mr. Bartholemew secured 
 a wife who is devoted to his interests and has 
 greatly aided him in the procurement of his prop- 
 erty. She is a daughter of John and Sarah 
 (Loomis) Ennis. n.atives respectively of New York 
 and Connecticut. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bartholeme.w's congenial married 
 life has been blest to them by the birth of six 
 children: John B., a manufacturer, of Des 
 Moines, Iowa, who married Louella Moore, of Os- 
 kaloosa, and they have two children; Orie Y., a 
 graduate of Knox College, and poet of the class of 
 1888, now book-keeper for the Peoria Planter 
 Works, making his home iu Des Moines; Lura H., 
 also a graduate of Knox College, and class histo- 
 rian, is now assistant Principal of the Elinwood 
 High School; Charles A., a young business man of 
 Elm wood, is a manufacturer of peanut and coffee 
 I'oasters and also has a brass foundry; Carrie 
 Maud and Bessie Alice. 
 
 Mr. Bartholemew is a noble-spirited, high- 
 minded, generous-hearted man of exemplary habits 
 whose course both in public and private life is be- 
 yond reproach, and he and his wife and their fam- 
 ily stand high in tlie social circles of the county. 
 
 their hospitality, their kindness and cordiality ren- 
 dering their charming home in the town of Elm- 
 wood very attractive to all who enter within its 
 gates. For the past four years our subject has 
 represented Elmwood Township on the County 
 Board of Supervisors, and has been otherwise con- 
 nected with the local government as member of 
 the City Council, and on the School Board and as 
 Road Commissioner. As an incumbent of the im- 
 portant office of Supervisor, he has looked care- 
 fully after the interests of his township, and his 
 rare capacity for business has been well illustrated 
 by the masterly manner in which he conducted the 
 case of the bondholders vs. the township, in the 
 suit brought by the owners of tlie bonds issued by 
 the township to build the Hannibal, Peoria & 
 Dixon Railroad. The amount of money involved 
 in the litigation was $170,000, and after a great 
 deal of controversy in the courts our subject was 
 instrumental in bringing the suit to a close by 
 effecting a settlement of the claim for 8115,000, 
 and on the issue of new bonds he placed them on 
 the market at a premium. j\[r. Bartholemew is a 
 strong Republican and takes a deep interest in 
 politics. He and his wife and their three eldest 
 children are among the prominent members of the 
 Congregational Church, of which he is a Trustee, 
 and Mrs. Bartholemew has been active in the Sun- 
 day-school work as a teacher. 
 
 ^, iVILLIAM E ASTON. Among the residents 
 \ * / ^^ Chillicothe, who have laid down the bur- 
 'Vf'>^ dens of life after extended and successful 
 labors, is numbered William Easton, who breathed 
 his last March 7, 1890. For some years prior to 
 his death, he had been quietly enjoying the fruits 
 of his former industry, rejoicing in the good will 
 of a large circle of acquaintances, and filling up the 
 measure of his days with good works, lie wiis 
 eighty-two years and ten months old when called 
 hence, having been born in Newark, N. J., May 7, 
 1807. 
 
 The father of our subject was William Easton, 
 Sr., a man of English birth and descent, who came
 
 262 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 to America when a young man. He made his liorae 
 in New Jersey, but continued the seafaring life in 
 which he had previously expended his energies. He 
 was killed by falling from some part of the vessel 
 on which he sailed, when in the prime of life, and 
 when our suhject was but two j-ears of age. He 
 had married an American lady — Mrs. Elizabeth 
 Slaght nee Drake — who was reared in New Jersey. 
 Her first husband Cornelius Slaght, died in the 
 prime of life, leaving four sons and one daughter, 
 all of whom are now deceased. Some of their de- 
 scendants were early settlers in Cleveland. Ohio, 
 and there became rich and piominent. The mother 
 of our subject lived to be ninety years old. d3ing 
 in Newark, N. J., which liad been her home for 
 many long jears. 
 
 William P^aston, Jr., remained with his mother 
 until he was ten years old, then became an inmate 
 of the household of his half-brother, Abraham 
 Slaght, in Cleveland, Ohio. When old enough to 
 do so, he went to work in tlie carpenter and ship 
 j-ards, learning the use of tools. In 1836 he came 
 to Illinois, having but §1 in his pocket, his i)re- 
 vious accumulations having been lost to him bj' 
 going security for friends in Ohio. Peoria County 
 was but S|)aisel3^ settled, much of the land being 
 j-et unbroken, but here Mr. Easton set himself to 
 woriv to make a home. He secured a tract of un- 
 broken land in Hallock Township, and surrounded 
 bj- a wild waste of territory, he established himself 
 and began the labors which resulted in securing a 
 large propertj\ For some j'ears he worked at his 
 trade, hoarding his resources, and gradually im- 
 proving and adding to his landed estate. A part 
 of the fine property' which he accumulated is now 
 owned by his widow. 
 
 Mr. Easton was a strong Republican, ever ready 
 to serve his party, but never seeking office for him- 
 self. He, however, was made Justice of the Peace, 
 and retained in that office for fifteen j-ears. He 
 was a Universalist in religion, and the fortunate 
 possessor of a nature combining so many pleasing 
 attributes that all who became acquainted witli him 
 regarded him with affection. 
 
 Tlie first marriage of Mr. Easton was celebrated 
 in Cleveland. Ohio, a short time before his removal 
 to the Prairie State. The lady whom he won was 
 
 Jliss Sophia Lake, wiio belonged to an excellent 
 family in Ohio, and had grown to maturity under 
 the charge of estimable parents. She died in 1838, 
 two years after accompanying her husband to this 
 count}', being carried off in the prime of life by 
 consumption. She left no offspring. The second 
 wife of our subject was Miss Sarah Hicks, a native 
 of New York, who came to Illinois with her par- 
 ents wlien quite young. She was educated in Peo- 
 ria County, fitted for usefulness, and bore well her 
 part in life until called hence in 1872. She died 
 at her home in Hallock Township, in middle life, 
 leaving three sous — Stephen, William D.. and 
 Joel I. 
 
 Stephen Easton gave liis life for his country's 
 cause, being fatajl}' wounded at the battle of Chick- 
 asaw Mountain. He lies in a soldier's grave at 
 Marietta, Ga. His brother William also devoted 
 some years to the service of his country, and was 
 finall}- discharged on account of disaliility, return- 
 ing to his home, where he soon afterward died from 
 disease contracted while in the army. Both these 
 were uuniarried. Joel is now living in Creston, 
 Iowa, with his wife and family. 
 
 Our subject contracted a third matrimonial alli- 
 ance in 1874, at LaPrairie, JIarshall County, his 
 bride being Miss Isabel M. Jones. This lady is a 
 daughter of Edwin and Emily (Root) .Tone^, na- 
 tives respectively of Uniontown, Pa., and Delaware 
 Count3% N. Y. Mr. Jones was of Welsh parentage, 
 while his wife w.as of English descent. They were 
 married in the Bucke^'e State, and began their mar- 
 ried life in Findlay, where Mr. Jones worked as a 
 tanner. In 1831 he removed with his family to 
 Peoria Count}-, 111., laboring among the pioneers 
 until 1844, when he settled in Marshall County on 
 a farm. He spent the remnant of his days there, 
 d3ing in 1884, when sevent}- -nine j'ears old. While 
 in Peoria Count3', he carried ou a small store, one 
 of the first in Chillicothe, and as one of the first 
 County Commissioners he helped to bu}- and lav 
 out the cit}' of Peoria. He was a prominent local 
 politician in the ranks of the Republican party. In 
 JIarshall Count}- he held the office of Justice of 
 the Peace some years. He was a prominent mem- 
 ber of the Christian Church. Mrs. Jones is still 
 living, making her home witli her daughter, Mrs.
 
 Ofi
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOCtRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 263 
 
 Easton. Sbe is now eigUty-three years of age, is 
 sightless, but ber mental faculties are uiKliniined by 
 tbe tligbt of years. 
 
 Mrs. Isaljel (Jones) Easton, was born in FiniUaj-, 
 Oliio, June 30, 1831, and received tbe most care- 
 ful borue training from ber good parents. Iler 
 education was acquired at Eureka, 111., and in otber 
 places, ber mind being thorougbly cultured, and 
 ber memory stored with knowledge. For some 
 time sbe was engaged in teacbing in Peoria and in 
 Marshall County, gaining a high standing among 
 tbe members of her profession. Her many aceom- 
 plisbments and reflued nature make ber a leader in 
 society, and sbe has long been known as one of the 
 most influential and useful ladies in this commu- 
 nity. 
 
 ,0BEK1" A. STEWART, a native of this 
 county, and a representative of an early 
 4\\\\ pioneer family, is one of the foremost citi- 
 ^ zens of Logan Township, who, besides ac- 
 tively aiding bis fellow farmers in sustaining and 
 extending tbe great agricultural interest of this lo- 
 cality, is pre-eminent in its public and political life. 
 
 Our subject was born on tbe old homestead on 
 section 5, Timber Township, April 20, 1856. He is 
 a son of the late Walter and Nancy E. (Turbett) 
 Stewart, who were natives respectively of Wash- 
 ington County, N. Y., and F.airfield County, Ohio, 
 the former born February 21, 1813, and the latter 
 July 30, 1824. He was a son of James and Sarah 
 (^ McCoy) Stewart, who were born and reared in 
 New York, where tbe father carried on farming. 
 The grandfather of our subject was a son of Walter 
 Stewart who came of an old Scotch family, and was 
 born near Edinboro, Scotland, lie emigrated to 
 this country in Colonial days and settled among the 
 pioneers of Salem, N. Y., wiiere be spent the re- 
 mainder of his life. He was a member of tbe first 
 church of United Presbyterians organized in that 
 town. He had three sons — George, Robert and 
 James, all of whom married and reared families, 
 and each named a son Walter, in his honor. 
 
 James Stewart, removed with bis fara'ly from 
 his native State in 1837, to this county, the fami- 
 
 lies of Christian Scbnjder and Joseph Hunt ac- 
 companying liiiu. He made his home in Timlier 
 Townsbi|) from that time until bis death September 
 2, 1854, ,at tbe age of sixty-four years, when a use- 
 ful pioneer was removed from t!ie community. His 
 wife survived him until 1858, when she too died. 
 Tbe following is the record of the ten children that 
 they reared: George, born March 5, 1810; Agnes, 
 June 24, 1811; Walter, February 21, 1813; Wil- 
 liam, September 6, 1815; James, October 17, 1817; 
 Eunice, February 17, 1820 ; Isabelle, December 4, 
 1821 ; Esther, June 22, 1825; Sarah, December 4, 
 1827; Jane, November 1, 1831 ; all of whom reared 
 families excepting William, and all settled in Peoria 
 County. Their parents were members of tbe Uni- 
 ted Presbyterian Church and were stanch adherents 
 of that faith. 
 
 Tbe mother of our subject was a daughter of 
 John and Nanc}' (Beaty) Turbett, who were natives 
 of Juniata County, I'a. He was a son of Col. 
 Thomas and Jane (Wilson) Turbett, natives re- 
 spectivel3' of Ireland and Scotland. They were 
 tbe parents of the following children : .lobn, James, 
 Thomas. George, Stewart, William, Nancy, Blary, 
 Esther and Priscilla. John was the onl^- one who 
 ever came to Illinois. When he was a young man, 
 be left bis native State and went to Ohio, where he 
 was married. He was one of the pioneers of tbe 
 State, going there as early as 1812. Sometime after 
 marriage, be and his family settled in F.ayetle 
 County, Ohio, about 1828, and in the fall of 1840, 
 came from there to Logan Townsbii). He was a 
 tanner by occupation. His death occurred here in 
 the month of January, 1847, at the age of sixty- 
 four. He and his wife reared a family of ten chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Walter Stewart, the father of our subject, came 
 to Illinois with his parents in the month of July, 
 1837. He entered one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land on section 5, Timber Township, developed it 
 into a farm, and made it bis home until his death 
 of paralysis December 20, 1878. He accumulated 
 valuable property, and at the time of his demise, 
 owned five hundred and eight acres of land which 
 was divided into three fine farms. When he came 
 here, he bad only his team and ^100 in money. He 
 was a conspicuous figure in the imlilic life of town-
 
 •2t)4 
 
 PORTRAIT AND IJIOGRAPniCAL ALBUX 
 
 ship and county, and served six years Jis Collector, 
 and for severnl terms, represented the township ou 
 the Countj' Board of Supervisors. In politics be 
 w.as a stal^-ait Democrat, while in religion, he was 
 a Presbyterian, lie and his wife belonging to the 
 United Presbyterian Church and liberally- contrib- 
 uting to its support. Tbcy reared five sons, named 
 as follows: James H.. John T., Robert A., George 
 B. and William W. 
 
 Robert Stewart, grew to man's estate on the pa- 
 rental homestead and gleaned his education in the 
 local schools. When he arrived at the years of dis- 
 cretion, he adopted the calling of a farmer and 
 continued to live with his mother, and v.ith his 
 youngest brother actively carried on the home 
 farm. In 1881, he removed to his present home on 
 section 23, of Log.an Township, and here he has a 
 farm of one hundred and twenty-eight acres that is 
 in an admirable condition, he has a set of commodi- 
 ous, well- fitted up buildings, and the soil is well 
 tilled. 
 
 A young man of sound understanding and pro- 
 gressive spirit, our subject is not permitted by his 
 fellow-citizens to devote his whole time to his pri- 
 vate interests but is often called upon to take a 
 prominent part in the management of public affairs. 
 In the spring of 1887-1888, he was elected Super- 
 visor, and so well did he represent the township on 
 the County Board, he was re elected to that posi- 
 tion in 1890. In politics he is an ardent Democrat 
 and his popularity is very well shown when it is 
 noted that he was the first Democrat in this town- 
 ship elected to the important office of Supervisor 
 for thirty years, and notwithstanding the fact that 
 the opposing part}' was stronger b}' seventy, he was 
 elected b}- a majoritj- of nineteen. 
 
 -S^^i 
 
 ARK M. AIKEN. This gentleman bears 
 the distinction of being one of the oldest 
 residents of Peoria novr living, having set- 
 tled here October 28, 1833, and here he 
 has s'nce made his home, comprising a residence 
 for the long period of fifty-seven years. He has 
 watched the growth of the city with unalloj-ed sat- 
 isf.action. and has contributed as he was able in ad- 
 vancing its prosperity'. 
 
 -The Aiken f-imil}' is of New England antece- 
 dents, and the subject of this notice was born June 
 21 , 1808, in the town of Deering, Hillsboro County, 
 N. H. He is thus approaching the eighty-third 
 year of his age. .and forms one of the old land- 
 marks of Peoria, whose name will be held in kindly 
 remembrance long after he has been gathered to 
 his fathers. His parents were Nathaniel and Su- 
 sannah (Morrill) Aiken, the former of whom was a 
 farmer b3" occupation, and died 1833; the mother 
 died October 29. 1829. The parental family con- 
 sisted of four children, two of whom are living, our 
 subject, and Mrs. Childs, of Evanston, 111. 
 
 Mr. Aiken remained with his parents until a 
 \oulh of sixteen years, then went to New York 
 City to live with his uncle, Elisha Morrill. Not 
 long afterward he entered the employ of J. & J. 
 Harper, the original of the great firm of Harper 
 Bros., and entered upon an apprenticeship in the 
 book publishing business. Some j-ears after this was 
 completed, however, he was seized with the desire 
 to push on further westward, and we next find him 
 in Peoria. Soon after locating here in 1833, he 
 formed a partnership with George C. Bestor, and 
 the}" engaged in a gener.il lanil office business. 
 
 Mr. Aiken had purchased land prior to coming 
 here, when Peoria was a little straggling town com- 
 prised of a few rude structures along the river. He 
 was prospered in his business enterprise, and after 
 dissolving partnership with Mr. Bestor, associated 
 himself with his cousin, Elisha Morrill, of New 
 Hampshire, and the}' prosecuted a successful busi- 
 ness for some 3-ears until his death in 1881. 
 
 Mr. Aiken has been a liberal-minded and pro- 
 gressive citizen, taking a prominent part in poli- 
 tics, and giving his support to the Republican 
 party. He served as Assessor, and as a member of 
 the Board of Health, and identified himself with 
 the Congregational Church, because it was anti- 
 slavery from the beginning. During war times he 
 was a stanch Abolitionist, promulgating his princi- 
 ples at every opportunity, and was one of the most 
 active supporters of Abraham Lincoln and the 
 I'nion. He has cause fora reasonable amount of sat- 
 isfaction in his declining 3'ears as he may properly 
 feel that his labors and influence in behalf of truth 
 and the right have bj' no means been in vain.
 
 4A*^^' 
 
 g?^S«-« 
 
 
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 =^^,i5'5 
 
 
 ^:iy^.^/-tX^V^ ^^/9^Z^Z^^^^. 
 
 'J^ ^ (^^C^^^^ur^
 
 POKTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 267 
 
 tl? GRACE G. ANDERSOIS'. A visitor to 
 jl, Peoria, in noting the line ljuil(lin»s wliicli 
 adorn its residence streets, will And at No. 
 210, ^loss Avenue, an elegant home whose 
 )re eminence consists in the wide and beautiful 
 view which it commands. Tiio entire city of Peoria, 
 the town of Pekin, and a di vers! lied landscape ex- 
 tending far into Tazewell County-, are to be seen 
 from one side, while another view includes the 
 steamers plying on the river for a distance of five 
 miles; from the porch in the rear a beautiful view 
 is given of the fertile region whose beauties of held 
 and forest, lake and stream, make this section of 
 the Prairie State a veritable paradise. 
 
 The substantial residence has been the home of 
 Horace G. Anderson for a quarter of a century and 
 during this time the place ha.s taken on the charac- 
 ter of its occupants, as will be noticed in all homes 
 worthy of the name. Its walls have resounded to 
 the many tones of childish voices, to the sounds 
 which betoken the recreations and pursuits of youth, 
 and to all which goes to make up the enjoyment of 
 cultured manhood and womanhood. For some years 
 it has been known as a center from which refine- 
 ment and culture spread and elevating influences 
 are shed abroad. The owner of this place has re- 
 tired from active business pursuits after 3'ears of 
 enterprise during which he was prominently identi- 
 lied with various educational and social elements of 
 tlic city, as well as with more than one line of its 
 liiiancial interests. 
 
 The natal d.a^- of Mr. Anderson was September 
 13, 1822, and his birthplace Chautauqua County, 
 N. Y. His parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Taylor) 
 Anderson, came to what is now Will County, 111., 
 when the lad was ten years old, their home being 
 made fivs miles north of Joliet. After sojourning 
 there seven years thej' removed to DuPage County, 
 where our subject completed the years of youth 
 and attained his majoritj-. He then left home to 
 engage in teaching, afterward becoming a clerk in 
 Aurora, Chicago, Lockport, and Sheboygan, Wis. 
 
 In .lune, 1848, Mr. Anderson came to Peoria, 
 establishing himself on Water Street, in the lumber 
 business and continuing in that line until 1861. He 
 then sold out .nnd took hold of the Peoria Pot- 
 tery which he carried cui for two years, then buy- 
 
 ing the City Foundry cfe Machine .Shop, conducted 
 it successfully six years. His next business enter- 
 prise was a jobbing trade in hats and caps in which 
 he embarked in 1872. He was engaged in that 
 business when the Governor api)ointed him Canal 
 Commissioner, and he devoted himself to the duties 
 of his oflice four years. During that time the 
 Copperas Creek lock and dam was well started, the 
 lock being three hundred and fift}- feet long and 
 fifty feet in width of cut stone. The next public 
 appointment of Mr. Anderson was as United States 
 Ganger, in which he served seven years. Since the 
 expiration of his term of ollice he has not been 
 engaged in any business enterprise, but busies him- 
 self with the care of his estate and the enjoyment 
 of home and social life. 
 
 Mr. Anderson has held the position of Alder- 
 man, representing both the Fourth and Seventh 
 Wards. He has also been County Supervisor and 
 it was during his term of olfice that the present 
 courthouse was planned and begun. A building 
 comnuttee, of which he was a member, had been 
 appointed to submit a plan to the Board and the 
 outline plan of the building which is now one of 
 the prides of Peoria, was drawn and submittetl by 
 him. The court house is a model of convenience! 
 and artistic beauty, being well lighted, roomy and 
 aiipropriately adorned. Although not an archi- 
 tect, Mr. Anderson had made plans for other build- 
 ings, among them the Second AVard school and 
 Douglas school, for which his designs were accepted 
 as the best placed before the committee. 
 
 For a number of years Mr. Anderson served on 
 the School Board, during that time being instru- 
 mental in the erection of the first High School build- 
 ing. He was a Director of the First National Bank 
 at its organization and for some years thereafter. 
 He has been connected with other corporations, 
 but not as a Director. For many years he has been 
 identified with the Independent Order of Odd-Fel- 
 lows. He served in the Grand Lodge of Illinois for 
 five or six terms, was Grand Representative to the 
 Grand Lodge of the United States, from the Grand 
 Encampment of Illinois, two years, and for an 
 equal length of time was Grand Patriarch of the 
 Grand Encampment of Hlinois. For a few years 
 past ho has not been particularly active in the or
 
 268 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 der. He purchaseil his present residence property 
 in 1852, owning- it until tlie location of the college 
 near him, wlien he sold, bnt onh* to purchase it 
 back again in a short time. 
 
 Mr. Anderson was fortunate in securing for liis 
 wife a woman of fine character, brilliant mind and 
 pleasing domestic qualities. She was born in Erie 
 County. X. Y.. June 12, 1829. bore the maiden 
 name of Melinda Arnold, and became the wife of 
 our subject September 20, 1852. To this union have 
 come eight children, seven of whom are living. 
 They are, Samuel A., now engaged in tlie rolling 
 mill at Kewanee, 111.; Emeliue, wife of J. E. Hol- 
 comb of Rockefeller, Lake County; Horace G., a 
 physician in South Chicago; Zoa F. at home; Eliza- 
 beth D. also at home; Robert W. in the planing 
 mill business in Peoria, and Sophia M. who is still 
 with her parents. All have been given fine edu- 
 cational advantages, among the means taken by 
 their father having been that of keeping a German 
 teacher in the house for eleven }-ears. Miss Zoa 
 having evinced .an especial talent for music, was 
 sent to Germany to complete her studies in that 
 artistic branch and remained abroad two years. 
 She is the finest musician in Peoria, whose citizens 
 are proud of her auility, deeming her skill a credil 
 to their city. 
 
 The reader will be pleaseil to notice, in connec- 
 tion ftith this sketch, a lithographic portrait of Mr. 
 Anderson, whose lineaments are familiar to all the 
 citizens of Peoria. 
 
 —I- 
 
 * 
 
 ^ijUGUSTUS STOWELL was but a boy when 
 ll nl '"® parents brought him to this State. The 
 ^^|\ famil}' first settled in Hancock County, and 
 resided about two years. In 1846 tliey removed to 
 Knox County and lived in Truro Townsliip for a 
 time, and then left that countj', some members of 
 the family going to Utah and others going to Kan- 
 sas, where Mrs. Laura Baker, the sister of our sub- 
 ject, was killed in a cyclone. 
 
 Ml. Stowell was reared to the life of a farmer 
 and remained on a farm until his twentieth year, 
 at which time he began to learn the harness-making 
 
 trade in Pekin. He served an apprenticeship of 
 less than two years and acquired an excellent prac- 
 tical knowledge of his calling. In 1850 our subject 
 opened a harness-shop in Rochester, without means 
 but good credit, and successfully carried on a busi- 
 ness there for some six years and cleared, above all 
 expenses, §1,000, but owing to the conflneraeut 
 undermining his health he concluded to again de- 
 vote himself to the calling to which he had been 
 bred, and, accordingly, went to St. Croix County, 
 Wis., where he was steadily engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits until 1869. In that jear he made another 
 move and selected Rochester as his place of abode. 
 In the following spring of 1870 he came to Mill- 
 brook Township, and located on his present farm. 
 He owns two hundred and sixty acres of land, two 
 hundred and forty acres lying in a body in Jlill- 
 brook Township, and twenty acres in Princeville 
 Township. He has virtually made his farm what 
 it is to-day, and by the hard work that he bestowed 
 upon it has i)laced it among the best class of farms 
 in this vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Stowell was married, in the month of Octo- 
 ber, 1850, to Am^' J. Hull, a daughter of Isaac and 
 Calista (Knight) Hull. Mr. and Mrs. Stowell have 
 had seven children, of whom the following six are 
 living: N.atlian A., in Wilson -Country, Kan.; Will- 
 iam W., in David City, Neb.; Isaac M., in Mill- 
 brook Township; Elvira J., at home; Maria, wife of 
 . Albert ]\liller, of Princeville Township; Alice, wife 
 of Joseph H. Miller, of David City, Neb. One 
 child died early in life. 
 
 It will be seen in the perusal of this sketch that 
 our subject is a prominent member of the f.arming 
 communit}' of this count}', that is doing so much 
 to sustain and extend the material prosperity of 
 this part of the State of Illinois. He is very skill- 
 ful in his calling, bringing a clear brain and a 
 thoughtful mind to bear upon the iDroblem.s that 
 confront the farmer who would till the soil after 
 the most approved methods, and his extensive 
 practical knowledge of his calling, his sagacious 
 management of his affairs, and his active enterprise 
 have gained him a substantial place among the well- 
 to-do citizens of this vicinity. For fourteen j'ears 
 he served as School Director, being well qualified 
 for that position, and has alwaj's interested himself
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALEUM. 
 
 269 
 
 in eihiL-alional and olliiT public matters, contribut- 
 ing generously' to all sucL things. He has sound 
 views on the political questions of the day and is a 
 true Democrat, giving faitiiful support to his partly. 
 lie served as Justice of the Peace four j'ears in 
 Millbrook Township, having also held that ofHce 
 for a period of six years while in Wisconsin. After 
 the expiration of his term here, he was re-elected to 
 tliat office, so well pleased had his constituents been 
 by liis just and impartial discharge of the duties of 
 his i)Osition, but he declined to qualify. While a 
 resident of St. Croix County, Wis., he served with 
 abilily as Supervisor of Rush River Township. 
 
 i>.ILLIAM WASHINGTON MOTT, the son 
 
 of a pioneer, and one who has performed 
 some pioneer labors himself and has thus 
 assisted in developing the agricultural resources of 
 Peoria County, has a well improved farm on sec- 
 ti(jn 34, Princeville Township, where he devotes 
 himself to farming and bee culture. 
 
 Our subject is a son of Dr. Oscar F. Mott, who 
 was born near Kinderhook, near Wayne Falls, 
 Krio County, N. Y. He was a medical practicioner 
 of the Thompsonian School, and also followed farm- 
 ing. He disliked the medical profession, although 
 ho was well versed in the Thompsonian methods, 
 and abandoning his i)ractice he came here in the 
 spring of 1837, with his family, to devote himself 
 to agricultural pursuits more exclusivel}-. He at 
 first rented land and cultivated it to advantage. but 
 finally bought a small farm of fifteen acres, on 
 which he spent the remainder of his life. His death 
 in 1863, was caused bj-an accidental discharge of a 
 gnn which a man was examining in a grocery store 
 in Princeville, the shot taking effect in his neck, 
 ami after a great deal of suffering he died in a few 
 days. He was the first mail carrier here, carrying 
 the mail on horseback to Peoria from Jubilee for 
 years, taking three days to make the trip in cold 
 weather. He was a man of sterling worth and was 
 a Universalist in his religious faith. Politically he 
 was a follower of the Democratic party. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Dcidauiia IJiinip, anil 
 
 she was born in Cazenovia, N. Y. Her father, Jon- 
 athan Bump, was a native of New England and was 
 one of the first settlers of that township, making 
 his home among the Indians of Red Jacket's tribe. 
 He cleared two farms and followed agriculture until 
 his demise. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, 
 and was near there at the burning of Buffalo. The 
 mother of our subject was an inmate of his home 
 until her death, and he looked tenderly aftc her 
 comfort. She was a Baptist in religion and was 
 ever true to the faith. She died December 31 , 1875. 
 
 Three of the children of the parents of our sub- 
 ject grew to maturity : Richard F., who died in 
 Santa Clara, Cal.; our subject, and Joseijhine E. 
 Two of their children died j'oung — Oscar Philander 
 and Eugene. Josephine JNlott, who was educated 
 for a teacher and has engaged in that profession, 
 malvcs her home with her brother. 
 
 The subject of this biographical sketch was born 
 in Boston Township, N. Y., August 19, 1830, and 
 there passed the first seven j'ears of his life. In 1837 
 he accompanied his father to Buffalo, where they 
 embarked on a steamer for Chicago, and from the 
 latter place took a team for Peoria County and 
 Princeville Township. He grew to a sturdy vigor- 
 ous manhood under the pioneer influences that he 
 obtained here in early times, growing up with the 
 county, as it were. It was, when he came here, wild 
 and sparsely settled, and there was much wild game 
 roaming over the prairies and uplands and through 
 the timber, and as he grew older he took great de- 
 light in the hunt which has alwaj^s been his hobby, 
 and became very expert in the use of the rifle, 
 often killing as many as two deer a day, which 
 supplied the table with meat. He resided on the 
 fifteen-acre place that his father had purchased un- 
 til 1868, and then bought a farm of forty acres on 
 section 27, on which he located and entered upon 
 its improvement. He built a substantial house, 
 drawing the lumber for it from Chillicothe and 
 doing the carpenter work himself with an assistant. 
 He engaged in that trade somewhat besides tilling 
 the soil. In 1876 he sold that place and bought his 
 present farm of eighty acres on section 34, which 
 was covered with timber, and in the groves still 
 standing wolves are found to this da3^ Jlr. I\Iott 
 set luisilj' about its improvement, put up a com-
 
 270 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 fortable fl welling, has fenced in three large fields, 
 which he devotes to raising corn and oats, and 
 also has a fine giaper\' and an apiary comprising 
 twcntj'-seven hives of hees, the honey whicli lie se- 
 cures being a profitable source of income. Mis place 
 is supplied with good outlmiidings, excellent ma- 
 chinery, and is always kept in good order. 
 
 Mr. Mott is of a practical turn of mind and by 
 careful attention to his calling, he has acquired a 
 competence amply sufficiant to free him from the 
 necessity of hard lalior, and to fortify his declining 
 years against want and poverty. I'.olh he and his 
 sister are held in kindly regard l)y the i)eople among 
 whom tlipy iiave lived so manj' years. Mr. Mott 
 has borne an lionorable p.Trt in the pulilic life of his 
 township; was Commissioner of Highways for three 
 years; Palhmastcr for six terms, and School Di- 
 rector for one term, and in each and every capac- 
 it}' proved to be a wise and helpful official. He is ■ 
 prominently connected with the Independent Order 
 of Odd-Fellows, and assisted'in organizing a lodge at 
 Prineeville, known as Diligence Lodge, No. 129, 
 after tiie first lodge tliat had been established here 
 was closed during the war. In his early life our 
 subject was a Democrat, but is now independent in 
 his politics, voting as he pleases and for whom he 
 pleases. lie is a Sabbatarian a]id a purely- religious 
 man. 
 
 RA SMITH: If long >ears of honorable life 
 entitle a man to the respect of posterit}', then 
 /1\ is Capt. Smith, pre eminently deserving of a 
 place in this Album. For near seventy-fonr years 
 he walked tiie eartli, and from early life his in- 
 fluence and example were on the side of sobriety, 
 honesty, and unaffected piety. 
 
 Mr. Smith was born in Hampden, Me., on the 
 5th of Januar3', .1806, and lived to be seventeen 
 or eighteen years cf age in the place of his 
 birth. During this time he pursued such studies 
 as were possible in the schools of that period. 
 Being drawn to the sea, as is the case with many 
 of the sons of the Pine Tree State, he followed 
 his natural bent, his first sea service being during 
 a term of enlistment on board a man-of-war. 
 
 Young Smith was much troubled because he was 
 expected to go forward and take his grog with the 
 others, the pr.actice of su[)pl3'ing sailors with New 
 England rum, being then in force on all vessels. 
 He tried selling the rum to others, but this was 
 stopped b}' the officers, and his attempt to throw 
 his allowance away was also put a stop to. His 
 studious and orderly habits having attracted the 
 attention of the oflicers, he .asked to have his grog 
 stopped, and his request was granted. It was then 
 aiHKiunced by those in command, that any others 
 who did not want grog would be allowed ^2.50 per 
 month extra. But few accepted the offer. 
 
 When Mr. Smith became master of his own ves- 
 sel, he determined to get a crew who would go 
 without liquor. The harbor-master told him it was 
 impossil)le to do so in Boston. He, however, hung 
 out a sign announcing that he would allow no grog 
 except in cases of sickness, and wanted onl}' men 
 who were willing to go without it. It was some 
 time bef(^ie he picked up a crew, but he finally suc- 
 ceeded, and was ihe first captain to sail from Bos- 
 ton harbor under temperance regulations. 
 
 After the expiration of his three and a half years 
 enlistment on a man-of-war, Mr. Smith continued 
 his seafaring life, visiting different parts of the 
 world until IS.'iT. A few years prior to this date, 
 he had married, and through the influence of his 
 wife, who desired to get him far awa}* from the 
 sea, he came to Peoria County, III., in June, of 
 that j'Car. He purchased a farm, but having al- 
 ways been accustomed to activitj' in business, the 
 peaceful life of a farmer did not satisfy him, ani 
 he sold his land to engage in the lumber trade. In 
 1849 be established the business in which he con- 
 tinued until well advanced in 3'ears when he re- 
 tired, but not being contented with an inactive life, 
 with his son he .again engaged in business, continu- 
 ing it until his death, December 16, 1879. His 
 first location was on Water Street, but he afterward 
 moved up to Washington Street. He was one of 
 the early lumber dealers of Peoria, prominent in 
 that line of trade, and had an excellent reputation 
 for business ability and honor. 
 
 Mr. Smith bought property on the blutf on both 
 sides of Moss Avenue down to Seventh Street, erect- 
 ing a residence which was a fine one for that period.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 271 
 
 Here his widow is still liviii"^ in the home wliich 
 
 has slieltciHMl her fm- iiKire llian ;i third of a cctit- 
 ury. Slie has a hirge and elegant lawn, tlio sur- 
 ronndinii's of lier dwelling making it very attract- 
 ive and indicating the relineraiMit of her nature. 
 She is a native of Tlioniaston, Me., horn Novcniher 
 •20, 1813, lo David and Sarah R. Jenks. After the 
 age of sixleen years, siie S|)ent nnicli of her time in 
 Boston, where she first met the man to whom, on 
 October 10, 1831, she was joined in wedlock. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Smith lieeanie llie parents of seven 
 children, of whom Init four are now living: Ira, 
 ■Ir., died at tiie age of nineteen j'ears, and two otii- 
 ers in infancy; Sarah Ann is the wife of Isaac Cal- 
 lander, of Galesburg, 111., and the mother of eight 
 children; JMary E. is the wife of David K. Holmes, 
 a ministei'of the Congregational Cluireh, now loca- 
 ted at Galva, 111., and their family comprises one 
 child; James H. tiow resides in Chicago, engaged 
 in the lumliei', laml. and iiis\irance business; Kmily 
 A. is the wife of Dr. .lames I'idgeon, autl the 
 mother of one child. Mrs. Sarah D. Smith has ten 
 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren liv- 
 ing. A true gentlewoman, she is .as thoroughly 
 respected as any citizen of l'ct)ria, and is looked 
 ui)on as one of the landnnuks of the place. She 
 is an attendant and supporter of the Congrega- 
 tional Church, as w.as her deceased husband. 
 
 E|fe^^ 
 
 l»ILLTAM GILLFI LLIAN. No one takes 
 
 /^ y, more interest in I'eoria County's welfare 
 >^'\j/ or would do more for its adx'ancemcnt 
 than its native-liorn citizens, who ar(i to-day vari- 
 ously- identified with its industries. Our subject, 
 the son of a pioneer, is doing his share in sustain- 
 ing its high reputation as one of the finest countries 
 for agriculture that the sun ever shr>ne on. He 
 owns and is managing with i)rofit a choice farm of 
 one hundred and eighty-three acres on section 0, 
 Chillicothe Township, on vvhich, during the four- 
 teen years it has been in his possession, he has made 
 several additional iniprovements, greatlj- increasing 
 its value, aTid its well-tilled fields give evidence of 
 his careful cultivation as well as of his practical 
 
 knowledge of farming. He does a general farming 
 business and is interested in raising stock. 
 
 Mr. Gillfillian was born in this township and 
 county, near where he now lives, September 30, 
 1852. His father, James Gillfllli.'in, was a native of 
 Ohio, coming of mingled Irish and Pennsylvania 
 Dutch stock. He grew to manhood on a farm in 
 Ross Count)', and e.arly in the '30"s when a young- 
 man, came to the wilds of Illinois with his mother, 
 his father, having died |jreviously in Ohio. Thej- 
 located south of I'eoria near Ivickapoo, I'eoria then 
 being a small place known as Ft. Clark. A few 
 years later they removed to Hallock Township, and 
 there the mother clied at the advanced age of eighty 
 years, her death occurring in 1874. She was a 
 truly good woman and was highly thought of by 
 all who knew her. She was the mother of seven sons 
 and three daughters, of whom only one son is now 
 living, Henry, a resident of Hallock Township. 
 
 James (iiillillian was first mariied in Indiana to 
 Miss Mary Chisam who died after a married life of 
 three years, leaving two children, both of whom aie 
 now dead. Her death occtn-red in Indiana, while 
 she was thereon a visit. The father of our subject 
 was married a second time in Hallock Township, 
 taking to wife Miss Jane Martin. She was born in 
 Illinois, and came to Peoria C(>unty, when in 
 her girlhood. Jlr. (iillfillian and his wife lived in 
 Peoria County, until 1858, when they went to 
 Kansas and thence to Texas. They were in the 
 Lone Star State when the War broke out, and 
 startetl northward but succeeded only in getting as 
 far .as Conw.ay County, Ark., where they were com- 
 pelled to stay with the rebels. Mr. (iiillillian being 
 blind in one eye was not compelled to serve in the 
 Confederate army against the North. He and his 
 family remained in Arkansas until 18Gt, and then 
 the presence of Union troops enabled them to conic 
 northward, and they again located in Peoria, and 
 very soon afterward the father died there when 
 past the meridian of life. His widow is still living 
 in that city, with her daughter Jose|)hine, and is 
 now fifty-two years old. She is the mother of three 
 sons and two daughters, whom she has reared to 
 good and useful lives, and who are still living. 
 
 William Gillfillian, of this biographical rcTiew, 
 was the oldest son and second child of the parental
 
 272 
 
 rORTKAlT AND T.K )( ;1JAP1IICAL ALBUM. 
 
 family. He wasreaictl to agiicultinal pursuits.has 
 iiiaile farming liis life work, anil lias been prospered 
 in all his unclcrtakipgs. He was^married in C'hilli- 
 cotlie to Miss Kate McDermitt, and she has been an 
 important factor in promoting his success. She 
 was born in Jvew York City, Januarj- 1, 1853. and 
 was but a year old when she came here with her 
 parents, Barney and Anne (Co.sgrove) McDermitt, 
 wlio were both burn and reared in Ireland, and im- 
 mediately after their marriage came to this eountrj'. 
 After coming to Illinois they settled in Chillicothe, 
 and lived in this section of the county until 1?86, 
 when they moved to C'la}' County, Neb., and lo- 
 cated on a newly im[)roved farm and are still mak- 
 ing that their home. They are now upwards of 
 lifi3" years of age. and are good hard-working peo- 
 ple, and useful and honorable members of the com- 
 munity where they reside. Mrs. GillQllian was 
 reared and educated in Chillicothe, and is a verj^ 
 capable, refined and estimable woman. She is the 
 mother of six children, one of whom, Anna, died at 
 the age of four months. The others are at home 
 and uamed as follows: Hose A., John R., Clara 
 Louisa, Kittle B. and Bessie E. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are open-hearted hos- 
 pitable people, whose sterling characters commend 
 them to the confidence of the conimunity. Mrs. 
 GillflUian is a communicant of the Catholic Church, 
 and is active in its ever}' good vvork. Mr. Gill- 
 flUian, is much interested in the political life of his 
 country, and is a lirm supporter of the Democratic 
 party. 
 
 ^?5)E0RGE FLACK. The members of the 
 jll farming communities occupy an important 
 
 ^^^ place in the life of our country, supplying 
 as they do the primary needs of existence and 
 exhibiting in their lives the sterling virtues which 
 pertain to true manhood. A worthy member of this 
 class is the gentleman above named, who occupies 
 a well-developed estate in Rosefield Township. It 
 consists of one hundred and ninety acres, where 
 during the season fine crops may be seen and where 
 various kinds of stock are raised in considerable 
 
 numbers. The possession of so good a home is 
 creditable to the owner, indicating that he has been 
 industrious, i)rudeiit and zealous. 
 
 Mr. Plack was born in Biedenkopf, Prussia, Oc- 
 tober 28, 18,35, being the fourth child of John 
 Henry and Elizabeth (Roht) Plack. His parents 
 were natives of the same [ilace as himself and his 
 father was a farmer and miller. He was also a 
 member of the German army, serving according to 
 the custom of the couutrj'. He belonged to the 
 Lutheran Church in which be held the ofiice of 
 Trustee. Besides our subject, the parental family 
 comprised Elizabeth, now the wife of Henry Kesler 
 of Nebraska; Maggie, deceased; Henry; John, now 
 living in St. Louis, Mo., and Anna Maria, wife of 
 Jacob Delxl, of Jefferson Count}-, Mo. The father 
 died in Germany and the mother came to America 
 in 1859 with her son, our subject, and other mem- 
 bers of the family, settling in Jefferson County, 
 Mo., where she died about four years later. The 
 oldest and youngest members of the family had 
 emigrated a few years earlier than the mother. 
 
 After having lived in Jefferson County, Mo., 
 until 1871, George Plack came to Peoria County 
 and purchased one hundred and six acres of lard 
 on section 4, Rosefield Township. He subsequently 
 sold thirty- six acres, then bought eighty, and at 
 other periods sold or bought, having at one time 
 two hundred and sixty-six acres. When he landed 
 in America he had about $100 in money. In his 
 efforts to secure a good home lie was ably .-ieconded 
 by his companion whose prudent management of 
 household affairs was an important factor in his suc- 
 cess. The wife to whom he owed his comfort and 
 a portion of his prosperity from July 16, 18o9, 
 when they were united in marriage, until her death 
 in 1873, bore the maiden name of Helena Jiede. 
 
 Mrs. Plack was born in the same section of Ger- 
 many as our subject. She became the mother of 
 eight children, two of vrhom died with her in Au- 
 gust, 1873. The survivors are Elizabeth, wife of 
 George Koch; Anna Maria, wife of Henry Huhn; 
 Maggie, wife of Conrad Schwartz; Henrj'; Joseph 
 and John. The estimable woman who now presides 
 over the home of Mr. Plack, looking well to the 
 ways of her household, was born in Germany and 
 came to the United States with her mother about
 
 T'ORTRAIT A^M) lUOfJRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 273 
 
 1874. She was formerly Miss Elizabeth Jiede, and is 
 the mother of six chililreii — Louisa C, I'hilip, 
 Kiltie, George, Tlieodore and one wiio died when six 
 months old. Mr. and Mrs. Plack belong to the 
 Lutheran Cluireh, and are highly esteemed by their 
 associates therein and by others to whom the^' are 
 known. 
 
 o<r x> . 
 
 ' oC<> 
 
 \i;' ASON H1^■MA^'. Among those who, after 
 laboring long and well in the dcveloiiment 
 of.IIallock Township, have gone to their 
 long home, none are more worthy of remem- 
 brance than the subject of this sketch, who was well 
 and favorably known in this part of the county. 
 lie had come hither with but a small store of this 
 world's goods, but b^' the exercise of prudence, 
 wise economy and unrcmilting industry, had ac- 
 cumidated a good property. His occupation was 
 that of a farmer and dairyman. At his pleasant 
 home he breathed his last, November :t, 187(). his 
 career cut short in his forty-second year b}- the 
 (lire disease, consumption. He was a native of 
 Pitcher, Chenango County, N. Y., his natal day 
 having been March 2, 1835. 
 
 The father of our subject was James Ilinni.in, a 
 native and life-long resident of the Empire State, 
 wlio passed away in middle life. He was a black- 
 smith, quite [)romineiit in his business, and consid- 
 ered a worth}' citizen. He left a wife and nine 
 children. The widow and family drifted into Ohio, 
 later coming to Illinois and living for some 3 cars in 
 Hallock Townshi)), Peoiia County. Two daugh- 
 ters returned to their native .State, to which the 
 widowed mother followed them when quite old, 
 dying soon afterward. She was a. member of the 
 Cougregational Church, to which nu)st of the chil- 
 dren adhered, although a part of the family united 
 with the Methodist Episcoi>al Church. Her uiaidcn 
 name was Marcia Terrell. 
 
 Jason Hinnian was one of the younger mcniljers 
 of the parental family, six of whom arc yet living, 
 the most of them residents of Illinois. He was 
 reared and educated in his native county, learning 
 the trade of a harness-maker, with which equip- 
 ment for the battle of life he came to Illinois. Af- 
 
 ter reaching here, however, he began farm work in 
 partnership with his brother Marcus, being thus 
 engaged at the breaking out of the Civil Wp.r. He 
 abandoned the plow, and joining the Eifty-seventli 
 Illinois Infantry, on October 20, 1801, went at once 
 to the front to take his part in the struggles to de- 
 fend the old Hag. He was enrolled in Company K, 
 which was under the command of Capt. Harry, and 
 with the rest of the regiment first saw the smoke of 
 battle at Corinth. Prior to this he had the measles, 
 and exposure soon compelled him to return home 
 on a furlough. As soon as his health was sufH- 
 ciently improved, he rejoined his regiment, but a 
 relapse caused acute bronchitis, and he was dis- 
 charged for disability in April, 18(32. 
 
 Mr. Hinman resumed his agricultural labors in 
 the Prairie State as soon as his strength would .al- 
 low, although his condition continued to show the 
 effects of the old illness which ere long developed 
 into consumption, which terminated fatally in spite 
 of all the efforts which were made to restore his 
 health. His Last days were cheered by the Chris- 
 tian's faith, he having long been a member of the 
 Congregational Church. Li politics he was a sound 
 Republican, active in the local work of his party. 
 The general verdict at his death was that an hon- 
 est, upright and conscientious man had been re- 
 moved from earth. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Hinman and Miss Mary J. 
 Barker, was celebrated in the city of Peoria. The 
 bride was born in Coventry-, Chenango Count}', N. 
 Y., October 12. 1833, and is a daughter of Charles 
 and Armina (Smith) Barker. She was well and 
 carefidly reared by most estimable parents, receiv- 
 ing the most of her education after coming to 
 Peoria County. Her natural abilities have been 
 strengthened ami (h'Vfloiicd by her surroundings, 
 and she has bcccnne a iiromineut member of the 
 coniinunity. She now owns about one hundred 
 au<l fifty acres of tine. wcll-im|iroved laiul, in the 
 mau.agement of which, and the business affairs con- 
 nected therewith, she manifests executive and busi- 
 ness talent of a high order. She is strong-minded 
 in the true sense of that word, while her character 
 as a Christian ivomau is in keeping with her mental 
 powers. She belongs to the Congregational Church. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Hinman were born in Greene
 
 274 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 and Piilnam Counties, N. Y., respectively, and be- 
 <;:in llieir wedded life on a farm in the former. 
 Some years after their marriage they changed their 
 residence, and after having sojourned for various 
 periods in Almond, New York City, and the State of 
 New .Jersey, they finally, in 1846, came to Illinois. 
 The}' began life here somewhat as pioneers in Peo- 
 ria Countj', but i^rior to his death, JNIr. Barker had 
 secured a good home. His demise occurred Octo- 
 ber 24, 1888, at the age of eighty-five years, he 
 having been born November 4, 1803.. lie retained 
 his mental and jihysical strength until his last days, 
 and up to within a very few years of his (U'ath, led 
 the choir of tiie Congregational Church, of which he 
 was a faithful member. He was a great Bible stu- 
 dent, capable of expounding its truth with force. 
 He was ever}' where known as one of the most hon- 
 est and straightforward of men. upright in every 
 respect. In no sense an ollice-seeker, he was a 
 strong supporter of the Republican party. 
 
 The mother of Mrs. Hinman is still living, now 
 more than eighty-five years of age, but physically 
 active and mentally bright. She retains loving re- 
 membrances of the companion with whom she 
 spent sixty-one years of wedded life, and whom she 
 looks forward to meeting in the land where part- 
 ing will be no more. She has been for yeais a 
 member of the Congregational Church. Her fam- 
 ily consists of three daughters, of whom Mrs. Hin- 
 man is the youngest. The others are P^lecta, wife 
 of Lee Hallister, of Arlington, Kan.; and Augusta, 
 wife of Munson Hinman, a blacksmith of Hallock 
 Township, this county. 
 
 
 
 ATTHKW MCDONNELL. No better 
 example can be found in Haliock Town- 
 '-K ship of the practical thrift, encrg}-, and 
 industry which results in the accumulation 
 of a goodly share of this world's goods, than in the 
 person of the gentleman above named, whose home 
 is pleasantly located on section 20. He possesses 
 a large estate, comprising eight hundred and eighty 
 acres, the most of which is highly improved, while 
 the buildings which have been erected upon it are 
 
 most excellent, comprising every structure needful 
 for the furtherance of his business. The barn is a 
 noticeable feature, justly considered one of the best 
 in the county, and is of sufficient size to accommo- 
 date more than one hundred head of stock, to- 
 gether vrith feed for the same. It is 42x85 feet, 
 with a basement, with the most approved arrange- 
 ment and Sittings. The dwelling is a substantial 
 one, within which order and good cheer abound. 
 
 i\Ir. McDonnell is a native of the Emerald Isle, 
 born in County Louth in 1828, and represents a 
 good old family. In 184.i he emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, and making his home in Philadelphia, Pa., 
 found employment as a laborer at ¥5 per month. 
 When his wages were advanced to 19 per month, 
 and still later to $11, he felt that he was on the 
 high road to prosperity, and when, still later, he re- 
 ceived 114 per month, he considered himself the 
 reci[)ient of wonderful remuneration. In 1850 he 
 removed to Peoria County, 111., with the determin- 
 ation to make a good home, and well has he suc- 
 ceeded in his efforts. He has been cautious in his 
 investments, quick to note an opportunity to im- 
 prove his methods or management, and ever lead- 
 ing in hard work those whom he cmploj'ed. 
 
 The wife of Air. McDonnell was formerly Miss 
 Catherine Cash, and like himself is a native of the 
 Emerald Isle, but born in County Kilkenny in 
 1832. .She was about of age when she came to 
 America with an uncle who settled in the city of 
 Peoria, III., where she remained some lime. After 
 she h.ad been here a few years, she sent for her par- 
 ents, John and Mary (Welsh) Cash, and while they 
 were on their way, the mother died at New Or- 
 leans, La. She was then in middle life. Mr. Cash 
 continued his journey to the Prairie State, and some 
 years later died in Hallock Township, this county, 
 being about seventy years of age. He and his wife 
 were members of the Catholic Church. 
 
 Mrs. McDonnell has ably assisted her husband in 
 the upbuilding of his fortunes, her thrifty- manage- 
 ment of domestic affairs and good counsel being no 
 small factors in his success. Their children also 
 have done their share since they arrived at a suit- 
 able age, in adding to the comforts as well as the 
 joys of home. The family comprises four living 
 children, and six were removed in early life by the
 
 zJcAyi. iy^ 4: r^i^^Jei^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOORAPIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 277 
 
 hand of death. The living ehihlren are: John, 
 Tlionias, Callierine, and Matliew, Jr. The second 
 son is working the farm, and the two ciiildren , 
 j'oiuiger than he. "re also at home. Joiiii married 
 Miss Kliza Phiiicivct, and the_v live un a f^uni in 
 Halloelc Township. 
 
 .Mr. McDonnell is a sound Democrat in his politi- 
 cal views, while in his religious f;iilh he isa<levout 
 Catholic, as were his |)arents before hiin. The en- 
 tire family are coninuinicauts of the same church. 
 Their honorable efforts to advance their persona! 
 interests, while treating tlfose about them with hon- 
 esty and kindliness, have secured the respect of 
 other members of the community, and made many 
 to rejoice in the success with which the^- have been 
 rewarded. 
 
 The father of our subject was another Mathevv 
 McDonnell, a native of County Louth. Ireland. who 
 grew up to the business of a farmer, and' was thus 
 engaged during his entire active life. His last years 
 were spent in the United .States, to which he came 
 in 1847, dying in Peoria County, 111., in 185L- lie 
 was then about three-score j-ears of age. His wife, 
 a native of the same counl3-as himself, and of pure 
 Irish ancestry, bore the maiden name of JaneFedi- 
 gan. She lived and died in the land of her birth, 
 passing away when of middle age. She was the 
 mother of two sons and three daughters, of whom 
 our subject is the youngest. He is now the onl}- 
 one of the family living to relate the history of 
 their settlement here, to which country four of the 
 children came. 
 
 # 
 
 OHN I5IRKET. In order to better preserve 
 the history of one who bore a very import- 
 ant part in laying the solid foundation of 
 Peoria's prosperity, a brief record of the life 
 work of John Birket is placed upon the pages of 
 this BioGRAPiiicAi. Albc.m, dedicated to the citi- 
 zens of Peoria County. He was one of the earliest 
 pioneers of Peoria, and for many years was promi- 
 nently identified with its growth; by his liberal 
 contributions to aid all schemes for promoting the 
 
 material, social and religious advancement of the 
 city, he did much to bring it to its present stand- 
 ing as one of the foremost cities of the State. 
 
 Our subject was born in Lancashire, England, 
 ^larch 8,1798. He early learned the trade of a 
 carixMiter. and in 1819. duiing the opening years 
 of a stalwart manhood, emigrated to this country, 
 landing iu I'liiladclpliia some time in the month of 
 June. Froi:; there he went to Albany. N. Y.. by 
 sloop, and thence to Ferrysburg, Vt. He piirsueil 
 his trade in the latter place some si.x years, and then 
 started for the wild prairies of Illinois in the fall 
 of 1824. He did not come directly here, however, 
 but stopped in Plainsville, Ohio, until the spring 
 of 1825, when he came to Peoria by w.igon. He 
 was engaged en route as a peddler, carrying tea, 
 coffee, calicoes, etc.. and arrived at the |)resentsite 
 of Peoria on the 6th of January. I82(). At that 
 time there were but six families in Peoria besides 
 the Indians who still lived here. 
 
 On the day after he came Mr. Birket bought a 
 claim comprising one hundred and fifty-four acres 
 on the northeastern part of section 3, and then es- 
 tablished himself at his trade, and in the spring 
 planted the first nursery in this section. Mr. Birket 
 planted the first nursery in Peoria from seed 
 brought from Vermont in 1826. He was at one 
 time called on as a guard to care for the first 
 murderer of the region, and whilst performlug that 
 duty the Indians entered his home. Luckilj- he 
 returned soon, as two of the Indians were still there, 
 and after he had driven them off he found that the}- 
 had stolen §200. At another time several Indians 
 entered his house one night,and he awoke to find one 
 of them reaching for his throat. He jumped from 
 his bed, caught the Indian b}- the hip and demanded 
 to know what they wanted. Upon answering "fire 
 water," he told them they could have it at sunrise. 
 
 At the time of the Black Hawk War ail the in- 
 habitants for miles along the Illinois entered Ft. 
 Clark for protection. Mr. Birket, with cliaracter- 
 istic coolness and courage, remained outside bury- 
 ing all his meats and valuables so that the Indians 
 might not have the benefit of them if they came 
 in that direction. Prior to that on one occasion 
 when the Indians were molesting the whites, he 
 was also the only one who remained at his home.
 
 278 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOCxRAPIIlCAL ALUl'M. 
 
 and that was the first time that he ever locked his 
 door, which was done with a chip. 
 
 During the first years of liis residence in Peoria 
 County, Mr. Birliet was engaged in many pioneer 
 enterprises, and planted the first orchard in what is 
 now the corporate limits of the city of Peoria; from 
 this he raised the first apples and other fruit in the 
 county. About 1831 he sent about a half peek of 
 apples to a former neighbor who was then living at 
 Ft. Dearborn (Chicago). Those apples were sent 
 bv a gentleman, who in order to secure a marriage 
 license had come from that place to Peoria, then 
 the countj'-.'scat of the northeastern portion of the 
 State. This illustrates the strong bond of friend- 
 ship existing among the old settlers. 
 
 In 1839 Mr. Birket removed to Tazewell Count}', 
 where he bought four hundred acres of land and 
 engaged in manufacturing lumber. After ten 3'ears 
 residence there he returned to Peoria and lived 
 here until his death, October IG, 1874; thus 
 was closed a life well rounded in years and filled 
 with those deeds that make a man in the fullest 
 sense of the word ; this city, for which he did much, 
 mourned the death of a revered citizen and still 
 clierishes his memory as one of its most useful pio- 
 neers. His hand was felt in many enterprises that 
 were inaugurated for the benefit of tlie community, 
 and es(>ecially was he generous in his support of 
 the church, his donations in that direction being 
 quite considerable ; among them were ten acres of 
 land, which afterward became Gallagher's Addition 
 to Peoria, and he gave an acre of land to Ju- 
 bilee College and substantial aid in liehalf of St. 
 Paul's Church. He donated all of block No. 127, 
 and half of block No. 1 1 G,to the Protestant Episcopal 
 diocese of Illinois to be used as the site of a church. 
 The land comprising Keigliin's Addition to Peoria 
 once belonged to him, and he gave it all to a man 
 for plastering his house, which goes to show either 
 the small value of the land at that time, or the 
 enormous cost of plastering. 
 
 In the accumulation of his proper!}' Mr. Birket 
 received substantial aid from his wife, who pre- 
 ceded him in death many 3'ears, dying December 
 24, 1852. She was married to our subject August 
 17, 1831. Her maiden name was Maijor}' Thomas, 
 and she was a daughter of Col. John Thomas, who 
 
 was killed by the Indians at Chillicothe, Ohio. The 
 widow of Co). Thomas died in Peoria, December 27. 
 1850. 
 
 John Charles Birket, the son of John Birket, of 
 whom we have just written, was born in Peoria 
 February 3, 1834, and was reared under the influ- 
 ences of pioneer life, receiving his education in pri- 
 vate schools. He gave his attention to farming 
 for a number of years, although he lias alwa3's 
 dealt in real estate more or less since he began life 
 on his own account, and now makes it his principal 
 business. Mr. Birket is very fond of his home, has 
 never cared to travel, and has never been out of 
 his native State. He is a firm Republican in politics. 
 
 The union of John C. Birket and Ann Jane 
 Grundy in the hoh' bonds of matrimony was cele- 
 brated January 1, 1868, and has been blessed 1)3' 
 the birth of five children, namely : Mary A. J., 
 John Charles, Walter A. and William E. (twins), 
 and Louisa Isabel. Mrs. Birket is the daughter of 
 Edmund and Jane Grundy, natives of Bolton, Eng- 
 land, where Mrs. Bii-ket was also born. The3' came 
 to Peoria in 1849, and aided in the development of 
 the county from its uncultivated condition to one 
 of prosperit3'. 
 
 In connection with this sketch the reader will 
 notice a lithographic portrait of the late John Bir- 
 ket, whose name is still held in loving remembrance 
 though he has long since passed from earth. 
 
 iOBERT ARMSTRONG, a man of wealth 
 and an extensive landowner, now residiu"- 
 Ji "^ in Knox County, was among the first comers 
 in Peoria County in the earl}- days of its 
 settlement, and the historj' of this section of the 
 State, as told in the records of the lives of its citi- 
 zens on these |)ages. would be incomplete without a 
 sketch of his life and work, as he was an earl}- set- 
 tler of Millbrook Township, and was prominent 
 among the leading pioneers of the county, and it 
 gives us great pleasure to be enabled to represent 
 him in this I>u>Gi;ArHic.\L Album. 
 
 Our venerable subject is a native of Scotland, 
 and was born in that countr}' August 12, 1805,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 279 
 
 coming of sterling- Scotcii ancestry. His parents, 
 J;itnes and Agnes Armstrong, were also of Scottish 
 hirlli. Our subject passetl iiis cliihlhood, youth, 
 mill the (iiieniiig years of his manhood in Dumfries- 
 sliire, the shire of his nativity, and was mostly en- 
 giigrnl in herding sheep until he came here. His 
 opportunities for attending school were limited, but 
 lie acquired some book-learning in si)ile < f the dis- 
 advantages under which he labored, and by self- 
 education has acquired a good fund of useful 
 knowledge. In 183G, in the prime of a vigorous, 
 healthy manhood, he left home and native land, 
 ambitious to see if life did not hold something bet- 
 ter for him in the large and powerful Republic 
 across the sea, to which so many of his countrymen 
 had wended their waj'. He embarked on a vessel 
 at Liverpool, and six weeks and two daj'S later he 
 step|)ed foot on Ameri<'an soil, landing in tiie great 
 metropolis of the country, and coming directly to 
 this county. He was not without means, as are so 
 many foreigners who land on these shores, but had 
 sutHcicnt capital to invest in quite a large tract of 
 wild land on section (!, Millbrook Township, com- 
 prising three hundred and twenty acres mostly in 
 timber and brush, and he purchased it from theGov- 
 ernnu'nt,i)aying ><1.2r) an acre. He was one of the first 
 to settle in Millbrook Township, and there were not 
 many white men ne.'ir him, but there was a trilje of 
 four hundred Indians north of him a little way. 
 However he was not long troubled with their pres- 
 ence, as the Government removed them further 
 westward the same fall. 
 
 When he settled on bis homestead, Mr. Arm- 
 strong bad a large amount of [jioneer work to do 
 in clearing awav the forest and iireparing the land 
 for cultivation, and also had to build a shoUer for 
 his family. He actively entered upon the hard task 
 before him witli a courageous heart and a steady 
 determination to succeed in his undertakings. His 
 lirst employment was to Ijuild a log house, 18x24 
 feet in dimensions, which was his dwelling the next 
 ten years until he found time to erect a more com- 
 modious and comfortable house, with which he at 
 leiigth rei)laccd his first primitive abode. In the 
 course of years he put his land under excellent till- 
 age, and constantly made valuable inii)rovements 
 until his farm came to be regarded as one of the 
 
 most desirable in all Millbrook Township. He has 
 added to his original purchase, anil now has four- 
 hundred and seventy acres of land in Peoria and 
 Knox Counties. He continued to live in Mill- 
 brook Township until the s[)ring of 1887, when he 
 removed with his wife to their present pleasant 
 home near the county line in Knox County, and 
 near Rochester. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong has been twice married. He was 
 first wedded to Mrs. Rachel Clifford, who bore him 
 two children, Agnes and Lena, the latter of whom 
 is deceased. Agnes is the wife of John Kaus, of 
 Knox County. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's |)resent wife was 
 Agnes Brown, and she is, like himself, a native of 
 the land of the Scots, born in A3'reshire, in the 
 month of January, 181C, a daughter of William 
 Brown. Her mother died when she was a mere 
 child. Her early years were passed in Scotland, 
 and when she was thirty-three years of age, she 
 came to America and to this county, and in due 
 time married Mr. Armstrong, and has been to him 
 all that is implied in the term, a true wife. Three 
 children have been born to our subject of this 
 union, of whom two are living, Robert, and Jane, 
 the wife of Charles Waldon, of Knox County. The 
 name of the child wlio died, was James. 
 
 The sunset of life finds our subject and his es- 
 timable wife serenely .awaiting life's great end, in 
 freedom from the cares and labors that beset them 
 in the heat of the day, in a home whose comforts 
 and luxuries have boon procured by the ample com- 
 petence that is the fruit of their united toil when 
 they were young. It has been said that the trials 
 and liardshii)S that the pioneers encountered in their 
 struggles in building up this count r}', strengthened 
 their character and better fitted them for the cares 
 and responsibilities of after life, making them have 
 a warmer side for their fellow-men, and creating a 
 willingness to lend a helping hand to those who are 
 in distress. This is eminently true of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Armstrong, and their names are synonyms of love 
 and charity, while many have cause to bless their 
 benefactions, and are among the warm friends they 
 have gathered around them in the long 3'ears they 
 have lived in this State. Thej- are true Christian 
 peo[iIe, and are devoted members of the Congro-
 
 280 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 gational Church. Mr. Armstrong has served as 
 School Director, and has in various ways earnestly 
 sought to elevate the social, moral, and educational 
 status of the community. A man of intelligent 
 views on all subjects, and having decided opinions 
 of his own, he is independent in politics, and votes 
 for the man rather than for part3'. 
 
 -»*»- 
 
 -o»o>^y^.,A^..o4o- 
 
 !()SEPH S. BARNUM. This cognomen is 
 familiar, not only to the residents of Prince- 
 ville,wliere its possessor abides, but through- 
 out the county and adjoining country-. He 
 who bears it is the editor of the Prinoeville Tele- 
 7)7('i//e, a live, eight-column folio, and the publisher 
 of the Home Advocate, a weekly prohibition pajier 
 that was started June 6, 1889. under control of the 
 Prohibition party of the Congressional district. A 
 careful reader of the accompanying :jotes will form 
 a just conclusion regarding some of the traits in 
 the character of our subject and his fitness for the 
 work which he is now carrying on. 
 
 The Barnum family is oi English extraction and 
 members of it settled in New England man^- years 
 ago. In Danbury, Conn., the grandfather of our 
 subject, Ijethuel Barnum, was boru, going thence 
 to the Catskill Mountains in boyhood. Ho became 
 the owner of a farm, also carrying on milling and 
 participating in the straggle against British tyr- 
 anny in the latter part of the eighteenth centurj'. 
 His son .labez became a contractor in turnpike and 
 similar work. About 1830 the latter removed to 
 Detroit, Mich., continuing his contracting but also 
 paying some attention to farming. He subse- 
 qnentlj' operated a farm in Kalamazoo County', 
 whence in 185G he removed to Hardin County, 
 Iowa. There he entered laud and continuid farm- 
 ing until his death. lie filled various local ofHces, 
 being highlj' regarded by his fellow-citizens. lie 
 was a sturdy Republican, and during slavery times 
 an .\bolitionist. He belonged to the I'.aittist Church. 
 The wife of Jabez Barnum was Anna Goodsell, 
 a native of the Catskill region in New York. Her 
 father was a hunter and trapper, and during the 
 RevoUitioiiary War served the Colonists as a scout, 
 
 He finallj' removed to Wayne County, Mich., where 
 he died on a farm. He was of Welsh descent. Mrs. 
 Anna (Goodsell) Barnum breathed her h.st in Iowa. 
 She was the mother of ten children, seven of whom 
 grew to maturit}- and three are now living. The 
 survivors are: A. G., of Ackley, Iowa; Joseph S., 
 of this notice, and Mrs. Elizabeth Rice, of Frank- 
 lin County, Iowa. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was born in 
 Detroit, Mich., Maj' 3, 1832, and reared to about 
 the age of eleven j'ears in his native city. He then 
 accompanied his parents to Kalamazoo County, 
 completed his education at .Schoolcraft and Battle 
 Creek Academies, and on the home farm received 
 parental advice and instruction. In 18.5G he went 
 to Iowa, traveling with a team from Rock Island 
 to Hardin Couutj', where he bought one hundred 
 and sixty acres of land. He located upon it and 
 made it his home for some jears. He devoted him- 
 self to surveying four years, during a part of this 
 time filling the ottice of County Surveyor, and 
 aftci the expiration of the two years for which he 
 was elected continuing his professional work. A 
 part of the time of his residence near Ackley was 
 devoted to teaching. 
 
 In 18G4 Mr. Barnum came to Peoria County. 
 111., on a visit, and on the 23d of November his 
 marriage was celebrated with Miss llattie Benja- 
 min. This intelligent and worthj' lady was boru in 
 Medina Township, where her wedding was cele- 
 brated. For a time Mr. Barnum engaged in various 
 pursuits, among them being farming, and in the fall 
 of 1868 removed with his family to Topeka, Kan. 
 He built a home in tluit city, but afterward |Hir- 
 chased three hundred" and sevent\--five acres of land 
 in Jefferson County, on the Grasshopper River, 
 which he improved and operated until the spring of 
 1873. He then sold his real estate and in the fall 
 took up his residence in Princeville. this county. 
 He traveled as a collector for Eastern houses and 
 was otherwise occupied until December 1, 1880, 
 when he took charge of the seven-column folio, the 
 Princeville Independent. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. Barnum bought the sheet which he 
 was conducting, and making of journalism a suc- 
 cess, he enlarged the paper which on September 
 27, 1883, was first issued under its new name the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 281 
 
 Telephone. Mr. Banuim wields :i ready pen, evinces 
 good judgment in the selection of matter for pub- 
 lication, and is doing nuich to advance the welfare 
 of his town and mold the sentiments of its people. 
 In addition to the publishing of his own paper aiul 
 the Home Advocate, he also does general job work. 
 As might he expected from the publication of 
 which lie lias ciiarge, Mr. Baruuni is now a Prohi- 
 bitionist, lie helped to organize the Greenback 
 party in the Tentii District of Illinois, at Elmwood, 
 was nominated for County Clerk and ran ahead of 
 his ticket. He was Postm.aster in Princeville. dur- 
 ing Cleveland's administration. To him and his 
 good wife four children have been l)orn, two of 
 whom, Stella I), and Emory E., are still at home. 
 Edwin J., tiie lirst-born married Miss Lillian Wear 
 an<l assists his father in his journalistic work; Dial 
 II.. the second-born, m.arried F. K. Pennington, a 
 civil engineer, whose home is in Westfield. Ind. 
 On the 31st of .Inly, 1890. .1. S. Barnum. the sub- 
 ject of this sketch was nominated by the joint 
 Union Labor Convention of the Tenth Illincis 
 Congressional District, as their candidate for Con- 
 gress. 
 
 SAAC FISHER has been carryingon his calling 
 as a practical farmer in Roselicld Township for 
 several 3'ears, and is cl.assed among the sub 
 stantial agriculturists of this section of the county. 
 He comes of stalwart Revolutionary ancestr}' and 
 of an old pioneer family of Ohio. He was born in 
 that State in the township of Berkshire, in the 
 county of Delaware, January 17, 1824. 
 
 The parents of our subject were George and 
 Pli(i'i)e (ilopkins) Fisher, natives, respectively, of 
 Washington and Luzerne Counties. His paternal 
 grandparents were Jacob and Eva (Elie) Fisher, 
 who came from their native German}^ after their 
 marriage and settled in this country in Colonial 
 days, and he bore an honorable part in the War for 
 Inilependencc. In 1797 he and his wife removed 
 to the wilds of Ohio, and were among its early pio- 
 neera, and there he died at the age of eighty- two. 
 His wife preceded him in death twenty j-ears. The 
 father of our subject was theii only child, and he 
 
 was eighteen j-ears of age when his parents left 
 Pennsylvania to take up their abode in the pri- 
 meval forests of Ohio, and there ho spent his remain- 
 ing (hi3's, dying at the age of eighty-four. His 
 wife, who was ten years younger than himself, died 
 at the .age of seventy-one j'ears. She was a daugh- 
 ter of Timoth)' Hopkins, who removed from Penn- 
 sylvania to Ohio about 1798. and was one of the 
 earl)' settlers in that part of iho cimntry in its terri- 
 torial days. The remainder of his life was passed 
 there amid its pioneer scenes. He served in the 
 Continental army during the Revolution. 
 
 The parents of our subject had twelve children, 
 namel)': Polh' (Mrs. Utley), deceased; Jacob, of 
 Delaware County, Ohio; .lohn. who died, leaving 
 one daughter; Henr\-; (ieorgc, who died, leaving a 
 son and daughter; Sallie (Mrs. Beechcr), of this 
 county; Eliza (Mrs. Roseerans), of this county; 
 Phcebe (Mrs. Humes), of Ft. Inde[)cndencc, Kan.; 
 Betsey (Mrs. Carter), of Delaware County, Ohio; 
 Lydia, deceased; Alonzo, a resident of Ohio. All 
 married and reared families except one. The fa- 
 ther of our subject served gallantly in the War of 
 1812. He purchased his first farm of one hundred 
 anil ten acres with hand-made linen, giving a yard 
 of linen for each acre of land. He was ver)' mrch 
 prospered in his calling, and w.as enabled to give 
 each of his children a good start in life by present- 
 ing them with a farm. 
 
 Our subject was reared to the life of a farmer, 
 and although his school privileges were limited he 
 gained suflicient education to enable him to teach 
 successfully, and he was thus engaged a few terms. 
 He started out in life on his own account at the age 
 of eighteen, and at the age of twent}' obtained a po- 
 sition as guard at an asj-lum for the insane and was 
 thus employed for three years. He had a natural 
 taste for agricultural pursuits, and invested some of 
 his money in land, purchasing his first fifty acres 
 In Ohio, his native State. He did well there and be- 
 came somewhat prominent in the public life of the 
 l)lace where he lived, and for four years served as 
 Justice of the Peace. He thought that he could 
 improve his financial condition b}' farming on the 
 rich soil of the Prairie State, and in the spring of 
 1869 he came hither and located on the place where 
 he now resides. He first rented the eight)- acres of
 
 282 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 land that composed it, and in 1874 purchased that 
 tract and has constantly been engaged in its im- 
 provement, until now he has one of the best tilled 
 and most productive farms in the neighborhood, 
 wliieh he is conducting after the most improved 
 methods. 
 
 March 14, 1850. Mr. Fisher secured by his mar- 
 riage to Amanda Malvina McNair, a useful and 
 active helpmate. She was born in Yates County', 
 N". Y.. January 1, 1826, a daughter of James and 
 Dianna (Westbrook) McNair. who were natives, 
 respectively, of Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. 
 The}' were earlj' pioneers of Ohio, and he died in 
 Delaware County at the .age fifty, while her death 
 occurred in Wyandot County at the age of sev- 
 entj'-three. She had been three times married. 
 IMr. McNair was a son of Robert McNair, whose 
 father came from Scotland. Robert McNair was a 
 shoemaker by occupation. His wife was Sarah 
 I'cckam, and they reared eight children — nve sons 
 and three daughters. Mrs. McNair was a daughter 
 of James and Sarah (Lewis) Westbrook, natives of 
 Pennsylvania, where the}- were engaged in farming. 
 They had twelve children and reared eight — three 
 sons and five daughters. Mr. Westbrook came to 
 this countrj- from Holland, served in the Revolu- 
 tion, was a pioneer of Ohio, and died in Knox 
 Count}-, tiiat State. 
 
 Mrs. Fisher is one of twelve children, of whom 
 ten grew to maturity: Rebecca (Mrs. Evans) of 
 Ohio; Abraham died in California, leaving a fam- 
 ily in Iowa; Daniel, a resident of Iowa; Phebe 
 (Mrs. Frost), who died in Ogle County, 111.; Ma- 
 tilda and Diana, who died young; Amanda M. ; 
 lluldah (Mrs. Secoy), of Ohio, deceased; James, 
 wiio died in Ohio; Nancy and Elizabeth J., who 
 died in childhood, and Wheeler W., of Van Wert, 
 Ohio. Mr. and ]\Irs. Fisher are enjoying the de- 
 clining years of a busy life in the comforts of a 
 cozy home. Of their four children born to them 
 two are still living — Henry W. and Phebe A. 
 
 Mr. Fisher possesses those solid virtues that mark 
 a man of real worth, and he is justly considered 
 one of our most reliable citizens. His sound 
 common sense, shrewdness and discretion have 
 been made available in the management of public 
 affairs, and he has held important local offices. He 
 
 is now serving hi* third term as Justice of the 
 Peace, and for ten years was Road Commissioner. 
 In politics he is a sound Democrat, and has been 
 true to party principles since he cast his first vote 
 foi' President in 1840, in support of Gen. Cass. 
 
 ENJAMIN FRANKLIN SLANE, a repre- 
 sentative of the early settlers of Peoria 
 Connty, is classed among the most prosper- 
 ous members of its farming community. 
 As a pioneer of Princevillc Township,he has wielded 
 a potent influence in bringing about its present 
 standing as a well improved and wealthy farming 
 region. He has accumulated a handsome property 
 and contemplates retiring from the active life ne- 
 cessitated by the proper care of his extensive inter- 
 ests. 
 
 Our subject comes of an old Virginia family, and 
 was born in Hampshire County, W. Va., April 29, 
 1825. Benjamin Slane. his father, was born in 
 Frederick County, Va., in Winchester, and his fa- 
 ther, of the same name, was also a Virginian by 
 birth, and was the youngest of a large family. His 
 fatiier was from Ireland and died shortly before, or 
 about the time the family came to this country. 
 The grandfather of our subject followed farming, 
 until his death in Hampshire County, W. Va. He 
 was a member of the Episcopalian Church and was 
 strong in the faith. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his na- 
 tive county. His mother died when he was an in- 
 fant and he was the only child of that marriage. 
 He learned the trade of a tanner and currier and 
 later opened an establishment of his own on Cold 
 Stream. He failed in that venture and in 1830, 
 started westward. He stopped one year in Som- 
 merset, Perry County, Ohio, Gen. Sheridan's old 
 home, and was there engaged in the tannery busi- 
 ness. The following year he came to Peoria County, 
 arriving here November 7. He found but three or 
 four white families in Peoria, though the Indians 
 were more numerous, and the city was then forti- 
 fied and known as F't. Clark. Mr. Slane remained 
 tiiere until 1 833, employed in various [mrsuits and
 
 I'OKTHAIT AND IIKH ; RA 1>M ICAL ALIJUM. 
 
 283 
 
 ILou went to Ricliwooils Towiishii>, and pre-empted 
 Land and entered upon its im|)roveraent. Two 
 3-ears later he sold his claim to S. Kryc and removed 
 to what is now Roselield Townshii), on the Kicka- 
 poo, where lie boujiht Government land, paying 
 fifty per eenl interest on money he borrowed to buy 
 his place. lie remained on it until 1840, and there 
 had the misfortune to lose his faithful wife, who 
 had shared with him in the trials and hardships of 
 their [tioneer life, her death oecurring in 183i». His 
 next location was in I'rinceville.and here he farmed 
 some and en£i;aged in various other pursuits. He 
 boiiuht one hundred and sixty acres of land where 
 the Sante Fe Station now is, and the title to the 
 properly is stdl in the family. Mei'e the remainder 
 of his life was passed and he developed and im- 
 proved his farm into one of the choice estates of 
 the vicinity, and there his death occurred in 1875, 
 at the ripe old age of seventy-seven years. In 
 politics he was a sturdy supporter of the Demo- 
 cratic party. The maiden name of his wife was 
 Delilah Cheshire, and she was born in Hampshire 
 County, \X. Ya. Her grandfather, John Cheshire, 
 a farmer, and a native of New Jersey, spent 
 his last years in Hampshire County. .She was a 
 true and consistent member of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Churcli. She was the youngest of her family 
 and succumbed to the jirivations of pioneer life in 
 18.'}!), at the age of thirty-nine j'ears. She was the 
 mt,ther of seven children as follows: Benjamin 
 F., John /. and Klizabeth A., living in Priuceville 
 Townshii); Delilah J., wife of N. E. Root, Mission 
 ('reek, Pawnee County, Neb.; Samuel S. and J. T. 
 of I'rinceville Township. John took part in the 
 late Civil War as a member of the Eighty-sixth 
 Illinois Infantry, Company K, enlisting in IS62,and 
 serving until the close of hostilities. 
 
 Our subject passed the (irst liveyears of his life 
 in Virginia, and then went to Ohio in 1830, with 
 his i)arents, the journey being made b}' team and 
 wagons. A year later the family again started on a 
 westward journey, going by team to the Muskingum 
 Hiver, then by keel boat to Marietta, Ohio, from 
 there by steamboat to Louisville, then carrying 
 their goods around the falls and re-embarking on 
 the boat for St. Louis and from there coming in a 
 stern wheeler to Peoria, taking a week to [)crform 
 
 this latter stage of the journey. Seme Indians 
 were among the passengers up the river and they 
 still made their home in this co.unty when our sul)- 
 ject's father first settled here. He was given the 
 best educational advantages that I'eoria County 
 afforded in those days, the only college being a log 
 schoolliouse in which the schools were conducted 
 on the subscrii)lion plan. He was early made to 
 assist in the farm labors and when seventeen years 
 of age went out to work breaking prairie, chopping 
 wood, and tilling the soil. His father was a famous 
 hunter and our subject also enjoyed that pastime, 
 as wild game w-as very plentiful here in earlj' days, 
 and he has seen as many as fifty and one hundred 
 deer in a drove. Hard labor was the order of the 
 day and the pioneers often suffered priratious and 
 led lives of self sacrifice. Our sul)ject worked for 
 his father principally until he was twenty -six j'ears 
 old, as the older boys helped their father on ac- 
 count of his inability, being a sufferer from rheu- 
 matism. In 1840, he came to this township, and 
 he and his brother, John, engaged in making lime, 
 in the spring of 1815, our subject went into the busi ■ 
 ness more extensivel}' and had two kilns for burn- 
 ing lime and operated them i)rofitably for five j'ears 
 and he opened a stone quarry, and made a success 
 of that also. He furnished lime to aji extent of 
 forty miles in the north, west .anil east of them, and 
 lived most of the lime in Akron Township, until 
 his marriage. 
 
 This important event in the life of our subject 
 occurred in Princeville Township, January 6, 1852, 
 when he was united to Miss Sarah Henry. She was 
 born in Crawford County, Pa., a daughter of Col. 
 James and F'annie Henry, the former a native of 
 Fayette Countj-, Pa., and the latter of Irish birth. 
 Her father was a farmer in Crawford County, and 
 took part in the War of 1812, and later was Colonel 
 of a Pennsylvania State Militia regiment. He was 
 otherwise |)rominent in public life and for three 
 terms represented his district in the State Legisla- 
 ture. In 1850, he came here with his family, and 
 as he was a man of some means, lived retired until 
 the time of his death at the ripe old age of eighty- 
 four years, spending his last years with Mrs. Slanc's 
 mother and dying ii^ 18fi7. 
 
 Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
 
 284 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL''ALBUM. 
 
 Slane: Odillon B. livinof on the home farm, was 
 educated at the Peoria Normal and has been en- 
 gaged princialij- iu teaching; Ida. living at home 
 attended the Valparaiso Normal iu Indiana; Oliver 
 C. who is in the hardware business in Peoria, is a 
 graduate of Bail\''s Commercial College at Keokuit, 
 Iowa; Kdgi'.r P., a farmer in Monica, attended tlie 
 Valparaiso Normal; ElgieM., an artist and a gradu- 
 ate of tlie art department of the Valparaiso Nor- 
 mal, is the wife of F. C. Ralston, Cashier of the 
 Meridan Silver Plating Co., of Chicago, and Jlina. 
 a school teacher living at home. 
 
 Our subject and liis brother bought one hundred 
 and sixty acres of land in Princeville Township, 
 located on it, erecting suitable buildings, lived to- 
 gether and farmed in partnership. AVhile his 
 brother was in the army, our subject managed the 
 farm alone. In those tiroes the farmers of Illinois 
 made money fast, as their grain commauded high 
 prices and Mr. .Slane sold wheat at $'d per bushel 
 and corn at ¥1 per bushel. - In 1869, the brothers 
 dissolved partnorshi]), our subject selling his share 
 of the farm to liis brotiier, and he then bought one 
 hundred and flft}^ acres of land on section 7, Akron 
 Townsliip. lie farmed it tliree years. Tlie Rock 
 Island Railroad Companj' put a part of their road 
 through his farm and lie and some of his neighbors 
 sued the companj' for the value of their land and 
 he succeeded in getting ^600, and after that he 
 would not staj' on the place. Selling that place in 
 1871, he came to Princeville Township, and in 
 1872 bought his present farm of Lhree hundred and 
 twenty acres on sections .35 and 36, for $15,000. It 
 was partly improved and he located on section 35, 
 aud commenco<l the work of its further develop- 
 ment and now has one of the choicest and best im- 
 proved farms in this part of the count}-. He has 
 been extensively engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising and has acquired wealth. In 1890, he sold 
 his property- to his brother and retired from farm- 
 ing, and will probabi}' move to W\-omingand make 
 his home there in the future. He owns one hun- 
 dred acres of fine farming land near Monica, which 
 is under cultivation and is well improved. 
 
 Mr. Slane is pre-eminently a self-made man, well 
 endowed with those elements of character that make 
 life a success, and one needs but to peruse these 
 
 pages devoted to his life record to see that he has 
 put liis f.aculties to good use and is to-day a man of 
 affluence. These many j-ears that he has been a 
 resident of this county have gained him man}' warm 
 friends, and his pleasant face and genial manners 
 make him well liked b}' all. He has given his ser- 
 vices to the township in various official capacities 
 and has worked zealously to promote any scheme 
 that would iu any way enhance the interests of this 
 locality. During the war he was Collector for two 
 j-ears, and for nianj' years he has been a member of 
 the School Board. He was Supervisor bj' appoint- 
 ment twice, but did not accept the position. He is a 
 member of the Detective Thief Association. He is 
 prominent in politics, is an ardent Democrat, is 
 one of the leading members of the Central Com- 
 mittee, and has been delegate to county conven- 
 tions. Five or six times he has been called on to 
 serve on tiie Grand Jury. 
 
 AMES T. JOHNSON. In tlie thriving city 
 of Peoria there m.ay be found a numlter of 
 men in whom the inventive genius is strong 
 and to whom the patent office reports are 
 the most interesting of all literature. One f)f the 
 foremost of these is James T. Johnson, inventor and 
 patentee of the Acme Coal & Stone Drill, and of 
 the Lightning Coal & Stone Drill, which is guaran- 
 teed to drill two feet per minute in clean coal with 
 two-man i)Ower. He first patented the Acme Drill, 
 had it manufactured for him and conducted its sale 
 throughout the United States about two years, after 
 which he began the manufacture himself. This was 
 in 1887, since which time he has built shops, 32x70 
 feet, with steam power, at No. 111-113 Garden 
 Street, where he carries on the manufacture of his 
 inventions. He improved the first patent, and sub- 
 sequently he and Isaac AVantling invented the 
 Lightning Drill which is also having an extensive 
 sale throughout the country from Pennsjivania to 
 Wyoming and Montana, thousands of them being 
 in operation. Thej^ have also invented a coal cut- 
 ting, a coal mining and coal drilling machine all 
 combined and run by either hand or electricity.
 
 c^m/m
 
 PORTRAIT AND lilOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 287 
 
 Mr. Johnson was born in Yorkshire, England, 
 near Ritbuiond lliil, September 2, 1846. He re- 
 moved to County Durham and there grew to man- 
 hood. He became interested in mining and learned 
 all the practical details of the business in which lie 
 finally became a contractor, drivingstone levels and 
 having many of the largest contracts in tlie county. 
 In 1870, he emigrated to Araciica, continuing his 
 work in Pennsylvania and later in Ohio. He finall}' 
 removed to What Cheer, Iowa, and while there in- 
 vented his first drill. His thorough knowledge of 
 what was needed in the mines was of great advan- 
 tage and turned his mechanical ingenuity into an 
 excellent channel. About 1885 he removed to 
 Peoria to give his whole attention to the sale and 
 manufacture of his Inventions, this seeming to him 
 a good center for his operations. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Johnson was celebrated in 
 County Durham, England, of which his wife, 
 lormerl}- Miss Elizabeth Thompson, is a native. 
 Priftr to their removal to America, eight children 
 had been born to Mr. and Mrs. .lohnsou,five of 
 whom still live. Eour children have been born in 
 lliis country, three of these surviving. The living 
 sons and daughters who now make up the household 
 band are William, .lames, Harriet, Maggie, Eliza 
 belli, Fred, .Iosei)h and Katie, not one of whom has 
 yet left the parental roof-tree. Mr. and IMrs. 
 .Idhuson are intelligent, kindly and social, and have 
 iliawn around them a pleasant circle of accpiaint- 
 nnces. Mr. Johnson is known as a man of honor in 
 business relations, and a law-abiding citizen who 
 steadfastly pursues an upright course in life. 
 
 'REDERICK D. WEIENNETT. When the 
 
 wires flashed around the world the news 
 of the terrible dis.aster at Chatsworth, 
 millions of hearts thrilled with sympathy for 
 the unfortunate victims and their friends. Yet 
 horrified ami grieved as the world was, none but 
 those who have suffered in alike manner can realize 
 the thickness of the pall that settled over mourning 
 homes whence loved ones had gone forth in all 
 their manly strength or womanly- beauty, to be 
 
 borne back in a few hours befcft of life or bearing 
 pain and sorrow. Among the stricken households 
 was that of Frederick D. Weiennett, who was in- 
 stantly killed in the wreck, while his daughter 
 Pearl i-eceived injuries whose marks she will carry 
 to her grave. 
 
 Benedict and Mary Weiennett, the parents of 
 our subject, were natives, respectively, of Switzer- 
 land and Bavaria. Thej' were living in Saline, 
 Mich., when their son was born, his natal day hav- 
 ing been May 10, 1837. The lad was reared in his 
 native State, where he obtained an excellent edu- 
 cation and won success as a school teacher. He 
 alternated pedagogical labors with attendance at 
 the Normal School at Ypsilanti, his reputation 
 as an earnest student and an apt instructor being 
 equally good. Lameness caused bj' illness unfitted 
 him for severe physical exertion, and he therefore 
 sought light employment in which brains would 
 take the place of brawn. 
 
 Immediately after the war Mr. Weiennett came 
 to Peoria, becoming book-keeper for Louis Creen, 
 wholesale liquor dealer, liy whom he was taken into 
 partnership in 1870. He subsequently engaged in 
 the wholesale grocery business, in which he was 
 occupied wlien elected County Treasurer in 188.3. 
 He had previously served three different times as 
 City Treasurer and at the same time had held the 
 position of Treasurer of the School IJoard. In 1887 
 he became Secretary of the Germania Fire Insur- 
 ance Company, in which capacity he continued 
 until his career was cut short by an untimely 
 death on the 10th of August, 1887. The fact 
 that Mr. Weiennett was strictly honest and up- 
 right is evinced by his election to a treasurership 
 so frequently. He was a memlier of the Demo- 
 cratic party, but his friends were not confined to 
 that political bod}'. On the contrary he was highly 
 respected b}' all to whom he was personally known 
 or who were acquainted with his business rcputa- 
 tation. He was a member of the Masonic fratern- 
 ity and Turner society, taking great interest in 
 those orders. 
 
 The widow of Mr. Weiennett bore the maiden 
 name of Carrie E. Best. Her parents, George C. 
 and Gertrude (Schneider) Best, removed from De- 
 troit, Mich., to Peoria in 18.'3.5, and here the daugh-
 
 288 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ter's marriag:e was celebrated. May 10, 1870. Mr. 
 Best, who had been a blacksmith prior to becoming 
 a citizen of Peoria, breathed his last July 17, 1882. 
 His widow survived until December 10, 1884. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. AV^eiennett seven children were born, 
 three of whom are n':>w living. These are Pearl, 
 Frederick and Carrie, in whose devotion the wid- 
 owed mother finds solace for her ever-present, sor- 
 row for a faithful and loving companion. Her 
 sterling qualities of mind and heart bring her earn- 
 est friendships. 
 
 A portrait of the late Mr. Weiennelt appea''S in 
 connection with this sketch and will be welcomed 
 by the many friends from among whom he h.as gone. 
 
 ^^Ni?BNER II. SMITH, who has practically re- 
 
 tired from active life, .ind is living in 
 comfort in his cozy home in Elm wood City, 
 was among the earliest pioneers of this county, 
 and for many years sturdily co-operated with his 
 fellow farmers and stock-raisers in develoi)ing the 
 rich agricultural resources of this region. He is a 
 survivor of the earliest pioneers of this county, and 
 to him and his good wife belongs the honor of 
 having been the first couple united in marriage in 
 Klmwood Township, the ceremony that made them 
 one being performed by Esq. James P. Harkins, 
 and their happy wedded life of many years is a 
 worthy example for the young people of to-day 
 who are starting out on the same jouruc3'. 
 
 Mr. .Smith was born October 22, 1811, in Tioga 
 County, Pa. His father, lehabod Smith, was born 
 in Massachusetts July 19, 1782, while his mother, 
 whose maiden name was Anna Harkness, was a na- 
 tive of New York, and was born May 22, 1790. 
 She came of good Revolutionary stock, her father, 
 James Harkness. having been a Revolutionarj^ sol- 
 dier, and after the close of the war a pensioner. 
 His son James was a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 The parents of our subject were married in Penn- 
 sylvania, and removed from there to Ohio with 
 their family, July 3, 1817, and settled in Richland 
 County among the few whites who h'ld preceded 
 them and the aboriginal owners of the soil, and 
 
 thus became early pioneers of that part of Ohio. 
 Mr. Smith cut down the trees, and in the space 
 thus cleared built a log cabin in the primeval for- 
 ests. After six years he removed with his wife 
 and children to Crawford County, where he again 
 cleared land and built another log dwelling, in 
 which the family made their home until 1837. In 
 that year they came to Elmwood Township, to 
 begin anew the pioneer task of building up a home, 
 and settled on the farm now owned by Oliver 
 (irahara. Here the faithful wife and mother suc- 
 cumbed to the trials and jirivations incidental to the 
 life of the early settlers in this part of the country, 
 and in December, 1837, passed to eternal rest. Of 
 the twelve children she bore her husband, the 
 following are now living: Our subject, Edson 
 v.. Mrs. J. Gibbs, David Milo, James M., Mrs. 
 John W. Couklin and Mrs. J. Nickerson. Their 
 father departed this life November 3, 1856, leaving 
 an honorable record as a useful pioneer citizen, and 
 as a man of good ch.aracter and unswerving in 
 tegrity. After the death of the mother of our sub- 
 ject he h.ad married again, in 1840. taking as his 
 wife Mrs. Almira Aldrich, who died in 1888. Of 
 that marriage there were three children. 
 
 Abner Smith, of this sketch, received but limited 
 educational advantages in the primitive log school- 
 house, which he attended in Crawford County. 
 He was early initiated into the labors of farming, 
 and became of great assistance to his father, help- 
 ing him to clear three different farms, remaining 
 with him until twent}' years of .age. He then 
 started out with empty hands, but with a courage- 
 ous heart to make his own way in the world. He 
 too became a pioneer, and coming to Peoria 
 County, arriving here J.anuary 21, 1832, he lo- 
 cated on the old Orton farm in Trivoli Township. 
 
 Mr. Smith found the country round about here 
 in a very wild and unsettled condition, and the 
 land being still in the hands of the Government, 
 was not then in the market. He built a log cabin 
 and broke and fenced ten .acres of the land upon 
 which he had settled, and carried on its cultivation 
 some two or three 3-ears. In the meantime, in 
 1834, he revisited his parents and friends in his 
 old home in Crawford County, Ohio, making the 
 entire journey there and back to this county on
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 289 
 
 foot. He held his Trivoli farm until the fall of 
 1x35, then sold it to Harkness ifc Buell, and from 
 llicrc came to Elmwood Township, and located on 
 the section on which Elmwood City now stands. 
 This was tlien an isolated spot, with not a house in 
 sight, excepting the hewn log house with its nine 
 window liglits tliat stood on his purchase. His 
 homestead, which comprised one luMuh-ed and 
 twenty acres, was parti}' improved, and when the 
 land came into the market he entered it at the 
 land-oflice, and in the busy jears of toil and h:ird 
 ship that followed, lie wa.s constant]}- eng.iged in 
 its further improvement, and in time had devel- 
 oped a good farm, supplied with neat buildings 
 and every appurtenance for engaging in agricul- 
 ture. In 1832, before coming to IClmwood Tovvn- 
 ship. the Black Hawk War had broken out, and he 
 was one of the volunteers to aid in its suppression, 
 lie went to Galena. 111., and there enrolled his 
 naine among the other brave and daring settlers 
 uiu) were going to face the dangers and ambus- 
 cades of Indian warfare that their homes might be 
 s:ifc in the future from the depredations of the 
 die.ided foe. His warlike intentions were, however, 
 speedily squelched, as he was taken sick with the 
 measles and was obliged to let his company go on 
 wiLJioiil him, while he returned home. 
 
 L'ke all pioneers, Mr. Smith and his wife had to 
 suffer man}' trials, and to make many sacrifices 
 while living on the borders so far from the centers 
 of civilization. Times were very hard in the early 
 chiys. and often times corn bread, which formed 
 thcii- staple article of diet, was the only food they 
 had to eat. Mr. Smith used to have to go twenty- 
 live miles over rough roads to mill in Ellisville. 
 (iaiue, upon which the early settlers depended so 
 much, was very scarce, as the severe cold of the 
 season of 1830, known as the "winter of the dee|) 
 snow," had killed the wild animals in large num- 
 bers. 
 
 March 10, 1835, was an event of great impor- 
 tance in the life of our subject, as on that date he 
 was united in marriage to Miss Eliza A. Doyle, a 
 daughter of Isaac and Mary Doyle, natives res- 
 pectively of North Carolina and Virginia. Her 
 parents came to Illinois in 1830, and after stayino- 
 one season in Warren County, removed to this 
 
 county and settled at or near Harkness Grove, in 
 this township, being the second family to settle 
 in this region, and 3Ir. Doyle w.is the first .Justice 
 of the Peace. Canton was the nearest town, about 
 seventeen miles away, and its only store was the 
 place where they secured their supplies. He owned 
 a large amount of land, and was a prominent man 
 in this part of the county. His wife died many 
 years ago, and he married Jane Lamaster, and she 
 survives him. His death in 1879, removed one 
 of our most honored pioneers. Three of the nine 
 children born of bis marriage with Mrs. Smith's 
 mother are now living, namely: Mrs. Smith, Mrs. 
 Nancy Scott and Mrs. Irene Scott. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of seven 
 children, as follows: Mary Ann and Henry C, 
 deceased; Harriet, wife of Frank Trumley, of this 
 township; George S., a resident of Minnesota; 
 Edwin A., of Minnesota, who -married Mercy Cav- 
 erly, and has six children; William J., a resident 
 of Elmwood, who has been twice married, the mai- 
 den name of his present wife being Margaretta Mc- 
 Coy; Alice, wife of Justin Gordon, of Galesburg, 
 and the mother of two children ; George has been 
 tivice married, and by his first marriage had two 
 children. 
 
 March 10, 1885, was an eventful day in the life 
 of our subject and his wife, as it marked to them 
 the golden milestone of half a century of wedded 
 life, and their golden wedding was celebrated 
 with thankfulness and rejoicing by their children, 
 grandchildren and the many friends that they had 
 gathered around them during the many years 
 they have lived in this county. The following 
 beautiful lines are the opening ones of a poem 
 written by Clara, the wife of their eldest son, as 
 a loving souvenir of the occasion: 
 
 '•Through fifty years we have walked together 
 Through the sunshine of life, and its stormy 
 weather. 
 
 And to-day to the Golden Gate have come, 
 That marks the half-century of our home." 
 
 Mr. Smith possesses in a rare degree those ster- 
 ling qualities that mark him as a man of single 
 heart and pure purpose, and the uprightness of 
 his character and his simple, unassuming kindness 
 have won him both the respect and the affection
 
 290 
 
 I'ORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 of bis fellow-citizens, wliich his wife also sliares. 
 They are members of the ^Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, of which he was formerly Stewavrt, and 
 for many years have been identifiert with its every 
 good work. ]u early life Mr. Smith was a sup- 
 porter of the Whig part}-, but on the formation of 
 the Republican party, transferred his allegiance to 
 it. and has ever since remained a steadfast up- 
 holder of its principles. 
 
 HARLES JI. SLAYTON is a fine type of 
 our self-made, self-educated mcn.oue whose 
 ■iJJ indomitable, ambitious spirit has conquered 
 ever}' obstacle tliat lay in the path of his siiecess, 
 and to-day he occupies au honorable position in 
 the farming community of this count}-, and is con- 
 sidered one of our best citizens. His farm, lying 
 on section 6, Elm wood Township, a part of it within 
 the corporate limits of Elmwood City, is provided 
 with ii neat, substantial class of buildings and 
 ani[)le farming machinery, and its soil is admirably 
 tilled, .and yields to his careful cultivation ricl; 
 harvests, besides supporting a fine herd of stock. 
 
 Mr. Sl.ayton is a native of Chautauqua County Is . 
 Y., born May 15, 1843, to Hosea B. and Euniie 
 (Chandler) Slayton, who were originally from Ver- 
 mont, the fSlaytons being an old New England fam- 
 ily, and on the mother's side also he is of honorable 
 descent, as she numbered among her ancestors the 
 renowned Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga. 
 The mother of our suliject died in 1.S51, leaving 
 behind her a memory that is still cherished in the 
 hearts of her children of a good and true woman. 
 Of the six children born of her marriage, three are 
 now living — our subject; Almeda. wife of t)rangc 
 Daniels of Elmwood, and Deliska A., wife of C. II. 
 Kightlingerof Elmwood. Addison F. died in 1889; 
 Lucy died at the .age of three years; Edwin died in 
 infancy. 
 
 The father of our subject was married a second 
 time, and his widow survives him.making her home 
 in Elmwood. Their union was blessed to them by 
 
 the birth of two children: Eunice E., wife of Samuel 
 Alwelt of Elmwood, and Alton B.. who married 
 Susie Wooten; they also live in Elmwood. Mr. 
 Slayton brought his family to Knox County, in 
 1853. and settled among the pioneers of Elba Town- 
 shi[), Knox County. He lived there until 1857, and 
 then became a pioneer of Elmwood, and here re- 
 sided until his mortal career w.as closed by death 
 in 1887. 
 
 The subject of this biographical sketch was the 
 youngest member of the family, and as he was a 
 mere boj- of eight years when his parents Ijrought- 
 him to this State, he was reared here under pioneer 
 influences, and early Ijccame a manly, self-reliant, 
 capable lad, who began life for himself at the age 
 of fifteen years. In 1858, he went out to work on 
 a farm by the month at *il2.50 a month, and was 
 thus employed the most of the time until 18G2,but 
 for two years traveled with a circus over Illinois. 
 Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Upper Can.ida, ped- 
 dling lemonade and otherwise engaged, as he was 
 determined by any honorable means to earn money 
 to obtain a sound education. His first schooling 
 had been in his native State, and in 1862 he studied 
 in the district school near his home in Ellmwood 
 Townshiii, and then entered Elmwood Academy, 
 and there pursued a preparatory college course, 
 studying Latin, geometry, algebra and kindred 
 branches, defraying all his expenses himself. His 
 diligence and close .attention to his books, soon 
 brought their due reward in the shape of a teacher's 
 certificate, showing him to be amply qualified to 
 enter the profession, and he left school for a time 
 In order to take charge of a school during the win- 
 ter session, and then went back to the academy. and 
 the following winter and summer .again took up 
 teaching. The first terra he taught lie received 
 the princely salary of %\Q a month, the next year 
 !ji50, and the third year t^GO a month, and 
 after that he declined to teach. In the summer 
 vacation of 18G2. he kept an ice cream parlor at 
 Elmwood, and can led it on profitably. He returned 
 to the academy in the spring term, and at the close 
 of the season ofiened a bakery and restaurant with 
 C. H. Kightlinger, his brother-in-law. .and for three 
 years they were engaged in that business together, 
 and then our subject bought out his i)artner, and
 
 ruUTRAIT AND lilOCiUAl'llK AL ALUUM. 
 
 291 
 
 (.•oiitimied it for two years nioro. when lie sold it at 
 !i good piico. 
 
 Mr. Slay tou next gave liis !itteiitii)n to fariiiin<4, 
 spending a year in Kansas on a farm of one b\nidred 
 and sixty acres that lie bouglit in Franklin County. 
 After his return to this Slate, lie ha\ing sold his 
 Kansas property, he bought his present place in 
 KS72, which then comprised but eighty acres, hut 
 since then lie has added another eighty ,an(l twenty 
 live .acres of his farm is within the city limits. lie 
 has been constantlj- improving it ever since, and 
 has placed the lauil under excellent tilliige. He has 
 addeil to his residence, and has a commodious, 
 comfortably furnished dwelling, the centre of a 
 eharining hospitality, wherein host and liostess vie 
 with each other in making their guests feel at ease 
 and at home. In 1885, JMr. Sl.ayton erected a good 
 barn at a cost of si, 000 and also put up other 
 convenient outbuildings; he raises both grain and 
 stock, and has been fortunate in his work, as we 
 have seen, acquiring a desirable pro|)erty. 
 
 Mr. Slayton was married in 18G8, to Miss Mattie 
 Harper, and her untimely death in 1883, while 3et 
 in the prime of a gracious and kindly womanhood, 
 deprived him of a good wife and their offspring of 
 a tender mother. The following are the names of 
 the four children of that marriage: Edward V. 
 (deceased),James A,, Fred H.,and Nellie M. Fd ward 
 was a bright and promising youth, was a graduate 
 of the Elmwood High School, and was in the Fresh- 
 man year at Knox College, when death cut short 
 his life. James is a well-cducatetl young man, a 
 graduate of the Elmwood High School, and he also 
 took a course of study in the Business College in 
 I'eoria. Fred is a stuilent at the High School, and 
 Nellie is in the Intermediate Department. 
 
 Mr. Slayton was married to his present estimable 
 wife in 1884, and iu her has found a congenial 
 companion and a wise counselor, and his children 
 have in her a <levoted stepmother. She is a woman 
 of culture and Uigh Christian character, and a con- 
 sistent member of the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. 
 Slay ton's maiden name was Flora E. Lucas, and she 
 is a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Simerson) 
 Lucas, of Erimfield Township. She received ex- 
 cellent educational advantages, was a pupil of the 
 Brimfleld High School, in which she pursued a 
 
 course in some of the higher branches, and she also 
 took lessons in instrumental music. Her marri.age 
 with our subject has brought them one child, Stella 
 M.ay, who is five years old. 
 
 Ill his career Mr. Slayton has not stayed to ques- 
 tion "Is life worth living.^" but has worked quietly 
 and |)ersistently to make it so, and has grandly 
 risen above circumstances. His vigorous, cultured 
 mind, and clear; thoughtful views on all subjects 
 of general interest make his original opinions of 
 worth, and his advice of value. The political issues 
 of the day have an interest for him, and us he is 
 alw.ays read}' to champion any reform that he can 
 in anywise forward, we naturally' find him afliliating 
 with the Prohibitionist partj', and giving it his 
 hearty support whenever occasion offers. He is 
 not connected with any church .as a member, but is 
 an attendant at the Methodist. His part in assist- 
 ing iu the public work of the township is as Over- 
 seerof Highways, and it is the general opinion that 
 no better man could have been selected for the 
 office. Our subject was formerly a member of the 
 Masonic order. 
 
 -^ 
 
 f/OHN .1. HARDING is an old settler of Peo- 
 ria County, and one of the leading farmers 
 of Rosetielil Tovvnsliip. The line est.ate 
 upon which he lives comprises one hundred 
 and fifty acres of well-tilled land, supplied with all 
 that goes to make up a well-regulated, comfortable 
 farm home, and under the efficient management of 
 one who has long devoted his energies to the cul- 
 tivation of the soil, produces abundantly of va- 
 rious grains and fruits. 
 
 Jlr. Ilariling is a native of Bratten Fleming, 
 Devonshire, England, born June 3, 1819, to John 
 and Mary (Gill) Harding, who were natives of the 
 same parish and there entered into rest. Their 
 family consisted of ten sons and daughters, the 
 record of those younger than our subject being as 
 follows: Ann died at Geneva, N. Y.. while on her 
 way from England to I'eoria, III.; William came 
 to this State in 1848, but is now living in Saline 
 County, Neb.; James and Henry, twins, emigrated
 
 292 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 to Canada, wlicnce the former finally- returned to 
 his own land; Charles belonged to the English 
 arinj-, went to India during the rebellion there 
 and has not since been heard from ; Thomas came 
 to Canada, tlience to Woodford Count}', 111., and 
 was killed in a coal mine, leaving a widow, a son 
 and a daughter; Elizabeth married A. Kin}on,and 
 died in Woodford Count}-, leaving a son Fred: 
 Jane is now Mrs. Jones, of England; Samuel, now 
 living in Nebraska, entered the Union Army from 
 Illinois, serving under Gen. Steele in Arkansas. 
 The father of this familj' was a gardener. He 
 died at the age of seveutj--five years, his widow 
 surviving him until eightj--uine years and six 
 months old. 
 
 (Air subject received a common-school educa- 
 tion in his native land, whence he came to the 
 United States in 1845, leaving England April o, 
 and reacliing Peoria June 24. In the mother 
 country he had been engaged in farming, but after 
 his removal he secured a clerkship, continuing that 
 occupation for several years in the county so.it. 
 In 1861 he purchased eighty acres of land in Lo- 
 gan Townsliip. later adding another eightj' over 
 the line in Roselield Township. About 187;> he 
 bought that upon which he now lives, on sections 
 30 .and 31, and deeded the other farms to his sons. 
 
 The career of ^Ir. Harding has been such as to 
 win honor and respect from all who know him, on 
 account of his moral worth, industry and good 
 judgement. He had -$50 when he entered Peoria, 
 and from that small capital, secured bj' his own 
 exertions elsewhere, has grown his present solid 
 financial standing. He is a member of the Bap- 
 tist Church, to which his estimable wife also be- 
 longs. 
 
 The first marriage of our subject took place in 
 England, March 29, 1845, his bride being Mary, 
 daughter of David and Sarah Tucker. .She was 
 born in Swinebridge. Devonshire, and died in Peo- 
 ria, 111., in September, 1847. The present wife of 
 Mr. Harding is likewise a native of the mother 
 countrj'. born in Egerton, Lancashire, and daugh- 
 ter of James and Jane (Pilkington) Greenough. 
 Mr. Greenough was a superintendent of cotton 
 manufactures. In 1842 he came to America, set- 
 tling in Brimfield. this county, but dying in Stark 
 
 County. His wife had breathed her last in Eng- 
 land. Their family included Robert, who was 
 drowned in the Baltic Sea; William, who was 
 killed by a boiler explosion in Stark County; 
 James, wlio died in \7ilson, Kan.; Hugh, now 
 living in that State; Mrs. Ann Wrigle}-. of Peoria; 
 Jane, the wife of our subject; Mrs. Alice IMorris, 
 of Sterling, Kan.; Roger, now living in Colorado, 
 who was a Union soldier and wounded at Vicks- 
 burg; Margaret, who died in early yontii. 
 
 Our subject, b}' his first marriage had one child, 
 wlio died wlien five years old. The second has re 
 suited in the birth of the following children : John 
 J., Henry W., Robert G., Eleazer', William W. and 
 Adoniram J. Robert G. lives in Trivoli Townshi|); 
 William in Brimfield Township; and Eleazer is an 
 attornej' 'u Elmwood. 
 
 ^^ — ^^I' n? — ^ ■ . -^ — , 
 
 jjEV. THOMAS PACEY. This name will be 
 ^ readil}- recognized by man\- of our readers 
 ]^ as that of a prominent resident of Jubilee 
 Township, who, occupying a pleasant farm, 
 carries on general agricultural work and likewise 
 finds time to prepare himself for the work which 
 he pursues on the Lord's Daj- — that of preaching 
 the Gospel as a local Elder in the Methodist Epis- 
 cop.al Church. Of English birth and ancestry, he 
 possesses the stern integrity and indomitable spirit 
 which had been exemplified so often by Englishmen 
 whose names have become famous the world over, 
 and by means of well-directed studies the )jowers 
 of his mind have been developed and his memory 
 has become a storehouse of knowledge. 
 
 The father of our subject was Brown Pace}', a 
 native of Lmcolnshire, England, who followed 
 farming there until his death. His mother was 
 Mary, a daughter of William Topper, a well-to-do 
 farmer and the owner of the land which he tilled. 
 The mother, a devoted member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, lived until 1888. The parental 
 family consisted of -eight children who grew to 
 manhood and womanhood. Of these, William, 
 Mrs. Jlary Sharp, Elizabeth, and Eliza are living 
 in their native laud. John came to America
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 293 
 
 and lost his life in the Civil War; Joseph is living 
 in Peoria and Uicliard in La Harpe. Our subject 
 is the second in order of bii'th in the family and 
 was the first to come to America. 
 
 JjUn Pacey was livinsj in Brimlicld when the 
 Civil War broke out and desiring to aid in the 
 preservation of tlie I'niou, enlisted in 1801. He 
 was wounded before Richmond, taken [)risoner. and 
 after tlie amputation of his limb, sent to Libhy 
 Prison where lie tlicd nearly three years after his 
 enlistment. Richard was a member of the same 
 reirinient, was wounded in the Siienandoali N'alley 
 and before his recovery was sent to a hos[>ital at 
 Chicago, where he acted as nurse until the expira- 
 tion of his term of service. It had been the inten- 
 tion of our subject to join the same regiment, but 
 the daj^ after writing to his brothers of his intention 
 lie was taken with intermittent fever, which eon- 
 fined him to his room almost two mouths. 
 
 The village of Scopwick, Lincolnshire, England, 
 was the birthplace of Rev. Thomas Pacey, whose 
 early years were spent upon a farm where the school 
 ■system did not furnish great advantages for acquir- 
 ing an education. He was early set to work on the 
 farm which he assisted in cultivating from his 
 twelfth year until he was fifteen, when he went out 
 to work by the year. He continued as a farm la- 
 borer until twentj'-two years old, when, ijersuaded 
 that he could better his condition in America, he 
 bade adieu to home and friends and set out for 
 the New World. 
 
 Leaving Liverp(n)l on a sailing vessel in the 
 spring of 1851, Mr. Pacey reached New Orleans 
 after an ocean voyage of seven weeks, whence he 
 came up the river and canal to Chicago. From that 
 place he went to Kenosha. Wis., then to Big Foot 
 Prairie, Walworth Count\', where he engaged on a 
 farm near Beloit. For three years he worked hard 
 on the farm, then began to supi)ly the dehciencies 
 in his early schooling by entering the seminary at 
 Wheaton, 111. After attending that institution 
 about two and a half years, he began teaching dis- 
 trict schools in DuPage and Cook Counties, making 
 his home in Madison Township, UuPage County. 
 He owned a farm of twenty-five acres there which 
 he sold in 1803 and going to Iowa located at Water- 
 loo, near which town he bought eighty acres of 
 
 raw land. After having taught school one winter 
 he turned his attenticjii entirely to the improve- 
 ment and cultivation of his property, which he sold 
 in December, 1800, for the |)ur|)ose of removing to 
 Peoria County, III., in which his brothers were 
 living. 
 
 Mr. Pacey taught one winter after coming to this 
 county, then gave his attention to farming, renting 
 land in Jubilee Township until 1880. At that 
 time he purchased fort}' acres on section 20. upon 
 which so little improvement had been made that it 
 may be said its present condition is cntlrel}- due to 
 his efforts. He has been obliged to remove stumps, 
 enclose and subdivide the land by adequate fencing, 
 .and supply it with the various buildings necessary 
 to carry on his work and make a pleasant home for 
 his famil}'. A fine spring furnishes water for his 
 herds, which include good grades of cattle and 
 horses. Grain and hay are the principal crops, and 
 a proper amount of attention is paid to the orchard 
 and garden, which furnish of their abundance to 
 supply the family needs. 
 
 The noble character and rifio intelligence of the 
 Rev. Mr. Pacey are recognized by his .associates who 
 have reposed in him various [mblic resi)Oiisibilities. 
 He has been a School Director and is now Town- 
 ship School Treasurer, an oltice which he has held 
 since 1878. He has served as Justice of the Peace 
 continuously since 187;i. He is and has long been 
 a member of the Township Central Committee, .and 
 he has frequently been a delegate to count}' con- 
 ventions of the Republican party, whose principles 
 he stanchly upholds both on election day and when 
 political topics are the subject of discussion. 
 
 In the Methodist Episcopal Church at Brimfield, 
 Mr. Pacey has been Class-Leader, Steward and 
 Trustee, and has likewise held the office of local 
 I'.lder for years. He began exhorting when alioiit 
 twenty-four j-ears old and entered the local minis- 
 tiy in Iowa in the fall of 1864. At the same time 
 he was ordained as a traveling minister, being on 
 the circuit about two years. In Black Hawk County 
 he hacl a charge prior to his removal to Illinois, and 
 he now preaches nearly every other week, although 
 he lias not joined the Conference here. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Pacey and Miss Elizabeth 
 Haj'es was celebrated in Chicago in 1862. The bride
 
 294 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 a nntivc of Wiltsliire, EngLiiid, belongs to a family 
 whose history is given in liic sketeli of Charles 
 Ha3'es in this volume. She entered into rest Janu- 
 ary 13, 1888, leaving five eiiiltlren. Immortal 
 through her virtues, her memor)' is held in loving 
 reverence bj' her husband and ehildren. who are 
 comforted in their atiliction by the hoiie set before 
 ihem of meeting to part no more, when their work 
 on earth is done. Her place at the head of the 
 household is sni)plied as well as it may be, by her 
 daughter Nellie, the third of Ihe family. Harry 
 and Thomas, Jr., are also at home. Addison, the 
 eldest son, after having spent some time in school- 
 teaching, is now engaged in a pi-inling office at 
 linrnfu'ld. Lincoln, the second son, now in the mill 
 at r>i iiiifield, also labored for some lime in the field 
 of pedagogy. 
 
 %^^ OMER C. TUCKER may well be looked 
 upon as a representative citizen of Brim held 
 Township, in which he has si)ent the greater 
 part of his life and in whose prosiierity he 
 has assisted in various ways. He is the owner and 
 occupant of a beautiful farm on section 22, much 
 of which was secured to him by his own persever- 
 ing efforts and excellent management. As the sou 
 of pioneer settlers in the township, he began quite 
 early in life to assist in reclaiming from its primi- 
 tive wildness the tract of land on which they were 
 located, and to replace the long grass of the prairies 
 with the more useful grains. 
 
 Our subject is of English stock and a son of Ezra 
 and Sarah (Eurncss) Tucker, both of whom were 
 born in the Green INIountain State and exhibited in 
 their lives the thrift and energy which seem breathed 
 in with the air of their native hills. In 1843, the 
 pnrcnts determined to take up their permanent 
 abode in. Illinois, which the father had visited sev- 
 eral years before and in which he had entered four 
 hundred acres of Government land. Their prepa- 
 rations for removal being completed, the}' set out for 
 the West, traveling in a canal boat to Buffalo from 
 which place the party of ten, together with their 
 necessary household goods, was conveyed in a car- 
 
 riage and wagon each drawn b^- two horses. Seven 
 weeks and three d.ays were consumed in travel from 
 the. Empire State to Brimfield Township. Peoria 
 County, whore their future home was located. Mr. 
 Tucker paid the (iovernment price of $1.25 per 
 acre for his land, which he took possession of in 
 the condition in which it had been left by the 
 Aborigines. 
 
 In the death of Ezra Tucker, which occurred 
 December 31, 1854, the county lost a hard-work- 
 ing, reliable and public-spirited citizen, whose 
 example had exerted a good influence upon those 
 about him. He was a Democrat in politics. His 
 good wife survived him a few years, passing awav 
 in July, 18G0. Thej- were the parents of seven chil- 
 dren, namely: Mary, now Mrs. Ilartz of Wyom- 
 ing, this State; Homer C, our subject; Ezra, a 
 farmer of Brimfield Township; Eliza, wife of C. L. 
 Wing of Elm wood; Sarah, wife of J. M. l>eet of 
 Chicago; Saphonia, wife of Dr. Pratt of Wichita, 
 Kan., and Marian, wife of A. J. Klock of Wyom- 
 ing, this State. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in Madison 
 County, N. Y., March 16, 1834, but having come to 
 Illinois during his boyhood, grew to manhood amid 
 the scenes of pioneer life in this county. He at- 
 tended the common schools of New York and Illi- 
 nois, but his advantages not being equal to those of 
 the present day he has depended largely upon his 
 own efforts in becoming well informed regarding 
 topics of practical and general interest. He has been ■ 
 a life- long farmer, at present combining with that 
 honorable occupation that of buying and shipping 
 stock. For five years he shipped grain from Brim- 
 field, always, however, occupying and controlling 
 the farm. His estate consists of two hundred and 
 ten acres which bears every needful building and 
 under intelligent management yields an excellent 
 income. 
 
 The presiiling genius of the home of Mr. Tucker 
 is an intelligent Christian woman, who was form- 
 erly known as Miss Emily M. Ellis. She became 
 the wife of our subject in May, 1865, and is the 
 mother of four children, of whom two are settled in 
 homes of their own, while Allie Mabel and Duane 
 H. still remain with their parents. Brimfield is the 
 home of the two married daughters — Clemie being
 
 ^^7^-t^ 
 
 ^^^^,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPIIK AL ALHUM. 
 
 297 
 
 the wife of Harry CLichester, and Carrie M. of 
 Lewis Dungan. 
 
 Mr. Tucker 1ms served as Townshii) Supervisor 
 one term and as Road Commissioner scvcntcen- 
 j'ears. It is his intention to assist in everytliing 
 wliicli he thinks will advance the material and social 
 interests of llie coniuiiinity or in any w.a^" add to 
 tlie pulilic welfare. lie Votes tlie Kepulilican ticket 
 on every election day. He was formerly- identified 
 with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mrs. 
 Tucker is a member of the Congregational Churcli 
 at Briuifield. which the oilier memljcrs of the fam- 
 ily attend. 
 
 ^i|= 
 
 c-^^HOMAS B. N0RVP:LL, M. D. The learned 
 professions are well rejiresented in Peoria 
 by men of mucli mental culture, [iractical 
 knowledge an(l professional skill in their various 
 departments. One of those wiio have a high stand- 
 ing, botli professioually and socially, is Dr. T. 1>. 
 N'orvell, whose portrait is presented on the opi)o- 
 site page and who is estaljlishing a fine [iractice in the 
 city which has been his home but a few short years. 
 He has not yet readied the prime of life, iiaving 
 been born December 2, 1851, to George W. and 
 Liivisey (Boyd) Norvell. His birthplace was Mon- 
 iteau County, Mo., where his father was engaged 
 ill fanning. The parental family comprised eight 
 cliildren, five of whom are now living and all of 
 the sons being professional men. .John 8. has de- 
 voted himself to missionary work and has been 
 sent liy the Baptist Churcli to China; Joseph E. is a 
 Methodist Episcopal minister in South Dakota; tlie 
 next is our subject; Mary and Martha, twins, are 
 living in Iowa, being the wives of Anthony Hyine 
 and William Williams, respectively. 
 
 Dr. Norvell was reared in Mills Count}', Iowa, 
 where his father removed during his infancy. After 
 liaving attended the public schools of the Ilawkeje 
 .Stale, he entered Talior College at the age of twenty 
 years, and not long after began reading medicine 
 with Dr. Merrill Otis, in Tabor. Iowa. After three 
 years of student life there he attended the Chicago 
 Medical College, and after becoming a full-fledged 
 
 physician began practicing in Fremont County, 
 Iowa. Thence he finally- removed to this countj^ 
 making his headquarters for the first three years at 
 Ilarker's Corners and removing to the counts-seat 
 in 1879. 
 
 In Fremont County, Iowa, Dr. Norvell met, 
 wooed and won for his wife Miss Alice, daughter 
 of John and Sarah (Burns) Lumm, their marriage 
 riles lieing celebnited December 31, 1875. Mrs. 
 Norvell is a lady of intelligence and refinement, well 
 fitted to make a lia|)py home. Two children have 
 come to bless the happy union, and are named 
 Helena Dee and Justin Woodlej'. 
 
 Dr. Norvell is a man of decided views, not easily 
 moved from any opinion or course in which his judg- 
 ment has conciii red. He is an tindeviating Repub- 
 lican. Theoiily social order with which he is identi- 
 fied is the society of Druids. His profession.-d skill is 
 acknowledged by all who are familiar with his 
 work and is bringing him his fair share of the pat- 
 ronage of the citizens, while bidding fair to secure 
 to bin, both fame and fortune in the years to come. 
 He and his wife are considered additions to society 
 and have already made many friends in the city 
 which they have adopted as their home. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 
 ^(^^ALENTINE W^EBER. The business enter-' 
 ^\/// prises of Princeville would be poorly repre- 
 ^ sented indeed, were no mention made in 
 these pages of the life and efforts of Valentine 
 Weber, the oldest resident merchant in the town. 
 He has a fine store, well stocked with boots and 
 shoes, and lie is also the successful patentee of the 
 Perfection Grain Weigher. Always pleasant and 
 agreeable, he is deservedly popular in society, 
 while his intelligence and energy of character iiave 
 been utilized in the municipal and religious work 
 of his chosen home. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest of eight children 
 born to Cassamire and Christine (Kutz) Weber, 
 who, like tbeir son, were natives of Achern, Ger- 
 many. The father was reared upon a farm, and 
 operated an estate in his native land until 1852, 
 when he emigrated to America. He selected a lo-
 
 298 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 cation in Erie County', N. Y.. near Buflfalo. and pur- 
 chasing a farm,coutinued his agricultural work until 
 liis death in 1864. His wife also died in the Em- 
 pire State. He was a Democrat and a Catholic. 
 The five children who, besides our subject, grew to 
 mature years are: Mrs. Emrinza Fischer, who died 
 in Buffalo, N. Y.; Mrs. Emily Petre and Anton, 
 who lives near that city: Mrs. Gertrude Bogner, of 
 Marshall County, 111.; and Christine, widow of 
 Moritz Hamberg, of Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 The uatal day of our subject was February 14, 
 1847. He was about five years old when the fam- 
 ily left Havre on a sailing-vessel, which lauded 
 them in New York thirt3--six days later. The 
 next ten years of his life were spent on a farm near 
 Buffalo in a German settlement, where his studies 
 were conducted in his native tongue until thirteen 
 years old. His knowledge of English has been 
 mostly* acquired by his own efforts, as he had very 
 little English schooling. Soon after entering his 
 teens be found emplo3'meut in a sawmill and cheese 
 box factorv in Cattaraugus County for two years, 
 after which he began an apprenticeship at the siioe- 
 maker's trade in Buffalo. He served four years 
 under Beu Weber, then did journe}- work in the 
 same city until 1867. 
 
 We next find Mr. Weber coming to Peoria. 111., 
 ami working at his trade six months for Henr^' 
 Thielbar. He then followed his trade for six 
 months in Washington, Tazewell County', after 
 which he opened a shoe shop in Princeville, doing 
 both repairing and manufacturing. His enterprise 
 proved successful, compelling him to emplo}' two 
 hands, and in 1871 he put in a small stock of 
 ready-made goods. Ere long he bought and re- 
 modeled a store, which was subsequently' destro.yed 
 by fire, and he then built the brick structure which 
 he now occupies and which is 18x60 feet in dimen- 
 sions. No other dealer in the place has been stead- 
 il}- engaged here as long as he. He handled sewing 
 machines and musical instruments six 3'ears, but in 
 the fall of 1889 disposed of his entire stock in those 
 lines. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Weber and J. A. Harrison, a thresher, 
 conceived the idea of constructing and patenting a 
 grain weigher. The models were perfected in 
 1885, and the Perfection Grain Weigher is proving 
 
 satisfactor)', being the only arrangement in that 
 line that is so. It is an instrument attached to the 
 side of the separator and is in three parts — the 
 elevator, hopper and convej'or. Improvements 
 are being made upon it from time to time as the 
 inventor sees how its usefulness can be enhanced. 
 It is now manufactured bj- Selby Starr & Co., of 
 Peoria, and will uudoubtedl}- bring Mr. Weber a 
 pleasing reward. 
 I The estimable lady who presides over Mr. We- 
 ; ber's home is a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger- 
 man}', and was formerly known as Miss Barbara 
 Smith. She is a daughter of Jacob Smith, of Kick- 
 apoo, who emigrated to the States whan she was 
 two 5'ears old. The marri.nge riles of Iierself and 
 our subject were celebrated at her home November 
 24, 1868. The marriage has been blessed by the 
 birth of eight children, those now living being 
 Julia, Christine, Joseph, Anton and George. All 
 are still inmates of the parental home. 
 
 Mr. Weber has been a member of the \illage 
 Board four years, and was President the first j-ear. 
 He belongs to the Catholic Church, assisted much 
 in the erection of the building, being one of the 
 committee, and in other wa3S aids in enlarging the 
 organization. He is a stanch member of the Repub- 
 lican |>arty. He has prospered in worldl)- affairs, 
 and in addition to his busmess projierty owns otlicr 
 lots and a pleasant residence. 
 
 ■5v HARLES HAYES. The sturdy persistence 
 ~^, of the English character, which, having once 
 aimed at a certain mark will vanquish ob- 
 stacles which would seem insurmountable to a less 
 determined spirit, is well exemplified in the career 
 of the gentleman above named, a resident of Jubi- 
 lee Township. He has a most excellent reputation 
 as a public school teacher, perhaps one of the best 
 proofs of the regard in which he is held being the 
 fact that he has taught the home school eight suc- 
 cessive years and has again had it in charge two 
 years. It being generally true that a '-prophet; is 
 not without honor save in his own country and 
 among his own people," it is a great credit to one
 
 I'OKTIIAir AND BIOGRAPinCA.L ALBUM. 
 
 •29!) 
 
 engaged in llic piot'os!<i<)n of U-aching, to liave the 
 suffrage of Hie people in liis own neighborhood 
 3-ear after year. 
 
 Although seliool teaching has been the prineiiwl 
 business of Mr. llnyes since his nineteenth year he 
 has done good work in opening up a farm, in car- 
 rying ou the same, and in local public affairs. He 
 is now Commissioner of Highways for Jubilee 
 Township, and Treasurer of the Townsliip IJoard of 
 Commissioners. lie was first elected to this ofHce in 
 1888 for a two year's term, at the expiration of 
 which he was again elected, this time for three 
 years. From 1878 until 1888 he w.is Township 
 Clerk and he has also served as School Director 
 three years. His political adherence is given to the 
 Democratic party and he votes a straight ticket. 
 With a fine mind which he has cultivated under 
 good instructors and by well-directed personal 
 efforts, with pleasing manners and an upright char- 
 acter, he is well esteemed by those with whom his 
 lot in life is cast. 
 
 lioberl Hayes, the grandfather of our subject. 
 was an Knglisii laboring man and his sou .Tames 
 became an inn-keeper at White I'arisli, Wiltshire. 
 The latter married JIary Russell, a native of the 
 same shire and daughter of Peter Russell, a dairy 
 farmer. To this couple nine children were born, 
 he of whom we write being next to the youngest. 
 The seventh child, Sidney, died in England. 'J'he 
 others accompanied theii father to America in 
 18.5li, their mollier having died four years previ- 
 ously, -lames Hayes and his family spent two 
 months at Cleveland, Ohio, then went to Chicago, 
 where they sojourned six months. The father did 
 not like the country and returning to his former 
 neighborhood in England, leaving his children be- 
 hind him in the United States, engaged in farming. 
 Although now seventy-six years old he still follows 
 that occupation. He is a member of the Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 The members of the parental family now living 
 are Mrs. Sophia Legassick, of Delaware County, 
 Iowa; Thomas, of Mt. Ayr, Iowa; Mrs. Harriet 
 Stride, of Sioux Falls, S. Dak.; our subject; and 
 Mrs. Jennie Herriott, of Brimfield, this county. 
 Mrs. Elizabeth L.Pacey died in Brimfield Township, 
 this county, in 1888. George and Henr\- gave 
 
 their lives,'in'sup|)ort of the Union flag duiing the 
 late war. George enlisted in 1861 in an Illinois 
 Regiment and served until he sickened and died in 
 Kentucky. Henry also enlisted in 1861, going 
 from Iowa to join the Twenty-first Missouri In- 
 fantry, and dying of disease two years later. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born at White 
 Parish, England, January 1), 18 18, and reared at his 
 birthplace until he was eight years old. He left 
 London with the other members of the family on 
 the sailing vessel "Palestine" in August, 18,')6, and 
 after a voyage of six weeks landed at New York, 
 whence they went at once to Cleveland. He re- 
 mained in Cuyahoga County, not far from Cleve- 
 land, with an .lunt about a year, after which the 
 children together moved to Dyersville, Delaware 
 County, Iowa, and began working out. Our sub- 
 ject worked on a farm ft>r a cousin, attending 
 school winters and finally engaged in teaching when 
 nineteen years old. He taught winter schools only 
 during the first two years, after wliich he [ml in an 
 entire year's time at pedagogy. 
 
 In the fall of 1809, young Hayes came to Peo- 
 ria County, 111., to follow his profession, his first 
 school here being in Rosefield Township. Tn 1870, 
 he attended the Peoria County >,'ormal School, in 
 the fall returning to his work as instructor, since 
 which time he has taught each winter and also 
 some summers. Although he has had a High 
 S 'hool position offered him he has not accepted, but 
 continues to labor in the district schools to which 
 he tlevotes about six months in each j'ear. For a 
 time he devoted the summers to employment for 
 others, but in 1874, was able to buy a small farm. 
 It consisted of forty acres on section 7, Jubilee 
 Township, the price beiug -"^lioOO. 
 
 Locating u[)on the land he had purchased, Mr. 
 Ilaj'es engaged in fanning for himself and has now 
 made a nice place out of his estate. He purchased 
 an additional fort^' acres, has hedged and tiled the 
 entire acreage, set out a good orchard and groves 
 upon it, and erected a cozy dwelling, adequate 
 barn, granaries, etc. A portion of the estate was 
 grubbed and broken by Mr. Hayes himself. It is 
 watered by a smjvU stream fiowing through it and 
 contains a valuable deposit of coal, the bank being 
 now rented, although operated four years by the
 
 300 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 owner. Mr. Haj'es feeds numbers of hogs and 
 cattle, raises graded cattle and swine, and some ex- 
 cellent horses. He has a convenient market, being 
 but two and a quarter miles from Brimfiekl. His 
 professional labors in the county liave included two 
 years in Kosefleld and BrimBeld Townships, each, 
 the rest of the time having been given to labor in 
 his own township, and as before stated, largely in 
 his own district. 
 
 An important step in the life of our subject took 
 place in Jubilee Townshij), December 28, 1875, it 
 being no less than his marriage to Miss Elizabeth 
 Hindle. This young lady is a daughter of John 
 Hindle, of England, whose history is incorporated 
 in the sketch of his son, James Hindle, which occu- 
 pies a place in this Ai.bdm. She was born in Jubi- 
 lee Township. April 7, 1859, is an intelligent, 
 amiable, useful woman, finding her highest enjoy- 
 ment in her home duties and the society of husband 
 and cliildren. but b}' no means neglecting her many 
 friends. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes have six children 
 living, viz: Arleigh, Roxanna, Leslie, May, Harry 
 and Jennie A. They lost an infant daughter Edith, 
 who died when but five days old. 
 
 
 3ge of this gentleniau not onh' to watch 
 much of the growth of this county, but also 
 to materially aid its advancement as a great 
 agricultural center, and for many j'ears he stood 
 among the foremost farmers and stock-growers of 
 this part of Illinois. He acquired a fortune, and 
 was enabled to retire from active life in 1879, to 
 enjoy his wealth ere old age had overtaken him, 
 and is now living in one of the pleasantest homes 
 of Elmwood City, where be is held in honor as a 
 noble t^-pe of the pioneers of the county, whose 
 true, upright lives have contributed to elevate its 
 citizenshii). 
 
 Our subject was born in Pennsylvania, April 27, 
 1815, to Robert and Elizabeth (Bevins) Grah.am, 
 natives respectively of County Down, Ireland, 
 and Pennsylvania. They married and resided in 
 the Keystone State until 1818, when they removed 
 
 to Highland County-, Ohio, of which they were 
 early pioneers. The father opened up a new farm, 
 which he afterward disposed of, and came with his 
 family to Illinois in 1853. He died in 1854, and 
 his wife in about 1860, and both are peacefully 
 sleeping their last sleep in Pleasant Grove Ceme- 
 tery, Logan Township, Peoria County. To those 
 worthy people twelve children were born, of whom 
 two are now living, our subject and his youngest 
 sister. Mrs. Maria Sherwood, of Logan County. 
 
 iMr. Graham was a boy of three years when he 
 accompanied his parents from his native State to 
 Ohio, and as soon as he was large enough he aflorde.l 
 his father great assistance in clearing and improv- 
 ing his farm in the primeval forests of that State. 
 At eighteen years of age he left home to learn the 
 trade of a carpenter, and w.as employed at that four 
 months, but apparently not having a taste for it, 
 he resumed farming, and worked by the raontli in 
 his father's neighborhood for ^8 and s9 permontb, 
 continuing so eugaged for three years. In 1835, 
 he went to Knox County, Ohio, and worked on a 
 farm there until June of that year, and then drove 
 some sheep to Michigan, going through the famous 
 Black Swamp, where there were plenty of Indians, 
 and three months were consumed in making the 
 trip. He returned to his home in the fall, and 
 worked by the month until September 2G, 1837, 
 which was the date of his marriage to Miss Ruth 
 Ruse, a daughter of John Ruse. Her fattier was 
 a native of North Carolina, and was one of the ear- 
 liest pioneers of Ohio. The family was of (Quaker 
 stock, and all now are deceased. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Graham settled in High- 
 laud County, and was employed by the mouth there 
 the ensuing three years. He was ambitions to make 
 more money, as his finances were very low. and he 
 decided tliat he could better his condition by com- 
 ing to Illinois, and the year 1810 found him a resi- 
 dent of this State, he having arrived in Elmwood 
 Township. October 12. Here he immediately found 
 work and was employed by the da\- and month, and 
 carefully saved up his earnings to buy him a piece 
 of land. In 1845 his object was accomplished, and 
 he became the possessor of a forly-acre tract of 
 land on section 36, this township. He actively en- 
 tered upon its improvement, as it had been but lit-
 
 I'OnrU.MT AND lUOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 301 
 
 tie develoi)Ccl. and in time i)unli:iseil fully tuies 
 adjoining. Tliere was a small house on the place, 
 weather-boarded and clap-boarded, and in that he 
 made his home. During the four years tiiat he 
 staid there he adiled many improvements, and then 
 sold it for §700 in tlie fall of 1849, which was an 
 advance of 8400 on the purchase price. In the 
 same season he bought eighty acres of raw prairie 
 land in Logan Township, paying 11,000 for it. He 
 put Mji a house and barn, and moved onto the place 
 ])eceml)er .'), and that winter fenced it, drawing the 
 rails a distance of eight miles. The next summer 
 he brolic the prairie sod, and in the fall sowed 
 wheat. He was then in debt >!2,000, but in two 
 years, so industrious had lie been, and so well had 
 his croi)s turned out, that he was out of debt, and 
 was cnal)le<l to buy another tract of forty acres of 
 land adjoining his homestead. He kept tliat farm 
 one year longer, and at the expiration of that time 
 sold it for -^,').800 cash. The next February he 
 bouLdit two liundred and twenty acres of laud in 
 the same townslu[), one hundred and sixty acres of 
 whicli was in its natural state, forty acres were im- 
 proved, and twenty acres of it was in timber. lie 
 improved one liundred and eighty acres of that 
 place, and again iiauled rails a distance of eight 
 miles to fence it, and at tiie end of six montiis sold 
 tlie wliole tract at an advance of §12. .50 on an .acre. 
 Ml-, (iraiiam's next move was to Iowa. He spent 
 two montlis in INIarion County, but evidently did 
 not like that State well enough to locate there, as 
 he liien returned to Illinois, and settled in Trivoli 
 Tllwn^llip. two miles east of Farmington, on the old 
 "Orton farm," one hundred ai:d twenty acres of 
 which was improved. He stajed there eighteen 
 months, then took advantage of a good opportu- 
 nity to rent it for three years, and subsequently 
 bouglit his JiOgan Township farm. He resided 
 thereon seven years, and at the end of that time 
 sold one hundreil and forty acres at *(!.') per acre. 
 He next became a resident of Kimwood Township, 
 where he pureiiased live lunidred .acres of land on 
 sections 27 and .'i4. paying §10 an acre to its origi- 
 nal owner, .loel Blakesley. It was improved, and 
 he was actively engaged in its cultivation 'the en- 
 suing five years, and made eonsideraliie money by 
 his labors. He then gave and sold some of his farm 
 
 to his family, and retired from the cares of his ex- 
 tensive agricultural business in 1879, to his pres- 
 ent home in Elmwood City. He had paid out for 
 land in his neighborhood, Lehigh Prairie, in all 
 §34,400, and during his whole career as a tiller of 
 the soil and a raiser of stock, displayed remark- 
 able foresigiit, business t.aet and judgment, which 
 brought him wealth. 
 
 After a calm and hai)py wedded life of fifty years 
 and six months, the wife of our subject, who h.ad 
 cheered and encouraged him in his work by her 
 kindly presence and ever iielpfnl assistance, w.as 
 taken from his side to walk .- ith him on earth no 
 more, and now lies sleeping in Elmwood ceraeterj-. 
 Her death was a severe blow to her husband, but 
 he does not mourn as one without hope, as his per- 
 fect faith and trust in one "who doeth all things 
 well," leads him to believe that they will once more 
 meet where there is no death. 
 
 By his marriage, our subject became the father 
 of nine children, of whom six are now living. 
 The names of the mcmlters of his family are: Sam- 
 uel S., Nancy J. (Mrs. McFarland), William, 
 George, Henry, Charles F., Elizabetii, Leander, 
 and Albert, the last three being dead. His son, 
 William was a brave soldier in the late Civil War, 
 and sacrificed much for his country. He was a 
 member of the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and 
 while fighting at the front at the battle of Perrys- 
 ville, was wounded in the arm ami side, and at 
 Kenesaw Jlountaiu received a second wound, and 
 is now a cripple. 
 
 Mr. Graham is emphatically a self-made man, as 
 he began life in comparative poverty, and all that 
 he has and all that he is, is due entirely to his own 
 exertions. His family seem to have inherited his 
 energetic traits of character, and talent for business. 
 and are all rich, and some of them have already 
 retired from active life. In all his dealings, his 
 straightforward honesty anil unswerving integrity 
 have been conspicuous, and no man is more thor- 
 oughly trusted than he. He is a man of marked 
 force of character, self-respecting and resolute, and 
 is always found on the right side in any movement 
 in which he interests himself. He has been an in- 
 fluential member of the IMcthodist Episcopal Church 
 for twenty years, and his lieloved wife was also
 
 302 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 connected with that denomination. lie has been a 
 Class-Leader. Superintendent of the Sunday-school, 
 and is now Trustee, and was ver3'^ active in help- 
 ing- to build the church called Graham Chapel, on 
 Lehigh Pr.iirie, generously contributing one-fourth 
 of the cost of the building, he being a member of 
 the building committee. His eldest son has been 
 the Secretary of the society for years. Our subject 
 has alwa3's been zealous in the cause of education, 
 and bits been a strong supporter of the free schools 
 and at diffei'ent times has been School Director. 
 He has interested himself greatly in [X)lities, and at 
 tlie age of twenty-one j-ears became an enthusiastic 
 Abolitionist. His first vote was cast for V.an Biiren, 
 the only Democratic candidate that he ever sup- 
 ported, and after that he became a IJepnblican, and 
 i.s still identified with that party. 
 
 ^ IfclLLIAM H. TODD. No one of Peoria 
 \/iJr County's native-born citizens is more 
 W^ worthy of representation in this biograpli- 
 ical volume than William Todd, ex-Supervisor of 
 Millbrook Township, wiio has been a life-long 
 farmer, and has his farm on section 20, under fine 
 improvement. 
 
 Our subject was born in this county. July 31, 
 1855'? and is a son of the well-known pioneer, 
 Alaxander Todd and his wife Ann (Jlanes) Todd. 
 His mothei is now deceased, having died September 
 3, 1884, leaving behind her the blessed record of a 
 good and true womanhood. 
 
 Alexander Todd was born in the North of Ireland 
 October 31, 180G,and emigrated from that country 
 to this when a young man. He sought and found 
 employment in Philadelphia, Pa., being engaged by 
 a banker in making collections. He subsequently 
 learned the trade of a weaver and followed it for a 
 lime. He was married in Philadelphia and became 
 tlie father of eleven children, of whom the follow- 
 ing nine are living: Alexander, in California; Eliza- 
 beth, wife of M. A. Gardner of this county; Robert 
 M.,in Princeville Township; John in Kansas; Mary, 
 wife of Andrew German of Yates City, III,; Quin- 
 tin, in Western Iowa; Aichibald in Missouri, and 
 
 William H. Three of his sons bore a brave part 
 in the Union army during the late War. James 
 gave up his life for his country, having served in 
 the army about a year before his death. John and 
 Robert were members of the Forty-second Illinois 
 Infantry; .lohn was out three years and Robert was 
 in the army one year. 
 
 In 1840, the father of our subject came to this 
 couiily, and settled in Timber Township on a new 
 farm, ho being one of the first pioneers to locate 
 there. His land was mostlj' covered with timber 
 and was in .ibout the same condition that the In- 
 dians had left it. He actively entered on his pio- 
 neer labors of felling trees, clearing the laml, and 
 preparing it for cultivation, and in the course of 
 years had it under good improvement. In 1867, he 
 took up his residence in Millbrook Town.ship, on 
 section 20, and has lived here ever since. His farm 
 comprises the southeast quarter of section 20, and 
 in every respect is in a fine condition, with substan- 
 tial buildings, well tilled fields, good fences and a 
 complete sj^stem of drainage. 
 
 j\Ir. Todd is now among the oldest pioneers still 
 living in this county, and is held in honor for the 
 substantial part he has taken in promoting the 
 growtii of this section of conntrv. He has always 
 been found among those who are active in advanc- 
 ing the interests of the community, and he has 
 done good service in a civic capacity, as an Assessor 
 in lioth Timber and Millbrook Townships. 
 
 William H. Todd, our subject, passed the earl}- 
 years of his life under the influence of the pioneer 
 modes of living that still prevailed in his younger 
 days, and he has done much pioneer laltor himself 
 in his character as a practical farmer. He gleaned 
 a good education in the public schools, mostly in 
 Millbrook Township, and is a thoughtful, intelli- 
 gent, well-informed man, having decided opinions 
 of bis own. He is quite a politician, has alwaj-s 
 taken an active interest in political matters, using 
 his influence in favor of the Republican party. 
 For two years he served on the County Board of 
 Supervisors, and his wise caution and straightfor- 
 ward discharge of the duties of his office made him 
 very acceptable as a public official. We always 
 find liini abetting all useful schemes that will in 
 any way enhance the m.alerial, social or religious
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 303 
 
 progress of the township. He is one of the leading 
 members of the Presbyterian Church at I'"reucU 
 Grove, in which he serves as I':ifier, and his gener- 
 ous aid and liberal contributions encourage the 
 good work his church is carrying on. 
 
 September 19, 1878, William II. Todd and Anna 
 K. Stewart, were united in a marriage that has 
 proved the source of happiness to both of them. 
 Mrs. 'I'odd is a daughter of William and Sarah 
 ( Brooks) Stewart,of Logan 'l'ownshi|), of which they 
 were early settlers. Our subject and his wife have 
 had six children, five of whom arc living, as fol- 
 lows: Charles, Archibald, Lillie, Lois, and Bruce. 
 The death of their son James was a grievous blow 
 to them. 
 
 — 3"»- 
 
 EDWIN IIARKNESS. A compendium of 
 biographies in Peoria Count}' would be 
 ) sadly incomplete did it lack that of the 
 
 gentleman whose well-known cognomen is found 
 al)Ove, and whose deeds are worthy of record 
 within its pages. As a loyal and gallant soldier 
 during the dark days of the Civil War, as a fear- 
 less ranchman in the western wilds, as a reliable 
 citi/.en and public olficer, and as a man of honor 
 and trustworthiness, he claims the respect and 
 good-will of his fellow-men. It affords the biog- 
 rapher pleasure therefore, to incorporate in these 
 Ijages some brief notes regarding his career. 
 
 Mr. Ilarkness is a native of the Keystone State, 
 in which his eyes opened to the light June 24, 
 18 13. and is a twin of Edson Ilarkness, whose 
 sketch api)ears elsewhere in this Album. Their 
 parents, Daniel and Eliza (Scott) Ilarkness, natives 
 of the Old Dominion, lived from childhood in 
 Pennsylvania, and there began their wedded life. 
 In 1816 they removed to the comparatively un- 
 settled region of Central Illinois, locating upon a 
 farm in Elmwood Township, Peoria County, and 
 here our subject grew toward manhood. He ac- 
 quired n common-school education in the township 
 schools, and in addition learned much not to be 
 found in text-books, regarding Uie various depart- 
 ments of agricultural life and the principles which 
 
 should govern one's conduct toward all human- 
 kind. 
 
 The l)reaking out of the Civil War found our 
 subject about eighteen years of age, full of enthus- 
 iasm in regard U) liis duty as a loyal citizen, and 
 persuaded in his own mind that his place was at 
 the front. He enlisted as a private in the Ninth 
 Illinois Caxalry for a term of eighteen months, 
 went through all the grades to Orderly Scu-geant 
 in Company L, and was tinally promoted to a Sec- 
 ond Lieutenancy. He was (iurolled at Chicago, 
 December 12, ISGl, and on March IG, !8(;4, the 
 regiment veteranized. They wore finally mustered 
 out in October, 1865, receiving th('ir discharge 
 papers in November. 
 
 The regiment when first mustered in was sent to 
 St. Louis, Mo., and thence to Iron Mountain, there 
 l)ut unilerthe command of Gen. Steele and marched 
 to .lacksonport, some skirmishing taking place on 
 the w.a}'. Proceeding down the White River to 
 Helena, Ark., with Gen. C'urtis, the boys endured 
 some terribly hard campaigning, during whicli 
 they were often obliged to drink swamp water, and 
 had several sharp skirmishes. They also had 
 pitched battles with the enemy at Waddell's and 
 Stewart's plantations, finallj', however, reaching 
 their objective point, where they remained until 
 March, 1863, the tedium of camp life being re- 
 lieved bj' somewhat frequent skirmishes. Their 
 next expedition was under (ien. C. C. Washburn, 
 his operations being performed in the vicinity of 
 Memphis, Tenn., for about a year, after which they 
 went to Corinth. The Guntown exi)edition, the 
 exploits of (!en. A. J. Smith at Tupelo and Hurri- 
 cane Creek, the battles of Salem and Wyatt (Miss.), 
 Saulsburg (Tenn.), West Point, Okolona, Mt. Ivy, 
 and Coldwater (Miss.), gave them abundant oppor- 
 tunitj' to display their bravery and powers of en- 
 durance. 
 
 After re-eidisting the regiment marciied to Mem- 
 phis, thence going to the North on a thirty-days 
 furlough. At the expiration of that time they re- 
 turned to Memphis, took part in the battle of 
 Abbcyville, Miss., and then pursued the cavalry of 
 Gen. Wheeler. They subsequently took part in the 
 battle of Campbellsville, am) that at Franklin, the 
 latter being one of the most bloody conflicts in which
 
 304 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 they boro a part. Tlie more notable affrays and 
 campaigns of their army life are sufficient to indi- 
 cate to all who understand the soldier's duties, and 
 know amid what scenes the battles were fought, 
 that much is left untold of arduous toil, dangerous 
 sallies, and situations in which discretion and stern 
 courage were demanded. 
 
 After the close of the war Mr. Darkness returned 
 to his home in the Prairie State, and with liis 
 Inother Edson labored on the parental homestead 
 in Elmwood Township, tins county, until 1874. 
 He tlien took up the life of a ranchman near Chey- 
 enne, AV.yo., spending two years in stock-raising, 
 and herding one hundred head of cattle. The In- 
 dians becoming hostile, he finally chose a new lo- 
 cation near Ft. Fetterman, where for two j-ears he 
 carried on operations in stock on a still larger scale 
 than he had previously done. Another year was 
 spent by him in the vicinity »f Cheyenne, after 
 wliich he located on Hat Creek, remaining there 
 until 1883. Space forbids us to detail his exper- 
 ience during the nine years tiiat he spent in the 
 great grazing lands of the Rock}' Mountain region. 
 Suffice it to say that a cool head, a keen eye, a firm 
 scat in the saddle, and an intrepid spirit are need- 
 ful to him who would succeed "on tiie range" and 
 pass tlirough its scenes in safety. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Harkness determined to join those 
 who were making use of unclaimed land in the In- 
 dian Territory' as a range for tiieir cattle, and he 
 therefore made tiiat section of the country the 
 headquarters for his stock business until 188G. He 
 then returned to the famil}', from whom he iiad 
 been separated much of the time for over a decade, 
 and prepared to enjoy with them the fruits of his 
 industrious labors. He is not now in active 
 business, finding sufficient to occupy him in a gen- 
 eral oversight of his investments, and tlie duties of 
 Assessor of Elmwood Township, which he is dis- 
 charging in a capable and satisfactory manner. His 
 political views have been quite conservative, and 
 he gives his allegiance to the Republican party. 
 He is a temperance man both in theory and prac- 
 tice. 
 
 Mr. Harkness was fortunate in winning for his 
 wife a woman of more than ordinary intelligence, 
 appreciative nature, ami fine, womanly traits of 
 
 character. This lady. Miss Sarah Arabella Mettler. 
 was born in New Brunswick, N. J., February 13, 
 1851, and became his wife November 27, 1879. 
 Her parents; John and Amanda M. (Rea) M(tttler, 
 both natives of New Jersey, came to Illinois in 
 1853, first settling in Fulton Count}^ and later re- 
 moving to Elmwood Township, Peoria County. 
 There the mother died in 1871, and the father in 
 1879. Mrs. Harkness spent two summers with her 
 husband in Wyoming, and there their eldest child, 
 Erlow M., died. Four fine looking children add 
 to the joys of home the graces of childhood and 
 their ever increasing intelligence. The little fam- 
 ily consists of Eula Belle. Edwin Rea, Mary Lucille 
 and an infant named Willie. 
 
 ETER W. HAWI>EY, the son of a family 
 which was among the early settlers of this 
 section of the State, is himself one of the 
 pioneers of the count}- and is occupying and 
 managing a large farm, which he entered from the 
 Government moi'c than forty years ago. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Truman and 
 Betsej^ (Younglove) Ilawley, natives, resi)ectivelv, 
 of Vermont and New Jersey. At some period of 
 their married life, in the year 1815, thej' removed 
 from their New England home among the hills of 
 Yerraont,to New York State and cast in tlieir lot with 
 the pioneers of Oswego County. In 1835 they again 
 became pioneers of a newly settled region, taking up 
 their residence in Medina Township, this county, 
 where their remaining j'ears were passed. Until the 
 father's death the}' lived on the old homestead, and 
 then the mother made her home with our subject 
 until she died. Mr. II,awley was a well-known .and 
 liigidy-reputed citizen of Medina Township, and 
 was quite prominent there. He was the first Post- 
 master at Mt. Holl}', und held the position for 
 several 3'ears, till his demise. He and his wife were 
 the paients of two sons and three daughters. 
 
 Our subject was the eldest of the famil}', and 
 was born in the pretty town of Arlington. Vt., Sep- 
 tember 24, 1813. He was two years old when his 
 parents emigrated to the State of New Yo''k, and
 
 
 rp^tr^ 
 
 "-V^
 
 
 ''(y^-^'>nn,JCc^ 
 
 TytrTn-i
 
 PORRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 309 
 
 there he grew to man's estate. la 1835 he ac- 
 companied his parents to this cnnty, and lived 
 with them until his marriage. Hiwas bred to the 
 life of a farmer and has always foowed that call- 
 ing, and is still proprietor of thebmestead that he 
 piircliased from the Government!! 1838, which is 
 ;)le:ii;antly located on section 25, Kdnor Township. 
 It comprises three hundred and tie acres of well- 
 lilied land, and all the improveienls upon it, in- 
 cluding a good set of farm buildigs, are the work 
 of his own hand, and he has e«y reason to be 
 proud of what he has accomplish^. 
 
 The comforts of the home th; lie has built up 
 here are due in a great measure t the thoughtful 
 care of his good wife, to whom h was united in 
 marriage in Medina Township, r>!.'ember24, 1846. 
 Her maiden name was Adalet Heman, and she was 
 horn in Oswego County, N. Y., Foruary 28, 1825. 
 She is a daughter of Asa and Rebecca (Hurd) 
 llenraan, who were also nativesof that part of 
 Xew York. They were the parent'of two children, 
 (if whom she was the j'oungest. \jEter her father's 
 death her mother married Justusl'orrey, and they 
 came to this county and were arang the pioneers 
 of Medina Towns'jip, where theyUed. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hawlej- are theparents of nine 
 children, of whom two died wheir|uite3-oung, and 
 the following still live — Alden L.Frank J., Deroy 
 L., .Justus T., Peter T., Guy and harles B. 
 
 In politics Mr. Hawley firmlj' elieves that the 
 policj- of the Republican party i the best to be 
 pursued in the guidance of nationl affairs, and he 
 is accordingly a stanch Republitn. He is a fair- 
 minded, honest man of exemplry habits, whose 
 line reputati(m gives him a placiamong our most 
 liighly considered citizens, and asi pioneer of Rad- 
 nor Township his name will evei'^e linked with its 
 histor3'. 
 
 ^ AMES MOONEY, of Media Township, is a 
 gentleman whose life haslieen marked by 
 no wonderful events, but ^y a steady per- 
 sistence in the calling whih he chose, and 
 a quiet pursuance of what he judes right in his as- 
 sociation with huinniiitv and in iimestic life. He 
 
 m 
 
 occupies the Mooney homestead on section 11, Me- 
 dina Township, is numbered among the farmers 
 who have acquired a considerable share of worldly 
 goods, and is an excelhnt representative of the 
 agricultural community. The homestead was se- 
 cured by his father in 1835 as a military tr.act, and 
 is now considered one of the best farms in the 
 county. It has been the home of our subject since 
 he accompanied his parents hither, and he has be- 
 come one of the best known men in this section of 
 the county. Besides owning the present homestead 
 he has possessed other well-improved property, 
 having given each of his five sons an eightj-acre 
 tract. 
 
 Grandfather ilooney, who bore the given name 
 of Thomas, was a native of County Louth, Ireland, 
 a fanner and man of influence there. Being in op- 
 position to some of the tyrannical forms of Gov- 
 ernment, his life was threatened, and he fled to 
 America with his family in 1798. He located in 
 New York Citj', dying there when quite an old 
 man. In his native land he had married Mary 
 Graj', an Irish lady of the same countj% who, like 
 himself, was a life-long member of the Catholic 
 Church. They were the parents of four sons and 
 two daughters, all of whom lived to manhood and 
 womanhood, all marrj'ing but one. 
 
 Among the children of the couple above men- 
 tioned was a son Thomas, who was born in County 
 Louth, Ireland, and was ten years old when his par- 
 ents settled in the United States. He grew to man- 
 hood in New York Citj% where he learned the trade 
 of a harness-maker, after having completed his edu- 
 cation. He finally went into New Jersey, and there 
 married Helen Stagg, a native of Passaic County, 
 and descended from old Dutch stock. Her father, 
 James Stagg, was the son of a commissioned officer 
 of the Colonial Army. James Stagg was a farmer 
 who lived to the age of more than three-score, dy- 
 ing in his native count}% where his widow also died 
 at an advanced age. 
 
 After his marriage, Thomas Moonej% Jr., opened 
 a grocer3' store in New York City, continuing in 
 the business until 1835, when he determined to lo- 
 cate in the West. AVith his wife, four sons and a 
 daughter, he set out for Illinois, going up the Hud- 
 son River to Albany, thence by the Erie Canal to
 
 310 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Buffalo, crossing the lake to Cleveland, Ohio, then 
 crossing the Bucke\-e State to Portsmouth, and con- 
 tinuing his journey down the Ohio and up the Mis- 
 sissippi and Illinois Rivers to Peoria. A period of 
 four weeks was consumed in the journe}". Mr. 
 Mooney at once secured three iiundred and twenty 
 acres of prairie land, and one hundred and sixty 
 acres of tiralier in Medina Township, and began 
 life in the pioneer style. The surrounding coun- 
 try was wild and sparsely settled, and neighbors 
 were few. 
 
 A log house was built, which was replaced bj' a 
 more coaifortable dwelling after Mr. Moone}- had 
 made a start in the improvement of his farm. He 
 continued his labors thereon, ably assisted by his 
 wife, until they were surrounded bj' man\' evi- 
 dences of comfort and prosperity. He liecame 
 quite prominent, holding some of the local offices, 
 and serving as County Commissioner. He was a 
 man of genial nature, industrious and enterprising 
 ill the pursuit of that to which he gave his atten- 
 tion, a devout believer in the principles of Cathol- 
 icism, and a strong Democrat in politics. He 
 died at liis home at the extreme age of ninety j'ears, 
 his remains Ijcing deposited in the cemetery of tlie 
 St. Joseph Catiiolic Church, which he had helped 
 to organize. Mrs. Mooney had been brought up 
 under the Presb3'terian faith, but died in tliat of 
 the Catholic Church vriien ne.irly three score j'ears 
 old. 
 
 Our subject is the oldest member of the i)areutal 
 family. He has two brothers and a sister still liv- 
 ing. His natal day was November 15, 1814, and 
 his birthplace, Passaic Countv. N. J. He was 
 reared in the (-ity of New York, receiving his edu- 
 cation there and being nearly of age when his par- 
 ents came West. He was married in the townshii) 
 which is now his home, to Elizabeth Jenett, an in- 
 telligent and capable woman who has been devoted 
 to the interests of her husband and children dur- 
 ing a long and happy married life. Mrs. Mooney 
 was born in County Louth. Ireland, in 1S22, and 
 leaving lost her parents, came to America with her 
 brother Michael when about seventeen years old. 
 They at once settled iu the Prairie State, which has 
 since been their home. Mr. and ^Irs. Mooney be- 
 long to St. Joseph's Catholic Cliurch, and Mr. 
 
 Mooney takes an active part in local politics, ex- 
 erting his influence, and casting his vote for the 
 Democratic party. 
 
 The family of Jlr. and Mrs. Moonej' consists of 
 five sons and one daughter, of whom we note the 
 following: William married Anna Burk, and lives 
 on a farm in Ilallock Township; ]\I. Thomas mar 
 ried Ann Rogers, and is farming in the same town- 
 ship; George W. is a grocer in Chillicothe; James, 
 who married Belle Hughes, occupies a farm in Me- 
 dina Township; Oliver K. married Mary Brennan, 
 his home being a farm in Medina Township; Marj- 
 A. is the wife of J. C. Dolan, a real-estate dealer 
 in Peoria. 
 
 In connection with this sketch we present litho- 
 graphic portraits of Mr. Mooney and his estimable 
 wife. 
 
 /^N IIARLES L. BOWERS, an honored resident 
 ill ^ of Elmwood City, where he owns and oc- 
 ^^Jf' cupies a comfortable and well-appointed 
 home, is the proprietor of a good farm, lying 
 partly in Elmwood Township and the remainder 
 in Brimfield Township. By his skill as a farmer 
 he has secured an ample competence, and was en- 
 abled to rent his place -at a good advantage and 
 retire from active business while yet scarcely past 
 the meridian of life. 
 
 Mr. Bowers comes from a brave and sturdj* an- 
 cestry that settled in America in Colonial times, 
 and representatives of the family fought loyally 
 in both the Revolution and in the U'ar of 1812, 
 and again in the late Civil War was the family 
 represented in the person of our subject, who did 
 gallant service for the Union cause and received 
 deserved promotion from the ranks, and bj' his 
 brother Harrison. A native of Muskingum County, 
 Ohio, our subject was born in 1833. His father 
 was John Bowers, of Pennsylvania birth, while 
 his mother was Rebecca (Vernon) Bowers, also 
 of Pennsjdvania. His parents went to Ohio in 
 their j'oung days, and there married and estab- 
 lished their first home. They lived there till 
 1853, and then went to Iowa and located in that 
 Stat€ permanently. She died in 1872 and he died
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALRUM. 
 
 311 
 
 in 1878, both leaving records of honorable lives 
 well spent. The Bowers faniil}' are descenfled 
 from English and German stock. The father of 
 our siiliject was a soldier in the War of 1812, 
 vvliile his father, John Bowers, served in the Revo- 
 lution and was present at the surrender of Corn ■ 
 wallis at Yorktown. On the mother's side, the 
 ancestry of our subject was of mingled English, 
 Scotch and Irish blood. His uncle, Joseph Ver- 
 non. scr\ed under Gen. W. H. Harrison in the 
 War of 1S12. One of the brothers of our subject, 
 Ihirrison Bowers, gave up his life on the altar of 
 his country during the late Civil War. He was a 
 member of Company K, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, re- 
 ceived an injur}- from a horse, and died from tlie 
 effects of it at tlie age of twenty-three 3'ears. 
 
 Mr. Bowers is one of a family of twelve chil- 
 dren, of whom eleven are now living. He re- 
 ceived his education in the common schools of 
 Ohio and Iowa, coming westward at tlie age of 
 twenty years. He remained witli Ijis father, assist- 
 iiiu him greatly in the management of his agricuit- 
 iirnl interests, till he was twenl\^-(ive years old. 
 lie tlien entered upon his career as an independent 
 f.iriner and improved a farm in Henry Count}', 
 iosva, wliicli he sold in 1863 at a good advance, 
 !ind came to Illinois to take advantage of its ex- 
 (cptioually fine agricultural resources. He bought 
 ;i farm in Brimfield Township, and actively en- 
 tered upon its cultivation, and in the years that 
 fiilldwed placed it under substantial improvement. 
 It is very desirably- located, and comprises eighty 
 acres in Brimfield Township and eighty acres in 
 ••'.Iniwood Township, all of which is under admira. 
 Iile tillage. 
 
 Mr. Bowers was first wedded to ]\Iiss Emiline .T. 
 .More.y, their marriage taking place May 24, 1860. 
 Her parents. David and Elizabeth (Conroe) JMo- 
 rey, natives of Ohio, came to this count}- in pio- 
 neer days, and after living here for a lime moved 
 to Iowa. In 1866 they returned to tliis part of 
 the country, and settled in Elmwood Township, 
 which they made their home till his death. His 
 widow survives him and makes her home in Kan- 
 sas. By their marri.age thej- became the parents 
 of six children. Mrs. Bowers was born in 1841, 
 and after a luief but hai)py wedded life with our 
 
 subject, died in 1866, leaving two children, Ida B. 
 and H. G. The former is the wife of H. P. Zink, 
 of Brimfield Township, and they have two chil- 
 dren. The latter a resident of BriniQeld Town- 
 ship, married Slar}' Reed and they have two chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Mr. Bowers was married a second time June 27, 
 1867, to Mary E. Burt, a daughter of Charles P. 
 and Lucretia (Davis) Burt, natives of \'ermont. 
 They came West in 1853, and cast in their for- 
 tunes with the pioneers of Brimfield Township, 
 and there he rounded out a useful life in 1870, 
 and she in 1874. They were the parents of four 
 children, of whom Mis. Bowers, the third in order 
 of birth, was born January 20, 1841, in the village 
 of Rockingham, Vt. She received an excellent 
 education in the public schools of Brimfield Town- 
 ship, and adopted the profession of a teacher, and 
 has taught school successfully in Peoria and Knox 
 Counties. She is a woman of rare intelligence, 
 and of a fine character and has been a great help 
 to her husband. The only grief of their wedded 
 life has been in the death of the two children born 
 to them. 
 
 In the fall of 1863, our subject enlisted in Com- 
 pany K, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, of which he became 
 Corporal, and bore an honorable part in the sup- 
 pression of the rebellion. He was engaged in the 
 battles of Tupelo, Guntown and Ripley, Miss.; 
 Sclma, Ala.; his regiment was the first to occupy 
 Montgomeiy, Ala., and he was in front of the 
 breastworks at Macon, Ga., when word was re- 
 ceived of Lee's surrender. Our subject v/ith his 
 company, was at Columbus, Ga., May 16, 1865, 
 and was subsequently mustered out at Atlanta and 
 was discharged at Davenport, Iowa, in August, 
 1865, he having shown throughout his military life 
 true soldieiy qualities, proving himself to be effi- 
 cient, cool headed and self reliant, in all times and 
 at all places. 
 
 Mr. Bowers has intelligent views on all matters 
 of public import, and especially is he interested in 
 the cause of temperance, and is an active temper- 
 ance worker, supporting the straight Prohibition 
 ticket, though he had formerly been identified 
 with the Republican party from the days of Fre- 
 mont to the time of (iarficld. All who know our
 
 312 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 subjeol. and he has many fiiends, are agreed that 
 he is a thoroughly- good, upright man, with a 
 kindly, sincere and honest nature, that involunta- 
 rily calls out the res[)ecl and trust of all who come 
 in contact with him. He and his wife are niem- 
 liers in high standing of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in Ehnwood, and are never beliiud their 
 fellows in good works, whether of a charitable, social 
 or religious character. 
 
 -^-*'^- 
 
 !)HOMAS AARS, <a resident of Edelstein, 
 where he is living in a beautiful home, in 
 ^^^f' honorable retirement from an active busi- 
 ness life, is one of the most prorainent citizens of 
 Hallock Township, where he long carried on .agri- 
 culture, acquiring a handsome comi)etence thereby. 
 He is also one of its trusted civic oHicials, 
 discharging the duties of one of its most responsi- 
 ble offices in a thoroughly business-like manner, 
 redounding to the financial benefit of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Mr. Vars has been connected with the interests 
 of this township and county since 185t. He then 
 purchased one hundred and sixt3- acres of wild 
 land, comprising a quarter of section 9, Hallock 
 Township, and there began life as a general farmer 
 and stock-raiser, his success in which work has 
 been complete, and he has developed a farm which 
 is finely improved and is well ordered iu every 
 particular. He has erected a neat set of farm 
 buildings, including a fine residence, large barns, 
 etc. He resided on this place until within a few 
 months, when he retired from farming to his pres- 
 ent home. He has also a tract of eighty acres of 
 land east of his homestead, which is -well devel- 
 oped, and under excellent improvement. He came 
 to the countj' with but little of this world's goods 
 in his possession, and has made his competency 
 since then by hard labor, directed by sagacious 
 forethought and excellent methods for carrying on 
 his work. 
 
 Mr. Yars is a native of Rensselaer County, 
 N. Y., his birth taking place in Berlin, September 
 7, 1824. His father, Benjamin Vars, is thought 
 
 to have been a native of Rhode Island, as he is a 
 descendant of an old Colonial family, who had set- 
 tled in that State in earl\- times, coming to New 
 England from their native France, and for many 
 generations were represented in that State. They 
 first spelled their name DeVars, but later, with 
 the democratic simplicity characteristic of the 
 New I'.nglaiulers, dropped the prefix and have 
 since been known bj' the plainer cognomen that 
 the family bears to-day. The grandfather of our 
 subject was Thomas Vars, who had gone from his 
 New England home to become a pioneer of New 
 York, after his marriage to Abigail Sheldon, a na- 
 tive of Rhode Island and a descendant of early 
 settlers of that State. They located in what is now 
 Berlin, in Rensselaer County, and Thomas Vars, 
 who was a mechanic with a good deal of mechan- 
 ical genius .and an adept with carpenter's tools, 
 followed that trade in connection with farming, 
 and spent the remainder of his life in Berlin, where 
 he died when an old man, and his wife also lived 
 to a ripe old age. They were both prominent 
 members of the Seventh Day Baptist Church. 
 
 Benjamin Vars w.as one of the oldest of the fam- 
 ily and grew to man's estate in the pioneer home 
 of his parents in Berlin. He was married in that 
 town to Miss Olive Walker, a native of the place, 
 who came of a respectable Y'ork .State family. 
 After marriage they took up their residence on 
 the farm, and there their remaining daj-s, which 
 were many, were passed in quietness and peace and 
 plenty. All their days they were adherents of the 
 Seventh Day Baptist faith, and were well known 
 and greatly respected. Benjamin \'ars was a 
 Whig iu the latter years of his life. He and his 
 wife were the parents of five children, of whom 
 three are yet living, our subject being the only 
 one who resides in Illinois or the West. 
 
 t)ur subject was reared to a stalwart and rigor- 
 ous manhood in the place of his birth, and e.srly 
 adopted the calling of a farmer, to which he had 
 been bred, and we have seen what he has accom- 
 plished since he became a citizen of the Prairie 
 State. 
 
 It was the good fortune of Mr. Vars to secure 
 in the person of Miss Helen Hull, a wife who has 
 been devoted to his interests. They were married
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 313 
 
 in their native township, where she was born July 
 19, 18-27, the eei-emony mailing them one taking 
 place October 28, 1848. Her parents, Benjamin 
 and Maria (Jones) Hull, were also natives of 
 Rensselaer County, and were there reared and 
 married and began their wedded life in Berlin 
 Township, which was their birthplace, and there 
 they finally died at a good old age. Mr. Hull was 
 scventj' j'ears old when he passed from the scenes 
 of his usefulness, while his wife reached the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety years before death called her 
 hence. Thej' were both hard working jieople, 
 were well known and highly' thought of in their 
 native county. Benjamin Hull was the son of 
 Daniel Hull, who was a native of Little Rhody. 
 He was a farmer by occupation and a pioneer of 
 Rensselaer County, he going from his New Eng- 
 land home to New York, after his marriage to 
 Phoebe Greene, who was likewise a native of that 
 part of the country, born either in Rhode Island 
 or Connecticut, who it, is supposed came from an 
 old New England family. I) niel Hull anil wife 
 spent their active years in Berlin Township, and 
 there died when quite old people. 
 
 'i'he wife of our subject was carefully reared by 
 her parents, and was trained to be an excellent 
 housewife, and knows well how to manage the 
 alTairs of her household. She is the mother of 
 four children, one of whom, Adella, died at the 
 age of two years. The other children of our sub- 
 ject and his wife are: Lillie. widow of I'udolph 
 Ayres, who resides with her two chihiren on the 
 old homestead; Morton, managing his father's 
 homestead; and Olive, who lives at home. Mor- 
 ton married Nettie Potter. 
 
 No nian is more deservedly held in the high re- 
 gard that is accorded to him on all sides, than our 
 subject. His reputation is of the best, and it is 
 the universal testimony of all who know him that 
 his life, past and present, is above reproach. 
 Such a man is an invaluable aid in the manage- 
 ment of publie affairs, and his fellow-citizens, rec- 
 ognizing that fact, having often called him to 
 olfice and he has held all of the townshii) public 
 positions from that of Supervisor down to the low- 
 est in the civic list, and is now Township Treas- 
 urer. He and his sons hold sound views on all 
 
 political questions and favor the Republican party 
 with their supiiort. Mr. and Mrs. \'ars are prom- 
 inent members of the Seventh Day Baptist Church 
 and Mr. Vars has given liberally to the order. 
 They are both members of the Olil Settler's Society 
 of this county. 
 
 TEDMOND WHITNEY, has a well-culti- 
 vated farm on section 15,Elmwood Town- 
 ship, and holds an honorable [jlace among 
 the men of character and principle, who 
 have had the making of the township, and are ac- 
 tive in sustaining its substantial prosperity as one 
 of the richest farming centers in a county noted for 
 its exceptionally fine agricultural resources. He is a 
 not/able figure in the [)ublic life of his community 
 as one of its leading and most intelligent otHcials, 
 who performs his civic duties with an eye single to 
 the good of the public. 
 
 Jfr. Whitney is a native of Allegany Countj', 
 N.Y.. his birth occurring there November 2G, 1823. 
 His father, Horace Whitney, was a native of Ver- 
 mont and a farmer. His mother, Hannah (Town) 
 Whitney, was also a native of the Green Mountain 
 State. His parents vvere there married and later 
 removed to New York State, where they made their 
 permanent home. A whole family of Whitneys 
 had emigrated from the old home among the hills 
 of Vermont, including the father and seven broth- 
 ers, uncles of our subject, and they located near to- 
 gether in Allegany County, forming a settlement 
 that is known to this day as Whitney's Valley. 
 The mother of our subject <lied in 1851, and the 
 father rounded out his life in 1872. They were ll;e 
 parents of eight children, (jf whom five are now 
 living. 
 
 The boyhood days of Stedraond Whitney, of 
 whom we write, were i)assed in New York, and his 
 education was gleaned in the common schools. He 
 gained a good practical knowledge of agricidture 
 in all its brandies and after attaining manhood 
 still remained at home with his parents, and his 
 labors were given for the benefit of his father's 
 farm until he was thirty years old. The first few
 
 314 
 
 rORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 3-ears of his married life were spent in his native 
 
 State, but in the spring of lb57, lie ilecidedto take 
 up his residence in Illinois, to avail himself of its 
 marvelous farming facilities. He first settled in 
 Elinwood Township, but after a two j'ears resi- 
 dence here removed to Elba Township, Knox 
 County. Six years later lie returned to Elmwood 
 and has ever since made Ins residence here, and has 
 always carried on farming. When he came here he 
 was not in very good circumstances and he was 
 obliged to rent land for a period of eight years. 
 At the expiration of thr.t time he purcliased a resi- 
 dence and eight acres of lanil in Elmwood, but 
 still continued to rent farms. In the spring of 
 laT.T. he traded for his present farm. It originally 
 com[)rised both prairie and limber, and was already- 
 improved when it came into his hands. Its one 
 hundred acres are all well tilled, and supjilied with 
 necessary buihlings, and here he carries on mixed 
 farming, having standard grades of stock, and is 
 constantly adding imi)rovements to his place. 
 
 Mr. Whitney is connected by marriage with the 
 Ewalt family, the first pioneers of this township. His 
 wedding with Miss Mary Campbell was solemnizeil 
 December 27, lb54, and has been one of exceeding 
 happiness. Mrs. Whitney's i)arents were Jonas 
 and Sovena C'ampl>cll,wlio were natives respectively' 
 of New Hami)sliire and Pennsylvania. They had 
 seven children, four of whom are still living. 
 Their daughter. Mrs. Whitney, was born July 28, 
 1830. Mr. and Mrs. Whitney have been blessed 
 with a fine family of three children: HoUis, wlio 
 married May McCann and lives on section 16; 
 Florence and Frank. All have been given liberal 
 educational advantages and are graduates of tlic 
 Elmwood High (School. Frank has been engaged 
 in the teacher's profession for the past two years, 
 and Miss Florence also holds a teacher's certificate. 
 
 Mr. Whitney's intelligence and character as a 
 man of honor and sterling integrity give him a high 
 place in this community. His fellow-citizens, ap- 
 preciating his wisdom and genuine worth often 
 call him to public life, and he has well served the 
 township in various capacities. He is now Trustee 
 of Elmwood Township, this being his second term 
 in that office, and he has also been Assessor and 
 Township Collector for several years. While a 
 
 resident of Elmwood City he was a member of the 
 Council. He is classed with the active politicians 
 of this vicinitj', and has always lieen associated 
 with the Republicans. In his early manhood he 
 supported the AVhig partj', but on the formation 
 of the Republican party transferred his allegiance 
 to it and he voted for its first candidate, John C. 
 Fremont. His sons are also both stanch Republi- 
 cans, and Hollis has been a delegate to county con- 
 ventions. 
 
 >^A IIARLES W. DAW.SON is a native of this 
 county and is now classed among the most in- 
 telligent and progressive farmers and stock- 
 growers of Rosefield Township, where he is con- 
 ducting Ills agricultural interests very profitably. 
 Our subject was born east of Oak Hill, on section 
 6, this township, August 28, 1845. His father, 
 Rodinuis, was one of the early pioneers of this part 
 of the county. He was born near Wlieeling, W. 
 A'a., Februaiy 23, 1813. He married for his first 
 wife Mary Ann Johnson, the mother of our subject, 
 who was also born near that city, her birth taking 
 place November 17, 1813. She died at the age of 
 sixty-eight years, closing a well-spent life ami leav- 
 ing behind her the memor3- of a virtuous and up- 
 right woman. The father of our suliject married 
 Am3- Hutchinson for his second wife and lives with 
 her in Oak Hill. When he came to this county he 
 settled in this township on an eighty-acre tract of 
 land which he improved and to which he subse- 
 quentl}' adiled another forty acres. In 1856, he 
 moved to Marion County, Iowa, and thence to Ma- 
 haska County in the same State, where he resided 
 eight j'ears. He was better pleased with this lo- 
 cality, however, and at the expiration of that time 
 he returned to Rosefield Township, and located on 
 a tract of one hundred and twelve acres of land on 
 section 7. He acquireil a competence and for the 
 past three years has lived in retirement in the vil- 
 lage of Oak Hill. He and his wife are true Christ- 
 ian people and in them the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church has two of its best members. 
 
 By his marriage with the mother of our subject.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 315 
 
 Mr. Dawson became the father of seven children, 
 nanu'lj': Cornelius, a resident of Farmington, who 
 served in Company I, Eighteenth Illinois Infantry; 
 Rebecca; Mary, wife of Sanuiel Finarty; Charles 
 W. ; James, a resident of Iowa County, Iowa, who 
 served in the Seventy- seventh Illinois Regiment; 
 Elizabeth, wife of George Ilanunerbauker, and .Ten- 
 nie, wife of W. II. Bower. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared to the life 
 of a faruKU- and early began to assist his father in 
 his work. He was given a common-school educa- 
 tion and at the age of twenty-one began life for 
 himself as a railroad man, and was thus employed 
 for the space of one year. He had not attained to 
 manhood when the war broke out but he watched 
 its progress witli intense and [latriotic interest and as 
 soon as hecould.entered the army, enlisting in Com- 
 pany I, Kighteenth Illinois Regiment, February 28, 
 1805, and in his service at Little Rock, Ark., proved 
 himself to possess good soldierly (pialitics. He was 
 Ininni-ably discharged in the numtli of December, 
 IHUo, at Pine Bluff. 
 
 Since his return from Iowa. Mr. Dawson has 
 lived ou the homestead where he now resides and 
 has been busily engaged in general farming and in 
 stock-raising. He has acquired considerable valn- 
 alilc propi'i'ty, and is the proprietor of a Hnc farm 
 of two hundred and forty acres in Dawson County, 
 Neb. He lives very comfortably on his Rosefield 
 homestead, which is provided with a substantial 
 set of buildings, and everything about the place 
 indicates care and good management. 
 
 Mr. Dawson was married March;). 1870, to Mary 
 A. Bower, who is all to him that a devoted wife 
 and able heliiraate can be. She is a daughter of 
 Daniel and Catheiine (Stall) Bower, who came 
 from Pennsylvania to Rosefield Township, about 
 185 L They had a family- of three sons and two 
 daughters. Our subject ami his wife have five 
 children — Edgar Charles, Nettie O., Hiram Rcuel, 
 Maggie Alsasia and Myra Edna. 
 
 Mr. Dawson's course through life has been hon- 
 orable to himself and creditable to his native town- 
 ship, and all who know him will certify to his high 
 moral character and steady sober habits. He and 
 bis wife are Christians in the truest sense of the i 
 word and are zealous in the cause of religion as J 
 
 represented in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of 
 which they are members of high standing. So- 
 cially, Mr. Dawson is identified with the Ancient 
 F'ree and Accepted Masons. 
 
 AMES M. KELLEY, a veteran of the late 
 war, has done yeoman service in aid of the 
 grand work carried on by men of his class 
 and calling in the upbuilding of this county, 
 and to-day occupies an honorable position among 
 the farmers and stock men of Brimfield Townshi|), 
 where he is possessed of a good farm. 
 
 Mr. Kelley is a native of Green County, Pa., 
 born February 25, 1828. His parents. George 
 and Mar}' (Dougherty) Kelley, were natives of 
 ^'irginia, and migrated from there to Maryland, 
 and thence to Pennsylvania. Hi.s father did gocjd 
 service as a soldier in the War of 181 2, and fought 
 in the famous battle of Lundy's Lane. 
 
 James Kelley was reared to man's est.ate in 
 Pennsylvania, and was bred to the life of a farmer, 
 gaining a thorough knowledge of his calling. Mis 
 educational advantages were limited, hut by much 
 reading and observation he has become a well-in- 
 formed man. He was in life's prime when the war 
 broke out, and with pati'iotism worthy of the son 
 of an old soldier, he eidisted in the fall of 1861, 
 having detcu-mined to do his share in suppressing 
 the rebellion and saving the LInion, He became a 
 member of Company F, First Penns3'lvania Cav- 
 alry, which subsequently formed a |)art of the 
 Army of the Potomac, and he was actively en- 
 gaged with his regiment, some three months. A 
 part of the time the man\' hardships and piivations 
 that he was called upon to endure, told so gre.-itl}' 
 on his health, that he was obliged to be in the hos- 
 pital for treatment. He remained in the service, 
 however, nearly a year, and in 1 802 was hon(^rably 
 discharged. f 
 
 The coming of oui' subject to this county in the 
 fall of 18(12, was an important turning point in his 
 life. The first two Aears of his stay here he worked 
 on a farm by the month for M. Wiley, in Elmwood
 
 316 
 
 rORTRAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Tuniisliip. He \y.as subsequently employer! bj^ the 
 month for tliree 3'ears, and by frugality and bard 
 lal)or earned and saved up money until he was en- 
 abled to marry and establish a home for himself. 
 After marriage, for some years he farmed as a 
 renter, and then bought the farm he now owns, and 
 settled thereon in the S|iring of 1874. and has lived 
 here continuousl.y since. His farm is ver3- plcas- 
 a'ltly located, the soil is exceptionally fertile, and 
 frcini it he garners plenteous harvests. He has its 
 eighty acres well tilled, and has a neat set of build- 
 ings, and everthins about the place is in a good 
 condition. 
 
 Mr. Kelley and Miss Mary M. Patterson, united 
 their lives and fortunes December 31 , 18C1). One 
 son has been born of their pleasant wedded life, 
 whom they have named Frank. .lanuary 26, 1870, 
 is the date of his birth. Jlrs. Kelle}" is 3 native of 
 Preble County. Ohio, born February 14, 1835, to 
 John and Sarah Patterson. She is a sister of John 
 M. Patterson, of Brimfield Township, whoso biog- 
 raphy appears in this volume. She came to this 
 county with her parents when she was in her eight- 
 eenth year. The surrounding country was theu 
 open prairie, there being not many settlements here 
 and she has been an interested witness of much of 
 the growth of the county. 
 
 The life which our subject has led, is creditable 
 to himself, and, as we have seen, has been useful to 
 his ado|itod township. He and his wife have so 
 conducted themselves in their relations with all 
 about them, that none know them but to esteem 
 them. Mr. Kelley is a sincere believer in the policy 
 of the Democratic part}-, and gives it his hearty 
 support. All plans for forwarding the material or 
 social interests of the township, lind favor with 
 him. 
 
 <*^ IfelLLIAM ANDREW, Postmaster of Chase 
 \&J// Post-otHce, Millbrook Township, occupies 
 \^^J a leading position in his community and 
 is identified both with the agricultural and mer- 
 cantile interests of this county. Mr. Andrew is a 
 native of England and was born in Devonshire, 
 June 29, 1828. His parents were Thomas and 
 
 Eliza (Jones) Andrew, who were likewise of Eng- 
 lish birth and antecedents. When he was ten 
 years old he accompanied his father and mother 
 to America, taking passage at Liverpool on a sail- 
 ing-vessel, and after a voyage of about eight 
 weeks landed in the citj' of New York. Thej- went 
 directly from there to Erie County, Ohio, and set- 
 tled amcmg its pioneers, and they bore an honor- 
 able part in its development. Our subject passed 
 the remaining years of his boyhood and the open- 
 ing 3-cars of his manhood in that part of the coun- 
 try. He had but little schooling as the educational 
 advantages were then somewhat limited, but in the 
 parental home good principles were early instilled 
 into his mind and he acquired industrious habits, 
 which have been of great use to him in his after 
 career. 
 
 In 18;)5, when in the prime and vigor of life, he 
 came to this county to take advantage of its won- 
 derful agricultural resources, and for some three 
 years was engaged in farming as a renter in Mill- 
 bi-ook Township. At the expiration of that time 
 he bought a farm of his own in this t(.)wnslnp and 
 was actively engaged in its im|)rovement until the 
 fall of 1888, and in the meantime had developed 
 his property, comprising one hundred and twenty 
 acres of very productive land, into one of the best 
 regulated and best tilled farms in all the region 
 around, placing uiiou it a good class of buildings, 
 antl suppl3'ing it with am])le machinery for all the 
 necessar3' operations in conducting farming. \Vhen 
 he abandoned the cultivation of the soil he estab- 
 lished himself in the mercantile business at Chase, 
 and now has here a well-ai)i)ointed and conveni- 
 entlN' .irranged store, well stocked with general 
 merchandise, and the substantial building in which 
 he carries on his trade is of ample dimensions, 
 being 20x40 feet. He has built up quite an ex- 
 tensive trade, partl3- on account of his honorable 
 dealings, as his customers have come to learn that 
 that they may place implicit reliance on his word 
 and judgment. He is gifted with a good facult3' 
 of business, is methodical in his work, and makes 
 it a jKjint to do with others as he would be done 
 b3'. In connection with his mercantile business, 
 he has charge of the post-office at Chase, receiving 
 his appointment as Postmaster Jul3' IC. 1889. and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 31!) 
 
 he is found to he llie riglit man in the right place, 
 his geninl nnd friendly mnnner making him well 
 liked by tlie pnlilio in general. 
 
 The marriage of our sulijccl wilh Mary Morse, 
 a native of England, took place in Ohio in 18."j.3, 
 and has been a felicitous and hnppy one, which 
 has been blessed to them by the birth of four chil- 
 dren, of whom two are living: Mary A., wife of 
 Abraham Rarick, of Miilbrook Township; and 
 Eva, wife of II. W. Crone, of Miilbrook Township. 
 The greatest sorrow of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew's 
 wedded life has been in tlic deatii of their daugh- 
 ter, Alice, and their son, William. 
 
 Mr. Andrew is a self made man in the l)est 
 sense of the term, and has been successful in a 
 career in which he started out with no adventi- 
 tious aids of fortune and name, and has gairied a 
 high position among the solid, reputable men 
 of this community. He is broad and sensible in 
 his views and in })olilics is inclined to be inde- 
 licndcnt, though favoring the Republican party. 
 He is a member in high standing of the iSIethodist 
 Episcopal Church, at Elmore, is serving as Trus- 
 tee of the same, and carries his religion into the 
 every day affairs of life. 
 
 -^^- 
 
 OUROW P. REED, the present Supervisor of 
 Brimlield Tinvnship, is one of Iheoklest set- 
 k\ tiers in the neighborhood and one who has 
 been an eye witness of much of the growth 
 of the county during the half century just past. 
 He has shared to a considerable extent in the work 
 of development as a member of farming commu- 
 nities, and while aiding thus has advanced his own 
 financial interests and become the owner of an 
 excellent piece of property. His estate consists 
 of two hundred and ten acres of well culti- 
 vated land on section 3, the same being marked 
 with a complete line of good buildings and the va- 
 rious useful accom|)animents of a well-regulated 
 fai ni. In the accumulation of his projierty, in the 
 careful rearing of his children, and in all which has 
 pertained to his interests since his marriage, he has 
 been ably assisted by his worthy wife, who now 
 
 shares with him the fruits of their inilustrj- and 
 prudence. 
 
 Mr. Reed is a native of this county, having lieon 
 born in Peoria, June 11), 1840. His parents were 
 George W. and Joannah (Patterson) Reed, natives 
 of \'irginia and I'ennsylvania, respectively. The 
 father was a carpenter and joiner who, having lo- 
 cated in Peoria about 18.'54,was there married, the 
 lad}' of his choice having preceded him to that 
 city a short time. The famil}' of the good couple 
 consisted of six children, of whom onr subject is 
 the second. The others are Mary and Thomas, wlio 
 reside in Kansas; Joannah, wife of Joseph Morri- 
 son, of Ohio; Louisa, jNIrs. Joseph Langlois, who 
 also lives in Kansas, and George, deceased. The 
 fatlier entered into rest in 1849, the mother surviv- 
 ing until 1857. 
 
 The subject of this notice was reared in Peoria 
 until about thirteen years of age, and after tlie 
 death of his father, which occurred when he was 
 nine years old, had soon to begin to assist his 
 mother. He attended the common schools of the 
 city, in which his advantages were not equal to 
 those now afforded in that thriving place, but such 
 as they were, he improved them as long as he was 
 able to attend school, and by self etfort has added 
 to the knowledge then obtained. About the time 
 that he entered his teens he began working on a 
 farm, receiving during the summer ^6 per month 
 and his board. Until 1802 he was employed mainly 
 as a farm hand, then renting land he worked for 
 himself until his enlistment in the Union Army. 
 
 On the nth of February, 1805, Mr. Reed be- 
 came a private in Comi)any F, One Hundred and 
 Forty -eighih Illinois Infantry, serving until Sep- 
 tember 22, following, when he was discharged at 
 Springfield, 111. During his army life he had been 
 engaged in guard duty on the Nashville & Chatta- 
 nooga Railroad. At its expiration he returned to 
 Peoria County- where, the following year, he was 
 married to Miss Jane A. Whittaker, the date of the 
 ceremony being February 22, 1800. During that 
 year the couple settled on a farm which is now^ in- 
 cluded in their present place of residence, where 
 they have labored assiduously in developing their 
 land and making of their home an abode of peace 
 and plenty. For a short time, during 1861, Mr,
 
 320 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Reed tilled the soil in Missouri, but with that ex- 
 ception and tlie time devoted to his country's cause 
 he has lived in Peoria County. 
 
 The wife of our subject was boni in County 
 Queens, Ireland, being a daughter of John C. and 
 Susan (Carter) Whittaker, who were likewise na- 
 tives of the Emerald Isle. Her union with our 
 subject has been productive to them of twelve 
 children, three of whom are deceased. The surviv- 
 ors are: George W., Susan A., .Toannah L., Nettie 
 J., Lottie B., Ella O., Henry A., Clara E., and 
 Margaretta P. Susan A. is now the wife of George 
 A. Pursell, of Elm wood; George W. married Mmy 
 M. Moore, of Millbrook Township. 
 
 Mr. Reed was appointed to fill a vacancy" as Su- 
 pervisor of BrimBcld Township in 1882, and since 
 that time has been annually' elected to the position. 
 He has previously acted as Commissioner of High- 
 ways. He is a member of the Lodge of Modern 
 Woodmen at Brimfield,aud of G. L. Fort Post, No. 
 177, G. A. R., in the same place. It is scarcely 
 necessary to say that he and his wife are respected 
 for the uprightness of their lives and the part which 
 they have borne in the progress of this section of 
 country. In politics he identifies himself with the 
 Republican party. 
 
 The attention of the reader is invited to a litho- 
 graphic portrait of Mr. Reed, which is presented on 
 anothir page of this volume. 
 
 ,'OHN S. POTTER. The smaller towns of 
 this county contain many beautiful homes, 
 which if less preteutious than some in the 
 (^JA/ large cities, are pleasing in design, substan- 
 tial in construction, and so surrounded bj' evidences 
 of order and good taste, as to prove very attract- 
 ive to the passer-by. who at once concludes that 
 their owners are people of refinement. Such a 
 dwelling is that occupied by the widow of the late 
 John S. Potter, who erected the house, fitted it up 
 for his family, and gave to them all the comforts 
 that his financial success warranted. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces this 
 SKCtch, was born in Allegany County, N. Y., July 
 
 6, 1834, being the younger of two children born to 
 Asa C. and Lucy (Eldred) Potter, the parents also 
 being natives of the Empire State. Thither they 
 removed in 1850, settling in Fulton County, 111., 
 near Farmington. but afterward removing to Akron 
 Township, this county. The wife and mother still 
 survives at an advanced age, but the husband and 
 father breathed his last April 13, 1883. Our sub- 
 ject received a part of his education in his native 
 State, completing it after his removal to the West, 
 aud .adopting the occupation of farming, in which 
 he occupied himself for a number of years. 
 
 In Kuoxville, Knox County, July 17, 1858. Mr. 
 Potter was united in marri.age with Miss Ellen M. 
 Brassfield, a lady of noble and generous nature, in 
 whom he found a fitting companion. After their 
 marriage they^ settled in Akron Township, residing 
 there until December, 1883, with the exception of 
 one year, during which they lived in Jit. Holly. 
 At the date named they removed to Dunlap, where 
 Mr. Potter erected his fine dwelling, and was en- 
 gaged in the grain and stock business until his death. 
 That sad event took place August 8, 1889, remov- 
 ing from the town, one of its best and most public- 
 spirited citizens. In addition to his town property. 
 Mr. Potter left an estate of some eight hundred 
 acres of fine land. He voted the Democratic ticket, 
 ever taking an active part in political affairs, and 
 keeping well informed regarding the issues of the 
 day. For several years he served as Township Su- 
 pervisor, performing his duties satisfactorily. He 
 was also Assessor and Collector of the township 
 at different times. He was highly respected, and 
 sincerely mourned by a large circle of friends when 
 called hence. 
 
 Jlrs. Potter is the third child of Michael and 
 Ruth (Freeman) Brassfield. having one brother and 
 two sisters. Her parents were born in North Caro- 
 lina, but shortly after their marriage settled in 
 Parke County, Ind., whence they came hither about 
 1839. For a time they resided in Radnor Town- 
 shio this county, but subsequently made their home 
 in Fulton County, where the father died in 1857. 
 Mrs. Brassfield is still living, now quite aged. 
 Their daughter. Ellen M., was born near Farming- 
 ton. Fulton County. Jlay 3, 1841, remaining an 
 inmate of the parental home until her marriage to
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALKUM. 
 
 321 
 
 0111' siibjecl, and acquiiing niueh useful knowledge, 
 liolii of books and of home duties. She is a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal C'hureh, and one 
 who eanicslly endeavors to make her life eorn^s 
 pond with the principles of her religious belief. 
 
 The fine family of our subject and bis good wife 
 comprises eight children, several of whom are set- 
 tled in homes of their own : Nettie L. married Mor- 
 ton B. Vars; Devillo M. married Miss Ella Gallup; 
 Asa E. Won for his wife iliss Helena Myer; Frank 
 married ]Miss Lydia Shane; Ida E. is the wife of 
 William Myer; Charlie died when a litllc more than 
 seven years old; and Noel J. when about three 
 years of age; Lottie R. is unmarried, assisting her 
 mother in the hospitable management of the home, 
 which is a gathering place for the best society of 
 the town. 
 
 J^HOMAS MATHERS. More than three- 
 score and six years ago there was born in 
 the humble home of a i)ioueer family in 
 Oliioa son, who grew to a sturdy manliood amid 
 the scenes of the primeval forests and wild prairies 
 of that State. His social and educational advantages 
 were of the primitive order, and he had to begin 
 the battle of life early. He was well fortified for 
 the struggle, however, as the privations and sacri- 
 fices of the people of a newly settled eountr}' had 
 hardened and strengthened • him for the conflict, 
 fitted him for the work he had to do, and have en- 
 abled him to attain a high position among the 
 wealthy and substantial farmers and stock- raisers 
 of Peoria County, and in him we have a worthy 
 subject for representation in this Biographical 
 Aluu.m. He is one of the largest landowners in 
 Millbrook Township, having a valuable farm on 
 section 10, whose broad, well-cultivated fields yield 
 rich harvests. The improvements that he has 
 placed upon it are of a substantial order, and his 
 extensive agricultural interests net hiin a good in- 
 come. 
 
 Mr. Mathers was born in Washington County, 
 Ohio. .June 10, 1824, a son of William and Sarah 
 (McDonnell) Mathers, who were early settlers of 
 
 the BiK-keye State, having gone there from Vir- 
 ginia, tiieir native State. Our subject passed his 
 youth and early manhood in Dliio, having but lim- 
 ited educational advantages, l)ut acquiri!ig a sound 
 practical knowledge of farming that has been of 
 great benefit to him in his after years. When he 
 was sixteeu years old he had the misfortune to 
 lose his father, and when about eighteen years 
 of age, he started out in the world on his own ac- 
 count. 
 
 In 1853, Mr. Matliers came to Hliuois to invest 
 his earnings in land, shrewdly foreseeing that this 
 State was to be tlie paradise for a wide-awake 
 enterprising farmer. He purchased eighty acres of 
 land in Millbrook Township, paying $10 an acre 
 for it, and afterwards brought his family, then 
 consisting of his wife and two children, to this 
 county from Ohio, performing the journey with 
 one team and a wagon, camping by the wayside at 
 night, and in twent^'-two days arriving at their 
 destination. In 1.S64, he settled on his present 
 farm, which was then without cultivation or im- 
 provement. By hard and untiring labor he has 
 brought it to its [jresent condition and its five 
 hundred and eighty-five acres of land to-day con- 
 stitute one of the most desirable and i)roductive 
 farms in the neighborhood. He was a poor man 
 when he came here, and it is only by the exercise 
 of keen, far seeing judgment and superior man- 
 agetnent that he has been enabled to accumulate 
 this valuable property. 
 
 For forty years our subject has had the active 
 co-operation of a helpful, capable wife, to whom he 
 was married March 11, 1850. Mrs. Mathers' 
 maiden name was Anne Shuttlcsworth, and she was 
 born in Washington County, Ohio. Her marriage 
 with our subject has been [iroductive of three chil- 
 dren, namel3' : Boone, a resident of Millbrook 
 Township; Adeline, wife of John F. Kidder, of 
 Monica, 111.; and LaFayette, of Millbrook Town- 
 ship, all of whom are well settled in life and are 
 useful citizens. 
 
 Mr. Mathers is well-known and greatly respected 
 for his honesty and integrity in business, and pos- 
 sesses the confidence and good will of his neighbors 
 and many friends. Millbrook Township is indebted 
 to him for what he has done in developing its re-
 
 322 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 sources and he is valued as one of its most useful 
 citizens, wlio favors all tilings tliattend to advance 
 its prosperity. In politics lie is a sturdy Democrat 
 and gives his party generous support. He has 
 served as Highway Commissioner of Millbrook 
 Tovirnship for three years, and is found to )ie one of 
 the most eflicient men who has ever held that im- 
 portant (ilHce. 
 
 m^^^M 
 
 fLBEKT A. M. MARSHALL. In tlie agri- 
 cultural districts of Jubilee Towushl|), no 
 more piominent or useful man can be found 
 than he with whose name we introduce tliis sketch. 
 He comes of a fine New England family of Eng- 
 lish descent, has inlierited an abundance of energy, 
 quickness of perception and firmness of principle, 
 to which manv sterling traits have been added by 
 example and training. He began his active life at 
 an early age, the years which arc spent by ninny in 
 study and recreation having been devoted by him 
 to hard work in a coni|iaratively new country. He 
 takes great delight in all which jiertains to country 
 life, from his childhood having enjoyed much 
 which would prove irksome to others. The sight 
 of green things growing fills him with pleasure, not 
 due alone to his success in securing that end', but 
 to his artistic iierceptions and genuine love of na- 
 ture. 
 
 Our subject is a direct descendant of John Mar- 
 shall, a member of the Colonial Army, who, having 
 been taken prisoner by the iMiglish, was held in a 
 prison ship off New York Harbor three months. 
 Those familiar with the history' of that period know 
 that this confinement was one from wliifh few 
 escaped alive. The ixarty of which Mr. Marshall 
 made one were fed on beans which were cooked in 
 copper kettles, thus endangering the lives of all 
 who partook of them. Thirteen of the numlier at 
 last jum()cd overboard, only three of them reach- 
 ing shore and making their way back to their 
 homes. Mr. Marshall was one of these, and in later 
 years liecame well-to-do. 
 
 The next in the direct line of descent was Elijah 
 
 Marshall, born in Roxbury, Mass., who bought a 
 farm in his native State, but the title proving de- 
 fective, accompanied a colony' to Vermont. They 
 located on new land in a heavily' timbered region 
 where he obtained his financial start by making 
 black salt and potash. He carried on an extensive 
 dairj' business, owning one hundred and twent}'-five 
 cows and three hundred acres of land. His son, 
 Marvin, the father of oursuliject, was born at Ches- 
 ter, Vt., and reared on a farm. When grown to 
 manhood he settled in Greene County, N. Y., buy- 
 ing forty acres of land on the Hudson, where he 
 engaged in the manufacture of brick. For years 
 he made a million and a half of brick per annum, 
 sending them by boat to New York City where he 
 received $2.50 per thousand. 
 
 For a year Marvin Marshall lield a |)Osition as 
 overseer of a brick yard in Rhode Island, and a few 
 months after his return to the East made up his 
 mind to become a farmer .and to locate in the Prairie 
 Slate. He therefore embarked with his family on 
 the Hudson River, and upon reaching Troy took 
 the cars to Buffalo, embarked upon a steamer for 
 Toledo, and there took the canal for LaFayette, 
 Iiid. The iiarty then boarded the stage which con- 
 veyed them to Olney, 111., whence with a prairie 
 schooner they completed their journey to Peoria 
 wlicre they arrived on Sunday morning August 2, 
 1850. The3' had spent four weeks in the neighbor- 
 hood of Olney, but Mr. Marshall did not like it 
 tliere and so came on to Peoria County. From the 
 county seat they drove out to the home of Cyrus 
 Brooks at Brimfield, shortly afterward locating on 
 land in Jubilee Township. 
 
 Mv. Marshall had but 125 when his family was 
 located and for some time he had a hard struggle 
 to keep the wolf from the door. He finally bought 
 eighty acres of land on section ,'50, to which he 
 .added as his circumstances would allow until his 
 landed estate amounted to four hundred acres. 
 When sixty-two years old he divided this among 
 his heirs, and retiring to Brimfield, spent the re- 
 mainder of his life in quiet comfort. He breathed 
 his l.ast June 4, 1883, at the age of seventy-three 
 years, during the Last three of which he was an in- 
 valid. 
 
 lie was originally a member of the Whig party,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOaRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 523 
 
 later aRt'iniblicaii of tUc strongest t\-pe, and (hiring 
 slavery days an Abolitionist of the deepest dye. 
 Tlie needs of liis family was all that prevented his 
 bearing arms daring the Civil War. He became a 
 Captain in the Now York Militia when twenty-five 
 years old. He hail held nearly every township 
 office excei>t Supervisor and Justice of the Peace. 
 Wide-awake in every respect, he never became dis- 
 couraged, but was always confident that behind the 
 cloud was the sun still shining. He was converted 
 in 1851, and until his death was a devout member 
 of the Baptist Church. 
 
 The mother of our subject was known in her 
 girlhood as Lois Bruce. She was born in Chester, 
 Vt., of which her father, the Rev. Joseph Bruce, 
 was also a native. He attended school but six 
 months in his life, became a self-made man, and en- 
 tering the Baptist ministry did efHcient work as a 
 Ruling Elder until his death. He owned a small 
 place where he found rest during the interims of 
 his ministerial labors. lie was of Scotch descent. 
 After the death of her husband, the mother of our 
 subject sold the residence in Brimfield, went to 
 lUica, Neb., and remained there about tvvo years. 
 She then returned to IJrim field and after a time, 
 being nearly blind, became an inmate of the home 
 of our subjec't, remaining with him until her death. 
 She breathed her last June 25, 1886, at the age of 
 seventy-three years, cheered in her passage through 
 the dark valley by the faith of the Baptist Church, 
 with which she had been identified since the age of 
 sixteen years. 
 
 The parental family consisted of ton children, six 
 of whom reached j'ears of maturity, the oldest ^>{ 
 these being our subject. The second was Reuben 
 H., who fell at Kenesaw Mountain. The third was 
 James N., now living in Iroquois County; Charles 
 E. is living in Fillmore County, Neb.; Cassius M., 
 in Chase County, Neb., and Mrs. Ellen Ilockenbary 
 in Hamilton County, Neb. Reuben enlisted in 
 1862 in the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and 
 served faithfully until jjierced through the heart 
 by an enemy's ball. James enlisted in 1863, when 
 but seventeen years old, in the Eleventh Illinois 
 Cavalry, and is now an invalid from disease con- 
 tracted in the service. 
 
 The gentleman with whose name this skeloh is 
 
 introduced was born in the village of Coxsackie, 
 (5reene County, N. Y., on the banks of the Hud- 
 sou, May 3, 1838. llo was reared in the village 
 with the privilege of attending good sch(jols during 
 a greater part of the year until he was twelve 3'oars 
 old, wlion the family came West. After reaching 
 Illinois his schooling amounted to but three months 
 per year. He was put to work immediately upon 
 his arrival, learning to drive oxen,gnidc the break- 
 ing plow, and do other man's work during the years 
 of hard times which were made more trying to the 
 family by reason of botli father and mother being 
 sick the first year. He learned to turn his hand to 
 anything which would aid in the improvement of 
 the farm and in the family resources, remaining 
 under the parental roof until twenty-fouryears old, 
 although at the age of twentj'-one he began work- 
 ing for himself. 
 
 After having worked for wages a year, yowng 
 Marshall rented land of his father until his m.ar- 
 riage which occurred in Jubilee Township, in Au- 
 gust, 1862. Ho then bought and located on eighty 
 acres on section 30, which comprises a part of his 
 present estate. He built a comfortable dwelling, 
 made various improvements, and in the course of 
 time had a good farm, where once there had been 
 an undeveloped tract. Mrs. Marshall, a native of 
 Massachusetts, who bore the maiden nanu! of N.ancy 
 S. Sweet, was taken ill six mouths after marriage 
 and aft,er almost four 3'ears of suffering entered into 
 rest in June, 1866. At her death Mr. Marshall was 
 $1,100 in debt, but continued perseverance and un- 
 remitting industry enabled him to discharge his 
 obligations, and as years passed by become the pos- 
 sessor of more land with all the accompanying con- 
 veniences. 
 
 He now owns one hundred and forty acres on 
 section 32, in addition to his original tract,together 
 with nine acres in Rosefield Township. All is well 
 improved, enclosed and divided by good fences, 
 much hedge being used for this purpose. He di- 
 vides his attention between stock and grain, the 
 produce of the soil being of excellent quality and 
 above the average in quantity, while the stock arc 
 full-blooded Poland-China hogs, good grades of 
 Miort-horn and Durliam cattle, and good grades of 
 horses. Mr. i\Iarsliall has been fortunate in his
 
 324 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 dealings in swine, by wiiicli he has made quite a 
 good deal of mone}-. 
 
 Mr. Marshall contr.i.cted a second matrimonial 
 alliance January 1. 1867, his bride being Miss Ab- 
 bie R. Willard. and the marriage rites celebrated at 
 the residence of Deacon Hathaway, in Jubilee 
 Township. The bride was born in this township, 
 being a daughter of Alpheus and Maria (Sabin) 
 Willard, the former an earl^' settler here, who came 
 from Rockingham, Yt. He died in India some 
 \ears since. His widow, a native of Vermont, now 
 lives in Farminglon, Fulton County. By his first 
 union Mr. ilarshall is the fatlier of one son, Ruben 
 II.. who works for himself, but lives at home. The 
 second union has tieen iiroductive of eight children, 
 viz: Birdie A,, Cora M., Ernest \V., William A., 
 Harry E., Janie McC, Nellie M. and Stella. Birdie 
 and Cora are teachers, both being graduates of 
 Brimfield .^chools. 
 
 For twenty-five }'ears Mr. Marshall has served as 
 School Director. He votes the straight Republi- 
 can ticket, has been delegate to.count}' conventions 
 and member of the Central Committee. He is iden- 
 tified with the Baptist Church at Brimfield. in which 
 he has been Trustee and Superintendent of the 
 Sunday-school. When the edifice in which the so- 
 cietj- worships was contemplated, he spent about 
 four months in soliciting and collecting funds, him- 
 self giving more money than anj' otiier member, 
 and acting ,as a member of the building committee. 
 For the jiast decade he has had poor health and h.as 
 therefore been obliged to abandon to some extent, 
 tlie active religious and other public work in which 
 lie has ever taken such delight. 
 
 ^ 
 
 <^f^)pSON HARKNESS. This name will be at 
 ^ once recognized .as that of an almost life- 
 ^ long resident of f^lmwood Township — one 
 who from early boyhood has borne a part in the 
 work which has made of this section one of the 
 finest agricultural regions in the State. Ilis father. 
 Daniel Harkness, a native of Massachusetts, is well 
 remembered bj' the older settlers here, among whom 
 he began his labors in 1840. surviving to realize a 
 
 good reward for the industry and indomitable cour- 
 age which led him from poverty to a condition of 
 comfort. Inheriting the sturdy qualities for which 
 both father and mother gained deep respect, it is 
 not to be wondered at that our subject discharges 
 well his duties in life, and is held in good repute 
 throughout this region. 
 
 The father of our subject, after his marriage, 
 made his home in Pennsylvania for some 3"ears. th.at 
 State having been the residence of himself and wife 
 for some years prior to their union. In 1830. he 
 and his brother Isa.ac walked fi-om the Ke3'stone 
 State to Peoria, III., that being their first visit to 
 the region which was destined to become the scene 
 of their efflcient labors. After a short .sojourn they 
 returned to the Keystone State, from which Daniel 
 Harkness removed his famih' by wagon, in 1840. 
 A location was secured on section 32, Elm wood 
 Township, where the father breathed his last, in 
 December, 1867. He had seven children, five of 
 whom arc now living. 
 
 The mother of our subject is still living, m.aking 
 her home with the son of whom we write. She w.as 
 born in Halifax, Vt , December 21, 1804, and is 
 tlierefore in her eighty-sixth year. Her maiden 
 name was Eliza Scott, her p.arents being Asahel and 
 Elizabeth (Peek) Scott, the former of whom was 
 born in AVindom, Vt., July 2. 1768. and the latter 
 in New Hampsliire, in 1772. .Mr. and Mrs. Scott 
 lived in theGreen Mountain State until 1810, when 
 they removed to Pennsylvania, where the husband 
 died in 1823. and the wife in 1847. Of the eight 
 children born to them, the only survivor is Mrs. 
 Harkness, who still enjoys quite good health, but 
 is crippled. 
 
 From his third year the subject of this notice 
 has lived in Elmwood Township. He was born in 
 Pennsylvania June 24, 1843, having a twin brother, 
 Edwin, now Assessor of Elmwood Township. As 
 before stated, the parents were poor, consequently' 
 the boys obtained but a common school education, 
 and were early taught to avail themselves of every 
 opportunitj- to assist in securing a capital with 
 which to begin life when thej' had grown to man- 
 hood. The twin brothers picked wild lilackberries 
 and sold them for fifty cents, with which they 
 bought n young pig, and had another given them
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 325 
 
 b3' their uncle, Ben Dnell. They ti-arlerl tliem off, 
 and finally when our subject came of age, he hart 
 tliree horses as the result of his siiare of the black- 
 berries. 
 
 After the death of his father, our sultject took 
 charge of the home farm upon which he still makes 
 his abode. lie now has two hundred and three 
 acres of land in a body, a portion of which is left 
 to hardwood timber growth, while a large amount 
 is devoted to pasturage, he being quite extensively 
 interested in stock-raisiug. Sixty acres are under 
 cultivation, the diversified crops equalling in qual- 
 it}- and quantity per acre, any to be found in this 
 section. The stock is all of good grades, the cattle 
 being Herefords, of seventh-eighth blood. This 
 herd runs from thirty to ninety, at the head being 
 a grand specimen of the breed, an imported animal 
 weighing seventeen hundred pounds. Mr. Hark- 
 ness is fully convinced that it pays to market beef 
 of high grades. He raises about fourteen head of 
 horses, and seventy-five to one hundred hogs per 
 year. 
 
 The residence now occupied bj' the Harkness fam- 
 ilj', was built in 1866. It is a comfortable and suf- 
 ficiently commodious dwelling, and under the 
 charge of an efficient housekeeper and woman of 
 taste, presents an attractive and homelike ap|)ear- 
 ance. It is verj- different from the home occupied 
 by our subject at the time of the building of the 
 Chicago. Burlington & Quinc\' Railroad through 
 tills township. His father's family then occupied 
 a log house, 12x14 feet, having but two rooms, one 
 above and one below. lu addition to sheltering 
 the family, it was utilized as a boarding place for 
 tliirteen of the railroad men, the parents desiring 
 to add to tlieir income in every possible way. Be- 
 sides his land in this township, our subject also 
 owns an imitroved tract in Nebraska. 
 
 Tiie trials and successes, joys and sorrows, of Mr. 
 Harkness have been shared since 1871, by a lad}' 
 who was former!}' known as Miss Anna Kightlinger. 
 She is a daughter of John Kightlinger. a native of 
 Pennsylvania, whose father was one of the pioneers 
 of Elba Township, Knox County. Her mother, 
 Martha Jane Smith, was born in Richland Count}', 
 Ohio, and came to Illinois in 1837, with her father, 
 lehabod Smith. The parents of Mrs. Harkness 
 
 finally settled in Elmwood Township, where the 
 mother died January 8, 1859, and the father Au- 
 gust !), 1862. They had four children, two yet 
 living. Mrs. Harkness w.as born Februarj- 4, 1852, 
 receiving a common-school education, and devel- 
 oping a character which exerts an influence in what- 
 ever society she m.ay be. She and her husband are 
 the parents of two children, but have been bereft 
 of both b}' the hand of death. 
 
 Mr. Haikness has been Director in his school dis- 
 trict, and Trustee of Klmwood Township, in these 
 stations, as in a private capacity, doing all that 
 in him lies to advance the best interests of the peo- 
 ple. He is one of those who believe that the elect- 
 ive franchise should not be neglected by an}- loyal 
 citizen, and he never fails to deposit his vote, 
 whicii is given to the support of Republican can- 
 didates and principles. 
 
 ^ ^HE-B- 
 
 \I/,^^ ENRY R. GERDES, senior member of the 
 )jl firm of Gerdes & Barton, of Bartonville, 
 .^y^ and also Postmaster of the village, is one of 
 the best educated and most upright of its 
 citizens. He is a son of R. H. and Trinke Gerdes, 
 of Limestone Township, in which he was born No- 
 vember 29, 1863. He received his education in 
 the district schools, and at the age of eighteen 
 years went to t.ake a position in a grocery store, 
 which he held about four years, during that time 
 attending a business college at night. His quick- 
 ness of apprehension and ardent desire to become 
 well fitted for the battle of life, had given him a 
 better understanding of those branches usually 
 found in the curriculum of the public schools than 
 is sometimes the case. The determination which 
 led him to devote his evenings to study rather than 
 to the sports generally indulged in by youth, has 
 accompanied him in his career as a business man, 
 and has been one of the most important factors in 
 his success. 
 
 After the period mentioned, Mr. Geides entered 
 the employ of Robert Hill, in Bartonville, and at 
 the death of his employer, two years later, formed
 
 326 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALP,UM. 
 
 .1 partnership with Williaui W. Harton.- The con- 
 nection began March 29, 1886, since which time 
 the business of the firm has been steadily increas- 
 ing, liaving now grown to such proportions as to 
 require the almost constant labors of four salesmen. 
 Messrs. Gerdes & Barton have now a fine stock of 
 all the goods needed to supply the countr3- trade, 
 as well as to gratify the wishes of the residents in 
 the town. Mr. Gerdes attend.? very strictly to his 
 l)usincss interests, in which he displays a creditable 
 amount of financial ability, while the reputation of 
 the lirm for honorable and straightforward de.al- 
 ings in ever}' transaction is unimpeachable. 
 
 Under Cleveland's administration Mr. Gerdes 
 was appointed Postmaster, and beginning the du- 
 ties of the office on New Year's da}', 1886, while 
 still clerking for Mr. Ilill, he has continued them 
 since that time. He belongs to the Knights of La- 
 l)or, in whose workings he takes an active part. He 
 is the eldest of seven children, of whom the other 
 survivors are: Tobias, Emma, George and Benja- 
 min. Emma is the wife of AVill Wolfsclilag. The 
 brothers and sister have each received good educa- 
 tions in both German and English, it having been 
 a [iractice of their parents to send them to school 
 about twelve months in a year. Parents and chil- 
 dren belong to the Lutheran Church, and consist- 
 ently follow the teachings of their faith. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Hanover, 
 Germany, October 23, 1836, and received his edu- 
 cation in the schools of his own laud. "When twentj'- 
 four years of age he sailed from the Fatherland to 
 the Inited States, his port of entr}' being Balti- 
 more, in which he landed just at the time the first 
 Northern troops reached that city on their waj- to 
 the seat of war. Ft. (Sumter having just been fired 
 upon. The emigrants were detained a day on ac- 
 count of the fighting in the Monumental Citj-, but 
 immediately thereafter Mr. Gerdes came on to Peo- 
 ria County, 111. He bought land where he now 
 lives, and has devoted his attention to horticulture, 
 taking his fruit to the Peoria market. He has 
 twelve acres of small fruits, where during the sea- 
 son a dozen fruit pickers find employment. He 
 has lield the ofifice of Road Commissioner, and like 
 his son, our subject, belongs to the Democratic 
 part}'. He and his wife are looked upon as honest, 
 
 industrious and frugal citizens, who are ever read}' 
 to assist those in need, and bear a part in any good 
 work which may be instituted in the noighbor- 
 liood. 
 
 ^ ETER C'AHILL is one of the most agreea- 
 )j ble, hospitable and enterprising men of 
 r^ the count}', and is in cciusequence one of 
 its most iiopular citizens. He resides in a 
 pleasant and comfortable dwelling on section 30, 
 Jubilee Township, where he is always glad to re- 
 ceive old friends or make the acquaintance of new 
 ones. His ability and popularity is attested by the 
 fact that he has been chosen Chairm.an of the 
 County Hoard of Supervisors, and it is universall} 
 conceded that he is the right man in the right place. 
 Our subject is a native of Ireland, having been 
 born in that country February 12, 1843. in County 
 Mealh. His father was a native of County Jleatii, 
 Ireland, where he followed the occupation of farm- 
 ing until his death when our subject was a child 
 of four years. The mother, Catherine McDonnell, 
 also a native of County Meath, was a daughter of 
 Alex McDonnell, a son of the Emerald Isle, wliere 
 he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his de- 
 parture for the shores of America in 1847. He 
 accompanied his daughter, the mother of our sub- 
 ject, but did not long survive the change, dying the 
 first summer he S[)ent in this country at his new 
 home in Peoria Countv. Following the death of 
 her husband the mother of our subject emigrated 
 to America, bringing with her the family of three 
 children. The trip was made from Liverpool to 
 New Orleans in a sailing vessel and occupied nine 
 weeks, but the tedious voyage did not dampen their 
 ardor and they were soon on their way to Peoria 
 yia the Mississippi. Upon arriving in the county 
 she went to her brother in Millbrook Township, 
 where she remained until the next fall when she 
 bought one hundred and ten acres of land on sec- 
 tion 30, Jubilee Towushii), for *5 per acre, upon 
 which she located. As the farm was improved she 
 was enabled to begin farming oper.ations at once, 
 and by industry was able to make a success of her 
 life work and retire in old age from active duty to
 
 ^■ 
 
 ^; 
 
 -^^■>fe 
 
 ^yO?' Z^/U/yc^i^ /^.^^5^^^/i^t^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 329 
 
 the home of her son, our subject, who was then in 
 fh.ar<;e of the place, wherein she finally departed 
 from the duties of this life and entered upon the 
 future one January 26, 1888, at tlie age of seventy- 
 seven years. She was a devout member of the 
 Catholic Church and was a consistent Ciiristian 
 who made many friends by hor kind deeds and 
 loving words. 
 
 EDWIN M. COLBURN, M. D. With perhaps 
 one exception the late Edwin M. Colburn 
 1 was undoubtedly better known and exerted 
 
 a more powerful influence than anj- other resident 
 Peoria ever had. His death, which took [)laco May 
 29, 1890, awoke expressions of universal sorrow, 
 not only .-iniong those who knowing, loved him, 
 but from all who beheld the influence of his spot- 
 less life upon the community. Few men whom the 
 world has known combined in so just a proportion 
 the qualities which we include in the word "{.'entle- 
 man," — in the best sense of that term — sincerity, 
 tenderness, courage and modesty. He was without 
 reproach in his personal and domestic relations; 
 wise and prudent in the conduct of his professional 
 business, just and generous in all business transac- 
 tions, a steadf.ast friend and a safe counselor. He 
 was a true lover and disciple of science, in which 
 his attainments were neither few nor small. That 
 he did not rise to more than local eminence was 
 owing to the circumstances of his life. 
 
 Dr. Colburn was of Puritan ancestry, former 
 generations having resided in Connecticut. He 
 was born in Rome, N. Y., September L3, 1813, 
 early in life showed signs of unusual brilliancj-, 
 and although reared as a merchant, in early man- 
 hood determined to devote himself to a pi'ofessional 
 career. Going to Buffalo, N. Y., he was graduated 
 from the Jledical College in 1837, and removing to 
 Bloomington, 111., began the practice which he con- 
 tinued for more than half a centurv. His talents 
 soon won for him a high place, not only in medical 
 practice, but in Ihe fields of literature and science. 
 He was a close and constant student, who, by a long 
 and careful sludv of the gieat authors, both ancient 
 
 and modern, acquired a broad literary culture, and 
 his 3'ears were pioliflc in scientific research. In 
 18.50 he removed to Peoria, continuing his practice 
 until disabled by a fall which developed into 
 progressive paraljsis and eventually caused his 
 decease. 
 
 Dr. Colburn was the leading siiirit of the Peoria 
 Scientific Association and for seven ^-ears its Presi- 
 dent. He gave the society the benefit of his knowl- 
 edge, being a constant source of information to his 
 co-workers. The " great object of his life was to 
 arrive at the real truth of things, just as God made 
 it, and to him all truth was sacred, whether of the 
 earth, of the air, or of the sky." His fame as a 
 scientist was such as to win for him an honorary 
 fellowship in the Association for the Advancement 
 of Science and in the American Academy of Social 
 and Political Science, of Philadelphia. His life 
 was a model for the 3'oung men, the highest honor 
 that can be paid to his memorj' being to emulate 
 his wisdom, purity and reverential faith. 
 
 At a meeting of the medical profession of Peoria, 
 Majr 31, 1890, the following resolutions were 
 adopted: "Whereas, our old friend and co-laborer, 
 Dr. E. M. Colburn, has departed this life, therefore. 
 Resolved, That in his demise the medical profession 
 has lost one of its oldest and most distinguished 
 members — one who labored faithfully and well and 
 was an ornament to the profession during a period 
 of over fifty years. Resolved, That the profession 
 has lost one who always had its good at heart and 
 maintained its dignity and honor. Resolved, That 
 in his demise the sick have lost one of their kindest 
 and truest friends — one who was ever ready to sac- 
 rifice his personal comfort to give them the most 
 alile counsel and to sympathize with them in their 
 afflictions. Resolved, That Peoria has lost one of its 
 bestcitizens,oneof its most genial and dignified gen- 
 tlemen — one who for forty years has been a leading 
 member of society, whose integrity was unimpeach- 
 able and whose character was unsoiled. Resolved, 
 That we tender to his family our heartfelt sympa- 
 thy in this their great bereavement." 
 
 At the regular monthly executive session of the 
 Scientific Association soon after the death of Dr. 
 Colburn, no formal program was prepared, no 
 stereotyped resolutions offered, but the occasion
 
 330 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 was eonverte(i into a memorial where each of the 
 
 intelligent audience was privileged to speak freely, 
 and where earnest tributes to the memory of the 
 deceased menilier of the society found utterance. 
 
 Dr. Culburn was married November 21, 1841, 
 to Mrs. JNLarj' Angeline (Phelps) Parcells. the only 
 living reiiresentalive of their union being Walter 
 P. Colburn, of the firm of C'olburn, Birks & Co., 
 wholesale druggists. Mi's. Colburn died in this 
 city October 9, 187.3. 
 
 A portrait of the late Dr. Colburn appears in 
 connection with this sketch. 
 
 ^^REDERICK STEGENS came to this coun- 
 IJ^ZyCi try from Germany a quarter of a centu- 
 _lv "^ r_v ago, and when he landed on these shores 
 found himself in debt to the extent of ■^25. Now 
 the balance is decidedly in his favor and he is 
 numbered among the moneyed men of Rosefield 
 Tovvnshi|i, with whose farming and stock-raising 
 interests he is closely identified. 
 
 - Mr. Stegens was born in Oldenburg, Germany, 
 December 20, 18.37. His parents, Frederick and 
 Katie (Schultz) Stegeiis, were natives of the same 
 place as himself, and there they lived and died, their 
 occupation during life being that of farming. They 
 reared six children: Martin, Fred; Deitrich, and 
 Mattie, deceased; Katie, who died leaving one son 
 and one daughter; and Louisa who lives in Ger- 
 many. 
 
 Our subject gleaned a good education in the 
 excellent schools of his native land and subse- 
 quently learned the trade of a ship carpenter. May 
 1, 18G5, in the prime of a vigorous manhood he 
 came to this country with his brother Martin, who 
 ha:l been in the United States since 1858. Our sub- 
 ject settled in Jefferson County, Bio., whence he 
 came to this county in 1866, and located ndiere he 
 now resides. He at first worked on a farm for his 
 brother on shares. In 1873, he bought eighty 
 acres of land, then ten acres, then a one hundred 
 and fifty-eight acre tract, then added forty-four 
 more acres to his original purchase, and subse- 
 quently bought ten acres more land, and now h.as 
 
 in his possession two hundred and sixty-two acres 
 of landed property, which he has so improved and 
 has placed under such good till.age that it is now 
 one of the choicest farms in the vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Stegens hag been twice married. He was 
 first wedded May 15, 1862, to Ann Stalling who 
 was a native of the same place as himself. She 
 was a daughter of Barnard Stalling, she being one 
 of five children, two sons and three daughters. 
 The daughters all came to the United States and 
 Helena is now deceased; Christina married John 
 Renemann, and both are now deceased, leaving one 
 son and two daughters ; the wife of our subject 
 died March 23, 1882,Ieavingnine children, namely: 
 Deitrich, Maggie, wife of Commodore Snider; 
 Kiltie, Anna, Sallie, Ilanna, Harinena, Fred and 
 William. Mrs. Stegens w.as a woman of most ex- 
 cellent character, was a sincere Christian and a 
 member of the Lutheran Church, and was well 
 thought of by all who knew her. 
 
 The maiden name of our subject's present esti- 
 mable wife was Mary Slane, and she is a native of 
 Peoria, and a daughter of Thomas Slane, one of 
 its pioneers. She is well fitted to be the help- 
 mate of her husband, understanding thoroughly 
 the management of the household, and is respected 
 by the community. 
 
 Our subject's industi'ious habits, his push ami 
 enterprise have made for him a substantial place 
 among the farmers .and stock-raisers of the county 
 and he is doing well financially. His fellow-citi- 
 zens hold him in respect for his man^' estimable 
 (pialities and find in him a good and obliging neigh- 
 
 bor. 
 
 .^^g-J#^S-4e 
 
 "ifJACOB KREUTER was for many years a 
 prominent merchant in Peoria, and at his 
 death the city lost a most estimable citizen, 
 one who had contributed his quota to bring 
 about its commercial prosperity. Mr. Kreutcr was 
 greatly' assisted in his business by his wife, who 
 still survives him, making her home at No. 707 
 Green Street. After his death she conducted the 
 business alone very successfully for three years, 
 and then handed it over to her S(_>n Ilenrj'.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM, 
 
 srji 
 
 The Kreuters came from Germany in 1 846. They 
 became acquainted while on hoard the vessel on the 
 lono- voyage across tlie Alianlie, and their acquaint- 
 ance, which was continued in New York Citj' dur- 
 ing Ihcir short stay there, Hnally terminated in their 
 marriage in Columbus, Ohio, whicii was solemnized 
 July 14, l!SU5. Mr. Krcutcr had learned the trade 
 of a miller in the Fatherland, of his father Peter 
 Krcutcr, who had a mill in Darmst.adt, Germany, 
 which was the birthplace of our subject, where he 
 was born April G, 1819. Mrs. Krcnter's maiden 
 name was Theresa .Stesc, and her father was Jobann 
 Stese, who was a farmer. She was Ilia only one of 
 the family to come to America. 
 
 Mr. and INIrs. Kreutcr went to Memphis, Teun., 
 in the fall of 184G, and there opened a store. In 
 1817, they removed to Mt. Pleasant, Miss., where 
 they continued in the same business. In 1853 
 they returned to Ohio, and after earr3'ing on a store 
 for a w'hile in Devertown, built a mill there which 
 proved a b.ad venture, and after a year of unsuc- 
 cessful operation, they traded it for a farm. 
 
 In 1 858, Mr. and Mrs. Kreuter came to Peoria. 
 H'hes' had a hard time of it here for awhile, but af- 
 Uv a few months their prospects brightened, as they 
 had an opportunity to take charge of the old tavern 
 three ir.iles from the city, which the3- managed ver_y 
 protitably for about three months. Thej^ did so 
 wi'U Ihat the proprietor, Mr. Clark, became jealous 
 as he thought thej- were making too much money, 
 and he worked to get rid of his tenants, and soon 
 succeeded. The Kreuters then came into Peoria, 
 and entered u|)on their successful mercantile career 
 in this cit3% They then opened a store, which is 
 still in existence. At the expiration of a year they 
 bought the property, and the store is still in the 
 hands of tiie family, Ilenry Kreuter, the son of our 
 sulijcct being the proi)rictor. Here by years of in- 
 dustry, careful attention to the business in all its 
 details, and by the exercise of far discerning judg- 
 ment and due discrimination, they i)uilt up a laro-e 
 and lucrative trade. 
 
 February 19, 1879, Mr. Kreuter departed this 
 life, leaving behind him the blessed incmorv of a 
 good uian, who was conscientious and honest in his 
 dealings, and was true in all things. In his politi- 
 cal views he w^as a pronounced Democrat. He was 
 
 a good citizen, and generously aided ever}^ cause 
 that would in any waj' promote the welfare of his 
 adopted city. He was happy in securing as a wife 
 and hel))mate one who is very capable, and is a 
 thorough business woman, aud,asatruc wife should, 
 looks upon his interests as her own. Three of 
 their eight children are now living, as follows: 
 Rosa, wife of George Schmuck, a machinist; Car- 
 rie, wife of Nicholas Ulrich, an attorney at law in 
 Peoria; Henry, now proprietor of the store. The 
 other children all died in cliildhooil, with the ex- 
 cei)tion of Louis, who was drowned in a cistern 
 whilst the family lived in Ohio. 
 
 <^ EREMIAH MOFFITT, deceased, was in his 
 day one of the foremost pioneers of Peoria 
 County, who was prominently identified 
 / with every enterprise for the upbuilding of 
 the city of Chillicothc, and at his death, April 3, 
 1857, it lost one of its most valued citizens. He 
 was an early settler of this part of the county, and 
 was at one time one of the leading agriculturists of 
 Chillicothe Township, and later became interested 
 in its commerce as a dry-goods merchant, carrying 
 on business with a firm under the title of J. & J. 
 Moffltt. A few years after he entered into part- 
 nership with H. McFudden, now of Havana, 
 111., and they carried on an extensive lumber and 
 grain trade until the death of our subject one year 
 later. Mr. Moffltt through his business relations 
 was widely known, and his name was greatlj' hon- 
 ored in financial and social circles, as he possesseil 
 rare judgment and exceptional business talent, and 
 was honest and straightforward in his dealings. 
 
 Mr. Moffltt came to this county and State in the 
 earlj' '30s, and cast in his lot with the pioneers 
 who had preceded him, and began the upbuildino' 
 of a home on land that he purchased from the 
 Government as soon as it came into the market. 
 He remained a resident of this county until 1856, 
 when he made a tour to the Territory of Kansas, 
 designing to settle there if he was pleased with the 
 prospects. He made his way to Topeka, then a 
 new town, and bought properly on speculation.
 
 332 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 but. under the regime then extant he di<l not like 
 the surroundings, and so returned to Illinois. In 
 this connection it is noteworthy that after seeing 
 Kansas in those troublous days before the war, he 
 was converted from a stanch Democrat into a solid 
 and unchangeable Republican, holding to that party 
 to the da}' of his death. 
 
 Mr. Moffitt was born in Richmond. Ross County, 
 Ohio, November 2, 1810. His parents. John and 
 Lydia (Cox) Mo/filt, were natives of North Caro- 
 lina, and are thought to have been of .Scotch-Irish 
 descent. After a few j-ears married life in their 
 native Slate thej^ removed to Tennessee, in early pio- 
 neer times, where one or two of their children were 
 born, and then they made another move and located 
 in Ross County very early in the settlement of Ohio, 
 going there prior to 1810, when nearly the whole 
 of the .State was an unbroken wilderness filled with 
 wild game and Indians. John Moffitt and his wife 
 and small familj', began their life there as pioneer 
 settlers, and it is also thought tliat his parents had 
 accompanied him there and died in Ross County 
 when old people. The name of his father was 
 either James or Hugh MofHtt, .and he and his wife 
 were of Quaker stock and were members of the 
 Society of Friends. After the birth of all their 
 children, and after they had mostly grown to man 
 and womanhood, John MoHitt and his wife came to 
 Illinois, about 1830, securing a Government claim 
 in Chillicothe Township, which became their home. 
 After making improvements and witnessing most 
 of the development of the countrj^ into pleasant 
 farms and thriving towns, thc}' both p.assed away 
 full of years, aud as they were united in life, in 
 death were not long divided, they dying within 
 a few days of each other. Though reared to the 
 Quaker f.aith, Mr. Moftitt had married out of the 
 church, and ever afterwards declined all association 
 with the Societj- of Friends. He was the father of 
 a large family of some eleven children, all of whom 
 are now deceased, but they have man}' representa- 
 tives hring in Peoria County, some of whom are 
 among its leading citizens. 
 
 Jeremiah Moffitt, of whom we write, was well 
 reared and received a ver}' good education in the 
 public schools during the log cabin da^s of Ross 
 County. He was bred to the life of a farmer, and 
 
 was nearly of age when he came to this county, a 
 single man. He was married near the present city 
 of Chillicothe to Miss F^lizabeth Jlcad, aud to her 
 able assistance he was great]}- indebted for the 
 success that he achieved. She is a very capable 
 woman, possessing quite a talent for business, and 
 is now managing with success the large property 
 left by her husband. Mrs. Moffitt was born in 
 Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, June 23, 1815. a 
 daughter of Hezekiah and Julia (Tuttle) Mead, 
 natives respectively of Connecticut and Massachu- 
 setts. Her father came of good New England 
 stock, and from i)cople well-to-do, and his father 
 was a Revolutionary soldier, and saw the burning 
 of the town of Danbury, Conn., by the British. 
 Hezekiah Mead grew to manhood in his native 
 State and there followed the trade of a carpenter. 
 He went from Connecticut to Massachusetts, where 
 he married his wife. She had lost her parents, who 
 were Massachusetts people, when a young girl, and 
 she was reared in that State by her maternal grand- 
 father, John Bull, who was a prominent man of 
 his town. After marriage Mrs. Moffitt's parents 
 removed to New York, where Mr. Mead carried on 
 his trade of a carpenter and builder, aud he erected 
 the first public hotel that was put up at Saratoga 
 Springs, that now famous summer resort. He sub- 
 sequently came with his family as far West as 
 Ohio, and carried on his calling in Chillicothe, 
 Ross County, until his death in the latter part of 
 1816, when in the prime of life. He was a skilled 
 workman, and was in every respect a good man. 
 His wife survived him, and w.as married a second 
 time in Worthington, Ohio, taking as her husband 
 David W. B.ates, a native of Granville, Mass., a 
 descentant of a good old Massachusetts family, and 
 a cousin of Senator Isaa<: C. Bates, of Northamp- 
 ton, Mass. He himself was a prominent man, was 
 a Major in the War of 1812. and fought at the 
 battle of Lundy's Lane. With his wife and step- 
 children he emigrated from Ohio to Illinois in 
 1837, and settled on a farm in Marshall County, 
 and there he died after some years at an advaiiced 
 age. His wife survived him some few years, and 
 died while staying with her daughter, Mrs. Rogers, 
 in Mason County, her death taking place in 1862, 
 at the age of eighty-four years. She was a good
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 333 
 
 woman, a sincere Christian, and a devoted member 
 of the Episcopal Church. Her second husband, 
 Mr. Bates, iiad been reared for tlie ministry, but 
 he never entered the profession, as he grew rather 
 free in thought, though he was always a very 
 strictly moral man. 
 
 Mrs. MotHtt was reared by her mother and step- 
 father, who brought her to Peoria County when 
 she was a young woman. Her marriage to our 
 subject was blessed by the birth of five children, 
 one of whom, .Jeremiah, died at the age of eighteen 
 years. Her daughter Maud is the wife of Joiin M. 
 Uhden, of Chillicothe Township. Our sul>ject's 
 son. Frank I?., who lives in Chillicothe, uuirried 
 Miss JLaria Anderson, a Scotch lady who died in 
 July, 1889, and left four children. Mrs. Moflitt's 
 daughter, Laura C. is the wife of George B. Tem- 
 ple, of whom see biography. Her son Eugene, who 
 makes iier home witii her, is the Casiiier of the 
 Pruitt JIathews & Co. Bunk, of Chillicothe. He is 
 one of the leading j'oung men of the city, and is 
 well-i'ducated nnd wuU-read. being very fond of 
 books. iMrs. MoHitt. wlio holds a high place in the 
 community, and is known and liked for her liberal- 
 ity and charitableness, is identified witli the I'ni- 
 vcrsalisl faitii and is a sincere Christian. 
 
 -4- 
 
 -^¥r 
 
 -^ — ■ 
 
 il^^^ENRY MANSFIELD, a veteran of seventy- 
 tiiree years and a highly respected resident 
 of Peoria, is pr.aetically retired from ac- 
 (,5^ live business, employing his time in look- 
 ing after his private estate. He has been a resi- 
 dent here for a space of over fifty years, having 
 hmilcd in Peoria January 2, 1840, and here lie has 
 since mantained his residence. He is a New 
 Yorker by birlh and born in Schoharie Count}', 
 March 22, 1817. 
 
 The fatiier of our subject was a native of North 
 Haven, Conn., and followed agricultural pursuits, 
 spending his last days in Illinois. When about 
 twelve vears olil Henry went to Connecticut, 
 where he spent a few years and thence to Albany, 
 N. v., where he was emjiloyed in a tliug store for 
 about three years and until a joutli of eighteen. 
 
 At the expiration of this time he decided upon 
 seeking the western country and engaged with a 
 Government surveying party in the nortliL'Vn part 
 of Michigan, one hundred miles from a white set- 
 tlement and among the Chii)pewa Indians. He 
 was thus occupied about four years and we next 
 find him in Peoria, where he associated himself 
 in partnership with Dr. N. S. Tucker in the drug 
 business, their store occupying Nos. 122 and 204 
 Main Street. This partnership continued until Dr. 
 Tucker's death, in 1888, a period of forty nine 
 years and nine months, during which the two men 
 continued with the most friendly intercourse and 
 were uniformly successful. The}' never gave a 
 note or purchased any goods on credit or asked 
 for a discount, thus following up the true princi- 
 ples and the only safe course in conducting busi- 
 ness. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Mansfield invested a large 
 amount of his capital in farm lands and city prop- 
 erty and still has a large amount of the latter. 
 Dr. Tucker at his death left $30,000 to his rela- 
 tives and the balance of his estate was left by will 
 to Mr. Mansfield. He h.as in Peoria, Tazewell, 
 Mason and Fulton Counties, five thousand eight 
 hundred and twenty acres of land, all under culti- 
 vation and the source of a fine income. In the 
 city he has stores, warehouses and residences to the 
 number of about fifty, located in its business part 
 and of great value. 
 
 Mr. Mansfield has lieeu the architect of his own 
 fortune, having only a small amount from his 
 father's estate, beginning life practically without 
 means. The habits of industry and economy which 
 were compulsorj- in his youth later laid the foun- 
 dations for a fortune. He is a man well informed 
 ui)on the general topics of the day and an active 
 worker in tlie Democratic party, being sent as a 
 delegate to the various conventions and working 
 in its interest as opportunity occurred. About 
 1842 he identified himself with the Masonic frater- 
 nity, .and with which lie still continues. His mar- 
 ried life began in 184G, tlie maiden of his choice 
 being Miss Harriet A. Elding, who was at that time 
 a resident of Peoria. Mrs. Mansfield was born at 
 Reil Hook, Dutchess County, N. i'., and came 
 i with her parents to Illinois at an early day. She
 
 334 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 became the mother of three children and departed 
 
 this life ;it lior home in Peoria, in lb52. Of these 
 there is only one now living, a daughter. Fannie. 
 Mis. Blakesley of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Mansfield contracted a second marriage with 
 Jliss Isabel F. Servos, the wedding taking place 
 at the bride's home in Ihecitj- of New York. Mrs. 
 Isabel F. Mansfield was born in New York City, 
 and of her union with our subject there are seven 
 children, all living. Louise P. is the wife of C. 
 W. Mosher. of Lincoln. Neb.; Henry, also a resi- 
 dent of that city, was educated in the military 
 school at Lexington. Va., and later studied law in 
 the Universit}' of Virginia for a term of six years. 
 Nathaniel T. remains at home with his parents; 
 Eleanor is the wife of A. Lee Newton, of this city; 
 !Mar<i;aret, Eliza and Belle are still at liorae. 
 
 . f-^..;;..^-, — . 
 
 , LIVER M. MILLER. A list of the good 
 citizens of Hallock Township would be in- 
 ?' complete without the name which stands 
 above, its possessor and his estimable wife being 
 este<'med for sturdy viitues of character and the 
 displaj' of industry and zeal in the prosecution of 
 the labors which lie before them as owners and oc- 
 cupants of a good farm. Their home is located on 
 section 16, where one hundred and sixtj'-oue acres 
 of the fertile soil are devoted to the raising of di- 
 versified crops and tlie home comforts of a fine 
 famil}'. 
 
 Before outlining the career of our subject it 
 may be well to say something of the family which 
 he so worthily represents. The Millers are of Ger- 
 man descent, but two or three generations of the 
 familj' were natives of the Southern States. In 
 South Carolina, Jacob Miller, the father of our 
 subject, was born and passed his early life. In liis 
 young manhood he removed to Ohio, where he 
 began his career as a farmer. When but eighteen 
 years old he enlisted and under Gen. Brown's com- 
 mand served throughout the hostilities of the War 
 of 1812. He was shot in the leg and carried a Brit- 
 ish bill to his grave. He died in Putnam County, 
 
 Ohio, in 1 864. at the age of sixty-eight years. Po- 
 litically, he was first a Democrat, and subsequently 
 a Whig. Of excellent moral character, he yet was 
 not a member of any religious body or a believer 
 in any church creed. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden name 
 of JNhuy Buyher, and was united in marriage with 
 Jacob Miller, in Knox County, Ohio. She was a 
 native of Pennsylvania. of the old Dutch stock, and 
 when young accompanied her parents to Jefferson 
 Countv, Ohio. There she grew to womanhood. 
 After the death of her husband she came to Illi- 
 nois with her youngest sou, our subject, under 
 whose roof she breathed her last August 25, 1887. 
 She had reached the great age of ninety-six years 
 and twenty-five days. She belonged to the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church, and throughout her long 
 life had exemplified the virtues of a Christian char- 
 acter. She was the mother of four sons and six 
 daughters, of whom two sons and four daughters 
 are yet living, all married. 
 
 Oliver M. Miller, the subject of this sketch, was 
 born August 29, 1837, in what is now Morrow, but 
 was at that time Knox County, Ohio. He was 
 carefully reared by his worthy parents, given the 
 advantage of such schooling as the section afforded, 
 and fitted as wjell as possible for a successful and 
 honorable career in life. He (vas not 3'et of age 
 when, in 18;j7, he became a resident of the Prairie 
 States, spending one year in Fulton County, but the 
 greater part of the time since his ariival in the 
 county where he has now become quite well known. 
 Since 1858 he has improved two farms in Hallock 
 Township, one of which he has traded for eighty 
 acres in ^'ormillion County. Ind. That tract is 
 mostly im|)rove(l, and is capable of affording a ver3' 
 comfortable support to whomsoever operates it. 
 
 In the city of Peoria the rites of wedlock were 
 celebrated between our subject and Miss Amelia 
 Vautassell. The bride was born in Hallock Town- 
 ship, this county. April 2. 1837. belongs to a good 
 family, and is one of the nine children of Alonzo 
 and Harriet (Richmond) Vautassell. Her parents 
 were born in the Keystone State and accompanied 
 theii respective progenitors to Illinois when quite 
 j'oung. They were married in this county, and 
 always afterward lived in Hallock Township, dy-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 335 
 
 ing on the farm which Ihcy had improved from 
 wild praii-io. Their residence here ilated from 
 very early in the '30s or late in the '20s. Mr. 
 Vaiitassell was a soldier in the Black Hawk War. 
 In an early day he was a manufacturer of castor 
 oil in Medina Township, this county, being the 
 first to enter into that enterprise here. He died 
 when quite old, but his wife departed this life in 
 middle age. 
 
 Mrs. Miller was reared and educated in this 
 county, was left motherless when quite young, but 
 remained with her father until she was fully grown. 
 She is the mother of five sons and one daughter, 
 of whom the three youngest — George W., Orin 
 M. and Lewis O. — are still inmates of the par- 
 ental home. The oldest son, Augustus, mariied 
 Sarah Russell and occupies a farm in Vermillion 
 County, Ind.; Sarah J., the second child, is the wife 
 of John Frost, a farmer of Cass County, Mo. ; Amos 
 E. married Matilda Mossersmith, and is farming in 
 Stark County, this State.. Mr. Miller and his sons 
 give their earnest adherence to the principles ad- 
 vocated by the Republican partj-. They are classed 
 among the citizens who can lie relied upon for hon- 
 esty, good purpose and steady conduct, and are 
 respected by their fellow-citizens as they deserve. 
 Mr. Miller has for three years been President of 
 the Centerville Cheese Company, whose factory is 
 located in Ilallock Township. 
 
 •^OIIN C. ATJ.KN is quite well known in 
 Peoria, where he is fulfilling the duties of 
 United States Storekeeper in a creditable 
 / manner. He was chosen to the position in 
 August, 188'J. His integrity is beyond question, 
 and no citizen is more highly respected for intelli- 
 gence and industiy. He was born in Jacksonville, 
 this State, iMarch 1 8. ISoO, reared in tl. at "Athens 
 of the West," enjoying its excellent educational 
 advantages, und conqjieting a course of study in 
 the Washington High School. 
 
 In 187;") Mr. Allen came to Peoria, holding the 
 position of Assistant Marki^t-Master for two years. 
 In 1878 he was appointed teacher in the Lincoln 
 
 School of Quincy, winning so good a reputation in 
 pedagogical labor that in 1880 he was elected 
 Principal of the Broadway High School at Madi- 
 son, Ind. The responsible position gave him abun- 
 dant opportunity to display his mental powers and 
 executive ability. Under his control the school 
 advanced in reputation, many pupils being there 
 fitted for honorable positions in life. 
 
 While performing the arduous duties of his pro- 
 fession, Mr. Allen made a sj'stematic disposition of 
 his time, b}' so doing being enabled to prepare a 
 seholarl}' production — "A Pedagogue's Diver- 
 sions" — on which the copyright has been secured 
 and which is now in the press. Mr. Allen finds 
 time while discharging the duties of his present 
 responsible position, to continue the reading in 
 which he delights and add to the extended knowl- 
 edge which he already possesses. He is unmarried, 
 and the stay of his aged parents, Lafa3'ette and 
 Caroline Allen, who reside at No. 117 Fifth Street, 
 Peoria. 
 
 - ocx> . 
 
 OCJO 
 
 LGENK GAUSS, of the firm of Gauss, Shurt- 
 Icff & Co., is a fine representative of the 
 -41 young business men, natives of Peoria, who, 
 within the last few years, have taken their place 
 among the men of great enterprise and energy, 
 who are pushing forward the interests of their city 
 in every direction. His name already stands 
 high in commercial circles, and he has a bright fu- 
 ture before him in his honorable career as a mer- 
 chant. 
 
 Mr. Gauss was born in Peoria, April 3, 1802, to 
 Julius and Pauline (Bauch) (!auss. (P\)r parental 
 history see sketch of William Gauss). Our subject 
 was reared and educated in this city, and when 
 quite young, was engaged in the grocery store of 
 AVilliam Gauss, at that time a retail grocer on 
 South Madison Avenue. He continued with him 
 for thirteen years, and became thoroughly conver- 
 sant with the trade in every branch. In the month 
 of November. 1887, he established himself in his 
 present business, in company with Flavell Shurtlcff 
 and R. A. Schimpff, opening their store where they 
 now are, and by their honorable dealings, and strict
 
 336 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 attention to business, they li.ivc worked up one of 
 the largest and most profitable trades in town. 
 Their store is neatl}- fitted up, and the^- carry a 
 cqmplete stock of everything in their line that is 
 demanded by their custom, and they have an etJi- 
 cient corps of six clerks. 
 
 Mr. Gauss is a young man of excellent personal 
 habits, and bears a fine reputation. He is wide- 
 awake, possesses a large degree of enterprise anil 
 business acumen, and is already in prosperous cir- 
 cumstances, and bids fair to become one of the 
 wenlthy men of his native city. He is bright a.id 
 intell'gent, |)ossesses pleasant social qualities, and 
 is of good social standing. He is a prominent mem- 
 ber of tlie Knights of Pythi.as, belonging to both 
 branches, the lodge and the uuiformed ranks. 
 
 E^- 
 
 <fl IkILLIAM a. ARNOLD. VVc are pleased 
 \/\l// to transcribe to these pages a brief record 
 \y\V of the life of this gentleman, who is hon- 
 ored and revered by his fellow townsmen not only 
 as a pioneer settler and an industrious farmer of 
 Brimfleld Township, but as one of its most deserv- 
 ing citizens, whose life, guided as it is by purit}' 
 of purpose and rectitude of act, is an example 
 worth}' for all to follow. He has a comfortable 
 home <m section 16, and a good farm that compares 
 in point of cultivation and improvement favorably 
 with the best in its vicinity. 
 
 Mr, Arnold comes of fine New England stock and 
 Revolutionary ancestry. He was born amid the 
 beautiful scenery of Windham County, Vt., October 
 8, 1826, a son of William G. and Mary F. (Brooks) 
 Arnold. His paternal ancestors were English, and 
 his great-grandfatiier Arnold was born in England, 
 became a settler of New England in Colonial times, 
 and here his son was reared to manhood and took 
 an active part in the Revolution. The father of 
 our subject, was born in 1797, in Vermont, his 
 father, who was a native of Rhode Island having 
 been an early settler of the Green Mountain State. 
 When our subject was in his eighteenth year, he 
 came with his parents to Illinois, performing the 
 entire journey from his early New England home 
 
 with a wagon and two teams. They started on that 
 momentous trip, November 1, 1843, and arrived at 
 tlieir destination on the Brimfield Prairies the first 
 day of the following February in 1844, having 
 journeyed leisurely, camping by the wayside at 
 night. The father was killed by lightning April 
 22, 1844, while standing in a doorway a short dis- 
 tance north of P>riniHold. Tlie mother of our sub- 
 ject survived until March 13, 1888, when she died 
 at a ripe old age of ninety-two years, lacking three 
 months. His worthy parents had a family of nine 
 children of whom the following five are still living: 
 George B.. in Elmwood; William A.; Cyrus, in 
 Henry County; Marietta, wife of T. O. Owen, of 
 Henry County; and Ami'lia L., wife of Joseph L. 
 Barnes of Bushnell, HI. 
 
 The one of whom we write was reared in his 
 New England birthplace, and much of his time was 
 spent in his father's sawmill and he also performed 
 some labors on the farm. His education was con- 
 fined to his attendance in the subscription and early 
 public schools of Vermont, and since then by much 
 reading and exercise of his observing powers, he 
 has become very well informed. 
 
 In the fall of 1850 Mr. Arnold settled on his 
 present farm which was then in a state of nature, 
 just as its aboriginal owners had left it. In their 
 attempts to develop that wild tract of land he and 
 his wife experienced the vicissitudes and hardships 
 of pioneer life, but steadil}' persevered through all 
 and as a result have placed one hundred and twelve 
 and one-half acres of land, which comprises their 
 homestead, under substantial improvement, provid- 
 ing it with an excellent set of buildings, and the 
 soil is well tilled and yields abundantly. 
 
 June 6, 1850, was the date of the marriage of 
 our subject with Louisa N. Fisher, a native of Rut- 
 land County, Vt. She was born August 4, 1834, 
 to Amos and Lydia (Stoddard) Fisher, natives of 
 New England. Her father was of English descent 
 an:1 her mother was of mingled Welsh and English 
 origin. Her mother's grandfather was a soldier in 
 the Revolution and fought at Bunker Hill, where he 
 is supposed to have been killed as he was never 
 heard of after that famous conflict. In 1842, Mrs. 
 Arnold accompanied her parents to Illinois, they 
 becoming at that time pioneer settlers of Metamora,
 
 ^Ss***" ."-V^^.^ 
 
 / 4i,.^^Sr^vwi
 
 POHTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 339 
 
 Wooilfonl County. Mie was then eiglit years old, 
 .iiul was tliere reared to a true and useful vvoman- 
 liooil and at the time of her mnrriaiie witii our 
 subject was well fitted for the duties and responsi- 
 bilities that fell upon her in the care of a house- 
 hold. She is one of a family of twelve children, 
 of whom seven survive, namely : Kmerald, a resi- 
 dent of Woodford County; Martha, wife of Elijah 
 Marshall, of Woodford County ; Mrs. Arnold ; Ann, 
 wife of L. M. Fuller, of Woodford County ; Rosina, 
 wife of F. D. Learned, of Woodford County; Ezra, 
 a i-esident of Butler County, Kan.; Cynthia, wife of 
 E. Palmer, of Grafton, Vt. P'rancis W. Fisher w.as 
 a soldier in the late Civil War and died bravely 
 fiijlitinn: for his country at the siege of Vicksburg. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have three children: Au- 
 gustas W., a resident of Butler County, Kan.; 
 Lydia L., wife of E. G. Edson,of Woodford County, 
 now deceased; and Mary C, wife of E. .1. Kobin- 
 son, of Sedgwick County, Kan. 
 
 Mr. Arnold is prudent and wise in the manage- 
 ment of his affairs, displaying cool, cautious judg- 
 ment in his transactions which are at the same time 
 conducted with extreme fairness and unswerving 
 honesty. Coming to this county before lie had at- 
 t'lined manhood, the better part of his life h.as been 
 passed in Brimfield Township and he has contrib- 
 uted much to elevate its citizenship, and b}' his 
 cordial eo-operation with his fellow-citizen,s in their 
 jilans for improvement has forwarded its m.aterial 
 welfare. He is a true Republican in politics, giving 
 his party substantial supi)ort. He and his wife are 
 among the most valued members of the Baptist 
 Church of Brimtield, and he is now serving it 
 worthily as Deacon. 
 
 -mi 
 
 v|p\,EV. ELIJAH F. HOWE resigned the pas- 
 |Li/ torate of the First Congregational Church 
 of Peoria in April, 1887, on account of 
 i' failing health, and entered into rest Au- 
 gust 1 1 following. As a pulpit orator, he was rich 
 and original in thought, clear and forcilile in ex- 
 pression, earnest in appeal and enthusiastic in the 
 presentation of the Gospel. So often were his 
 
 thoughts recalled during the week that '-as Mr. 
 Howe said," became quite a stereotv|)ed expression 
 with many who attended his services. Ills por- 
 trait, presented on another l>age, will be valued liy 
 his many friends. 
 
 The birthplace of Mr. Howe was Grafton, Mass., 
 and his natal day September 19, 1832. He was 
 prepared for college at Munson, Mass. The Rev. 
 .lames Tufts, a professor in the academy, says of 
 him: '-E. Franklin Howe called at my boarding 
 |)lace in the spring of 1853, to see me in regard 
 to entering the Academy to prepare for college. 
 He was, I saw at once, a mature, prompt, earnest 
 young man, desiring if he came to teach penman- 
 ship in the academy- in aid of his sui)port, which 
 he did very successfully through his course. He 
 commenced his studies the spring term, and con- 
 tinued here the two following years, entering Yale 
 College well prepared in 1855. 
 
 "Mr. Howe was not a brilliant scholar, and prob- 
 ably did not leai'n so easily as if he had com- 
 menced his studies younger, but he was alw.ays 
 industrious and faithful, striving to get every les- 
 son as well as he could. Such scholars usually 
 irnpiove rapidly, so that Jlr. Howe stood much 
 higher relatively .as a writer and scholar when he 
 entered college than when he commenced his 
 preparation. Uncommonly patient and persistent, 
 he did all his work thoroughly as he was able, 
 never relaxing his efforts, no matter how great the 
 dilli(ndties. This was especially noticeable in his 
 wi'iting and his composition exercises. Though he 
 could debate fluently and speak accei>tably in re- 
 ligious meetings, yet he could not write and com- 
 pose easily, and had none of that felicity of diction 
 which he afterward developed. Still his patience 
 never failed. There w.as not a student in school 
 who showed more persistence in learning to think, 
 write and compose than Mr. Howe, till he really 
 began to excel in a cle:ir, terse, thoughtful style, 
 somewhat as he afterward ai)peared in his pulpit 
 performances." 
 
 After being graduated from Yale in the class of 
 1859, Mr. Howe studied theology at Y'ale and 
 Princeton. He began his pastoral life al South 
 Canaan. Conn., in 1861. His second pastorate was 
 at Terre Haute, Ind., where he remained eleven
 
 3-10 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 years, from 18P5 to 187G. He then accepted a call 
 to Isewtoiiville, Mass., aiirl in 1882. a unanimous 
 call to tlie First Conjireijational Churcii of Peoria, 
 placed him in ciiarge of the |)iilpit in September of 
 that year. 
 
 The Rev. Hiram Eddy writes of him, '•! like to 
 write about that dear man. E. Frank Howe was 
 ■ one of my nearest neighbors in the ministr\- here 
 in Connecticut, and while he and 1 remained in the 
 Slate we were ciuite intimate. I loved him and 1 
 think he loved me. 1 had great confidence in his 
 mental culture and in the depth of his Christ- 
 wanned experience. He was always ready for any 
 good deed, for any good work. You felt a Christ 
 in his sympathy and here was the charm of bis 
 preaching. It was luminous, warm, and coming 
 home to the hearts of the hearers. He was more 
 like the lovely and loveable John than like Peter 
 or Paul. He drew not in the sensational sense but 
 in the sense of winning. His people loved him 
 and they felt he was one of them. He was a 
 brother among their brothers, a child among their 
 children, a neighbor among their neighbors and 
 was a member of all their homes. Of course souls 
 were won to Christ and many will call him blessed. 
 Let us thank God for such a noble ministry." 
 
 A college classmate of the Rev. Mr. Howe pays 
 this tribute to him: "I was one of the many 
 class-mates of Frank Howe who knew him and 
 loved him well, but I also stood in a closer and 
 more sacred relation to him, for there were few 
 who knew him and loved him as I did, and fewer 
 still whom I loved and knew as I knew and loved 
 E'rank Howe. He was one of the deacons of the 
 College Church from our class, and, while all the 
 deacons, so far as I now remember, wore faithful 
 men and ofBcers, yet it is no disparagement to the 
 others to saj' that not one in all the college was 
 more faithful or more useful than IJeacon Howe. 
 During his student life his prominent characteristics 
 were his unl esitating adherence to the right in 
 everything, his burning desire to do good to all 
 about him and to develop the very best that there 
 was in himself, his cheerful spirit, his livel}' afifec- 
 tions, and before all, above all and throughout all, 
 his pronounced personal religion." Numerous 
 were the letters expressive of similar sentiments to 
 
 the above sent to the bereaved widow, and the 
 congregation for which the Rev. Mr. Howe minis- 
 tered until so short a time before his death. 
 
 We make the following extract from a tribute 
 from the First Congregational Church of Peoria, 
 written by Miss S. S. Lines, one of its meml)ers: 
 "He was pre-eminently a man who had the cour- 
 age of his convictions. Aggressive and strong in 
 his own opinions, he gave forth no uncertain 
 sound, yet he was tolerant of and listened with 
 deference to the opinions of others, and his paciHc 
 spirit often during heated discussions or argument 
 'kept the balance true and fair.' His sense of hu- 
 mor was keen and his scorn of meanness intense. 
 His sympathy with honest doubt and his clear 
 presentation of the truth won the confidence of 
 some whose only safety fi'om agnosticism had been 
 their belief in the fatherhood of God. He was 
 quick to give and respond to a sympathetic touch. 
 His name was known and loved among those who 
 were not of his own parish, and many who were 
 outside of any church relation will long remember 
 his thoughtful kindness. None looked to him in 
 vain for help. The handful of choice flowers, the 
 blooming plant, the little note, the timelj^ word, 
 the warm pressure of the hand, the appreciative 
 glance, the pra3'er which voiced the agon}' and 
 strong crying for help and which seemed to bring 
 the answer down, are all remembered and cherished 
 by countless hearts. Literally, he entered into 
 our joj'S and shared our sorrows. The little child 
 in its innocence; the young, looking forward with 
 expectant eyes; the strong man in the stir and 
 rush of business life, some of whom have said no 
 other man ever came so near to them; ihe mother 
 weary of her household round ; the gray haired 
 man and woman, sinking under the burden of help- 
 lessness; the joyous, the suffering and the sinning 
 he carried in his great, true heart, they were his 
 people and knit to him by tender choi'ds of love." 
 
 The maiden name of the first wife of our sub- 
 ject was Frances Gates, of Munson, Mass. They 
 had four children, two sons and two daughters, all 
 living. They are: Frank C, an attorney in Peo- 
 ria; Lewis B., a stenographer; Grace G. and 
 Fannie C, all of whom are at home. Mrs. Fran- 
 ces (Gates) Howe died in November, 1882. The
 
 Pt)RTRAIT AND BIOGRAl'IIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 341 
 
 second wife of the Rev. Elijah F. Howe was in licr 
 youth .^arali Ston's, and was born December 12, 
 1845. Her father, Chailes Storrs, a commission 
 merchant of New York City, lived and died in 
 Brooklyn. On May 5, 18G9, Sarah Storrs was 
 nnited in marriage with David Proctor, tlien of 
 Peoria, 111., and to them were born thrte chihlien, 
 Charles, Julia and David. Mr. Proctor was a man 
 of wcallh. and died in December. 1 880. On Oc- 
 tober 20, 188.5, his widow became the wife of the 
 Rev. E. Franklin Howe, the subject of this bio- 
 grnphical notice. She now occupies an elegant 
 home on Perry Street, and enjoys the esteem of a 
 large circle of friends and acquaintances. 
 
 il^'^^i 
 
 ^ IfclLLIAM p. HAWVER. The thriving town 
 \/jJ// of Monica is greatly indebted to this gen- 
 W^ tleman who is one of its leading business 
 men, and Ins been foremost in establishing it on a 
 sound financial basis. He was the 6rst merchant to 
 locate here after the village was platted, as with 
 his customary enterprise and forethought, he seized 
 the excellent opening offered to a live business man, 
 and his Store was the first Iniilding to be completed 
 here, and he was the first man to sleep in the new 
 town. He has since built up an extensive trade as 
 ilruggist and grocer, and although other stores 
 have been built here since, that are larger, there are 
 none better finished, or more complete in all their 
 appointments than his. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Dr. Adam Hawver, who 
 was born in Dutchess County, on the banks of the 
 Hudson River. His father was a pioneer farmer of 
 'hat section of the country, and there made his 
 home until 1856. when he came to Henry County, 
 and in 18C5 he moved to Mercer Countj% 111., his 
 death taking place at the advanced age of ninet}- 
 four years, he dying very suddenly. 
 
 Dr. Hfiwver was reared in his native county, and 
 learning the trade of a shoemaker when a boy, fol- 
 lowed it for soinc years, and kept a number of 
 bands at work under him, and built up riuite a 
 trade as a slioe manufacturer. In 185(j he came to 
 Henry County, 111., and settled on a farm. There 
 
 he entered upon the |)ractice of medicine, having 
 gained his medical knowledge b}' study, experience 
 and observation. He afterwards removed to Aledo, 
 in Mercer County, where he engaged in the manu- 
 facture of patent medicines of his own get up, and 
 practiced as a specialist, traveling considerabl}' in 
 the interests of his business. He was ver}- active in 
 the Jlethodist Episcopal Church, serving in vari- 
 ous capacities as Class-Leader, etc. He was a stronir 
 Republican, in his political views. He rounded 
 out a long and useful life of ninety-four years in 
 his home in Aledo, his death occurring in 1888. 
 His wife whose maiden name was Clarissa Dean, 
 and who was a native of New York State, died in 
 1859 of typhoid fever. They were the parents of 
 seven children, as follows: Betsey C, Mrs. Cass, 
 died in New York in 188G; .John H., who was a 
 soldier in the late war, gave up his life for his 
 country; William P., our subject; Dianna, Mrs. 
 Davis, died in New York; Eliza, Blrs. Hanion, died 
 in New York, and Andrew and George died of tv- 
 phoid fever in 1859. 
 
 He of whom we write, was born in Green County, 
 N. Y., February 1, 1830, and was brought up on a 
 farm, as his father carried on agricultural pursuits 
 in connection with the manufacture of shoes. He 
 learned the rudiments of farming and clearing the 
 soil, and in the meantime acquired the shoemaker's 
 trade under his father, and became a prollicient 
 shoemaker before he was twentj'-one years old. His 
 education was obtained in the common schools, and 
 after he attained his majority, he worked out as a 
 farm hand, farming, chopping, logging, etc. The 
 next year he took a job of peeling two hundred 
 cords of hemlock bark up in the Catskill Mountains. 
 Me then determined to go to California and seek 
 his fortune, and in 1852 set out on the long and 
 venturesome journey, going from New York City 
 on a ship by the way of Panama to San Francisco. 
 After his arrival on the Pacific Slope, he went up 
 into the mining regions, and, .-"s his finances were 
 at a low ebb, be first began clerking in a drug store 
 in order to get some money. After that be en- 
 gaged in prospecting in the Middle, Coloma, and 
 Northern mines for two j'ears. He w.as not overly 
 successful, .and he next turned his attention to farm- 
 ing in San Jose, and the ensuing three years was
 
 342 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 actively engaged at tbat calling, and made a suc- 
 cess of that venture. With tlie money thus ac- 
 quired, lie returned to Xew York bj' the waj' of 
 Panama, and. as in the meantime his father had 
 come to this Slate, he followed him directly to 
 Henry County. He bought property in Galva, but 
 it proved not to be a good investment. He farmed 
 awhile in tiiat place, and went from there in 1862 to 
 Elrawood, and there he engaged in the manufac- 
 ture of chain water-elevating pumps, manufactur- 
 ing them by the hundred, and carrying on that 
 business for one 3'ear. From boyhood he had been 
 a worker in wood, and bad shown himself to pos- 
 sess natural talent as a mechanic, and can make 
 most anything of that material. In 1863 he sold 
 that business, and devoted himself to farming in 
 Princeville the ensuing year. He then located in 
 the village of Princeville, and carried on the manu- 
 f.acture of shoes about two years. He next i-e- 
 moved to O'Brien's corner, in West Princeville, and 
 opened a grocery store and also carried a stock of 
 boots and shoes. When the town of Mouica was 
 located on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- 
 rciad, he at once, as soon as the town was laid out, 
 bought lots and began the erection of his present 
 itore. This is a well-litted up and convenienll}' 
 arranged building, and some of the fanc}' work 
 that adorns its interior, is his own handiwork. He 
 started in business here December 1, 1871. and was 
 the pioneer merchant of the place. He transferred 
 his stock of groceries from O'Brien's corner to this 
 store, and about a year later put in a slock of boots 
 and shoes, which he sold for some two years, when 
 he sold them out and put in a slock of drugs, and 
 since then has dealt solelv in groceries and drugs. 
 He manufactures some medicines, such asllawver's 
 Pile Remedy, and Hawver's Diarrhea Cure, a salve, 
 and several other medicaments. 
 
 Mr. Hawver has been married four timts. He 
 was first wedded in Cambridge, 111., in 1858 to Miss 
 Mar}' A. Price, a native of Pennsylvania; she died 
 in Galva. leaving two children, who grew to msi- 
 turily: Harriet C, who was a school teacher here 
 until her marriage with Burk DeBord, a farmer and 
 an ex-Supervisor of Princeville Township; and 
 Mary C. who married George Piukerton, and died 
 in 1889, of diphtheria. Mr. Hawver's second mar- 
 
 riage took place in Galva, when he was united to 
 Miss Lovina J. Cox, a native of Ohio. She died in 
 that town, leaving two children: Avis M., wife of 
 Leslie Hurd, a telegraph operator in Nebraska, and 
 George A. The latter, a bright young man, taught 
 school three years before he was twenty-one years 
 old, and is now attending the Horological or Jew- 
 elry College at LaPorle. Ind. The maiden name of 
 our subject's third wife, to whom he was married in 
 Wyoming, was Nancy A. Davis, a native of Peun- 
 sj-lvania, but a resident of Princeville, at the time 
 of their marriage. They had one child, Andrew, 
 who died when nine months old. 
 
 Mr. Hawver was married to his present wife in 
 Princeville, Februarj' 1, 1883. She is an estimable 
 ladv, and a member of the Presbj'lerian Church. 
 Mrs. Hawver's maiden name was Julia E. Wheeler, 
 and she was born in Greenfield, Huron Countj-, 
 Oliio, and lived there until slie was eighteen years 
 old. At that age she came to Illinois, and learned 
 the trade of dre.ss-making, and in 1876 came to 
 Princeville, and made her home with her sister, Mrs. 
 Herrick, until her marriage. Mrs. Hawver's father, 
 Nahum Wheeler, was born in the village of Kean, 
 N. H., where he was reared to the life of a farmer. 
 He went from there to Ohio, and settled in Huron 
 County, in early days, cleared a farm from the 
 wilderness, and was successfullj- engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits there for many 3-ears. In 1871, 
 he sold his property in Ohio, and came to Iroquois 
 County, 111., and located near Watseka, where he 
 now lives retired from active labor, at the advanced 
 age of eighty five 3'ears. A ralher peculiar cir- 
 cumstance led to the founding of the Wheeler fam- 
 ily in America. Gr.andfather Asial Wheeler, was 
 born in Cork, Ireland, and when a very small boy, 
 he wandered away from his home to the docks of 
 that city, his curiosity- leading him there, and wliile 
 there he explored a vessel lying in the dock, and 
 before he knew it. had started on the long ocean 
 vojage to America. He was too young to remem- 
 ber his parents' names, other than Wheeler, and so 
 could not be identified, and after landing in this 
 country, the little lad had to make his own w.ay in 
 the world. He finally engaged in farming in New 
 Hannishire, and liccamo well-to-do. Mrs. Hawver's 
 mother's maiden name was Maiy Andrus, and she
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 3i3 
 
 was born in Oraii^f County, N. Y., and died in Illi- 
 nois in 1875. Five of her children are living as fol- 
 lows: George, in Crawford County, Pa.; LeRoy, a 
 farraer in Iroquois County, this State; Mark, a car- 
 penter in Di" iSmet, S. Dak.; Cornelia, wife of O.F. 
 Herrick, a harness-maker at Princeville; and Mrs. 
 Hawver. 
 
 Mr. Ilawvcr possesses that sturdy self-respect and 
 rectitude of character that commands the confi- 
 dence of his fellow-citizens, and since he has been 
 a resident of this count)-, he has associated himself 
 with the element that is most forward in promoting 
 all that will in any way (jrove a benefit to the com- 
 munity, [le is inlei'ested in politics, keeping him- 
 self well-informed concerning the affairs of the 
 countrj-, and is a follower of the Republican part}'. 
 He is a member of the Ancient, I'"ree and Accepted 
 Masons, at Princeville. He has been .School Di- 
 rector, and in that capacity did good service in ad- 
 vancing educational matters in this locality. 
 
 ENRY MALLKN. Among the well-culti- 
 vated and attractive farms which abound in 
 •-^y:-^ Medina Township, one located on section 2, 
 is owned and occupied bj" our subject. The 
 three hundred broad acres which compose it are 
 carefully and intelligentlj' managed, producing 
 crops which rank with the best in quality and quan- 
 tity, and supplied with the various improvements 
 which are expected of a man of enterprise. 
 
 Mr. RLillen is of Irish ancestry and birth, being 
 a son of Patrick and Catherine (T.aylor) Mallen, 
 natives of County Mealh, who spent tiieir entire 
 lives there. The father died when forty-five years 
 old and the mother while yet in the prime of life. 
 They were members of the Catholic Church. They 
 had eight children, most of wiiom lived to mature 
 years and came to America; three are still living. 
 He of whom we write was liorn in County Meath, 
 in August, 1838, reaching man's estate while still 
 residing there. 
 
 In June, 1852. he cmbarkeil on a sailing vessel 
 at Liverpool aiul after a voyage of six weeks 
 handed in New York City. He remained in the 
 
 Empire State a year, then came to Illinois, where he 
 lias since been engaged in farming in the township 
 •where he now resides. Here he married Mary 
 Mooney, who was l)orn in New York City, May 18, 
 183.3, being a daughter of Thomas and Helena 
 (Stagg) Mooney, whose historj' may be found in 
 the sketch of James Mooney on another pMgc of 
 this Alhum. 
 
 Under the care of good parents Mrs. Mallen was 
 reared and educated, having from the time she was 
 three years old lived upon the farm she now owns 
 as a gift from lier fathei'. Slie is one, of the excel- 
 lent mothers of the township, devoted to her chil- 
 dren thougli not neglecting the duties which she 
 owes to society-, nor failing to surround her home 
 with the comforts wl'.ich her husband appreciates 
 when the toils of his day are done. She and her 
 husband, together with the members of their family, 
 belong to St. Joseph's Catholic Church, of Medina 
 Township. j\Ir. Mallen is a firm believer in the 
 principles of Democracy, ever read}^ to cast his vote 
 in their support. Their family includes nine chil- 
 dren, one of whom, Helene T., liied at the age of 
 two years. The living arc John E., Kate, Mary A.. 
 S. Jane, Margaret, Elizabeth, Henr}- T. and Agnes. 
 Jane is tlie wife of Thomas Carroll, who lives on a 
 farm in this township; Margaret is a teacher. 
 
 -€-*-B- 
 
 <;|J0SEPH F. MURPHY. The principal part of 
 the population of Rosefleld Township is com- 
 posed of farmers and stock-raisers, and as a 
 worthy member of this industrious, intelli- 
 gent community Joseph Murphj' occuuies n<j un- 
 important position. He has been successful in the 
 prosecution of his calling, has established here a 
 comfortable home, and is the proprietor of as good 
 a farm as may be found in the whole neighborhood. 
 Mr. Murphy was born in County Armagh, Ire- 
 land, in the month of December, 1835, to Michael 
 and Mary (McGiven) Murphy, who were also na- 
 tives of that county. Paul Murphy, grandfather of 
 our subject, was twice married. He and the grand- 
 mother of our subject, who was a member of the 
 McDermott family, had several children, among
 
 344 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPEIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 whom are mentioned Patrick, whom came to Amer- 
 ica; Barney, Micliaol; Bridget, who married P. 
 Larkin and Mary, the former dying and leaving a 
 family, a part of whom came to America. The sub- 
 ject's mother was the only daughter of Patrick Mc- 
 Given, and she had one brotlier, Peter, who came 
 to the United States. The father of our subject was 
 a farmer, and was a life-long resident of Ireland. 
 Of the eight or nine children boi'n to him and his 
 wife, but three grew to maturity: Palmer, who 
 died in Peoria without children; .Joseph F. ; Mar3% 
 who married Charles Cratz, and died leaving one 
 son and two daughters. After the deatii of her hus- 
 band Sirs. Murphy came to the United States with 
 the tiiree children mentioned, landing on these 
 shores in July, 1851. They lived in the East about 
 a year, and in 1852, came to Peoria. The mother 
 spent her remaining days in this county, and finally 
 died, aged seveuty-three years, in the home of our 
 suliject January 13, 1877, surrounded b}' all tlie 
 comforts that filial love could procure. The sister 
 of our subject died two years earlier than his 
 motlier in the month of August, and his brotlier 
 died May 1, 1870. 
 
 After coming to this count}', Mr. Murphy lived 
 in Peoria for about tweut}' years and then removed 
 to his present place of residence on section 25, in 
 Rose-field Township, where he is conducting his 
 agricultural interests very profitabl}'. lie at first 
 purchased one hundred and sixty acres which he 
 placed under excellent improvement, and has since 
 added to his farm by the purchase of other land, 
 until it now comprises two hundred acres of choice 
 farming land. He is also the proprietor of vfilu- 
 able realtj' in Peoria, comprising three lots located 
 in a desirable part of the cit}', one of which he 
 purchased when he first settled there. 
 
 September 25, 1870, our subject and Miss Mary 
 Martin united their lives and fortunes and have 
 since led a happy wedded life. Mrs. Mur|ihy was 
 born in County Tipperarj', Ireland ; her parents, 
 Patrick and Julia (Bohan) Martin, came to the 
 United Stales in 1852 or 1853, and first located in 
 Ohio. They subsequentlj' resided for a time in Peo- 
 ria and then removed to Johnson County, Iowa. 
 They had five children of whom three were reared 
 to malvirit}': .lames, who w.as killed in battle during 
 
 the late war; John, who was a soldier in the war and 
 was killed in Nevada, and Mrs. Murphy. Their fa- 
 ther, Patrick Martin, also served in the war and 
 about fifteen years later died in Iowa City. Two 
 of his brothers and three of his sisters came to the 
 United States, namely: James, a resident of Peoria; 
 Thomas, who died in Iowa; Mary and Margaret, 
 who are living in Iowa, and Ella, a resident of the 
 Keystone State. 
 
 Mr. Murphy has worked hard to bring his farm 
 to its present fine condition, and has conducted his 
 labors with wise prudence and frugality, though at 
 the same time he has spent money liberally wher- 
 ever it would be of the most use. lie inherited the 
 genial characteristics of his countrymen, is warm 
 hearted and hospitable, and his neighbors find in 
 him a good friend who.Ti they respect for his many 
 excellent qualities. He and his wife are worthy 
 Christian i»eople and are devoted members of the 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 -i^^h 
 
 the pioneers of Illinois are now as active in 
 its interests as were their fathers before 
 ^)thcm, and have taken up and are success- 
 fully carrj'ing forward the work so well begun by 
 their sires in the development of the wonderful re- 
 sources of this State. The subject of this sketch is 
 a fine type of these and alreadj' occupies a high 
 [losition among the farmers and stock-raisers of 
 this county, as the proprietor of a large and well 
 raunaged farm on section 9, Millbrook Township. 
 Mr. Biederbeck was born in Knox County, Ma}- 
 28, 1857, and is a son of the well-known William 
 Biederbeck, a pioneer of this State, whose biogra- 
 l)hy a|)pears on another page of this volume. When 
 Richard was quite young his parents removed to 
 this county, and he gleaned a sound education in its 
 pul)lic schools, and here grew to man's estate. He 
 had a decided taste for agriculture and adopted 
 that calling for his life-work, and now has in his 
 possession a well-improved farm of three hundred 
 and fort3'-three acres of land that is under admir- 
 aMc tillage, and is [)rovided with a good class of
 
 rORTRATT AND BIOCxRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 34,5 
 
 buildiiii^s. and with exci'lk-iU farming wuicliiiR'ty, 
 and is vvell-stoclvcd with cattle, horses and hogs of 
 good grades. 
 
 Mr. Biederheck and ^Miss P^mnia L. Aby were 
 united in marriage February 19, 1880, and they 
 have estal)lished a charming home, to which the 
 gracious Ivindncss of the hostess and the genial 
 courtesy of tlie host attracts a wide circle of friends. 
 Mrs. Biederbecli is a daughter of Elder Aby, a 
 highly res|)octed citizen of Millbrook Township, 
 whose biography will be found on another page of 
 this work. The following is the record of the four 
 children that have blessed the happy marriage of 
 our subject and his wife: Willie B.. born March 4, 
 1881; Nellie E., in the month of February. 1883; 
 Alice L.. in December. 1884; Ralph, .Tanu.ary 3, 
 1887. 
 
 Strong of character, keen in intellect, full of re- 
 source, J[r. Biederbeck is well-equipped for the 
 battle of life, and he is meeting with unqualitied 
 success in his ventures. The genuine interest that 
 he feels for his adopted township, and the public 
 spirit that he manifests are important factors in the 
 promotion of its welfare. He is now serving as 
 School Director of District No. 5, and is contribu- 
 ting his quota in maintaining the excellent school 
 system that has been established here. He is a true 
 Republican in his political vievvs, and advocates 
 with Voice and vole the policy of his party. 
 
 \Y^' OSEPH WRIOLEY is a progressive and able 
 farmer and stock-raiser, a prominent mem- 
 ber of the faiming communitj' of Trivoli 
 Township. He is mi old soldier, and the 
 privations and sufferings that he endured uncom- 
 plainingly in those trying times of the great Rebel- 
 lion, proved his devotion to his country, and his 
 war record reflects credit on this his native county. 
 Robert Wrigle\'. the father of our subject, was 
 born in Lancashire, England, where his father, 
 bearing the same name as himself, was a merchant 
 and an inn keeper. His grandfatlier owned a farm, 
 and on that the son passed his early years until 
 within two years of the time when he emigrated to 
 
 America, and in that period he engaged in carting. 
 In 1841. he came with his wife and child to this 
 country. He had intended to settle in Ohio, but 
 was advised to come to Illinois, and did so, taking 
 up his residence in this county. He was without 
 means, having but $5 left after all his expenses 
 were paid. He worked at farming and other em- 
 plo3'men1s in Peoria for one year, and then entered 
 forty acres of land in Rosefield Township, two 
 miles east of Old Trivoli, in the Texas neighbor- 
 hood. He improved it and added to it as he could 
 find the money, and became possessed of one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres on section 30, Rosefield 
 Township, of eightj^ acres on section 6, Logan 
 Township, of one hundred and sixty acres on sec- 
 tion 1, Trivoli Township, comprising in all three 
 hundred and sixty acres, and he also had two hun- 
 dred acres in Rosefield Township, outside of his 
 home farm. He engaged extensively in farming 
 and stock business, and in 1880, rented his land 
 and retired from active work, having become 
 wealthj'. He still owns two tracts of land, com- 
 prising one hundred and twenty acres, and one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres, and has built in Peoria a fine 
 residence. He is very prominent as a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, having been a lo- 
 cal preacher while in England, and also since com- 
 ing to this country. He is self-educated, having 
 had no schooling after he was seven 3'ears old, ex- 
 cepting what he learned in the Sunday-schools. lie 
 is a firm Prohibitionist. 
 
 The mother of our subject, whose maiden name 
 was Ann Fenton, was born in England, and died in 
 Rosefield in 187(j. In her early life she was a silk 
 weaver. Five children were born of her marriage: 
 Thomas, a resident of Farmington; Joseph; .lane, 
 now Mrs. Wrigley, a resident of Chicago; William 
 I)., who lives in Trivoli; and Eunice, Mrs. Bower, 
 who died in Logan Ton-nshi[), in 1H7G. 
 
 The subject of this biographical review, was born 
 June 14, 1841, on Jones' Prairie, Limestone Town- 
 ship, this county. He was reared on a farm on the 
 Texas Road. He obtained his education under 
 difHculties, as the school which he had to attend, 
 which was first conducted und(M' the subscription 
 plan, was four miles distant. He was early put to 
 work, and afterward attemled school only during
 
 346 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the winter session. He remained with liis parents 
 until he enlisterl in August 8. 1862, when he volun- 
 teered to aid the brave soldiers of our country in 
 the great struggle that was tbeu being carried on 
 between the North and South. He became a mem- 
 ber of Comixiny D.. Eight} -sixth Illinois lufautrj-, 
 was mustered in at Peoria, and was sent to Louis- 
 ville, Ky. He fought in tiie battles of Perryville 
 and Nashville, and did garrison dut}- in the latter 
 place. He displayed such good soldierly qualities 
 in obedience to his superiors, in devotion to bis du- 
 ties, and in braverj' in face of the enemy, that he 
 was promoted to the position of Corporal. 
 
 In the fall of 1863, Corporal Wrigley was taken 
 from garrison dut}- at Nashville, and with his com- 
 panj' was sent to take part in the battles of Chicka- 
 mauga and Missionary Ridge. The}- afterward 
 helped fight the battle of Knoxville. His regiment 
 wintered about McAflfee Church and Gordon Mills, 
 and were often engaged in raiding and skirmishing. 
 He and his fellow soldiers then marched through 
 Georgia with Sherman, and did noble service in 
 the battles of Resaca and Rome, Ga. Our subject 
 was wounded in the latter eng.'igement, his left arm 
 being broken above the elbow byarausket ball. At 
 the time he was lying down behind a rail fence, but 
 as he could not load his gun in that position, he 
 rair.ed himself to his knees, and while in the act of 
 loading, the ball struck him and broke his arm, 
 the musket ball being split b}' the force of the con- 
 cussion. It was extracted from the flesh, and he 
 carried it home, and still has it in his possession as 
 a relic of his militar}- days. After being wounded 
 he made his way to the rear alone until he found 
 an ambulance, and was carried to the field hospital, 
 which was in an old plantation house, where his 
 wounds were dressed. He desired the surgeon to 
 save his arm, and thence he was sent to the hospital 
 in Rome, wheie he was given a three months' fur- 
 lough. He reported at the hospital in Springfield, 
 with his arm in a sling, and while there gangrene 
 set in, and it had to be burned out by nitric acid, 
 which nearly killed him. He had an abcess on the 
 shoulder joint, and was unable to move, and for a 
 whole month suffered indescribable torture. He 
 was finall}' discharged from the Springfield hospital 
 in the month of March, 1866. He had desired to 
 
 leave in November, as he wished to go to school, 
 but it was not thought safe for him to do so on ac- 
 count of his condition. 
 
 On his return home Mr. Wrigley went to school 
 until harvest time, and then drove a reaper, al- 
 though his wound did not heal until October, 1865. 
 After that he arranged to go to farming, and in the 
 spring of 1866 he bought one hundred and twenty 
 acres of his father on section 29, Rosefleld Town- 
 ship, which was partly improved. He located on 
 il, and did well in farming and raising stock, con- 
 tinuing to live there until 1885, when he sold that 
 place aud bought his present farm, as it w.is more 
 convenient in its situation, and the land was much 
 belter than his old farm. It comprises one hun- 
 dred and twenty-two acres on section 13, Trivoli 
 Township, all of which is improved and supplied 
 with necessary buildings, is wall tilled, and neatly 
 hedged, is pleasantlj' located one half mile from 
 town, aud is classed among the best farms in the 
 count}-. Mr. Wrigley has here some high graded 
 Short-horn cattle, and some good horses for gen- 
 eral purposes, using two teams in the work on his 
 place, and he makes a specialty of high graded Po- 
 land-China hogs, having from seventy-five to one 
 hundred and ten head on his place all the time. 
 
 Mr. Wrigley and Miss Sarah P. Sutton weie 
 united in marriage in Trivoli, February 10, 1867. 
 She is a native of Trivoli, .ind a daughter of Will- 
 iam and Mary (Young) Sutton. They came from 
 Maine, emigrating to this county in the early days 
 of its settlement, where he was engaged in farm- 
 ing. Mrs. Wrigley has been an invalid for the last 
 twelve years, but bears her suffering with resigca- 
 tion. Her pleasant wedded life svith our subject 
 has been blessed to them by the birth of two chil • 
 jlren, Everett Y., aud Fenton E. Both are at home 
 and assist in the management of the farm. Ever- 
 ett learned telegraphy at Farmington and Dixon, 
 but prefers to follow agriculture. 
 
 He of whom we write is prominent in the 30cial, 
 political, public, and religious life of the commu- 
 nity. He is a member of the Daniel McCook Post, 
 O. A. R.. at Elmwood. He has been School Di- 
 rector for the past four years, and while a resident 
 of Rosefield, was Township Trustee. He is very 
 active in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 3li> 
 
 he is Steward ami Trustee, and he has been SiipiM- 
 intendent of the Sunday-schocl. His nllegianfc to 
 the Re|julilie:iii party, is as linn as in the ilays wlicn 
 he was fi.yliting for his country. Ho has been a 
 delegate to County Conventions. Me lias served 
 on the Petit Jury. lie is a strong advocate of tem- 
 perance in word and act. 
 
 ■:>^^3Pr^?.. 
 
 i^m^w 
 
 11^-^ ON. P. R. K. BROTHKRSON. This name 
 ji, will be at once recognized as that of a gen- 
 tleman who has been connected with the 
 [^1 business interests and public labors of Peo- 
 ria for a number of years, and one who is still 
 identified with tiie moral and social prosperity of 
 that city. Mr. Brotherson enjoys tiie distinction of 
 l)eing the first Republican ever elected to the lAIay- 
 orally of Peoria, that event having taken place in 
 18(J8 and he having been re-elected with a greatly 
 inei'eased majority in 1872. The older residents in 
 the citj' will recall the fact that he established the 
 first exclusively wholesale grocery house here, 
 which was conducted for some years under the 
 style of Brotherson & McReynolds. 
 
 Phili]) Brotherson. the father of our subject, was 
 born in Deniarara, South America, and was brought 
 by his parents to New York when twelve years old. 
 Settlement was made on the North River where 
 Philip was reared to mercantile pursuits. There he 
 l)ccanie an associate of Washington Irving, who 
 w:,s wont to frequently pass an evening with him 
 in order to receive his criticism on the latest pro- 
 (hictions of a fertile lirain. ^Ir. ili'otherson was a 
 hearty admirer of the genial author, from whom 
 ho did not withhold the ealled-for criticism, in 
 New York M r. Brotherson wooed and won Miss 
 Catherine Kissam, a native of the metropolis and 
 daughter of an old Knickerbocker family. They 
 made their home in Saratoga County, where, July 
 11, 1811, the sidiject of this sketch was born. He 
 was the third of live children and is now the sole 
 survivor. A se<-ond niariiagc of his father resulted 
 in the birth of four daughters. 
 
 'I"he gentleman of whom we write was reared to 
 
 a like pursuit with his father, serving an appren- 
 ticeship in New York City, where he clerked for a 
 dry-goods house on Broadway and for a time was 
 in the employ of Blatthews & Ostrander. He after- 
 ward removed to Elmira, N. Y., where he engaged 
 in the hardware business with Richard F. Seabury. 
 In 1833 he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Frances B. McReynolds, a native of Elmira, and 
 after his marriage entered into business relations 
 with his father-in-law in a general store. In 1836 
 the firm removed to Cadiz, Ohio, where they spent 
 fourteen years in general merchandising,after which, 
 in the spring of 1850, they established themselves 
 in Peoria as wholesale grocers. 
 
 Six years later Mr. Brotherson sold out and en- 
 gaged in the grain and pork business with Alex- 
 aniler G. Tyng, the firm of Tyng & Brotherson 
 continuing to operate until 1877, when, having met 
 with heavy losses, our subject retired from the 
 business. In addition to the service which he ren- 
 dered Peoria as Maj^or, he has served several terms 
 as Alderman. The construction of the water works 
 was accomplished during his incumbency of the 
 Mayor's chair, he having been very active in pro- 
 moting the good of the people in that regard. 
 
 Mr. Brotherson was at one time President of the 
 Adams Street Horse Railway, of which he was also a 
 Director. He has laid out two additions to Peoria, 
 embracing forty acres and bearing his name. He 
 and his wife were active in sanitary work during 
 the war. There is probably no citizen in Peoria 
 better informed than Mr. Brotherson regarding the 
 news of the day and those -topics which bear ui)on 
 the national and social welfare, while few indeed 
 can claim a better reputation than he. 
 
 Mrs. Frances B. M. Brotherson, who died De- 
 cember 27, 1879, was a remarkable woman. She 
 was possessed of rare mental endowments and a 
 most estimable character, the golden rule of her 
 life being to do good. Her soul w\as thrdlcd by 
 strains of poesy and her brilliant mind and vivid 
 imagination found expression in verses which 
 thrilled others in return. A volume of her poems 
 has been published by her daughters so that, al- 
 though dead, -she still lives to uplift and cheer 
 lonely hearts with the bcautifid anil refined sen- 
 timents in which her works abound. Many of
 
 350 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 her poems, es|)ecially that written for Decoration 
 Da3% 1878, have attracteil much attention. She 
 was the mother of three chilli ren: Mrs. L. B. T^'ng, 
 wife of 8. G. Tyng; Mrs. M. B. Re3'nolds, wife of 
 William Rej-nolds; and Philip, who died in Jan- 
 uaiy, 1866, at the age of twent3--three years. 
 
 In connection with the personal sketch of Mr. 
 Brotherson. we present his lithographic portrait 
 on another page. 
 
 tfo^ >•• 
 
 •! 
 
 
 
 
 jl/^^ ENRY BISHOP is an honored member of 
 the farming cominunitj' of Peoria County, 
 and is closel}- identified with its social and 
 J)' religions interests. He has a well-ordered 
 and highly-productive farm on section 10, of Kick- 
 apoo Township, and has greatly assisted in the de- 
 velopment of this rich agricultural region. 
 
 Our subject is of English antecedents and birth. 
 His father, Richard Bishop, and iiis mother, Eliza- 
 l)eth Brewer, were natives of Cornwall, England, 
 where they married and spent the early years of 
 tlieir life. In 1848 they came to America and 
 settled in Pennsylvania, where Mr. Bishop was 
 chiefly engaged as manager for different mines. 
 They removed from Pennsylvania to Virginia, 
 whore he accepted the position of manager of the 
 mining department of the Iron Works, having 
 charge of one hundred men. He removed witli 
 iiis family from the Old Dominion to the Lake Su- 
 perior countrj', and located at a place called Cape 
 Hope, where he engaged in a copper mine as fore- 
 man for a mining company. The family- subse- 
 q.ientlj' returned to Virginia, and after living in 
 dififerent places, flnjilly came to Illinois about 1856. 
 Mr. Bishop purchased q. coal mine about one mile 
 above Edwards' Station, and operated it for some 
 two years. He then removed to Tazewell Count3-, 
 and worked a mine there for Jacob Funk. His 
 death in that count3-, in 1858, of congestion of the 
 brain, was a blow to the industrial interests of the 
 county and a good citizen was lost to the commu- 
 nity. His widow continued to reside there for 
 about four years and tlien married John Felton. of 
 
 this county. The3' located in Radnor Townshij), 
 where her death occurred June 13, 1888. There 
 were five children born of her first marriage, one 
 son and four daughters. 
 
 Henry Bishop was tiie oldest of the family, and 
 he was born in Cornwall. England, April .30. 1846. 
 He was quite 3'oung when his parents brought him 
 to America, and he remained an inmate of their 
 household until the death of his father, when he 
 started out in life on his own account, being em- 
 ployed as a farm laborer the ensuing four years. 
 At the breaking out of the war he was in the 
 prime and vigor of early manhood, and with pa- 
 triotic interest he watched its progress, and in 
 June, 1862, volunteered to take a part in suppress- 
 ing the Rebellion. He enlisted in Company G, 
 Sixty-seventh Illinois Infantry, for a term of three 
 months, which was extended to five months. At 
 the expiration of that time he was mustered out 
 and returned to Peoria County, and the ensuing 
 two years followed coal mining and teaming. After 
 that he again enlisted in Compan3' G, beiuo- at- 
 tached to the Eleventh Illinois Infantry, and joined 
 the regiment at Memphis, Tenn. He remained with 
 that nine months, and was then transferred to the 
 Eighth Illinois Infantry, as a member of Company 
 I, and for three months was located in Texas. He 
 was in the Department of the Gulf and bore a gal- 
 lant part in several skirmishes, being in the charge 
 of the Spanish Fort, at which time he had a nar- 
 row escape from being wounded in the leg, a ball 
 passing through his pantaloons. 
 
 After his experience of military life Mr. Bishop 
 returned to Peoria, and for three years was act- 
 ively eng.aged in coal mining, operating a coal bank 
 in company with II. Walters, of Limestone Town- 
 ship. A year Liter he turned his attention to farm- 
 ing on his step-father's farm, in Radnor Township, 
 lie remained there one 3'ear, and then rented 
 another farm in that township, which he operated 
 one year, when he again went into the coal busi- 
 ness, though he still continued farming, beino- lo- 
 cated in Limestone Township. About 1873 Mr. 
 Bishop gave himself up wholly to farming, con- 
 tinuing to live in Limestone Township until 1879. 
 when he settled on section 10, Kickapoo Townshin, 
 where he owns one of the most desirable f.-irnis in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 351 
 
 the locality. Tt comprises one iuindred and sixty 
 acios of very fertile land, wliieb is carefully culti- 
 vated and provided witli substantial improvements. 
 
 While residing in Limestone Township, Mr. 
 Bishop contracted a matrimonial alliance with Miss 
 Mai-y M. I'xmtz. who is to him one of the best of 
 wives, the ceremony that made them one being sol- 
 emnized May 10, 1871. Mrs. Bishop's parents are 
 Conrad and Mary M. (Bcl*elyon) Bontz. natives 
 of IJavuria. (;ermany. They met and married in 
 I'eoria County and settled in Limestone among its 
 pioneers, and still resiile there. He is a farmer by 
 occupation and has a good farm under his control. 
 Mrs. r.ishop was the second of nine eliildren, and 
 was born in Limestone Township August 26, 1818. 
 Tliree children have been born of her union to our 
 subject: Kstelia, Grace E. and (lertrude A. 
 
 Mr. r.ishop is justly held in high consideration 
 by the entire community, as he possesses in a full 
 degree those qualities th.at mark him as a loyal, 
 )iublies|)irited citizen, and a man of high princi- 
 ph' and unswerving integrity. Li his relations with 
 bis fellow-citizens he is always kindly and consid- 
 erate, and his domestic life is above reproach. He 
 h:is held the offices of Highway Commissioner and 
 School Trustee in Kickapoo Township, and in pol- 
 itics is a true Democrat, although in local elections 
 lie votes for those whom he considers best fitted 
 f'lr the office. He is active in religious matters, 
 and he and his wife are devoted members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has held 
 the oflice of Steward. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop are 
 also zealous promoters of the Grange movement, 
 :uid with their two eldest daughters arc members 
 of Orange Grange. 
 
 ^1^ ATHER PATRICK McGAIR. If thorough 
 L^ scholarship, cordial, kindly manners, and a 
 J, devotion to the work which lies before bim, 
 
 entitle a man to represeiiiation in a volume of this 
 nature, then is Father McGair especially deserving 
 of our notice. He is now in charge of the parish of 
 St. Mary's of the Woods, at Princeville, and also of 
 the Catholic Church at Dunlap. His congregation 
 in the former place is one of the best .ind wealthiest 
 
 in the county, being made up of the better class of 
 citizens and proving a most pleasant field of labor. 
 The church edifice is the largest in the county out- 
 side of Peo'-ia and was erected at a cost of over 
 §10.000, the magnificent structure being due largely 
 to the efforts of our subject. It was put ui) iu 1889. 
 
 Father McGair is still quite a young man, hav- 
 ing been born in Providence. R. L, February 8, 
 1854. He had the best of school advantages, im- 
 proving them so well that ho was graduated from 
 till! High School when bui fourteen years old. He 
 then entered St. Charles (,'ollege near Baltimore, 
 Ijrosecuting bis studies therein four years, and 
 thence going to La.Sump'ion, Canada. In the col- 
 lege at that place he still further advanced his edu- 
 cation, remaining there four years and being then 
 transferred to the tutelage of Bisho)) Spalding of 
 Peoria. In 1877, he joined the Peoria diocese and 
 entering St. Frances Theological College at Mil- 
 waukee, completed his studies for the priesthood 
 and was ordained that year. 
 
 On June 29. 1878, Father McGair was ordained 
 at Peoria by Bishop Spalding and sent to Wataga, 
 Knox Count}', where he remained one year and 
 three months, serving two churches. He then went 
 to Gilman, Iroquois County, where with one as- 
 sistant he served four missions. He labored ardu- 
 ously, building a largo parochial house and finishing 
 the church, also erecting a church at Ashkum, and 
 finishing one at Watseka ami Crescent City each. 
 In March, 1884, he was placed in charge of the 
 Princeville congregation which had been organized 
 by Feather Albright in 1868. The society had pur- 
 chased the old Presbyterian Church and used it 
 until recently, when they were able to take posses- 
 sion of their beautiful new edifice. 
 
 The family of which our subject is the fourth 
 member, includes Mrs. Catherine O'Neil and Mrs. 
 Susan McCarthy of Providence, R. L; James, of 
 I'rinceville, 111.; F'rank, of the Regular Army sta- 
 tioned at Ft. Adams, Newport; Mrs. Mary McCabe, 
 of Providence, R. I. ; Mrs. Sarah Byrnes, of Prince- 
 ville Township, this county; and Margaret, of 
 Providence, R. I. The mother, formerly Miss 
 Margaret Meenan, a native of Ireland, emigrated 
 to America when seventeen 3-ears old ; she is now 
 sixty-eight.
 
 352 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 The father of our subject was P. McRair, horn 
 in County Tyrone, Ireland, and reared in Rhode 
 Ishxnd to which lie was brought by his parents 
 wiien five years old. He studied engineering, became 
 thoroughly practical in his business and finally rose 
 to the position of Su|)erintendent of tiic Pruit Works 
 in Pi-ovidence. Tliere he was accidentally killed, 
 liis clothes having caught on a siiaft and his spine 
 being broken, death ensuing eight daj's later, Sep- 
 tember 17, l.S7<S. He was then fifty-five years old. 
 
 
 i)EV. JACOB S. CHAMBERLAIN, A. 15., of 
 "Robin's Nest Farm" and Rector of Clui.st's 
 Ciinich, Jubilee, is an old settler of tlie 
 county, and is widely known and hcmored 
 as one of the early missionaries of the West, who 
 has been a ))otent infiuenee in elevating the religious 
 status of tliis part of the country. His life has 
 been a busy one, and lie has had a remarkable and 
 varied experience. He has ever been ready to re- 
 spond to an}' call for his services, and has traveled 
 far and wide in the interests of both religion and 
 education. He and his wife are looked upon with 
 reverence and affection, and hold important places 
 in this community. 
 
 Our subject was born in Buffalo, N. Y., January 
 16, 1820, a son of .Sylvester Cliaml)erlain, a native 
 of Columl)ia County, N. Y., whose father, Jonathan 
 Cliamlierlain, was born of English parentage near 
 (Springfield, ISIass., and was an early settler of Co- 
 lumbia County. The grandfather engaged in farm- 
 ing in Austerlitz, on the Green River, where he 
 reared his family. His ancestry were noted for their 
 integrity, simplicity and deep religious principles, 
 and these he inherited to a large degree. 
 
 The father of our subje( t was reared on a farm, 
 but while j'oung learned the trade of a blacksmith. 
 He enlisted in the militia and served in the War of 
 1812, on the Niagara frontier, under Gen. Scott. 
 He was well pleased with the country there, and 
 soon after liis discharge returned home and made 
 arrangements for moving to Western New York, 
 and located in Buffalo. He established himself as 
 a blacksmith there, and worked at the forge until 
 
 he had to retire on account of an injur}' he had 
 received. He then eng.aged in tlie manufacture of 
 wagons and carriages, was one of the first manu- 
 facturers of vehicles in that city, and was also 
 among the largest in his day. His homestead wsis 
 on the corner of Pearl and Mohawk Streets. He 
 was cpnte a local politician, was a Whig in his 
 views and worked towards Rei)ublicanism. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Hannah Miller, and 
 she was born in Franklin, N. Y. She was a Pres- 
 byterian in religion, and died in Buffalo. Her 
 father was a farmer. Her mother's maiden name 
 was Sherrill. 
 
 The parents of our subject had nine children, of 
 whom the following is recorded: Hunting S., a 
 manufacturer, died in Buffalo; Theresa died in 
 Chicago; William H. H., a manufacturer, died in 
 Milwaukee; Horace, who was Captain of a Texas 
 company in the Texas Rebellion, under Gen. Hous- 
 ton, died in Texas a few years after from the 
 effects of a svvord wound in the eye; Jonathan is a 
 retired manufacturer of Buffalo; the next in order 
 is our subject, Jacob Sherrill; Maria, residing in 
 AVashington, is the widow of Mr. Rueker; Samuel 
 Miller, who was an attorney and a member of the 
 editorial profession, was editor of the New York 
 Times one year, and editor of the Buffalo Morning 
 Expi-ess for twenty-five or thirty years, and died in 
 that city; Edward O., a mechanic of Buffalo, served 
 in the late war. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Chamberlain, of tliis sketcii, was 
 reared in his native county, and received good 
 school advantages for that d.ay. When he was 
 fourteen 5'ears old he entered Fredonia Academy, 
 in Chautauqua County, and studied there three 
 years to prepare himself for college, but on account 
 of his father's failure in business, he had to give 
 up the idea of entering college, .and he then began 
 the study of law in Buffalo under Stevens & Wing, 
 and later with Judge Rodgcrs. In 1839, when 
 nineteen j'ears old, he went to Chicago, and in 
 that then small village finished his legal studies 
 under the tuition of Butterfleld & Collins, and was 
 admitted to the Illinois bar in 1 840. He first es- 
 tablished himself as a practitioner of the law in 
 Chicago in partnership with Col. Hamilton, and later 
 continued in practice l)y himself until 1845. In
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 353 
 
 the meantime he had united with tlie Protestant 
 Episcopal Church, and witli religious zeal had de- 
 termined to enter the ministry, and came to Jubilee 
 College to prepare liimself. He entered the college 
 and seminary in the spring of 18-15, and was grad- 
 uated in tlie spring of 1847 with the degree of A. 15. 
 He was immediately ordained and became a mission- 
 ary for this region, and traveled in Woodford, 
 Tazewell and Peoria Counties in pursuit of his call- 
 ing,organizing congregations and building churches. 
 In 1849 he located in Peoria, secured the present 
 site of the St. Paul's Protestant Eijiscopal Church, 
 and built the first St. Paul's Church, and for three 
 years acted in the double capacity of pastor for its 
 congregation and a missionary. At the expiration 
 of that time, after the parish had been well organized 
 and the church had been built, he went to Pekin 
 and other places in Woodford, Tazewell and other 
 counties, and did missionary work, \vhil<! he left 
 his family in Peoria. At that time he received 
 liule ui' UK salary and had to support himself, and 
 in order to do so engaged in teaching a select 
 school. He started at that lime a girls' school in the 
 old Moss nninsioii, on the bluff, under the name of 
 "St. Mary's School." 
 
 In 1852 our subject went to IMiiinesota, and be- 
 gan missionary work there. His mission was known 
 as '"St. Anthony's Falls Church Mission," in which 
 he wits actively engaged forelevcn 3'ears, and during 
 that time he traveled in the interests of his mission 
 many miles, his circuit extending over one hun- 
 dred miles, from Chaska, on the Minnesota, to 
 Sauk Rapids, on the Mississii)p!. Forsev(!ral years 
 he traveled on foot, and then by vehicles. He 
 built thirteen Episcopal Churches within the one 
 hundred miles, and remained in Minnesota until the 
 spring of 1864, when he came Iiack to .Jubilee 
 Township. He had then just recovered from a 
 siege of the smallpox. He had left his family at 
 the "Robin's Nest," and as soon as he was well 
 enough he went to Washington, D. C, where he was 
 employed by the Government in the Treasury De- 
 partment until the winter of 1864. He was ac- 
 quainted with Abraham Lincoln, and attended 
 many of his receptions, and heard him tell many of 
 his famous stories, which he h;is remembered and 
 treasured up for years. 
 
 In the winter of 1864, Mr. Chamberlain received 
 the appointment from President Lincoln as Chaplain 
 of Nelson general hospital, Camp Nelson, Ivy. He 
 proceeded to that place, reported for duty, received 
 his commission and went to work with a will. He was 
 .mustered out in July, 1865, at Louisville, Ky.,and 
 returned to Jubilee by the way of Chicago. He 
 resumed his old work as missionary in the Illinois 
 diocese, and was thus engaged in Knox, Mercer 
 and Rock Island Counties. He was the founder of 
 St. Mary's School, in Knoxville, he procuring the 
 site and property and securing the services of Dr. 
 Leffengwell as its head, going to Winconsin to per- 
 suade the doctor to undertake the charge, and con- 
 tracting with him to teach the first five j'ears. The 
 school progressed well, was a success from the 
 start, and is to-day a flue institution. In 1882 
 Mr. Chamberlain received a call from Wichita, 
 Kan., and was pastor of the church there for two 
 years. At the expii'ation of that time he was ap- 
 |x>inted Superintendent of Christ Hospital, at To- 
 peka, and he directed its organization anil was very 
 busily engaged in that fur more than three years. 
 
 In September, 1887, our subject retired from the 
 duties of that onerous [losition on account of ill- 
 health, and for a year lived retired in Jubilee. He 
 then accepted the position of Rector of Jubilee 
 Chapel, his predecessor having resigned at the 
 beginning of 188!), and is devoting his energies to 
 carrying on its work. He is also Missionary Rec- 
 tor of Grace Church, Mercer County, which he es- 
 tablished j'ears ago. He has led a very active 
 life, and has selilom had less than five or six con- 
 gregations under his charge, and lias built twenty 
 churches, and organized a still larger number and 
 has otherwise greatly advanced the cause of relig- 
 ion in various places. He is a member of the Free 
 and Accepted Masons lodge at Cambridge, and in 
 his political views is a stanch Rei)td)lican. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married. In 1843 
 he was united to Sarah E. Hyde, who was born at 
 Darien, Genesee County', N. Y. She died after 
 thirteen months of married life. Oin- subject's mar- 
 riage with Miss Mary Chase, only daughter of 
 Bishop Philander Chase, D.D., was solemnized 
 Atn'il 11, 1817. To them have been born six chil- 
 dren, of whom the following is recorded: Sherrill,
 
 354 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 11 vvell-lo do farmer in Harper County, Kan., at- 
 tended Racine College two years; Philander C, who 
 attended Hobart College for three years, is now stnff 
 correspondent and distributor of the To[ieka Daily 
 Capital, having been engaged on that pajjer for over 
 eleven years, since it started, he taking the first im- 
 pression of the paper from the press; Ernest, who is 
 engaged in general farming and stock-raising on 
 the home farm, is the naturalist of the family, and 
 has the finest and largest collection of Illinois 
 birds' eggs in the Stale; Ruth, a graduate of St. 
 Mary's, of Knoxvillc. is the wife of .Toim C. Lewis, 
 a farmer of Warren County; Grace, who resides 
 with her father, was for three years ward matron 
 of Christ Hos|)it:il, Topeka; Mary C. is the wife of 
 IMr. Clark, of Champaign, III., where he is taking a 
 mechanical engineer's course at the State University. 
 Mis. Chamberlain was educated at Jubilee Col- 
 lege in the same classes with her husband. She has 
 devoted herself to teaching some in the vicinit)- and 
 some in Peoria, and .is a lad3' of culture and marked 
 ability has been a great help to her husband in his 
 work. Ilcr father, Bishop Chase, was one of the fore- 
 most educators and ministers of his day in the West. 
 He wag a native of Cornish, N. II., and was graduated 
 from Dartmouth College in the class of 171)6. He 
 studied theology under the Episcopal Church Rec- 
 tor at Albany, N. Y., and became a Doctor of 
 Divinity. He was a Missionary in that State until 
 he was chosen Rector of Christ's Church in Hurt- 
 ford, Conn., which position he occupied a long- 
 time. He then acted as Rector of Christ's Church 
 at New Orleans, La., for some j-uars. After that 
 he came North to Worthington, Ohio, where he 
 was elected Bishop of the Diocese of that State. 
 He was the founder of Kenyon College, at Gambler, 
 Ohio, and was at its head, until he resigned to go 
 to Michigan. Going to Michigan he bought a large 
 tract of land in Gilead, Branch County, where he 
 farmed and did missionarj- work. In 1835 he was 
 elected Bishop of the Diocese of Illinois, and in 
 1836 he came to Jubilee. He had received funds 
 from the friends of the Protestant Ei)iscopal Church 
 in England and America from which to found an 
 institution of learning, and lie selected a site on 
 section 25, in this township, and as soon as possible 
 laid the foundation of tke school, laving the corner 
 
 stone of the chapel of the institution which he 
 called Jubilee College (from which the township 
 afterward received its name) April 3, 1839. He 
 also selected a site for his own home and private 
 property, located on north-half of section 36, where 
 he built the "Robin's Nest," afterward erecting a 
 brick residence, which still bears the name. This 
 property now contains one hundred and ninety acres 
 of land, located on the Kickapoo, and is a fine farm, 
 containing all the necessary conveniences. It is 
 located in a picturesque and beautiful spot, and is 
 a lovely place. The Bishop in his "Reminiscences" 
 called it the "Robin's Nest" because it was then "a 
 rude dwelling built of mud and sticks and filled with 
 3'oung ones." This beautiful property was in- 
 herited by the wife of our subject, and they make 
 it their home. By his personal inlluence the Bishop 
 secured the establishment of a p(>sl-oflice here, 
 which was named "Robin's Nest," and retained 
 that name until some two years ago, when it was 
 changed to its present title of Jubilee, and he was 
 api)oinled first Postmaster. 
 
 Rj' his energy and good management Bishop 
 Chase established a college in the wilderness, which 
 was at that lime one of the foremost institutions of 
 learning in the West, as to the number of students 
 in attendance and in regard to its end<jwments and 
 future jn'ospects. At the time of his death the 
 buildings had been erecle<l, and he had secured 
 over twelve hundred acres of land, in Juliilec 
 Township, free from incumbrance and one-half 
 under the plow. The institution was planned to 
 be largely supported by llie rents of its agricult- 
 ural lands, occupied b^- an Ei)iscopal colony. The 
 trustees of Jubilee College were appointed by 
 Bishop Chase's will, according to the conditions of 
 the charter which he had procured from the Leois- 
 lature of the State. After the Bishop's death, the 
 administration fell into the hands of Dr. Samuel 
 Chase, great nephew of the Bishop, and Vice- 
 President. Dr. Chase kept the college open for a 
 time, but during the war, like man}- other institu- 
 tions of ihe kind at that time, it failed to receive 
 suliicient support, many of the pupils enlisting in 
 the armj-. and in the second year it w.as closed, as 
 the Vice-President was appointed Chaplain of the 
 Twelfth Illinois Regiment. The Bishop had estab-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOItRAPIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 355 
 
 lislieil a priiitinjj office at Jubilee, and did all the 
 printing in connection with the institution, and the 
 publishing of a nionthlj- paper, "Tiie Motto of 
 Jubilee College." lie had overyihing in fine order 
 and the institution established on a solid financial 
 basis, when he met his death acci*lentaily while out 
 driving, on September 20, 1852, in his seventy-sixth 
 year. Peoria County then lost one of its most 
 learned and most respected citizens. 
 
 Mrs. Cliamberlaiii's mother's maiden name was 
 8oi>hia May Ingiaham, and she was born al Ams- 
 terdam, Holland, where her parents were visiting. 
 Her mother was a Greenleaf, of Boston, a very 
 prominent family, and tlie Ingrahams were also of 
 the best people. She was a remarkable and noble 
 char.acter, was well educated and was of great 
 assistance to the Bishop in his work. "She was a 
 perfect woman," said one who knew her well. She 
 w.as loved by all, and her death in the fall of 1864 of 
 paralssis. at the "Robin's Nest," was greatly 
 mourned. The Bishop had been twice married. 
 But one is livitig of the tiiree children born of his 
 first marriage, the Rev. Dudley Chase, who is now 
 retired Past Chaplain of the United States Army, 
 living in Philadelpliia, Pa. There were three chil- 
 dren of the second union, namely: Henry I., a 
 resident of Riverside, Chicago, and inventor of the 
 '•Cliase Elevator;" ftlary, wife of. our subject, and 
 tliu Rev. Philaiuler Ciiase, Jr., who died in Stark 
 Count}-, this State. 
 
 rj^^ATHAN GILES is held in h(jnor .as a pio- 
 I 1/ "*''^' ^^ I'eoria Count}', who has taken an 
 l^,Mi active part in its development, and has 
 done good service in the past as a valu.nble pul)lic 
 otlicial. He is one of the ()ld settlers of North 
 Peoria, be having come to his present location on 
 Knoxville Avenue, one and one half miles north of 
 the court-house, in 1844. 
 
 Thomas Giles, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Wales, and early took up the life of a sol- 
 dier, and when a young man was sent to St. Hele- 
 na's Island b}' tiie British Government as one of 
 Bonaparte's guards. He there married Miss Ann 
 
 Pickin, and on that island three of their children 
 were born. After coming to this country, Mr. 
 Giles occupied himself as a stonemason in New 
 York, and in 1 836 emigrated from that State to 
 this, and bouglit the property now owned by our 
 subject. It comprised eight}' acres of land, whicii 
 he purchased of William Hale for about #8 or *10 
 an acre. He entered upon its imi)rovement, but 
 his useful career was cut sbort by his deatii in 
 1838. He was in every way worthy of respect, 
 and, of the Bajjtist faith in religion, was promi- 
 nient in the ciiurch. His wife survived him until"' 
 1855, when she too passed away. They had the 
 following children — Thomas, loseph, William, 
 Alice (wife of James Peters), Nathan, George and 
 Sarah. Sarah, who was the third child in order of 
 birth, was killed by lightning in Utica, N. Y.. in 
 1837. 
 
 Oui- subject w;is born while his parents were liv- 
 ing in Oneida County. N. Y.. November 15, 1827, 
 being the date of his Ijirth. Tiie family subse- 
 quently removed to Oswego County, N. Y., and 
 remained there eight years, coming to this State in 
 June, 1836. Nathan, however, remained at Rich 
 land, N. Y., until the spring of 1843, when he 
 turned his face Westward, and coming to Wiscon- 
 sin, was engaged in the lead mines near Galena for 
 ten months. The following spring he crossed the 
 State line and came to this county, where he rested 
 from his wanderings until the spring of 1849. At 
 tliat time the people hereabouts, as in all parts of 
 the country, were much excited over the discovery 
 of gold in California, and our subject, catching the 
 fever, determined to join the many men who were 
 crossing the plains and mountains in search of the 
 precous metal. He and his brother William, and 
 their friend, Paul Keim, joined a company, twelve 
 or fourteen trains going out from Peoria with ox- 
 teanis. Tlie first night out tliey found shelter in a 
 house, which was the last roof that covered their 
 licads until they left the mines in 1853. The 
 corai)any W(;nt by the way of St. Joseph, covering 
 the old route tlirough Brownsville, Ft. Kearney, 
 by the way of tlie North I'iattc, etc. They took a 
 boat and rope witli tliem, and ferried themselves 
 .across every stream excc|)t the INIissouri River, 
 finally selling their boat and rope at Green River,
 
 356 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 Utali, fur -rJ-.'iM). They passed Ft. Hall, and went 
 by llie northern trail from Mary's River, [and 
 leaciied the Sacramento River at (ioose Lake, and 
 then followed tlie stream down to Lawson's Ranche, 
 going throngh the valley proper of the Sacrauienlo. 
 They first stniek the mining regions at Readding's 
 Springs, and after three months went to Sacramento 
 City to stock iqi. Tliey returned to the mines at 
 Rose's Bar, on the north fork of the Yuba, and 
 there spent the ensuing winter, finding a fair 
 amount of gold. They next went to Deer Creek, 
 and six montlis later passed over the north fcu'k of 
 t!ie Yulia, farther up the stream, and in the fall 
 William Giles returned home, coming by tiie w.ay 
 of ^Mexico and New Orleans. Our subject leaving 
 tlial part of tlu^ mines, went down into tlie valley 
 with a view of entering the cattle business. Not satis- 
 fied witli ths prospects tliere, he soon returned to 
 Readding's Springs, and in the following February 
 accompanied a party, comprising Moses Y. Duscn 
 berry, jNIilton Hasbrook (both known in Peoria), 
 John Rodham, George Wells and Henry Bowman, 
 to Shasta Yallo}-, which was then perfectly unknown 
 and had never been prospected by vvhite men, they 
 doing tiie first mining that was ever done on the 
 Shasta River, which afterward i>roved to be a very 
 rich mineral country. The following May i\Ir. 
 Giles went down the Klamouth River, and crossing 
 the divide to Clear Creek, discovered gold in the 
 extreme northwestern part of California on that 
 creek and its tributaries. They worked there until 
 leaving for home, and during the time our subject 
 visited Oregon three times, going to Portland and 
 Oregon City. After leaving Clear Creek our sub- 
 ject and his friends went to Crescent City, Cal., and 
 there took steamer for San Francisco, where the}- 
 stopped twenty days. Mr. Giles then started for 
 home via Panama and New York, arriving in Peo- 
 ria December 22 or 2.3, 1853, after an absence of 
 four and one-half years. He at once entered into 
 business, opening a brickj'ard on the land he now 
 occupies. He continued to manufacture brick for 
 ten years, and then turned his atteutioh to farming 
 in Richwood Township, and was there actively 
 engaged in tilling the farm and stock-raising for i 
 ten years. At the expiration of that time he traded 
 for more of the original eighty with his brother, 
 
 and now owns eighteen acres of it, having sold off 
 the remainder at a good price. In 188.j he erected 
 his present commodious and convenientl\' arranged 
 residence, and hero lias one of the most coz3' and 
 comfortable homes, in wliicli he lives retired from 
 active life, simply' attending to his few acres of 
 land. 
 
 December 18, 18.56, our subject married Cather- 
 ine Clausen, and in her has found all that a good 
 wife sliould be. To them have come five children, 
 all of whom were reared to maturity- — Margaret 
 Ann married Arthur Kerthley, of this city; Loui'se 
 Anna C, who married Frank Corrington, is now 
 deceased; Olive mairied J E. Sherwood, of Bea- 
 trice, Neb.; Alice is at home; Andrew, in business 
 in the cit3% makes his home with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Giles is widely and favorably known in this 
 county, whose interests he has been instrumental in 
 advancing during his many years residence here, 
 where he has won the friendship of many by his 
 helpfulness, constant kindness and other personal 
 qualities. He has mingled in the public life of the 
 county, and in his capacity of Supervisor of Rich- 
 wood Township, which iiosition he held for eleven 
 years, his wise counsels and zealous devotion to 
 the interests of the public ma<le him a valuable 
 official. During his incumbenc}- of that office the 
 county court house was erected, and he was one of 
 the building committee. He can say trnthfnllj', 
 that not another court-house can compare with it 
 for beauty, utility and ventilation. He h.as also 
 been Trustee of the village of North Peoria, but 
 since then has refused the office. He has taken an 
 active part in polities, was a Democrat until 1861, 
 when he joined the Republican partj-, and bas since 
 then seen no reason for change in his political 
 views. 
 
 7;RANK C. MAHLER. Few, if any, of the 
 ly young business men of Peoria have brighter 
 prospects for the future than the gentleman 
 above named, who as junior member of an old es- 
 tablished firm has already become quite promi- 
 nently known in business circles. The business in 
 which he is engaged is that of general brass foun-
 
 iJrC ^a^l^

 
 POUTRAIT ANM) BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 361 
 
 {living and maniifactmiiii^ of brass goods and oop- 
 liersniiLliintf. espfcial attcnlioii being given to ttoani 
 titlin^s and llu! coi)per work nscd in distilleries. 
 The ware rooms and otiiee are loeatc^l at No. 400 
 South A<lains Street with the machine shop in the 
 rear, and furnisii eniplojnienl to a force of forty 
 men. The business was establisluHl in ISoO, by S. 
 A. Kinsey and John C. Mahler, the latter the fa- 
 ther of our subject, and the first change made in 
 the firm was in 1882 wiien the business w.as incor- 
 porated, y. A. Kinsey then became President, War- 
 ren Kinsey Secretary, and F. C. iMaliler Treasurer, 
 the capital stock of the company being |i50,000. 
 
 Our subject is of (ieruian ancestry, his father 
 having been born in the Fatlierknd, whence he 
 emigrated to St. Louis, Mo., vvhen a young man. 
 There he married Miss Catherine Bittner, removing 
 to Peoria and organizing the firm which has grown 
 to its present proportions. He was a practical cop- 
 persmitii. He breathed his last iu 1873. His son, 
 our subject, was born in this city April 17; 1868, 
 and educated in its schools. During tiie last five 
 years, since completing his education, he has given 
 his time and attention to the business, altiiough his 
 interest extenils over a much greater period. 
 
 Mr. Mahler is a young gentleman whose informa- 
 tion on various toi)ics is quite extensive and whose 
 financial ability is commended by all with whom he 
 has dealings. In his own circle of acquaintances he 
 has many friends who speak highly of his. social 
 qualities and kindly nature. 
 
 ^^i 
 
 ON. JOHN HAMLIN. For many years 
 j\l the late .loiui Hamlin was a loading spirit 
 in Peoria County. He was in many res- 
 |)ccts a remarkable man, and seemed es- 
 pecially qualified by nature for frontier life, having 
 the intrepid spirit, coolness in time of danger and 
 faculty of arriving quickly at a decision, which are 
 necessary to those who take their place in the van- 
 guard of civilization With these ti aits he com- 
 bined the keen observation, quick perceptions and 
 accurate judgment which made him a power in the 
 community as the population increased, and led to 
 
 his being selected to represent the peo|)le in the 
 House of Representatives and the State Senate. 
 
 Mr. Hamlin was a native of AVilbraham, Mass., 
 born there October 25, 1800, and in early manhood 
 liecamc a trader at Ft. Clark, now Peoria, III. He 
 went on trading expeditions northward and west- 
 ward, visiting many localities which are now the 
 centers of advanced civilization, but which in those 
 early days were but rude hamlets, simple trading 
 posts, or a wilderness trodden only by the feet of 
 savages and an occasional white man. His treat- 
 ment of the red men uniformly secured their good- 
 will, and his house was always open to them, a lock 
 or key being unknown to his cabin. Many anight 
 Indians slept in the kitchen, one of the number 
 keeping watch while the others slumbered. 
 
 Upon one occasion while en route to Wisconsin 
 Mr. Hamlin was importuned, being a Justice of 
 the Peace, to marry a couple at Ft. Dearborn, now 
 Chicago. He said that he di.l not know the mar- 
 riage ceremony, but the prospective bridegrooni, 
 Dr. Wolcott, being prepared for such an emergency, 
 offered to teach him. This was done, and upon 
 his return trip Mr. Hamlin performed the rites 
 which m.ade Dr. Alexander Wolcott and Miss 
 Kinzie man and wife, this being the first marri.age 
 ceremony ever performed in what is now Chicago. 
 It occurred some time in the '20s, prior to the mar- 
 riage of Mr. Hamlin. 
 
 When Mr. Hamlin took a companion and lo- 
 cated permanently in Peoria there were but few 
 families here. Samuel, Josiah and Seth Fulton 
 and wife, John Dixon, who keiit the ferry, a lawyer 
 named Bogardus, Caldwell, the village blacksmith. 
 Dr. Longworthy and the families of Joe Smith, 
 and Aquillaand Alva Moffatt, were living in or near 
 the hamlet. The old fort was in a dilapidated 
 condition, but was rebuilt and strengthened during 
 the Black Hawk War, and became the rendezvous 
 of settlers during those troublous times. Mr. Ham- 
 lin was the first man to run a keel boat, bringing 
 supplies from St. Louis to this market. Subse- 
 quently he became part owner of a steamer which 
 plied the waters of the Illinois. He and a Mr. 
 Shari) built tiie first gristmill on the Kickapoo, 
 where they did grinding for all the country round 
 about. For many years after quitting the Indian
 
 362 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 trade he kept a stock of diy -goods, and he is num- 
 bered among the first and most prominent mer- 
 chants of this locality. 
 
 Mr. Hamlin was a member of the House of Rep- 
 resentatives during the last session which was held 
 at Yandalia, and favored the removal of tlienapilal 
 to Peoria, but the "long nine" proved too much for 
 his party. He was also a member of the State 
 Senate when the first session was held in Spring- 
 field. His constituents found him ever alive to 
 their interests and tlie good of the county and 
 State, ever read}' to oppose fraud and corruption, 
 and to lift his voice and cast his ballot in favor of 
 the right. He was called hence March 29, 1875, 
 leaving behind liim in the hearts of men a record 
 more enduring than monumental stone or sculp- 
 tured bust. He left to his widow a comfortable 
 estate. 
 
 Among the old settlers still living, few have been 
 here longer or have witnessed more of the marked 
 growth of this beautiful city tlian Mrs. John Ham- 
 lin. She is now an octogenarian, having been born 
 in Athens County, Ohio, January 10, 1808, and 
 iiaving come here the bride of our subject in 1829. 
 Her maiden name was Cynthia A. Johnson, and at 
 tlie time of her marriage she was living in Spring- 
 field, 111. Her wedding trip was by buggy from 
 that village to Ft. Clark. 
 
 Mrs. Hamlin delights to relate the ex[ieriences 
 of the ohlen times, and when anyone suggests that 
 she must have undergone many hardships, She 
 cheerfully responds, ''No, indeed, the happiest 
 times of my life were when I was living in a cabin, 
 and my husband was engaged as a trader, largely' 
 with the Indians." "Why," says she, "we used to 
 gather great quantities of wild honey, wild fruits 
 abounded on every hand, and Indians brought 
 venison, wild turkej- and various other articles 
 which they gladlj' exchanged for trinkets, of which 
 they were very proud." 
 
 Mrs. Hamlin occupies the homestead on the cor- 
 ner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Knoxville Road. 
 Slie is a member and ardent supporter of tlie New 
 Jerusalem or Swedenborgian Church, as is her for- 
 mer ward, Mrs. Van Buskirk. with whom she makes 
 her liome. Mrs. Hamlin and her husband look 
 four children, whom the}' reared to years of ma- 
 
 turity and all of whom are married. As one who 
 shared in the toils and privations of pioneer life, 
 and who was ever ready to lend a helping hand to 
 those about her. as well as for the character ^hicli 
 is the crowning glory of womanhood, Mrs. HaTnlin 
 deserves and receives the hearty respect of all to 
 whom she is known. Her many friends will be 
 pleased to notice her portrait, in company with 
 that of her late husband, on another page of this 
 volume. 
 
 p' A DOCK P. STEVENS. Trivoli Township 
 has not within Us limits a more skillful, 
 enterprising or successful farmer than our 
 subject, who has on section 4, a model farm and 
 one of the pleasantest homes in this locality. He 
 was born on this farm April 25, 1851, being a son 
 of Joseph F. Stevens, a pioneer of this county, who 
 was born near Danbury, Conn. (For ancestry see 
 Onslow S. Stevens' sketch on another page of this 
 work.) 
 
 Our subject w.is the third child in a family of 
 eight children and passed his early days on tfie 
 old homestead. He was well-educated, attend- 
 ing the publrc schools, and for a year was a 
 student in the Farmington High School. He had 
 a natural aptitude for farming, and even when a 
 boy worked early and late and when only fifteen 
 years old took charge of things and successfully 
 engaged in raising hogs and horses, and by the 
 time he was twenty-one years old, he owned seven 
 horses. He remained at home with his father un- 
 til he was twenty-two years old, and then married 
 and establislied a home of his own. He had a one 
 hundred and twenty acre farm on sections 3 and 
 4, and he worked actively at its improvement and 
 in raising grain and stock. He built a house on the 
 ridge and put a stone wall of one hundred feet 
 around the yard, planted orchards and groves and 
 had it nicely improved. In November, 1879, his 
 wife died and ids home was then broken up as he 
 did not care to stay there amid its sad associations, 
 and he sold his farm and went "West. 
 
 AVe next hear of him in Pawnee County, Neb. 
 in a store in Pawnee City. In 1880 he pushed
 
 POUrUAl'l' AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 363 
 
 further westward, and penetrated to Furnace 
 Countv, and in the town of AVilsonville made a 
 homestead claim of one hundn d and sixty acres 
 of land, and also took up a timber claim for a like 
 amount. lie located there on an abandoned claim 
 in a sod liouse. lie broke the soil and hail some 
 trees set out the first year and liien sold his 
 timber claim and six months later pre-empted a 
 homestead, buying it for §200. He fenced it, then 
 rented the one hundred and sist}' acres and en- 
 gaged as a carpenter with Reynold Bros., con- 
 tractors and builders on the Burlington, Missouri 
 and AVcslcrn Railroad, extending from Culbert- 
 son --to Denver. 'They sent hira out with three 
 men and be |)ul in the first four culverts that were 
 built on the road in the State of Colorado. He 
 was thus engaged until December, 1880, and then 
 returned to Nebraska and secured the title of bis 
 claim in January, 1881. 
 
 Mr. Stevens came home after that, remained 
 here one season and built his present barn, a suli- 
 stanlial building 30x56 feet in dimensions, and 
 well adapted to its purposes. 
 
 Ill the spi'ing of 1882, Mr. Stevens again went 
 West, and in Golden, Col., accepted a position as a 
 clerk in a grocery store, and was there for nine 
 months, lie then went into business as a grocer 
 with cx-Connty Treasurer Dollison. They bought 
 out a stock of goods and conducted business very 
 successfully under the (inn name of Dollison & 
 Stevens the ensuing three years. During that time 
 the bank in which our subject h.ad placed ^900 of 
 his money, iM'canie insolvent and he lost it all. lie 
 then sold his farm for 11,000 and continued in the 
 grocery and general merchandise business until 
 December, 1885. He also interested himself in min- 
 ing and prosi)ected to some extent and staked a 
 claim. On .account of his father's ill health, he 
 then sold his store for $4,000 and returning home 
 bought eighty acres of the old homestead, Trivoli 
 Township. Since then he has been actively en- 
 gaged in its improvement, and has it well tiled 
 and fenced, and has here a large and conveniently 
 arranged house, which he erected and moved into 
 in 1889. He has substantial out buildings, a wind- 
 mill, tank etc., and good machinery and everything 
 convenient for carrying on farming. He has a 
 
 tine arrangement for raising and feeding boss, 
 making a siiecialty of that branch and sending two 
 car-loads of high grade Poland-Chinas to market 
 every year. He has several horses for general pur- 
 poses, employing two teams on his farm, and he 
 also has some cattle. His grounds are beautifully 
 adorned by groves, and one elm tree set out b3' his 
 father in 1814, is now about twelve feet in girth. 
 He has considerable fruit on the place and has 
 set out a fine orchard. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married. He was 
 lirst married in this township in 1873, to Bliss 
 Lizzie Orton, a daughter of Dennis Orton, who 
 was an early settler and still resides here, having 
 retired from active life. C)nr subject has one 
 daughter, Gertrude E., by his first marriage, who 
 lives with him. His second marriage which took 
 place in January, 1887, was to Miss Hattic Rodgers, 
 who was born in Trivoli Township, and is a daugh- 
 ter of William Rodgers, who was born and reared 
 here and is engaged in farming and stock-raising, 
 having a one hundred ,acie farm in this township. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have two children: Millie 
 and Ernest. 
 
 Our subject has had a wide and varied exper- 
 ience in life and has profltcil by it. He is at pres- 
 ent serving his second term .as Township School 
 Trustee. He has been a membei of the Ancient 
 Free and Acce()led IM.asons at Farmington, since 
 1882. He is [irominent in political circles as one 
 of the most intelligent members of the Democratic 
 party in this vicinity, and while in Golden was a 
 delegate to a county convention. 
 
 ^ -^-^ <^ 
 
 OSEPH DOl'BET is classed among the prom- 
 inent members of the farming community to 
 whom this county owes much for its present 
 high position .as a wealthy and highl3' im- 
 proved section of the countiy. He is one of the 
 foremost farmers and greatest land owners of 
 Limestone Townshii?, where he has a well-devel- 
 oped farm, that is one of the best in its neighbor- 
 hood in all its appointments. 
 
 Our subject is a son of Joseph Doubet, who was
 
 364 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 iu bis day one of the most prominent and active 
 pioneers in tliis county. He was born in France 
 and received a tine education in the fair land of 
 his nativity. He emigrated to this country in an 
 early day of its settlement, accompanied b}- his 
 family and settled in Kiekapoo Township, about 
 one and one-half miles north of where our subject 
 now Jives. A man of his force of character and 
 ability necessaril}- was pushed to the fiont, and we 
 find him taking quite a conspicuous part in the po- 
 litical and public life of the place. He was at one 
 time Mayor in Belford, France, and he was among 
 the leading Democrats of the vicinitv, and held 
 man}- offices. He was very much interested in the 
 politics of his adopted countrj- and at one time 
 swam the Kiekapoo Creek at the risk of his life that 
 he might cast his vote for a favorite candidate. His 
 death here in 1857, was a severe blow to the inter- 
 ests of the community. 
 
 The subject of this biography was born in France 
 near Belford, in 1839, and was but four years old 
 when his parents brought him to the wilds of Peo- 
 ria County, and here he was reared to manhood 
 in their pioneer home. At the time of his coming 
 here this was the home of the Kiekapoo tribe and 
 Indians were more frequent than whites. He re- 
 ceived no schooling except from au old lad^- by 
 the name of Pennington, who taught a school on 
 Sundaj' for the benefit of the children of the 
 settlers, who took a great interest in the work. 
 Besides the instruction he thus received his 
 school days could well be included in three 
 months. In 1851 he took upon himself the du- 
 ties and obligations of wedded life by his marriage 
 in that year to Mary Ann. daughter of Nicholas 
 and Mary Ann (Smith) Marie. Tliej' were both 
 of French birth and died when she was verj' 
 3-oung, after coming to this count}-. They had set- 
 tled here the j'ear after Mr. Doubet came, and 
 Mrs. Doubet was reared near her future husband. 
 
 Mr. Doubet bought his farm in Limestone 
 Township, subject to a debt of §15,000, and dur- 
 ing the war both he and his wife worked ver}- 
 hard almost day and night and ra.ade much money, 
 and in time had the four hundred and eighty 
 acres of land free from incumbrance. Mr. Doubet's 
 prosperity continued and he ad led to his farm 
 
 until he now possesses six hundred acres of as fine 
 land as any in the State, all under excellent im- 
 provement. 
 
 Our subject and his wife have eleven children 
 living: Joseph, a farmer of Limestone, who is mar- 
 ried and has eight children ; Mary, wife of John 
 Bo3-er. who lives near her father; Peter, who is 
 married and has five children; Maliiida. widow 
 of Thomas Fahey of Limestone Township, and the 
 mother of four children; Eliza, wife of Daniel 
 Hanlou. and the mother of six children; Julia, the 
 next in order; Cicel}', the wife of ISenjaraiu Dorn- 
 bus; Nicholas, at home; Henrj-, the next in order; 
 Ida. the wife of William Mitchell: Eddie, at heme. 
 The greatest grief of the wedded life of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Doubet has been in the death of their daugh- 
 ter Emma, who was next to Henry in order of 
 birth, and died at the age of twelve years. 
 
 -Mr. Doubet follows in his father's footsteps in 
 regard to his political alHliations and is a strong 
 Democrat. He is a member of the Catholic Church 
 at Kiekapoo, but takes no active part in church 
 matters. Having spent the most of his life in the 
 Lnited States and reared under the institutions of 
 this Government he knows no other lionie and his 
 patriotism recognizes no other country. He oc- 
 cupies a substantial place among the citizens of his 
 township and his sturdy enterprise, great labor 
 and shrewd financial tact, have been prominent 
 factors in its growth. 
 
 -^^^^ 
 
 ACOK DAKST. There are times when to be 
 unsuccessful seems almost impossible, so fa- 
 vorable are the surroundings, and little 
 merit accrues to the winner in such a feeble 
 contest. But when reverses that seem insurmount- 
 able to many men, are met and surmounted, serving 
 but to stimulate the worker to greater efforts, a 
 deep interest attaches to the winner of the prize 
 and honor is given him b}" all men. A study of 
 the manners and methods by which circumstances 
 are bent to the ultimate rewarding of persistent 
 shrewdness and industry, proves both interesting 
 and profitable. It would be impossible in the lim-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 365 
 
 its of a sketch like tbis to more than hint at the 
 means by wliich the gentleman ahove named has 
 reached tiie high station lie fills among the moneyed 
 men of Peoria. The biographical writer can only 
 siiy tliat ho has overcome difficnlties that would 
 have disli('art?ned many men and although losing 
 as high as 5!300,000 at " one fell swoop." he has 
 steadfastly persisted in the attem()t to win fortune 
 and now rejoices in the possession of a handsome 
 one reaching much above the half million. 
 
 Some two hundred 3-cavs ago the first Darst came 
 to America, the family having prior to that time 
 been known only in (Jermany. .lacob Darst, Sr., 
 was horn in Virginia and in that State Elizabetli 
 Tarr was also born. This coniile became man and 
 wife and reared eight children, two of whom are 
 now living. They are the subject of this sketch, 
 and an older brother. Eli, who lives in Ouray, Col. 
 The father died in Ohio about 183G. In Meigs 
 County, of that State, Jacob Darst, Jr., was born 
 September 10, 1815. His early life was passed in 
 the manner usual to farmers' sons, his time being 
 alternated between attendance at the schools of the 
 period and the labors in which his increasing 
 strength would permit him to participate. 
 
 In June, 1835, he came to Peoria and entered 
 the general merchandise establishment of Aquilla 
 Ahrensas a clerk, a year later going to Galena where 
 he engaged in lead mining. After spending two 
 years in that arduous occup.ation he returned to 
 Peoria and began buying and selling land. On a 
 quarter section that he bought for $5 per acre be 
 opened a coal niine which proved profitable. A 
 short time afterward he went to boating with Mr. 
 Ahrens, taking flatboats down to Natchez, Miss., 
 laden with the products of this region which he 
 exchanged for those raised along the route. On 
 one occasion when he had about ^4,000 worth of 
 produce to be marketed, a tornado struck him at 
 Natchez and his stock in trade was entirely de- 
 stroyed, lie reached lii>nie with 113.50 in his 
 pocket but ready for another start in life, confident 
 that somewhere and somehow success awaited him. 
 Returning to the business of coal mining, Mr. 
 Darst made about ij^ 1 5.000 in five years and keeping 
 his capital chiefiy invested in real estate which he 
 bought and sold, he had in a short time gained 
 
 $35,000 in such operations. .Since then he has 
 given his attention entirely to dealing in real estate 
 and while sometimes meeting reverses in the busi- 
 ness, he has been successful on the whole as his 
 financial status proves. The appreciation of his 
 property is rapid, daring the last year the .advance 
 having been fully §200,000. His ple.asant home, 
 on North Monroe and Fayette Streets, is furnished in 
 a style consonant with the wealth and taste of the 
 inmates, woman's refining influence being visible 
 in its adornments. 
 
 Mr. Darst has been twice niarried. His first wife 
 was Elizabeth Daughert}', with whom he was uniteil 
 in 1850, and lived happil}' until 18G5, when she 
 breathed her last. She was the mother of ten 
 children, three of whom survive. They are Ed- 
 win J., and William, both of whom live in Omaha, 
 Neb., and Mrs. C.asej', wife of E. A. Case3', a law- 
 3-er in Chicago. In 1867 Mr. Darst married Mrs. 
 Helen R. Leonard, who now presides over his home 
 and enjo^-s with him the comforts and luxuries l\v 
 which they are surrounded. By the last marriage 
 he has one child. Mrs. Lura Barnard, wife of J. C. 
 Barnard, a law^-er practicing in Omaha, Neb., where 
 the}' reside. INIr. Darst belongs to the Masonic 
 fraternity' in which he has progressed to the thirty- 
 second degree. Politically Mr. Darst is a Repub- 
 lican and during the war was a stanch L'nion man. 
 
 y 
 
 \f?OSEPII ARMSTRONG. It would be hard 
 to find, at least within the limits of Prince- 
 ville Township, a gentleman more liighl>' 
 respected than the one above named, who 
 has been prominently identified with the agricul- 
 tural and public labors of this vicinitj- for many 
 j'ears. He possesses sound judgment, ripe intelli- 
 gence and an accommodating spirit, which qualities 
 have made him useful to his fellow men and have 
 secured for him a comfortable fortune. His grand- 
 father, James Armstrong, was a teamster in the 
 Revolution and at its close settled in Washington 
 County, Pa., there operated a farm and reared his 
 family. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in the county
 
 366 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 named, and wLlmi at a suitable age learned tiie 
 trade of a blacksmith. In 1837. lie began farming 
 fifteen miles from the Ohio River in his native 
 count3', where he continued his agricultural labors 
 until his death. In polities he was a Democrat and 
 in religion a Presbyterian. He married Mar_y, 
 daughter of James McCoy, who was born in Ohio 
 County. W. Va. Her father, a native of the North 
 of Ireland, died in that county. The mother of 
 our subject came to Illinois during her later years 
 and died in Brimfleld of typhoid fever. 
 
 The record of the parental family is as follows: 
 The first-born is the subject of this sketch ; James 
 died in Missouri; Margaret lives in Princeville 
 Township; Mrs. Eliza Whithington died in McDon- 
 ongh County; Mary lives in Princeville Township, 
 this county ; tiie home of John is in Nodaw.ay County. 
 Mo. ; Ebenezer, wlio now lives in Pawnee, Rock 
 County. Kan., joined Company K, Eighty-sixth 
 Illinois Infantry in August, 1862, and was mustered 
 out at the close of the war as surgeon's clerk; "Will- 
 iam and an infant unnamed are dece.ised. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was born in 
 Claysville, Washington County, Pa., April 17, 1820. 
 learned the rudiments of farming at his home and 
 acquired a common-school education under the sub- 
 scription method. Upon reaching his majority he 
 went to Tiidelphia, Ohio County, AV. A'a., where 
 he was eni|)loyed in his uncle's mill about three 
 j-ears. He became a thorough and practical miller, 
 and during the nine subsequent years managed a 
 mill for a wealthy old lady on the National road 
 on Big Wheeling Creek, near IIenr_v Clay's monu- 
 ment. There he remained until ISoS when he de- 
 termined to come West. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong journeyed b}* boat to Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, thence bj- rail to Terre Haute, Ind., and b3' 
 stage to Springfield, 111. Thence the railrfjad con- 
 ve^ed him to Naples and a boat to Peoria, in which 
 neighborhood he determined to remain although 
 it had been his original intention to~go to Iowa. ' 
 The appearance of the country satisfied him re- 
 garding the value of land here and he purchased 
 his present home farm of one hundred and sixty 
 acres on section 10, Princeville Township. He 
 then returned to his work in the mill, making a [ 
 permanent removal to Illinois in 1855. His goods i 
 
 wt re shipped from Wheeling, and he drove through, 
 his journey consuming one month of the beautiful 
 fall weather. Locating on the raw prairie, he broke 
 the soil and gradually placed bis farm under good 
 improvement and tillage. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong is one of the earliest settlers in 
 that part of the county where he resides, and many 
 an interesting tale he can tell of the days when 
 wild game was plentiful, settlers few and the fron- 
 tiersman had need of much persistence and hoiie- 
 fulne's to encourage him in his efforts. His home 
 farm is the best in the vicinity, being furnished 
 witii a fine orchard and all the improvements which 
 will add to the convenience and comfort of the 
 faraih'. He now owns over six hundred and forty 
 .acres in tha township and eighty acres in Sedgwick 
 County, Kan., for which he has paid prices ranging 
 from ^6.25 to §75 per acre. His land is adapted 
 for both grain and stock-raising and he formerly 
 fed large numbers of cattle and hogs. He now 
 rents all his land having five tenant houses upon it. 
 
 The lady who for many years shared in the jo3's 
 and sorrows of ^Ir. Armstrong' was a native of tlie 
 same count}' as himself and known in her maiden- 
 hooil as Miss Martha McNeal. Her father, Josejih 
 McXeal, was a school teacher and she was well in- 
 structed iu the usual branches of sludj- and in 
 womanly' accomplishments. She became the wife 
 of our subject March 10. 1810, and was removed 
 by death March 3, 1877. The famil}- comprises 
 ten children: Mai-y E., Joseph, James, Margaret L., 
 Isabelle, Ellen T., William R., Rosa L.. Martha E. 
 and Xancy J. Mary married Allen McMillen, of 
 Sedgwick County, Kan.; Joseph died at his home, 
 June 7, 1879; Jarnes is farming iu Princeville 
 Township; Margaret lives in Fremont County, 
 Iowa, being the wife of James Parish; Isabellc, 
 who died in Fremont County, Iowa. August II, 
 1886, was the first wife of James Parish; Ellen 
 married Jackson Liverton, of Princeville Town- 
 ship; William R. is farming here; Nancj* married 
 Charles Blank, a farmer of this township. The 
 other children are still with their father. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong has served as Justice of the 
 Peace twenty^-five years. During that time he was 
 also elcctrd Supervisor, serving eighteen out of 
 twentj' con.secutive \"ears. He was Chairman of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 3C7 
 
 the Board of Supervisors several years and held a 
 position upon it longer thai\ any previous inenni- 
 hent. He was i)laced upon the eommittee to ob- 
 tain plans for the courthouse and then upon the 
 Building Committee. For many years he served 
 as School Director. It will thus be seen that his 
 fellow citizens have recognized his ability and in- 
 tegrity of character, and tliat he has been honored 
 with their confidence in positions of trust. He is 
 a stanch Democrat, has served as delegate to State 
 conventions, and has likewise been juryman in 
 the United States and minor courts. Nine j^ears 
 since he resigned from the position of Supervisor, 
 feeling that his long years of usefulness entitle him 
 to rest. 
 
 NDRKW J. BENNETT, a retired farmer, 
 living in a very pleasant and comfortable 
 it home on Fourth Street, Chillicothe, has 
 (^J pursued his calling to a successful issue, 
 
 has .accumulated a competency, and is numbered 
 amongst our substantial well-to-do citizens. 
 
 He retired from active life about a 3'ear ago, 
 having been engaged in agricultural pursuits in 
 Akron Township for tliirteen 3-ears prior to that 
 time. Ho came to Illinois in 18.56, settling first in 
 this county, but after his marriage went to Saratoga 
 Township, iMarsiiall County, and lived there for 
 six years. At the expiration of that time he re- 
 turned and has since made his home in Peoria 
 County, devotiuu his time to farming and stock- 
 raisi'ig. 
 
 Mr. Bennett is a native of New York, the city 
 of Troy his birthplace and February 28, 1835, the 
 date of his birth. His father, Elisha Bennett, was 
 ,ilso a native of New York, born in Ren.sselaor 
 County, where he was reared to the life of a farmer. 
 He was there married to Miss Betsey Chapman, who 
 was also born and reared in Rensselaer County, and 
 they established their home in Stephen Township, 
 where the^' lived until middle age, when tliPy came 
 as far westward as Martinsburg, Ind., and there the 
 wife and mother died when she was about fifty 
 years old. Elisha Bennett subsequently returned 
 to iiis native county, was there married a second 
 
 time, and died when he was fift3'-five years old. 
 One child was horn of this marriage. He was a 
 sagacious, practical farmer, and was a good, np- 
 riglit man. 
 
 The subject of this biographical review is the 
 youngest of a family of three sons and six daugh- 
 ters, five of whom are vet living; all are married 
 and settled in life and two reside in Illinois, the re- 
 mainder still living in New York State. Our sub- 
 ject grew to manhood in his native town, and was 
 educated in its public schools. He came from the're 
 to this State, and in Radnor Townshi|). tliis county, 
 found a wife m the person of Miss Eliza Seely. 
 She is a woman of fine character and possesses 
 tliose pleasantly womanly qualities that make her 
 well liked by all who come in contact with her. 
 She is a devoted member of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church an<l is one of its active workers. Mrs. 
 Bennett was born in Stark County, 111., January 
 25, 1840, to Samuel and Delia (Richman) Seely, 
 natives of New York State. When they were 
 j'ouug they had acconii)anicd their parents to In- 
 diana and had there grown to maturity and were 
 there married in Allensville. They continued to 
 live in that State some years, but after the birth 
 of their first child, 'when he was about three years 
 of age, they came to Illinois, and settled near 
 Mossville, this county. Later they moved to the 
 vicinity of Wyoming, in Stark County, and there 
 tliev carried on farming for some years. In 1842, 
 they came back to Peoria County, and purchased 
 a farm in Radnor Township, where the^^ spent the 
 rest of their lives, Mrs. Seelj' dying ,ranuar3' 25, 
 1863, at the age of fifty-eight years; Mr. Seely 
 dying February 20, 1869, at the age of sixtj^-soven 
 years. They were both members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church and were strong in the faith. 
 j\Irs. Bennett was their next youngest child, they 
 being the parents of eight children, seven of whom 
 lived to maturity, five of them still living and all 
 married. Mrs. Bennett was quite 3"oung when her 
 parents came to Peoria County, and here she w.is 
 reared and educated. 
 
 Mr. Bennett in his career as a farmer, displayed 
 an active wide-awake tem|ieraraent, forethought, 
 and an excellent capacity for shrewdly managing 
 his affairs to the best advantage, and these trails
 
 368 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 have been the means of his secui-ino- a desirable in- 
 come and obtaining his cozy liorae. As a loyal 
 citizen should, he interests himself in national af- 
 airs and is identified with the Democratic party. 
 
 yV'ESTON R. GALES. This gentleman iias 
 / secured a satisfactory degree of worldly 
 '^^ success bj' reason of his personal integrity 
 and the exercise of unmistakable business abilitj*. 
 He possesses the well-bred manners so characteristic 
 of those born in the Southern States, and having 
 excellent conversational powers is able to present 
 the subject which he desires to bring to one's no- 
 tice, with a degree of tact which makes his com- 
 panionshi|> agreeable and gives him a success not 
 met with by all who are in the same line of busi- 
 ness. He has been located in Peoria since 1887, 
 and now has charge of the National Accident As- 
 sociation in the State, which gives bim a wide field 
 of labor. 
 
 Mr. Gales is descended from the early settlers of 
 "North Carolina and is therefore of remote English 
 ancestry. His parents were Seatou and Mary 
 (Compton) Gales, both natives of the same State 
 and the father was engaged in editorial work in 
 Raleigh. That citv was the birthplace of our sub- 
 ject, who, as he grew to manhood, attended private 
 schools there, among them being the Male Acad- 
 emy. He left school when sixteen years old and 
 embarked in business in New York City, finding 
 employment with a noted firm of wholesale hard- 
 ware dealers. lie continued there until 1821, when 
 he returned to his native State and was elected to 
 a clerkship in the State Legislature. 
 
 Mr. Gales retained that position until elected by 
 the legislature to the office of Clerk of the Criminal 
 Court of Wake County, the duties of which posi- 
 tion he continued to discharge until by a change in 
 the judicial system the court was abolished. Re- 
 embarking in a business career, he was connected 
 with the tobacco interests for some time, then on- 
 gaged in the insurance work in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 P^'om that city he removed to Peoria at the date 
 before mentioned, to take charge of the Peoiia 
 
 District of the Prudential Insurance Comi)an\',\vith 
 which he was engagc() in Cincinnati. From that 
 position he was finally called to take charge of the 
 State work of the Association with which he is no.w 
 laboring. 
 
 In 1878, Mr. Gales and Miss Anna Cowan Strong 
 were joined in holy wedlock. The bride is a native 
 of the same city in which her husband opened his 
 eyes to the light, is intelligent, accomplished and 
 well-bred, capable of gracefully filling an3' position 
 to which she might be called. Mr. and Mrs. Gales 
 have one child — Anna Cowan, a bright miss now 
 ten 3' ears old. 
 
 Mr. (rales is an active member of the Reformed 
 Episcopal Church and Superintendent of Bacon 
 Mission, which was established about two j-ears 
 ago, having for its object to reach the unsaved that 
 the ordinary means of Christian work aie not 
 adapted for. The life of the Mission and its suc- 
 cess, is due to the Christian energy of those who 
 are connected with the Bible Class of the church. 
 Meetings are held bi-weekly, with a Sunday-school 
 in connection therewith, and an industrial school in 
 session except during the summer months. 
 
 ARCUS WHITING, M.D. Although not 
 H yet thirty j'ears of age, Dr. Whiting has 
 
 an excellent standing in tlie profession 
 which he has chosen, and is regarded by 
 j his fellow-citizens as an honor to the citj' in which 
 he has made his home. He came to Peoria immed- 
 iately aftcr-his graduation and during the few 3-ears 
 which have elapsed since that time he has built up 
 a good practice 1)3' his pleasing personal traits and 
 his skill in his chosen work. His natural acumen 
 added to the tiiorough instruction which he re- 
 ceived, makes him judicious in the use of Thera- 
 peutical agents, and his desii'e to reacii tiie higliest 
 position possible keeps him on the alert to add to 
 his knowledge by observation and study. 
 
 Dr. Whiting was born in La Fa3-ette Count3', 
 Mo., August 22. 18G0, and being a son of a min- 
 ister, received his education in various schools as 
 his father was called from place to place. His
 
 ,ff 
 
 ^^' .^^x. 

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 371 
 
 father, the Rev. C'hiirles Whiting, D. D., is now in 
 charge of the Baptist Church in Canton wliere he 
 has been for tlie ptist twelve years. His instruc- 
 tion was more serviceable to liis son than all others 
 he received, as it inspired him ivith the love of 
 learning as well as stored his mind with facts and 
 principles. When eighteen years old young Whit- 
 ing began reading medicine with Drs. Sutton and 
 Fleming in Canton, and he afterward entered 
 Rush Medical College in Chicago, from which he 
 was graduated in 1 883. 
 
 The social and benevolent nature of our subject 
 has led him to identify himself with various or- 
 ganizations in the principles of which he concurs. 
 He is a Mason, a member of the Knight ot Pythias, 
 also of the Select Knights of the Associated Or- 
 der of United Workmen, the Knights and Ladies 
 of Honor, the Modern Woodmen and the Red- 
 Men. His political adherence is given to the 
 Democratic party. For three years he has held 
 the position of Hcaltli Officer for Peoria. 
 
 The mental ability and culture and the womanly 
 graces and accomplishments of Miss Mattie Gartli- 
 waite, daughter of Luther and Rosa Garthwaitc, 
 of Indianapolis, Ind., won the regard of the 3'oung 
 [)!iysician and his feeling being reciprocated they 
 were united in marriage January 24, 1888. A 
 daughter — Ethel Lee — adds her infantile gr.ace to 
 the charms of home. 
 
 ENRY II. FAHNESTOCK, of the firm of 
 Oakford & Fahnestock, who carrj' on a 
 wholesale grocery business in Peoria, was 
 born in this county June 14, 1838. He is 
 a son of Jacob and Maria (Harmon) Fahnestock, 
 natives of Pennsylvania, whence they came to the 
 Prairie State in 1834. In the Keystone State 
 Jacob Fahnestock had been in the mercantile bus- 
 iness but after coming to Peoria Count}- he fol- 
 lowed farming. 
 
 The subject of this brief sketch began to learn 
 the trade of a cooper at the age of sixteen j'ears, 
 and wiien twenty one years old took charge of a 
 
 small hotel and a cooper shop in Kingston. He 
 carried on these enterprises tlirce years, after 
 whicii he entered tiie em[)loy of the Kingston 
 Jlincs Coal Company, keeinng books and doing 
 other general work for them two years. He next 
 embarked in a hay speculation iu McLean County 
 which "swept the platter clean." His next vent- 
 ure was to embark in the hotel business with a 
 brother-in-law, J. W. Robbins, but he abandoned 
 the hotel a year later to become book-keeper for 
 A. & J. Schardzki. 
 
 After remaining iu their emploj' a 3'ear and a 
 half he began traveling for (libson & Woodbury, 
 some eighteen months later taking up a similar 
 line of work for S. H. Tiiompson & Co., continu- 
 ing so employed until 1871. He then entered the 
 establishment of Henry & Oakford, as a partner, 
 the firm becoming Henry, Oakford & F'ahnestock. 
 On New Year's Day, 1881, he bought out the in- 
 terest of the senior member of the firm, and the 
 l)usiness since tiiat time has been continued under 
 the style of Oakford & Fahnestock. 
 
 An important step in the life of our subject 
 transpired in 1859, when lie was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Frances E. Hill of this city. The 
 wisdom of his choice has been abundantly demon- 
 strated b}' the happiness of the home. Tiie union 
 has been blessed by the birth of two children — Lil- 
 lie L. and Howard R., both of whom are still at 
 home cheering their parents by their presence. 
 
 Mr. Fahnestock is a believer in and a supporter 
 of the principles of the Republican party. He is a 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, his name being 
 enrolled in Eddj' Lodge, No. 357, Kingston Mines. 
 Mr. Fahnestock is regarded as a man of honor, 
 good business qualities and kindliness in social re- 
 lations, and .IS a representative citizen of Peoria 
 we present his portrait oh another page. 
 
 i^ll^i 
 
 AKFORD & FAHNESTOCK. The large 
 and extensive business of the mercantile es- 
 tablishment of OakfOid & Fahnestock, the 
 leading merchants of Peoria, was started January 1, 
 1868, by Joseph F. Henry, Aaron S. Oakford and
 
 372 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 George Wright, under the Ann name of J. F. 
 Ilenr}- & Co.. doing an extensive retail business 
 on North Washington Street, near Main .Street. 
 
 January 1, 1870, Messrs. Henry and Oakford 
 bought out Mr. Wright's interest, the firm name 
 being changed to Henry & Oakfo/d. The3' en- 
 larged the retail trade of the houfe, and with char- 
 .•icteristic enterprise, added a wholesale department. 
 From very sm.ill beginnings, the wholesale trade 
 steadilj- grew and constantly required an increas- 
 ing amount of capital to carr3' it on. 
 
 The 1st of January, 1872, Mr. H. H. Fahnestock 
 joined Messrs. Henry and Oakford in the business, 
 and once again the firm name was changed, be- 
 coming Henry. Oakford & Fahnestock. Thej' 
 moved to South AVashington Street, near Liberty-, 
 and from that date confined themselves exclu- 
 sively to the wholesale trade. In 1874 Mr. C. J. 
 Ofif was admitted into the firm, and retired in 
 1877. 
 
 More room was needed to carrj- on the exten- 
 sive business that the firm controlled, and in 1875, 
 it moved into a large store below Liberty Street, 
 on Washington Street. In a few years the busi- 
 ness had reached such enormous proportions that 
 the firm was again forced to move, and in 1877 
 Easton's Commercial Block was built expressl}' 
 for it. 
 
 In Januarj-, 1881, Mr. Henry's interest was pur- 
 chased by the present members of the firm. The 
 trade of this bouse advanced wonderfully under 
 the new management, increasing so rapidly that, in 
 addition to the Easton Block, thej' used a ware- 
 house of equal size, extending from Commercial to 
 Water Street. Even this amount of room did not 
 afford tiie facilities necessarj- for the operations of 
 so large a business, and in 1887 Messrs Oakford 
 and Fahnestock became the owners of the building 
 now occupied bj' them. This is a mammoth, four- 
 story warehouse, on the corner of Liberty and 
 Commercial Streets, and fronting on Washington 
 Street. It is handsomel}' fitted up, and well-ap- 
 pointed in every particular, with fine offices and 
 salesrooms, extending to Washington Street, and 
 the establishment throughout is considered one of 
 the finest in the State. Adjoining, on Washington 
 Street, are the extensive coflfee and spice mills op- 
 
 erated b}- the firm. The house employes ten trav- 
 eling salesmen, and a large force of clerks and 
 other employes, to assist in conducting their im- 
 mense business, which extends throughout Illinois 
 and Iowa, and amounts to about $1,500,000 a 
 year. 
 
 >jEORGE LANE. This gentleman is pleas- 
 antly located in Trivoli Township, owning 
 %~^ fifty acres on section 19, and another tract 
 of one hundred and sixtj^ acres on sections 19 and 
 30. In addition to his own property, he rents two 
 hundred and five acres, operating therefore four 
 hundred and fifteen acres. He has set out one 
 hundred orchard trees on his home place, has 
 fenced and otherwise improved it, erecting in 1888 
 a barn 36x48 feet, and in 1890 another 36x37 feet. 
 The land is fertilized b}' a stream which flows 
 through it, beautified by native groves, affording 
 the best of pasture ground for the large herds of 
 cattle which he raises and feeds. His principal oc- 
 cupation is cattle feeding and shipping, his trans- 
 •ictions in that line being more extensive than those 
 of an}- other man in the township. He feeds about 
 twelve thousand bushels of corn a year,being obliged 
 to buj' more than half this amount. 
 
 Mr. Lane uses the best farm machinery, running 
 his corn crusher and grinder bj' steam, and hav- 
 ing a steam thresher, with which he does much 
 work during the season. He has threshed since he 
 was sixteen years old, and held an interest in a 
 machine for quite a number of j'ears. Besides the 
 cattle which he feeds, he also buys and ships hogs 
 to some extent, feeding two or three carloads per 
 year, and raises some draft horses. He is an excel- 
 lent judge of stock, and has made more money b}- 
 trade than in any other way. His home is located 
 four miles from Farmington and tliree miles from 
 Cramer, giving him convenient markets. 
 
 Our subject is of Southern ancestry, being a 
 giandson of Col. Lewis Lane, a native of North 
 Carolina, who located on a farm in Tennessee in 
 1814. He was a private in the War of 1812. and 
 a Colonel in the Black Hawk War. For some 
 years he held the office of High .Sheriff in Tennes-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 373 
 
 see suifl a similar offlee in Hamilton County. III., to 
 wliieli he finally removcil. He occupied liimself in 
 farrninj;- and Ininling being a n-tii-knowii sports- 
 nuiii and at one time the owner of eleven hundred 
 acres of land. He was liberal and open-handed, 
 spending his money freely, was as popular as any 
 man in the county and moved in the best of so- 
 eietv. At one time he was engaged in raising 
 fast and fancy horses, owning some valuaiile speci- 
 mens. He was an active member of the Methodist 
 Kpiscopal Church and lived to be over ninety 
 years old. An heirloom in his famil}- is a cane 
 wliicii he cut from timber on Andrew Jackson's 
 place at Kew Orleans. 
 
 The father of our subject was Joel P. Lane, who 
 was born near Nashville, 'I'enn., came to Hamil- 
 ton County, 111., when a babe and was educated 
 llieie. He made several trips back and forth be- 
 tween that and Peoria Counties, finally removing 
 to the latter in the fall of 1834. In 1840 he 
 biought some running horses wliicli lie traded for 
 the land now occupied by our subject, upon which 
 hi' located and resided until his death. During 
 his early years he was not very energetic, but 
 hitcr in life became very successful. When the 
 Civil War closed he liad one hundred and fortj' 
 acres of land, to which he added until his estate 
 anionnled to two hundred and sixtj' acres. Ills 
 s|)ocialt3' was raising swine. He was a Democrat 
 in politics, a member of the i\Iethodist Episcopal 
 ( hurch, active in all its work, a Class-Lc.ader for 
 years and Superintendent of the bui;<]ay-school. 
 lie dii<l in 1874, when sixty-nine years old. 
 
 The wife of Joel P. Lane and mother of our 
 subject was Keziah Proctor, a native of Hamilton 
 Count}', 111., in which her parents, David and Jane 
 I'loctor, were early settlers. Her father was born 
 in \irginia and was engaged in farming. Mrs. 
 Keziali Lane is now living with our subject, being 
 quite advanced in years. She is the mother of 
 eight children, four of whom are stdl living. These 
 are: Johnson II., a fanner in Trivoli Township; 
 .lohn W., whose home is in Al]ingdon; he of whom 
 we write; and AlvaC, a real-estate and loan agent 
 in Kureka, Kan. The deceased are: Lewis H., who 
 died here; El/.a, Sarah and Mar_y. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was liorn April 5, 
 
 1855, on the farm he now owns, and reared upon 
 it. early beginning to take a share in the farm 
 work, and pursuing his studies in the district 
 schools. He remained with his parents until twenty 
 }'ears old, when, his father dying, he began farming 
 for himself, flnall}' buying out the other heirs of 
 the homestead. He engaged in general farming, 
 then went into the sheep business quite extensively, 
 having as many as fifteen hundred head, one thou- 
 sand of which he brought from Kansas. He sold 
 wool and mutton until the dogs became so numer- 
 ous and troublesome that he disposed of his flocks ' 
 and embarked in the cattle business. He feeds 
 about four carloads, or one hundred and sevent}'- 
 five head per year, in addition to those raised on 
 his own |)laee. 
 
 Mr. Lane was fortunate in securing for his wife 
 an amial)le, capable young lady, a native of Tim- 
 ber Township, known in her maidenhood as Miss 
 Ida Fahnestock. Her father, William Fahnestock, 
 made an early settlement in Timber Township, 
 where he was engaged in farming and cooper- 
 ing, but is now in the hotel business at Cilasford. 
 Mrs. Lane received her education in this vicin- 
 ity and for some years was successfully engaged in 
 school teaching. ■ She and her husband have two 
 children — Frank and Howard. 
 
 JNIr. Lane is an ardent Democrat, but will accept 
 no offices. Honorable in all his actions, intelli- 
 gent, courteous and of a friendly spirit, he is de- 
 servedly popular, while his energj', tact and thrift 
 make the outlook for the future bright indeed. 
 
 '\l/OH>f E. MrKINNEY is an extensive manu- 
 facturer of brick, carrying on his business 
 in Richwood Township, vchere he is also en- 
 gaged in f.arming. Our sul)ject was the 
 ninth child born to his parents and the place of his 
 birth was in Allegheny County, Pa., about seven 
 miles from Pittsburg, June 2(), 1826, being the 
 date of his birth. 
 
 The father of the gentleman of whom we write, 
 David McKinney, was born on the Atlantic Ocean, 
 ■while liis parents were emigrating from Ireland to
 
 •I 
 
 PORTR AI r AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the I'nited Slates. The maiden name of tlie mother 
 of our subject was Abigail Eusle3-, and she was a 
 native of the Kej-stonc State. She was manied in 
 Beaver County, tiiat State, and at once slie and 
 her husband removed to Ohio, of which the}' were 
 pioneers. Thej' lived there some j'ears, and tlien 
 returned and located near Pittsburg. Mr. McKin- 
 ne^' was a tailor by trade, and also engaged at one 
 lime in keeping hotel, toll gate and post-office where 
 he lived. In 1842 he came with his famil}' to 
 Peoria County and cast in his lot with its pioneers, 
 settling south of Edwards' Station. They lived 
 there one year, and then removed to Richwood 
 Township, and subsequentl3- to Timber Township, 
 and after that the father bought a farm in Logan 
 Township. Later in life he sold that and bought 
 a house and lot in Peoria, and there he and his 
 wife spent their remaining years in the comforts of 
 a good home. They had a familj- of ten children, 
 three sons and seven daughters. 
 
 The son of whom we write was a j'outh of six- 
 teen years when he accompanied his parents to 
 their pioneer home in Peoria Count}'. He contin- 
 ued to live with them until he was eighteen years 
 old, and then left the shelter of the parental roof," 
 and was emplo3'cd one year in a brick yard in 
 North Peoria. He continued to work for oti.eis 
 for several 3'ears, and gained a thorough knowleilge 
 of the best process of making brick. In 1860 lu' 
 established himself in business .ns a manufacturer 
 of brick in the same 3-ard where he has been en- 
 gaged ever since, with the exception of two 3-ears, 
 until the present time. He turns oflf from one 
 million to twelve hundrcl thousand bricks annu.iUy, 
 for which he llnds a read}' sale. lie also devotes 
 some of his time to the man.agement of his farm, 
 which comprises forty-three and one-half acres of 
 well-tilled soil, on which he has erected a fine set 
 of buildings, and has ever3'' convenience for carr3ii!g 
 on Ids farming operations advantageousl}'. 
 
 Mr. McKinue3' was married in Logan Township 
 to Miss pjliza, daughter of the late William Stratton. 
 who was one of the old settlers of that township 
 and of the count}'. Mrs. McKinne3' is a native of 
 New York Cit3', where she was- born Januar}' 1.3. 
 1827. Her marriage with our subject has bcoii 
 blessed to them bv the birth of five ihildn n — 
 
 Luther B., Julia A., Sarah J., AVilliam and Jiaud. 
 .Jidia is the wife of John Buttrick; Sar.ih is the 
 wife of J. H. Flanegan; and Maud is the wife of 
 Sherman Hines. 
 
 During his residence in this township, Mr. Mc- 
 Kinney has proved the worth of his citizenship 
 b3' his liberal support of all measures in an3' wa3' 
 tending to advance the commuuitj'. His standing 
 here is of the best, as his dealings are conducted on 
 a strictly honorable basis, and all who come in con- 
 tact with him soon learn to trust him. His eapfieity 
 for intelligent and well-directed labor is of a high 
 order, and . b3' his wisdom, thrift, and forethought 
 he h.as won a competence. Mr. 5IcKinne3' has 
 acted with the Republican party, though he is in- 
 dependent in his political views, and reserves his 
 right to vote as he pleases. He was a Trustee of 
 North Peoria at one time, and proved to be a good 
 civic official. 
 
 -^^- 
 
 ' ACOB MULLER, a prominent and wealthy 
 businessman of Peoria, who for nearh' thir- 
 ty-five 3'ears has carried on a large retail 
 grocery business at No. 112 Bridge Street, 
 is a line type of the German element that has been 
 so instrumental in the upbuilding of the cit3'. He 
 has met with more than ordinar3'- success in busi- 
 ness, and has acquired a fine propertj', and has 
 erected a handsome residence at Nos. 309 and 311 
 Jefferson Avenue, that is an ornament to this part 
 of tl»e city. 
 
 Mr. Muller was born in Germany, January 26, 
 1835, but before he had attained m.anhood,he had 
 turned his face toward this land of promise, the 
 go.al toward which so many of his countrymen 
 pressed, he coming to this countr3' in 1851. He 
 first located in Massachusetts, but hearing much 
 of the "Great West," and especiall}' of the Prairie 
 State, he determined to avail himself of its marvel- 
 lous advantages, and in 1851 he took up his resi- 
 dence in Peoria County, and in 1855 came to this 
 city to establish himself in the grocer3' business. 
 He had come to this country a stranger in a strange 
 !• iirl. Willi nii..i.> language and customs he was un-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPIIK AL ALBUM. 
 
 377 
 
 familiar, and by liis own efforts lie had made the 
 capital oil which to start in his new career. He 
 located on Bridge Street, and here has remained 
 for a third of a century, and is now one of the lead- 
 ing grocers in the city. In 1865 he built the fine 
 brick store in which he is now carrying on liis busi- 
 ness, and has it well-fitted up and stocked with 
 everything in his line. 
 
 Mr. Muller has been prominent in many of the 
 enterprises that have greatly added to the financial 
 standing of the city. He helped to organize and 
 start the German-American Bank in 1870, when it 
 was a private eoiieeni, and remained with it until 
 one j'ear after it was made the German-American 
 National Bank, when he sold out his share of the 
 stock. He was also one of the organizers of the 
 German Insurance Coinpan}- which was established 
 in 1876, with a capital of §100,000, which has 
 since been increased to ^300.000, and he is still a 
 stockholder in the company, has been connected 
 with it all the time, and has been a factor in its 
 health}' and continuous growth to its present pros- 
 perous condition. He is also a stockholder in the 
 Central Cit}' Railwa}', having owned shares in it 
 from the start unti.I the present time, when it has 
 become one of the finest equipped electric railwaj-s 
 in the country. 
 
 Mr. Muller was married to Miss Paulina Koenig, 
 a native ot German^', in Peoria, and she has been 
 to him a true and devoted helpmate, and looks well 
 toJ,lie comforts of her household in the (ileagant 
 home that they have established. The six children 
 born to them are all living, and are residents of 
 this cit}' : Theodore, Secretary of the German In- 
 surance C'ompan3\ married Minnie Borries; Julia is 
 the wife of Heniy Krenter; Amelia is the wife of 
 Charles Jobst, of Gauss, Jobst, Barthard & Co., 
 wholesale grocers; Rudolph, Jacob, and Adolph : 
 home. ]\Ir. and Mrs. iMuller have four grandclul- 
 dren. 
 
 Mr. Muller has attained his position of wealth 
 and prominence in this community by his own en- 
 ergj- and ability. He is a prominent member of 
 the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Schiller Lodge, 
 No. 335, of which he has been Treasurer; and' he is 
 also a leading member of the Turnverein, and 
 has been Treasurer of the society for the last tliirt}- 
 
 3'ears. He is a man of honor and solid worth, 
 which justly entitle him to the high regard in which 
 he is universally held. In the accumulation of his 
 wealth he has not neglected his dut^- towards oth- 
 ers, but has ever been just and generous in his deal- 
 ings, and with true public spirit, has encouraged 
 all schemes for the advancement of the [irospeiity 
 of the city, and has given liberally of his means to 
 the needj' and suffering, who have ever found in 
 him a true friend. 
 
 ,^fg)jrARON S. OAKFOIH). A writer famous 
 alike in America and England says of the 
 mason to whom he served an apprenticesiiip 
 that "he put his conscience into every stone that 
 he laid." This unwavering uprightness should be 
 the foundation of every avocation, for upon it is 
 based the integrity of the nation itself. The citi- 
 zens of Peoria County have contributed to elevate 
 the standing of morality not only in the county 
 but in the State, and among those "whose word is 
 as good as his bond," and whose individual efforts 
 have aided in the development of the resources of 
 the count}-, a conspicuous position is accorded 
 Mr. Oakford. The portrait on the opposite page 
 represents the senior member of the firm of Oak- 
 ford & Fahncsiock, the leading wholesale grocery 
 house in Peoria. Mr. Oakford is pre-eminent in 
 the business life of this, his native county, as one 
 of the foremost of its pnigressive, wide-awake 
 men of business, and his talent, energy and marked 
 executive ability have been potent factors in ex- 
 tending the commercial and financial interests of 
 this cit}'. 
 
 Mr. Oakford is now in the prime of life, having 
 been born October 28, 1815, in this county; his 
 father and mother were among the earliest settlers 
 of this section of Illinois. When he was seven 
 years old they removed from a farm into the city 
 of Peoria, and here he wps reared and trained for 
 the importanPpart he was to lake in its uieicantih! 
 enterprises. He was given the advantages of a 
 liberal education in the public scho(jls and in the 
 city High School, and tiius laid a solid foundation
 
 378 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 for bis t'uluic career. In entering llie business 
 workl he slurled at the bottom of the commercial 
 i:i(i<Ier, e.irly evincing a ileeifled talent for bii.<;iness, 
 and a good insiglit into the best methods of con- 
 ducting it. He is now at the head of the largest 
 mercantile house in the State outside of Chicago. 
 This large business h.as been built up by a careful 
 attention to det.-iils, seconded l)y sound common- 
 sense, good judgment and wise discrimination. 
 
 .|<^^^ 
 
 ICHARl) LONSDALK. One of the most 
 attractive rural abodes in Kickapoo Town- 
 *^ \\\ shii) is situated on section 32, and was the 
 }' home of the late Richard Lonsdale. It is 
 now under the able management of his widow, 
 Mrs. Ann (Wadsworth) Lonsdale, who is wisely 
 conducting affairs, keeping up all improvements 
 upon the estate and securing from it an a<lequate 
 income. It consists of between five hundred and 
 six hundred acres, divided into fields of conven- 
 ient size, adorned with orchards and groves, and 
 supplied with a complete line of farm buildings, all 
 well built and suflicientl\' commodious for their 
 purposes. Crowning tlie whole is the family resi- 
 dence, whose tasteful exterior shadows forth the 
 comfort and attractiveness of its internal arrange- 
 ments and the household economy. 
 
 Mr. Lonsdale was born in Lancashire, England; 
 September 26, 1817, being the fifth in a family con- 
 sisting of fourteen uhildreu. His parents, Thomas 
 and Ellen (Holstead) Lonsdale, came to Amer- 
 ica in 1842, settling in Peoria County, 111., where 
 tiie.y departed this life. Mr. Lonsdale was united 
 in marriage with Miss Ann Wadsworth on Clirist- 
 mas day, 1838, their marriage rites being cele- 
 brated in his native shire. He was eniploj'ed as an 
 engineer in a cotton factory and continued to re- 
 side in the mother country until 18i9. He then 
 emigrated to America and settling in Kickapoo 
 Township, this county, engaged in farming the re- 
 mainder of his life. 
 
 The death of Mr. Lonsdale took pkice at his 
 home June 10, 1888. A reliable citizen and hon- 
 oiable man wns thereby removed from among men. 
 
 and a kind and devoted husband and parent from 
 the family to which he was so dear. He had held 
 the office of Highway Commissioner, creditably 
 discharging its duties. His political adherence was 
 given to the Democr.atic; party. The fine estate 
 which he left affords a standing record of his in- 
 dustrious life and prudent management of his 
 worldly affairs, while the place which he holds in 
 in the memory of those who knew him is the best 
 monument which could be reared to his personal 
 character. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Lonsdale were natives of 
 Yorkshire, England, known as John and Betty 
 (Ovendenj Wadsworth. They had eleven chil- 
 dren, of whom Mrs. l>onsdale was the tenth in or- 
 der of birth. She was born in Yorkshire, April 24, 
 1818, and under the careful training of good par- 
 ents grew to womanhood with a mind tilled with use- 
 ful knowledge, a heart of goodness, and the habits 
 that enabled her to worthily (ill any sphere in life 
 to which she might be called. She remained with 
 her paients until her marriage and removal to 
 Lancashire, in which i)lace they afterward made their 
 home until called hence. 
 
 Mrs. Lonsdale bore her husband twelve children, 
 whose record is as follows: Martha is ihe first born ; 
 William married Ellen Mitchell, who died in Kicka- 
 poo Township: John married Jliss Eva Manville 
 who died in Kickapoo Township October 5, 1 883, 
 leaving two children — Myrtle A. and Minnie A. 
 The widower subsequently married Ellen Wolsten- 
 holme who has borne him one child —James A. 
 Richard married Miss Euphemia Jones; Mary H., is 
 the wife of Charles Warner; Sarah A. is the wife of 
 William Wolf; Ernest was killed in Peoria by an 
 accident when twenty-one years old. The other 
 members of the household band died when quite 
 young. 
 
 The surviving cliildren of Mrs Lons<lale have 
 received excellent educational advantages and the 
 home instruction which would strengthen and de- 
 velop their mental abilities and worthy traits of 
 character, and by which they have been fitted for 
 a useful and honored career in life. They are 
 numbered among tiie best citizens of their re- 
 spective localities and add to the worth of the 
 name which they bear. Mrs. Lonsdale is a com-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 379 
 
 municant of the Church of England, endeavoring 
 at all times to practice the precepts of Christianitj'- 
 and to deserve the "well done" when her earthly 
 race is accomplished. 
 
 \i^RAXK W. BAILEY 
 
 f^^ severance of a man's character have no 
 
 The energy and per- 
 character have nc 
 wliere a better field for manifestation than 
 in jt>iirualisni. From asratdl beginning often grows 
 a ])aper of importanoe, and it frequently happens 
 that the very first issue establishes the reputation 
 of t'.ie editor and indicates whether his enterprise 
 will be a winning or losing one. Tliis has been 
 well exemplified in tlie life of Frank W. Bailey, 
 proprietor of tiie spicy Chillicotlie Bulletin, whose 
 lirst issue ap|ieared in 1.S83 and was a small hut 
 bright folio. The sheet was issued once a uionlli 
 in a much clieaper form than at present, but tlie 
 mottle of Mr. Bailey was indicated from tlie start. 
 The better class of business men, realizing tlie im- 
 portance of advertising and the need of alive paper 
 in tlie town, apjireciated his efforts and rallied to 
 his support. 
 
 Mr. Bailej' was able to increase the cajiacity of 
 his oflice ere long and improve his paper, and each 
 j-ear found him a rung higiier on the ladder of 
 success. The small hand press in a little room was 
 soon replaced bv better machinery and a Iiiiildina 
 of good dimensions placed at his disjiosal. This is 
 now fitted ui) in the most modern style, with first-, 
 class supplies, the presses operated by steam power 
 and supplied with joV) work from all over the State. 
 The Bulletin is now a six-column ([iiarto pajier of 
 weekly issue, with a subscription list of nearly two 
 thousand; it moulds the sentiments of the people 
 throughout this section and looks after the interest 
 of Cbillicothe, as only a live (laper can. 
 
 Melviu H. Bailey, the father of our subject, was 
 born near Augusta, Me., Decemljer 28, 1827. He 
 came of a good New England family and was care- 
 fully reared to habits of honor and thrift. In 18.52 
 he went to California via the isthmus and for nearly 
 four years was occui)ie.l in mining at Volcano, eighty 
 miles east of Sacramento. Returning to Maine via 
 
 the same route, hespeiit a short time there and then 
 turned his footsteps westward, locating in Waupaca 
 County, Wis. That section was new to settlement 
 and the forests which covered it wei'c nearly un- 
 broken. For about ten years Mr. Bailey remained 
 there, making money lumbering, hut misfortune 
 overtaking him he lost all that he had and was 
 obliged to start anew. This being in 1866, just 
 after the close of the war, he decided to go to 
 Kansas. 
 
 Locating in Bourbon County, Mr. B:Lile3' ob- 
 tained a piece of Government land, but his title 
 proving faulty and the property' having fallen into 
 the hands of the raili'oad companj', he was obliged 
 to pay for it the second time. He passed through 
 all the experiences which made the life of a Kansas 
 pioneer so trying, including drouths and grasshop- 
 |)er scourges, but he stood his ground, determinedly 
 pursuing his course for thirteen years. He tlien, in 
 November, 1879, removed to Chillieothe, III., and 
 the next year suceeded Levi Booth in the furniture 
 trade. He is still engageil in this iHisiness, carr3ing 
 a small, but well-selected stock of furniture, and 
 also a complete supplj' of undertakers' goods. He 
 is classed among the best citizens of the town, 
 bearing, with liis wife, an active part in social af- 
 fairs and all which will tend to the good of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden name 
 of Violet Ingalls. She was horn near Cleveland, 
 Ohio, Mar<'li 16, 1829. She was a child of six and 
 alialf years when her [larents removed to Chicago, 
 and there she was partially reared. She subsequently 
 lived in Waukegan, where she comiileted her edu- 
 cation ami became a teacher in the public schools 
 of that place. She continued her professional la- 
 bors until her marriage to Mr. Baile\-, wdiich took 
 place October 22, 1857. She is descended from 
 the old pilgrim stock which crossed the Atlantic in 
 thC'lMayrtower," direct from Peregrine White, and 
 her more immediate progenitors were highly edu- 
 cated, with the firm characters inherited from their 
 ancestry and strengthened by training under high 
 moral influences. 
 
 The paternal great-grandfather of Mrs. Bailey 
 was a Revolutionary soldier, holding the rank of .an 
 Adjutant on (ieorge Washington's staff. Slie still
 
 380 
 
 PORTRAIT AND F.lOORArHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 preserves as a precious heirloom the silver shoe 
 buckles her ancestor wore nnd a razor which was 
 used by Gen. Washington and hisstaflf. AsaAVhile 
 luiralls, tlie father of Mrs. Bailej-, was a ripe scholar, 
 a graduate of Amherst College, and a well-known 
 ciiucator. He was a teacher and Superiuten.ient 
 of Schools in Lorain County, Ohio. In 1845 he 
 brought his family overland from Elyria to Chi- 
 cago. He was the first teacher of what was known 
 as the Dearborn school. He passed away April 2. 
 1850, after a well-spent life, and of him it may well 
 be said "his works do follow bin:." His remains 
 were interred in Lincoln Park, Inil later removed 
 to a cemetery at W.iukegan. His wife, formerly 
 Miss Fanny (Gregg) Miltimore, was of Scolcli-Lish 
 ancestry, and born in New Hampshire. She sur- 
 vived her first husband, subsequently marrying his 
 brother— J. A. Ingalls. She died in Chicago April 
 24. 1884. J. A. Ingalls is still living in that city 
 advanced in j-cars and retired from active pursuits 
 The old stock of Ingalls belong to the Presbyterian 
 and Congregational Churches. 
 
 This outline of the parental and ancestral hislor^y 
 of our subject will indicate a mental and moral in- 
 heritance which armed him for a successful battle 
 with life. He was born in lola, AVis., April 1, 1860, 
 carefull3' instructed and guided by his parents and 
 early became acquainted with hard work on the 
 farm. He obtained a good practical education in 
 the public schools, and m.aj^ be said to have begun 
 his life as a printer of cards in the most primitive 
 waj'. His taste for that line of work w;js earfy 
 maoifcsted, but he was not able to realize his 
 dreams until after he had learned agriculture and 
 assisted his father through the tr\-ing times of their 
 Kansas life. 
 
 Before he could enter an office to projjerl^' learn 
 the printer's trade, young Bailej' obtained a small 
 press, and with a half supply of type gained much 
 pleasure and a little profit in printing visiting cards. 
 Although his type was not sufficient to spell out 
 some names in the same kind of letters, he secured 
 orders just the same, through reason of his boyish 
 enterprise and desire to improve. Everything he 
 did was to further his knowledge of the printer's art, 
 and he was a happy youth when he linallj- entered 
 an office. His peisisicnce and readily -acquired skill 
 
 soon led him to the froiit and gave him a foremost 
 place in the business of the house in which he was 
 employed. Ilis mind is deeply set upon his work, 
 and no young man manifests more abundant energj' 
 in prosecuting his chosen avocation. The success 
 which he is achieving is but the merited reward for 
 his i)ainstakingand persistent efforts, and is rejoiced 
 in by all who know his life. 
 
 Our subject was united in marriage, in Chilli- 
 cotlie, with Miss Lizzie McMurray, who has been 
 a true helpmate in building up his publishing busi- 
 ness, being able to do much of the office work, and 
 gladly assisting him. This lady was born in St. 
 L'ouis, Mo., November 12, 1854, being a daugiiter 
 of George and Anna (Menzies) McMurray. Her 
 father was born in the North of Ireland but reared 
 in Edinburgh, his p.irents being Scotch and of the 
 Presbyterian faith. He was a weaver of wire cloth. 
 He died in St. Louis and his widow removed to 
 Chillicothe, HI., in 1861, and is now living here 
 with her children at an advanced age. She is a na- 
 tive of Scotland and has been a life-long member 
 of the Baptist Church. 
 
 Mrs. F. W. Bailey was educated in the Chilli- 
 cothe schools and the Normal School at Peoria, and 
 after completing her education devoted her talents 
 to pedagogical labors. She taught in country schools 
 three j'ears and in those of Chillicothe six years, 
 winning the reputation which her bright mind, ca- 
 pable ways and good character deserve. She has 
 borne her husband two children — Harry M. and 
 Randolph W. She follows the careful teaching 
 which she received in adhering to the Baptist faith. 
 
 \f AMES H. STEWART, is still living in the 
 home of his birth on section 5, Timber Town- 
 ship, -where he is a prosperous farmer and 
 ^/' stock-breeder, making a specialty of raising 
 Short-horn cattle of a fine gr.ade and Poland-China 
 hogs. His father, Walter Stewart was one of the 
 leading piv^neers of the county, was prominent in 
 public life, and was one of the wealthy men of the 
 township." 
 
 Our subject was born September 2, lS,jO. on
 
 ^^ r&e^^ ^^-^^ 
 
 ^ Ey^-z^y^o--^
 
 poirrnAiT an'd tuograpiiical Ai,r>iTi\r. 
 
 383 
 
 this homestead which his lalher took u|i fioiii the 
 (iovdiiiiient ill 1837. entering one liundred and 
 sixt^- acres of timber in the openings, in the spring 
 of that 3ear. He had come hitlier with a team, and 
 was six or seven vveel<s on the way, arriving in the 
 montii of Ma3'. He accumulated a valuable prop- 
 ertj- in this county, becoming the proprietor of two 
 hundred and sixty acres in Timber Township, and 
 two hundred and fifty acres in Logan Township. 
 Before prosperity came to liira, liowever, he ex- 
 perienced all tlie trials and hardships of pioneer life, 
 and had to raal<e many ssicriHces. When he first 
 came here, the country was very thinly populated, 
 and the roads, if tliere were anj', were very bad, 
 and he liad to travel some distance to get his grain 
 gr jund. going as far as Hale's Mill on the Kicka- 
 poo. He was a man of considerable education, and 
 was a pioneer school teacher, conducting one of the 
 first schools ever opened in this township. He was 
 a man of imporianc-e in public affairs, was Collector 
 and Notary Public, and served on the County 
 lioard of Supervisors. He came of an old and re- 
 spected family, as did his wife also, her maiden 
 n:une being Nancy E. Turbett. 
 
 Our subject grew to man's estate on the parenlnl 
 homestead, where he still resides, receiving his edu- 
 cation in the local school. He worked his father's 
 farm with his brothers until his marriage, and with 
 his Ijrother George 15., now owns two hundred and 
 ten acres of the homestead, and has besides forty 
 acres on section 6. The farm is a ver^' valuable 
 one, is under fine tillage, yields large harvests, and 
 is well stocked with cattle and hogs of a high grade. 
 Its buildings are substantial and commodious, and 
 here he and ids wife have a home that for comfort 
 and coziness is not surpassed by any in the com- 
 niunit3-. 
 
 September 1, 1S81, Mr. Stewart and MissRhoba 
 Phillips, were united in marriage. Mrs. Stewart 
 was born in Limestone Township, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Luke M. and Maria (Iloughlaling) Philli|>s. 
 She is a woman of great refinement, and marked in- 
 telligence, is highly educated, and for some years 
 before her marriage w.as engaged in the teacher's 
 profession. Her union with our subject has brought 
 them two children. Mary K., and Walter H. 
 
 This brief record shows our subject to be .an en- 
 
 terprising piaclical man, endowed with tact and 
 firmness, and the cajiacity for carrying on his noble 
 calling to the best advantage. He and his wife 
 are people of social prominence in the community, 
 and are among the leading memljers of the United 
 Presbyterian Church, in which he is Elder. 
 
 R. BELLE KENYON, who is successfully 
 ))) practicing her profession in Peoria, occu- 
 pies a leading position among the physicians 
 of the Homoepathic school in this count\'. She is a 
 native of Rome, N. Y., born March 1, 1847, and 
 is a daughter of William and Julia (Dunbar) 
 Brackney, natives of Warren County. Pa. The 
 Brackney family originated in Germany and came 
 to this country many 3'ears ago. The Dunbars 
 were of Scotch descent. 
 
 William Brackney w.as a prosperous miller and 
 owned grist, saw and woolen mills on the Mohawk 
 River, two and one-half miles from Rome, from 
 which he derived a good income; here our subject 
 was born, being the youngest of eleven children, nine 
 of whom are deceased and one sister, Mrs. Rachel 
 West, living at Oshkosh, Wis. Mr. Brackney died 
 Apiil 17, 1857, thus closing at a ripe age a lifethat 
 had been full of usefulness and honor. His wife sur- 
 vived him many years, dying in Dr. Kenyon's home 
 July 31, 1888, at the venerable age of eighty-one 
 years. She was a woman of marked characteristics, 
 being endowed with a strong mental and physical 
 development and the Doctor attributes much of 
 her success to the early training given her by her 
 mother. The family came West in 18.58, and set- 
 tled in Oshkosh, Wis. 
 
 In October, 1865, O. S. Brlggs, after being mus- 
 tered out of the United States service, he being a 
 member of the Tliird LTnitcd Slates Cavalry, was 
 married to our subject. He w.as engaged in a trav- 
 eling business, and for a number of years was ac- 
 companied b}' his wife, who thus h.ad a fine 
 opportunity to see much of the world and she 
 profited hy it. Mr. Briggs died of consumption, 
 the result of a cold contracted on a voyage from
 
 384 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 San Francisco to the Sandwich Islands, where they 
 spent several raonlhs. He is buried at Minneapo- 
 lis, Minn. 
 
 Our subjeet was married in the month of No- 
 vember, 18.S2, to Dr. Walter Sholwell, vvith whom 
 she practiced medicine two ^ears. Charles Ken- 
 j'on, her present husband, is a native of Baldwins- 
 ville, N. Y. lie belongs to a well-known family 
 of that State, who date their ancestry to Lord 
 Kenyon, of England. Tlie Doctor is endowed 
 with a natural tasle for medical studies, and after 
 the death of her first husband entered earnestly 
 upon the work of becoming a doctor. She entered 
 at once the Ilonnepathic Medical College, of Mis- 
 souri, a school that ranks high as an institution of 
 learning. Mrs. Kenyon gra<Uiated with a class of 
 about seventy men in March, 1883. Her proficiency 
 in her studies was ninety-seven and one-half per 
 cent, and her grade third in her class. This alone 
 speaks well for her culture and breadth of knowl- 
 edge of medicine. She immediately opened an 
 Office in Peoria, and entered with zeal u]3on the 
 duties of her profession in which slie had already 
 had both hospital and chemical exiierience. She is 
 gifted with an evenly balanced mind, a strong 
 charncler, a stead}' nerve, a keen eve. and the firm 
 but gentle touch of the true i)hysician; the fine suc- 
 cess she has met justifies her choice of a profession, 
 if any vindication were needed. 
 
 The general public is not familiar with woman 
 in the leading professions and heretofore it has been 
 looked upon as an experiment merely, but the pub- 
 lic are not slow to recognize merit wherever found, 
 and the result is that woman, when once qualified 
 has no longer public oi)inion to combat and finds 
 her patrons .among the most refined and educated. 
 It is rare to find an intellect so skillful in the 
 analaysis of the deepest problems and so completely 
 at home in the conception and delineation of real 
 character. The Doctor is a close observer and is 
 familiar with many subjects that women in com- 
 mon do not consider within their sphere, and this 
 qualification alone renders her without a peer among 
 her sex. The Doctor is somewhat of a writer in n 
 modest way and has had tlie honor to present pa|)ers 
 on different subjects before both the Scientific As- 
 sociation and the Sundaj- Lyceum societies, known 
 
 in both the city and county. She has somewhat of 
 a caustic pen, however, when writing and possessing 
 ready wit is not at all backward in her defense of 
 women when restricted by her dominant brother. 
 She is choice of her language however, and seldom 
 gives offence. 
 
 Dr. Kenyon is a great lover of home and has b}' 
 untiring effort and application to business, sur- 
 rounded herself with an ideal home. Possessing a 
 cheerful disposition and with a nature broad and 
 generous, she is beloved b}- all who know her best 
 and her greatest pleasure is afforded by the little 
 acts of love and gratitude shown by her poorer pa- 
 tients who never seek her aid in vain. She enjoj's 
 a good practice anil is often called long distances 
 to attend some serious case. Her portrait is pre- 
 sented on another page of the Album, and repre- 
 sents a physician of whose ability the citizens of 
 Peoria .-ire justly jiroud, and whose refinement and 
 culture liave every where won for her warm friends. 
 
 '^'->^^^^^^t^^^^ 
 
 ^^ APT. HENRY DETWEILLER, a prominent 
 ill n ""'' wealthy business man of Peoria, is 
 ^^^ successfull}' conducting a large wholesale 
 and retail ice business at No. 108 South Adams 
 Street. He was born June 19, 1825, in the Prov- 
 ince of Loraine, Germany, which at that time 
 formed a part of the domain of France. Ilis par- 
 ents. Christian and Catherine (Schertz) Detweiller, 
 were natives respectivel}' of France and Bavaria. 
 His father accumulated a fortune in the farming, 
 milling and transfer business, which he lost during 
 the war of 1812 and 1813, and died in 1832 a poor 
 man. Henry, of whom we write, is the only sur- 
 vivor of the eighteen children borne him by his 
 two wives. 
 
 After the death of the father, the mother of our 
 subject came to this country with him and three 
 daughters, landing at New York after a voyage of 
 sixt}' days, and fortj'-two days later the travelers 
 arrived in Peoria. They came from New York to 
 Rochester by boat, thence to Buffalo by canal, 
 thence bj' lake to Cleveland, and from there by 
 canal to Cincinnati, thence by boat on the Ohio,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL 'ALBUM. 
 
 385 
 
 Mississippi atul Illinois Rivers to Peoria — from St. 
 Louis on the steamer "Ark,"' commanded by Capl. 
 Tiiomas Want— where Mrs. Detweillur's son John 
 h.ad located three years previously. He kept an hotel 
 here in early days, and then went to St. Louis, where 
 he followed the same business, and there his death 
 occurred in 184-2. The mother of our subject did 
 not long survive her removal from her old home 
 to this country, but died here in 1838. 
 
 The subject of this biography was only six years 
 of age when his father died, and was scarce twelve 
 years old when he accompanied his mother and 
 sisters to this country. He was reared under our 
 institutions to a manly, vigorous manhood, and in 
 the hour of her greatest trial he proved his loyalty 
 and devotion to the home of his adoption, by offer- 
 ing his services in defense of her honor and to aid 
 in preserving the integrity of the Union. After 
 coming here Henry was variously employed, work- 
 ing for his brother, clerking, etc., when not attend- 
 ing school, and at the age of fifteen he went on 
 board the steamboat " Frontier" to train for a pilot 
 under Milton Hasbrouck, and was on that boat until 
 its collision with the " Panama," September 2, 
 1842. The following spring he shi|)ped as second 
 pilot under his old instructor on the steamer 
 ■Chicago," a new boat which the compan}' had 
 just built. He wasengaged on that steamer in that 
 capacity until 1844, when the boat was withdrawn 
 from the river, and he then secured a similar posi- 
 tion on the '• Raritau." and the next j'ear was np- 
 poinl«I first pilot on the new boat, "Governor 
 Biiggs;" anil later was made Captain, and after 
 June, 1810, ran her from Galena to New Albany, 
 ou the upper Mississippi, as a mail and passenger 
 boat. For several years following Jlr. Detweiller 
 acted as captain or pilot on a number of steam- 
 boats, and in 1856 became part owner of the " Mo- 
 vaster," and selling her in 1857, in 1858 became 
 .Sole proprietor of the " Minnesota." 
 
 Our sutiject was still engaged in the steamboat 
 business when the war broke out, and in the spring 
 of 1862 he offered his services to the Government. 
 He first commanded the "Jenny Lind," and 
 in July, 180."i. became master of the "Yankee," 
 of which he had charge during the remainder of 
 his service. While commanding the Government 
 
 transports he did important work for the cause, 
 and at times ran great hazards in his efforts to 
 elude the enemy and takes his precious freight to a 
 safe port. In the latter part of October, 1863, he 
 sailed from St. Louis to New Orleans with a cargo 
 valued at $250,000, and it was only by various 
 devices and strategems that our ingenious captain 
 was at last enabled to moor his boat in the New 
 Orleans harbor, with no further damage than was 
 sustained by one shot from the rebels. 
 
 After the war Capt. Detweiller commanded the 
 " Beaver" until 1874, when he abandoned the water 
 to give his attention more closely to the ice busi- 
 ness, which he had established in 1870 in partner- 
 ship with N. L. Woodruff. In December, 1876, 
 he severed liis connection with that gentleman, and 
 has since managed his large and constantly increas- 
 ing business himself, conducting both a wholesale 
 and retail trade. His large establishments for ice 
 have a capacity of more than 13,500 tons. 
 
 Mr. Detvveiller .and Miss Magdaline Bachmann 
 were united in marriage November 5, 1848. Mrs. 
 Detweiller was born in the German province of 
 Loraine on the 25th of August. 182G. .She came 
 came to this country the year prior to her marriage 
 with our subject, which occurred at the home of 
 his sister in Woodford County', 111. Of their mar- 
 riage seven children were born, of whom the fol- 
 foUowing four are living: Thomas IL, William 11., 
 Amelia and Matilda. 
 
 Mrs. Detweiller was removed from her sphere of 
 usefulness September 10, 1888, after a wedded life 
 of fort)' jears, and our subject then lost one who 
 had ever been to him all a true wife can be, and 
 her children a devoted mother. Her death was 
 felt far beyond the home circle, as her sweet, 
 wholesome nature, thorough goodness ami kindly 
 charit}' had won her a warm place in the hearts of 
 many, and she had been an influence for much good 
 in the community. She w.as a |)erson of serene re- 
 ligious faith, and in her the I'niversalist Church 
 had one of its most faithful helpers. She was an 
 active member of the Woman's Christian Home 
 ^Mission, and also belonged to the Woman's Relief 
 Corps of the Old Settlers Association. 
 
 Henry Detweiller stands among our most re- 
 vered citizens, and is widelv known for his un-
 
 SS6 
 
 PORlRAir AN!) inoCRAlMIK'AL ALBUM. 
 
 swerving integrity of character, ami for liis honor- 
 able coiniceliou with the business interests of the 
 city. He is a member of the Oil<l Fellows, and 
 also of the Grand Arm}' of the Kepublic. He cast 
 his first vote for Gen. Taj-lor as President, and 
 since the organization of the Republican part}- has 
 alwa3's been true to its colors. He reveres the name 
 of Lincoln, whom he knew, with honor and rev- 
 erence. 
 
 OBERT HILL. Among the. active ^'oung 
 business men who have in recent 3'ears step- 
 ped to the front to assist in carrj'ing on 
 ' and extending the varied interests of this 
 count}', the subject of this biogr.iphical review is 
 deserving of especial mention. He is the proprie- 
 tor of a grocery in Bartonville, having here a well- 
 litted up and well stocked store, and is carrying on 
 an extensive and lucrative trade. 
 
 Mr. Hill was born in Wesley City, just across 
 • lie river from Peoria, twenty-four years ago. His 
 parents, John and Susannah Hill, came from Eng- 
 land and established a home in that place and were 
 residents there some years. They moved across 
 the river to this county when our subject was 
 young. They became valued citizens of Peoria, 
 and in course of years, by industry and the exer- 
 cise of excellent judgment in carrying on his work, 
 Mr. Hill acquired a competency. His widow still 
 occupies the old place, where she owns a fine prop- 
 erty in addition to other interests, all of which are 
 ably managed by her son, our subject. 
 
 Robert Hill is the eighth child in a family of 
 fifteen children, twelve of whom are now living. 
 He was carefully trained by his worthy parents 
 to a manly, useful manhood, and was given the 
 advantages of a liberal education in the city schools 
 of Peoria. He went into business for himself when 
 but twenty-one years of age, establishing himself 
 as a merchant. In 1887 he turned his attention 
 to farming, in company with his brotlier William, 
 and they subsequently opened a brick yard, which 
 w.Ts known as the Robert Hill & Bro.'s yard, .and 
 was located on the outskirts of B;irtonville. Thev 
 carried on the manufacture of lnifk tooether iniiil 
 
 the summer of 1890, when William sold out his 
 interest to the HolTman brothers, who are practical 
 brick makers. In the season of 1889 the company 
 made a million bricks, employing about twelve 
 liands and two teams to deliver in the city, where 
 they find a good market for all that they can pro- 
 duce. 
 
 In October, 1889, Mr. Hill opened a new store, 
 which is fully equipped with groceries and no- 
 tions, and he already does a thriving business as 
 one of the leading merchants of the place, and his 
 custom is among our best citizens. 
 
 The maideu name of the wife of our subject, 
 who presides so gracefully over the pleasant home, 
 sees so closely after the comforts of the house- 
 hold, and makes their dwelling attractive to their 
 numerous friends, was Alice Randall, and she is a 
 daughter of Harry Randall. Two children com- 
 plete the home circle — Harry and Johnnie. 
 
 iMr. Tlill is well endowed mentally and physically, 
 is of a forceful, resolute character, possessing a 
 quick, keen intellect, and in an abundant degree 
 those vigorous, earnest traits that mark a man 
 bound to succeed in what ever he undertakes. He 
 conducts his business with sound discretion, and 
 yet wirth enterprise, and in all his dealings guards 
 well his honor. 
 
 — *^ * Yt, * S ' ' )! ^t * f,v * "" ■ — " 
 
 ON. JAMES MONTGOMERY RICE. The 
 Rice family is of Welsh ancestry and settled 
 in Virginia in 1690,andfrom that State the 
 grandfather of our subject removed to 
 Kentucky about 1804. He was a surveyor and 
 planter. His son, George Poague Rice, born in 
 Kentucky, settled in Monmouth, 111., in 1835, re- 
 siding there for many years. He is now a resident 
 of Omaha, Neb., his age bt-ing seventy-eight years. 
 He married Caroline Montgomery, a native of 
 Danville,Pa., which place was largely owned by her 
 great-grandfather, Gen. William Montgomery, a 
 soldier of the Revolutionary War and was named 
 in honor of her great uucle. Gen. Daniel Montgom- 
 ery. Her falher,James JMontgomery,was also born in 
 tliat town. Mrs, Rice died in Nebraska, January
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALIU M. 
 
 387 
 
 15, 1886. in tl. iirst year of her age and wes 
 
 Iniricd in MonmouUi.lU. Of the children whom she 
 liad borne, the subject of tliis notice is the eldest. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was born in 
 Monmouth, March 8, 1842. Ilis early school daj-s 
 were passed in the district schools and his physical 
 powers were developed bj' labor on a farm. After 
 acquiring a preliminar3' education he entered JNIon- 
 mouth College, prosecuting his studies therein un- 
 til the outbreak of the Civil War, when he en- 
 listed in Company E, Tenth Illinois Infantry. He 
 served in the Union Army a little over three 
 years, belonging to the First Brigade, Second Di- 
 vision, Fourteenth Armj^ Corps, Army of the 
 Cumberland. He was present at the Siege of At- 
 lanta, and had previously taken part in the noted 
 battle of Missionary Ri'lge. During Sherman's 
 advance from Chattanooga to Atlanta his cars were 
 saluted with the noise of the enem3''s guns for 
 one huniJred and twontj'-three consecutive da\'s. 
 He took part in manj' of the less important en- 
 gagements during his term of enlistment, as well 
 as some of the most bloody, and earned and re- 
 tained the confidence of his superior officers. 
 
 On September 14, 1864,Mr. Rice was mustered 
 out of the service, soon after which he entered the 
 Law Department of the University of Michigan, at 
 Ann Arbor, Midi., from which he was graduated 
 in the class of 1866. He immediately opened an 
 office in Oqu.iwka, 111., becoming Master in Chan- 
 cery. Ju January, 1867. he removed to Peoria, 
 where after jn-acticing alone for a twelvemonth, 
 he became a partner of the lion. David McCul- 
 locli. The connection continued until Mr. Rice 
 was elected to the legislature.whicli met in January 
 1871. This was the first session after the adop- 
 tion of the new constitution and upon it devolved 
 the task of the revision of the State statutes, the 
 work consuming fifteen months time altogether. 
 
 Mr. Rice has served as City Attorney and for 
 the past nine j'ears has been Treasurer of the Peo- 
 ria. Law Library Association, and has been Sec- 
 retary of the Peoria Improvement Association, from 
 its organization. For some 3'ears he was in legal 
 partnership with Leslie Robison and Col. William 
 S. Brackctt, but for five 3'ears past he has been in 
 partnership with his cousin, Cyrus Walker Rice. 
 
 For nearly thirty-four 3'ears Mr. Rice has been 
 a member of the Presbyterian Church. His polit- 
 ical adherence has ever been given to the Repub- 
 lican party. He belongs to Post No. 67, G. A. R., 
 has been chairm.an of the Committee on Legisla- 
 tion of the Nat,ioual Guard Association of Illinois, 
 for the i)ast seven 3^ears,!ind is one of the executive 
 committee of the National Guard Association of 
 the United States. He holds the rank of Colonel, 
 in the Illinois National Guard and is General In- 
 spector of rifle practice, on the Governor's Staflf. 
 
 He married September 14, 1871, Miss Eliza Bal- 
 lanee, fourth daughter of Col. Charles Ballance,who 
 settled in Peoria in 1831. She is a native of this 
 city and a graduate of Monticello Seminary. Her 
 social qualities fit her for the sphere in which she 
 moves and add to'her usefulness. The famil3' of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rice comprises five children named 
 respectively: Lillie Ballance, Caroline ^lontgom- 
 er3' : Mar3- Virginia, Montgomer3' and Willis Bal- 
 lance. 
 
 S LIJATI R. RYER is prominent among the 
 f^ young farmers and stock-raisers who are 
 contributing so largely to the material ad- 
 vancement of this count3'. His farm operations are 
 being conducted after the most approved methods, 
 and the fine appearance of his farm on section 18, 
 Trivoli Township, is evidence of his practical skill 
 and abilitx' in his calling. 
 
 Our subject is a descendant of an ancestr3- that 
 was among the earl3- settlers of New York, and 
 some of the best blood of the old Knickerbocker 
 families runs in his veins. He was born in the city 
 of New York, October 16, 1848. Ilis father, Samuel 
 R3'er, was also a native of that metropolis, and at 
 one time he owned a farm that was then in the sub- 
 urbs, but is now williin the municipal corporation, 
 though it was not annexed until after his death. 
 It comprised one hundred acres on Lucas Avenue. 
 His famil3' was of Holland-Dutch descent, his fore- 
 fathers crossing the water to this country in early 
 Colonial times. The grandfather of our subject 
 took part in the Revolution that set the Colonies 
 free from the mother country.
 
 388 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 The father of our subject inherited some tliirlv 
 acres of his father's estate, and sold it witli the re- 
 mainder of his land at a later )ieriod, for a snug 
 sum, and retired from active life. He was at one 
 time a prominent real-estate dealer in New York, 
 and sold houses and lots. He died in his native 
 city in 1888, at the age of seventy-three years, lie 
 was a constant attendant of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and was highly res|)ected as a man and a 
 citizen. The maiden name of his wife was Mary 
 J. Bussing, and she was born in New York Citj'. 
 Her father, John Bussing, was also a native of 
 that locality, having a farm in tiie suburbs of the 
 metropolis, wiiich is now included within the cor- 
 |)orate limits of the city. The mother's share in 
 the Bussing property was a part of AVoodlawn, 
 where the new reservoir is being constructed. .She 
 was also of an old Holland family, who were among 
 the early settlers of New York. The mother of our 
 subject died before his father did. 
 
 The parents of our subject had eight children, as 
 follows: vSusan, Mrs. Duryea; Ellen, Mrs. Wilkin- 
 son ; Louisa, Abby (Mrs. Wille), John, Elijah. 
 Daniel, Frederick, all residents of New Y'ork, with 
 the exception of our subject. 
 
 He of whom tliese lines are a record, received ex- 
 cellent advantages for obtaining an education in 
 the public schools of his native city. He lived the 
 most of the time with his grandfather Bussing, un- 
 til he was twenty years old. He then established 
 himself in the dairy business in the vicinity of his 
 early home, and was prosperously engaged in it 
 until 1873. He then traveled through various 
 States in s6arch of a suitalile location for farming, 
 and in 1876 he came to this State for the third time 
 by rail, having been pleased by the fine opportuni- 
 ties offered to a live, enterprising young farmer on 
 this rich soil. He remained in Quincy awhile, and 
 was in different places until he came here with his 
 brother John, and bought a farm in partnership 
 with him, comprising one hundred acres of land, 
 with improvements. Our subject removed here 
 that j-ummer, and he and his brother were busily 
 '■mplo\ed in the further improvement of their place, 
 which they cultivated together four years. Our 
 subject then bought his brother's interest in the 
 propert3', and has since added toiiis realty, until he 
 
 has a farm of one hundred and fifty acres of till- 
 able land, well drained with tile, neatly fenced, and 
 supplied with a good barn, a comfortable dwelling 
 and other necessary buildings, and ample machin- 
 ery, and orchards and groves adorn the place. Mr. 
 Ryer raises, buys and feeds hogs of the Poland- 
 China breed, which command a ready market, he 
 sending a car-load a j'ear. He has twelve fine horses 
 of an excellent grade, using two teams on the farm, 
 and ho has some full-blooded Short-horn cattle. 
 
 Mr. Ryer and Miss Lucretia Stanton were mar- 
 ried in Orion Township, Fulton Count}-, November 
 29, 1883. She is a daughter of Daniel Stanton, a 
 pioneer farmer of Fulton Count}^. Our subject and 
 Ills wife have four children, named as follows: 
 Maude M., Wilbur R.. Frank E., and Cora M. 
 
 Mr. Hyer has valuable property in New- York 
 City in addition to his possessions here. He is 
 free-hearted and open-handed in the use of his 
 means, and his obliging, courteous manners make 
 him popular, and his honorable course has won him 
 the friendship of our best citizens. He was reared 
 in the Presbyterian faith, and has remained true to 
 the religion of his fathers, being a member of the 
 church of that denomination in Farmington. Po- 
 litically, he is a Rei>ul)lican. 
 
 PRKD B. VAN PETTEN. Among those who 
 I are cultivating a portion of the soil of Tri- 
 ^ voli Township to good advantage, and who 
 
 combine with the raising of grain the feeding and 
 raising of stock, is the gentleman above named, 
 whose fine home is located on section 12. The 
 home estate consists of seventy acres upon whicli 
 stands the finest dwelling in the township, and 
 other improvements which make it a beautiful 
 home. In addition to this fine property. Mr. ^'an 
 Petten owns one hundred and fort}- acres on sec- 
 tion 1 1 , also well-improved and valuable. Our sub- 
 ject is a self-made man, having worked his way- at 
 school, and by dint of his own untiring energy in 
 the use of the ability with which he was endowed, 
 secured a comfortable financial standing, and a po- 
 sition cif [irominenco ;unong his fellow-citizens. He
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 389 
 
 is now Suijervisor of the Townsliip, and already 
 one of the leading members of the County 15oard. 
 
 Mr. \'an Petten traces his ancestry back to the 
 ohl Vans of Holland, in which country his grand- 
 father, Christian Van Petten, was born in 180L 
 There he was reared and educated, raarryin<i- a lady 
 who was born in liie same kingdom, the same year 
 as himself. They emigrated to America, settling at 
 Sterling, N. Y., where Mr. Van Petten resumed his 
 former occupation of farming. He has been very 
 successful in life, now owns sevei-al finely imjjroved 
 farms, worth about 8200,000, and is also interested 
 in railroads. He was at one time President of a road 
 which passed through .Sterling. He is still well and 
 hearty, transacts all his own business, and takes an 
 active part in the work of the United Presbyterian 
 Church, of which he has been a member since early 
 life. He votes the Republican ticket. Sliould they 
 live until September next (1890), he and his good 
 wife will celebrate the sixty-eight anniversarj' of 
 their marriage. They have had twelve children, 
 seven of whom are yet living, and all well situated. 
 
 The father of our subject is John Van Petten, 
 who was born in Sterling, N. Y., reared on the farm 
 and had the advantages of good schools, being for 
 a time a student in the college at Auburn. When 
 al)out twenty-one 3'ears old, he came to Peoria 
 Cviunty, 111., engaged in teaching in Tr'voli Town- 
 ship, and continued his professional labors some 
 fifteen years. His reputation as an instructor is an 
 excellent one, and man}' of the jounger generation 
 look upon him with high honor for the lessons 
 they received while under his care. He finally 
 lioughtland on section 14, Logan Township, turned 
 his attention to farming, and improved his one hun- 
 dred acres until 1868. He then sold, and going to 
 IJvingston County, bought two hundred and forty 
 acres, which he operated three j'ears, after which he 
 tlisposed of it, located in lioseville, Warren County, 
 and began dealing in grain. In a short time he 
 went to St. Louis, Mo., became Government store- 
 keeper there, and discharged the duties of that 
 otllce until 1878. then removed to Sterling, Rice 
 County, Ivan., where he still makes his home. He 
 bought a farm near that place, but rents it, occupy- 
 ing himself in the real estate, insurance, and loan 
 business, and with the duties of Justice of the Peace. 
 
 He is a Deacon of the T'l'nited Presbyterian Church. 
 
 The mother of our suliject was known in her 
 girlhood as Hannah T. Bourne. She was born in 
 New Bedford, Mass., where her father, Meltiah T. 
 Bourne, bad opened his eyes to the light, and near 
 which place he was engaged in farming. He wa.s 
 captain of the old Red Regiment of Massachusetts, 
 his sword being now in the possession of our sub- 
 ject. In the early days he settled on section 11, 
 Trivoli Township, where he built a log cabin, pur- 
 sued a successful career as a farmer until 1868, 
 when he retired to Elmwood, spending the remnant 
 of his days there, and dying in 1884. His daugh- 
 ter, Alice, now the wife of United States Marshal, 
 F. Hitchcock, of Chicago, was the first white child 
 born in this township. He was an active, influen- 
 tial member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mrs. Hannah (Bourne) Van Petten, was married 
 to the man of her choice in this tovvnship,and died 
 in Logan Township in 1864, at the age of thirty 
 years, leaving four children of whom our subject 
 is the second in order of birth. The others are 
 Augustus G., a resident of Ogden, Utah, and em- 
 ployed with a surveying party by the Unipn Paci- 
 fic Railroad; Lillian M., now Mrs. W. G. Bowers, 
 of Elmwood; Isabelle A., wife of S. P. Steck, a 
 farmer of this township. 
 
 Great-grandfather Bourne was an Englishman of 
 Tory persuasion, who, with other members of the 
 family held large land grants around Massachu- 
 setts Bay under Charles II. His brother was worth 
 millions of dollars, won in the whale fisheries, and 
 was a member of the State Legislature six years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born November 4, 
 1857, in the township where he now resides, and 
 lived in this and Logan Townsliii)s until eleven 
 years old. He learned the rudiments of farming, 
 and attended the district schools, which were quite 
 good, going to Livingston County with his father 
 in 1868, and remaining tliere until fourteen years 
 old. He then embarked in life for himself, coming 
 to Elmwood and securing farm work by the month 
 during the summer, and in the winter working for 
 his board and attending the High School. This 
 course he pursued four years, and was within a 
 year of being graduated, when, in the winter of 
 1875, he received the appointment of clerk in the
 
 390 
 
 PORTRAIT AN'^ i^fnORAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Peoria post-ollice, under John 8. Stevens, Poscukis- 
 ter. lie remained tlierc nearly' four years, then uc- 
 eepled the appointment of Postal Clerk on the 
 Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad, receiving from 
 the Government the salary of §80 per month. His 
 run was between Logansport, Ind., and Warsaw, 
 III. Upon leaving that road, he held a similar [wsi- 
 tion on another, during the seven years in whiclihe 
 was in the postal service running on nearly every 
 road from Peoria. For nearly tno years he was on 
 the Peoria, Decatur & Evausville R:iihoad. 
 
 Resigning his position on account of ill-health, 
 Mr. Van Petten returned to Trivoli Township, in 
 which he had purchased land in 1881, and taking 
 possession of the same, took up the life of a farmer, 
 raising crops and stock. He i)laced his land un- 
 der good improvement, but in 1885 bought his pre- 
 sent home farm, upon which he removed in 1888,' 
 renting the other place. He remodeled the build- 
 ings .at his new home, adapting them to his taste 
 and needs. He feetis two car-loads of cattle, and 
 lluee car-loads of hogs per year: he has on hand 
 about twenty-four head of road horses, and keeps 
 one haiul at work in the cultivation of the laud de- 
 voted to crops. lie is interested in public improve- 
 ments, and in the opening up of the country by 
 new means of communication. He gave 1200 to- 
 wanl tlie construction of the railroad near his home, 
 and is equally liberal regarding other improve- 
 rnents. 
 
 At the home of the l)ride's parents in Brimfield 
 Township, January 3, 1883, Mr. Van Petten was 
 united in marriage with Miss Florence A. Austin, a 
 native of that township, daughter of James E. and 
 Sarah Austin. Her father is numbered among the 
 early settlers of his section, owns four hundred 
 acres of valuable land, and has retired from farm 
 life with a competence. Mr. and Mrs. V^an Petten 
 are the parents of tliree children: Stac}' A., the 
 lirst-born, is tlie only one now living; Lutie B: 
 <lied when four months old; and Klwood B. when 
 nine months old. 
 
 Mr. Van Petten was first elected Su|iei\ isoi in 
 1889, and re-elected in 1890 for the two years' 
 term. He is an ardent Republican, active and efli- 
 cient in political work. He was delegate to the 
 county conventions six .years, to the Congressional . 
 
 covvention three j'cars, and for the past. four years 
 h.as been the County Central Committeeman from 
 this township. He w!is Secretarj' of the counl3' con- 
 vention in 1890, and of the Congresnional conven- 
 tion in 1888. He is Steward and Trustee in the 
 Methodist Episcoi)al Church at Trivoli, his Chris- 
 tianit}' being more than a mere profession. Ke is 
 more than ordinarily intelligent, and comlnncs with 
 his upright character the pleasing manners which 
 give him popularity and add to his usefulness in 
 the community. 
 
 ^— 
 
 ■^i-*- 
 
 EWIS A. McFADDEN, M. D., although a 
 II (?S) resident of Peoria Imt a few j'cars, already- 
 l^\ occupies a high position as a phj'sician and 
 surgeon, en joj'ing a good private practice, in ad- 
 dition to which he holds the position of County 
 Physician. He was born in Pittsburg, Pa., INIarch 
 30, 1848, receiving a common-school education in 
 the place of his nativity'. He completed an excel- 
 lent course of study at Mt. Union, Ohio, having 
 previously studied at JIarletta. He then became 
 Principal of the schools in New Haven, W. Va., 
 retaining the position several years. 
 
 Entering the Miami Medical College at Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio, Dr. McFadden took the progressive 
 course, reajainiug tw'o years.after which he attended 
 lectures, and was graduated from the Kentucky 
 School of Medicine at Uouisville, Ky., in the sum- 
 mer of 1881. 
 
 After completing his medical studies Dr. Mc- 
 Faddt;n located for practice in the West, remaining 
 there until 1887, when he came to Peoria. Here 
 he has made for himself a reputation as a skillful 
 physician and surgeon, and representative citizen. 
 In 1889 he was unanimously elected County Phy- 
 sician, the office giving him a large practice with a 
 Salary of §1,500 per annum; he receives extra pay 
 of from §300 to $500 in case of additional services 
 required by the county, and yet has time to attend 
 to his private practice, which includes attendance 
 C'H man3' of the first families of the city. 
 
 In 188G Dr. McFad<len took a private course at 
 Baltimore, JId.,to perfect himself in the treatment
 
 a?1\^. 
 
 *'^V«>Sl'' r-- 
 
 
 y/lrH^ 
 
 ^.S^: 
 
 aJA^ixHr^i
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 393 
 
 of the throat and clicst; he has also studied the eye 
 and ear as a specialty. His itrofession is the object 
 of his deepest devotion and most earnest zeal, and 
 his interest is repaid by the success that follows 
 him. He belongs to the Peoria Sledical Society, 
 and has been a member of the Board of Health but 
 did not wish its duties this j-ear. He is Medical 
 Examiner for the Foresters, Red Men, Chosen 
 Friends, and Woodmen. The ciiarming wife of Dr. 
 McFadden was known in her girlhood as Miss 
 Rachael V. Richey. Slie was a resident of Meigs 
 County, Oiiio. Around the fireside of llie Doctor's 
 [iloasant home the forms of three children cluster, 
 gladdening tiie parents' hearts by their presence. 
 Thej' are named Una May, Goldie Beatrice, and 
 AValton Claris. The Doctor owns and resides in a 
 neat dwelling at No. 1704 North Adams Street. He 
 and Mrs. McFadden are members and regular at- 
 tendants of the First Metiiodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 'i^m- 
 
 jtV OVELL HARRISON. The name of Harri- 
 I (® *""' ever popular with the Anjerican peo- 
 ;''— ^ ^ pie, finds a worthy representative in the 
 gentleman above named, a native of Connecticut, 
 where he was born October 8, 1834. He is the 
 son of Increase and Lucy (Martin) Harrison, his 
 father being a graduate of Yale College and a [ihy- 
 sician in New Haven, where he took high rank in 
 his profession. Notwithstanding this, his own 
 eaily advantages wei-e somewhat limited, as Dr. 
 Harrison and his wife both died when the subject 
 of this sketch was but four years old. Durmg 
 his early years he followed farm life for a time, 
 then served an apprenticeship with an elder brother 
 as an architect and budder. At the age of twenty- 
 two years he came to Peoria, where he followed 
 house building, subsequently turning his attention 
 to farming, although continuing to reside in the 
 city limits. He makes a specialty of raising fine 
 horses — roadsters and trotters — and mannges a 
 farm wliicli is noticeable in a country where line 
 estatfts are the rule. 
 
 Mr. Harrison has, as an amateur, given consid- 
 erable attention to horticulture, in which he has 
 been quite successful, and in past years has been a 
 frequent contributor to horticultural journals. The 
 love of horticulture seems to be a family trait, as 
 the following incident will illustrate: After the 
 
 death of Oliver Cromwell, '-Lord Protector" of 
 England, in 1658, and the accession of Charles II. 
 to the throne, the roj-alists began to wreak ven- 
 geance on his followers. His great lieutenant, 
 (ien. Thomas Harrison, one of the regicide judges 
 who had condemned Charles I., was arrested and 
 beheaded; his son, ('apt. William Harrison, a sen- 
 faring man, for safety left England in a small 
 vessel of his own for the colonies, but in the dan- 
 ger and peril of the hour, he diil not forget to 
 bring along in a flower pot a scion from the an- 
 cestral pear tree, at the "Old Manor." Landing 
 on the Delaware River near I'hiladelphia, he set- 
 tled at (jloucester, N. J., wiiere he i)lanted tlie 
 little tree. In 1876, at the Centennial, a half 
 bushel of fruit from the "Harrison Pear Tree" was 
 exhibited, the tree then being two hundred and 
 st'venteen years old. The -'Harrison Pear Tree" 
 still lives, and since the death of the '"Stuyvesant 
 Pear Tree," in New York, is believed to be the 
 oldest in the country. 
 
 Mr. Harrison celebrated Indeiiendence Day, 
 1866, by wedding 1\lrs. Lucinda Dodds, iiee Rich- 
 ardson. iNIrs. Harrison, whose portrait ajjpears in 
 connection with this sketch, is deserving of special 
 mention on account of her eminent success as a 
 bee-keeper and a writer on the management of the 
 honey-making insects. For some years she has 
 edited the bee department of the Prairie Farmer, 
 being likewise a member of the staff of a British 
 agricultural journal. The A, B, C, of Bee Cul- 
 ture has this to say of her: "Among women no 
 bee-keeper is more widely known than Mrs. Lucinda 
 Harrison. Born in Coshocton County, Ohio, No- 
 vember 21, 1831, she came in 1836 to Peoria 
 County, 111., her parents, Alpheus Richardson and 
 wife, being pioneer .settlers. Public schools were 
 at that time undeveloped and educational advan- 
 tages few, but her parents gave her the best to be 
 had in private schools. Her brother, Sanford, was 
 a member of the first class vvhich was graduated 
 from Knox College, and she then spent a year at 
 an academy taught by him at Granville, 111. She 
 taught school from time to time until 185.5, when 
 she married Robert Dodds, a prosperous farmer of 
 Woodford County, who died two years later, leav- 
 ing her a widow at twenty-five." 
 
 Mrs. Harrison thus describes her entrance into 
 the ranks of an apiarist: " In 1871, while perusing 
 the reports of tlie Department of Agriculture, j 
 came across a flowery essay on liee culture from 
 the graceful pen of Mrs. Ellen S. Tupper. I 
 caught the bee fever so badly that I could hardly 
 survive until the spring, when I purchased two 
 colonies of Italians from the late Adam Grimm, of 
 Jeffeisou, Wis. The bees were in eight-frame L
 
 391 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BlOGKAPlllCAL ALBUM. 
 
 liivi's. :iik1 wel'still continue to use hives exactly 
 similar to these then purohased. I bought the 
 bees without mv' husband's knowledge, knowing 
 full well that he would forbid me if he knew, it, 
 and many were the curtain lectures I received for 
 purchasing such troublesome slock. One reason 
 for his hostilitj' was that I kept contiiiuallj' pulling 
 the liives to pieces to see what the bees were at 
 and kept them on the warpath. Our home is on 
 three citj'.lots, and at the time I commenced bee- 
 keeping our trees and vines were just eoming|into 
 bearing, and Mr. Harrison enjoyed very^,much 
 being out amongShis pels, and occasionally had an 
 escort of scolding bees. Meeting with opposition 
 made me [all the more [determined to succeed. I 
 never wavered in my fixed determination to know 
 all there was to be known ^about honey bees, and I 
 was loo inquisitive, prying into tneir domestic 
 relations, which made them so very irritable." 
 
 Itis credited to Mrs. Harrison that she has written 
 more than any woman in the world on the subject 
 of bees, as opening up a new industry for women. 
 Iter writings have been extensively published in 
 Great Britain and on the Continent, as well as in 
 Australia and the .'^oulli ISea Islands. Her articles 
 have been translated into French. German. Italian, 
 and probably other tongues. Mrs. Harrison is a 
 strong, vigorous and advanced thinker, and is a be- 
 liever in the rights and privileges of women. Her 
 contribntions^in literature emiirace not'only articles 
 on bee culture, but likewise on horticulture. Her 
 first writings appeared in the Gi'rmantoirn Tele- 
 graph of Pliiladeliihia, and Coleman's Rural World. 
 of St. Louis. 
 
 The perseverance of Mrs. Harrison was rewarded, 
 her husband's opposition ceased, and he himself 
 became interested in the bees, helping to care for 
 them, declaring that he believed it would add ten 
 \ears to his life. For a number of years her apiary 
 has contained about one bundled colonies. ' She is 
 prevented from doing as much as slie otherwise 
 would by ill-healtii and family cares, for although 
 childless, she lins been a mother to several orphan 
 children. She is best known as a writer, her many 
 contributions to the press being marked with vigor 
 and originality, with a blunt candor that assures 
 one of her sincerity. She credits bee-keeping with 
 making lier life more enjoyable by opening up a 
 a new world, and making her more observing of 
 plants and flowers, with which, we may add, her 
 Lome is quite surrounded. 
 
 Mr. Harrison is a Democrat in politics, as he ex- 
 presses it, -'dyed in the wool," his fealty to party 
 not permitting his suffrage in behalf of a relative. 
 He and his wife now have with them an adoi)ted 
 daughter, Kate, and a niece, Luc}' Simonton, the 
 
 last grandchild born to Lucy and Alpheus Rich- 
 ardson. 
 
 The Harrisons now scattered abioad throughout 
 the United States, trace their genealogy back to a 
 common parent, two of whose sons, Thomas and 
 Richard, came to 'America during the earlj- Colo- 
 nial settlement byj_Pilgrims. They first sought a 
 home on tiie coast of Connecticut, but one of them 
 growing dissatisfied, moved on to New Jersej-. 
 Harrisons numbering perhaps two thousand souls 
 are of this stock. Five hundred of the name and 
 family sat together at a re- union held at Orange, 
 N. J., in 1875. At a similar re union held at 
 Branford, Conn., the year previous, three or four 
 hundred were present. President Harrison is of 
 IhisJ family, as was, of course, the General and 
 President of 1840. 
 
 To the sketch of Mr. and Mrs. Lovell Harrison 
 we add a brief account of the life of Alpheus Rich- 
 ardson, the father of Mrs. Harrison and one of 
 Peoria's pioneer settlers. He was born in Somers, 
 Conn., Jul3' 30, 1803. In 1815 he accompanied 
 his i)areuts to Ohio, and there helped to subdue 
 the rugged soil, cut down the heavy timber, plant 
 fruit trees, and secure a home for himself and 
 parents. On the 5tli of September, 1824, he was 
 united in marriage with Lucy Cone, a native of 
 South Wilbraham. Mass.. where she was born De- 
 cember 6, 1807. Her father. .Jared Cone, crossed the 
 Alleghany ^lountains with his effects in wagons and 
 settled in Muskingum County. Ohio, in 18115. They 
 were anxious to be in the neighborhood of the Rich- 
 ardsons, whom they had known in the East. In the 
 spring of 183G, having heard much of the prairies 
 of Illinois, Mr. Richardson emigrated to Peoria, 
 making the journey hither by steamer down the 
 Ohio and up the IMississippi and Illinois Rivers. 
 
 At that time the family of Mr. Richardson con- 
 sisted of himself, his wife and four chililren. 
 After they located in Peoria three more children 
 weie born to them, the y<jungcst dying in infancy, 
 and Alpheus, Jr., in _early[childhood. The eldest 
 son, Sauford, was graduated from Knox College, 
 Galesburg, and afterward studied theologj' in New 
 York. He was sent by the American Board of 
 Foreign Missions as a missionary to Turkey, where 
 he served abl}' and efficiently for twenty-four 
 years. Ill-health com])elled him to return home 
 in 1880, and in 188G he was called hence. The 
 other son, E. D. Richardson, served with credit 
 during the Civil War, rising to the rank of Captain. 
 At the close of the w.ir he settled at Yicksburg, 
 where he died in 1877. Of the three daughters 
 Mrs. Harrison, the noted :ai)icultural writer, is 
 the sole survivor. The eldest daughter, Mrs. 
 Juliette Shepard, died at her home in Granville,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 395 
 
 111., in 1«81. She was a woman of great energy, 
 failliful, and effleientas a C'Inistian and lemperanoe 
 worker, as well as of great intUistri' in tlic daily 
 walks of life. 
 
 After Mr. Richardson settled in Peoria he taught 
 schools for several seasons, at various points in the 
 eouiitv during the winter months, farming in the 
 summer. lie held various municipal offices, and 
 finally opened and for several years conducted a 
 farmer's holel, acquiring a competenco in the busi- 
 ness, lie was noted for his great kin(Uiness of 
 lieart and for his unswerving honesty and integrity. 
 Mr. Richardson was one of that class of men who 
 wive character and stability to a community, and 
 teach liy their example the lesson of good citizen- 
 ship, lie died in .\pril. 1 Sdo, beloved and respected 
 by all who knew him. 
 
 ALKB W IHTTEMORE is a noldc type of the 
 '^. intelligent, straightforward, enterprising na- 
 tives of New England who have borne so 
 important a part in the upbuilding of this county, 
 and for the space of half a century he has repre- 
 sented its industrial interests as a gunsmith and a 
 whitesmith and is still actively engaged in the latter 
 branch in the city* of Peoria, where he has alwaj's 
 resided ever since he came to this State fifty 
 years ago. For the last thirty years, he has been 
 stationed where he is at present, and the Whitle- 
 more repair-shop is a well-known landmark in the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Our subject was born in Connecticut, August 24. 
 1817, to Daniel and Sarah (Corliin) Whittemore, 
 natives respectively of Massachusetts and Con- 
 necticut. The Wliitteniores are of Scotch origin, 
 our subject's great-grandfather, having come from 
 fiom Scotland, he being one of the historical three 
 brothers that |)lay so conspicuous a part in the early 
 genealogical accounts of so many New England 
 families, these brothers locating in New Hampshire, 
 Massachusetts and Connecticut. Daniel Whitte- 
 
 more was a man of much mechanical ingenuity and 
 was a wheelwright, millwright,'carpent(;r and joiner. 
 He was a life-loug resident of Connecticut, dying 
 September 3, 1870, at the venerable age of seventy- 
 nine years, five months and ten days. He came of 
 a long-lived race and we here note the remarkable 
 fact that his grandfather lived to be one hundred 
 and fifteen years of age, and when ninety years 
 old, renewed his youth in so far as that nature then 
 furuishedihim[with|^a;new set of teeth. 
 
 Caleb Whittemore, of whom we write was reared 
 to mechanical pursuitsQandLlvery early in life be- 
 came self-supporting, asjat the age of nine ami one- 
 half years he wasfplaced in a cotton factor}', and 
 was employed in cotton factories until he was 
 nearly eighteen years old. He tlien'/vent to South- 
 bridge, Mass., to learn the trade of gunsmithing, 
 and at the age of twenty-two. left New England 
 for the West, shrewdly thinking that men of his 
 calling would be in demand in a newly settled 
 country. He arrived in Peoria May 17, 1840, and 
 at once started in businessj.as a gunsmith, and has 
 hardly abandoned it yet, although after he had been 
 here eight or nine years he took up whitesmithing 
 in connection with it and gradually dropped gun- 
 smithing. In the (iftv years that he has been here 
 he has had four different |)laces for his work, but 
 for the last thirty j-cars has occu|iied the same shop. 
 
 The encouragement, counsel and active assistance 
 of a good wife have not been lacking to make our 
 subject's life a success, as he was marrie<l April 7, 
 1841, to Miss Slaria Russell, and for nearly half a 
 century they have traveled life's road together and 
 have shared its griefs and joys. Mrs. Whittemore 
 comes of an old New England family, her parents. 
 Smith Barrett and Roxanna (Alton) Russell having 
 been born in Vermont and Connecticut respectively. 
 Her father was a carpenter by occupation, and in 
 18.'M), removed with his family to Peoria, and be- 
 came a pioneer of this section of the country. Our 
 subject and wife have three children living, namely : 
 Violetta, wife of James McSkimin; Mary Fiances, 
 wife of Philip B. Keeler. and William, who is with 
 his father in business. 
 
 Mr. Whittemore is a m.an of superior intellect, 
 possessing a clear active br.ain, and though mostly 
 self-educated is a well informed man. He has a
 
 396 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 pai'ticular talent^for tnalberaatics, and the first win- 
 ter after bis marriage lie took up the sludgy of 
 arithmetic and went througli Smith's old aritlimetic 
 without any assistance, mastering its most intricate 
 problems, and^bas to-day a better knowledge of 
 mathematics than many a college graduate. Men 
 liviutr in Peoria who had college educations often 
 came to Mr. Wbitlemore to ask his assistance in 
 solving dillicult sums. His personal character and 
 standing in the community is of the highest, bis 
 long residence in this county bringing him an ex- 
 tensive acquaintance and many tried and true 
 friends who appreciate his manliness and genuine 
 worth. As a good citizen should be, lie is interested 
 in the public weal of his country and is a sturdy 
 advocate of the policy of the Republican party. 
 
 ARNIIART MKALS, well known as being 
 connected with the Peoria Steel Plow Com- 
 I ., pan 3-. has been associated with E. B. 
 Pierce, its founder, since 1863. The plow 
 works were established twenty years prior to this 
 by Tuhey & Anderson, which firm was succeeded 
 l.y William Tobey & Co., who admitted Mr. Meals 
 to a partnership in the business in 1861. He be- 
 came connected with the old firm in 18.54, and in 
 1866 the firm name was changed to the St. Louis 
 & Peoiia Plow Comiianj^ remaining thus until 
 1 873. It was then made the Peoria Steel Plow 
 Company, and incorporated under the laws of Illi- 
 nois. 
 
 Mr. Me.ils, from 1879 until April 17, 1884, ofii- 
 c-iated as Superintendent of these works, and at 
 th.at date they were destroj^ed by fire. He then, 
 in company with Mr. Pierce, purchased the interest 
 of the other partners, and they put up the present 
 manufactory ,which is located at the corner of Water 
 and Walnut Streets. In addition to the ample 
 warerooms at Peoria the)* have the same in St. 
 Louis, The firm of William Tobe}' & Co. built the 
 first warehouse in Kansas City, on the bottoms, 
 where the business is still carried on. 
 
 The Peoria Steel Plow Works is the oldest man- 
 ufacturing establishment in the city. Mr, Meals 
 
 has been connected with the enterprise for the long 
 period of thirty-six years, and his jjartner, Mr. 
 Pierce, has been with it for twenty-seven years. 
 The}^ have thus had ample opportunity to gain a 
 thorough knowledge of the business, its require- 
 ments an<l the best manner of conducting it. In 
 addition to plows they manufacture harrows, rakes 
 and all kinds of agricultural implements, giving 
 employment at times to one hundred and twenty 
 men. The straightforward manner in which the 
 enterprise has been conducted has thoroughly es- 
 tablished it in the esteem and confidence of the 
 business men and farmers throughout Illinois and 
 .adjoining States. 
 
 The subject of this biography, a native of Adams 
 County, Pa., was bfjrn near Bendersville, Novem- 
 ber 15, 1830, and is a son of Jacob B. and Eliza- 
 beth (Jones) Meals, the former of whom is still 
 living, is a resident of Penn.sylvania, and has at- 
 tained to the advanced age of eighty-seven years. 
 The mother departed this life about 1864. The 
 parental household included six children. 
 
 Mr. Meals, of whom we write, was reared and 
 educated in his native State, and when leaving 
 school served a thorough apprenticeship at black- 
 smithing. In 1854 he came to Illinois and found 
 his first employment with the firm conducting the 
 business in which he is now a leading partner and 
 President of the company. This record is one of 
 which he has reason to be proud, lie learned wis- 
 dom from the maxim that "A rolling stone gathers 
 no moss," making a practical a|)plication of it with 
 most admirable results. Commencing life without 
 means, and dependent upon his own resources, he 
 has bj' a course of thrift and industry, i)rudence 
 and good management, become not only well-to-do 
 financially', but has established himself in the esteem 
 and confidence of his fellow-men. 
 
 Mr. Meals cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Fillmore, and remains a stanch supporter of the Re- 
 publican party. He has been a useful man in his 
 community and prominent in local affairs, serving 
 as City Treasurer, as a member of the Board of 
 Supervisors, and as Poor Commissioner. Socially 
 he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows and the Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- 
 sons, officiating as Master in the lodge of the latter
 
 A 2
 
 PORTRALT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 399 
 
 for a period of nine j-ears. He assisted in organ- 
 izing tlie People's Loan and Homestead Associa- 
 tion, of which he has been President a number of 
 years. He identified himself with the Congrega- 
 tional Cliurcli in early manhood, and besides giv- 
 ing to it a liberal support has offlciated as Trustee 
 and occLiiJied other positions of trust and responsi- 
 bility. The fact that he is highly spoken of by 
 those who know him best is suffleient indication of 
 his character. 
 
 Miss Mary C. Woodruff, a resident of Peoria, 
 became the wife of our subject, July 18, 1865. 
 Tiiis lady was boru June 18, 1842, in Peoria, and 
 is a daughter of George Woodruff and wife, na- 
 tives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively,. Of 
 this union there have been born three children, 
 two of whom — Harry and Charles — are twins; 
 tliey are now promising young business men of 
 Peoria, having inherited largely the enterprise and 
 energy of their honored father. Frankie died in 
 infancy. 
 
 ^^- 
 
 'IP^ OBKUT WKSLEY BAKER, M. D. Al- 
 jL^ though this gentleman has still some dis- 
 Iks \\\ tance to travel before reaching the shady 
 ^^;side of life, and is comparatively young in 
 his profession also, he has a large practice in Peo- 
 ria, a. reputation second to none among his medical 
 associates, and is looked upon with respect for his 
 excellent personal character, pleasing social (juaii- 
 ities and cultured mind. He is descended from 
 respectable Kentucky families, and is himself a 
 native of the State among whose profession.il men 
 he enjoys so high a rank. 
 
 The parents of Dr. Baker, Squire and Klizabotli 
 (Clark) Baker, came to the Prairie State, in 1832, 
 from their native Blue Grass region. Their fam- 
 ily consisted of thirteen children, of whom our 
 subject was the seventh in order of birth. Eleven 
 members of the family circle are now living, three 
 sons being in Kansas, three in Southern Illinois, one 
 in Washington, Tazewell County, and two daugh- 
 ters in Woodford County. The father was a 
 farmer, skillful, industrious and highly respected. 
 
 Dr. Baker was born in W.ishington, Tazewell 
 
 County, February 3, 18-19, received his fundamen- 
 tal instruction in the common schools of his na- 
 tive county and completed his literary course in 
 Eureka College, where he was a student two years. 
 His tastes having led him to choose the medical 
 profession for his life-work, he entered Rush Medi- 
 cal College, of Chicago, taking a thorough course, 
 graduating in the class of 1879, and receiving the 
 degree of M. D. The same spring he selected 
 Peoria as the field of bis future operations, coming 
 to his new home with the determination to keep 
 pace with the advancement of his chosen science, 
 to exert all his powers in the work before him and 
 mantain a high ideal as a practitioner. 
 
 Although no politician, Dr- Baker is alw.ays 
 found ready to deposit his vote, which is a Demo- 
 cratic one. His social and benevolent qualities, 
 called out as they constantly are by the demands 
 of his profession, are not exhausted thereby, but 
 lind further ex|)ression through his membership 
 with the Knights of I'ytlii.as, Ancient Order of 
 United Workmen and Modern Woodmen. 
 
 In Miss Maria E. Anderson, daughter of Samuel 
 II. and Nancy C. Anderson, of Genoa, Neb., Dr. 
 Baker found the qualities of mind, refinement and 
 fine character which led him to desire her compan- 
 ionship in his home. They were united in mar- 
 riage on New Year's day, 1885, and lived happily 
 together until the wife was called hence August 
 19, 1889. She had been a student at Eureka, and 
 hf.s been sincerely mourned by her former in- 
 structors and fellow students, whose sympathy is 
 extended to her bereaved faniilj'. She was the 
 mother of two children only, Arthur E.. who is now 
 living in Nebraska with his grandparents, and 
 Marie, who died when twenty-one days old. 
 
 A portrait of Dr. Baker is presented in connec- 
 tion with this brief record of the most important 
 events in his career. 
 
 ^OHN SCOTT is the owner and occupant of 
 
 a fine property on section 14, Timber Town- 
 
 ship. He was horn on the same section 
 
 (^^7/ August 15, 1847, reared on a farm, and was 
 
 the recipient of the educational privileges of the
 
 400 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 common schools. His home surroundings were 
 favorable to the development of the better qualities 
 of his nature anil the instilling into his mind of 
 sturdy principles. He remained under the parental 
 roof until his marriage, April 21, 1870, when he 
 rented a farm and set up his own household. In 
 1873 he made his first purchase of land, eighty 
 acres, to which he has added until his landed estate 
 now comprises four hundred and thirty acres. This 
 has mostly been secured by his own efforts, being 
 therefore a standing monument to his industry' and 
 good judgment. He raises all kinds of stociv, as 
 well as excellent crops. 
 
 The cheerful, capable woman whom Jlr. Scott 
 won as his wife was Lueinda Maple, daughter of 
 Isaac and Mary (Jones) Maple, who were among 
 tiie earliest settlers of this counl\'. She was born 
 in Ilollis Township, and reared to malurit}^ in this 
 section, acquiring a good education and much 
 knowledge of domestic affairs. She is a member 
 of the Baptist Church. The familj' of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Scott consists of the following children: 
 Lewis, Emma, Melvina, Lj-da, Alva, Grover and 
 Thurman. Mr. Scott is a Democrat in his political 
 views, as would be surmised from the names of his 
 youngest children. 
 
 Our subject is the eldest of the seven sons and 
 one daughter born to Shadrach and Lucy Ann 
 (Doon) Scott. The father was born in Montgom- 
 ery County, Ky., December 11, 1822, and came to 
 Peoria County, 111., with his parents in 1828. His 
 education was received in the rude log cabin of 
 those early times, into whi(;h light entered through 
 greased paper windows, and where benches and 
 desks were of the most primitive sort. He and the 
 other male members of the family wore buckskin 
 and homespun garments during the early years of 
 their residence in this State. His parents had lo- 
 cated on a soldier's claim of three hundred and 
 twenty acres on section 7, Timber Township, two 
 years after they came hither, and in its develop- 
 ment he assisted as he grew toward manhood. 
 After his marriage he located in the same townsliip 
 where he still lives. 
 
 The grandparents of our subject were William L. 
 .ind Africa (Lee) Scott, the latter a native of Rich- 
 rdond, Va., an ! daughter of John Lee, a planter 
 
 and slaveholder. After having lived in Kentuckj' 
 some years they removed to the vicinity of Terre 
 Haute, Ind., whei'e Mr. .Scott farmed one season. 
 His removal to tiiis county was made with a one- 
 horse wagon, and tlie first two y"ears were spent 
 where Mapleton now stands. He then entered the 
 land secured through a soldier's claim he Iiad pur- 
 chased in Baltimore, residing tliere until Indians 
 became troublesome, wlien he changed his residence 
 to section 15, near Glasford. There he remained 
 until his death in 1837. His father liad come to 
 America from Scotland. Of his eight children 
 William, John. Sliadrach L., Rile}- and Jane grew 
 to maturity, all rearing families except John. The 
 others died in infancy or childhood. Grandmother 
 .Scott survived her husb.and some ten ^-ears. 
 
 The liousehold band of which our subject is a 
 member included also, Martha, Mar}-, Seth. Lean- 
 der, Walter, Lewis, George and Leonard. All 
 were well educated, and several have engaged in 
 the profession of teaching. Walter and Lewis are 
 thus employed in Kansas, and .Seth in his native 
 State. JIary, the second daughter, is deceased. 
 
 
 "if} OHN S. STEVENS, attorney-at-law. and at 
 present senior member of the firm of Ste- 
 vens & Horton, has for the past twenty-five 
 years been a prominent member of the bar 
 in Peoria. He has a fine literary and classical 
 education, is entitled to write several initials after 
 his name, and prior to his admission to the bar did 
 some excellent work as a teacher. His character is 
 a thoroughly honorable one, and for years he has 
 been identified with church work, and manifested 
 an interest in all that is for the good of the people. 
 He has fairly earned the high reputation which has 
 been bestowed upon him, and the sincere friendship 
 of his manj- well-wishers. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Joshua and 
 Abigail (Walker) Stevens, who lived in Bath, 
 N. H.. where he was born, September 16, 1838. 
 During his boyhood the)- removed to Hardwick, 
 Vt., which was his home until he reached man's 
 estate. After pursuing his elementary studies he
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 401 
 
 cuterert Darlraouth College, from which he was 
 graduated willi tlie degree of A. B. in the class of 
 '62. The degree of JM. A. was afterward conferred 
 upon him bj- his Alma Mater. He came to Peoria 
 in 1802, began teaching in the Peoria High School 
 and reading law with Alexander McCoy. He was 
 admitted to the bar in June, 1865, and at once 
 formed a i)artnership with his former preceptor, 
 which continued until Mr. McCo}- went to Chicago, 
 in 1871. 
 
 Mr. Stevens then formed a partnership with 
 Judge JlcCuUoch, the two practicing together until 
 our subject was appointed Postm.aster by President 
 Grant. At the same time he had formed a legal 
 connection with John S. Lee, which continued 
 until the death of Mr. Lee iu February, 1 889. For 
 four years previous to tliat date Mr. Horton had 
 also been a member of the firm, and he and our 
 subject have since continued the business. Mr. 
 Stevens is now one of the four oldest attorneys in 
 tl:e city, and probably stanils foremost in the suc- 
 cess which has attended his labors. His whole 
 lime is given to the practice of his profession, and 
 tor the past fifteen years his business has largely 
 been corporation work. 
 
 Mr. Stevens was city Postmaster four \ears, lill- 
 iii<I the otlicc with satisfaction to all concerned. 
 When he began practicing law he made up his mind 
 to keep free from political aspirations, to which 
 legal labors so frequently point. He works with 
 the Republican part}-, and has frequently been a 
 delegate to county and State conventions, but so 
 far he has carried out his purpose of working only 
 for the good of tiic parly and the election of others. 
 He is one of the original members of the Reformed 
 Episcopal Churcli in this city, and has been Ves- 
 tryman since its organization in 1876. He is also 
 one of the organizers of the Farmers' Saving, Loan 
 & Homestead Association, of which he has been 
 President since its institution. 
 
 The legal acumen of Mr. Stevens has been called 
 into requisition by various corporations of which 
 he is or has been attornej'. Among them are the 
 People's Loan & Homcste.ad Association, the First 
 National and Commercial National Banks, and the 
 Central Railro.ad Companj'. He is also general 
 counsel for the Distilling & Cattle- Feeding Asso- 
 
 ciation, for Kingman & Co., the largest agricultural 
 implement house in the West, and for George M. 
 Moore & Co., these two also being corporations. 
 Ho likewise acts as general counsel for the Peoria. 
 Decatur & Evansville Railroad, and the Peoria 
 & Pekin Union Railroad Company. His partner 
 is general counsel for the Toledo, Peoria & West- 
 ern Railroad, and the firm are local attorneys for 
 the Lake Erie & Western, and the Chicago, Santa 
 Fe & California. In fact they do nearly all of 
 the railroad business here, and have done so for a 
 number of j'ears. 
 
 The wife of Mr. Stevens is a native of this 
 city, and daughter of Amos P. and Sarah M. Bart- 
 lett, the father being one of the oldest living citi- 
 zens and a brother of President Bartlett, of Dart- 
 mouth College. Her mother is also living. Miss 
 Sarah Bartlett was the recipient of good educa- 
 tional advantages and careful home training, by 
 which her mind and heart became the seat of in- 
 telligence, fine principles and loving deeds. She 
 became the wife of INIr. Stevens in 1868, and their 
 happiness has been un marred save by the loss of 
 their two children, both of whom died youno;. 
 
 OBERT M. FINLEY, who occupies an im- 
 portant place in the farming community 
 of Logan Township, where he has a 
 well-improved farm, is a breeder of fine 
 horses, Percheron, F''rench and Cleveland Bay, of 
 Short-horn cattle and Poland-China hogs. He is an 
 early settler of this section of the county, and has 
 aided in its development. 
 
 Mr. Finley was born November 25, 1817, in 
 Adams County, Ohio. He came of good Revolu- 
 tionary stock and his parents were Robert and 
 Piioebe (Glasgow) Finlej', natives respectively of 
 Augusta and Rockbridge Counties, Va. The Fin- 
 leys were of Irish extraction. The grandfather of 
 our subject was a soldier in the Revolution. He 
 was a Virginia planter and slaveholder. Disposing 
 of his plantation there, he removed to Ohio, set 
 free his negroes in an early day of its settlement 
 and became the proprietor of landed property, and
 
 402 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 there passed the remainder of his life. The mother 
 of our subject was a daughter of Robert Glasgow, 
 the descendant of an Irish family who went from 
 Virginia to Ohio, and was a pioneer of that State. 
 lie was a member of the Associated Reform Church, 
 and was a Whig in politics. He was twice married. 
 
 The father of our subject served in the War of 
 1812. He came from Ohio to this county in the 
 fall of 1846, and settled on section 9, Logan Town- 
 ship, and became one of its leading pioneers. He 
 accumulated a vaUialile property and h.ad several 
 hundred acres of land. He died in Monmouth 
 during the war and his widow closed her life in 
 Fulton County, this State. He was a Whig in pol- 
 itics and was for many years one of the leading 
 raeuibei's of the Associate Reform Church, of which 
 he was an Elder, but he finally severed his connec- 
 tion with that church and joined the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. He was a son of Robert and 
 Martha (Steele) Fink^y, who were natives of Penn- 
 sylvania, and were the pai'ents of the following 
 children: Samuel, William, Robert, Jane, Martha, 
 Sarah, Margaret, Marj', and Rosa. Three of their 
 sons and four of their daughters married and reared 
 families. 
 
 Robert Finlev, our subject's father, was twice 
 married. His children by his first wife, the mother 
 of our subject, were as follows : Robert M.: 
 Frastus, who died in Iowa; Rosanna, Mrs. Smiley, 
 who died in Iowa; Martha A., ISIrs. Patton ; John 
 A., who served .as Lieutenant in the late war and 
 is now deceased; Leander, a resi'lent of Kansas; 
 Nancy ^L, now Mrs. Warwick; Phoebe, now Mrs. 
 Pinkerton. The mother of these children died in 
 1832. Mr. Finle3' married for his second wife 
 !Mrs. Mary Warwick, nee Barr, widow of Alexander 
 Warwick. Three children were born of that mar- 
 riage: Samuel, a resident of Iowa; Sarah E., wife 
 of A. jMiller; and William, who was killed by 
 guerrillas during the war. 
 
 He of whom we write was reared on a farm and 
 was given the advantages of a common school edu- 
 cation. His father had a large farm and required 
 his assistance in its management, but at the age of 
 twenty-eight he began life for himself, and in the 
 sjiring of 1847 came to Logan Township), and set- 
 tlrd where he now lesides ou one hundred acres of 
 
 land. He formerly owned land in Iowa. His farm 
 here is in a good condition, is provided with an ex- 
 cellent cLass of buildings and is well adapted to 
 stock-raising, to which he devotes much attention, 
 as before mentioned. 
 
 Mr. Finlev has been twice married. The maiden 
 name of his first wife was Elizabeth Hogue. and 
 she was born in Butler Count}', Ohio, a daughter 
 of John Hogue. Of the nine children, born of 
 that marriage, one died in infancy and two, Mary 
 A., and Robert, died in childhood. The following 
 six are still living: John H., a resident of Iowa; 
 Demarres, wife of Albert Pinkerton; Hor,ace H.; 
 Jane, wife of Joseph Karnaghan ; Elmer, a resident 
 of Iowa; and William. Mrs. Finle}' was a very 
 estimable woman of a truly religious nature, and 
 in her the United Presbyterian Church found one 
 of its most earnest members. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject, which took 
 place November 8. 1868, was to Mrs. Eliza J. Lo- 
 gan, a native of Decatur County, Ind., and a daugh,- 
 ter of Thomas and Nancy (Patton) McCracken, 
 who were natives resiiectively of Kentucky and 
 Adams County. Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Finley have 
 had three children: Thomas A., Edith and Clar- 
 ence, all of whom are deceased, dying in childhood. 
 
 Our subject is a conscientious, straightforward 
 man. who satisfactorily performs the duties that 
 fall on him .as the head of a household, as a neigh- 
 bor and as a law-abiding citizen. He is an upright 
 member of the I'nited Presbyterian Church to which 
 his good wife also belongs and both are faithful 
 workers in the fold. In politics his views coincide 
 with those jjromulgated by the Republican [tarty. 
 
 \\ ATTHEW HENEBERRY was born in 
 County Kilkenny, Ireland, September 8, 
 l-S 1834, and is a son of Nicholas and Anas- 
 tasia (Carroll) Ileneberry. The father was 
 a farmer. In 1840 he emigrated to America, dy- 
 ing in Peoria, 111., in 1856, and his wife two years 
 later. The parental familj' consisted of four sons 
 and four daughters, the survivors being Matthew. 
 Mrs. John Gorman, and Mrs. Thomas Daniels, all
 
 -««■<: 
 
 ^2^t^^ ^^^^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 405 
 
 of Pcoiia. At the age of sixteen years .young 
 llciielieriy drove a dray for Mr. Carver. In 1851 
 lif wtMit into tlic \viusl<y business as a porter and 
 a year later secured a partnership witli Mr. Brande- 
 nioin. After tlie partnersbii) was consummated, the 
 senior partner went to St. Louis, and three years 
 later Mr. Ileneberry took the entire business, wiiieh 
 lie has since conlinuecL 
 
 Mr. Ileneberry is interested in the First Na- 
 tional Bank, and has been for twenty years; he is 
 now \'ice President of the institution. lie also 
 holds the offices of Treasurer in the Gas Company 
 find in the Jenning Electric Light Company and 
 is a Director of tlie l'ul)lic Library-. He is a mem- 
 ber of liishop Spalding's ehui'ch. He is much in- 
 terested in the improvement of the city in which 
 he h.as spent the greater p,arl of his life, and in 
 which he t:ikes pride as one in which business is 
 nourishing and public improvements rapi(L 
 
 The nuptial riles were celebrated between Mr. 
 IIiMieberry and Miss Mary Daniels May 10, 18G7. 
 The bride was born in the Emerald Isle and is a 
 ilauohter of Richard Daniels. To ]\lr. and Mrs. 
 Ilenclierry twelve children bav^e l»cen born, nine 
 being now alive. Anastasia is the wife of Michael 
 Iv. Began, of the First National Bank; .Tosie is the 
 wife of Edward .L Cashin, a stock dealer; Mollie 
 married Robert DeWalt. a wholesale and retail 
 dry-goods merchant in Ft. Wayne, Ind. ; Lucy and 
 Liila are at lionie; Nellie and Theodosia are at- 
 tending the Sacred Heart Convent, at St. Louis, 
 Mo.; Nicholas is with his father; Richard is in the 
 First National Bank. 
 
 <l|f^ELIX HART, of Chilicothe Township, is 
 ll^fe; one of the leading farmers and stock 
 1, ^ raisers of Peoria Count}'. His portrait 
 presented on the oi)posite page represents an agri- 
 cidturist of more than ordinary skill and ability; a 
 man of quick, keen perceptions, and possessing a 
 clear insight into the l)est methods of conducting 
 agriculture, he knows well how to apply them so 
 as to produce the liesl results, and in his harvest 
 fields larger crops of grain are grown to the acre 
 
 than is usual even in this higlily productive re- 
 gion. 
 
 Mr. Hart was born in Somersetshire, England, 
 near Bristol, July 15, 1826, coming of good old 
 English ancestry. His parents, John and Mary 
 (Hart) Hart, were both natives of Somersetsiiire, 
 and of the same name though their families were 
 in no way connected. They were life-long resi- 
 dents of their native shire, the mother dying at 
 the age of sixty years, while the father's life was 
 prolonged to the ripe old age of eighty-two years, 
 when he too was gathered to his fathers. He was 
 a well-known character in the place of his nativity, 
 where he was the keeper of a public inn, and was 
 prominent in local politics. Both he and his wife 
 were people of more than average intelligence and 
 capability, and were very highl}' thougiit of by all 
 in tlicir communit\'. They were members of the 
 Episcopal Church, and were active in ever}' good 
 work. 
 
 Our subject was the fifth child in a family of 
 ten children, of wliom only two came to America. 
 He passed his boyhood and youth in the place of 
 his birth, and early in life was apprenticed to a car 
 penter; after his term of apprenticeship exi)ired, 
 he did journeyman work for two years. February 
 15, 18 10, Mr. Hart took a new departure in life,as on 
 that date he left his old friends and the parental 
 lujme with its many pleasant associations, to seek 
 on a foreign soil the prosperity that was denied 
 him amid old environments. He took passage at 
 Liverpool on the vessel "IMary Florence," bound 
 for America. On the first night out the shi|) was 
 nearly wrecked by a collision with another in tiio 
 Irisii Channel, and was obliged to put back to 
 to Liverpool for repairs. It again set sail from 
 that ]H)rt March .Trd, and arrived at New York 
 without further mishap April 4, 184'.). 
 
 Mr. Hart immediately sought work and found it 
 in Brooklyn, N. Y., where he remained some four 
 years. We next hear of him in Newark, N. J., 
 where he lived for some years. In December, 
 1854. with the wife that he had married there, he 
 came to Peoria Cejunt}-, and after living in Peoria 
 some years, moved to Elmwood, where he opened 
 a carpenter's shop. He was there when the war 
 broke out, and wii h patriotic ardor offered his ser-
 
 406 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 vices to his adopted country, but was refused on 
 account of his small stature. For some time he 
 carried on his calling in Elmwood, but finally set- 
 tled on a farm in Knox County, and gave his at- 
 tention to agricultural pursuits. Leaving that 
 county in 1882 he repaired to Chillicothe Town- 
 shi]3. where he has since made his home. He has a 
 farm of four hundred and eighty acres in this 
 county, besides other valuable property in Chilli- 
 cothe. The land lies on sections 8 and 17, and is 
 under admirable tillage, its broad harvest fields 
 jielding bountiful harvests, which are the source 
 of a handsome income; it is also provided with a 
 neat and comfortable set of conveuientlj' arranged 
 farm buildings. Mr. Hart has been very success- 
 ful in raising stock, and has his place stocked with 
 cattle and horees of high grade. He has been 
 greath" prospered since he became a resident of 
 Illinois, and bj- his individual efforts has placed 
 himself among tlie wealth}' men of Chillicothe. 
 
 AVhen in ^Newark, N. J.. Mr. Hart had the good 
 fortune to meet Miss Elizabeth Leynberger, a na- 
 tive of that city, born February 4, 1831, and he 
 was further favored b}- securing her as his wife. 
 Her parents li.id been reared and wedded in Alsace, 
 then a part of France, and after marriage had 
 come to this countrj', spending the remainder of 
 their lives in Newark. Twelve children have come 
 to bless the wedded life of our subject and his es- 
 timable wife, of whom two are dead. Lulu and an 
 infant; the names of the living are John H.. Mary 
 H., Mattie, A. Lincoln, George M., Eva E.. Anna 
 F., Emma J., Joseph W. and Flora E. 
 
 Mr. Hart has proved a valuable addition to the 
 citizenship, as in all that pertains to the material, 
 social or religious welfare of Chillicothe Township 
 he has placed himself with those who are doing the 
 most to forward its every interest. He and his 
 wife are among the leading members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and their daily lives 
 give evidence of the sincerity of their religion, as 
 they are ever kind and helpful to all about tbem. 
 and freely give of their sj-mpathy and means if 
 anyone is in trouble or in need of charitable assist- 
 ance. Mr. Hart is verj- prominent in the councils 
 of his church, and has held most of the offices, be- j 
 ing at present Class-Leader and Steward. He 1 
 
 takes an active part in politics, and is a sound Re- 
 publican, though he does not seek for public hon- 
 ors, and his whole course since coming to the 
 United States has proved him one of the most loyal 
 citizens of our great Republic. 
 
 y)ILLIAM CALHOUN is an old time and 
 honored resident of Peoria County, and 
 ^ ^ was one of the earl}- settlers of Limestone 
 Township, where he has a pleasant home, beauti- 
 fuUj' located on the Farmington Road, seven miles 
 from Peoria. Here he has reclaimed a farm from 
 the wild prairies, that is in all respects one of the 
 most desirable estates in the vicinity, is kept un- 
 der a high state of cultivation and is supplied with 
 all modern improvements. 
 
 Mr. Calhoun was born in Ireland seventy years 
 ago. a son of John and Jane (Anderson) Calhoun. 
 The early years of his life were passed on his na- 
 tive soil. Ambitious to see something more of the 
 world, and to make something more of himself than 
 he could on the old Isle, April 12, 1841, he left his 
 parents and his seven brothers and sisters and 
 started out on the long journey to the New AVorld. 
 He sailed for Quebec and from there made his way 
 to the United States, and for six j-ears was en- 
 gaged in the marble works in Lenox. Mass. His 
 wages were $1 a day, and when it was stormy he 
 could not work, and there were but nine months in 
 the year when the establishment where he was em- 
 ployed was in operation. Notwithstanding the 
 fact that out of his small earnings he had to pa}- 
 his board during the six years that he was there, 
 he frugality saved up his mono}- and at the end of 
 that time, had a snug little nest egg of between 
 8600 and 1:700. With this little capital he deter- 
 mined to try life in the West, and in 1847 started 
 for Peoria, going to Alban}- bj- rail, and thence 
 by can.al to Buff.alo, and from there b}- steamboat 
 on the lakes to Chicago. In that city he had an 
 opportunity to ride with a farmer who had been 
 there with a load of wheat from Peru. Arriving 
 at tliat place he embarked on a steamer for Peoria, 
 and landed here in the month of September. He
 
 PORTRAIT AND BlOCiRAFlIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 407 
 
 found Peoria scurtely more llian a village, with a 
 population of three tliousanil [leople, and no indi- 
 cation of tlic marvelous growth that has since 
 taken place, making it a large and wealthy city. 
 The first work that our subject <Ud in Illinois was 
 to quarry rock for the fii*t bridge that ever span- 
 ned the Illinois River, which was afterward the 
 first free bridge over that stream. He also helped 
 lo lay the stone in the piers of the bridge. lie 
 lived in Peoria for twenty years, a!id made money 
 and acquired a competency, and at the end of that 
 lime moved to the farm on which he now lives. It 
 comprises eighty acres of land of exceeding fertil- 
 ity, which, when he purchiised it, was in a wild 
 state, but is now as fine a place as one could wish 
 to see. 
 
 Mr. Calhoun was united in marriage with -Miss 
 Margaret Borland, April 12, 1849. She was a 
 (laughter of John and Mary (Jamiesun) Borland, 
 and was their eldest child. They were from Beith- 
 shire, Scotland, coming to America in 18l;3, and 
 til Peoria in 1S48. They spent the remainder of 
 UuMr lives here and died leaving a large famil}'. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Calhoun had three children, all of 
 whom died in infancy. 
 
 The pleasant wedded life of our subject was 
 1 nought to a close by the death of his wife, No- 
 veinl)cr 14, 1877. The removal of this tried and 
 true companion left a vacancy in the life of our 
 subject that can never be filled. Mrs. Calkoun 
 was a woman of great patience and fortitude, of the 
 seienest trust in God, of a discerning spirit and a 
 kindly bearing, one who knew well how to guide 
 the affairS'of her own bouse so as to insure the 
 comfort of the household. The familj' on both 
 sides were of Preshj'terian stock, but Mrs. Cal- 
 lionn joined the Methodist Church when she .ar- 
 rived at years of discretion and lived a true Chris- 
 tian life, dying in full faith. When living in 
 Scotland her minister gave her a card of recora- 
 iiietidalion and certificate of gooil standing in the 
 church. 
 
 Mr. Calhoun possesses in a full degree those 
 qualities of heart and intellect that mark him as a 
 genial, kindly man, of sound connnon sense and 
 prudent judgment. Though of foreign birth these 
 United States of Amei-ica have no more loyal and 
 
 devoted citizen than''he. He'said to the writer, '-I 
 love my adopted country.'!. I became a citizen by 
 adoption and look the oath of,allegiance at Lenox. 
 Mass., while living there, and I can truthfully siy 
 that I have ever been true to. my adopted country 
 in the darkest days of the Rebellion, and 1 can s.ay 
 wilh a true heart, long may the Stars and Stripes 
 float over^the best^Governmeut and country on the 
 globe." In politics^Mr. Calhoun is quite indepen- 
 dent, never allowing anyone to influence hisj^vote, 
 aiming alw.aj-s to supfiort whomsoever^he deems 
 best fitted for office, irrespective of part3'. 
 
 -5-+#=^^4-'-J- 
 
 />^EORGE W. STEWART is an important 
 III <^w7 '^''1^™'^'^'' *^f t''^ agricullural class as repre- 
 ^>i.5^J sented in Trivoli Township, where he is en- 
 gaged successfully in raising Norman horses of a 
 high grade and full-blooded Poland-China hogs. 
 He is of Scotch-Irish descent and his ancestors 
 were among the first settlers of the State of Penn- 
 sylvania. His father, James Stewart, was boi-n in 
 that p^art of the^couutry, his birthplace being in 
 Juniata County. 
 
 William Stewart, the grandfather of our subject, 
 was a native of Cumberland Count}-, Pa., and sub- 
 sequently removed across the mountains to Juni.ata 
 County in the early days of its settlement and lo- 
 cated on Tuscarora Creek, in the woods, where he 
 engaged in farming. One morning he went forth 
 from his pioneer home in search of his horses, and 
 while wandering some distance frOm the house was 
 tomahawked and scalped by two Indians who lay 
 in ambush. He had served in the Revolution 
 while a resident of Cumberland County. After he 
 was killed his familj' returned to their old home, 
 and remained in Cumberland County a few years 
 until the Indians had been subjugated, when they 
 went back to Juniata County. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared among the 
 aborigines of the forest, and learned many of their 
 ways and became a famous hunter with hounds. 
 True to the Revolutionary blood of his sire, when 
 a war sprang u,) with Great Britain in 1812, Ik; of- 
 fered his services to his country. In his early man-
 
 408 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 hood he located near Mifflin, in his native county, 
 and for many years was actively engaged in clear- 
 ing farms, wliich lie sold at a good profit. He also 
 used to team across the mountains to Baltimore. 
 He died suddenly of colic in 1850, his useful life 
 thus terminating at the age of fifty-six. At the 
 time of his death he was the owner of valuable 
 property, including two farms. He was a strictly 
 religious man, belonging to the Presbyterian Church. 
 He was originally a Democrat in politics until 
 Jaclison's time, and then joined the Whigs. 
 
 The mother of our subject, whose maiden name 
 was Rebecca Bell, was born in Juniata County, her 
 father having settled in Pennsylvania on his arrival 
 from Ireland. He was a follower of the Protestant 
 religion. The mother of our subject died in her 
 native State in 1878, having spent her last years 
 with her children, of whom she had eight, as fol- 
 lows: Riehai'd S., a graduate of the Philadelphia 
 Medical College, who died in Allegheny City, Pa.; 
 "WiUiam, who lives on the old homestead; Mary, 
 now Mrs. Foltz, living near Mifflin, Juniata County : 
 George W.; Jolin, who died in Pennsylvania; Re- 
 becca, Mrs. Clark, who lives in LaSalle Countj'; 
 Calvin, who is crippled from the effects of wounds 
 received during the war, and lives with his brother 
 AVilliiini; Elizabeth, Mrs. Harris, a resident of Ju- 
 niata County. Calvin enlisted in 1861 in a Penn- 
 sylvania cavalry regiment and served with great 
 creilit throughout the war. 
 
 George W. .Stewart was born near Mifflin, Pa., 
 November 24, 1824, and was reared on tiie old 
 homestead in the beautiful valley of the Tuscarora 
 in view of Sliade Mountain. He obtained his edu- 
 cation in a log schoolhouse, with primitive slab 
 benches and other rude furnishings. On the fertile 
 soil of his father's farm he acquired a thorough 
 insight into farming, and he used to have to tend 
 to the burning of lime that was used as a fertilizer. 
 He remained an inmate of the parental household 
 until he was twenty-four years of age, and then 
 married and established a home of his own, carr}-- 
 ing on agriculture as a renter for some years after 
 that. In 1852 he removed to Indiana, going by 
 canal to Pittsburg, by boat to Cincinnati, and from 
 tliere on the canal to Logansjiort in tlie Hoosier 
 Stale. For awhile he dwelt in Carroll County, but 
 
 it was a very unhealthful season and everybody 
 was sick there, and as he did not like the prospects 
 he returned to his native county, journeying thithe 
 by team and wagon, being three weeks and thre 
 days on the way. 
 
 Mr. Stewart bought a small farm in Juniat 
 County after he went back there, engaged in it 
 improvement a few years, and then sold it an ad 
 Vance, and rented a farm until he came here ani 
 carried on trucking. In 1861 he determined t 
 avail himself of the cheaper land in this State am 
 the many superior advantages afforded by this so 
 lubrious climate and fertile soil, and in the fall o 
 the year he came here and purchased eight}' acre 
 of land in this rownship, and the following sprin, 
 shipped his goods to Peoria, and soon had hi 
 household housed in a comfortable home, thoug 
 it was in a log house, which constituted nearly ai 
 the improvement that had been made on the plac( 
 He broke the land and placed the soil under cult: 
 vation, and was much prospered. In 1865 li 
 bought thirteen and one-half acres on section 2f 
 which was improved land, and he paid §54 an acr 
 for it. His next purchase was of an eightj'-aci 
 tract on section 33, for which he paid $12 an acn 
 He cleared it and improved it, and in 1889 sold i 
 He then bought eighty acres on section 28, whic 
 was an improved farm. His home-farm comprist 
 eighty acres on section 34, he having in all on 
 hundred and seven t3--three and one-half acres. H 
 farm is under the best of cultivation, is tilec 
 fenced and hedged in a neat manner, and the dwel 
 ing is a large and conveniently arranged housi 
 and the barn, 30x40 feet, is ample for its uses, an 
 a fine orchard and beautiful groves adorn the plac 
 Mr. Stewart rents all of his land, and from th; 
 source derives a comfortable income. He devot( 
 much attention to raising high graded Norma 
 horses, which are well bred, lacking one-eighth an 
 one-sixteenth of being full-blooded, and he has 
 fine herd of fourteen horses, including some fir 
 brood mares. 
 
 The first marriage of our subject, which toe 
 place January 1, 1848, was with Miss Phwbe A 
 daughter of Isaac Varnes. Her father, a native ( 
 Dauphin County, was a farmer in Juniata Count; 
 Pa., where she was born. She was a sincere Chris
 
 /ly. 

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 411 
 
 ian and a memlier of the Baptist Church. She de- 
 parted this life much lamented February 13, 1872. 
 Her marriaii;e with our subject resulted in the birth 
 of nine children, of whom we have here a brief 
 record: Winfield S. is married and resides in Wayne 
 County, Iowa; .lohn A. died October 11, IS.'iG, 
 aged four years; Anna J. married Sylvester Men- 
 denhall, and died in 1S86 in Ijoup County, Neb. ; 
 George died liere in 1889 after attaining manhood; 
 IMary C. married John N. Eslinger, a farmer of 
 Trivoli Townshij); John 1'. died here in 188G, at 
 tlie age of twenty-six years. Ezra Doty, a fuiely 
 educated young man, is Principal of the Utica 
 schools in York County; Sarah lOlizabeth married 
 Lewis I.ane. a farmer of this townshi|); William 
 died February 16, 1869, at the age of eiglit months. 
 Ezra Stewart was a student at Bushnell College 
 eigliteen months, and then jiursued a three years' 
 course in the West Normal School, Shenandoah, 
 Iowa, from which he was graduated in 1885. He 
 was married at Farragut, Iowa, to Miss Ada A. 
 Hall of that place. 
 
 The maiden name of Mr. Stewart's present amia- 
 ble wife was Susan E. Kimsey,and they were wedded 
 in this township in 1876. She is a native of this 
 county, born in Logan Township, and is a daughter 
 of William Kimse}-, a farmer and one of the earliest 
 settlers of the county. 
 
 Mr. Stewart is a man of honor and principle. In 
 ante bellum days he was a rank abolitionist, and is 
 now as strong a Republican, and has served his party 
 well as delegate to county conventions. He has 
 been on Ihc (irand and I'etit juries. 
 
 
 ^UFUS A. DuMARS, M. 1). A high rank 
 among the professional men of Peoria be- 
 longs to the gentleman above named, who is 
 well skilled in llierapentical science, i)os- 
 sesses the abiding interest in his profession, and 
 the scholarly habits which lead him to continual 
 advancement as investigation opens up a wider field 
 from year to year. His personal character is an 
 honorable and uprigiit one, while his manners are 
 
 those of the courteous and well-bred gcntlcmnn. It 
 is needless to say that he has miuiy friends and a 
 reputation second to none in this vicinity. 
 
 The parents of our subject are George W. and 
 Flliza (Ranch) I )u Mars, who wore of French and (ier- 
 man descent respectively. The father was born 
 in Harrislnirg', Pa., where he grew to maturity and 
 engaged in teaching. He afterward turned his at- 
 tention to mercantile pursuits, and still later to 
 farming. In 1851-55 he removed to Peoria County, 
 111., settling on a farm. He is now, at the age ot 
 eighty-six years, making his home with his oldest 
 son. 
 
 The gentleman whose name initiates this sketch, 
 and whose portrait is shown (Isewhere, opened his 
 eyes to the light December 6, 1849, in Daujiiiin 
 County, Pa. His early years were spent upon a farm, 
 his time being occupied with attendance at the dis- 
 trict schools and various home duties. On at- 
 taining his eighteenth year he entered the Wesleyan 
 University, at Bloomington, 111., where he ])rose- 
 cuted his studies four years. His taste leading him 
 to the profession of medicine, he entered the ofllce 
 of J. C. Fr3'e, of Peoria, under whose instruction 
 be obtained a considerable knowledge of medical 
 science. The first course of lectures was taken by 
 Mr. DuMars in the University of Pennsylvania, 
 and his second in the Louisville Medical College, 
 of Kentucky. From the latter institution he re- 
 ceived a diploma in 1876. after which he took a 
 third course of lectures in the University of Penn- 
 sylvania, from which he was graduated in 1877. 
 Returning to Peoria, Dr. DuMars engaged in prac- 
 tice with his former prece|)tor, the connection con- 
 tinuing until the death of Dr. Frye. Our subject 
 then continued the practice alone, retaining the 
 former patronage of the ollice, and enlarging his 
 field as his own reputation became more thor- 
 oughly established and the [lopulation of the city 
 increased. 
 
 Dr. DuMars holds membership in the Peoria 
 City Medical Society and in the National Associ- 
 ation of Railroad Surgecjns. He is interested in 
 the social and benevolent orders, has identified him- 
 self with the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic 
 fraternity, in the latter being enrolled in Peoria 
 Lodge, No. 15, F. &. A. M. He belongs to the Pres-
 
 412 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 b3"terian Church, in which his standing is most ex- 
 cellent. 
 
 The accomplished wife of Dr. DuMars is a na- 
 tive of this citj', where she made raan^- friends as 
 Miss Nellie Frye. She is a daughter of the late 
 Dr. .Joseph C. and Eliza (Sterling) Frye, under 
 whose care she developed an estimable character. 
 Her marriage to our subject took place June 17, 
 1879, and has been blest by the birth of three chil- 
 dren, named respectively: Eliza Sterling, Elliot 
 Cullender and Frabion Rhees. 
 
 Vf/ AMES KERSHAW has been for many years 
 variously identified with the leading inter- 
 ests of this part of Illinois, and to-day 
 / stands among the men of wealth and influ- 
 ence in this county. He is one of the largest land- 
 owners in Elmwood Township, where he is ably 
 managing his extensive farming and stock-grow- 
 ing business so as to make monej' to the best ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 :Mr. Kershaw was born at Dulesgate, Lancashire, 
 England. He grew to be a sturdy-, self-reliant, 
 intelligent lad, and at the earl}- age of twelve 
 years left home to carry out his ambitious desiie 
 to follow the sea, and he first shipped as a cabin 
 boy and visited many of the countries of the 
 world. He sailed in the famous "Great Eastern" 
 on the first trip ehe ever made and had quite an 
 experience as a sailor. In 1850 our subject emi- 
 grated to this country, and on June 4th, of that 
 3'ear, first set foot in Peoria. He immediately 
 sought work and for two months was engaged as a 
 farm laborer. At the expiration of that lime the 
 enterprising young man leased a coal mine at 
 Kickapoo Station, and was activel}' engaged in its 
 operation the ensuing two j-ears. After that ha 
 rented a farm on the plank road, near Peoria, and 
 while still carr3-ing on his coal mining enterprise, 
 renting a mine of Mr. Sids and employing a force 
 of thirtj- to forty men, be gave much attention to 
 agricultural pursuits. 
 
 Before his marriage Mr. Kershaw went from 
 
 Peoria to Coal Vallej', Sheffield, Galena, and also 
 visited the copper regions'[on Lake Superior. In 
 the latter place he found the price of board to be 
 $12 per week and wages $5 per'day. He 'decided 
 tiiat the expense of living there would more than 
 counterbalance what he would earn in the mines 
 and would not stay there, returning to Peoi'ia. 
 From Kewanee he went to Macomb and it was his 
 good fortune to arrive there tbe same night of the 
 famous debate between Stephen A. Douglas and 
 Abraham Lincoln, and he liad the pleasure of list- 
 ening to those great orators. He subsequently re- 
 turned to Prairie City, investigated the mines 
 there and with his keen eye seeing they were val- 
 uable, bought some mining land on credit and em- 
 ployed forty m.en to work. He did so well in this 
 venture, fluanciall3% that he was enabled to pay 
 for the whole seventy acres in one year and cleared 
 §100 a week b3' his operations. He remained in 
 that locality four j-ears and then rented his mine 
 for ^nl'J a year and moved into Prairie City, 
 where he bought a lot and building in the promi- 
 nent business part of the place, and managed an 
 hotel, livery, restaurant, saloon, bilhard room, etc., 
 for fifteen 3-ears. 
 
 Our subject had an honorable war record. 
 When the Rebellion first broke out he was active 
 in buying horses and selling to the Government. 
 In 1864 tie enlisted in defense of his adopted 
 countr3', enrolling his name with the members of 
 the One Hundred and Fift3'-first Illinois Regiment. 
 He was emplo3'ed as a teamster at headquarters and 
 ranked as Corporal. Tbe teamsters were ver3' 
 valuable aids in carrying on the war, and often 
 passing tlirough a rough countr3% through swamps 
 and in crossing rivers and mountains were called 
 upon to endure man3' hardships. Mr. Kershaw 
 was in the following battles: Springside, Ga., Re- 
 saca, Dyersville, Atlanta and Macon, and from the 
 latter place went to Columbus, whence he pro- 
 ceeded to Girard, Ala., and from there to Vicks- 
 burg, and did faithful service in the Union cause 
 during the long and tr3'ing siege before that city 
 was captured. He was mustered out of the ser- 
 vice at Columbus, 6a., in 1866, and was discharged 
 at Springfield. 
 
 After his experience in aim3' life Mr. Kershaw
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 413 
 
 retiM-ned to tbe old home in Prairie City. The 
 privations and suffering which lie had endured in 
 liis labors in the South brought on an acute attack 
 of bone rheumatism, and he returned to his na- 
 tive England for treatment in 1867. He remained 
 in till' land of his birth four months until he was 
 recovered sufHciently to walk without crutches, 
 and tlien came back to the home which he had es- 
 tablished in this country. He subsequently re- 
 moved his family to Fulton County, where he 
 owned two hundred and twenty-one acres of land 
 in Young Hickory Township. He remained there 
 foi a year and then went back to his hotel and 
 acted in tiie capacity of "mine host" till 1874, 
 when he traded his Prairie City property for three 
 hundred and sixty acres of excellent farming laud 
 ioining his present farm residence. He has pros- 
 pered more tlian ordinarilj' falls to the lot of the 
 average farmer and has acquired wealth and a val- 
 uable i)roperty. lie now owns six hundred and 
 sevcnly-flve acres of land. It has all been finely 
 improved and from its rich harvest fields he gains 
 large crops. It is ampl3' supplied with commo- 
 dious and well-made buildings, including five resi- 
 dences besides the one he occupies. 
 
 The maiden name of his wife, to whose diligent 
 and active co-operation as a thrifty and capable 
 housewife he is greatly indebtetl, was Mary Ann 
 .lones. They began tiicir wedded life in Brimfield 
 in 18.')7, on a farm and remained there until fall 
 and then returned to Kickapoo Township and he 
 subseimently operated a mine there six months, 
 lie afterward bought eighty acres of land on 
 .b)nes' I'rairie, two and one-half miles southeast of 
 Kdwards' Station and in a short time sold it at a 
 good profit. Mr. and Mrs. Kershaw then made 
 their home in Midwaj', Fulton County, wiiere he 
 was engaged in mining on Mr. Cbauncey Awl's 
 place for nine months. He sold out bis interest in 
 that miiH', making money by the sale, and then 
 oiioned another mine in which he was engaged for 
 six months. We next hear of iiini in Troy, where 
 he was eniploj'ed as the overseer of a mine, re- 
 ceiving a salary of i!;2 per day. Eight months 
 later he removed with his /amily to Maquon, and 
 was Sui)erintendent of a mine there for some time, 
 thence to Watoyan and took up his residence there, 
 
 but the men were on a strike aud he could not en- 
 gage in mining then and since that time has occu- 
 pied himself as before mentioned. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kershaw have two sons and one 
 daughter, viz.: David R., who is married and lives 
 in Elm wood Township; Alfred E., who is married 
 and lives on his father's farm; and Margaret Ann. 
 wife of Edward Spangler, of Roselield Township. 
 
 In whatever pursuit he has been engaged, Mr. 
 Kershaw has brought a resolute will, energy untir- 
 ing, a self-resourceful mind aud no less ambition 
 to bear on bis work, and by the exercise of these 
 traits, seconded b}' rare judgment and marked talent 
 for business and clear foresight, has .acquired a 
 handsome property and while doing so has aided 
 in placing his township and county in the high 
 position which they occupy to-day. Mr. Kershaw 
 has opinions of his own on all subjects with which 
 he is conversant, and especially has decided views 
 with regard to politics, tiie principles of the Re- 
 publican party meeting with bis hearty approba- 
 tion. He has been connected with the civic affairs 
 of tbe township for many years as Road Master, 
 and in that capacity has performed good service 
 in the interest of the traveling public. 
 
 L. MILLER. Probably no business enter- 
 prise ever inaugurated in Peoria h.as had a 
 more auspicious beginning than that of 
 Kirkwood, Miller & Co., wholesale and re- 
 tail dealers in vehicles of various descri|itions and 
 in a few kind of implements. The firm was or- 
 ganized March 15, 18110, and opened its doors for 
 business about the 1st of Ai)ril. In the sixty daj-s 
 which have elapsed they have already disposed of 
 twenty-nine car loads of l)uggies. They occupy a 
 building 50x100 feet in dimension, with three 
 stories and a b.asemeiit, tlie two upper floors being 
 used as a repository. They handle buggies, car- 
 riages, carts and everything in tbe vehicle line, to- 
 gether with harness, windmills, bay rakes and 
 tedders combined, and tank pumps. Their goods 
 are manufactured on contract in Minneapolis, Rock- 
 ford, Columbus and Cincinnati. Tbe firm consists
 
 414 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 of Hugh Kirkwood, of Minneapolis, and our sub- 
 ject, each being the general manager of a branch 
 house in his respective place of abode. 
 
 jNIr. Miller was born in Ma^sville, Ky., Ajiril 
 10, 1851. and when about two j'ears old accom- 
 panied his parents, Robert and Abarilla (Barnes) 
 IMiller, to Indiana. About two years later they re- 
 moved to Iowa, where the lad grew to raaturitj- 
 and received his education. He has been well 
 schooled in llie most practical branches of knowl- 
 edge, and possesses much intelligence and mental 
 culture. He left the parental roof in 1870 to go on 
 the road for a St. liOuis house which handled the 
 line of goods in which he is yet dealing. 
 
 For twenty years Mr. Miller acted as a travel- 
 ing salesman, and lie is still General Agent for the 
 United States for the Winchester & Partridge Man- 
 ufacturing Company, of Whitewater, Wis., a position 
 whicli he has held many _years. He has resided in 
 Peorias since 1886, on February 23, of which year 
 he was married to Miss Effle Smith, of Oqiiawka- 
 This lady is a charming companion and since the 
 dawn of her womanhood has been a general favor- 
 ite in the soeiet}- in which the3' moved. She has 
 borne her husband one daughter, Effie F. ^Ir. 
 and Mrs. Miller are members of the Plymouth Con- 
 gregational Church, of this city. 
 
 # 
 
 ylLLARD H. BENNETT is a compara- 
 tivel}- recent but valuable addition to the 
 farming community of this county, and 
 since settling in Hallock Township has given his 
 time very profitably to agricultural pursuits, rais- 
 ing grain and also doing a good business in grow- 
 ing stock. He has his farm, which comprises one 
 hundred and twenty acres on section 30, and 
 twenty acres in another part of the township, 
 under substantial improvement, with ample build- 
 ings and model machinery, and its well-tilled acres 
 are capable of 3'ielding large returns for his labors, 
 besides supporting a goodly amount of cattle and 
 other stock. 
 
 Mr. Bennett was born in Stephen Township, 
 Rensselaer County, N. Y., August 4, 1820. (For 
 a full history of his parents see sketch of A. J.^Ben- 
 nett). He lived until twelve 3'ears old in his na- 
 tive county, and he then accompanied his parents 
 to Lewis County, in the same State, and there his 
 mother died when he was twenty years old, and 
 his father afterward returned to Rensselaer County. 
 Our subject did not go back with his father, but 
 went to Clarkson, in jMonroe County, and there 
 worked as a day laiiorer. He subsequently went 
 to South Carolina, where he was in the employ of 
 the Georgia Lumber Company, serving as boss 
 teamster until the job on which they were at 
 work was completed. Two years later he returned 
 to New York State, and located in his native 
 county, where he lived until he came to this State, 
 liis settlement here dating back twelve years. Since 
 coming here he has worked hard and has made 
 his labors count, as will be seen hy the fine condi- 
 tion of his neat and well-managed farm. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married. His wed 
 ding with Miss Eliza Hyers look place in his na- 
 tive town and county, w-hich was also her liirthplace, 
 and after their marriage they lived in the house 
 in which she was born. There she died two years 
 later, thus closing a brief but happy wedded life. She 
 was young to die as she was not twenty-two years 
 of age. 
 
 Our subject was married a second time in his 
 native count}', taking as his vvife Miss Anna Wil- 
 kinson. She was born in Ghent, Columbia County. 
 N. Y., and is the daughter of people who were 
 life-long residents of that State. She is the mother 
 of four children, of whom one, an infant, is de- 
 ceased. The others — Willard E., Robert A. and 
 Lillian F. — are all at home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bennett aie well thought of liy the 
 people with whom they have come to make their 
 home, as in all their relations with each other, with 
 their family, their neighbors, and other fellow- 
 citizens, they displaj' those qualities of head and 
 heart that mark the true honesty and goodness of 
 character that commands trust and esteem wherever 
 found. In their religious views they are inclined 
 to the Presbyterian faith. In his political belief 
 Mr. Bennett is a Democrat.
 
 roUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 4n 
 
 AMKS T. McNKILL. Ou the opposite page 
 appears a portrait of this gentleman, who is 
 at present a member of the Revenue force 
 in Peoria. He was one of tlie bravest and 
 most daring oflicers who commanded the Illinois 
 roginients during the Civil War, and his distin- 
 guished military record honored the citizenship of 
 lliis, his native State. He was born in Fulton 
 County, III., .January 29, 1839, his parents being 
 David and JIary (Cole) McNeill, natives of New 
 York. His father was one of the pioneers of Ful- 
 liiii County, of 18'28, being one of the very early 
 settlers in that p.art of Illinois. 
 
 Our subject was reared in the pioneer home of 
 his parents, and at the youthful age of fourteen 
 years, started out in the world and made his way 
 to Kansas in 1855. He was there during the To- 
 peka and Lecompton troubles, and in 1856, went 
 to Iowa. Tn the spring of 1861, he was among the 
 lirst to volunteer in the defense of his country's 
 honor, enlisting as private for a term of three 
 nioullis in Col. D. S. Moore's regiment, promoted 
 to lie a cap'ain, and first faced the enemy in the 
 battle of Athens, Mo. When his term of enlistment 
 oxpin'd he came to Illinois, and from his old home 
 ♦n Fulton County, enlisted August 22, 1862, in 
 Company II, Eighth-fifth Illinois Infantry', as pri- 
 vate, under command of Robert S. Moore. He and 
 Ids comrades went to Kentucky and arrived in sea- 
 son to do good service in the battle of Perryville. 
 From there they went to meet the enemy at Nash- 
 ville, 'I'cnn., and subsc(iuently engaged in the bat- 
 tK' of Stone. River. 
 
 The fidelity of our subject, his strict attention to 
 ills duties, and the able manner in which he dis- 
 charged them, soon won the attention of his sui)eri- 
 ors, and be was promoted to be First Licutonaut, 
 December 13. 1862. May 29, 1863, his gallant con- 
 duct won him deserved promotion to (he olliee of 
 captain of his company. After that the brave 
 young o;iiccr w.as detailed military conductor bj- 
 order of Oen. Rosecrans, and served in that capa- 
 city until, by bis special request, he was released by 
 Oen. Gordon Granger. He rejoined his company 
 and did noble service at the battle of Chickaniauga. 
 
 About that time Gen. Thomas .asked Gen. Daniel 
 McCook, if ho had a man whom lie could trust to 
 
 go across the Tennessee River to examine the con- 
 dition of the roads and grounds, to throw pontoon 
 bridges across, to penetrate the enemy's lines in 
 order to examine the grounds, and m.akc a report as 
 to the condition and numbers of the rebel forces. 
 Gen. McCook promptly recommended our subject 
 as possessing the requisite nerve, coolness and skill 
 to carry out his orders, and .according!}- he was sent 
 on the mission. He thoroughly examined the 
 grounds and the bluffs with reference to the facili- 
 ties for moving artillery, visited the bridges on 
 Chickaniauga Creek to see how they were guarded, 
 next ascertained the number of corps, and the 
 names of the commanders of the fighting forces of 
 the enemy, .and then carefully retraced his steps 
 and went over the whole ground to get more accu- 
 rate information, and had it all on paper, maps of 
 the country, etc. After that he was captured by 
 the rebels, and taken to Gen. Hardee, afterward 
 to Gen. Bragg, and sent to Atlanta, whence he was 
 dispatched to Libby Prison. From that prison he 
 was taken to Castle Thunder, and while there was 
 engaged in making the tunnel by which he expected 
 to make his escape, but the scheme was detected, 
 and he was locked up in a basement, sent again 
 to Libby Prison, but having previously traded uni- 
 forms with a rebel, walked out while the oflicers 
 were having a ball. He followed two men and 
 crept past two pickets, and finall}' arrived at Tappin 
 Baj'. He was lost thirteen days and nights in Tap- 
 pin Bay swamps, staying all night at tide house 
 with one major, one captain, three privates of ar- 
 tilleiy, en route for home on a five d.ays' furlough, 
 their commands being stationed at Charleston. 
 During his long wanderings the fugitive subsisted 
 'on persimmons; finally after many adventures and 
 hardships he arrived at the Potomac River, crossed 
 it, and the next day found himself safely within 
 the Cnion lines at Yorktown. 
 
 Gen. Butler ordered Mr. McNeill to report at 
 Washington to Gen. Stantau, who ordered him to 
 join his regiment, giving him the privilege of de- 
 laying thirty d.ays on the way. He rejoined his 
 command at McCaffee Church, Ga., and from there 
 went to Buzzard's Roost on a reconnoitering expe- 
 dition which lasted two days. He then went with 
 tin; briirade to Lee and Gordon's Mills, and from
 
 418 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 there accompanied Sherman on his march to the 
 sea, bearing a brave part in the many skirmishes 
 :infl engagements with the enemy during that mem- 
 oral)le campaign. He was in command of the line 
 that captnred Rome, and was the only officer, ex- 
 cept Col. C. .1. Dillvvorth, that swam tlie Chatta- 
 lioochie River. He did noble and efficient service 
 at Atlanta, and after that was disabled bj' disease 
 of the leg, and sent to the hospital on Lookout 
 Mountain, Tenn. From there he reported to Col. 
 Stanley, and was put in charge of the Old Church 
 prison in Ciiattanooga. He was finally mustered 
 out by sjiecial field order No. 1 7, of Commander 
 (xen. Thomns, and resigned his commission. He 
 came home only to assist in getting together another 
 company of men, and recruited Company I, which 
 was consolidated in the Third Illinois Cavalrj-; on 
 the tSth of March, 1865, he again enlisted at Jolict, 
 and entered the ranks as a private. 
 
 He reported at Eastiwrt, Miss., and was placed 
 in command on special service as a Brevet Captain, 
 being honorably discharged at Benton Barracks, 
 Mo., May 2, 1805. The Captain inherited his fine 
 military tactics from iiis father, who was a soldier 
 in the War of 1812, and the family was well repre- 
 sented in the Civil War. His brother, -loseph, was 
 a member of Comi)any H, 'I'hird Illinois Cavahy, 
 and gave up his life for his country while in the 
 service. His brother Daniel was a soldier in Com- 
 pany I, P'irst California Cavahy, and his brother 
 William was First Lieutenant in Company H, First 
 Wasliingtou Territory Cavalry. His brother John 
 was first a member of Companj- H, Tenth Missouri 
 Infantry, and then served one }'ear in the Third 
 Illinois Cavalry. Capt. McNeill crossed the Plains 
 to Santa Fe and Albuquerque in 1857 with the reg- 
 ular army under Capt. ^'anbuckland and Lieut. 
 Whistler, and was assistant wagon master. 
 
 Cajit. IMcNeill came hack to Illinois after the close 
 of his military career, and then spent two years 
 in Missouri. Returning to this State, he was in 
 Fulton County until appointed by the Government 
 to the position of, store-keeper in the Revenue ser- 
 vice in Peoria. His splendid war services are held 
 in remembrance by his connection with McCullis 
 Post, No. 353, G. A. R. He is prominent among 
 
 the Knights of Labor, and has served one term as 
 Master Workman of Lodge No. 156. 
 
 Our subject was married in 1856, to M.argaret A. 
 Ruble, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., and a relative 
 of the famous captain, Parson Browulow. Thirteen 
 children have been born of this marriage, of whom 
 nine are still living. 
 
 <| IklLLIAM S. WHITTAKFR, who is prosper- 
 \m/ ""^'•^' engaged in the general farming and 
 W^ dairy business in Chillicothe, in company 
 with Mr. Shepard, under the firm name of Shepard 
 & Whittaker, is classed among the active, intelli- 
 gent and wide-awake native young men of Illinois, 
 who in recent years have stepped to the front to 
 aid in supporting and extending its varied inter- 
 ests. 
 
 Our subject was born in Wesley City, Grove- 
 land Township, Tazewell County, September 19, 
 1858. His father, James Whittaker, was a pioneer 
 of that region, and the discovery of a valuable coal 
 mine on the Pusche farm, which proved to be not 
 only the best in that county, but also in the State, 
 made him comparatively wealthy. He was a na- 
 tive of Lancashire, p:ngland, a descendant of pure 
 I':nglish ancestry, and when twenty-three years of 
 age, he emigrated from there to this country. Land - 
 ing in New York City, he made his way to Mc- 
 Ke^sport. Pa., and a few years later came to Illi- 
 nois, and for a time was located at Kingsfon. He 
 subsequently settled in Wesley City, and not long 
 afterward the most important event of his life oc- 
 curred in the discovery of the coal mine before 
 mentioned. He had had much experience in mines, 
 and his intelligent observation told him that coal 
 must underlie the soil of Tazewell County, and 
 though others tried to discourage him, he went to 
 work under ditllculties to prove the truth of his 
 prognostications, and by dint of persistent and hard 
 labor he succeeded in his search. It was a proud 
 day for liim when the first coal was lifted in 1852. 
 which was almost the first, if not the first mined in 
 the county, and the same mine is still in operation.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 419 
 
 Mr. Wliittaker lived to see tlic mines in this part of 
 llic State well developed, and mining one of the 
 princi|)al industries. Although he died at tiie early 
 age of thirty-seven years, his death occurring Au- 
 gust 15, 1864, while yet in his prinie. he had 
 achieved marked success in his bus}' and honoral)le 
 life career, and his conununity lost one of its most 
 valuable citizens, lie had risen from poverty to 
 atlluence through iiis own exertions, and was a line 
 si)ecimen of a self-made man. He had married af- 
 ter coming to this country, in Pekin, 111., taking .as 
 his wife, Mrs. Ann Whittaker iipc Smith. She was 
 born in Lancastershire, England. .January 30, 1823, 
 a daugiiterof Richanl and i",lizabeth (Ltiwe) Smith, 
 natives of the same shire as herself, and life-long 
 residents of that p.art of Kngland. Her father w.as 
 a miner by occupation. He died at the .age of 
 forty-eight, and his wife at the age of fifty-seven. 
 He was a very strong man. and was celebrated for 
 his feats of strength, but his very strength proved 
 ids destruction, as lie died from the effects of burst- 
 ing a bloo<l vessel while lifting a heavv weight. 
 Mis. Whittaker was first married in the old coun- 
 try to .John WhittaKer. who came to America in 
 ISls. and died in 1,S19, before his wife had ar- 
 rive<l. Mrs. Whittaker was thus left a widovv with 
 two small children, both of whom are now dead. 
 She cniue to this country in .lunc, 1849, soon after 
 her husband's death,and settled in Tazewell County, 
 and was there married to .Tames Whitt.aker, who 
 was ;i cousin of lier first husband. IJy that mar- 
 riage she became the mother of three children, two 
 of whom are dearl, namely: Sarah A., who died 
 \\licn young; .and an infant. 
 
 Our subject is the only remaining child of his 
 mother, and is her stay and comfort in her old age, 
 and has supported her ever since he was old enough. 
 When he grew to manhood he adopted the calling 
 of a farmer, and the good fortune that has followed 
 his well-directed etTorts, has amply justified his 
 choice. He has a well-ap)iointed farm on section 
 8, Chillicothc Township, that is under fine cultiva- 
 tion, and is supjilied with substantial and well-or- 
 dered buildings for every needed puri)osc. This 
 farm is especially well .adapted to the dairy busi- 
 ness, and he and .Mi-. Siic|)ard cstalilished a dairy 
 here in .lanu.-iry. l.s.S.s. They have since been oper- 
 
 ating it very profitably, and are constantly extend- 
 ing its facilities and capacity to meet the demands 
 of their extensive and growing (>atronage in C'hilli- 
 cotlie. I'lie}' have a herd of fifty cows, and aver- 
 age that numbei the year round, and are careful to 
 have onl}- the stock best suited to their purposes, 
 and supply their customers with the purest of milk 
 and the richest of cream. Mr. Whittaker has lived 
 on this farm nine 3'ears, and has made it what it is 
 b.y hard labor. 
 
 ( )ur subject was married in Peoria, Mu}' 2G, 1 S81 
 to Miss Ada F. Shepard, a native of this township 
 She was born September lo, 1864, and is the 
 youngest daughter and child of F. E. Shepard, of 
 whom see biograiihy on another page of this vol- 
 ume. Mrs. Whittaker was carefully reared in the 
 home of her parents in this township, and under- 
 stands well how to make home pleasant and attract- 
 ive, not only to its inmates, but to all who cross 
 its threshold, whether friend or stranger. She is 
 tile mother of four cliildren, one of whom, Anna C, 
 is dead. The living are Clara A., Alice A., and 
 James E. 
 
 That Mr. Whittaker has thus far been successful 
 in life, is attributable to his industrious habits and 
 good business principles. He stands well in this 
 community as a business man and as a citizen, and 
 is irreproachable in his domestic and social rela- 
 tions. In his political beliefs he is a decided Re- 
 publican, .and never hesitates to support his party 
 on all occasions. 
 
 ^nsw: 
 
 AMES TURNER is an old and respected far- 
 mer of Jubilee Township, who by dint of 
 persistent toil and exct>llent management of 
 his affairs, has i)laced himself in good cir- 
 cumstances, and is proprietor of one of the choice 
 farms for which this section of the country is 
 noted. 
 
 Our subject is of English birth and antecedents. 
 His father, John Turner, who was a laborer, was 
 born in Devonshire, England, and died in May, 
 1812, before our subject w.as born. Our subject's 
 mother, whose maiden was Ann Dovey, w,as also a
 
 420 
 
 POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 native of Devousliire. She reared two cliildren. 
 John and James, the former of whom died in Eng- 
 land in 1888. 
 
 The latter of whom w^e write, wab born amid the 
 pleasant scenes of Devonshire, in October, 1812, 
 and passed the earlj' )'ears of his life on English 
 soil. His mother kept him with her until he was 
 eight years old, and then the fatherless little lad 
 was apprenticed to a farmer, and was early instruc- 
 ted in all the labors of farming operations. His 
 educational advantages were limited to attendance 
 at Sunday -school and church, and he is purely a 
 self-made man. He remained with the man to 
 whom he had been apprenticed until he was twenlj"- 
 one, and then hired out to another person. He 
 did not like that man, however, and did job work 
 rather than work for him, and did not engage in 
 serving out again for some time, but was emplo3'ed 
 in making and working on roads. He subsequently 
 was employed bj- Esquire Turk at his house and 
 limekiln, and was willi him eleven years. He was 
 married there and wished to take his bride to Au- 
 stralia, but did not do so. He then returned to 
 work for the man to whom he had formerly been 
 apprenticed, and was employed bj' him the ensuing 
 two years. He had not, however, given up the idea 
 of trj'ing life in a foreign country, and in 1853, he 
 came to America, sailing from Bedford, and after 
 a lengthy voyage of twelve weeks, landed in (Que- 
 bec. From there he made his waj' to this countj-, 
 and settled at Robins' Nest, where lie hired to 
 Henry Chase for three j'ears. At the expiration of 
 that time be entered into partnership with Mr. 
 Chase in operating the farm. After that lie sent 
 for two of his brothers to come to tliis country, 
 and he took chai'ge of Col. Capron's slock farm 
 through the war. He next bought land on liis own 
 account, and became' an independent farmer, jnir- 
 chasing forty acres of wild prairie land at llO an 
 acre. At that time he was living at Jubilee Col- 
 lege, renting land there. He then took possession 
 of his own place, and after improving that, bought 
 fort}' acres more for ¥750, and has also placed that 
 under substantial improvement. He has a new barn 
 that is commodious and well arranged, and has a 
 comfortable and well appointed dwelling house. 
 The land is well watered with springs, and is 
 
 adapted both to grain and stock-raising, and he has 
 devoted it to both purposes. He formerly raised 
 fine horses, both draft and roadsters, and engaged 
 in the dair}- business, making excellent butter which 
 found a ready market in Peoria. He has a fine 
 orchard and a good garden, and all things about 
 the place are in au excellent condition. In 1889 
 Mr. Turner sold his stock, and has since rented his 
 farm. 
 
 Mr. Turner has been twice married. The first 
 time in England in 1850. His wife accompanied 
 him across the water to his new home ia this coun- 
 trj", and in 1878 she died of cancer of the breast. 
 She left one child, Eliza, to comfort our subject in 
 his affliction. This daughter has been given ex 
 cellent educational advantages, is a graduate of Ju- 
 bilee College, and was engaged in teaching until 
 her marriage to Dr. Young, of Kickapoo. 
 
 Mr. Turner was married a second time in Peoria, 
 July 27, 1880, taking as his wife Mrs. Christine 
 Roebeli, a daughter of Frederick Roby, a native of 
 Berne, Oldenburg, Germany. Her father was a 
 cooper b}' trade, and fiuMlly became a sailor and the 
 captain of a ship of which he was the owner. He 
 died in his native town. His father, likewise 
 named Frederick, was a baker by occupation, and 
 liis death occurred in Berne. Mrs. Turner's moth- 
 er's maiden name was Lutzia Margaret Andres, and 
 she too was a native of Berne, and a daughter of 
 Cornelius Andres, who was born in Denmark. Hf 
 went to Berne when quite young, and in his boy- 
 hood weut to sea, and subsequent!}' became a cap- 
 tain. He died in Fagersact. Mrs. Turner's par- 
 ents had twelve children, of whom the following is 
 recorded: Berne D. died when small; Gretta died 
 in Peoria; Berne Dcitrick was a sailor, and died or 
 the sea; Cornelius was a captain on a steamship 
 and died in Germany; Christine, wife of our sub- 
 ject; Henry was captain, was shipwrecked, and 
 died at sea; Frederick was a sailor, and died in 
 New York City; Lutzia M. lives in German}-; Re- 
 becca, now Mrs. Shoddy, lives in Illinois; Mary 
 died in Harper Count}-, Kan.; J. Deitrick resides 
 in Indiana; and Caroline in Germany. 
 
 Mrs. Turner was born in Berne, Oldenburg, Ger- 
 many, October 28, 1821, and was reared there, re- 
 ceiving excellent educational advantages. She re-
 
 POUTRAIT AND BIOGlfArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 421 
 
 niained at hoinc iiiilil slic weutto live witli niiothor 
 family, and siibsequcnti}' came to Anicrica when 
 she was twenty-one. Siic left Biviiu'iiliavi-n in 
 1845, and after several weeks (^n the oeean, landed 
 at New Orleans, where she was niarritid in 181G,to 
 August Roebell, a native of Germany, lie was a 
 carpenter in New Orleans, and they lived there 
 eleven years, and then eanie North and located at 
 Hilton, opposite Peoria. Mr. Roebell carried on 
 carpentering there until iiis death. Ilis widow then 
 moved to Peoria, and acted as nurse, and was oth- 
 erwise engaged until her marriage to our subject. 
 She iiad one son, Henry — by her first marriage. 
 He vvas apprenticed to learn the trade of a cooper 
 in 151oomington, and in 1863, when but eigiiteen 
 years old, enlisted in the Twenty-sixth Hlinois In- 
 fantry-, and served under Sherman tiirough (ieorgia, 
 and accompanied him to the sea, and was with him 
 until the close of the war. Ho was killed in 18G7, 
 in Peoria, by a runaway team. 
 
 During Mi'. Turner's long residence in this town- 
 ship, he has gained and retained tlie honor and es- 
 teem of his fellow-citizens by his straightforward 
 and upright course in all the affairs of life, and in 
 the various de|)artments that be has been called 
 upon to fill as husband, fatiier, neighbor, and citi- 
 zen. His record shows him to possess those char- 
 acteristics by which a man is enabled to achieve 
 success in whatever calling he is engaged. He has 
 faithfully served ids adopted township as School 
 Director, etc., and in him the Baptist Church at 
 Kickapoo finds one of its solid members. He has 
 been a stalwart Republican in politics ever since he 
 came here. 
 
 "^® 
 
 "^^a 
 
 \»^ ANH«:L HITCHCOCK. Among tlie men to 
 whom Peoria County owes much in the way 
 of agricultural and commercial development, 
 is Daniel Hitchcock, now Justice of the? Peace of 
 Akron Township. He owns and occuiiies a pleas- 
 ant home in Princeville, which town lias been his 
 place of abode since 1877. The exterior of his 
 dwelling indicates the comfort and convenience of 
 its arrangement, while the adornments of the 
 
 grounds which surround it are especial!}' indicative 
 of the tastes of the thorough housekeeper and re- 
 fined woman who presides therein. S(piire Hitcli- 
 cock is well known throughout the county, and 
 [larticularly in this section, the public oflices which 
 he has held giving him ;ui extended acf(uaintance, 
 ami his business enterprises lUso bringing him 
 prominently before the people. 
 
 Jedediah Ilifclicock, the grandfather of our sul)- 
 ject, was a native of the Bay State, whence he re- 
 moved to Greene County, N.^'. He afterward came; 
 farther west and selecting a location in Peoria 
 County, III., he hero continuetl the agricultural la- 
 bors to which his life was devoted. He was a man of 
 .iction and energy, who.se characteristics have de- 
 scended to the grandson. The immediate progenitor 
 of our subject was Ira Ililclicock, liorn in (ireene 
 County, N.Y., who followed his father's occupation, 
 b\it was also interested in milling. He operated a 
 sawmill in his native county for some years, then 
 removing to the vicinity of Detroit, i\Iich., devoted 
 himself entirel}' to rur.nl pursuits for a time. Se- 
 curing' a tract of timber land, he cleared it contin- 
 uing similar labor on other land whicli he entered 
 from the (Jovernment, but finally becoming in- 
 volved, sold his property and came to Illinois in 
 183(). He located in Radnor Township, this county, 
 but after a few years removed to Akron Township, 
 buying Government land at the head of Kickapoo 
 Creek. His farm was placed under excellent im- 
 provement and u[)on it he continued to I'eside until 
 called hence. He passed away cheered by the faith of 
 the Baptist Church, in which he had long been a 
 member. 
 
 The wife of Ira Hitchcock bore the nuiiden name 
 of Olive Goodsell,and was, like her husband, a na- 
 tive of Greene County, N. V., and was of Scotch 
 ancestry'. She lived to the age of eighty years, dy- 
 ing at the home of our subject in 1887. She was 
 the mother of five children, namely: Ira B., de- 
 ceased; Daniel; IMilo, deceased; Mrs. Lura Yates, 
 deceased; and Henry, who I'ves in Kansas. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in the town 
 of Hunter, Greene County, N. Y., August 24, 
 1825. He was a mere boy when the family jour- 
 neyed by canal and lake to Detroit, within seven 
 miles of which city he ■was rcartd (n a faim until
 
 422 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 |)ast tbe age of eleven years. His educational advan- 
 tages during that lime was those uf tbe common 
 scliools, but his naturally practical mind applied tlie 
 information he received as occasion demanded. 
 The removal to the Prairie Statu was accomplished 
 liy a wagon train, corduro}' roads being followed 
 and swamps crossed. The Illinois River was 
 crossed at Ottawa and Lacon. 
 
 Young Hitchcock remained under the [larontal 
 roof until of age, helping his father to improve the 
 farm, bearing his share in all the pioneer labors as 
 his strength increased, and enjoying some of the 
 sports of frontier life where deer and wolf were 
 among the wild game and where a few straggling 
 Indians j'et lingered. The breaking plow with 
 which he turned the virgin soil of the prairie had 
 a wooden mold-board, and his yuuthful recollec- 
 tions incluile nianj- a trip to Chicago when team- 
 sters had to help pull each other out of the mud, 
 and a twelve days' absence from home was neces- 
 sitated. 
 
 When he became of age Mr. Hitchcock bought 
 one hundred and sixty acres on section 28, Akron 
 Township, paying S^o per acre for the raw land. He 
 built a frame house, improved and successfully 
 cultivated bis estate, adding to his store of worldly 
 goods from year to 3-ear. In 1877, he moved into 
 Princeville and built a steam mill having a capac- 
 ity of one hundred barrels per day, which was first 
 operated bj- the firm of himself and Joseph Yoor- 
 hees. The business flourished, and after four 
 j-ears of partnership the entire control was assumed 
 by our subject who carried on the business alone 
 two j'ears. At the expiration of that time tbe mill 
 and elevator was burned to the ground, entailing a 
 loss of §20,000, somewhat crippling Mr. Hitch- 
 cock financially, but by no means discouraging 
 him. Since this catastrophe be has retired from 
 business, devoting himself to the enjoj'ment of tbe 
 goods which he possesses. 
 
 Mr. Hitchcock owns twelve acres of land in 
 Princeville, upon which is located bis dwelling and 
 a fish pond over an acre in extent. He is raisino- 
 carp and catfish and lakes quite an interest in this 
 occupation, viewing it in the line of a recreation 
 from the business of former years. The lady to 
 whom he owes the comfort and order of his home 
 
 life, was born at Akron Centre, Ohio, and uamc to 
 
 this county with her parents at an early day. She 
 was known in her girlhood as Miss Abigail M. 
 Bronson, and is a daughter of the late Hiel and 
 Marj' Bronson, long and favorably known in this 
 section. Her uuion with our subject was celebrated 
 at her home in Akron Township, in 1865. 
 
 Nearly all the township offices have been held 
 by 'Squire Hitchcock, and as Justice of the Peace he 
 has served off and on for twenty ^ears. He was 
 made Constable when but twentj^-one years old, 
 holiling that office until he became Justice. Vov 
 four years he was Deputj' Sheriff under Sheriff 
 Cornwell, ids duties taking him all over the 
 county. His political alliliation is with the Demo- 
 cratic party. He belongs to the lodge of the Free 
 and Accepted Masons in Princeville, and the Royal 
 Arch Masons at Lacon, and has a demit from the 
 Odd Fellows fraternit}-. He has served his politi- 
 cal part}' as a delegate to county conventions ami 
 as a member of the Central Committee. 
 
 ^i 
 
 jk/i AJ. CHARLES QUALMAN. To no other 
 /// 11 class of men is Illinois more indebted foi 
 ijl 'a its marvelous growth and the high stand - 
 ^ ing it has attafued among its sister States 
 
 since the war, than to the brave citizen-soldiers of 
 our great Republic, who fought so noblj' for its 
 preservation, and at the close of the strife quietly 
 departed from the scenes of their victory and took 
 Uf) again their old callings, or entered new fields, 
 and in every walk of life vigorously- aided in push- 
 ing forward the commercial, manufacturing, agri- 
 cultural and general financial interests of the State, 
 and are to-daj- in many cases among its most en- 
 terprising and important citizens. As a fine repre- 
 sentative of these it gives ns pleasure to place on 
 the pages of this volume a life record of Maj. 
 Charles Qualman, who did noble service in the 
 cause of his adopted eountr}' during the late civil 
 strife, and won a distinguished military record, of 
 which the communit}- where he made bis home so 
 manj' j'ears and with whose every interest be is so 
 closel}' identified is justly proud. He is onv of the
 
 POUTKAI'l' AND P.K )( ; K A I'll IC'Al, ALl 
 
 M. 
 
 423 
 
 leading bool iiml shoe dealers of Peoria, is promi- 
 nent in the business and social circles of the city 
 and couiit\-.aiid is a conspicuous figure in its i)ubiic 
 life. 
 
 Our suliject was born in Hamburg, < ierniany, 
 .lulv 20, 1<S;;7, a son of Cliarles aiul Dora (Wag- 
 ner) tiualnuin. His father was a Captain in tlie 
 (U-rman arn)y. in wliicii he served all his life. 
 'I'liere were three cliildreu iu tjio family: Louis, a 
 Lieutenant in the Regular I'nited Slates Army; 
 Dora, widow of Frederick Nagle, of Hamluirg, 
 (ierinanj', and our subject. 
 
 Charles (»uaiman was brouglil up to mercantile 
 pursuits in liis native Germany, and at an early 
 age had to learn the duties of a clerk. In his sev- 
 enteenth year ho went to Paris, France, where he 
 was engaged in tiie dry-goods business two and one- 
 half years as a clerk iu Dipo dry-goods store. 
 From there he went to London, where he w.'is in 
 the same business a litile over two years. Desirous 
 to sec more of the country and ambit inns to m.Mkc 
 a name .'Ui<l a [ilace for himself in the world, and 
 rightly considei ing that the United States of Amer- 
 ica was tlie country where best his ambition would 
 be uratilied. he sailed to this country ISIarch 2, 
 18(11. After his arrival here he traveled for awhile 
 and with great interest watcheil the jirogress of tlie 
 war. which had s|)rung up soon after he came here, 
 'i'he soldierly instincts that he had inherited from 
 his father soon imi)elled him to take a pari in the 
 strife and July G. LStil, he enrolieil his name as a 
 member of Company K, Third Indiana Cavalry, 
 and frt)ui that time look an active and ((uite a 
 prominent part in all the battles in which his regi- 
 ment fought. The i)rincipal engagements in which 
 lie participated were the following: Shiloh, Perrys- 
 ville (Ky.). Stone River. Chickamaug.a, Missionaiv 
 Ridge, was with IJurnside at Knoxvilli' ( Tenn.), 
 returned to Chattanooga, and with Sherman went 
 on the famous march to Athmla and the sea. 
 
 Maj. (^nalman was mustered out of service Se|)- 
 tember 11), l.SOl. His \ alor and abiiily h:id wcui 
 him (iromotion from the ranks through the various 
 grades from private to major. He was commis- 
 sioned Secoiul Lieutenant February 25, 18fi2; First 
 lieutenant on the (Uli of the following April, and 
 was made Captain the following September, and 
 
 gained the rank of Major, September 2, 1864. He 
 comni.anded his regiment for some months, and his 
 line soldierly qualities and capacity as a leader 
 gained him commendation on every side. Tlie fol- 
 lowing deserved tribute from a letter of (jen.S. D. 
 Atkins, recommending him for promotion shows in 
 what estimation he was held. "I have seen him 
 under fire and know him to be brave, competent, 
 intelligent and dashing. He is highly worthy of a 
 eoionel's commission and has earned it by three 
 years' hard service in the field." At Jonesboro, 
 Gen. Kilpatrick told Sherman '-That is a man who 
 will ilo as directed, and successfully." Sherman then 
 ordered him to go to the rebel line and destroy the 
 railroads. Maj. (^ualman look a picked company 
 of one hundred men and ;u'com|)lished his orders. 
 He drove back the picket, lines and destroyed the 
 track, so that upon the apiu'oach of the train in the 
 morning it had to be abandoned. This was pro- 
 nounced one of tho most daring, as it was one of 
 the nu.)st successful feats of that memorable c.-iui- 
 paign; was so spoken of at the time by the [iress, 
 and is so considered now. For his bravery at 
 Shelbyville, Tenn., the Major's command gave him 
 a sword, belt and sash. At the reunion of the Third 
 Indiana he was honored by his conuades by the 
 presentation of a medal. 
 
 After being mustered out of the service, M.aj. 
 (Jualmau was married, January IG, 1865, to F^liza- 
 beth Greene, of Indianopolis, Ind. He brought 
 his bride directly to Peoria, having selected this 
 city as a desirable place in which to establish a 
 home on account of the tine facilities olTered to 
 men of business enterprise. He opened a boot and 
 shoe store, which he has continued to manage with 
 financial success ever since, his annual sales 
 amounting to S 10,000. He has a neat, well-ap- 
 pointed store, well furnished, and carries a large 
 stock of the best assortment of boots and shoes. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. (»u!dmau have been born two 
 sons: Charles ('., in business with his father, and 
 Phillip. Assistant Cashier iu the Northern I'acific 
 Uailroad in Tacoma, Wash. 
 
 Maj. t^ualman is one of the leading members of 
 the G. A. R , belonging to Pryner Post No. (17. of 
 which he is Post Commander, also Trustee of the 
 Post. He was a delegate to the National Conven-
 
 424 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 tion at San Francisco, and is now Aid-de Camp to 
 the State Commander. He is a member of the 
 Masonic order, which he joined in 186.5. He lias 
 borne an honorable part in the public life of the 
 city, serving two j'ears on the Board of Supervisors 
 and four }^ears as a member of the School Board. 
 He is a true blue Reiiublican, and his popularity is 
 shown when we mention that he is the onl^' one 
 of his part}' elected on the Board of Supervisors of 
 I iirhteen members. 
 
 — S- 
 
 -^^ 
 
 <Xi MLLIAM CATTON, deceased, was of Eng- 
 %/\/// lis'' ''■''"' ■■^'i*' breeding, but became a citi- 
 V^\)^ zcn of this country when in the vigor and 
 prime of a stalwart, maulj' manhood, casting in 
 his lot with the pioneers of this count}-, and in the 
 j'ears cif hard work that followed, built ui) a home 
 here and made a name and a place for himself in 
 BrimSeld Township, and when death called iiim 
 hence left behind him an unblemished record. 
 
 Mr. Catton w.as born in Lincolnshire, England, 
 in October, 1829. He was a son of Thomas and 
 Mary- (Clarke) Catton, who were also natives of 
 England, and iie was reared to man's estate on a 
 farm in the lantl of his birth, and engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits all his life. His educational ad- 
 vant.ages were limited, but he had a bright obsevv- 
 lug mind and made up for early deficiencies in book 
 learning later in life. In 18.53, he toolc a most im- 
 portant stci) in his marriage with Ann Pacey, wlio 
 had much to do with his after success. She was also 
 born in Lincolnshire, January l(j, 1829. being the 
 date of his birth. Her parents, Thomas and Sarali 
 (Kettleborough) Pace^', were likewise natives of 
 England. They had a family of eight children, of 
 whom Mrs. Catton and her brother, John and sister 
 Elizabeth are the only known survivors. 
 
 In the spring of 1854, our subject and his wife, 
 emigrated to this country, taking passage at Liver- 
 pool, April 5, in a sail vessel, and landing in New 
 York City, after a vo^-age of three weeks and four 
 daj's. They made their way to Sturgis, Mich., and 
 a month later c.ime from there to this county, 
 where he found work on a farm and was thus en- 
 
 gaged a short time. He subsequentlj'- rented a 
 farm for a number of years, and finally be- 
 came a land holder in his owr. right, purchas- 
 ing a f,arm in Briraheld Township, which is still 
 in possession of his widow. In the small shantj' 
 that was on the place at the time he bought it, he 
 and his family lived for a short time, and he after- 
 ward built a more commodious house. Year after 
 year he w.as constantly engaged in the improvement 
 of his farm and mside it what it is to-day, one of 
 the best cultivated and most desirable places in the 
 neighborhood. At the time of his death it comprised 
 three hundred and twent\' acres of land, this prop- 
 ert}' being the product of a life work of industry. 
 
 In the fullness of time and in the ripeness of 
 j-ears, our subject was called from the scenes of his 
 usefulness and '-Cheerful he gave his being up and 
 went to share the hol^' rest that waits a life well 
 spent." The brief lines of this biogr.aph^- scarce 
 indicate the worthiness of our subject whose repu- 
 tation for unswerving rectitude in all his dealings, 
 and for neighborly kindness, sj^mpathj' and help- 
 fulness in his relations with those about him, was 
 high and gave him the regard of the entire com- 
 munity. He was a representative pioneer of the 
 township, a self-made man, and did bis share in 
 promoting the growth of this region. He had 
 served with ability as a School Director for a num- 
 ber of 3'ears, and was a firm supporter of the Re- 
 publican part}'. 
 
 Mr. Catton, who was a kind and loving father 
 and husband, was hapi)}- in his domestic relations, 
 finding in his wife a true companion, and in his off- 
 spring, filial, devoted children. His widow, who is 
 now past three-score years, is still living on the 
 old homestead which has been reduced lo eighty 
 acres, surrounded, b^- her children and friends, and 
 enjoying the fruits of a life spent in usefulness .and 
 well doing. She is classed among the pioneer 
 women of this township, who have li.ad a gre.at share 
 in its upbuilding in the assistance they have afforded 
 their fatheis, husbands and brothers, in the hard 
 and constant toil necessitated in the work of de- 
 veloping a new country. Five of the ten children 
 born of her wedded life with our subject are still 
 living: Matilda, wife of Simpson Hall of Kans.as; 
 Ira, in Brimfield Township,; Charles, in Millbrook
 
 ""-■* 
 
 n 
 
 '^y <
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALI'.UM. 
 
 427 
 
 Towiisliii); Albert, in Biimfield Township; Flora, 
 wife of Uly (iiantof Millluook Townsbi[). Tliose 
 deceased are Mary E., Sarali J., Elsie 15., John and 
 James. 
 
 , c<r>o 
 
 aCx> ' 
 
 ATTMEW LIM). Among the residents of 
 Peoria, who after years of meritorious con- 
 duct, have entered into rest, the late 
 Matthew Liud is deserving of mention in 
 a volume which presents in biographical form the 
 history of this section of the countrj' as told in the 
 lives of its citizens. He was born in Jlilltown, 
 Cumberland County, Pa., June II, 1829, being 
 descended from sturd}' Licotch ancestry. A public 
 school education was supplemented by a course of 
 studv in a business college in Baltimore, Md.. 
 whence he emerged well equipped in mind for the 
 duties which laj' before him. 
 
 The avocation of an architect and Iniilder, which. 
 Mr. Lind chose fur his life-work, was learned 
 under I. (i. Reynolds, a well known millwright, of 
 Peoria. After tlionaighly mastering the business 
 lie began operations as a member of the firm of 
 Liiid, Haggerty & Hunter, continuing in active 
 cnii)loynu'ul until his death, which occurred April 
 27, 1888. During that time he assisted in erecting 
 some of the best mills in the country. His work 
 was, like his integrity, ever to be relied upon. 
 Himself a thorough workman, he insisted upon 
 those whom he employed being equally painstak- 
 ing and skillful in tlieir respective de|)artments, 
 while no poor material found place in the buildings 
 he erected. True to his heredity, he was a stanch 
 Presbyterian, devout and earnest. He was a high 
 ilegree Mason and a Knight of Honor. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Lind was celebrated No- 
 vember 25, I8."i(), his companion on the interesting 
 occasion being Miss Mary Stitt, a native of Wells- 
 burg, \V.\'a. Her faniil^' came to this State in 
 18iJ2, settling in Hloomington. After their mar- 
 riage Mr. and Mrs. Lind came immediately to 
 Peoria, taking possession of the home which is still 
 occupied by the widow. It bears about it the in- 
 dications <if the piesence of rotined womanhood. 
 and those who crosa il$ threshold are sure of a cor- 
 
 dial welcome from the estimable woman who pre- 
 sides therein. 
 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. Lind are three in 
 number — Willard W., the Srst-born, who has 
 adopted his father's trade, is married, but still liv- 
 ing in Peoria; Frank R., the second son, has also 
 established his home here; Lewis W., a promising 
 j-oung man, diedMaj- 27, 1884, at the early age of 
 twent^'-two years, and is buried in .Springdale 
 Cemetery. 
 
 Elsewhere in this volume we present a litho- 
 graphic portrait of Mr. Lind, who is highly es- 
 teemed as one of the representative citizens of 
 Peoria. 
 
 ...<J5.,.. 
 ••^-£-*.^"--- ■ ^ 
 
 VEV. ANTHONY HAKES, who is closely. 
 I'i/^ connected with the farming and stock-rais- 
 \\ ing interests of Hallock Township, of which 
 he was an earh' settler, as one of its most 
 intelligent .ind successful agriculturists, is also en- 
 gaged in ministerial work here, he being one of the 
 leading ministers of the Seventh Day Baptist de- 
 nomination, and has filled the Advent pulpit in this 
 place for twenty yeare. He used to iireaoh here 
 in early times, often conducting funerals, not only 
 here but in various parts of the county, and may 
 well be regardcti as a pioneer preacher. He holds a 
 warm place -in the hearts of the people far and wide, 
 regardless of creed. 
 
 Our subject was born in the township of Berlin. 
 Rensselaer Counlj'. N. Y., June 2n, 1817. His 
 f.ithcr. Rensselaer Hakes, was also a native of that 
 county, from which he derived his name. He was 
 born in the township of Berlin in 1788. of an old 
 and respected family*. He grew up to the life of a 
 farmer and w.is married, in his native county, to 
 Lucy Eymer, also of that county. After marriage 
 they lived on the old homestead that had been his 
 birthplace until her death, when she was in middle 
 life. She left a family of six children, five of whom 
 are yet living, four sons and one daughter, and one 
 daughter is dead. Mr. Hakes w-as marrie<i a sec- 
 ond time. Lucinda Hendrick, a native of New 
 York State. InM^Aminsf his wife. They came AVest
 
 428 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 as far as Illinois and settled on a small fai-m at 
 Lawn Ridge, in Uiis county, and there botli died, be 
 in 1862, and slie a few 3'ears prior to tliat, when 
 she was past sixty years old. lie rounded out a busy 
 life at seventy-four yeans, and left an honorable 
 record as a virtuous npriglit man and a true Cliris- 
 tian. They were botli devoted members of the 
 Regular Baptist Churcli. 
 
 Anthony Hakes was the second son and fourth 
 child of iiis parents, and was reared in his native 
 Stale and county, coming thence to Illinois in 
 1845 when he was twenty-eight }'ears old, with 
 his brotlier Alanson (of whom whom see biog- 
 raphy on anollier page of this work). The two 
 brotiiers purchased fortj^ acres of wild land witli a 
 loii' luit on it, and tliis was one of tiie first homes 
 tliat was- built out on the prairie. Thej' made some 
 improvement and. by subsequent iiiu-chase, became 
 owners of large tr.acts of land. Our sul)ject per- 
 sonally has owned about three hundred and lifty 
 acres of land, one hundred and sixty of wliich he 
 lias given to his children. He has a choice farm 
 on section 30, Ilallock Township, which has been 
 his home for thirty-five j'ears, and tlie substantial 
 improvements that make it one of tlie best in its 
 vicinity are the work of his own liand. The farm 
 comprises one hundred and sixty acres under good 
 tillage and well suiiplied with .all the necessary farm 
 buildings. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Hakes has been connected with 
 the ministry here the most of the time since he 
 came to the county, lie began his work by pre- 
 siding at funerals and was called far and near when 
 ever a death occurred among the settlers, and at 
 one time was known all over the county. He has 
 jireached for all orders, never having made religion 
 a subject of controversy. After he had been here 
 a good many years lie was regularly ordained by 
 an association of Seventh D.ay Baptists at Walworth, 
 Wis., and for the past twenty years, as before men- 
 tioned, has preached acceptably before the Advent- 
 ists of this locality, and has often been called upon 
 to nil the pul|iits of different churches in the town- 
 ship. 
 
 Our subject had been married in his Eastern 
 home in his native conutj', before he took up his i 
 abode in the Prairie State. T'lie raaiilen name of 
 
 his wife was Susannah Saunders. She was born in 
 the Empire State, September 29, 1821, a daughter 
 of Charles and Mary (Lamphere) Saunders. Her 
 parents died in this county, where they spent their 
 last years, coming here from New York, and set- 
 tling on a farm with their son William. Thej- were 
 natives, respectively, of Rhode Island and New 
 York, and were married in the latter State. Mrs. 
 Hakes was one of four children of the second mar- 
 riage of her father. She was carefully reared and 
 became an adejit in all horseliold affairs, and has 
 greatly assisted our sulijoct in the prosecution of 
 his labors, both as farmer and as a minister. She is 
 the mother of two children — Mary S. and Egbert 
 E. The latter, who married ^laiy Rankin, lives on 
 his father's farm; Mary is the wife of -lulius Pot- 
 ter, a farmer of Akron Township, and they have 
 two children — A. U., a merchant at Edelstein, and 
 Edna, at home. 
 
 As a man of wisdom and probity of character, 
 our subject is naturally selected by his fellow-citi- 
 zens to fill otiices of responsibility and trust, anil 
 three times he has been called u|)on to represent the 
 townshiii on the County Board of Supervisors, and 
 he has been Assessor and has been otherwise con- 
 nected with the management of public affairs. Po- 
 litically, he is a firm advocate of the principles of 
 the Republican jiarty. A man of deeply earnest, 
 religious nature, it is pleasing to him that his wife 
 and children are of the same faith as himself and 
 are active supporters of the church. 
 
 HH -TTTTT7 
 
 ^1 (^jALENTINE L. SCHLINK. The life of this 
 W, / prominent dealer in real estate at Peoria 
 'J^ affords a fine example to young men, of 
 what can be accomplished by the combination of 
 energj' and thrift with tact in business affairs. Mr. 
 Schlink was born in Bensheim, (iermany, August 
 25, 1830, and brought to the I'nileil States by his 
 parents in July, 1832. In 183G the family removed 
 to this county, the father buying a farm on the 
 Ivickapoo Creek near the village of Kickapoo. 
 There Valentine Schlink, Sr.. lived until 1872. when 
 he purchased a fine prairie farm in McLean County
 
 PORTRAIT AND' BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 429 
 
 ami "itli Olio of his sons Ihoil uiioii it until liis 
 ileath, May 12, 18'J0, :il tlie age of ciglity-foiir 
 years. He was tbe twelfth settler in Rosefield 
 Townsliii). this eounty. 
 
 On the KicUapoo farm, he of whom we write 
 jivi'd until 1844, when he eame to I'eoria to work 
 out an education. He hired out to William H. 
 Fessenden for four years for his board, clothes and 
 school tuition, findinu- Mr. Fessenden quite lib- 
 eral toward him. Olit:iiiiing a good education, but 
 having no money, young Schlink put his shoulder 
 to the wlieel. determined to succee<l in securing a 
 home and a good reputation. He found employ- 
 ment in the store of Curtenius it (Iriswold, with 
 whom lie remained a year, next entering the em- 
 ploy of William E. Mason, a dry -goods dealer on 
 liridge .Street. He left that establishment after 
 working therein a year and a half, ceasing his labors 
 there on the day of the death of /acliar\' Taylor. 
 The savings garnered during his emiiloyment in the 
 two stores named, furnished the ca|)ital on which 
 Mr. Schlink began his real-estate transactions in a. 
 small way. 
 
 In 1852 our suliject engaged in the hotel busi- 
 ness, running the I'eoria Lake House, on Water 
 Street, which was at that time a first-class hotel. 
 As "mine liost" he made mone}- until 18.58, when 
 he sold out to devote his entire attention to real 
 estate. He made his beginnings [irincipally in the 
 Second Ward, being a prime factor iu building up 
 that part of the city. His own residence propertj', 
 seven blocks from the court house, was owned by 
 him when it was a cornlield. In point of residence 
 he is the oldest real-estate agent iu the city, having 
 been the first to engage iu what is now included 
 under that head. He now owns land in all the 
 prominent older additions to the city and is build- 
 ing and selling twenty-three residences, worth from 
 ^1,500 to ■i;3,U00 each. 
 
 Mr. Schlink carries on quite an extensive busi- 
 ness in house renting, Iiotli for himself and others, 
 and he is likewise engaged in loaning for outside 
 parties, his transactions in that line being quite 
 heavy. He has no political aspirations, giving his 
 undivided attention to business, Init has, neverthe- 
 less, been Assessor two terms. The same abilitj- 
 which has led to his success in real-estate transactions 
 
 was exhibited in the valuation of |)roi)erty for the 
 municipality. He is respected for the [lersisteiit 
 industry, good citizenship and uprightness which 
 have characterized his life. 
 
 September 18, 1854, Mr. Schlink was united in 
 marriage with Mi.ss Sophia SchatT, of this city, with 
 whom he lived happily until March 18, 187.'), when 
 she was called from time to eternity. She was a 
 worthy woman, to whom her children owe much 
 for her good counsel and careful training. She was a, 
 native of Qermaiiy. She bore six children, of whom 
 live now survive. They arc: JIary, widow of 
 William A. Zindel; Tilly, wife of Henry Katli, of 
 Peoria; Kmma. wifct)f Henry Lanimers;aud Frank 
 and William, the second and fifth in the group, 
 who also reside in this cit}'. After having lived a 
 widower until November 18, 1882, Mr. Schlink 
 w,as again married, his bride being Miss Margaret 
 H. Brutcher. To them has been born one son — 
 Charles. 
 
 J^/LANSON HAKES. A history of the de- 
 ^^£M velopment of Ilailock Township, and so 
 
 11 li\ of Peoria County, would be incomplete 
 •^J without notice of this gentleman, and what 
 
 he has accomplished in connection with their im- 
 mense agricultural interests, as he has taken a lead- 
 ing [lart in imi>roving this section of the country, 
 and is to-day one of its most wealthy and influen- 
 tial citizens, prominent among its farmers and 
 stock-raisers, and it gives us pleasure to place on 
 tbe pages of this BiooRAruiCAL Album the life- 
 record of so worthy a pioneer. 
 
 Mr. Hakes brought his wife here a bride forty- 
 five years ago, arriving in this township May 1, 
 1845, and here they began their wedded lite, which 
 has been passed in peace and happiness, and they 
 are now enjoying the fruits of their early labors, 
 surrounded by the comforts of the substantial home 
 that they have built up here by their united work. 
 Mr. Hakes purchased his homestead in its primitive 
 condition, not a sod of the prairie having been 
 turned, and has improved it into a valuable farm, 
 providing it with necessary buildings and every 
 convenience for cultivating the soil, wdiich is nearly
 
 130 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 all under g;oocl tillage. He now owns four hun- 
 dred acres of land in this county, and nearly the 
 same amount in La .Salle County. 
 
 Mr. Hakes was Ijorn in Hanover, Cortland County, 
 N. Y., April 21, 1819, a son of Rensselear Hakes, wlio 
 was also a native of that State, and was brought up 
 a farmer, his fatlier having been a pioneer tiller of 
 the soil in Cortland County, and from his home 
 in the primeval wilds of that section of the coun- 
 try he went out to take part in the War of 1812, 
 and died while serving his country. 
 
 Rensselaer Hakes married LanaAyiner, who vvas 
 born of German parentage in the same county as 
 himself, and after the birth of the most of their 
 children, they removed to Rensselaer County, 
 where Mr. Hakes hired a farm for some years. In 
 the home that they established there, the mother 
 died when past middle life. She was a virtuous, 
 pious woman, and it is thought was a member of the 
 Lutheran Church. Five of the six cbijdren boiu 
 to her are yet living, though well-advanced in 
 years, the}' inheriting vigorous constitutions from 
 their thrifty, industrious ancestry, both sides of the 
 house descending from a long-lived race. The 
 father of our subject married a second time, taking 
 Lucinda Hendrick as his wife, and a few years later 
 came to Illinois, and settled in Akron Townshiji, 
 where they both died at a ripe old age, he being 
 seventy-five years old when he was called from the 
 sphere of his usefulness, and she being a little past 
 three-score and ten. They had a family of six 
 children. 
 
 Our subject was one of the elder children of 
 the first marriage of his father, growing up under 
 the care of his parents to be a stalwart youth, and 
 early became of assistance in carrying on the farm. 
 He thus obtained practical experience in agricul- 
 ture, and when he began life for himself, did not 
 have to conduct his farming operations hy tiieory. 
 He was a mere boy when his parents settled in 
 Rensselaer County, and there he was married to 
 Miss Lucy Hendrick, who was born in Jefferson 
 Count}', N. Y., December 15, 1824. Her parents, 
 .Jonathan and Urauy (Morey) Hendrick, were na- 
 tives and farmers of New York. Mrs. Hakes' mother 
 died when she was quite a small child, and her 
 father married again, and later in life came to Illi- 
 
 nois, and died in this State when an old man. Mrs. 
 Hakes was reared in her native county, and when a 
 30ung woman accompanied her parents to Rensse- 
 lear County, and remained there until marriage, 
 when she accompanied our subject on their ever 
 memorable wedding tiip to their new home on the 
 boundless prairies of the "Great West," as this part 
 of the country was then called, making the trip by 
 lake and river and across a new country, where 
 there were but few settlements, being six weeks on 
 the way. How they established their dwelling here, 
 and how prosi)erity has followed them, we have al- 
 ready shown. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. Hakes was appointed Postmaster of 
 what was then known as the South Hampton post- 
 office, and held that position until about 1870, hav- 
 ing had the office in one room of his house, which 
 is located on the old State road, known as the Peo- 
 ria and Galena Post route. Our subject has also 
 servetl the public in various other civic capacities, 
 noticeably as Supervisor, representing Ilallock 
 Township on the County Board of Supervisors, and 
 as Justice of the Peace for some years, and has 
 proven a good official in every respect, as he has 
 always been wise, honest, and prudent in the dis- 
 charge of the duties thus devolving upon him. He 
 is a stalwart supporter of the Republican party, us- 
 ing his influence and means freely in its interests. 
 
 F. THOMAS, M. D. This gentleman should 
 by no means be omitted from the list of 
 Chillicothe's citizens, being one of her most 
 successful physicians and surgeons as well as one of 
 the leaders of society. He began his practice here 
 in the spring of 1878, immediatel}' after his gradu- 
 .ation from tlie Chicago Medical College. His 
 practice has increased from year to 3ear, as his 
 thorough understanding of the science of therapeu- 
 tics and his practical application of his theoretical 
 knowledge has become better known. He was born 
 near this place April 16, 1855, and was graduated 
 from the Chillicothe High School with the class of 
 '74. This was the first regular graduating class 
 fvfter the establishment of the High School and com-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL AI.IU AI. 
 
 431 
 
 prised four boys ami live girls, lie tiieii studied 
 medicine with bis fatlier prior to entering the col- 
 lege, where he received his diploma March 5, 1878. 
 
 Dr. Thomas was married iu Philadelphia, I'a., to 
 Miss Ida 15. Stcckel,wlio was born in Princeton, 111., 
 August 23, 1858. She is a daughter of Solomon 
 S. and Emeline (Ileinley) Steckel, natives of 
 Pennsylvania, who removed to Illinois some years 
 after tiieir marriage. They subsequently returned 
 to their native State, making their home in Phila- 
 dcli)liia for some time and finally removing to An- 
 nandale, \'a., where they are now spending their 
 declining years in quiet. Mr. Steckel was formerly 
 engaged in merchandising. 
 
 Mrs. Thomas was graduated from the High 
 School at Princeton in the class of '76, and was 
 engaged in teacliing until her marriage. Siie is the 
 mother of two cluldren — Ilarr^' V. and Trella E. 
 Her intelligence, social tact and pleasing qualities 
 of character give her a prominent place in society 
 and she stands side by side with her liusband in the 
 regard of the community. Dr. Thomas belongs to 
 Sampson Lodge, No. 188, K. of P. and to Calumet 
 Lodge, No. 19G, I. O. O. F., having filled all the 
 Ciiairs in the latter. He is not a seeker after po- 
 litical honors, but ever ready to vote tlio Republi- 
 can ti(^ket. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject was 
 Frank Thomas, a farmer born in ^'irginia. Karly 
 in the century he went to Champaign County, Ohio, 
 and there married Miss Kuplia Richards, a native 
 of the Buckeye State, but of \'irginian parentage. 
 After the birth of their first child, Joseph F., Mr. 
 and Mrs. Thomas Journeyed westward in the fall of 
 1826, with teams, settling in what is now Cbillicothe 
 Townslii|), Peoria County, III. Securing Gov- 
 ernment land, Grandfatlier Thomas took u|) the 
 work of a frontiersman when settlers were very 
 few iu the county. Indians were very numerous 
 liere and many a time he entertained the chief 
 Scheneckwino in his home. He participated in the 
 Black Hawk War and lived to watch the progress 
 of the Rebellion and see his son return from the 
 struggle which established the Union on a firmer 
 basis than before. He was a very small man but 
 noted for his activity, with a local reputation as a 
 great wrestler, being for some years the champion 
 
 of the county. He lay down to his final rest when 
 about three- score and ten years of ag(t, having lived 
 to witness the thorough development of the county. 
 
 The first wife of Frank Thomas died in the prime 
 of life after active labors as a helpmate to a pio- 
 neer. Mr. Thomas married for his second wife 
 Miss Malinda Kimball, who still survives, residing 
 witii her son, II. A. Thomas, in Martin County, 
 Ohio. She is now quite old and sightless. Mr. 
 Thomas was a Baptist and an active local politician 
 in the ranks of the Whig and Republican parties. 
 
 Dr. Jose|)h F. Thomas, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Champaign County, Ohio, July 15, 
 1826, and died at his home in Chillieothe, July 2, 
 1888. He was but three months old when his par- 
 ents crossed the Illinois River and settled in this 
 region, Peoria and Galena being then tiie only 
 towns in Illinois north of St. Louis. He grew up 
 here, studied medicine with Dr. William Chamber- 
 lain of Princeton, and was graduated at the Missouri 
 Medical College. For two years he practiced with 
 his former preceptor, then returning to I'eoria 
 County he devoted his time and mental energies to 
 his profession here. His practice extended over a 
 large territory and ho made many friends in vari- 
 ous parts of the county. He was one of the well- 
 known early settlers and for some years bore an 
 active part in the proceedings of the Old Settlers' 
 Association. 
 
 In the fall of 1862, Dr. Joseph V. Thomas raised 
 a com[)any known asC, of the Eighty-sixth Illinois 
 Infantry. He went with his regiment to the front 
 as their Captain, taking part in the l)attles of 
 Chickamanga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary 
 Ridge and many other important and minor en- 
 gagements. He was promoted to the rank of Major 
 INIarch 21, 1864, serving iu that cai)aeity until his 
 discharge, June 6, 1865. The only wound which 
 he received was by the accidental discharge of his 
 own revolver while riding to a charge, the bullet 
 entering under the knee joint of the right leg. It 
 was never extracted but was carried to his grave. 
 He was able to report for duty during his entire 
 array life, except some days when ho suffered fnun 
 a well-known army malaily. 
 
 Dr. J. F.Thomas was an active local politician in 
 the Repulilican i)arty, was several time Sui)ervisor
 
 432 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 of the township and was nominated for count}'' 
 offices, butliis party being in the minority, was de- 
 feated. He was a member of the Methodist flpis- 
 eopal Church. He was married in Princeton to 
 Miss Emeliue AValker, a native of Champaign 
 Count}-, Ohio. She is still living, an inmate of the 
 home of her son, our subject, and at the age of 
 sixtj'-two 3'ears active in body and mind. .She is 
 a daughter of the Rev. Ora A. and Mary A. 
 (.Staples) Walker, natives of the Old Dominion who 
 were early settlers in Champaign County, Ohio. 
 Her father was one of the early ministers of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church in Rock River Con- 
 ference. He was formerly active in the work of 
 the Democratic party and was twice elected County 
 Treasurer. He is now eighty-two years old, with 
 mind undimmed and exceedingly active in body, 
 while his wife, at the age of seventy-eight years, is 
 quite feeble; they still make their home in Prince- 
 ton. 
 
 Dr. O. F. Thomas, of whom we write, is the sec- 
 ond of seven children born to his parents, of which 
 family two sons and two daughters are }'et living. 
 They are Inez, wife of Edward Nelson, a livery- 
 man in Chillicolhe; our subject; Watie, wife of 
 W. A'. Van Pettou. a dealer in farm implements 
 and real estate in Stratton, Neb., and Lewis H., Jr., 
 wlio is unmarried and clerking in the clothing de- 
 partment of the dry-goods and clothing store of 
 r. T. Matthews & Co., of Chillicothe. 
 
 jp^ OLOMON STOWELL. The late Solomon 
 
 ^^^ Stowell was favorably known in Cliilli- 
 
 (ll/_U) eothe, and far beyond the limits of the 
 
 thriving cit}- in which for a number of 
 
 years he was interested in the lumber and planing- 
 
 niill business. A few years before his death his 
 
 mill was destroyed b}' fire and he from that time 
 
 lived in quiet retirement. While on a visit at Henr3\ 
 
 Marsliall County, April 25, 1887, he died from 
 
 paralysis, the stroke coming while he was riding 
 
 ill a "bus. Mr. Stowell was a man of more than 
 
 ordinary intelligence, had received an excellent 
 
 cducaticm, and was successfully engaged in teach- 
 
 ing for a number of years. His Christian charac- 
 ter was well understood by all who knew him, as 
 he quietly and conscientiously carried the principles 
 of liis faith into his daily life. His dealli left a 
 corresponding void in the community, and his name 
 calls up pleasing memories here and elsewhere 
 among his many friends. 
 
 The natal day of Mr. Stowell was July 27, 1819, 
 and his birthplace Chenango County, N. Y., where 
 his parents were well kuovvn for their woith of 
 character. His father, Aarad Stowell, was proba- 
 bly born in the Empire State, and was engaged in 
 farming during his active life. For forty years he 
 was a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church, of which 
 his wife, Martha (Warner) Stowell, Was a lifelong 
 member. The parental family consisted of twelve 
 children, seven sons and five daughters, all of whom 
 grew to maturity. Eleven of them married and 
 reared families, and seven are yet living, quite ad- 
 vanced in years. 
 
 The subject of this notice was reared on a farm 
 and himself obtained a tract of land while still a 
 j'oung man but, preferring to teach, did not make 
 much headway in farm labor. lie liad finished his 
 education in the Oxford and Man ington Academies 
 in Pennsylvania, and in his native State carried on 
 his professional work until ISIS. He then came to 
 Illinois, making Marshall County his home until 
 1863, when he removed Chillicothe. After his 
 marriage he turned his attention to farming and be- 
 came the owner and operator of a good property 
 in Marshall County. 
 
 The wife of Mr. Stowell bore the maiden name 
 of Austina M. Pratt. She was born in Broome 
 County, N. Y., February 27, 1822, being a daugh- 
 ter of John and Clarissa (Merwin) Pratt, natives of 
 Broome and Windsor Counties, respectively,and de- 
 scendant.* of old New England families. Their three 
 children were nearly grown, when in 1848 the family 
 settled on a farm in Marshall County. 111., where 
 the parents spent the remainder of their active lives. 
 Both were working members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and Mr. Pratt was a noted Ab- 
 olitionist and early Repulilican. He died in Peoria 
 County, but near his former home, in 1862, at the 
 age of sixty-one years. His widow went to Kan- 
 sas and spent her last days with her daughter, i\Irs.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 433 
 
 James Will, at Peabort}-, breathino her last when 
 eighty-two years old. Their children are: Delilah 
 E., wife of James AViU, a Kansas farmer; Mrs. 
 Stowell, of tills notice, and Lorin Grant, a well- 
 known attorney of Chicago, where his death oc- 
 curred seven years since. 
 
 Mrs. Stowell was carefull}' reared and well edu- 
 cated, is capable of much good, and active in the 
 sphere of life to which she has been called. She 
 has been a member of the Ei)iscopal Church for 
 many j-ears, and tiio husband of whoso companion- 
 ship she lias been bereaved was also identified with 
 that religious body. He held the office of First 
 Warden some years. 
 
 '^^ D. EDWARDS. A prominent business 
 man at Monica, manager of L. L. Camp- 
 bell 's store, and engaged in buying and 
 selling stock as a personal enterprise, Mr. 
 Edwards also finds time to discharge the duties of 
 Supervisor of Princevillu Township. He is a thor- 
 ough business man. manifesting unbounded energy 
 in whatever he undertakes, and a rare degree of 
 sound judgment. He is one of the youngest mem- 
 bers of the Counlv lioard, in which he is serving 
 his second term. 
 
 Mr. Edwards is |)roud of his descent from a na- 
 tionalHy which has furnished manj- brilliant intel- 
 lects to the fields of law. literature and drama. His 
 grand f.Tther Edwards was born near Dulilin, and 
 his father. Thomas L. Edwards, opened his ejes to 
 the light near Belfast, in 1810. When but four- 
 teen years old the latter came alone to America, 
 making his home for some time in Massaciiusetts. 
 He learned the trade of block orinting at Fall 
 River, also worked at Taunton, and later became a 
 journeyman in New Yoik. In 1827, when the 
 cholera raged there, he did noble work as a nurse. 
 In 18t.j he came West by the canal and lakes, set- 
 tling in Peoria County, buying a partially improved 
 farm !n Akron Township. He turned his attention 
 to agriculture, tlioroughly improved his estate, and 
 operated it until the sjiring of 18(j0, when he 
 breathed his last. In former years he had been an 
 
 Episcopalian, but at the time of his death was iden- 
 tified vvith the Presbyterian Church. His political 
 adherence was given to the Kei)ublican party. 
 
 The mother of our subject was Sarah J. (Dal- 
 rymple) Edwards, who was born in the North of 
 Ireland in 1816, and accoui[)anied her [larents to 
 America in early childhood. Her father, Samuel 
 Dalryraple, a miller, had lost liis mill and began his 
 labors anew in the Maine forests near Passama- 
 quoddy Bay. He subsequently removed to Massa- 
 chusetts, and in 1840 to Radnor Township, Peoria 
 Count}'. III., where he engaged in farming. His 
 son, James Dalrymple, had come hither as early as 
 1827. Mr. Dahympic finally removed to La .Salle 
 County, where his last daj's were spent. 
 
 At the death of her husband, the mother of our 
 subject was left with a family of small children, 
 wiiom she reared, removing to Princeville, where 
 she is still living. She is a consistent member of 
 the Presbyterian Church. She has five living chil- 
 dren, and has lost two. James died in the P^ast, 
 and Samuel in Princeville, in 1848. Jemima I)., 
 Marguerite, and Ellen are living in Princeville; 
 Sophia is the wife of L. L. Campbell, of Peoria; 
 the youngest child is the subject of this notice. 
 
 The gentleman with whose name we introduce 
 this sketch, was born in Akron Township, this 
 county. August 22, 1854, and spent the first six 
 years of his life on the farm. His mother then re- 
 moved to Princeville, where he attended the com- 
 mon schools, and later the Princeville Academ}', in 
 which he comi)leted his studies. Being the only 
 son living, he transacted business for his mother 
 from the time he was old enough, and carried on 
 the home farm at intervals from his seventeenth 
 year until it was sold. In 187'J he entered the em- 
 ploy of F. P.. Blauchard, dealer in general mer- 
 chandise in Princeville, for whom he worked three 
 years. He then became Postmaster, holding the 
 position from 1882 until 1885, and during his in- 
 cumbency of the office, also carrying on a confec- 
 tionery and fancy goods store. 
 
 Upon leaving the post-office, Mr. Edwards re- 
 entered the employ of F. B. Blanchard as book- 
 keeper, retaining the position until September, 
 1889, and also buying stock Un- him. He next be- 
 came manager of the dry-goods store of his brother-
 
 434 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 in-law, L. L. Campbell, who had put in a stock of 
 goods at Monica, but retained his residence in Peo- 
 ria. Removing to the new town, Mr. Edwards as- 
 sumed control of tlie Inisiness, and began l)uying 
 and shipping stock to Chicago, his sales averaging 
 forty car-loads per year. Honest, upright, and 
 straightforward, he is liked by everyone whose ac- 
 quaintance he makes, even his political opponents 
 speaking well of him. He is a thorough-going Re- 
 publican, has aided his parly as delegate to county 
 conventions, and at all times exerts his personal in- 
 fluence in its behalf. 
 
 Mr. Edwards remained an inmate of his mother's 
 household until thirty years old, when he took a 
 companion in life and set up his own home. His 
 marriage was .celelarated at the bride's home in 
 Piinceville, November 19, 1884, his companion on 
 liie interesting occasion being Mi.ss Julia Etta 
 Blanchard. She is a daughter of F. B. Blanchard 
 and his good wife, whose liistory occupies another 
 page in this Ai.r.u.M. She was born in Princeville, 
 January 2, 1863, received her preliminary educa- 
 tion there, and was graduated from the Normal 
 School at Valparaiso, Ind., in the Class of '83. She 
 became a teacher, winning laurels in the profession 
 for which her tact and intelligence well fitted her. 
 She possesses a noble Christian character, and is 
 numbered among the members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. To herself and husband, three children 
 have come, named respectively: Forrest G., Thomas 
 and Lois Fayc. 
 
 Vf/OHN M. ALLEN, General Agent of the 
 Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and the 
 Rock Island & Peoria Railroad, at Peoria, 
 was born in Putnam County, this State, on 
 a farm, October 14, 1858, a son of "William "H. and 
 Ella (Waugh) Allen. AVhen he was quite young 
 ills parents removed to Peoria, later they removed 
 to Belleville, III., where at the age of twelve jears 
 he first became connected with railroading in the 
 capacity of office boy. in the emplo}^ of tlie Illinois 
 A St. Louis Railroad. Tlirce\ ears later he returned 
 to this city, obtaining a position in tlie freight otlict 
 
 of the railroad first mentioned, and from time tt 
 time was promoted to various positions in a cleri- 
 cal capacity until he was appointed General Agent 
 in 1884, a position for which he is eminently fitted 
 This is a responsible place, he having quite a large 
 force of men under him. 
 
 Mr. Allen has secured by his marri.age willi 
 Miss Jennie A. Loosle3', a wife who understands 
 the art of making a comfortable and cozy home 
 Mrs. Allen is a native of this city and a daugh- 
 ter of Henr}' Loosley, who was a resident of Beards- 
 town, prior to his coming to this city. 
 
 Our subject is identified with the Knights of 
 Phvlhias. He and his wife are attendants of the 
 
 Congregational Church. 
 
 >-^B05^l- 
 
 ■£k 
 
 ^^ ---^^^r^' 
 
 —•■~i>^': 
 
 '>t^ ANIEL E. DOUGHERTY, dealer in wines 
 and liquors, having a well appointed estab- 
 lishment on the collier of Second and Pine 
 Streets, is a live and wide-awake business man. He 
 is from LaSalle County, the citj' of Peru being his 
 birthplace, and November 1 1, 1857, the date of liis 
 birtli. He is the son of John Dougherty, who was 
 born in County Longford. Ireland, of Irish parent- 
 age, and there grew to maturity. When a young 
 man he left his native isle to seek his fortunes in 
 this land of promise, coming to the United States 
 in 1848, and landing in New York Cit^'. He was 
 located at Boston Four Corners for a while, and 
 while there was married to Miss Margaret Kelly, a 
 native of Clare, Ireland, who had come to America 
 ill 1849, and lived in New York City until her 
 marriage. After the birth of their first child, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Dougherty came to Peoria, and later he 
 became connected with the Rock Island Railroad 
 Compan}', and for thirty years was one of its most 
 faithful emjiloyes, and during that time a part of 
 the track vras first laid. He is yet living at a ven- 
 erable age, making his home in Chillicotlie, and 
 has retired from active labor. Though having 
 p.asscd the milestone that marks a life of three-score 
 j-ears and ten, he is yet quite active. His wife is 
 also living and is about three-score years of age.
 
 vS'VS' 
 
 ^. 
 
 ^Mc/c 
 
 
 C
 
 rOKTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 437 
 
 The}' are both consistent members of the Catholic 
 Ciiurcb, and Mr. Dougherty is a Deraoerat of the 
 deepest dye. 
 
 Tlie gentleman of whom we write is the third 
 liiild in a family of four sons and four daughters, 
 six of wiioin are ^et living, as follows: Daniel E. ; 
 Cliarles, aclerk for J. S. Russell, a lumberman; Sa- 
 rah, wife of J. R. Ingersoll, now residing in Chil- 
 licothe and a saloonist by occupation; Mary A. 
 resides in San Diego, Cal.; James M. who is con- 
 nected with Daniel in tiie wine and liquor trade, 
 and John at home. 
 
 Our subject came to Chillicothe in 1863 and has 
 since made his home here, receiving his education 
 in the public schools. He subsequently entered 
 tlie employ of the railroad company of the Rock 
 Island road, and learned the trade of a mechanic 
 while connected with that company. He became 
 .1 bridge carpenter and traveled over different parts 
 of the country in that capacity, and at one time 
 was overseer of a bridge gang on the Rock Island, 
 but at the time of the great strike severed his con- 
 nection vvith the road and, coming to Chillicothe in 
 1.S85, established himself in his present business. 
 Ik' keeps a respectable and well fitted up saloon, 
 and has it stocked with the best grades of liquor 
 anil wine, and has gradually built up quite an ex- 
 tensive and prosperous business. Mr. Doughert}- 
 is a man of generous impulses and of steady habits 
 and is poi)ular with his fellow-citizens, who look 
 upon him with respect. His public spirit is shown 
 liy his liberal support of all plans that will in any 
 way advance the interests of Chillicothe. 
 
 m- 
 
 -:^ 
 
 LVA DUNLAP. It is probable that no 
 name is better known to the older settlers 
 in Peoria County and the region round 
 1^' about, than that with which this sketch is 
 
 introduced. It was liorne by a man who spent many 
 years here, was identified with the pioneer work of 
 development as an agriculturist, a leader in schemes 
 for advancing the interests of the people, and whose 
 life was such as to merit the imitation of others. 
 His rosidence in tliis county bcijan in 1837. when 
 
 the flourishing city of Peoria was scarcely more 
 than a trading post and was known as Ft. Clark, 
 while the now beautiful farm lands surrounding it 
 were but a wild expanse, dotted here and there by 
 the rude cabin of a frontiersman who had braved 
 the dangers and toils of existence here in hopes 
 of bettering his circumstances. 
 
 Our subject was one of the older members of a 
 family consisting of ten children, his birth having 
 taken place in Montgomery County, N. Y., near 
 Canajoharie, October 26, 1805. When he was but 
 a boy his parents removed to Oswego County, 
 where he spent his early life until he came to Illi- 
 nois as a permanent place of abode. He intended 
 to become a physician but, changing his mind, 
 spent a few years as a merchant in Richland, then, 
 In 1835-36 built two or three schooners, having the 
 assistance of some cousins in this enterprise. In 
 1834, and again in 1836, he visited the West and, 
 attracted by the country^ determined to engage in 
 agriculture in the new lands of the Prairie State. 
 
 In October, 1837, therefore, Mr. Dunlap took up 
 his abode in Radnor Township, this county, being 
 accompanied hither by his wife and five children, 
 and also by his parents, a brother and a sister. The 
 first purchase of real estate made by Mr. Dunhip 
 was where the village of Dunlap now stands, that 
 place having been laid out by him and named in 
 his honor. In this township he continued to reside 
 until called hence, at which time he possessed some 
 eight hundred and fifty acres of land here. About 
 1870 he gave up active life, spending the remnant 
 of his days in the i)eaceful pursuits belitlino- his 
 years, mental ability and tastes. 
 
 Mr. Dunlap took an active part in the affairs of 
 the town and county, holding nearly every otlico 
 in the gift of his townsmen, among others that of 
 Supervisor twenty years. He was one of the found- 
 ers of the work-house in I'coria and a Director 
 therein until the date of his death. In his relicrions 
 views he was liberal, generously dealing by all the 
 religious societies of Dunlap. No man could lie 
 more deeply interested in educational matters than 
 he nor exhibit in his home greater love for «ood 
 reading. The library he collected was second to 
 none in the county. Esteemed by all who knew him 
 his advice and couns';l were often sought, all who
 
 438 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 „ I 
 
 came y>eino: sure of a hearty reception and due con- 
 sideration of their affairs. Mr. Dunlap was one of 
 the promoters of the Rock IsLind <fc Peoria Rail- \ 
 road. This public-spirited citizen, upright man 
 and loving, considerate husband and father en- 
 tered into rest June 2. 1889, at the advanced age 
 of eighty-three years, seven months and seven 
 days. His memory will survive long after his 
 mortal remains shall have moldered into dust, 
 exertinir an influence untold and immeasurable in 
 time. 
 
 The father of our subject was Smith Dunlap, who 
 was born in New York, and married Eleanor Lane. 
 Thev made their home in this countj- from 1837 
 unlil death, tiie husband p.issing awaj' M.arch 13, 
 18oG, and the wife March 25, 1858. The father 
 was public spirited, taking an active part in the v.ari- 
 ous affairs of the township,anrt .all that would be a 
 benefit to the comni unity in which he lived. He 
 was Justice of the Peace many years, holding that 
 office at the lime of his decease, which occurred 
 when he was nearly seventy-three years old. In 
 relio'ious beliefs lie w.as liberal. All who knew him 
 respected and esteemed him for bis upright, useful 
 life and genial nature. 
 
 In Oswego County. N. Y.. February 17. 1829. the 
 solemn marriage rites were celebrated that made 
 Miss Mary Knight. Mrs. Alva Dunlap. The bride 
 was born in AVindham County-, Vt., September 10, 
 1806, and during the years of her wedded life 
 manifested the devotion of a true wife and noble- 
 hearted mother. Her kindly nature has found ex- 
 pression in deeds of ueighborl}' service, such as are 
 especially valued in times of sorrow or in a sparsely 
 settled region, an<l many are the friends she has 
 trained by her character of real worth. 
 
 To Mrs. Dunlap and her husliand eleven children 
 were born, of whom we note the following: Bur- 
 leigh died January 24, 1890. in this township; By- 
 ron W. is a farmer here; Marshall N. also carries 
 on that peaceful calling; Frances M. is nest in order 
 of birth; Gilbert L. departed this life when eight 
 years old; William K. is the next on the family 
 roll; Hortensc I. is the widow of Harrison E. 
 Wiley; Andrew J. died at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., 
 when but nineteen j-ears old. having been a mem- 
 ber of Companj^ E, Seventy -Seventh Illinois In- 
 
 fantry: Mary E. died in infancy; Gilbert L., (2d) 
 Postmaster and merchant, of Dunlap; Marj' E. (2d) 
 breathed her last at the age of twenty-three years. 
 The famil}' residence is a fine brick house in the 
 midst of appropriate surroundings. It was erected 
 b3' Mr. Dunlap in 1869, the bricks that compose it 
 having been burned by himself. 
 
 A lithographic portrait of Mr. Dunlap is pre- 
 sented in connection with his personal sketch. 
 
 -m^ 
 
 ^/ILLIAM F. STREITMATTER. One of 
 X 'iJ/i *^® most thrifty, progressive and liberal- 
 '^V' minded citizens of Akron Township, is the 
 gentleman with whose n.ame this sketch is intro- 
 duced. His ple.asant dwelling is located on section 
 10, where he owns four hundred acres of land sup- 
 plied with a complete line of buildings and the 
 various improvements which might be expected 
 of a man of progressive ideas. Farming having 
 been the life-work of Mr. Streitmatter, he is thor- 
 oughly informed regarding the peculiar qualities 
 of soils, the best methods of fertilizing, and the 
 rotation of crops which will produce the best re- 
 sults. Having prospered in life, he is able to sur- 
 round his family with many comforts and bestow 
 upon his children excellent advantages. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Baden, Germany, ami 
 son of respect.able German parents with whom he 
 came to America in 1848. He was then about six 
 years old. his natal d.ay having been March 14, 
 1842. The family settled in the Empire State, liv- 
 ing there until the fall of 1851, when they turned 
 their footsteps westward, making a new home in 
 Akron Township, this county. Three weeks after 
 their arrival here the mother departed this life. 
 The father, Michael .Streitmatter. survived until 
 1808. The family consisted of six sons and two 
 daughters, our subject being the youngest member. 
 
 The womanly virtues of Miss Maria Munck. a 
 native of Wurtemburg, Germany, but from early 
 childhood a resident on American soil, won the 
 regard of our subject, who was successful in his 
 wooing and secured her companionship as his wife. 
 Prior to that event he had lived with his father,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 139 
 
 liut tlie circumstaiH'es were then reversed, the fa- 
 ther becoming an inniale of his son's household, 
 eoulinuing with him until his death. To our sub- 
 ject and his g^oil wife seven children were born, 
 the lii'ight group bearing the names of Rosa A., 
 Louisa, William A.. Emil, iMatilda, Clara and 
 David. The devoted mother and faithful com- 
 |ianion was called from time to eternity September 
 21, 1888, leaving many mourning hearts in the cir- 
 cle which slie had frequented. 
 
 Mr. Streilmatter and his fauiil}' are attendants 
 of llie Ornish C'hurcli. He is a firm supporter of 
 the principles of Democracy, believing that when 
 th^rougldy carrieii out the\' best promote the pub- 
 lic welfare. He takes an earnest interest in all 
 which seeius in his judgment adapted to build up 
 the material pros|)erily, inoral or educational ad- 
 vancement of the community, and the respect in 
 wliicii he is held is in accord with his ability' and 
 worth of character. 
 
 IJ 
 
 fILLIAM M. SANGER came to this county 
 more tlian forty years ago before he had 
 attained his majority, being then poor in 
 purse, but rich in energy and ability to labor, and 
 tliat whiclt he has since accomplished through toil, 
 guided bv sound discretion and wise forethought, 
 h;\s placed him among the leading farmers and 
 >ti>ck-raisers of Ilnllock Township, where he owns 
 ;\ fine property, having quite a large amount of 
 liuid. and where he has one of the most pleasant 
 and coziest of homes on section 7. 
 
 Mr. Sanger was born in Honeoj-e Falls, Monroe 
 County, N. Y., November 22, 1828. Ilis father, 
 .laiues Sanger, was a native of St. Johnsbui^-, Cale- 
 donia County. Vt.. born in 1790, he being de- 
 rived from an old New E^ngland family. He was 
 reared on the farm of his father, P^liezer Sanger, 
 said farm comprising a large tract of land near St. 
 .b)hnsbury. lie was married in his native town, to 
 Miss Maria Wheeler, who was born and reared in the 
 same place, of which her parents were also natives, 
 and of a family that were among the early settlers 
 of Vermont. Her ancestors originated in Kngland. 
 
 and iu an early day before the Revolution had 
 come to New England. James Sanger and his 
 young wife removed to Monroe Countv soon after 
 their marriage, and he was lliere engaged in farm- 
 ing, and there the mother of our subject died when 
 he was a small child, he being the 3'oungest of a 
 family of four sons and two daughters. James 
 Sanger married a second time, taking as his wife 
 Eliza Newell, who was born and reared in New 
 York State. She bore her husband four sons, and 
 after his death, she came to Illinois, and died in this 
 county when quite old. The father of our subject 
 died in his home iu New York, at the ripe old age 
 of seveut3'-tive years. He and his good wife were 
 worthy members of the Christian Church. 
 
 Our subject was reared by his father and step- 
 mother, and made his home with them until, at the 
 youthful age of fifteen years, he set out in the 
 world to fight life's battles for himself, and he has 
 ever since been independent. A few months be- 
 fore he became of .age. he made his w.ay to this 
 Slate, arriving here vvith but little capital. He thus 
 began his life here at a disadvantage, but notwith- 
 standing that fact has accumulated a valuable prop- 
 erty. His farm comprises two hundred acres, has 
 a fine set of commodious farm buildings, and is un- 
 der first-elass tillage. He purchased it in 18fi3, and. 
 he lias besides two hundred acres of timber land in 
 this township. After coming to this State in 1849, 
 Mr. Sanger worked for his brother for awhile, and 
 in 1850. began to make improvements on a farm 
 in this township belonging to his brother E. G. In 
 1857 he purchased his first land in Akron Town- 
 ship, v?hich comprised one hundred and sixty acres, 
 and he improved it and made his home there until 
 he came to Hallock Township in 1863 or 1864, and 
 located on his present farm. 
 
 Mr. Sanger was m.arried in this township to Miss 
 Sciniramis Kemble. She was born in 1835, at 
 raducah. Graves County, Ky., a daughter of Col- 
 lins and Elizabeth (Harlow) Kemble, who were also 
 natives of that State. Some years after their mar- 
 riage they had come to Illinois iu an early citiy of 
 its settlement, and were among the pioneers of this 
 county. They located on a farm here, and after 
 some years found themselves in the possession of a 
 comfortable home. They finally sold that place
 
 440 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 and went to Texas, and there died at an advanced 
 age. Mrs. Sanger was young when her parents 
 came to this county, and she was retred here to 
 womanhood. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sanger have liad five children, two 
 of whom are dead: Frank, who died at the age of 
 six years, and William at the ago of two years. 
 The other children are: James, with the Santa Fe 
 Railroad C'onipan3', residing in Chillicothe, who 
 married Addie Stillman; Carlyle, a farmer in Wyo- 
 ming Township, who married Carrie Sims; and 
 Ella is at home. 
 
 But few men are held in higher estimation in 
 lliis cominiinily, than our subject, not only for his 
 good citlzensliip. liut also because of the position 
 that he has attained among the substantial men of 
 the county through his individual efforts. His ca- 
 reer is an illustrious example, worth}' of emula- 
 tion, of what a man may accomplish who has the 
 stamina to push his fortunes s[;ite of every discour- 
 aging circumstance. His wise counsels are valued 
 in local Democratic politics, and he has also made 
 liiniself useful in the management of various town- 
 ship offices. He is of a sincerely religious charac- 
 ter, and he and his good wife are devoted members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which 
 the}- have been closely conn>cted for over tiiirty 
 years, and Mr. Sanger has been an incumbent of 
 most of the church offices. 
 
 -^ 
 
 G 
 
 ,^^EORGE W. BARRETT, deceased, was form 
 erly a well-known and highly respected resi- 
 lient of Millbrook Township. He was for 
 many years closely identified with the agricultural 
 interests of this county, performing his due share of 
 the hard work necessary to its development, and 
 while so doing acquired a valuable property, in- 
 cluding the homestead on which his widow resides 
 on section 22. 
 
 Mr. Barrett was a native of Jefferson County, 
 (Jhio. a son of one of its early pioneer families, and 
 he was born July 28, 1835. His parents were Willis 
 and Elizabeth (Huff) Barrett, the former a native 
 of Virginia and the latter of Pennsylvania. Amid 
 
 the pioneer scenes of Ohio he grew to manhood, 
 and received a limited education in its early schools, 
 which he afterward extended by reading as he was 
 always fond of books. In 1855,'in the opening 
 years of a strong and manly manhood, he came to 
 this county and here he met the woman who after- 
 ward became his wife. For some nine years after 
 his marriage he farmed as a renter in Brimfleld 
 Townshii), and in 1857 he invested his carefully 
 saved earnings in a farm of his own, the same on 
 which his widow now resides. In the course of a 
 number of years he placed it under tine cultivation 
 and improved il into one of the most desirable 
 farms in the vicinity, its three hundred and twenty 
 acres yielding under his judicious management an 
 ample income. 
 
 In his death the county and township lost a citi- 
 zen who had ever been zealous in promoting their 
 welfare. In his domestic relations he was a kind 
 and loving husband and wise and tender father.and. 
 to those outside of his household he was an oblig- 
 ing neighbor, and the entire community united with 
 his family in sorrow for their bereavement. He 
 favored everything that could in any way push for- 
 ward the best interests of his adopted township. 
 Politically he was always stanch in his support of 
 Re|>ublican principles. He served the township as 
 School Director and proved to be a valuable official 
 ■while acting in that capacity. He came of sterling 
 stock and his f.ather was a gallant soldier in the war 
 of 1812. 
 
 INIr. Barrett was very fortunate in selecting as 
 his life companion, Miss Lovina J. Ramsey, to 
 whom he was united in marriage November 17, 
 1857. Her parents were Robert and Cornelia (Shaw) 
 Ramsey, natives respectively of Brooke County, Va., 
 .and Chenango County, N. Y. Her paternal ances- 
 tors were of Scotch-Irish and her maternal progeni- 
 tors were of Scotch-English blood. Her grand- 
 father, Samuel Ramsey, was a Revolutionary soldier 
 and was a prisoner at Ft. Washington, and was one 
 of the seven who were released liy the British. He 
 emigrated to Virginia and that was the origin of 
 that family in that State. When Mrs. Barrett was 
 fifteen years old she came with her parents to Illi- 
 nois, they first locating in Brimfield Township, 
 where they resided a n\imber of years and finally
 
 PORTRAIT AND HIOGRAPHICAL Al.lUM. 
 
 441 
 
 moved to Elmwood Village, where the father died 
 February 23, 1890, lacking but one mouth of being 
 oighty-six \e:us old. He came of a long-lived race 
 and his mother attained the venerable age of ninetj'- 
 two years before her death. Mrs. Barrett's mother 
 departed this life May 2.'., 1884. Her father had 
 been twice married and had a family of six children 
 of nlioui the following three are living: Mar}- E., 
 wife of Frank E. McCurdy of Belle Plaine, Iowa; 
 Laura V.. and Mrs. Barrett. Mr. Ramsey was one 
 of the early pioneers of this county and was well 
 ami favorably known throughout this region. In 
 earlj- life he was a Whig but Itecame a Republican 
 after the formation of the party. Mrs. Barrett was 
 reared in this county though she was a native of 
 .Jefferson County, Ohio, where she was born June 
 3, 1836. .She received an excellent education, 
 laying its foundation in the common schools, and 
 for one term attended a seminary in ^'irginia. Her 
 union with our subject was blessed to them by the 
 birth of twelve children, of whom the following 
 eight are living: Ella, wife of Frank E. llickok, 
 of St. Paul, Minn.; Ephraim L. ; xVddie L., wife of 
 .1. K. Powers of Oilman, Iowa; Harry R., a resident 
 of Millbrook Township; Robert R.; Hubert E.; 
 Minnie and Maud. 
 
 Mrs. Barrett was a very efflcicnt helper to her 
 husband and her wise counsel and active co-opera- 
 tion were of great vfdue to him in the accumulation 
 of his property. She still resides on the old home- 
 stead and is held in true respect ajid hij^h esteem 
 by all who recognize the genuine worth of her 
 character. 
 
 
 OSEPII MULLER. Perhaps no better rep- 
 resentative of the sturdy-going German far- 
 mer whose efforts have been crowned with 
 J satisfactory results, can be found in Medina 
 Township, than the gentleman above named, who 
 resides upon a fine tract of land on section 5. He 
 and his father there own one hundred and seventy- 
 three acres upon which a good farm-house and other 
 buildings have been erected. The place was prac- 
 
 tically wild and unbroken when secured by the 
 MuUers in April, 1847, but most of the land is now 
 under excellent improvement. 
 
 Our subject was born October 24, 183'J, in Als- 
 ace, German}', the province at that time being un- 
 der French control. He is of pure German ances- 
 trj' in both lines of descent, and the province in 
 which he was l)orn had been the home of both fam- 
 ilies for several generations. The paternal grand- 
 parents of our subject were George A. and Anna 
 M. (Wakerley) MuUer, the latter of whom <lied 
 when fortj'-two years of age, while the former lived 
 to be seventy-live. They were life-long members 
 of the Catholic Church, that having been the re- 
 ligions home of the old stock during former years. 
 
 The father of our subject isJohau Anton MuUer, 
 born April 30, 1807. He learned ihe trade of a 
 carpenter under his father, iiursuing it as long as 
 he remained in his native land. In his twentieth 
 year he married Mary M. Wakerley, who was born 
 and reared on a farm which h.ad been in possession 
 of the family for man\' j'cars. ilr. and Mrs. Mul- 
 ler remained in their native province until Novem- 
 ber 25, 184G. In the meantime six children had 
 been born to them, and one had died at the age of 
 four j-ears. Having decided that the I'liited States 
 gave a better promise of future advancement for 
 themselves and children than their own land, they 
 set sail on the -Queen Victoria," and after spend- 
 ing fifty-eight days on the l)road Atlantic, laniled 
 at New Orleans, La. They came up the Mississippi 
 River, reaching Peoria after seventeen da^'s' travel, 
 and spending a month in the young city. 
 
 The father then purchased the farm which he has 
 since occupied, and where our subject grew to ma- 
 turity, taking a greater share in the work of the es- 
 tate from j'car to year until he finally might be said 
 to entirely control it. The good wife and mother 
 died April 28. 1886, at the age of eighty-four years. 
 The father, though equally advanced in age, is yet 
 living and still smart and active. Following the 
 example and teaching of their i)rogenitors, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Muller have been life-long members of the 
 Catholic Church, actively assisting in its work, 
 among other labors in which the}' have been en- 
 gaged being the organization of St. Joseph's Church 
 of Medina Township. The living members of their
 
 442 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 /IL^ is 
 
 family are: Theresa, wife of Albert Ernst, of whom 
 a biographical sketch occupies an appropriate place 
 in this Album; Anna M., widow of Jacob Winter, 
 whose home is in Peoria; Wcudling, who married 
 Bridget Mahon, and occupies a farm near Corning, 
 Adams County, Iowa; Wary M., wife of Nicholas 
 Wilhelm, a farmer of Medina Townsliip; and our 
 subject. 
 
 Joseph Muller married Miss Regina Feinholz, a 
 native of Byern.Gei manj', her natal day having been 
 October 13, 1844. Her parents, Franz C. and Cathe- 
 rine r. (Uhl) Feinliolz, were natives of the sauie 
 province vvherein they died wlien about three-score 
 years of age. They were farmers, and communi- 
 cants of tlie Catholic Church. Their daughter, 
 Mrs. Midler, was reared and educated in the land 
 of her nalivitv, being about twenty-two j-ears old 
 when, with an older brother, she came to the United 
 States. After living in New York City some five 
 montlis, she came to Peoria, 111., where she was sub- 
 sequentlj' married. She is the mother of nine liv- 
 ing children, viz: Mary M., Joseph. Mary, George 
 A.. Regina, Frank, Jacob, Clara, and Nicholas. All 
 are at home but Joseph, who is now in Washing- 
 ton. Mr. and Mrs. Muller have lost three children 
 — Catherine, Joiin, and an infant. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Muller and their children belong 
 to St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Their friends are 
 not confined to those of their own faith and nation- 
 ality', but include others to whom their good quali- 
 ties are known. Mr. Muller exercises the. right of 
 suffrage in behalf of the principles and candidates 
 of Democracy. 
 
 DWARD W. BURDICK. One of the ni.any 
 attractive rural abodes of Akron Township, 
 /*' — ^ is that owned and occujiied by this gentle- 
 man. It is situated on section 24. the land accom- 
 panying it comprising one hundred and nineteen 
 acres of fertile soil under excellent cultivation, and 
 supiilied with a complete line of substantial farm 
 buildings. Having been for 3- ears under the con- 
 trol of one who has made farming his life work, it 
 bears in every [lart the appearance of a well-regu- 
 
 lated establishment. In addition to this comfort- 
 able estate Mr. Burdick owns a one-third interest in 
 the West Hallock Cheese factory which has a ca- 
 pacity of about ten thousand pounds daily. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Jabez and Abi- 
 gail (Millard) Burdick, natives of Berlin, Rensse- 
 laer Count}', N. Y., where they made their first 
 home after their marriage. They subsequent!}' re- 
 moved to Allegany County, where the father de- 
 parted this life. The widowed mother afterward 
 came to Peoria County, 111., making her home with 
 our subject until she too was called hence. Their 
 famil}' consisted of five children, of whom Edward 
 is the fourth in order of birth. The parents were 
 held in good repute by those who knew them, it 
 having been their constant endeavor to properly 
 rear their children, and discharge all the obliga- 
 tions they owed to their fellow-men. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write, was born Jan- 
 uary 16, 1826, in Little Genesee, Allegany County, 
 N. Y., and was there reared to manhood. After he 
 became of age he made his way to the Prairie State, 
 choosing as his location Farmington, Fulton County, 
 where he engaged in farming, continuing to reside 
 there until early in the '60s. lie then sold his prop- 
 erty and removing to -this count\'. bought tliat upon 
 which he has since resided, and which now forms 
 so pleasant a home. Possessed of unusual intelli- 
 gence and excellent judgment, Mr. Burdick lias the 
 confidence and esteem of those about him, who have 
 manifested their respect by electing him to the 
 various school oflices. and to that of Justice of the 
 Peace. He has brought to his public stations the 
 same energy which has made his private life success- 
 ful in a worldly sense, and has therefore advanced 
 the interest of the community. 
 
 At Farmington. April 12, 1852, Mr. Burdick was 
 united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Saundeis, a 
 native of Berlin, Rensselaer County, N. Y.. who 
 proved her etticiency as companion and helpmate 
 for a period of almost thirty years. She entered the 
 valley of the shadow of death January 20, 1882, 
 cheered in her dying hours by Christian faith. Her 
 membership w.as in the Seventh Day Baptist Church. 
 Siie and her husband had adopted five children, 
 named respectively: Dorcas E., Joseph, Lillie J., 
 Charles A., and Cora A. The oldest is now the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 443 
 
 widow of William Bavington. Lillie died while 
 yet in her infancy. Those who survive were given 
 siuh advantages as would have been theirs had Mr. 
 and Mrs. Burdiok been their parents in truth, and 
 ever}' effort has been made to fit them for useful 
 and honorable careers. 
 
 Mr. Bnrdick contracted a second matrimonial al- 
 liance, November 29, 1888. being wedded in Peo- 
 ria, to Mrs. Ophelia Partridge, daughter of Reuben 
 and Delight (Palmer) Brown, and widow of the 
 late Albert Partridge, who died in the county seat 
 November 4, 1882. She had four children — James 
 II.. Harvey E., Mary, and Charles A., the second 
 and youngest being all who survive. The parents 
 of the present Mrs. Burdick were natives of Rhode 
 Inland, whence they removed to EUisburg, Jeffer- 
 son County, N. Y., and thence to Oswego, where 
 the wife and mother died. Mr. Brown afterward 
 came to Illinois, residing at Mt. Holly, as host of 
 the Mt. Holly House, for about four years. He 
 then removed to Waukesha, Wis., in which place 
 liis death occurred. Mrs. Burdick is the third of 
 the Tour children born of this union, her birthplace 
 being EUisburg, N. Y., and her natal day March 
 18. 18-28. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Burdick are members in good 
 standing of the Seventh Day Baptist Church. She 
 is a most estimable woman, an excellent neighl)or, 
 interested in all that is best in the movements go- 
 ing on around her, but finding in her own home her 
 chief i03's. It is needless to say that, like her hus- 
 band, she has many warm friends, and that their 
 pleasant home is a favorite gathering pl.ace for the 
 better class of people in the neighborhood. 
 
 r/ OHN BOYLAN. This gentleman deserves 
 mention among tiie practical and well-to-do 
 farmers of Ilallock Township, in which he 
 has been living since 1863. He owns a fine 
 farm of three liun<lreil and eighty-nine acres on 
 section 'M, whereon good buildings have been 
 erected and the other im|>roveraents made which 
 stamp it as the home of one who understands ag- 
 riculture and means to surround himself and family 
 
 with comfort. The greater part of the estate is 
 improved land. Mr. Boylan is a member of the 
 Democratic party and a communicant of the Catho- 
 lic Church. He is social, honorable, industrious, 
 and has man}' friends throughout the section. 
 
 The father of our subject, Patrick Boylan, was 
 born in Ireland not far from the city of Dublin, 
 w.as of good Irish blood and the son of a gentleman 
 of considerable me.ins. He received careful train- 
 ing and better educational advantages than fall to 
 the lot of all boj's. When eighteen years of age 
 he was sent to America, beginning business as a 
 merchant in New York City. There he remained 
 until early in the '30s, in the meantime having 
 married Miss Mary Branagan, a native of Ireland, 
 who had emigrated to New York with her brothers 
 when a young woman. Mr. and Mrs. Boylan with 
 two children emigrated West, via the water route 
 to St. Louis, Mo., when that citj' was but a small 
 town. There Mr. Boylan lived for a few years, 
 being engaged in the work of macadamizing streets. 
 About 1840 he sold out his interests there, coming 
 to this county and taking possession of one hundred 
 .and sixty acres of wild land in Medina Township, 
 began the pioneer work of development. 
 
 A log house was built, improvements made from 
 time to time, and subsequent purchases made until 
 the Boylan farm amounted to almost two sections. 
 Mr. Boylan still occupies the homestead, and al- 
 though eighty-five years of age, is quite active 
 physically and mentally'. He is a well-respected 
 citizen, a member of the Democratic jiarty, and the 
 Catholic Church. His ivife departed this life on 
 the homestead in 1878, at the age of seventy-three 
 years. She was a devout Catholic also. The par- 
 ental family consisted of four children, one of 
 whom is deceased. Of the survivors, Charles and 
 Thomas own and operate farms in Me<lina Town- 
 ship; they, like their brother John, are married 
 and liave families. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in .St. Louis, 
 October 13, 1837, and being brought to this county 
 in chihihood, grew to man's estate on the farm, 
 ac(iuiring such an education as the district schools 
 could furnish and a thorough knowledge of the 
 vocation to which he turned his attention. He was 
 still unmarried when he took possession of his
 
 444 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 |)rescnt farm. He was first married in this town- 
 ship to Miss Christina Holilian, wlio was born in 
 New Yovli Cit}- in 184.3 and coming West wiien a 
 cliild, grew to womanliood on the parental estate 
 in this township. She died at her home in I87u. 
 her career cut short in the prime of life. She left five 
 children: William F., M. Ella, Rosa, Lena and Clara. 
 The son, a student in tiie Cincinnati Medical Insti- 
 tute, expects to be graduated in .lune, 1891, and 
 enti'i- at once upon the i)ractice of his chosen pro- 
 fession. In the intervals of study he occupi(!S his 
 place at the parental fireside where his sisters j'et 
 remain. 
 
 A second malrimoni.al alliance was contracted 
 by our subject in this township, his bri'le being 
 Miss Eva A. Weber. Iler parents, Andrew and 
 Gerlruile (Wiltz) Weber are well-known residents 
 of ChiUicothe vvheie they have spent many j'ears. 
 They are members of the Catholic Church. Mr. 
 Weber is a furniture dealer and cabinet-maker. 
 Both are natives of Mecklenburg, Germany, and 
 came to America in childhood with their respective 
 parents who located in this county. Their daughter, 
 Mrs. lioylan, was born in Peoria, January 4, 18.52, 
 reared and educated in ChiUicothe and like her 
 parents belongs to the Catholic Church. She has 
 borne her husband four children: Emmet, John, 
 Lewis and Aichibald. 
 
 -"'' -"^-^ ''— 
 
 AMUEL E. ADAMS, M. D. The Spring 
 Hill Park Eleetropatliic Sanitarium, under 
 the ownership and management of Dr. 
 Adams, has become one of the famous in- 
 stitutions of Central Illinois and is rapidly proving 
 the absurdity of leaving the State for the various 
 other health resorls when this precious boon may 
 bo obtained comparatively near home. The Sani- 
 taiium marks one of the important features of 
 I'enria, being located at tiie intersection of Glen- 
 dale Avenue and Spring Street and amid whose 
 grounds are located both mineral and pure water 
 springs. The Sanitarium was planned and organ- 
 ized by Dr. Adams in 1880, when he bought the 
 Park and Zoological Garden and began bnildinti- 
 
 extensively, equipping his establishment with all 
 the appliances for bathing and the use otherwise of 
 these valuable waters. The original main building 
 was destroyed by fire in 1888, but with his usual 
 enterprise and persistence Dr. Adams rebuilt upon 
 the old site and has an establishment which for 
 popularity and the skillful treatment of nervous 
 and chronic diseases is not excelled b}^ anything in 
 this part of the United States. He emiiloys ex- 
 perienced i)hysicians and furnishes a limited num- 
 ber of his [latients with board and rt)oms. 
 
 The treatment at the Sanitarium includes hot 
 and cold mineral baths, besides Russian, Turkish 
 and Electrical. Acting upon the maxim of Julin 
 Wesley, that -'electricity is a thousand remedies in 
 one," Dr. Adams makes of this a sjiecialty and 
 also calls to his aid medicine, hygiene and various 
 surgical appliances. The most difficult cases have 
 received snccessful treatment. The large building 
 is heated b}' steam, employing for this purpose a 
 ten-horse power boiler. The tasteful grounds are 
 embellished by artificial lakes, some of which con- 
 tain goldfish, German carp and other choice varie- 
 ties of the finny tribe. A pond of cold spring 
 water furnishes a suitable receptacle for choice 
 trout. All classes and both sexes are treated at 
 the Sanitarium, which furnisiies free consultation 
 and by addressing the Doctor all particulars and 
 terms will be readily obtained. 
 
 A native of Livingston County, N. Y., Dr. 
 Adams was born August 15, 1827, and is a son of 
 Nathan W. and Achsali (Eggleston) Adams, with 
 whom he grew to mature years in his native county 
 and in Western New York. After leaving the 
 common school he was admitted to the Wesle3'an 
 Academy at Lima, N. Y., from which he was duly- 
 graduated. He commenced the study of medicine 
 in his native county, subsequently attended lectures 
 at Geneva and next entered the Medical College in 
 Cleveland from which he emerged a full fledged 
 M. D. 
 
 The Doctor commenced the practice of his i)ro- 
 fessiou in Springfield, Ohio, where he instituted an 
 extensive water-cure Sanitarium which he con- 
 ducted with marked success and in connection with 
 which he gained a valuable experience. In 1881 
 he came to Pe(iria to estal)lish Spring Hill Sanita-
 
 f. 
 
 .sag '^ , i> 

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 417 
 
 iiuiii,wliicb each year is becoming more widely and 
 favorably known and receives the patronage of the 
 best class of i)ei)|)le. 
 
 Dr. Adams contracted matrimonial ties Septem- 
 ber 20. 1855, being wedded to Miss Ada Ayers, a 
 native of Chesterville, Oiiio. 'J'liis union has re- 
 sulted in the birth of four ciiihheu, one of whom 
 died at the age of eight years. The three survi- 
 vors are, Frank S., a practicing physician of Marion, 
 Oliio; ]•;. Pearl, the wife of M. Spaulding, of New 
 York City ; an<l Ada, who is thirteen 3'ears old and 
 remains with her parent; tlie mother died at the 
 birth of the latter. Mrs. Ada L. Adams^ was a 
 well-educated lady and a graduate in medicine from 
 the Cleveland College. .She was warmly interested 
 in her husband's work and practiced with him in 
 the Sanitarium at Siiringfield, Ohio, until her death. 
 
 Besides tlie Sanitarium and its appurtenances Dr. 
 Adams owns valuable real estate in Florida, where 
 he spends his winters, lie meddles very little with 
 politics, simply giving his sn|)port by vote to the 
 Republican paity. In his religious views he is 
 liliei'al and non-sectarian. 
 
 ((^ALENTINE DEWEIN. This gentleman 
 owns large property' interests in Peoria and is 
 recognized as one of her well-to-do citizens; 
 he is also well-known in financial circles as a man 
 who has been industrious and successful, conduct- 
 ing his business affairs with strict integrity' and a 
 degree of nerve which has won success where many 
 would have failed. As a citizen he is interested in 
 every means of advancement and all movements 
 wliich will increase the true prosperity, not only of 
 the city, but of the country at large. 
 
 The natal day of our subject was April 1, 1817, 
 and his birth took place in Alsace-Loraine, then a 
 l)art of France, but now included in the (ierman 
 Confederation. This is the Rhine province of 
 which his parents, >'alenline and Margaret (Gold) 
 Dewiin,were also natives. Their ancestors were 
 French Huguenots, their faith leading them to lo- 
 cate near the line where they were less liable to per- 
 secution, or could more easily escape when it was 
 
 threatened. The first of the family' to come to 
 America was Frederick Dewein. grandfather of 
 our subject, who accompanied LaF^iyette across the 
 sea in 1811, and located in Pennsylvania. He made 
 his home in Sliip[)onsbnrg, and engaged in the 
 manufacture of pearlash at Chambersbnrg. His 
 death occurred in 1822 or 1823. Before coming 
 to America he had been a Commissar}' in the east- 
 ern division of the French army. 
 
 Valentine Dewein, Sr., served seven years 
 in the French army under Napoleon I. He came 
 to America in 1830, locating in Baltimore, Md., 
 whence he removed to McConnellsburg, Bedford 
 County, Pa., where he resided until 1834. He was 
 a tailor by trade, but after his removal to Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio, which took place at the date last men- 
 tiimed, he engaged in the ma.uifacturc of bagging. 
 He breathed his last S(q)tember 9, 184 1, leaving a 
 family of four children, of whom the eldest is the 
 onl}' survivor. 
 
 The subject of this brief sketch was educated in 
 his native land whence he accompanied his parents 
 to America, beginning his labors in life by working 
 on a farm in the Keystone State. He was then 
 aiiprenticed to a shoemaker and followed his trade 
 about thirty years. He then began dealing in 
 leather, shoe findings, saddlery hardware, etc., in 
 whicli he continued until 1883. Since that time 
 he has devoted his attention solely- to his pro|ierty 
 interests, having acquired both business and resi- 
 dence property of value. He became a resident of 
 Peoria in 1847, reaching here March 17, and soon 
 becoming known for the qualities which have led 
 to his success. 
 
 Air. Dewein has taken very little |)art in politics 
 and looks more to the personal cliaracter of men 
 than to the views ivhich tln^y express. DnriTig the 
 war he gave the Union soldiers the use of a room 
 in which to drill. He has been a member of the 
 Cit}' Council. F'or nine years he was a Directcn- of 
 the Toledo, Peoria it Western Railroad, and he was 
 also Secretary and Trcasni'er of the Peoria cfe Rock 
 Island R.ailroad, in the construction of which he 
 took an active part. His marriage was celebrated 
 August 22, 1845, the estimable lady whom he 
 chose as his companion being Miss Margaret Sliafer, 
 who was born near Strasbnrg. Germany. To Mr.
 
 U8 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 and Mrs. Dewein seven cliiMreti have been born, 
 the only survivors being Lewis K., who is now in 
 Denver, Col., and Noble, wlio lives with his father. 
 The parents belong to the First Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 A portrait of Mr. Dewein is shown on another 
 page of this volume. 
 
 -»-r*- 
 
 -S^^- 
 
 -♦Ti-w— 
 
 AVID G. P^VANS. Among the enterprising 
 young farmers and stock-raisers, natives 
 of Peoria County, not one has performed 
 with more zeal and good practical lesults 
 his shrae in pushing forward the work left them by 
 their pioneer sires, which has made this one of the 
 best developed and most valuable farming regions 
 in this State. His interests are centered in Prince- 
 ville Township, where he owns a finely improved 
 farm, comprising parts of sections 9, 10, and 15. 
 He has placed two sets of neat buildings on his 
 farm and rents much of it. 
 
 Walker M. Evans, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Pennsylvania, a son of Evan Evans, like- 
 wise a native of that State, where he was engaged 
 as a miller until he came here in the early days of 
 tlic settlement of the county and located in Radnor 
 Township, of which he thus became a pioneer. He 
 bought a mill on the Kickapoo, and carried on 
 milling in connection with farming, and was much 
 prospered in his work, placing himself among the 
 well-to-do citizens of that township, and there his 
 life was brought to a close at a ripe old age. 
 
 The father of our subject came here when a 
 young man in pioneer days and assisted his father 
 in the management of his farm and in operating 
 the mill, he having an interest in the latter, and 
 being a practical miller. He linally located on the 
 Kickapoo, and was very successful in his efforts in 
 improving his faim land, and he owned besides one 
 liundred and sixty acres of excellent farming Land 
 in I'rinceville Township. He was ever a loyal and 
 patriotic citizen, and when the war broke out 
 quickly responded to the draft but was rejected on 
 account of his age. He was a true Republican in 
 [jolitics and was ever zealous in his support of 
 
 ))arty principles. Religiously lie was a Baptist and 
 a consistent follower of that faitli. At his de.atii 
 in April, 1879, the count}- lost a trulj- good and 
 valued citizen. His widow, who is much esteemed 
 in tlie community where siie lives, still makes her 
 home on the old homestead in Radnor. Her maiden 
 name was Mary Dickinson, and slie was born in 
 Indiana, a daughter of .John Dickinson, a farmer of 
 that State. He early came to Illinois with his fam- 
 ily, performing the journey with oxen, and was a 
 pioneer farmer of Medina Township. Mrs. Evans 
 has four childien, namely: Adolphus, and Evan 
 living in Radnor Township; David G., oursubject, 
 and Aaron, a resident of Radnor Townsliip. 
 
 He of whom we write was born on the banks of 
 the Kickapoo, Radnor Township, February 26, 
 1857. His early days were passed on the farm, 
 and he learned in boyhood the rudiments of agri- 
 culture. He gleaned a substantial education in the 
 district schools, which he attended until he was 
 twenty-one. He remained an inmate of the parental 
 home until ho attained his majority, and then came 
 to Princeville Township, where he located on one 
 of his father's farms, and in this township lie 
 completed Jiis schooling. He settled on this place 
 in Februar3% 1880, buying seventv-two acres of it 
 for ^3,700, and immediately entered upon its im- 
 provement, and has since been carrying on the 
 work. He has added to his original purchase until 
 he owns two hundred and forty acres, minus six 
 and one-half acres talven bj^ the railwa}'. This is 
 all tillable, is well fenced and is supplied witii two 
 sets of excellent buildings, as he rents a part of it, 
 and as a whole it is one of the Quest farms in tlie 
 vicinit}-. His dwelling is a substantial, well-ap- 
 pointed house, 24x36 feet in dimensions, and the 
 farm is supplied with the latest modern machinery. 
 He has it well stocked, raises cattle, horses and 
 hogs of an excellent grade. His horses are of tlie 
 Norman and Belgian breeds, and he at one time 
 owned the celebrated imported Belgian "'Match- 
 man." 
 
 Mr. Evans was married, in Princeville Village, 
 February 25, 1879, to Miss Cynthia J. Graves. She 
 was born near Chillicothe, Ohio, a daughter of 
 William and Rebecca (Stretch) Graves. Mr. Graves 
 w.as engaged in the teaming business while in Ohio,
 
 POUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 449 
 
 but after coming to this comity lie bougiit a fai-tu 
 in I'riiieeville, and now lives retired on section 3, 
 tliis townsliip. Mi', and Jlrs. Evans have five cliil- 
 dien — Myitis. Tniia, Veriiis, Morviii, and Leila. 
 
 A man of decided cliaraclei- and of excellent 
 mental and executive capacity, oiu' subject is a 
 conspicuous fiijuie in every movenieiit looking to 
 the advancement of his township, lie interests 
 himself greatly in (wlncationa) matters, and is Pres- 
 ident of the Board of School Directors, serving his 
 third term. He is a member of the Horse Thief 
 Detective Association at Princcville. He is promi- 
 nently identilied witii the Patrons of Husbandly, 
 having joined tiiera at Salem when eigliteen years 
 of age, fifteen years ago. He is Master of the 
 Monica Orange, of which he was a charter mem- 
 ber, and was elected to his piesent position the first 
 nigiit of its organization, and lias held it for two 
 terms, hi his religious belief he has a tendency to 
 Metliodism. Politically, he is a stanch Republican. 
 He has served on the petit jury. 
 
 , III LI P T. MATTHKWS. The leading (estab- 
 lishment in Chillicotlie for the sale of dry- 
 goods, boots and shoes, and clothing ,is that 
 of the above-named gentleman, which occu- 
 pies a fine two-Story double brick store and oase- 
 iiunt, 14x120 feet. It is well filled with a choice 
 stock of the fabrics in his line, and a substantial 
 business is being done wiiich has been developed 
 from a small beginning. Tiie establishment is one 
 of the finest and l)cst equipiied of the kind in the 
 county, doing credit to the men who instituted it 
 and the tact which has carried it to so high a stand- 
 ing. Too much cannot be said of the arrangement 
 of the store, which is con<lncted on the department 
 plan, the furnishing goods being under the man- 
 agement of Mr. Matthew's son John, and the dry- 
 goods under that of Mr. Sidney Wood. 
 
 Mr. Matthews has long been known as an active 
 participant in worthy enterprises of the municipal- 
 ity, where he first began his residence in 1842. He 
 was born in Essex County, Va., March 6, 1824, 
 and as earl}' as 1835 had visited Ft. Dearboi'n. He 
 
 had gone thence by stage to St. Louis, the land 
 over which he passed being mostly wild and un- 
 broken, inhabited chiefly by Indians, with an oc- 
 casional cabin, clearing and field to mark the abode 
 of a hardy frontiersman. 
 
 For some time prior to his removal to Cliilli- 
 cothe, Mr. Matthews had been living in Uichniond, 
 Va., developing tiie business qualities which have 
 been markedly shown here. For two years after 
 coming to this point he occupied himself in various 
 ways, being still a young man, but in 1844 he es- 
 tablished the business which has grown to such 
 dimensions as to fill a large place in the financial 
 element of the city. He was one of the founders of 
 a large private banking institution started in Chilli- 
 cothe as early as 1868, and he has since held a 
 fourth interest in the same. No enterprise in which 
 he is engaged languishes for lack of vim, but is 
 [xished forward to tlie utmost limit. 
 
 Mr. Matthews won as his wife Miss Minerva 
 Moffctt, tlieir marriage rites being celebrated near 
 Chillicotlie. Mrs. Matthews is a daughter of John 
 and Margaret (Dawson) Moft'ett, who came from 
 Ohio to this county when she was very young. 
 They were the holders of large tracts of real estate, 
 embracing as much as fifteen hundred acres of good 
 land which the father saw put under cultivation. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Moffett resided upon their estate until 
 their ileath, passing away in the same week. 
 
 Their daughter, now Mrs. Matthews, was care- 
 fully reared, and combines with an intelligent mind 
 the qualities of a true wife and mother. Of the 
 children born to her and her husband, two, Maggie 
 and an infant unnamed, have ])een taken from 
 them. The survivors are: Lucy, wife of Sidney 
 Wood, of Chillicothe; Minnie, wife of William 
 Mead, the leading druggist of this place; John P., 
 who married Miss Jennie Riple^', of Muskegon, 
 Mich., and also lives in Chillicotlie, and William, 
 who has charge of the clothing department of his 
 father's store. Mrs. Mattiiews is a leading mem- 
 ber of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Matthews votes 
 with the Democratic party. 
 
 Our subject is probably of Scotch ancestry, but 
 for several generations past the famil}' has been 
 numbered among the best in Virginia. There his 
 father, Jolin R. Matthews, was Ijorn and reared,
 
 450 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 developing into a prominent attornej-. He died in 
 the prime of of life, when our subject was but a 
 small child. The wife and mother, formerly Miss. 
 Frances A. Temple, was also a native of Virginia 
 and of Scotch descent. She survived Blr. Matthews 
 and came West after her marriage with James H. 
 Temple, who, although bearing the same surname 
 as her own, was not a relation. She died at the 
 home of lier daughter, Lucy W..in Lexington, Mo., 
 at an advanced age, after having spent many years 
 in Illinois and Missouri. She was an active mem- 
 ber of the Baptist Church. 
 
 iT7 /J'EXNETH GRANT has been a resident of 
 this countj' for thirty-five years. When he 
 came here it was still in the hands of the 
 ^'pioneers and he joined them in their work 
 and has since performed his share of the vast la- 
 bor that was needed to make this countv what it 
 is to day, one of the wealthiest and best developed 
 regions in all the State. Our subject has been 
 greatly prospered in the pursuit of his calling as a 
 farmer and stock-raiser, and owns a choice farm on 
 section 34, of Millbrook Township, wliere he has a 
 pleasant and happy home. 
 
 Our subject Was born in the Highlands of Scot- 
 laud June 7, 1818. When he was about twelve 
 years old, his parents, Donald and Anne Grant, 
 emigrated to this countr3', taking passage at Glas- 
 gow for Liverpool, on a sail vessel and from there 
 to New York, where they landed in safet3- after a 
 long ocean voyage of seven weeks and four da3's. 
 The father was a stonemason and for a short time 
 carried on his calling in Philadelphia, then in Pitts- 
 burg, and finally crossed the Pennsylvania State 
 line into Ohio, and became a pioneer of Columbiana 
 County. 
 
 Kenneth Grant grew to manhood in Ohio and re- 
 ceived his education in its early subscription 
 schools, which were conducted in a primitive log 
 house with puncheon floor and a chimnej' of rude 
 construction. When a j'oung man he became em- 
 ployed in a grist and saw mill. receiving $8 a month 
 a'ld liis board for his services. In the spring of 
 
 1855, thinking he could make more raonej- on the 
 rich virgin soil of the Prairie State, lie came here 
 with his familj', traveling b3- the river route, and 
 the first season rented land in Brimfield Township. 
 Tliat gave him an op[>ortunity to look around him 
 anil select a suitable location, and he subsequently 
 purchased land in that township and in the course 
 of 3'ears improved it into a good farm, on which he 
 resided until 1870, when he m«ved to his present 
 home in Millbrook Township. Here he has two 
 hundred and fortv acres of fine farming land that 
 is cultivated to a high degree and is supplied witli 
 a neat set of farm buildings and machinery of a 
 good class to carry on liis agricultural operations. 
 
 In the summer of 1876, Mr. Cirant visited the 
 Centennial Expositi<m in Philadelphia, and after- 
 wards took a trip across the water to his native 
 Scotland and revisited the scenes of his boyhood, 
 enjoying his journe3' ver3' much and then returning 
 contented to the home he had built up in Illinois. 
 
 Oar subject was married Februar3- 14, 1841, to 
 Isabelle Mcintosh- who was born in Columbiana 
 Count3\ Ohio, December 9, 1818. The3' have shared 
 the joys and divided the sorrows of life for nearly 
 half a centur3-, for if the3- should live they will cel- 
 ebrate their golden wedding in little less than a 
 year. Theirs has been a happ3- and peaceful union 
 and has been productive to them of a large famih' 
 of whom the following are still living: Wins- 
 low, in Brimfield Township; Anne, wife of Willard 
 Brooks of Oak Hill; Elizabeth, wife of Dr. O. B. 
 Will of Peoria; Belle, wife of Dr. Robert A. Kerr 
 of Dunlap; William, in Stark County, and Ul3'sses 
 K. in Millbrook Township. The names of the de- 
 ceased are, William, Geneva, Milton and Mary J. 
 
 Mrs. Grant was born December 9, 1818, being 
 the daughter of William and Jeanette (McCoy; 
 Mcintosh, earl3' pioneers of Ohio. Her father was 
 a native of Scotland and her mother of Penns3'l- 
 vania. The former was an earl3- settler of Colum- 
 biana Count3'. The3' were the parents of five 
 children, of whom the following three are living: 
 Mrs. Grant; Elizabeth,now the widow of Mr. ilartin 
 of Elmwood Township, and Mar3' the widow of Mr. 
 Waters, living in Brimfield Township. 
 
 This brilliant record of a busy life shows that 
 our subject is possessed of more than ordinar3- abil-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 451 
 
 it}' for conducting business to a successful issue, 
 that be has an acute, (liscerning mind and is 
 prompt and methodical in liis h!ibits,or else he could 
 not manage his large interests so easily. He taives 
 a deep interest in all moveraeats that look to the 
 advancement of township and county, and his 
 liberality often is the cause of their success. He is 
 a conscientious and upright Christian, and he and 
 his wife are valued members of the Presb>'terian 
 Churcli at French Grove, and contribute generously 
 to the support of religion. In his political views 
 Mr. Grant is a firm adherent of the Republican 
 party. 
 
 \fr?TRKU K, ROELFS. Among tlie line estates 
 ■y. observed by one who travels through Peo- 
 ria Count}', that operated Ijy our subject is 
 especiall}' noted for its abundance of fruit, large, 
 neat hedges, and beautiful groves. There are sev- 
 eral of the latter, one of the finest and largest be- 
 ing fitted up with benches, tables and speaker's 
 stand for the us<> of picnic parties and foiming a 
 liloasant resort, much patronized by those who in- 
 hal)it this section. The estate comprivses one hun- 
 dred and- eighty-four acres on sections 26 and 27, 
 Limestone Township, and was brought to its pres- 
 ent line condition by the father of our suliject, who 
 reclaimed it from its wild state. It is located 
 within a mile of Bartonville, on the Lancaster Road, 
 ,and is one of the most valuable pieces of property 
 in the vicinity on account of its excellent improve- 
 ment, tlio good buildings which stand upon it and 
 the fruit to wliich so large a portion of it is devoted. 
 The original owner of this fine estate was Ed- 
 ward Roelfs, who took possession of it in 1860, 
 immediately after his marriage, and who died here 
 in 1872. During the smallpox scare of that season 
 he was vaccinated on his arm, which failed to sup- 
 purate, the vaccine taking effect only by swelling 
 and finally going to bis heart, causing his death. 
 He took a great interest in political affairs and the 
 general welfare of the community, participating in 
 the movements made to improve the condition of 
 the country and citizens, and voting the Demo- 
 cratic ticket. He and his estimable wife had quite 
 
 a large family, of whom the only survivors are our 
 subject and his sister Margarette. 
 
 The wife of F.dward Roelfs and mother of our 
 subject was formerlj* Miss Ciiristina .Sclionemann, 
 a member of one of tiie oldest families in tliis sec- 
 tion. Her parents, George and Reinee (Johnson) 
 Sclionemann, came to this county early in the '50s, 
 residing in the county seat until tiieir decease. 
 There the daugiiter was reared, and married in 
 early womanhood to Mr. Roelfs. Sometime after 
 his decease she became the wife of John Eiser, of 
 Peoria, and he removed to the Roelfs' estate, which 
 is still tlie home oi the famil}'. Mr. Eiser makes a 
 business of buying and selling cattle, while the farm, 
 as before stated, is under the control of our sub- 
 ject, who is successfully conducting the affairs con- 
 nected with general agriculture. 
 
 Fred Roelfs received his early education in the 
 district schools of his neighborho(Kl and has ailded 
 the more |)raetical education which is only to be 
 obtained by contact with mankind and use of the 
 talents which one possesses. He is ayoungman of 
 fine ph3'sical appearance, which does not belie his 
 natural ability and sterling traits of character. He 
 is looked upon as one of the rising agriculturists of 
 this section of the fertile Prairie State and makes 
 many friends among both 3'oung and old. 
 
 GEORGE STURM. Few, if any, of the dwell- 
 ers in Medina Township have a higher 
 standing or are better acquainted with the 
 growth of this section of the countrj' than George 
 Sturm. He was born on his father's homestead on 
 section 9, October 2, 1830, reared to manhood in this 
 township, and became a farmer as soon as he could 
 bold the plow handles. He has owned the farm on 
 which he now lives thirty-five years, having on 
 section 16, a fine property consisting of more than 
 two Imndred acres, all well improved and sup|)lied 
 with substantial, commodious buildings. 
 
 Our subject is a son of Nicholas Sturm, who was 
 born in Ohio, coming of good stock, the male 
 members of the family having been generally en- 
 gaged in agriculture. Nie^hoLas Sturm was rejired
 
 452 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 in his native State, eaily in life taking up farm 
 worlv. He married a German lad}' who had become 
 a resident of tlie United States when young. After 
 their marriage they came to Illinois at a period not 
 later than 1826, malving settlement in the wilds of 
 Medina Townshi)), this county. On land secured 
 fiom the Government they lived until the wife was 
 called hence in 1837. She was then in the prime 
 of life, regarded highly as a woman of intelligence 
 and the virtues that are especiall}- revered in front- 
 ier settlements. 
 
 Nicholas Sturm was a second time married, subse- 
 quently going to Iowa, where he lost the fortune he 
 had gained in the Prairie State. Hither he re- 
 turned, finally dying at the home of his daughter, 
 Mrs. Dickinson, in Medina Township, when sev- 
 enty-three years old. He was a good citizen, a 
 member of the Democratic party and earnest in 
 supporting what he thought wise and progressive. 
 Our subject was the second child born to his par- 
 ents in this count}', and is the onl}' member of the 
 family now living. 
 
 Mr. Sturm has been twice married, his flrst wife 
 having been Jliss Louisa Joseph, a native of New 
 Jersey, who came West when a j'oung woman. She 
 died at the birth of her first child, being then less 
 than twenty years of age. Her son, Jacob, is now 
 married and operating a farm in this township. 
 The present wife of our subject w.as Mrs. Emma 
 Grable nee Harrison. .She was born in Ma3sville, 
 this Stale, September 1, 1836, was reared and edu 
 cated in Randolph Count}-, and there married 
 David Grable. That gentleman died when com- 
 paratively young, leaving no offspring. The union 
 of Mrs. Sturm and her present husband has been 
 blessed by the biftli uf five children, two of whom, 
 Ileniy and George, died in childhood. The sur- 
 vivois are: John Clinton, a farmer in this township; 
 Robert B., a student with Dr. Keith in Chillicothe ; 
 Joseph C, who carries on the home farm. The sons 
 follow the example of their father iu voting the 
 Democratic ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Sturm are num- 
 beied among the leading citizens of the county, 
 having the respect of their fellow-men wherever 
 they are known. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Sturm was Julius Harrison, % 
 native of France, who came to the United States 
 
 when a young man, living in New York City until 
 years of maturity. He became a teacher early in 
 life, subsequently going to Kentucky, where he 
 married Orpha Ferris. Still later he removed to 
 Illinois, following his profession until his death, his 
 wife also breathing her last, in this State, iu mid- 
 dle life. 
 
 ~-^ 
 
 ^ AMUEL P. PERKINS. Among those who 
 "^^^ have been for some years cultivating the 
 J) soil in Hallock Township to good purpose 
 and, secure in the respect of their fellow- 
 men, are peacefully pursuing their avocation, is the 
 gentleman above named. He has become veiy 
 well known in this section, not only as the pros- 
 perous ow.ner of a fine estate, but from his promi- 
 nent connection with local politics, his advocacy 
 of temperance and strict morality, and his personal 
 character. On more than one occasion he has re- 
 fused to riLu for the Legislature, because he was 
 not willing to favor saloons. 
 
 The Perkins family in this country dales back to 
 the early settlement of Salem, Mass., by the Pd- 
 grim fathers. In those days five brothers came 
 from England, one of whom afterward went with 
 a colony to New Hampshire, settling at Dover. 
 From him has descended a large family, now scat- 
 tered in many of the States of the Union. Our 
 subject belongs to this line. Many of the descend- 
 ants of these Puritan ancestors have taken u]) arms 
 during the wars of their respective periods and 
 have been well known in educational and religious 
 affairs, and to some extent it the law, in the New 
 England States. Wherever they are to be found 
 their record is of those interested in the promotion 
 of educational affairs, honest and thrifty. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject was 
 Joshua Perkins, a seafaring man, the most of whose 
 active life was passed on merchant vessels. His 
 birth and his death occurred at Dover. N. H., the 
 lalttr event transpiring when he was in the prime 
 of life. He had married Joan Rusk, a native of 
 Wolfboro, N. H., and a member of an old New 
 England family. After the death of Mr. Perkins 
 slic married a sccvin<l lime, removed to iMaine. and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 453 
 
 died tliere wlien quite full of years. She was iden- 
 tilied with tlie I'liiversalist Church, having been 
 one of the first of that bod\' in this country. To 
 her first husband she bore one son and two daugh- 
 ters, and to her second husband five children. 
 
 Morris Perkins, the only son of .Tosluia Perkins, 
 was quite j-oung when he lost his father. Some 
 years later he went to Wolfboro, N. H., where he 
 learned tiie trade of a carpenter, wliieh he after- 
 ward followed in Dover with considerable success. 
 While on a visit to his mother in Maine, he sud 
 dcnlv died, his life being cut short in his forty- 
 third year. He was a prominent citizen, active in 
 tiie local political work of the Whig party, and in 
 tiie promulgation of the Universalist belief, his 
 home being the headquarters for the Universalist 
 ministers of New England and a church having 
 been founded by him in Dover. He was also a 
 correspondent of the Boston Triiinpct^ the onlj' 
 paper published in this countr}' at that time under 
 the auspices of the Universalist Church. 
 
 The wife of this gentleman was Abigail Paul, a 
 native of Dover and daughter of Samuel Paul, a 
 native of the same State and of Scotch ancestr}'. 
 About the time of the siege of Londonderry, Ire- 
 land, the Paul family, which had taken refuge in 
 the North of Ireland during the Scottish troubles, 
 emigrated to America. Samuel Paul was a seafarer 
 who visited most of the prominent ports of Europe 
 and America and while in the West Indies is be- 
 lieved to have contracted yellow fever from which 
 he died soon after reaching his home and when 
 about fortj^-five years old. His daughter, who be- 
 came the wife of Morris Perkins, die:l about eight 
 months prior to her husband's decease, leaving four 
 children of whom our subject was the only son. 
 She was a member of the Universalist Church. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch 
 is the only survivor of the parental household. He 
 was born May 15, 1821, in Dover, N. H., and was 
 but little more than ten 3'ears old when left an or- 
 •jlian. Since that time he h.as battled for himself, 
 beginning as a hard-working boy, and after a time 
 serving an apprenticeship of four and a half years 
 at the trade of a machinist. After becoming skilled 
 in liis calling he did journeywork in Dover until 
 twent}'-four years old when he became foreman for 
 
 the Washington Manufacturing Compan}-, at that 
 time established in Philadelphia, Pa. After having 
 worke<l for the company seven years he came West 
 with the view of taking charge of a new manufac- 
 tory on the IMississippi River, south of Louisville, 
 
 Owing to some delays and misunderst.tndiiig Mr. 
 Perkins returned to the East, and was engaged in 
 putting machinery in a cotton factory in Lancaster, 
 Pa., and worked there until attacked by tlie cholera. 
 He then al)andoned his enterprise, and returned to 
 New England remaining for a time there, then 
 went to Oloucester, N. J. Here he remained two 
 3-ears, then determined to remove to Illinois, in 
 which State he had some time before purchased a 
 tract of wild land, lie therefore in 1852 came to 
 Peoria County, ra,ade it his permanent home and 
 began a successful career as a farmer. He now 
 owns three hundred and twenty acres of as fine 
 land as Hallock Township contains, while upon it 
 have been erected excellent farm buildings, com- 
 prising every needful and convenient structure. 
 Everything about the place betokens that Mr. 
 Perkins is a true New Englander in his careful 
 oversight of land, buildings, machiner}-, and the 
 products of his industry, and that his domestic 
 affairs are under the control of an equally eliicient 
 housewife. 
 
 The lady to whose prudence and taste the com- 
 forts of the home are due, bore the maiden name of 
 Miss Lydia Pierce, a daughter of Daniel and Bels^' 
 (Fall) Pierce. She was born in AVakefield, N. IL, 
 March 31, 1820, and became the wife of our subject 
 in June 23, 1845. She comes of the old New Eng- 
 land stock and is the 3'onngest child of her p.arents. 
 Her father having mistaken the oil of tansj' for 
 some innocent compound, died very suddenly after 
 swallowing the drug. Jlrs. Perkir;S was carefully 
 reared bj' her mother and a stepfather with whom 
 she remained until her marriage, which took place 
 in Dover. She is a highl}' intelligent woman of 
 noble Christian character, to whom husband and 
 children not only owe physical comfort, but much 
 of good counsel and enjoyable companionship. 
 Her mother came West with her and dietl here 
 when full of years. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Perkins have five children, two
 
 454 
 
 I'l )i; FRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 deceased and three living. The deceased are Ed- 
 win, who died when ten months old, and George, 
 who died at the age of ten jears. Morris, the old- 
 est of the surviving children, married Mattie Owens 
 and now owns and occupies a good farm in this 
 township; Charles AV. still remains at home, help- 
 ing his father on the homestead; Sumner married 
 Fannj' Sims and they o:'cupy another farm in tiiis 
 township. j\Ir. and Mrs. Perkins and their children 
 belong to the Congregational Church at Lawn 
 Ridge, with which Mr. Perkins has been officially 
 connected for years. 
 
 -H-^-l^^^sl-l-J- 
 
 ylLLIAM CrXTER. As a business man 
 and a citizen, Mr. Cutter occupies an en- 
 viable position among the leading residents 
 of Peoria, and 's well known as the junior memlier 
 of Ihe wholesale and retail grocery firm of Wrig- 
 ley & Cutter. The business is located on the cor- 
 ner of Fulton and Jefferson Streets, occupying 
 Nos. 201-203-20.5, on the latter. Mr. Cutter is 
 the active manager of the business, Mr. Wrigley 
 having been nearly a silent partner since 1884. 
 
 Mr. Cutter was born in Brinifield Township, this 
 countj', .lune 11, 1842, and is a son of Isaac and 
 Sarah (Metcalf) Cutter, who came to this county 
 at an carl}- da^'. The father secured a tract of 
 laud and engaged in farming. William remained 
 under the home roof until a youth of eighteen 
 )ears, then went to Delphos, Ohio, where he lived 
 with an uncle five years. In the meantime he 
 completed his education, and upon the outbreak of 
 the Civil War enlisted, in 18G1, in Company C, 
 Thirty-second Ohio Infantry, for three years, his 
 regiment being assigned to the Arnu' of the Po- 
 tomac. He participated in many of the important 
 b.attles which followed, being in the first and sec- 
 ond engagement at Bull Run, and subsequently 
 was transferred to Sherman's arm3% and went 
 through the Atlanta campaign and on the famous 
 march to the sea. At Atlanta he was slightly 
 wounded bj' the bursting of a shell, which struck 
 him in the forehead. Aside from this he escaped 
 injury, and was mustered out at the expiration of 
 
 his term of enlistment shortly before the close of 
 the war. 
 
 Upon leaving the army Mr. Cutter returned to 
 his home in this county, and occupied himself the 
 following winter as a teacher. Wishing, however, 
 to gain further knowledge he, in 1865, atten<lcd a 
 course in the commercial college at Peoria, from 
 which he was duly graduated. Thereafter for six 
 months he was occupied as clerk for George B. 
 McClellan, and afterward by his successors, Auer 
 ct White, in the clothing business. Upon the dis- 
 solution of this firm he engaged in the grocer}- 
 business with Philip Auer, under the firm name of 
 Auer & Cutter, on South Washington Street, which 
 was then the business center of the city. Five 
 years later Mr. AVrigley purchased the interest of 
 Mr. Auer, and the firm assumed its present style. 
 The wholesale department was added in 1880, and 
 the firm enjo3^s the largest retail trade in the city, 
 carrj-ing probably twice the amount of stock of 
 any other grocery in the city, and employing nine 
 men besides the manager. Mr. Cutter gives his 
 entire attention to his business, which accounts for 
 its phenomenal success. 
 
 For probably a cjuarter of a century ;\Ir. Cutter 
 has been connected with Calvary Presl)yterian 
 Cliurch. in which he is a Deacon and one of its 
 chief pillars. lie also otliciates as Trustee, which 
 office he has held since its organization, in which 
 he was largely instrumental. He belongs to tlie 
 Grand Army of the Republic and several benefi- 
 ciary associations. 
 
 A quiet wedding occurred October 20, 18G9, at 
 the bride's home in Trivoli. the contracting parties 
 being William Cutter and Miss Jennie C, daughter 
 of William Wrigley. Mrs. Cutter was born July 
 12, 1848, in Trivoli Township, and from her 3'outh 
 was given the advantages suited to her position in 
 life. She remained with her parents until her 
 marriage, and by her union with our subject has 
 become the mother of five children — Anna. Charles, 
 ISLay, William W. and Weston. The latter was 
 named after the Rev. .J. Weston, pastor of the 
 church spoken of above. 
 
 The father of our subject was Isaac Cutter, a 
 native of New York State, who went to Ohio when 
 a young man and was there married to Miss Sarah
 
 ^'^f,*^ 
 
 A -ijat 
 
 r -.1 
 
 ^. 
 
 t X 
 
 
 9 
 
 ..^"'i^<£€^ <=^ . v_//^^;^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 459 
 
 Metealf. In the latter part of tlie '30s he came to 
 this county, was in business for a time, ami then 
 settled on a farm near liriinRekl. In due time he 
 was aiipointed Postmaster of tiie place, which olHce 
 he held until tlie time of liis deatli, about 1817; 
 the mother died while her sou William was lan- 
 guishing in Libby Prison. He was captured by 
 tiie enemy at Winchester, Va., and remained a 
 prisoner of war for five and one-half months. This 
 was tlie hardest i)art of his army experience, lie 
 attended upon Ciia|)lain McCabe, who was ill, and 
 tlicn was taken down with the small pox an<l 
 paroled, which saved his life. The family residence 
 is pleasantly located at No. 923 Munson Street, in 
 the midst of ample grounds, forming a charming 
 home, which has been built up solely by the in- 
 dustry and taste of its present proprietor. Mr. 
 Cutter has been a member of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association since its organization, and 
 is highly respected both in business and social 
 circles. 
 
 *^^^= 
 
 Ee^^ 
 
 isiM, 0SF;S L. NEAL. There is no man in Peo- 
 ria County who has had greater success, or 
 accumulated a larger fortune by his own 
 *' efforts through economy, close application 
 
 and steady habits, than Moses L. Neal. He has 
 never been a speculator, but has acquired his pos- 
 sessions chiefly from products of the soil, although 
 he is at present extensively interested in city prop- 
 erty. He is a quiet, unassuming man, giving no 
 indications of great wealth in his outward appear- 
 ance or manners. His pleasant home is located on 
 some of the best land in the county, his landed es- 
 tate in Medina Township amounting to more than 
 one thousand acres, subdivided into farms of prac- 
 tical size. He also owns more than a thousand 
 acres in Missouri, together with lands in other sec- 
 tions, and some of the finest blocks of Peoria City 
 property. He likewise holds $35,000 worth of prop- 
 ertj' at Austin, one of the recently annexed sub- 
 urbs of Chicago. When it is known that these 
 large worldly possessions have been gained cliiefly 
 by Mr. Neal's personal efforts, it will be understood 
 
 that he has been a busy man, and has made good 
 
 use of his capital. 
 
 Mr. Neal was born in Dover, N. II., May 7, 1820, 
 but came to the Prairie Stale with his parents in 
 the spring of 1838. He had the advantages of a 
 common-school education, a thorough knowledge 
 of hard work, and the famil3' pride due to a long 
 line of honorable ancestry. When the family 
 reached Illinois, the}' located in Medina Township, 
 Peoria County, in a sparsely' settled section, where, 
 however, they had a few good neighbors. In the 
 midst of the beautiful prairie region, rich and pro- 
 ductive, taut uncultivated, the father secured a tract 
 of land, where his son assisted in the pioneer labors 
 under home influences, which fleveloped the sturdy 
 and generous qualities whicli he possessed, and led 
 him to thoroughly' appreciate all that is noble and 
 enterprising. 
 
 Our subject has never married, but retains his 
 good nature and love for his fellow men, as few do 
 who are denied the comi)anionship of wife and chil- 
 dren. Much of the tenderness of his nature is 
 lavished upon his aged mother, who lives with him, 
 being cared for in the most reverential way. Never 
 having lost sight of the duties he owes his kindred 
 he has adopted two nephews, Roscoe and M. W. 
 Neal, who have been under his guardianship since 
 childhood. Mr. Neal gives generously to every 
 enterprise that is worthy, being especially inter- 
 ested in all that will favorably alTect his county. 
 Without a drop of dishonest or lazy blood in his 
 body, he detests shiftlessness in others. He has 
 made it a rule through life never to eat or drink 
 anything that would result in personal injury, and 
 therefore preserves his vigor of mind and body be- 
 yond an age when many men break down. 
 
 The history of the Neal family dates back in this 
 country to a period prior to the Revolution. They 
 are of Scotch lineage, and of the Presbyterian faith, 
 former generations having been peculiarly strict in 
 the observance of their creed, although recogniz- 
 ing the rights of others to a different faith and prac- 
 tice. When Mary, Queen of Scots, hp.d by her rul- 
 ings caused trouble in the Presbyterian Church of 
 Scotland, the Neals, one of the foremost families of 
 the shire in which they lived, were so decided in 
 their opposition to Catholicism, and so determined
 
 460 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 in resisting encroaehnients, that they were practi- 
 callv driven from their ancestral home. The.y went 
 to Northern Ireland, where thej- worshiped in peace, 
 but hearing of the laud of promise and religious 
 liliert\- across the sea, tliey willi others set sail 
 from Londonderry, making their first settlement in 
 America at what is now Londonderry, N. H., 
 named by them for their refuge in heland. 
 
 The first of tlie Xcal family in New England, was 
 William, a fine type of the Scotch citizen, who died 
 when full of years. His wife was also of good 
 Scotch blood, and a noble woman. Among their 
 children was a son, Moses L., who was born while 
 they were crossing the Atlantic,and who became one 
 of the most honoralile citizens of the New Hamp- 
 shire community in which he lived so long. He 
 was a loyal American, although it is not known 
 that he was a fighter. He studied law, was a prom- 
 inent attorney, and for man}' years connected with 
 the leading offices of his county. He married Miss 
 Martha Prentice, who was born and reared in the 
 Granite State, and is supposed to have been of sim- 
 ilar ancestr}' with her husband. She died in mid- 
 dle life, and her husband married a second wife 
 who survived him 
 
 This Moses L. Neal had nine children, one of 
 whom, John P., was born in Rochester, Strafford 
 County, N. IL. while the father was keeping a 
 prominent inn. .John Neal grew up in his native 
 village, but afterward went to Dover and learned 
 the carpenter's and cabinet-maker's trades. ' After 
 completing the latter, he went into a factory for 
 making bobbins for winding thread, and stood at 
 one turning lathe for fourteen years. This long 
 continiied application caused his health to fail, and 
 bujing a small farm near Dover, he turned his at- 
 tention to agricultural pursuits. Finding this em- 
 ployment agreed with him. but desiring a broader 
 field in which to labor, he removed to the Prairie 
 .State, where, after improving his original home- 
 stead, he secured large landed possessions. He be- 
 > came the owner of more than one thousand acres 
 of land in this and other counties prior to bis death, 
 which took phce r)ctober 29, 1872. at the age of 
 sevent\--five j'ears. A life of unswerving industrj-, 
 pure habits, and a sterling character, gave him a 
 warm place in the hearts of all who knew him. He 
 
 became somewhat more liberal in his religious be- 
 lief than his forefathers had been. He was gener- 
 ous and public-spirited, transmitting these qualities 
 to his son. of whom we write. He was a Repub- 
 lican, and once served as County Commissioner, 
 although he was not an office seeker. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden name 
 of Sallie Clements. She was born November 2, 
 1797, in .Strafford County, N. K,. coming of an old 
 and highl\- respected family. Her parents were 
 Moses aTid Abigail (Paul) Clements, of English 
 extraction, and among the early settlers of New 
 Hampshire. Mr. Clements was one of the first to 
 rebel against paying tithes to the Church of Eng- 
 land, and his house was always open for liberal 
 church service. John P. Neal and his wife became 
 the parents of three sons and three daughters, of 
 whom two are now living, viz: Moses L., our sub- 
 ject, and Samuel C. Mrs. Neal possesses the true 
 virtues of womanhood, a sweet, even disposition, 
 and Christian spirit. ReligiousI}-, she is a member 
 of the Jlethodist Episcopal Church, and to her 
 counsel and loving care our subject owes much of 
 his indomitable perseverance and unwavering hon- 
 esty which have given hira a foremost rank among 
 the citizens of Peoria County. 
 
 In connection with the personal sketch of Mr. 
 Neal, we present lithograpic portraits of Moses L. 
 Neal. the grandfather of onr subject, and for whom 
 he was named; John P. Neal, the father of our sub- 
 ject, and one of the pioneers of Peoria Count}' ; 
 Mrs. Sallie (Clements) Neal. the mother of our 
 subject, and who still survives at the gi-eat age of 
 nearl}- ninety-three 3^ears; also of our subject, the 
 worthy representative of a noble family. 
 
 
 ^^^»" 
 
 EWIS H. THOMAS. A walk throughout 
 )i the leading streets of Chillicothe would re- 
 
 veal man}' thriving business establishments, 
 
 but none which give greater evidences of a flourish- 
 ing trade than that of L. H. Thomas, who h.is been 
 prominently identified with the business interests 
 of Chillicothe during many years. He in Novem- 
 ber, 1854, established a drug store, the first in the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 461 
 
 place and he continues to deal in all kinds of pure 
 drugs. He also carries a stock of wall paper, 
 school supplies, stationery, etc., adapted for both 
 country and city demands. His establishment is 
 pleasauth' located on the west side of Second 
 Street. 
 
 The natal day of Mr. Thomas w,as September 4, 
 1H30, and his birthplace Hallock Township, this 
 county. He was reared and educated in this 
 county and was married in Princeton, Bureau 
 County, to Miss Hannah Kelley. This lady was 
 born in Muncie, Pa., March 7, 1830, but reared in 
 Allentown to the age of eighteen years. Her father, 
 William Kelley, then removed to Ohio, settling at 
 New Haven, Huron County, where he followed the 
 business of a harness-m.aker until his death, which 
 cut short his career in the prime of life. His 
 widow, Elizabeth ( Weaver) Kelley, subsequently 
 came to Bureau Count}', 111., where the daughter 
 Hannah, attained to womanhood and became the 
 wife of our subject. Sometime after Chillicothe 
 became the home of our subject and his wife, they 
 were followed hither by Mrs. Kelley, who passed the 
 remainder of her daj's here, dj'ing in 1870, at the 
 ;ige of three-soore and ten. She and her husband 
 belonged to the Methodist Church. 
 
 The first store occupied b}- Mr. Thomas was on 
 Water Street where all the business was done dur- 
 ing the early j'ears of ChiUicothe's historj'. In 
 18.")7 he built the first store on Second Street, where 
 he carried on his drug business until 1873, at 
 wliicli, time he went to Chicago. After doing busi- 
 ness there four 3ears he removed to Columbus, 
 Cherokee County, Kan., where he sojourned nearly 
 eleven years. He returned to Chillicothe in Jan- 
 uary, 1888, and took possession of his present 
 store. He po.ssesses business tact, is discriminating 
 ill the selection of his goods, and pleasing in his 
 manner toward all who patronize the establishment. 
 He is doing a good business, the trade increasing 
 with the growth of the city. 
 
 To Mr. and Jlrs. Thomas three children have 
 been born. A son, .Joseph, was accidentally killed 
 while working on a railroad in Arkansas. He was 
 a bright and promising young man twenty-two 
 years old, whose death was a severe blow to his 
 loving parents. ^Inmie E. resides with her pan-nts 
 
 and assists her father in carrying on the store. 
 Francis W. is clerking in a drug store at Webb 
 City, Mo. He married Miss May Burgess, of Troy, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have been identified with 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church since early life. 
 Mr. Thomas has been an ofHcial member for many 
 years and Sundaj'-school Superintendent fifteen 
 years. In politics he is a Republican. For ten 
 years he filled the office of Postmaster in Chilli- 
 cothe. He may justlj' be called a good man and a 
 good citizen, who honors the city which he makes 
 his home by his example and the ])art which he 
 bears in all that pertains to its welfare. 
 
 Francis Thomas, the father of our subject, was a 
 native of Virginia, but was only a child when his 
 father, John Thomas, removed to Champaign 
 County. Ohio. That section was wild and unbro- 
 ken, inhabited chiefly by Indians, and the family 
 were surrounded by dangers and met with many 
 privations. After having improved a farm and 
 residing thereon some years, John Thomas, in the 
 year 1825, came to Illinois, obtaining a claim on new 
 land in Peoria Count}'. A few years later he re- 
 moved to Galena where for some years he was in- 
 terested in lead mines. He finally sold out and 
 settled in Lee County, where he died when about 
 fourscore years of age. His widow remained there 
 for some years after his death, but flnall}' removed 
 to Bureau Count}', where she died full of years. 
 
 Francis T'homas was reared to manhood in 
 Champaign County, Ohio, and there married Miss 
 Eupha Richards, daughter of a pioneer family in 
 the same county. In 1826, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas 
 turned their faces westward .and reaching Peoria 
 County, 111., settled in Hallock Township, where 
 the red men were more numerous than the whites. 
 But few families were then living in the county 
 and between it and Galena no settlements had been 
 made. Peoria was then known as Ft. Clark. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Thomas became well known to the early 
 settlers in whose toils and privations they shared. 
 
 They had not lived here long ere the wife and 
 mother was called hence, dying in 1838. She had 
 borne seven children, one of whom had died prior 
 to their removal from Ohio. Francis Thomas was 
 acain married in 1844, to Elizabeth Kimball, who
 
 462 
 
 PORTRAIT^AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 died in Ft. Scott, Kan., July 5, 1890, at the age 
 of sevent3'-three years. The father of our subject 
 passed away in 18G8. He was a strong Whig and 
 Republican, but never an office-seeker. He be- 
 longed to the Baptist Church of which his widow 
 was also a member. 
 
 WJ 
 
 lOHN vS. KINXAII. The Kinnah f.amily arc 
 well-known and gieatly respected residents 
 of Akron Township, with whose agricul- 
 tural interests they are closely associated, 
 owning and cultivating considerable land in this 
 locality, and liaving here a comfortable home 
 pleasantly located on section IG. 
 
 The parents of our subject, .Tosc|)h and ^Margaret 
 (Smith) Kinnah, natives of Scotland, were married 
 in Princeville,-aud began their wedded life in Akron 
 Township, of whicii the}' thus became pioneers, and 
 have ever since dwelt here in peace and content- 
 ment. They iiad to endure man}" trials, brave 
 many dangers, and make many sacrifices in their 
 earl}' wedded life in (u-dcr to make a home for 
 themselves and the children th.at came to them. 
 But they were industrious, persevering, and clieer- 
 full}' labored to bring their land under its present 
 good tillage and to prov'de it with the suitable 
 buildings and machinery for carrying on farming 
 operations. Now as old age appro.aches thev can en- 
 joy the fruit of their toil in the comforts of a good 
 home, surrounded by children and friends, who 
 value them for their many sterling and khidly 
 traits of character, and they will ever hold an hon- 
 orable place among the pioneers of the county. 
 
 Three of the six children that have blessed the 
 married life of .Mr. and Mrs. Kinnah are still liv- 
 ing — John S., Joseph and David, and three have 
 been removed by the hand of death, as follows: 
 Cecillia, who died when seventeen months old; 
 Margaret J., who died at the age of eleven months; 
 and Robert, who married Miss Nancy A. Fry and 
 died in Akron Township when twenty-nine years 
 old. Their son David married Miss Clara E. Wil- 
 son. 
 
 John S. Kinnah is a native of Akron Township, 
 
 and here his life has been passed on the old home- 
 stead where he was born and is still making his 
 home with his parents. They trained him carefully 
 in industrious habits, and his mother, who is a 
 worth}' member of the Presbyterian Church, early 
 instilled into his mind piinciples of rectitude and 
 morality that have guided him through all the 
 years of his boyhood and manhood, making him 
 true to himself and those about him. His father 
 gave him an excellent opportunity to acquire the 
 rudiments of farming on his farm, and he early 
 .adopted the calling of farmer as his own, and is 
 now the owner of one hundred and sixty .acres of 
 choice farming land that is impro^'ed and under 
 admirable tillage. 
 
 Our subject stands among the solid men of his 
 native township, and is well thought of by the en- 
 tire comraunitv. He is frank, straightforward, and 
 stricti}- honest in all his dealings, and is regarded 
 as eminently trustworthy. lie has been Highway 
 Commissioner for six }'ears, and in that capacitj' is 
 very active in improving the highways and by- 
 ways of travel in Akron Township. He is a man 
 of social prominence, being C'onnected with the In- 
 dependent Order of Odd-Fellows, and with the De- 
 tective Mutual Aid Association, as one of its most 
 alert members. In |iolitics, he is a true Rei)ublican, 
 stanchlv adhering to his part}- whatever betides. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ARKER T. PUTNAM. This gentleman is 
 the oldest member of the Stock Exchange 
 of Peoria, in which he holds the office of 
 President. The organization was formerly 
 known as the Union Stock Yards. Mr. Putnam is 
 a dealer in live stock and a commission merchant, 
 being senior member of Hie firm of Putnam & 
 Wright. The firm is doing a flourisiiing trade, the 
 stock business being one for which Mr. Putnam w'as 
 fitted by years of experience in the sale of meats. 
 He is both honest and shrewd in the conduct of 
 business affairs, while in his social and domestic re- 
 lations he is considerate and kindly. 
 
 The birth of our subject took place in Allegany 
 County, N. Y., April 6, 1834, and he came West
 
 ^:^/'
 
 rouTi.'Air AM) i!1()(;i;ai'iiicai, album. 
 
 467 
 
 in 18")4\vitli Lis p:iroiits. They first localeil in 
 Koi-lvfoni, III., luit lie in 1860 removed to PcMiria 
 wliich licc;nn(' tiu'ir |i('i-|i;:inent linnu'. IK' (it wiioin 
 we write lirst (Miguo'ed in tlic trade of a l)nteher 
 and in 18()2, est;ilili.slK'd a market of his own 
 whieli he (iterated sueeessfully some liflec'li yeai's. 
 lie then ahaiidoncd it and tnrned lii.s attention to 
 tlie stoek tra(U\ in whieli he has been occu|)ied con- 
 tinuous!}' from that time. 
 
 Mr. Putnam has twiec been a member of the 
 Hoard of Sujiervisors prior to the term whieli he is 
 now serving', hut not eonseeutively. In polities he 
 is a thorou,i>h-goin,<; Ke|)ul)Iiean, ever ready to de- 
 posit his vote for the eandidates who are pledged 
 to support the principles in which he believes. Me 
 is not identilied vvith any of the social ortlcrs, lind- 
 ing sullieienl Held for his benevolence in promiscu- 
 ous cases of lu'cd. .■ind for his social traits in the 
 society of family and friends in a more homelike 
 manner than that of the fraternities. 
 
 The wife of .^Ir. rutuani was known in her girl- 
 hood as Miss Laura A. Austin. .She is a native of 
 the Green Mountain State, and in theconduetof her 
 houseliold affairs manifests all the thrift whieli 
 cliaraeterizes the New England wouian, having also 
 many traits of character and graces of manners 
 which extend her usefulness. The family of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Putnam c(^mprises two sons — Frank II. 
 and Fred 1!. The older is city salesman for J. C. 
 Strcibeck & Co., while the 3'ounger is in the employ 
 of P. C. IJartlett. They are enterprising 3'oung 
 men with good educations and a fitness for busi- 
 ness life. 
 
 OjORMAN II. S 
 f gentleuian is si 
 _ i) his lal)oi-s liavi 
 
 '^i^i — - 
 
 ■^Ip^^ORiMAN II. SILLIMAN. Altiiough this 
 is still on the sunny side of life, 
 e been so successful as to en- 
 able him to retire from active business pursuits 
 and, surrounded by all of the comforts and many 
 of the luxuries of life, enjoy the domestic and so- 
 cial pleasures to which his tastes lead him and 
 whieli his finances make possible. In Dunlap he 
 has erected a residence, which is of pleasing ar- 
 chitectural design, substantially built and sur- 
 rounded by grounds tastefully arranged and neatly 
 
 kept. Those who cross the threshold of the hos- 
 pitable home find it well furnished, arrangeil with 
 a view to the comfort of its occupants, and su|)- 
 plied with an abundance of good cheer for both 
 the physical and mental man. P.esides his village 
 proi)erfy Mr. Silliman owns two hundred and 
 twenty acres of valuahli^ land williin file limits of 
 the county. 
 
 The birth of .Mr. Silliman look place in Ilallock 
 Tf)wnship, this count}-, October 30, 1842. His 
 boyhood and \outh were passed in acquiring a 
 good education and a thorough knowledge of 
 farming, to wliich he i)roposed to devote his atten- 
 tion. Until 1870 he continued to reside in Ilal- 
 lock Township, pursuing his chosen calling, then 
 removing to Peoi'ia he made that city his home a 
 year. At the expiration of that time he became a 
 resident of Duiila|), hiiving until 1883 been en- 
 gaged in th(! grain Inisiness. The success which 
 he has achieved is conclusive evidence of his 
 shrewdness as a Ijusiness man, and the place which 
 he holds in the esteem of the community is indi- 
 cative of his worth of character. 
 
 The many estimable (pialities posses.sed by Miss 
 Fmily ^Matthews, a native of Peoria, won the re- 
 gard of JSIr. Silliman and aroused his desire to se- 
 cure her com|)aiiionsliip in his home. His wooing 
 proved successful, and on February 1, 1866, their 
 marriage took place, being celelirated in IIall(>ck 
 Township. Mrs. Silliman is the ^youngest of three 
 children born to Leinaii antl Mabel (Barker) 
 Matthews, who now oeeu|)y a farm in Medina 
 Township. The parents were born in Connecticut, 
 there grew to maturity and became man and wife. 
 Soon after their marriage they removed to Henry 
 County, 111., coming thence to Peoria, where Mr. 
 Matthews was engaged in the sale of clocks about 
 nine years. At the exiiiration of that time he re- 
 moved to the farm upon which he is still living. 
 The natal day of Mrs. Silliman was November 11, 
 1845. She is the mother of two children, but one 
 of whom, a daughter. Flora E., has been spared to 
 the fond parents. The first born, Rollin M., died 
 September 20, 1870, when nearly a year old. 
 
 While living in Ilallock Township Mr. Silliman 
 filled the office of Justice of the Pe.acc. With this 
 exception he has devoted his attention exclusively
 
 468 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 to his personal affairs and his duties as a private 
 citizen. His political affiliation is with tlie Demo- 
 cratic party, in the princiiiles of wiiich lie firmly 
 believes. He is liberal in his religious views. His 
 own hosiMtable spirit, combined with the charm- 
 ing manners of his wife, makes his home one to 
 which the best people of the neighborhood fre- 
 quent'j- go, finding tiiere every means of social 
 enjoyment which heart can wish. No lady in 
 Dunlap is better qualified to act as hostess than 
 Mrs. Sillinian, and her efforts are abl}' seconded 
 b}' her winsome daughter. 
 
 NDREW W. PINKNEY, .Sr., who died 
 
 (.@C!|' .Inly 19, 18'.)(1, had lived in this county 
 III ll since early in the '30s, knew much of the 
 primitive life and customs, and had wit- 
 nessed a large part of the growth of this section. 
 Not only was he well informed on these points, but 
 he possessed marked financial ability, an e.xcellent 
 character, and a genial disposition that made his 
 companionship desiral)le. He was born in New York 
 City, November 18, 1814. and belonged to an his- 
 toric famih'. The Pinkne^'s were originally from 
 France, and the maternal ancestors lived in Ger- 
 man}'. Grandfather Poff, on his mother's side, 
 came to America with Jolm .Tacob Astor. 
 
 The [larents of our subject were Israel and Eliza 
 (Poff) Pinkney, both natives of New York Cit}', in 
 wiiich tliey resided until he of whom we write was 
 eighteen j'ears old. Israel Pinkney and his brother 
 William were merchants there. The parental fam- 
 ily consisted of eleven children, the survivors of 
 this large circle being Stephen, Theodore and Kate, 
 widow of D. C. Farrell, all of I'eoria. Five of the 
 deceased members of the famil}' died in infancy, 
 and Richard and George in mature years; these two 
 breathed their last in Peoria, Richard leaving a 
 widow. 
 
 The gentleman with whose name this biography 
 is introduced, clerked for James A. Pryor in the 
 metropolis prior to the removal of the family to 
 Peoria. Their journey hither was performed en- 
 
 tirely by water, the Hudson River, Erie Canal and 
 Great Lakes carrying them to Cleveland, Ohio, 
 where they embarked on the Ohio Canal, anil hav- 
 ing reached Portsmouth, descended the Ohio River 
 to its junction with the Father of Waters, on which 
 and the Illinois River they completed their jour- 
 ney. The party consisted of one hundred emi- 
 grants, and seven weeks were consumed en route. 
 Many grew discour.aged, and returned ere long to 
 the East, but the Pinkneys tried farming seven miles 
 from Peoria, and remained permanently in their 
 new location. 
 
 Mr. Wakefield, who died a few 3'ears since, pi- 
 loted them to a point which was called Orange Prai- 
 rie Ijy the elder Pinkney, and there they purcliased 
 four hundred and eighty acres of land, paying $1.25 
 per acre. The father took a quarter that had some 
 timber upon it, and the sons, Stejihen and Andrew, 
 took the quarters that were wholly prairie. They 
 built three brick houses, the first on the prairie. 
 The father had bought a span of good horses in 
 Cleveland, Ohio, and these were sent across the 
 country to the new home. In his reminiscences of 
 farming in those days, our suVjjoct said that he sold 
 wheat at twenty-five cents a bushel, taking calico 
 at thirty-seven and a-half cents per }'ard in ex- 
 change; eggs brought three cents a dozen, beef and 
 pork one and a-fourth cents per pound, and corn 
 from ten to twelve cents per bushel. 
 
 In lHi)'J Andrew Pinkney abandoned the farm, 
 and removed to Peoria, where he resided until his 
 death. For nine years he clerked for a distiller}', 
 and he then became interested in spice mills, jfa} ing 
 $6,000 for the interest he jjurchased. During the 
 next five years he made 8'25.000 in the business, 
 and he then retired from active life, and since that 
 time has lived quietly, enjoying the fruits of his 
 prudence and wist, investments. Some time ago lie 
 , bought back the old homestead, the purchase price 
 being $13,000 for that which originally cost 8200. 
 
 On April 2."). 1843, Mr. Pinkney became the hus- 
 band of Caroline Farrell, an estimable woman who 
 nobly fulfilled her duties as wife and mother until 
 1880, .when she entered into rest. The union was 
 blessed by the birth of seven children, one of whom 
 died before the mother, and Charles in 1885. The 
 survivors are: Emma, wife of Ur. Furr}'. County
 
 l-ORTRAIT AM) BIOGRAPHICAL ALIUJM. 
 
 469 
 
 Physician; Elizabeth, wife of Reuben Sliinuer, of 
 New York City; iNIary ; George; and Andrew, .Jr., 
 who lives on tlie old farm. The surviving- compan- 
 ion of Mv. Pinkney, became his wife .Inly 7, I8«7. 
 She was the widow of .1. P. Bosworth, of Woodford 
 County. Her character and acquirements fit her 
 for usefulness in an\' sphere, and make her a desir- 
 able companion. 
 
 Mv. Pinkney in politics was a Republican, be- 
 lieving that in that party the hope of the Nation 
 lies. He never held any office except that of Town- 
 ship Collector one term, in Orange Town.ship. 
 
 ERASTUS M. LAWRKNCE. In a section 
 of country that contains as many attractive 
 country homos as does Peoria County, it 
 seems a work of supererogation to claim pre-emin- 
 ence for any, as various features wanting upon one 
 estate are to be seen upon others, making it difllcult 
 to decide which is most worthy of compliment. It 
 would, however, be agreed that the farm of the 
 gentleman above named is one of the most home- 
 like and attractive, indicating as it does the pres- 
 ence within the dwelling of an intelligent and 
 refined family. The estate is located on section 11, 
 Ehnwood Township, and comprises a part of the 
 Lawrence homestead, upon which the parents of 
 our subject settled many years ago. The tasteful 
 dwelling sets back a quarter of a mile from the 
 road, and with its accompanying buildings, and 
 surroundings of fruit and shailo trees, well-tilled 
 fields and pasture lands, forms a [licture fair to 
 look upon. 
 
 The Lawrence family is of German stock, and 
 later generations of the ancestors lived in Pennsyl- 
 vania. The father of our subject, George P. Law- 
 rence, came west to Ohio, with his father, when 
 quite small, their home being made near Canton, 
 Stark County. Later when a young man, he re- 
 moved to the vicinity of New Castle, Coshocton 
 County, where he married Phebe Butler. For 
 several years he was engaged in trade, but after 
 removing to Illinois, which he flid in 1856, he 
 tvirned his attention to farming. He purchased one 
 
 hundred and sixty acres of land, afterward adding 
 to it until the homestead comprised three hundred 
 and forty acres, a portion of which, as before 
 stated, is now occupied bj- our subject. For some 
 six years i)rior to his death G. P. Lawrence carried 
 on a general store at Summit, Knox Count}-. He 
 was a memlier of the Methodist Church, and en- 
 deavored to instill the principles of Christianity 
 into the hearts of his children and qualify them to 
 discharge well their obligations. He died in 1874, 
 his wife having preceded iiini to the silent tomb, 
 breathing her last in February, 18(lil. 
 
 The famil}' of (4. P. and Phebe Lawrence con- 
 sisted of nine children, all of whom were born be- 
 fore their removal to this State. The family record 
 is as follows: Lemuel H. died in Ohio in 1881, at 
 the age of fifty years; Oscar B. died in infancy; 
 the third child is the subject of this notice; Ange- 
 line is the wife of A. (!. Miles, whose sketch ap- 
 pears elsewhere in this Ar,iiij.\r; Mary, wife of M. 0. 
 llarkness, died at the ago of forty-three years: 
 Ilattie L., wife of George Daughmer, lives at Sum- 
 mit, Knox County; George W. is married and liv- 
 ing near Chanute, Kan. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch 
 was reared on his father's farm, earl\ leaining all 
 that goes to make up a successful farm life, and in 
 the meantime receiving a practical education in the 
 schools of New Castle, t)hio. He had reached the 
 age of twenty-four years, when he left the parental 
 roof to set up his own home, having won as a help- 
 mate Miss Emma J. (Jreen, their marriage rites 
 being celebrated at her home in the township that 
 is now their place of residence. A year after his 
 marriage Mr. Lawrence bought seventy-live acres 
 of land on section 2, upon which he built a house 
 which afforded shelter to the family four years. 
 He then engaged in trade at Oak Hill for a few 
 months, moving thence to Summit, Knox County, 
 where lie found occupation in store-keeping and 
 the buying and selling of lumber and grain two 
 years. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Lawrence returned to this county 
 and took charge of the homestead, of which he now 
 owns one hundred and sixty acres. He (tarries on 
 mixed farming, raising both grains and stock. A 
 feature of the estate not always seen is a large
 
 470 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 oreliaid covciing twenty acres, wliieli in one season 
 piodiiced ><2.000 worth of apples. In 1886-87 he 
 moved his familj- to Elmwood in order to give his 
 cliiklren greater conveniences in obtaining an edu- 
 cation, but after securing that object again took up 
 his abode on the farm. Under the hospitable roof 
 good cheer abouiids and the affable, pleasing man- 
 ners of the host, the gracious courtesy of his wife 
 and the intelligence of his children, combine to 
 enhance tlie charms of a visit there. 
 
 Mr Lawrence is one of those public-spirited men 
 who ever stand in the front when movements are 
 on foot that promise to aid in developing the re- 
 sources of the country and bringing higher advan- 
 tages to her people. He has been Towushi|) Trustee 
 and Scl.ool Director, and in the work of IheL'nited 
 Brethren Church, with which he is identified, he 
 acts as Steward, Class-Leader, etc, also holding tlie 
 office of Sunday-school Superintendent. The sons 
 and daughters who rejoice the hearts of himself 
 and his wife are: Fhctbe O., wife of Oliver Trotli, 
 of this township; Albert L.. who is still at home; 
 Hattie E., wife of A. Ct. Walton, of Elmwood; 
 Minnie E., a school teacher but residing at^ home, 
 and Edna M., a miss of sixteen years. 
 
 felLLIAM LIEDERBECK. Among the for- 
 ^/ij eign-born citizens of the broad Prairie 
 Wz' State, -who, by the exercise of good judg- 
 ment, unflagging industrj- and unswerving integ- 
 rity', have acquired an honorable reputation among 
 their fellow -men and secured a goodly share of 
 properly, may be mentioned William Biederbeck, 
 of Millbrook Township. He is an excellent repre- 
 sentative of the agricultural and stock-raising com- 
 munities, and b}' reason of the lo3-alt3' to the Amer- 
 ican flag which he displayed during the time of the 
 country's need, is still more deserving of notice in 
 a Volume of this nature. 
 
 The home of our subject is on section 9, where 
 he owns two hundred and eighty-six acres of fer- 
 tile land upon which may be seen a complete line 
 of substantial farm buildings, sufficiently commo- 
 dious to fulfill the purposes for which they were 
 
 erected and conveniently located. Every part of 
 tlie estate bears evidence to tlie thrift and intelli- 
 gence of the owner. Mr. Biederbeck was born in 
 Pru.«sia, April 2(5, 1820, and carefully reared by 
 his good parents, John and Catherine (Schutz) Bie- 
 derbeck. He received a good education in las na- 
 tive tf>ngue, and when about sixteen years old 
 began an apprcnticeshij) at the trade of a carjjentcr 
 and joiner. After having served three years, he 
 began journej- work, continuing it in his own coun- 
 tr3r until 1850, and later pursuing it in America. 
 
 At the date mentioned. Mr. Biederbeck deter- 
 mined to seek a broader field for his labors than 
 the thickly settled regions of his native land af- 
 forded, and taking passage at Bremen on a sail 
 vessel, landed in New York City after a voyage of 
 several weeks. He spent several jears in the East- 
 first in the State of New Jersej'. and for a short 
 time in Philadelphia, Pa. In that city, April 17, 
 1857, the rites of wedlock were celebrated between 
 himself and iliss Augusta Kaus. This lady, who 
 has noblj- assisted her husband by her good coun- 
 sel and wise management of domestic affairs, is a 
 native of Wurlemburg, Germanj-, born August 19, 
 1831, to John and Caroline ( Aeple) Kaus. When 
 about twent3--one j'ears old she came to America. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Biederbeck, ten children have 
 been born, of whom we note the following: Rich- 
 ard is living in Millbrook Township; Amelia is the 
 wife of Harry Combs, of Colorado; Mar3' is the 
 wife of P. Hart, their home being in Stark County ; 
 Lincoln A. also lives in Stark County; Augusta 
 and Sherman W. T. have homes in Millbrook Town- 
 ship; Carrie, Addie, Robert Phillip, and Albert 
 John still remain under the parental roof. 
 
 On August 20, 1862, Mr. Biederbeck became a 
 member of Company G, One Hundred and Third 
 Illinois Infantrj'. and from that time until his dis- 
 cbarge, June 21, 1865, fought bravel3', marched 
 uucomplainingl3% and watched patientl3- among the 
 boys in blue, who endured more than tongue can 
 tell in their support of American institutions. He 
 was a member of Sherman's Fifteenth Corps dur- 
 ing the siege of Yicksburg, also participated in the 
 battles of Jackson and Missionar3- Ridge, and in 
 the entire Atlanta campaign. He made one of the 
 gallant sixty thousand who followed the leadership
 
 sc^-n
 
 POUTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALliUM. 
 
 473 
 
 of the reiiownert "Teoiimseh" from Atlanta to the 
 sea. assisted in the eaiitureof Saxannah, and finally 
 U'ok pait ill the battle at Beiitonville, N. C. Mr. 
 Biederlieck was one of the fortunate number who 
 escaped wounds and taiitivity. allhoiinh he liad 
 inanv narrow escapes. The last great act in which 
 he participated as a L'liiou soldier, was the Grand 
 Review at Washington, after which he returned to 
 Peoria County. 
 
 Several years ago Mr. Biederbeck located njion 
 the farm lie now occupies, and is so successfully 
 conducting. He endeavors to liear his part in up- 
 building the material and moral welfare of the 
 county, quietly interesting himself in all which lie 
 believes will be for the public good. He has served 
 as School Director, votes the Republican ticket, 
 and in memory of his campaign life, is identified 
 with Post Xo. 177, G. A. R., a't Brirafield. He and 
 his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 at Laura, are active members of society, and enjoy 
 the esteem and confidence of their neighbors and 
 friends. Since coming to America, Mr. Bietlerbeck 
 has acquired a fair knowledge of the Knglish lan- 
 guage, in which lie transacts ail his business. His 
 strict honesty and industrious habits are well known 
 and valued. 
 
 4"e— ^ 
 
 OVRl'S TUCKER. Too much credit can 
 scarcely be given to the men who, coming 
 to this county a h;ilf-century ago, braved 
 the dangers which surrounded those who settled 
 far from neighbors in a country overrun by In- 
 iliaiis and savage animals, and willingly endured 
 the arduous toils necessary to develoi) the land and 
 open it up for the advance of civilization. One 
 of the many who bore a part in the pioneer work 
 of Radnor Township was Cyrus Tucker, a litho- 
 graphic portrait of whom is shown on the opposite 
 page. He came hither in 1837, and with the ex- 
 ctplion of about two years, made this his home 
 until he entered into rest, August "J, 1888. 
 
 The birth of Mr. Tucker occurred January 19, 
 1801), in the vicinity of Plymouth, Mass., where he 
 
 was reared to manhood and resided until he came 
 to Illinois. Alter locating here he remained some 
 four or five years, then going East, sojourned in 
 his native State two years, after which he again 
 came West. lie accumulated a considerable amount 
 of wt)rldl_y goods, leaving an estate of five hun- 
 dred acres, on which he had made excellent im- 
 provements, and had caused good buildings to be 
 erected, among them being ever}' needful structure 
 for the comfort of the family, the shelter of stock, 
 and the housing of f;irm machiner}' and crops. 
 
 Mr. Tucker was one of those whole-souled, enter- 
 prising men, who not only pursued his life work 
 in an energetic manner, but took an active part in 
 the affairs of the townshi|), interesting himself in 
 every worthy movement, and becoming known as 
 one who could lie counted upon to assist in all 
 which would promote the good of the country. 
 He held the office of Supervisor of the township, 
 discharging its duties in a creditable and satis- 
 factory manner. 
 
 An important step in the life of Mr. Tucker was 
 his marriage, August 11, 1841, to Miss Abigail 
 Shaw, a worthy woman who shared his joys and 
 sorrows but a few short years. She died at her 
 home in this township October 7, 1840, leaving one 
 son, who lived to the age of about fort3'-oue3'ears, 
 dying in Galva. After having lived a widower 
 for more than a decade Mr. Tucker contracted a 
 second matrimonial alliance, celebrating in this 
 county on September 13, 18.")7, his union with Miss 
 Fanny Keim. This most estimable woman was 
 born in Somerset, Pa., May 19, 1823. She is a 
 woman of true motlierl}- feeling, whose affectionate 
 interest reaches beyond the w^alls of hei own home 
 to include all who are in sorrow or need, and to 
 whom she can be in any way a helper. She became 
 the mother of two children, a son and a daughter. 
 The latter, named Ella, died in childhood. 
 
 George W. Tucker, the first-born and surviving 
 child, first saw the light in this township August 1, 
 1861. Here he has grown to manhood and always 
 resided, securing in earlier years an excellent edu- 
 cation, and so good a fundamental knowledge of 
 agricultural pursuits that at the death of his father 
 he was enabled to take charge of the estate, and is 
 now conducting it most elliciently. He gives his
 
 474 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 attention' wholly to farming and stock-raising, dis- 
 playing a spirit of progress, and while not .iba::- 
 duning old and tried methods, is read}- to adopt 
 uny late idea in which his judgment concurs after 
 thorough investigation. A worthy son of an hon- 
 ored father, he has already secured the good-will 
 of his fellow-citizens, and gives promise of becom- 
 ing an important member of the agricultur.al com- 
 munitv hereafter. 
 
 ^^r^-^^^^i^^^^^r^^^ 
 
 ^< ^ ,^^ll " 
 
 ' OlIN SMITH is a native of Peoria County, 
 and is now occupying a prominent place 
 among the intelligent, well-to-do and enter- 
 prising j'oung farmers who are doing so 
 much to develop and extend its marvelous agri- 
 cultural interests. He owns a valuable and well- 
 improved farm on the southeast quarter of section 
 H, Princeville Township, his place of birth. His 
 father, John Smith, was an old and prominent set- 
 tler of this localit}', and was one of the leading 
 farmers of the township. 
 
 Mr. Smitli, the elder, was a native of Lanark- 
 shire, Scotland, his father, bearing the same name 
 as iiimself, being also a native of that place. John 
 was a name in the family' for four hundred years 
 back to the time of William Wallace. The grand- 
 father of our subject became a soldier in the Eng- 
 lish army when a young man and followed a mili- 
 tar}- life for nine years, being a member of the 
 Seventy-first Glasgow Regiment. He was in Spain 
 with Wellington and was wounded in the shoulder 
 during the Peninsula War. He left the arm}- be- 
 fore the battle of Waterloo. At the battle of Cor- 
 onna he was wounded in the breast and was taken 
 prisoner and imprisoned six mouths. He was finally 
 disciiargcd from the army at the age of thirty years, 
 he being one of five brothers who had enlisted. 
 He returned to Glasgow, where he was engaged as 
 a cotton dresser, following that until he came to 
 America and became quite well off. In 1842 he 
 embarked for this country, landed in New Orleans, 
 and from there went to St; Louis. He had started 
 witli a colony for Texas, but as the 3-ellow fever 
 was so deadly in that quarter that season, they had 
 
 changed the course of their journe}'. He lived in 
 St. Louis awhile, and in 1844 came from there to 
 Peoria, and invested in some Government land on 
 section 7, Princeville I'ownship. and made his home 
 on it until his death in March, 1852. He was a 
 Presbj'lerian and was strong in the faith. 
 
 The fathei- of our subject was reared in Scotland 
 and his first occupation when he became self-sup- 
 porting was as a clerk in a bookstore. Subsequently 
 he learned the trade of a dresser of cotton. In 
 1842 he came to the United States bj' the way of 
 Canada. He was engaged on the Mississippi and 
 Missouri Rivers, between New Orleans and St. 
 Louis, and even bej^ond the head of navigation on 
 the Missouri until 1845, when he settled here. He 
 bought Government land on section 7, of this 
 township, improved it and was activel}' engaged 
 in farming and stock-raising and acquired a valua- 
 ble properly, being at one time owner of three 
 hundreil and twent}- acres of exceptionally fine 
 farming land. He was ever liberal and j)ublic- 
 spirited and bore an honorable part in local affairs, 
 especiall}' In educational matters, and at various 
 times held different school offices. He was a strong 
 Republican in his political views and gave gener- 
 ous support to his party. Religiously, he was a 
 Presbyterian, and was in every wa}' an exemplary 
 Christian gentleman. His death here May 27, 1890, 
 at the age of sixty-seven years, two months and 
 thirteen days, was a loss to the citizenship of 
 Princeville. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Jane Payne, and she was born in Carroll 
 County, Va., coming of a worthy family. Her fa- 
 ther, Walter Payne, was also a Virginian by birth, 
 and was a farmer by occupation. He was a soldier 
 in the AVar of 1812. About 1840 he came to I.lli- 
 nois and settled in the timber in Princeville Town- 
 ship, and carried on his farming operations here 
 until he retired from active life, and from that time 
 he made his home with a daughter in Toulon, wliere 
 he died. The mother of our subject, a highly re- 
 spected ladj', is still residing on the old homestead. 
 Of her marriage eight children were born: Isa- 
 belle, Mrs. Martin, of this township; Rachael, Mrs. 
 Ch.nse, of Akron Township; John; Walter, of Gage 
 County, Neb.; Mary J., with her mother in Prince-
 
 rOKTKAlT AND BlUGRArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 475 
 
 ville Townsliip; Margaret A.. Mrs. Miller, who 
 (lied ill (iage County, IS'eli. ; William W., of (iagc 
 Coiiny, Neb., and Lizzie, Mrs. Lewis, of Salt Lake 
 City. 
 
 The siilijecl of this hiogra|ihieal review was born 
 in Trineeville Township, .Inly L'), 1 852, and was 
 reared to man's estate on his father's homestead. 
 lie gleaned a good education in the district and 
 graded schools which he attended (hiring the winter 
 session until of age and he then entered Cole's Busi- 
 ness College in Peoria, from which he was gradu- 
 ated after pursuing an excellent course. Leaving 
 college he returned home and entered upon his ca- 
 reer as a farmer on his father's farm, remaining 
 with his parents until he w.as twenty-three. After 
 his mari'iage, in the fall of 1875, our subject lo- 
 cated on his present place and has since been act- 
 ively engaged in its improvement,and h.as developed 
 it from its original state to its present tine condi- 
 tion, breaking a part of the prairie sod himself, 
 and in 1 S80 he purchased it from its foi iner owner. 
 It comprises the southeast quarter of section 18, 
 and its one hundred and sixty acres are already 
 under admirable tillage and are well hedged, and 
 provided with a neat dwelling, good barns and 
 other necessary buildings. It is a very desiral)le 
 piece of jtroperly and is well watered by the creek 
 and a never-failing su[iply of running water, has 
 tine groves and orchards and is wellada[)ted to rais- 
 ing, grain, corn and oats. Mr. .Smith has two teams 
 of Clydesdale and Shire horses of good grade, and 
 has a number of full blooded Poland-China hogs, 
 paying much attention to raising that animal for 
 the mai'kets. 
 
 Mr. Smith and ISIiss Bessie A. Koweliffe were 
 iiiarrie(l in .lubilee, October 27, 1875, and their 
 wedded life has proved a mutual lieneSt and has 
 been a happy one. Mrs. Smith is a daughter of the 
 lion. William Rowcliffe, of Jubilee Township, of 
 whom see biography on another page of this vol- 
 ume. Mrs. Smith was born in Erie County, Ohio, 
 .laiuiary IG, 1818, and was a child when she came 
 to Illinois with her parents. She is a lady of true 
 culture, having received the advantages of an 
 e.^cellent education. When she was seventeen 
 years old she entered the Illinois Normal School, 
 and was a pupil in that institution for six months. 
 
 She afterward engaged in the profession of teaching 
 for some nine years in Jubilee and Kadnor. She 
 is the mother of four children — Koy I!., Jessie G., 
 Flossie M. and John II. 
 
 Mr. Smith is endowed with strength of character 
 and a moral and mental makeup tlmt place him 
 among those whose citizenship is most honorable to 
 his native township and county. His sturdy, prac- 
 tical traits and thrifty habits have been ver^' ad- 
 vantageous to him in the prosecution of his calling 
 and have already put him among the men of easy 
 circumstances in Princeville. He is a stalwart 
 among the Republicans, one of the leaders of the 
 party in this vicinity and has been a delegate to 
 county conventions. Relgiously he is of the Pres- 
 byterian faith. 
 
 UCAS C. HICKS. In noting tlie successful 
 
 ireyi farmers of Hallock Townsliip, mentioii 
 
 should certainly be made of the gentleman 
 
 above named, a large landowner who for a num- 
 ber of years has lived on section 32. The home 
 farm comprises three hundred acres, l)esides which 
 Mr. Hicks owns an efjual aiu(juntin another part of 
 the township. His property has mostl3' been made 
 by his own efforts since he became of .age and sufli- 
 ciently indicates that he has been industrious, 
 priulent and careful in management. 
 
 Mr. Hicks was born in Jackson County, Ohio, 
 August 25, 1811), coming from his native State to 
 Illinois in the fall of 1830, with his parents. 
 The family came overland in accordance with the 
 means of travel of the [leriod, making settlement 
 on the line between JMedina and Hallock Town- 
 ships, this county. The father secured unbroken 
 land whereon his son, our subject, pursued the even 
 tenor of his w.ay until he became of age. Soon 
 after reaching his maj'jrity he began farming for 
 himself, beginning his residence on his present es- 
 tate in 184t^. 
 
 At the home of the luide in Ogle County, near 
 Polo, marriage rites were celebrated between our 
 subject and Miss Sarah Reed. The lady was born in 
 Ross County, Oliio, M.ay 7, 1826, and was quite
 
 476 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 j'omig when her "parents removed [to 'the Prairie 
 State. Here she grew to woraanhood.ncquiring much 
 knowledge and fitting herself for usefulness. She 
 and her husband are worthy of the esteem in which 
 thi'v are held, both being intelligeut,kindl3' and con- 
 siderate in theii- intercourse with those about them. 
 Mr. Hicks is an independent Republican in politics. 
 He has been Supervisor of his township andsorved 
 two terras as County Commissioner under the old 
 law. 
 
 The family of Mr. Hicks and his good wife com- 
 prises six sons and daughters whose record is as 
 follows: Lucius married JIarj' A. Siddons and 
 lives on a farm in Ilalloek Township; Samuel, a 
 farmer in Medina Township, mari'ied Lucia Van- 
 Buren ; Ira who is living in Peoria and connected 
 with a dairy and cream house there, is a widower, 
 his wife, Nancy 15kie, having been killed in the 
 Chatsworth disaster; Emerson, a farmer in Hallock 
 Townshii), married Ella Kimball; Mark married 
 Olive Robinson and lives on a farm in Hallock 
 Township; Adda is the wife of .John Snyder, their 
 iiome being on a farm in Medina Townsliip. 
 
 Mr. Hicks is of Welsh ancestry on his father's 
 side, altiiough his grandparents were natives of 
 Rhode Island. They sojourned for a few years in 
 Nova Scotia, where Joel Hicks, father of our sub- 
 ject, was born. He was three years old when his 
 parents emigrated to Delaware County, N. Y., 
 where he grew to maturity and married Phebe 
 Coleman. That worthy woman was born in Con- 
 necticut, belonging to an old New England family. 
 Her parents removed to Delaware County-, N. Y., 
 when she was young and she grew to womanhood in 
 the same neighborhood as her husljaud. After the 
 birth of two children Mr. and Mrs. Joel Hicks re- 
 moved to Jackson County, Ohio, the husband be- 
 ginning there as a small fai'mer and miller. He 
 was joined by his parents, and a few years later, 
 his father, Levi Ilicks, was accidentally drowned 
 at Richmondale, on Salt Creek, near the Sciota 
 River. The widow of Grandfatlier Ilicks, form- 
 erly Mary Waters, subsequently married Judge 
 Samuel Reed, of Pike Count}-, Ohio, dying at 
 I'iketon when quite old. 
 
 After taking up their abode in the Buckeye 
 .Slate, Joel Hicks andhis'wife lived in Jackson and 
 
 Ross Counties until 1830, when, as before men- 
 tioned, they located in Peoria County, 111. Mr. 
 Ilicks became the owner of three quarter-sections 
 of land, spending the remnant of his days on his 
 original purchase on the lines between Medina and 
 Hallock Townships. He was a hard-working man, a 
 good citizen, a Democrat in politics and a Univer- 
 salist in religion. His death occurred in 1851, 
 when he was nearly sixtj'-nine years of age. The 
 mother of our subject survived her husband some 
 twelve years, reaching the advanced age of eighty- 
 one years and dying at the homo of a daughter, 
 Mrs. Mary Parker, in Medina Township, in 1873. 
 She was reared in the Presbyterian faith. Slie was 
 the mother of four sons and five daughters, of 
 whom three sons and three daughters are now 
 living. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Ilicks, of this notice, were 
 Samuel and Phebe (Sanford) Reed, natives of the 
 Empire State, who removed to Ross County, Ohio, 
 in an early day. In 1830, tiiey came to Illinois, 
 settling in Buffalo Grove, Ogle Count}', where 
 they began to make a home in tiie pioneer style. 
 They lived to be quite old, securing the respect of 
 their neighbors and acquaintances by their sterling 
 characters and pioneer virtues. During the Black 
 Hawk War they were at times in great danger of 
 capture by the savages, which they escaped by 
 leaving their home for a time. Mr. Reed being a 
 cripple was not able to take an active part in the 
 war against the red men. 
 
 
 ^^^EORGE D 
 ill (~^ prominent 
 
 ^^^EORGE D. SLYGH is the son of a former 
 inent pioneer family of this county and 
 re of this State. He has for several 
 years been actively interested in agricultur.al pur- 
 suits, and is carrying on his farming operations on 
 one of the choicest farms in Millbrook Township, 
 which is pleasantly located on section 31, where he 
 has a comfortable home. 
 
 He is a native of Knox County, where his birtii 
 took place October 8, 1843. His parents were John 
 I), and Mary E. (Potts) Slygh, his father born in 
 Dublin, Ireland, and his mother a native of Wash-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL AL15UM. 
 
 477 
 
 ingtoii, D. C, she being of English descent. In 
 1883, his [larents emigrated from ^'irgini;l to this 
 State and locateil in tlie townsliii) of Truro in the 
 county of Knox, they being among its ver3' (irst 
 settlers. In 1853 they came to this county, and 
 settled in Rochester, Jlillbrook Township, where 
 they both died, the father closing his career Febru- 
 ary' 21, 1882, and the mother passing away .Tuly 
 26, 1875. Mr. Sli'gh was a man of fine education, 
 having been college bred, and was progressive and 
 enlightened in his views, and was very influential 
 in the community, taking an active part in political 
 and public matters in Millbrook Township. He 
 served as Assessor of the township, and was promi- 
 nent in pushing forward its material and social in- 
 terests. He was one of the leading members of the 
 Presbyterian Church, in which he served as Deacon, 
 and his death was a serious blow to its interests. 
 In politics he was a true Democrat and used his in- 
 rtuence to promote the policy of that party. He 
 was Justice of the Peace for Rochester, for many 
 years and served in that capacity with wisdom and 
 impartiality. 
 
 Our subject was one of a large family of children 
 of whom the following survive: Mary E., wife of 
 James Rockhold of Elmwood; Charles C, living in 
 Henr\'; Catherine, widow of Dr. W. J. Bennett, of 
 Rochester; (ieorgiana wifeof John Mills of Bureau 
 Count}'; Henr}- S., a resident of Rochester; George 
 D.; \irginia, wife of C. C. Wycofif, of Milllnook 
 Township; Louisa, living in Rochester. 
 
 George D. Slygh accompanied his parents to this 
 county and to their new home in the village of 
 Rt)chestcr, when he was about ten years old and 
 from that time he has been a resident of this count}'. 
 He was reared amid the primitive scenes of its pio- 
 neer life and when about eighteen years of age, 
 began to learn the trade of a wheelwright in Roches- 
 ter. He followed it about three years and then for 
 two years eng.aged in the hardware and agricultural 
 implement business at Elmwood, and the remainder 
 of his life he has devoted to farming. In the spring 
 of 1888, Mr. Slj-gh settled on his present farm on 
 section 31, Millbrook Township, and has earnestly 
 and faithfuU}' engaged in its cultivation and im- 
 provement ever since. He owns one hundred and 
 sixty acres of as flue farming land as may be found 
 
 in «11 the neighborhood, and ils good condition is 
 due to the care and labor that he ha'! bestowed upon 
 it. Its buildings are neat and comfortable; it is 
 well tilled and well fenced, and is admirably adapted 
 to general farming purposes. 
 
 December 7. 18()5, was the date of Mr. Slygh's 
 marriage with Mar}' D. Wycoff, who was born in 
 this county in 18i5, and is a daughter of George 
 P. and Delia A. Wycoff, early settlers of the county. 
 By their marriage Mr. and Mrs. >Slygh have five 
 children — Ernest W., Joseph, James, Mary and 
 Ethel. 
 
 Township and community value Mr. Slygh for 
 his good citizenship. He is a man of excellent 
 sense, of wise discretion, and has a thorough practi- 
 cal knowledge of his work. In politics he has in- 
 dependent views, but gives his influence in support 
 of the Democratic ])arty. He is never behind his 
 fellow townsmen in contributing his quota towards 
 the material improvement of the township, and has 
 been of great assistance in bri]iging about its pres- 
 ent high reputation as a great agi icultural center. 
 
 * ORTON CHAMBERLIN, the father of Mrs. 
 ]li Thomas Hough, of Medina Township, died 
 ■;^ at his home near Vevay, in Switzerland 
 County, Ind., in the fall of 1836. He was 
 born on the Hudson River, in New York, being a 
 .son of Aaron and Hannah (Runnels) Chamberlin, 
 who were also natives of the Empire State, whence, 
 after a few years of wedded life, they removed to 
 Ohio and still later to Switzerland County, Ind. 
 After having lived in that county some years, 
 Aaron Chamberlin sold his property there, and re- 
 moving to Iowa located on a farm a few miles 
 west of the city of Burlington. There he and his 
 wife spent the remainder of their days, the one 
 living to the age of ninety-three and the other to 
 that of eighty-six yeais. They were active mem- 
 bers of the Old School Baptist Church, as was their 
 son Horton and his wife, known to all their ac- 
 quaintances as people of deep religion? feeling and 
 consistent lives. They had eight sons and two 
 daughters, the daughters only being now alive.
 
 478 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Our subject was in his boyhood when his par- 
 ents became residents of the Hoosier State, going 
 into a new country near Vevay, wliore the boy be- 
 came a man. He adopted the occupation of a farmer, 
 making Sw-itzerland County Lis home until death. 
 His career was cut short in his thirtieth year, lie 
 having been born in 1807. He was a "Whig in 
 politics, and in religion of the Baptist faith, liaving 
 a consistent Christian character. He married Jane 
 Dickison, a native of Switzerland County, born 
 near Yevay October 2,1813. She was reared to 
 womanhood in that county, continuing 1o reside 
 tliore until a year after the death of her husband, 
 when she came with her parents to Illinois, bringing 
 with her her three fatherless children. In Medina 
 Township, this count}', her son Francis died at the 
 age of five years, and Aaron in 1862, after his 
 marriage to Sarah Robinson and the birth of two 
 children, mother and children also being now de- 
 ceased. 
 
 The parents of Jlrs. Chamberlin were John and 
 Mary (White) Dickison, natives of Virginia and 
 Kentucky-, respectively. The former had been taken 
 to Kentucky when young and had there grown to 
 man's estate, crossing the Ohio River and making 
 a settlement in the wilds of Switzerland Count}-, 
 Ind., while yet a single man. There he married iiis 
 wife, who had been reared on the opposite side of 
 the river, .\fter their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Dickison purchased new land, beginning to improve 
 a home on which they* continued to reside until 
 l,s;i7. They then emigrated to Illinois, settling in 
 Medina Township, this count}', which was their 
 place of abode during the balance of their lives. 
 Mr. Dickison was sixty-four years of age and his 
 widow sixty-six when called hence. The latter was 
 a Baptist. Tiieir daughter, the wife of our subject, 
 was the second child in a family of four sons and 
 four daughters. Three of the latter are still living, 
 all now quite old and all widows of farmers. 
 
 The only living child of our subject and his estim- 
 able wife is a daughter, Hannah M., wife of Thomas 
 Hough, to whom she was married on the farm they 
 now occupy. Mr. Hough had come to this county in 
 l.S.")9, since which time he has been successfully en- 
 gaged in farming and stock-raising here. He has a 
 tine farm, the most of which is under cultivation and 
 
 well stocked, being also supplied with good farm 
 buildings and all necessary implements and ma- 
 chines. He was born in Bucks County, Pa., near 
 Doylestown, September 11, 1826, coming of old 
 Pennsylvania stock, of the Quaker faith. He is the 
 only son of his parents and has one sister living. 
 He grew to manhood in his native county and was 
 there first married to Isabella Polk. That lady was 
 born and reared also in Bucks County, belonging 
 to an old Pennsylvania family, many members of 
 which were quite prominent. She died when but 
 twenty-tive years old. leaving two children — Rob- 
 ert and Isabel. The former married Barbara Knupp 
 and is farming in Washington County, Iowa. The 
 daughter is the wife of James H. Paden, a dealer 
 in musical instruments in Greeley, Col. 
 
 Mr. Hough lived for a time in Montgomery 
 County, Pa., whence he came to Illinois, subse- 
 quently marrying the daughter of our subject. .She 
 was born after the death of her father and was but 
 nine months old when her mother came to this 
 county. She was given good advantages and, be- 
 coming very well educated, taught school for a 
 time before her marriage, ilr. Hough has also had 
 some exiierience in ped.agogical work. Both are 
 numbered among the most intelligent citizens of 
 this section, worthily filling their spheres in life 
 and beicg useful to those about them. Mr. Hough 
 has held the local offices of the township and has 
 been Deacon in the Baptist Church, of which both 
 he and his wife are active members; he is a sound 
 Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Hough are the parents 
 of four children, of whom Mary J. and Elizabeth 
 died young, and John C. and CLarles F. are still at 
 home. 
 
 The original member of the Hough family in 
 America came hither from London as early as 1664. 
 The first to .abandon the Quaker faith, to which the 
 family adhered strictly for several generations, was 
 Robert Hough, the father of Thomas Hough. That 
 gentleman was a farmer, occupying an estate which 
 had been in the family three generations, in Doyles- 
 town Township, Bucks County, Pa. He was an 
 ardent Whig, prominent in local politics. He died 
 wlieu fifty-five years of .age^ His wife was Miss 
 Mary Evans, of the same county, who survived 
 him, dying in 1876, at the age of seventy six years;
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 479 
 
 she was a Baptist. Robert Hough was the son of 
 Richard Hough, anil he the son of Joseph Hough. 
 Going back jet another generation we find another 
 Richard Hough, who, on settling in America, se- 
 cured laud from King George III. the same being 
 hekl by Iiis direct descendants until the death of 
 Robert Hough. The family during all these gen- 
 erations were farmers, prominent among tiie citi- 
 zens of Bucks County. 
 
 ^= 
 
 E^ 
 
 Yi AMES BENNETT. The life of James Ben- 
 nett, of Peoria, has been marked bj- some- 
 what romantic incidents, important events 
 having been brought about b}' somewhat 
 singular, and in a certain sense trivial, incidents. 
 He is now engaged in the undertaking business, 
 and tlie establishment which he conducts con- 
 tains :i line stock of goods, while all details re- 
 lating to the disposition of the mortal remains of 
 loved ones is carefully attended to by the proprie- 
 tor and his assistants. Mr. Bennett was led to this 
 business through the following incident. One Sun- 
 d&y afternoon, while walking with his wife, they 
 stoi)ped at what is now known as Moffatt's Ceme- 
 tery. Mrs. liennett remarked, " If I should die, 
 how much I should prefer to lie here than to be 
 laid away in Springdale; it is so lonesome there." 
 She died December 28, 1870, not long after this 
 walk, .ind w.as buried as she desired. Subsequently 
 Mr. Bennett bought the propertj' which is now 
 owned by the family, althcuigh controlled by an 
 incorporated bodj'. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write is a native of 
 Gloucestershire, England, and is a son of Richard 
 and INIarj' (Redwood) Bennett. His ancestors were 
 farmers for nianj' generations, and the Bennett 
 family occupied a certain farm for nine hundred 
 and ninety-nine years. The rental was one shilling 
 per year, and, wonderful to relate, it was collected 
 <luring all those years with great regularity. 
 Upon the occasion of a visit made to the ancestral 
 home in 1887, Mr. Bennett found the old land- 
 marks blotted out, the estate having passed back 
 into the hands of its original owners. The father of 
 
 our subject was a moneyed man. who labored at 
 the occupation in which the family had so long 
 been engaged. He was the father of thirteen chil- 
 dren, the subject of this sketch being the youngest. 
 
 The latter had no opportunity to attend school, 
 other than the Sunday-school, and was not able to 
 read or write until nineteen years of age. A young 
 lady was conducting his correspondence for him. 
 At a fair the 3'Oung man nut another j'oung lady, 
 who wrote him a strong love letter. This he was 
 obliged to take to his sweetheart to read, and she 
 then and there gave him the '•mitten." Being 
 thus left without an amanuensis, young Bennett 
 set valianth- to work to learn those things which 
 had been neglected in his j'outh. He had left his 
 home at the age of thirteen jears because his 
 father objected to the use of tobacco. The elder 
 Bennett having declared that the son should not 
 use the vile weed in his presence, the lad thought 
 the matter over, and not willing to give up that 
 which he enjoyed, nor to deceive his father, de- 
 termined to try the world alone. When he left the 
 parental roof he had twenty-five cents in his 
 pocket, and he now declares that being thrown 
 upon his own resources was the making of him. as 
 he was taught self reliance and learned to i)u»h his 
 waj' as he would not otherwise have done. 
 
 Going into Wales, young Bennett sought and 
 found work, remaining there until lie was nine- 
 teen j'ears old. During this time he helped to 
 make the rails that were used in the New York 
 Central Railroad. From Wales he went to Can- 
 ada, where he sojourned a few months ere making 
 his way to Pittsburg, Pa. There he sought em- 
 ploj'ment in the iron business, but a strike being 
 in progress and the cholera also making havoc in 
 the citj-, he was compelled to abandon his idea of 
 locating there. Going to Cincinnati, he found 
 cholera raging in that city also, and therefore re- 
 turned (o Canada, where he remained until 1855. 
 He then came to Peoria, where he has since re- 
 sided. He has occupied his present placeof business 
 twenty-seven years. He was eng.aged in the harness 
 business about fifteen years, after which he took up 
 undertaking. He has been a successful financier,and 
 now owns property on several streets. 
 
 In Canada, on May 6. 1850, Mr. Bennett was
 
 480 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 united in marriage with Miss Ann, daughter of 
 Robert Bye. She bore him six cliildren. four of 
 whom lire now living. They are: Mrs. Wolgaraott, 
 oftliiscity; Charles, a railroad man, whose home 
 is in Denver. Colo.; Mrs. Kent, of this city; and 
 INIrs. Wilton, whose husband is with her father in 
 business. After a happy wedded life of more 
 than twenty years, the devoted wife and mother 
 was ealied hence. In the fall of 1871 Mr. Bennett 
 contracted a second matrimonial alliance, bis bride 
 being Mrs. Mary J. Brown, widow of Orrin Brown. 
 She had borne the maiden name of Perkins and 
 is a native of New Hampshire. She is a notable 
 housewife, an excellent neiglibor, and worthy of re- 
 spect in every relation in life. 
 
 Mr. Bennett cast his first vote in the ITnited 
 States in 18G0, for Abraham Lincoln, and has ever 
 since been true to the Repu))lican part}-. The 
 personal popularity of the man is shown in the 
 fact that he was the onlj' man elected on the Re- 
 publican ticket in 1884, when he became Coroner, 
 and that in 1888 he was re-elected, and is the 
 present incumbent. He is a member of the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity and Druids. He is a member of 
 the Peoria Consistory, having attained the thirty- 
 second degree in masonry. 
 
 ^p^EORGE S. PURSELL. Among the well- 
 11 (=, known and highly esteemed residents of 
 ""^S^ Brimtield rownship active in the society 
 
 the well- 
 
 f 
 
 ty 
 
 of their locality, interested in the elevation of the 
 people and the development of the country to the 
 utmost, are Mr. Pursell and his good wife who oc- 
 cupy a pleasant home on section 14. Mr. Pursell 
 is a native of West Virginia, born in Ohio County 
 May 7, 1819, and reared to maturity on a farin in 
 the land of his birth. He received a common- 
 school education, mostly under the subscription 
 system in vogue in his native State during his early 
 years, and on the foundation thus laid has erected 
 a superstructure of varied information by means of 
 reading and observation. 
 
 In 1851, with his wife and three children Mr. 
 Pursell emigrated to Peoria County, 111., located in 
 
 Elmwood Township and farmed there some two 
 3'ears. He then purchased one hundred and sixty 
 acres of land on section 14, Brimfield Township, 
 settled upon and improved it. He made of it what 
 it is to-day — a good estate — continuing to occupy 
 it until 1872, when he removed to his present res- 
 idence. He has done much pioneer work, seen 
 much of pioneer life, and in common with many 
 other residents of the county, has endured hard- 
 ships in getting a start in life. An eye witness of 
 the growth of the county for many years, he is 
 proud of his connection with tlie development of 
 her resources and grateful for the prosperit}' which 
 attends him. 
 
 Mr. Pursell has been twice married. His first 
 companion was Elizalieth Johnson, a native of the 
 Ke3'stone State, daughter of Jesse and Jane (Iler- 
 vey) Johnson, with whom he w.as united September 
 14. 1841. Of this union there were born six chil- 
 dren — Johnson, George, James E., Lizzie, Theo- 
 dore II. and William. Lizzie is now the wife of 
 R. G. Brooks, living in Minneapolis, Minn.; John- 
 son and Theodore H., are the only other members 
 of the circle iiovv living. The mother of this fam- 
 ily died December 14, 1855. During the next year 
 Mr. Pursell was again married, his bride being Miss 
 Sarah J. Flack. She was born in Washington 
 County, Pa,, November 14, 1823, being a daughter 
 of David and Mary (Stockton) Flack, both natives 
 of the Kej'stone State. The second marriage of 
 our subject has resulted in the birth of two chil- 
 dren — John S. and Mary E. — both of whom are 
 now deceased. 
 
 When about eighteen years old the present Mrs. 
 Pursell accompanied her parents to Marshall 
 County, W. A"a., where Mr. and Mrs. Flack died 
 some 3'ears later. Their family consisted of seven 
 children, of whom Marj- and Anr>a M. are deceased. 
 The survivors are Thomas, now living in Hender- 
 son County, 111.; Mrs. Pursell; Elizabeth, whose 
 home is in Brimfield Township; John, residing in- 
 Henderson County; and David, who lives in Mis- 
 souri. 
 
 The parents of our subject were George and 
 Elizabeth (Coulter) Pursell, the latter a native of 
 the North of Ireland and the father probably born 
 in Pennsylvania. The parental family consisteii
 
 ^^^^^ 
 
 ^.=:^^r^=^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 483 
 
 of ten children of whom the survivors are Christy 
 A., George S., Jane and Elizabeth. The first 
 named, now the widow McCoy, occupies the home- 
 stead in Ohio County, W, Va. ; Elizabeth is the 
 wife of Thomas Yates, living in Washington 
 County, Pa,; and Jane, a twin sister of our subject 
 is single and also resides there. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Pursell, of this notice, belong to 
 the Presbyterian Church at Brimfield, in whie'.i 
 Mr. Pursell has served as Elder a number of j'ears. 
 Mrs. Pursell has been a resident in tliis county 
 since 1856, and is therefore almost as well ac- 
 quainted as her husband with the stages of its de- 
 velopment. The}' are now enjoj'ing the fruits of 
 their labors, enabled to cease from the arduous 
 toils of early jears, and surrounded by comforts 
 enjoy the society of kinsmen and friends. 
 
 y;ILLIAM P. GAUSS. The wholesale gro- 
 cery firm of Gauss, Jobst, Bethard & Co., 
 ^ ^ of which the subject of this notice is the 
 senior member, is doing a fine business, occuiij-- 
 ing Nos. 1 U) and 118 Main Street, as successors to 
 S. II. Thompson <fe Co. The new firm commenced 
 business Marcli 1, 1890, and gives employment to 
 eight men outside of the members of the firm. 
 Their promptness and courteous treatment of their 
 customers, together with excellent business ability, 
 are already giving prominence and standing to the 
 company, which is rapidly taking a leading posi- 
 tion among similar interests in the city. 
 
 The subject of this notice is of German birth 
 and parentage, a native of the I'rovince of Wur- 
 temburg, and born July 19, 1812. He emigrated 
 to America with his i>arents in 18S3, when a lad 
 of eleven years, the}' locating first in New York 
 City. Thence they removed to New Jersey, but 
 sojourned there only a comparative!}' brief time, 
 coming in 185G to Peoria, of which Mr. Gauss 
 has since been a resident. He served three months 
 in the army during the late Civil War, as a member 
 of Company E, Eighth Illinois Infantry, and for 
 three years w.as in the Seventeenth Missouri In- 
 fantry, going through the South with Gen. Sher- 
 
 man, and participating in the battles of the Atlanta 
 campaign. At Ringgold, Ga., he was wounded in 
 the arm, but soon recovered, and with this excep- 
 tion escaped the vicissitudes of war practically 
 unharmed. 
 
 After receiving his honorable discharge at the 
 close of the war, Mr. Gauss returned to Peoria, 
 and for five years thereafter was engaged in the 
 grocery business in company with R. A. Scliimpff. 
 At the expiration of this time he embarked in 
 business for himself, locating at Nos. 113 and 115 
 South Madison Street, where he operated success- 
 fully for a period of fourteen years, and until be- 
 coming associated with his present partners. 
 
 Upon becoming a voting citizen Mr. Gau.ss iden- 
 tified himself with the Republican party, and has 
 been somewhat prominent in local affairs, repre- 
 senting at the present time the Second Ward in 
 the City Council. He is a member in good stand- 
 ing of the Grand Army of the Republic, also of 
 the Independent Order of the Mutual Aid Society, 
 and Tribe No. 53, Improved Order of Red Men. 
 He is recognized as one of the leaders among his 
 countrymen, who form a large portion of the re- 
 liable and substantial element of Peoria. Mr. 
 Gauss w.as married October 31, 18()7, in I'eoria, to 
 Miss Louisa Potthoff. Mrs. Gauss like her hus- 
 band is of German birth and parentage, born in 
 North Germany, and came to America with her 
 mother when a child. The seven bright children 
 of this union are named respectively: William F., 
 Sophia, Julia, Matilda, Ida., Louis J. and Clara. 
 They are all at home witli their [larenls, who in- 
 tend that they shall be given all the advantages, 
 eilucational and otherwise, within their power. 
 
 A lithographic portrait of Mr. (iauss accom- 
 panies this record of the principal events of his 
 life. 
 
 OBERT ELLIOTT CAMPBELL. Radnor 
 Township contains no belter example of 
 quiet, efficient pursuit of an agricultural 
 calling than that afforded by our subject. 
 Early in life he determined to become a farmer, 
 and giving all the strength of liis mind to bccom-
 
 484 
 
 PORTRAIT A>'D BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ing proficient in his chosen work, he has succeeded 
 well, having an estate which, although not so large 
 as some, produces abuudantl\- of various crops in 
 their season, and is furnished with such improve- 
 ments as make it a place of most attractive appear- 
 ance and a home of great comfort. It consists of 
 two hundred and forty acres on section 36. 
 
 Mr. Campbell is a descendant of two Peans}-lva- 
 nia families of great respectability, his parents 
 being Robert and Catherine (Fasnacht) Campbell, 
 who spent several j-ears after their marriage in 
 their native State. In 1840 they came West, re- 
 siding in Peoria for a short time, and then remov- 
 ing to Richwood Township, this county, changing 
 their residence to Radnor Township in 1S45. Set- 
 tling on section 36, they continued to reside there 
 until the early part of the '80s., when they removed 
 to California, the husband and father dying there 
 April 23. 18110. The widowed motiier is still 
 living. 
 
 The parental family consisted of eight sons and 
 two daughters, the surviving members being Will- 
 iam W., a resident of California ; Margaret C, widow 
 of Horace Ferris, of California; Robert E., the 
 subject of this sketch; Hattie R. ; Caleb B., resid- 
 ing in Los Angeles, Cal.; David F.. also living in 
 the Golden State, and Charles C, who likewise re- 
 sides there. The deceased children died j'oung, 
 with the exception of John F., who gave his life 
 for his country, having been killed at the siege of 
 Vicksburg. He w.as a member of Company A, 
 Sevent3'-seventh Illinois Infantry. 
 
 The subject of this notice w.is born in Richwood 
 Township, this county, January 5, 1844, but be- 
 came of age in Radnor Township, where he has 
 spent the greater part of his life. For thirteen 
 years he lived in his native townshii) in the neigh- 
 ■ borhood where his parents resided. As has been 
 intimated, he is one who has attended to his own 
 affairs, not seeking public office or a prominent 
 place among his fellow-men. He is sufHcientlj' 
 interested in politics to keep himself well posted 
 regarding the issues of the day, voting the Repub- 
 lican ticket whenever election day comes around. 
 He is a man of decided public spirit, deeplj' in- 
 terested in the [irogress of education, every bene- 
 volent work, and all which will increase the mate- 
 
 rial prosperity of the countr3'. His private character 
 is an upright one, his disposition genial and his 
 manners courteous. He is therefore highly res- 
 pected by those who know him. 
 
 At the home of tlio bride in Medina Township, 
 May 3. 1873, the rites of wedlock were celebrated 
 between our subject and Miss Clara E. Case. This 
 lady is a daughter of Jerome H. and Maria (Howe) 
 Case, both of whom were born in Oswego County. 
 N. Y., but were living in the West prior to their 
 marriage. That event was celebrated in Peoria, 
 after which they settled in Medina Township. Mrs. 
 Case dying there^in April, 1870. Their family 
 consists of five children — Albert N., Charles N., 
 Clara E., Flora J. and Irving J. The eldest and 
 youngest sons live in this township which was their 
 birthplace, and the second son in Radnor Town- 
 ship. The j'ounger daughter is now the wife of 
 E. H. Divelbliss. 
 
 The birth of Mrs. Campbell took place May 30, 
 1849. She received an excellent education, and 
 having been carefull3' reared bj' her parents, grew 
 to womanhood in the possession of many womanly 
 virtues and accomplishments. She was formerly 
 identified with the ^Methodist Church, but is now 
 a Presbyterian. She has borne her husband five 
 children, whom the}- are endeavoring to rear in 
 such a manner as to fit them for useful and honor- 
 jible careers. The interesting group bear the names 
 of Robert J., Walter E., Olive M.. Fred C. and 
 Flora M. 
 
 -4- 
 
 -^ 
 
 -4- 
 
 IRAM REED was reared and educated in 
 ]iledina Township, having been born on the 
 old homestead March 20, 1827. He became 
 of age here and has always been a farmer. 
 He now owns a fine estate of three hundred and 
 seventy acres, most of which is tillable, and upon 
 which a full line of substantial farm buildings has 
 been erected, each being sufficiently commodious 
 for the purpose for which it was designed and oc- 
 cupying a convenient location upon the land. 
 
 Mr. Reed was married in Hallock Township to 
 Miss M.argaret Blaud, a native of Shelby County, 
 Ohio, whose natal day was August 22, 1837. She
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 485 
 
 is a daughter of John and Lavina (Ai-mstrong) 
 Bland, natives of Ohio and Kentucky, respectively, 
 who were married in Shelby County, beginning 
 their wedded life upon a farm there. The most of 
 their huge famil}-, of which five daughters and 
 three sons survive, were horn in the county. In 
 181.') they removed to the Prairie State, settling in 
 Ilallock Township, this county, improving a farm 
 upon which they resided until the death of the 
 husl)and anil father in 1865. Mr. Bland was then 
 past middle age. He had made man^' friends dur- 
 ing his residence in this county. His widow is now 
 seventy-three years of age and is living with her 
 children. She has been a member of the Baptist 
 Church since early j-outh and has ever eiiileavored 
 to act in a manner consistent with lur belief. Mrs. 
 Reed, who is the eldest of her parents' children, 
 was nearly of age when the family left her native 
 State. She iiussesses an intelligent mind, is a capa- 
 ble housewife and a consistent Christian. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Reed have been born four chil- 
 (li( II three of whom, John W., T. LaF.ayette and 
 Hiram S., are still inmates of tlie old home. The 
 eldest of these is farming on his own account. The 
 liist born in the family is a daughter, Laura E., 
 now llie wife of William Snyder, who is engaged 
 ill fanning in Guthrie. Oklahoma. The parents at- 
 tend the Baptist Church. i\Ir. Reed is in no sense 
 .•ui iidice-seeker, but is sufticientlv interested in pol- 
 itics to cast his vote on every election day, and 
 eonlinue a firm believer in Democratic (irinciples. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our suliject was 
 Samuel Reed, a native of one of the New England 
 Slates, whose later j'ears were spent in New York. 
 Among the members of his large family w.as a son, 
 Thomas 15., who was reared in the Empire State, 
 and while unmarried settled in Ohio, pursuing the 
 occupation of a farmer, to which he h.ad been bred. 
 He married Frances Wilkinson, a native of the 
 r.uckeye State, whose parents had journeyed thither 
 friim Kentucky, the land of their birth. 
 
 A few years after their marriage Thomas B. Reed 
 and his wife came with teams from Ross Count3-, 
 Oliio, to Peoria County, 111. Their journey w.as a 
 long, tedious, and almost fatal one, the^- having 
 been met by a raging prairie lire, which they es- 
 caped only by seeking low land coveicil with water. 
 
 where they remained unhurt while the flames 
 leaped nearlj' over them. After thus literally wad- 
 ing through fire and water they settled on a por- 
 tion of the unbroken lands of Medina Township, 
 identifying themselves with the pioneers of the 
 early '30s. They lived to build up a good home on 
 section 3, to see .the countrj- fully improveii and 
 thickly populated. They died at a goodly age, Mr. 
 Reed being more than sevent3'-five 3ears old when 
 called hence. He had been quite prominent in the 
 township, having served as Justice of the Peace for 
 some jears. His family' included three sons and 
 four daughters, one son and one daughter being 
 now deceased. 
 
 J~ TCHOLAS SCHADB. This young and en- 
 / terprising farmer and stock-breeder, was 
 J born where he now resides, on section 12, 
 
 Rosefield Township, June 16, 185'J. His father, 
 John Schaub, was born in Germany, learned the 
 trade of a cabinet-maker, and served according to 
 the custom, in the German arm \-. He was the son 
 of Adam and Mary Schaub. having a brother A<iam 
 and a sister Mary, but being the onh' member of 
 the family who came to America. He landed at 
 New Orleans after a voyage of six weeks, and re- 
 mained in the Southern metropolis nine years, work- 
 ing at his trade. He then came to Peoria County, 
 111., locating at Kickapoo, where he married Mrs. 
 Catherine Backes, »wKlug. He then located where 
 our subject resides, living there until his death, 
 March 7, 1877. 
 
 The mother of our subject was born in Germany, 
 March 7, ISlG.to Peter A. and Elizal)eth Klug. The 
 Klu<' family comprised four sons and five daugh- 
 ters, of whom one son and four daughters came to 
 the United Slates. These were John; Sina, Mrs. 
 Blatch; Eliz.abeth, Mrs. Frank Shepherd; Margaret, 
 Mrs. Peter Backes; and the mother of our subject. 
 Catherine Klug married Jacob Backes, with whom 
 she came to the United States in March. 1842, hav- 
 ing spent ten weeks on the way. They located on 
 eighty acres on section 12, Rosefield Township, this 
 county, which they improved, and upon which she
 
 486 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 afterward resided with her second husband. Her 
 first marriage resulted in the birth of four children, 
 two of whom died in Germanj". John and Jacob 
 are living in this county. 
 
 The parents of our subject had five children, he 
 of whom we write being the youngest. The others 
 are Mary E., wife of Adam Keleh. of Kickapoo; 
 Carrie E. who remains on the home farm ; Jolin 
 who died leaving three sons and two daugliters; 
 and Peter, now living in Orient, Adair County, 
 Iowa. Nicholas Schaub received a good common- 
 school education, and being reared on the farm, 
 early became acquainted with its management. At 
 the age of t^venty-one yenrs he began life for him- 
 self, taking charge of the homestead, which in the 
 settlement of the estate fell to him, he also having 
 the care of the family. He makes a speciiilty of 
 thorough-bred Poland-China hogs, doing also gen- 
 eral farming and stock-raising. He is a member 
 of the Catholic Church, to which his mother be- 
 longs, and of which his father w.as a communicant. 
 
 WILLIAM MOFFITT, who is extensively 
 engaged in farming and stock-raising in 
 ^ ^ Chillieothe Township, where he has one 
 of the largest and finest managed farms in all Peo- 
 ria County, represents one of the oldest and best 
 known pioneer families of this part of Illinois, both 
 his father and his father's father having been early 
 settlers of this region, and borne a prominent part 
 in developing the county. Our subject has also 
 been of great assistince in pushing forward the 
 best interests of the community, and is a credit to 
 his native township and county, where he islooked 
 upon with great respect. He is one of the noble 
 armj' of veterans who fought in the late war, 
 whose patriotism and loyal devotion to their coun- 
 try- in her darkest hours saved her from dishonor 
 and disunion. 
 
 Mr. Mottitt was born on his father's old home- 
 stead in this township March 22, 1839. His father, 
 John Moffltt. was a native of Ohio, and a son of 
 John Moffltt, Sr., who was born in North Carolina, 
 of Irish parentage, though some Scotch blood ran 
 
 in his veins. The grandfather of our subject grew 
 to manhood in North Carolina, and at different 
 times learned the various trades of hatter, Iilack- 
 smith and miller, and was thus well prepared to 
 fight life's battles. After his marriage to Miss 
 L3-dia Cox. also a North Carolinian liy birth, he 
 came westward .as far as Ohio, and settled among 
 the pioneers of Chillieothe, in Ross County, where 
 he built a mill which he operated some years. 
 About 1835 or 1836 he and his wife followed 
 their son John to this place, the latter having 
 come here in 1S3I and established a home. John 
 Moflitt, Sr., built up a home, in which he and liis 
 wife spent their declining days in peace and 
 comfort, he rounding out a ripe old age of more 
 than three score 3'oars and ten. and she preceding 
 him in death a few years, d3'ing full of j-ears. He 
 had been reared in the Quaker faith, but marrj'- 
 ing out of the church he was ever after a dis- 
 senter, lie was a good old man. a well-known 
 pioneer and he held a warm place in the hearts of 
 his associates. 
 
 The father of our subject was the third child of 
 a large family of some twelve children, all of 
 whom married and reared families, and in the 
 course of time departed this life. John IMotfltt 
 became of age in Ohio and was there married to 
 Miss ^Largaret Dawson, who was born in Penus3'l- 
 vania in 1805, of Irish parentage. Her parents, 
 after coming to this country, had settled in Penn- 
 S3ivania, whence the3' afterwards moved to Ross 
 County. Ohio, where John Dawson, the fattier, 
 died. His wife Margaret subsequentl3' came to 
 Illinois, and died in this township when an old 
 lady past eighty years of age. After their marriage 
 Mr. and Mrs. Moffltt lived at Richmond Dale, 
 near Chillieothe, Ohio, where he owned and 
 ■worked a grist and sawmill for some 3'ears. In 
 1833 he made a trip to this part of Illinois and 
 secured a location both for a mill site and a home, 
 and in the following year came here with his fam- 
 ily. He became, in the 3'ears that followed, one 
 of the most prosperous and well-to-do of the pio- 
 neers among whom he had settled, and was a con- 
 spicuous figure in developing the great resources 
 of the county. He became a large landowner, 
 and had in his possession about thirteen hundred
 
 PORTRAIT AXl) BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 487 
 
 acres of land, which was in its natural state when 
 he purchaseil it. He lived to see it well improved 
 and under cultivation. In their early life here 
 he and his wife had to endure many hardships 
 and piivatious, and led a life of self-sacrifice in 
 those pioneer times. There were but few settle- 
 ments in tills part of the State, and he had to go 
 away to Chicago for salt and other supplies. He 
 was well known all over the county, and none 
 knew him but to revere and respect him for his 
 great personal worth, and at his death March 1, 
 1 882, at the age of eighty years, he left an un- 
 blemished record as a pioneer and a citizen, and 
 as one who in all the relations of life had been 
 true to himself and to those about him. He was 
 eminent!}' fitted for the pioneer labors that he 
 performed, as he was a man of fine physique, who 
 scarcely' knew a da}' of sickness, and he possessed 
 more than ordinary powers of endurance and en- 
 ergy. His wife, to whom he was greatly attached and 
 who had faithfull}' shared with him his pioneer life 
 and its attendant trials, and had taken an active in- 
 terest in his success, was not long separated from 
 him, her death occurring three days after his. She 
 was a loving wife and a tender, devoted mother, 
 who worked hard to rear a large family. Neither siie 
 nor her husband identified themselves with an}- i)ar 
 ticnlar religious faith, but their creed was ex- 
 pressed in the moral, upright lives that they led. 
 William Mollltt was the youngest but two of a 
 family of nine children, five sons and four daugh- 
 ters, of wiioni six are still living, and but one 3et 
 unmarried. Our subject received his education in 
 the public schools of this, his native county, and 
 was just entering upon a strong, sturdy manhood, 
 wlien the hour of his country's peril called upon 
 him to show his patiiotism, and he was prompt to 
 res])ond. He enlisted in the Seventh Missouri 
 Infantry, .as a member of Comi)any I, commanded 
 by Capt. J. S. C. Roland and Col. John I). Ste- 
 venson. His regiment was sent to the South, and 
 in the long and weary siege of \'icksburg he 
 proved himself to be possessed of the fine soldierl}- 
 qualities of vjdor, promptitude and endurance, 
 and he did good service in many skirmishes. Dur- 
 ing the whole course of the three years that he 
 p.assed in the army he escaped unhurt from ball or 
 
 b.ayonet, and w.as never taken prisoner, and was 
 iihvays ready to'report for duty day or night. He 
 won deserved promotion to the position of Ser- 
 geant, and was honorably discharged at St. Louis, 
 Mo.. June 1, 1864. 
 
 Mr. Moffitt w,as bred to the life of a farmer, and 
 has been activelj' engaged in tilling the soil and 
 raising stock for several years. Eight years ago he 
 came into possession of his present farm, lying 
 partl\- on section IG, Chillicothe Township, and 
 comprising about one thousjind acres of as fruit- 
 ful land .13 is to be found in this locality, forming 
 as it does a part of the alluvial Illinois River bot- 
 toms. The most of it is under cultivation, and is 
 well stocked with cattle, horses and hogs of excel- 
 lent breeds, while substantial, roomy buildings and 
 many other improvements add greatlj' to the value 
 of the place. 
 
 The marriage of ^Ir. Moliilt to Miss Abbie I. 
 Pond was solemnized in this township, and here 
 they have established a very pleasant home, which 
 is rendered very attractive to their numerous 
 friends, or to the stranger who ma}- happen to cross 
 its threshold, by the kind consideration of the 
 hostess for the welfare of her guest and the court- 
 eous hospitalit}' of the host. Their two sons, 
 Philip A. and William R., coin|)lete the household 
 circle. 
 
 Mrs. Moffltt was born in St. Clairsville, Bel- 
 mont County, Ohio, November 22, 1850, to Lam- 
 bert and Penelope (Murray-) Pond, natives respect- 
 ively of New Jersey and N'irginia. They were 
 married in Ohio, but after the l)irth of their chil- 
 dren came to Chillicothe, and settled here on a 
 fami. They lived in this township some years, 
 and then went to Sedgwick County. Kan., and lo- 
 cated some ten miles from AVichila, and there Mrs. 
 Pond died in December, 1888, at an advanced age. 
 Mr. Pond is stUl living, he being now about foui-- 
 score yeais old, and makes his home in Kansas. 
 Jlrs. Mollitt was reared and educated in ()hio, and 
 and was quite a young lady when she came to this 
 State with her parents. She and her husband are 
 genial, social people, and arc among the leaders in 
 the community. 
 
 Our subject's career as a boy and man in this 
 county of his nativity has been such as to jus-
 
 488 
 
 rORTRAlT AND BlOURArHIC'AL ALI5UM. 
 
 tify the coufldence reposed in !jim, and his old 
 friends and neighbors of man^' j'ears standing, 
 some of whom have watched his course through 
 life, will testify to his fine personal character for 
 unswerving integrity, trutlifuluess and unblem- 
 ished honor. 
 
 ^ AMES MONROE has accumulated a hand- 
 some propeit3^ wiiile actively carrying on 
 milling, mining and farming, ami is one of 
 the sulistantial citizens of Peoria Count}', 
 of which lie is a resident of man}- years standing, 
 coming litre in pioneer times, and .<inee attaining 
 manhood ha* made himself very useful in develop- 
 ing the rich and varied resources of this part of 
 Illinois. He has a beautiful home in Limestone 
 Township, his fine residence on the brow of the 
 bluff commanding a beautiful view of the city, 
 witli the court-house about four miles awav. 
 
 Mr. Monroe was born October 11, 1822, in Luz- 
 erne County, Pa., the third son and eighth child 
 of Samuel and Lois (Brown) Monroe. His father 
 was a native of New Yorl<. and after marriage 
 lived for 7uany years in Pennsylvania, whence he 
 emigrated to this State in 1836. On the 22nd of 
 July, that year, with a party of seventeen, includ- 
 himself, wife and eleven children, he embarked on 
 a raft on the Tunkhannock Creek, and going a 
 distance of eiglit miles entered the Susquehanna, 
 down which the little company floated for one 
 hundred and forty n.iles. then proceeded on the 
 same boat one hundred and twenty-eight miles up 
 the Juniata River to Holidaj'sburg, where they 
 crossed the Alleghanies on the great inclined plane 
 railway, of thirt^'-eight miles, to Johnstown. From 
 there they proceeded down the Kissecommita 
 Creek, and as the canal was out of order, they 
 landed and took the same boat below the falls of 
 the Ohio at Louisville, where they took the steamer 
 "Junius" for St. Louis. Mr. Monroe had piloted his 
 own boat through llie rapids, which was considered a 
 very rash act by llie boatmen of those days. At St. 
 Louis the part\- was broken up.as Mr. Monroe's fam- 
 ily was the only one to come in this direction. He 
 
 and his wife and children got aboard the steamer 
 '•Illinois," bound for Peoria, where the}- eventually 
 landed the 5th of September, having been nearly 
 two months on the way. traveling all the time except 
 when it was necessary to tie up and do washing and 
 baking. They found Peoria but a struggling vil- 
 lage of about eight hundred people. The Mon- 
 roes stopped in the village for a fevv weeks, when 
 the father engaged himself to Orin Hamlin to run 
 a mill, which he soon leased and out of which he 
 made a good deal of money. For the first two 
 years the family lived in about the same place, a 
 squatters claim of a small piece of land, on which 
 they erected a shanty in which all lived. Tliesui'- 
 rounding country was in a very uncivilized condi- 
 tion and wild animals were numerous. Mr. Jlonroe 
 has often seen w-olves between their house and 
 town, near where the Catholic Cliureh now stands, 
 and at night many of them w-ere heard making the 
 air melodious with their howls. The father of our 
 subject made his home with him in liis old age until 
 his death, in 1860. In his political views he was 
 a strong Demociat. His name is classed among 
 the honored pioneers of our county, who will ever 
 be held in remembrance for what they did in de- 
 veloping the county. 
 
 Our subject was a lad of fourteen years w-hen he 
 accompanied his parents to their new pioneer home 
 and he grew to a sturdy strong manhood amid its 
 primitive scenes. When twenty-four years of age, 
 he and his brother John purchased the mill, which 
 his father had leased, and operated it together 
 until 18-19, when John went to California, during the 
 gold excitement, and died there shortly after. 
 Mr. Monroe then continued the mill business alone 
 for many years very prosperously, and also exten- 
 sively eng.aged in mining, and has paid consider- 
 able attention to farming. There was a quarter of 
 a section of land with the mill, and our subject 
 bought the most of this after his brother's death, 
 and from time to time has disposed of it at good 
 prices for lots. He still retains, however, twenty- 
 five acres of it, w-hich he has placed under excel- 
 lent cultivation, and has supplied it with all the 
 best improvements. He built his present roomy, 
 commodious residence in 1858, and it is one of the 
 substantial old houses of the county.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALUUM. 
 
 18',) 
 
 Mr. Monroe has l)een tliree times married, his 
 first wife and lliinl wife iiaviiii;- no chiiilren. The 
 maiden name of liis second wife, tlie mollier of his 
 children, to whom he was married in 1857, was 
 Mary E. C'nnnini;han]. Of tlie fonr children burn 
 to onr snbjecl of that union, all are married and 
 well settled in life, ;is follows: John N.. a resident 
 of Morris County, Kan., is married and has one 
 child; Benjamin F., who is married and has one 
 child, owns a farm adjoining; his brother John's; 
 I'lmnia V. is the wife of Daniel Fisher of Peoria, 
 and they have two children; Annie B. is the wi^e 
 of E. J. F'isher, an attorney-at-law in Harper, llar- 
 [)er County. Kan., and they have one child. The 
 mother of these chihlren (lei)arted this life in 
 1869. 
 
 Mr. JMonroe has ever been a man of weight and 
 influence in the count}', whose develoi>ment he has 
 promoted, and he has given an impulse to many 
 an enterprise to advance the growth and best in- 
 terests of his adopted township, and has taken a 
 prominent part in the conduct of pulilic affairs, 
 holding many ollices of trust and honor in the 
 count}-. He was elected Supervisor three differ- 
 ent times, and has been Treasurer of the School 
 F'und fur the townshi|i, and also a mad oHieial. 
 Politically our subject has always voted for a 
 Democratic candidate for (he Presidency, but in 
 county and local affairs he is not bound by party 
 ties. Our subject has never identilitd himself 
 with any church, but is a contirmed s[)iritualist 
 in his religious views. He seeks the good of 
 others and does what he can to elevate hunnnit}-. 
 
 
 'F_^ENRY SCHENCK. It would be hard to 
 / )l) find among the farming community of F^lm- 
 wood Townshii), a man who wields greater 
 influwice or has greater personal popnlarit}- 
 than he whose name introduces this sketch. His 
 life has been marked with no wonderful events, but 
 has been spent in the pursuance of the peaceful 
 calling of a farmer, and in a share in the local pub- 
 lic affairs. His home is upon section 6, where he 
 
 has a fine tract of land, a sul)stantial and attractive 
 residence, and the various improvements which 
 mark his estate as that of a i)rosper()us man. In 
 addition to his real estate, ho is interested in a bank 
 at Elmwood, his entire worldly possessions giving 
 him a rank among the wealthy men of the town- 
 ship. 
 
 The natal day of our subject was December 14, 
 18.'?5, and his birthplace Ohio, to which his parents 
 h.'ul removed at an early day. That worthy cou- 
 l)le, Peter P. and Catherine (Johnson) Schenck, 
 were natives of New Jersey, and the father was a 
 farmer. The latter died in 1882, at an .advanced 
 age, but the mother passed away in 1859. They 
 had five children, all now dead except our subject. 
 He received a fair education in the common sc'hools, 
 and ori the home farm learned the best methods of 
 making the soil prochictive of rich results in grain 
 and fruits of the field. 
 
 When twenty-three years old. Mr. Schenck started 
 out in life for himself, receiving some assistance 
 from his father, and thus beginning his career un- 
 der more favorable auspices than man\'. His capi- 
 tal, however, would not have accomiilished much, 
 had he not known how to use it to good advantage, 
 and save, as well as spend, at proper times. He 
 settled upon his present homestead in 1864, and in 
 1874 built the residence that now adorns it, also 
 putting on the various improvements it bears. The 
 estate consists of two hundred and ten acres, and 
 ISIr. Schenitk also has an interest in eleven sections 
 in Kansas. He became connected with the banking 
 firm of Clinch, Schenck & Lott, in 1888, but still 
 gives his personal attention to his agricultural 
 work. 
 
 In 1859 Mr. Schenck led to the hymeneal altnr 
 Miss Maria Cath.arine Kem|), who died in 1867. 
 Her i)arents, David aiul Sarah (Snyder) Kemp, were 
 old settlers in the Prairie State. Mr. Schenck was 
 again married in iMay, 1869, on this occasion be- 
 coming the husband of Mrs. Susan Snyder, nee 
 Selby. This lady, a native of Ohio, is more than 
 ordinarily intelligent, well skilled in household arts, 
 and with a Christian charac'ter that makes her in- 
 fluence felt by all with whom she comes in (contact. 
 The union has been blessed by the birth of four 
 children, two now living. These are Harry, sev-
 
 490 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 eiitcen years old, aiul Edna E., thirteen. Mrs. 
 Stlieiick has one cliihl yet living, hy her first lius- 
 hand. All are well advanced for their years, liav- 
 ing been encouraged to attend school and gain all 
 thej' could of useful knowledge. 
 
 While living in Ohio, Mr. Schenck was a School 
 Director. He is now Supervisor of Elmwood Town- 
 ship. In politics he has always been interested, 
 frequently acting as delegate to conventions, and 
 affiliating wiMi the Democratic party. In a town- 
 ship that is strongly Republican, lie was elected to 
 his present position by the handsome majority of 
 seventj'-five, by which he is very much elated. 
 This fact indicates the I'eputation he enjoys, and 
 which lie hopes to sustain. 
 
 m-- 
 
 jj^ ARTIN KINGMAN. The subject of this 
 sketch is the youngest of a family of foui- 
 boys. His father was from Massachusetts, 
 and his motlier from Virginia. They came 
 to Illinois in 1834, and settled on a farm in Deer 
 Creek Township, Tazewell Countj% where Martin 
 was born April 1, 1844. His father died when he 
 was four j^ears old, leaving his mother with a young 
 family to rear. When fourteen years of age he left 
 liome to earn his living, attending school in the 
 summer and teaching in the winter. By this means 
 he was enabled to acquire a good, practical educa- 
 tion. Wljen eighteen years old he enfered the 
 army as a private in Company G, Eighty-sixth 
 Regiment Illinois Infantry, returning at the close 
 of the war as a First Lieutenant, during that time 
 having never lost a day or been absent from his 
 command, a most remarkable record. Part of the 
 time he was on detached service, being in chaige 
 of the Ambulance Corps, and afterward being As- 
 sistant Quartermaster. 
 
 After his return from the war Mr. Kingman en- 
 gaged in various lines of business until 1867, when 
 the farm machinery firm of Kingman & Dunham 
 was organized. Tliis lirm existed for three years 
 when failure of healtii made it necessary for Mr. 
 Dunham to go to California. The firm of King- 
 man, Hotchkiss & Co., was then organized, and 
 
 existed for two years. The firm of Kingman &. Co., 
 composed of Martin Kingman, C. A. Jamison, and 
 G. H. Schimpff, was then formed. The firm of 
 Kingman <fe Co. prospered so, that in 1882 it was 
 deemed advisable to incorporate it with 1600,000 
 capital. A house was establisiied at St. Louis in 
 1882, and in 1884 a house was established at Kansas 
 Cit}'. These three houses do business throughout 
 tlie entire southwest, west and northwest. Not- 
 withstanding the magnitude of this business, Mr. 
 Kingman has identified himself with other large 
 and important enterprises. In 1879, the private 
 bank of Kingman, Blossom & Co., was organized, 
 and continued until 1884, when it was succeeded 
 by the Central National Bank, of which Mr. King- 
 man is President and a large stockholder. He is 
 also President .and a large stockholder of the 
 National Hotel Company, being one of the prime 
 movers in its organization. The National Hotel 
 is one of the finest iiotels in the West. He is Presi- 
 dent and a large stockholder of the Peoria Cordage 
 Company, which was organized in 1888. He is 
 Vice-President of the Peoria Electric Light Com- 
 pany. He has served as President of the Peoria 
 Fair Association for two years; he has also identi- 
 fied himself with other large enterprises, among 
 them being the Moline Plow Company, Moline, ill., 
 the Marseilles Manufacturing Company, ^Marseilles, 
 III., tlie Milburn Wagon Company, Toledo, Ohio, 
 being a large stockholder in each. In 1889, he or- 
 ganized the People's Savings Bank in Lower 
 Peoria, and having recently sold that interest he is 
 now one of the organizers of the Peoria Savings, 
 Loan and Trust Company, which will commence 
 Inisiness on January 1, 1891, in the elegant new 
 Young Mens' Christian Association Building,where 
 this bank will have one of the finest banking rooms 
 in the city. 
 
 Mr. Kingman has been a strong supporter of re- 
 ligious objects, being an active member and Trustee 
 of the First Congregational Church for many j-ears. 
 He also devoted a large amount of his time to act- 
 ing as Treasurer oi this church wiille its present 
 handsome building was erected; he also served two 
 terms as President of the Young Men's Christian 
 Association, and while President conceived the 
 idea that the Association ought to some time have
 
 *»\ 
 
 P^o- 
 
 
 !»/ -^.-J '5^ 
 
 "•^.J^* 
 
 "VT^ «^ ■^■^■^ 
 
 S.
 
 roirruAir an'd uioguaphical album. 
 
 493 
 
 :i building tliat would be an ornainent to the city 
 and a credit to the Association. He advocated the 
 desii-alnlily of the lot ou whicii the building now 
 stands, as being the most suitalile plac<^ for such a 
 structure, and to secure this lot, he, with Mr. O. J. 
 Bailey, bought it and held it until the time came 
 when the Association was ready to erect a building. 
 
 While enumerating his business successes, vve 
 must not forget to mention his marriage. lie was 
 married May 21, 18G7, to Miss Kmeline 'I'. Shelly. 
 Four sons and one ttaughter have been born to them, 
 and two sons ancl the daughter are living. 
 
 Personally, Mr. Kingman st.ands very high in the 
 opinion of the people of Peoria, and his reputation 
 is by no means confined to that citj'. Socially, he is 
 very affable and courteous, and makes a favoralde 
 impression at sight. Of course, the immense busi- 
 ness interests, in which he is the controlling spirit, 
 compel him to be a very busy man. Justice and 
 truth com|)els us to state, that he works too much. 
 This is not due to an inordinate desire for gain, but 
 bct'ause he loves progress, lie is as eager in the 
 work of building up some important enterprise, 
 even when his pecuniary interest in it isslight, as if 
 his whole fortune and reputation were staked on it. 
 If he could moderate his zeal and enthusiasm and 
 work less, it might be to his ailvantnge; yet this 
 docs not certainly follow. With his nature, the 
 nearest thing to rest is a change of employment ; if 
 compelled to remain idle, rust would probably' be 
 more dangerous than wear. Mr. Kingman is a type 
 of the keen, pushing, progressive Western merchant. 
 He is a self-made man, and his course in life thus 
 far has been onward and upward. 
 
 INUS SCOVILL. Among the well-known 
 ((^ citizens of Chiliicothe should be noted the 
 ^ gentleman above named, who is enjoying 
 
 the ease and repose won by years of successful 
 effort. He has made his home in the city of Chil- 
 iicothe since the fall of 1887, after having resided 
 in Medina Township more than a iialf century. He 
 has seen the country imi)rove around him and for- 
 cibly contrasts its appearance when he first beheld 
 
 it, in May, 1831, with that which it presents to-day. 
 No one rejoices in the prosperity and high civiliza- 
 tion of this part of the Prairie State more than he 
 of whom we write. 
 
 Before outlining the life work of our subject it will 
 not be amiss to make brief mention of the family 
 history. His father, Linus Scovill, Sr., and his 
 grandfather, Abijah Scovill, were born in Con- 
 necticut. His grandmother. Patience (Wolf) 
 Scovill, visis a native of the same Stale, whence 
 the family removed to Ontario County, N. Y., 
 after the Revolution. Grandfather Scovill was a 
 member of the Colonial army throughout that noted 
 contest. In the Empire State he and those of bis 
 family who were able to assist him, took up pion- 
 eer labors, undergoing the usual i)rivalions and 
 manifesting the hardy persistence to which the later 
 generation owes the comfort of its surroundings. 
 
 Linus Scovill, Sr., was young when his parents 
 removed to the Empire State and there he grew to 
 manhood. He was still quite young when he left 
 home to join the army in the War of 1812, through 
 which he served, as did some of his brothers, 
 though not in the same regiment. After the war 
 had closed he returned to his father. While grow- 
 ing up in Ontario C'uunly, Mr. Scovill became 
 a personal friend of Solomon Spalding, the writer 
 of the Book of Mormon. Mr. S|)alding had no 
 thought at that time that his book would gain such 
 fame and wrote it with no design to deceive, but as 
 a novel in historical style butof imaginative scenes. 
 He referred to this fact in conversation with Mr. 
 Scovill one day, saying that his own head was the 
 scroll and the cellar of the house in whi(^h the^' were 
 boarding, the eaves or place of discovery. 
 
 In the Empire State, the father of our subject 
 married Miss Elizabeth Seely who was born and 
 reared in Goshen. Her parents, Israel and Sarah 
 (Gale) Seely, finally removed to Illinois, the fa- 
 ther dying in this county in August, 1813, when 
 past three-score and ten years old. The mother died 
 in Vermillion County, Ind., at an advanced age. 
 Linus Scovill, Sr., had for some years prior to his 
 marriage been a dry -goods clerk, but after that in- 
 teresting event he turned his attention to farming. 
 He finally removed to Indiana about 1820, making 
 his home in the western part of that State some
 
 494 
 
 PORTRAIT A>'D niOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 eleven years. He then came into Illinois, crossing 
 the Illinois River when Peoria was still known as 
 Ft. Clark, and settling onaG jvernmenl claim which 
 he purchased from John Love in what is now Me- 
 dina Township, this countj-. His claim liad been 
 located by him the year before, during his first trip 
 to this State, which was made with a view of getting 
 out of the country whose people were troubled 
 with milk sickness. 
 
 The Scovill family found themselves in a wild 
 countr3-,4he unbroken prairie traversed chiefly by 
 Indians, but after some j-ears the land was im- 
 proved and beautiful homes built up far and near. 
 Mr. Scovill was a thrifty man who having secured 
 a fine piece of land improved it well, leaving to his 
 heirs a good inheritance. He was called from time 
 to eternitj' November 15, 1840, when somewiiat 
 past fifty-four j'ears of age. He w-as one of the well- 
 known pioneers, honored of men for his manlj^ con- 
 duct and industrious life. His wife survived him, 
 dying in 1863. at the age of about seventj^-three 
 years. She was a member of the Methodist Church, 
 while her husband was a L'niversalist. 
 
 Linus Scovill, Jr., the subject of this notice, 
 was born in Ontario County, N. Y., March 10, 
 1815, and had but recently entered his teens when 
 his father landed in Illinois. The next year the 
 j-outh enlisted as a teamster for the Bi.ack Hawk 
 War and after having fulfilled the duties of his 
 iwsition as long as his services were needed, resumed 
 the agricultural work which he had begun in bo3'- 
 hood. After he became the proprietor of the home- 
 stead he made man^' improvements upon it, ere he 
 left it to remove to Cbillicothe, having one of the 
 finest farms in this section of the countrj'. It com- 
 [n-ised three hundred and twenty' acres on sections 
 21, and 22, Medina Township, was favorably lo- 
 cated, and the seat of a verj' successful farm life. 
 
 At the home of the bride in Cbillicothe Township, 
 Mr. Scovill was united in marriage with Miss Juliet 
 A. Murra3-. This estimable lady was born in Vir- 
 ginia, June 19, 1812, and was quite young when her 
 parents, John and C3'nthia Murrav, removed to 
 Ohio. There her father died, the mother with her 
 six children coming to Illinois in 1846. Mrs. Mur- 
 ra3' spent the remainder of her life in this county, 
 d3-ing at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Scovill in Me- 
 
 dina Township when quite an old lady. Mr. 
 Scovill, although an active local politician is in no 
 sense an office-seeker. He has, however, been elec- 
 ted to most of the local ollices of the township and 
 has carried out the wishes of the people by acting 
 in their behalf. Politically he affiliates with the 
 Democratic party. He and his wife attend the 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 In connection with this sketch arc presented 
 lithographic portraits of Mr. Scovill and his esti- 
 mable wife, who are widely known as pioneers of 
 Peoria Count3'. 
 
 AVID SMITH. The town of Dunlap is the 
 * seat of the thriving business of this gentle- 
 man, who handles general merchandise, keep, 
 ing an abundant su[)pl3' of well-selected goods 
 suited to the wants of the dwellers in the contigu- 
 ous counUy as well as those who reside in the cor- 
 porate limits. Although Mr. Smith wa.s reared on 
 a farm, and spent his earlier years in tilling the soil, 
 he has shown his abilit3' to conduct business enter- 
 prises, being a judicious buyer, a genial salesman, 
 and a capable manager. 
 
 Our subject is a son of the late James Smith, who 
 is numbered among the early settlers of the Prairie 
 State having come hither in 1837, and becoming a 
 resident of this county in 1844. At that time he 
 located in Radnor Township, spending the remnant 
 of his days there, entering into rest in 1872. He 
 married Maria Clevenger, a native of the Buckev'e 
 State, who is now living in Dunlap. As pioneer 
 settlers this worthy couple endured toils and priva- 
 tions, and braved dangers, cheerfull3' bearing all in 
 order to bestow upon posterity a larger extent of 
 cultivated land and a broader civilization. 
 
 The parental family was a large one, consisting 
 of fifteen children, of whom our subject is the eld- 
 est. He w-as born in Champaign County, Ohio, 
 July 13, 1830, and having accompanied his par- 
 ents to this State, attained to manhood in this 
 county, in which he has spent the most of his time 
 since his youth. Having been reared on a farm, he 
 pursued an agricultural career until 1873, when re-
 
 PORTRAIT AM) Bl()i;i{AI'lIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 4 'J 5 
 
 niovina; into Unnlap. he embarked in the stock 
 business. To tliat line of trade lie devoted liis en- 
 ergies some four or Ave years, then turned ins at- 
 tention to grain and lumber, in which he ilcalt 
 aliout eight years. In the meantime he established 
 himself in the mercantile business, to which he is 
 now giving his attention with satisfactory results. 
 
 The estimable woman who presides over the do- 
 mestic economy in the home of Mr. Smith was 
 known in her girlhood as Sliss Martha Chapin. 
 She is a native of the Empire State, but prior to 
 her marriage, was living in Illinois, that event hav- 
 ing been celebrated in this county, Slay 11, 1851. 
 Under her skillful management the dwelling is a 
 place of neatness, good cheer and home comfort, 
 and many are the neighborly deeds of kindness 
 which she finds time to perform. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Smith have had five children, two of whom died in 
 infancy, and Florence when about fifteen years old. 
 The survivors are: Alice, now the wife of Paul H. 
 Harrison; and Ann, wife of Smith Stephens. 
 
 Mr. Smith is a believer in and supporter of the 
 principles of Republicanism. He has filled the 
 oflices of Highwa\' Commissioner and School Di- 
 rector, manifests great interest in the welfare of the 
 community, and the better development of the ma- 
 terial resources which the Prairie State affords her 
 sons and daughters, and lives an upright life. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 ^'REDERICK B. BLANCHARD. The ca- 
 reer of this gentleman, now a stock-shipper 
 IJ^ ~ and dealer in grain at Priuceville, has been 
 one of undeviating integrity and unwearj'ing in- 
 dustry. His labors have been rewarded by a fair 
 share of this world's goods, among his possessions 
 being two residences in the town which is now his 
 home. He is of Southern ancestry, his grandpar- 
 ents having been born in Virginia and his parents 
 in North Carolina. 
 
 (Grandfather Blanchard, whose given name was 
 'I'homas, tilled the soil in North Carolina for some 
 time, then journeyed to Logan County, Ky., on 
 foot with pack horses, passing the remnant of his 
 days there. He became wealth}-, owning a large 
 
 l)lantation. His son, AViliiam 1'., father of our 
 subject, was six years old when taken to Kentucky 
 where he grew to maturity and engaged in fann- 
 ing. He married Mary Earliam, daughter of the 
 Rev. Daniel Barham, who removed from Virginia 
 to North Carolina and later to the Blue Grass State. 
 He subsequently' made an early s(;ttlement in Coles 
 County, this State, dying there at a goodly age. 
 He was a minister of the Baptist Church. 
 
 The father of our subject was opposed to slavery 
 and so in 1819 he removed from Kentucky to Illi- 
 nois, locating in Lawrence County. He bought 
 Government land, farming there until 1836, when 
 he changed his location to Peoria Count}'. Early 
 in the spring he [lurchased one hundred and sixty 
 acres of laud and building a log house brought his 
 family hither in the summer. He was a prosperous 
 farmer, was Justice of the Peace, and the organiz- 
 ing of Priuceville Townshij), with the first election, 
 was held at his house. He finally retired to Prince- 
 ville, where he died in 1868, at the age of seventy- 
 one years. His vvife also died in this place. He 
 was a consistent member of the Christian Church. 
 He and his wife had a large family whose record is 
 as follows: Louise, Elizabeth and Philena, died in 
 Princeville; William K. and Thomas W. in Oregon, 
 and James C. in Washington; Mary A. is also de- 
 ceased, and Daniel H., who lived to be but six 
 years old; John L., Mason M., and Delilah live in 
 Princeville, the hitter being an inmate of the 
 household of our subject; Henry C. is mining near 
 Joplin, Jasper Count}', Mo.; and Jemima, the 
 widow of Benjamin Merritt, lives in Galva, this 
 State. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born near Law- 
 renceville. III., April 3, 1835, and was brought to 
 Peoria County the next year. He was reared on a 
 farm, where he early assisted to break prairie and 
 in other ways add to the worth of the parental 
 estate. His limited educational privileges were en- 
 joyed under the subscription plan, by which schools 
 were kept up in the early days. When twenty 
 years old he purchased sixty acres of land adjoin- 
 ing his father's farm, operating it in connection 
 with work on the homestead until 1866. He then 
 located in Princeville and with bis brother, Mason 
 M., opened a general store which they carried on a
 
 I'JC 
 
 POUTUAIT A^'D HIOGRAPIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 year. Our subject then bought out bis brothei' and 
 uontinued the l)usiiiess alone, pursuing a successful 
 mercantile career until 1883. He then sold out to 
 devote bis entire attention to the gi'ain and stock 
 business, in which be had engaged some j'ears be- 
 fore, lu 1871 be built an elevator and in 1884 
 began buying and shipping stock also. These en- 
 terprises be is still successfully prosecuting. 
 
 Mr. Blanchard worked hard to secure the rail- 
 roads through Princeville, the accomplisbmcnt of 
 his i)urpose costing him much money as well as 
 Ijersonal effort. Time lias shown that his belief 
 that the interests of the town would be much ad- 
 vanced was well founded. He was a member of 
 the first Council in this place and is novv serving 
 acceittabl}' as School Director. His strong adher- 
 ence is given to the Republican party, bis first 
 Presidential ballot having been cast for Gen. John 
 C. FrcTnont. In religion he adheres to the princi- 
 ples iM'omulgated in the Christian Church. 
 
 An important step in the life of our subject oc- 
 curred in Princeville, March 12, 1857, wlien he be- 
 came tlie husl)aud of Miss Amy Reeves. This lady 
 was born in Stark County, October 30, 1838, but 
 reared and educated in Princeville. She is well 
 fitted to discharge the duties which devolve upon 
 her as wife and mother, widle as a member of so- 
 ciety she is highly regarded for her pleasing social 
 qualities and kindly nature. The family of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Blanchard consists of five living children, 
 viz. : Ettie M., Ilattie, William K., Lucius and Lois. 
 Ettie was graduated from the Normal School at 
 Valparaiso, Ind., and became the wife of A. D. 
 Edwards, Supervisor of Princeville Township and 
 a merchant in Monica; Hattie is the wife of Leroy 
 Wear, of Princeville Township, and prior to her 
 mairiage was a school teacher. The other children 
 are at home. The parents have lost three chihlren : 
 EUena, Matilda and Freddie. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Blanchard was Jacob Reeves, 
 a native of New York, who became a resident of 
 Ohio wlien young. He was married near Cleveland 
 to Hannah M. Scofield, likewise a native of the 
 Empire State, but reared in Ohio. About 1837 
 this couple removed to Stark County, III., settling 
 in the spoon of the Spoon River, where Mr. Reeves 
 followed farming and bis trade of a mason until 
 
 his death in 184G. His widow supported and wisely 
 reared her famil3', removing to I'rinceville the 
 year after her husband's death, and dying here 
 under the roof of our subject, in 1888, at the age 
 of seventy-nine years. She was a consistent mem- 
 ber of the Christian Church. Mrs. Blanchard is 
 the sixth of the eight children which comprised the 
 famil3'. Of these James died in Peoria when a 
 young man; John lives in Abilene, Kan.; ;\Irs. Jane 
 Cook, in Lyons County, Kan. ; ]\Irs. Harriet Miller, 
 in Saline County, Neb. ; Benjamin, in Pottawato- 
 mie County, Kan.; Jacob died when an infant; and 
 Mrs. Mary Blanchard lives in KoloUa, Washington 
 Conntv, Kan. 
 
 ACOB HOFFMAN. This gentleman has 
 been for ten years identified with the busi- 
 ness interests of Peoria, furnishing emplo}'- 
 ment for a number of men and adding to 
 the circulation of '•lilthy lucre" by a flourishing 
 traile in cigars and tobacco. He manufactures 
 from six hundred thousand to seven hundred 
 thousand cigars annuall3', furnishing occni)ation 
 for fourteen cigarmakers, besides other help of 
 various" kinds. His business was established in 
 1873, at which time he became a resident of this 
 city. 
 
 Mr. Hoffman is a native of Prastibor, Austria, 
 whei-e he was born October 5. 1849. His parents 
 are Benedict and Barbara (Austria) Hoffman, his 
 father being a general storekeeper in his native 
 land. Some time before reaching his majority 
 young Hoffman came to America, lauding on her 
 shores in 1867. He had already been em[)loyed as 
 a clerk in the hardware business, and in it he con- 
 tinued for a time, locating in St. Louis, Mo. 
 From that city he finally' removed to Peoria, where 
 he has made many friends and acquired a good 
 reputation. 
 
 Mr. Hoffman votes the Republican ticket, but 
 takes no special interest in politics. Outside of his 
 business affairs and his home, his chief enjoyment 
 is in social orders, in a number of which he holds 
 membership. He belongs to the Independent
 
 **" db* ^* xJ^.-f J 
 
 
 RE5.0F 5IEBELD Reents^ 5ec.H. RosefieldTp. Peoria Co.Ill 
 
 .^.^■^^ytir^rtg; 
 
 ''-»^J--,-.-fa>>-'-:^-- 
 
 Store & Residence or, A.U. Potter, EdelsteinJll.
 
 'AN\ym
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 499 
 
 Order of Odd Fellows, the Ancient Order of 
 Inited Woikmen, Red iMen, Cerman Workmen* 
 .Rifle Club and Turners' German School. He was 
 married October 5, 1«7G, to Miss Maggie Lang- 
 jahr. The liappy union lias been blest by the 
 hirlh of one child, I>crtie. 
 
 ^^^-'-'-yy^^-^^— 
 
 AULS. LEITZ. This name will be recog- 
 nized by many readers as that of a rising 
 young architect of Peoria — a man who has 
 already achieved marked success in his line, 
 who bears tlie reputation of an honest, trustworthy 
 business man, and whose private cliaracter is irre- 
 proachable. He is entirely self made, owing his 
 fame and success to his own works, backed by his 
 inherited talent for art, which has been of great 
 benefit in the occu[)ation to which he devoted him- 
 self. We are pleased to invite the reader's at- 
 tention to his portrait, which is presented in 
 connection with his personal sketch. 
 
 Mr. Leitz is a native of Louisville, K}'., born in 
 1858, and belonging to a family which has produced 
 artists and musicians of high re|iute.. His fatiicr, 
 Theodore L. Leitz, was born in Germanv, and was 
 formerly an ofliccr in the German army. He is at 
 present residing in Milwaukee, Wis. He has won 
 fame as an artist, while his eldest son, now United 
 States Band Master at ^\allejo, Cal., has gained re- 
 nown as a musician. The mother of our subjec't 
 was known in her maidenhood as Miss Matilda 
 Scheidemantle. 
 
 When he. of whom we write, was five years old 
 he went to Indianai)olis. where he attended the 
 public schools when he had arrived at a suitable age, 
 afterward pursuing his studies in Lidiana Univer- 
 sity. After leaving college he began the study of 
 architecture under Edwin May, of Indianapolis, 
 one of tiie (irst of American architects. A few of 
 the masterpieces designed by tliis gentleman are the 
 Indiana State Asylum, the State House, the Marion 
 County Court-house, and the Nortliern Indiana 
 State Prison. Y^oung Leitz remained under his tu- 
 telage eight years, imbibing in a great measure the 
 
 architectural conceptions which have made his 
 instructor famous. 
 
 In 1880, Mr. Leitz came to Peoria, at once as- 
 suming a position among the leading architects of 
 th.e place. Ilis works are not confined to the city, 
 but include the Pontiac Reform School building, 
 the hospital at Bloomington, and many other prom- 
 inent structures in the West. A large number of 
 the fine residences in Peoria are due to his cre- 
 ative genius, while the High-School buihling, 
 the J. II. Lee school building, the Reed school and 
 librarj' building, which are pronounced by compe- 
 tent judges to be among the best school buildings 
 of the West, were also- designed by him. 
 
 The culture, refinement and estimable character 
 of Miss Sarah Albs, a native of Toronto, Canada, 
 won the regard of Mr. Leitz, which being recipro- 
 cated, they were united in marriage in 1884. They 
 are the happy parents of two interesting children — 
 Olga and Nita. Mr. Leitz is building an elegant 
 residence on Moss Avenue for a home, which under 
 the control of his wife, will undoubtedly become 
 a favorite resort for the best society of the city. 
 
 7 0HN STURM. Among the early settlers 
 of Medina Township whose life work has 
 been successfully pursued, may be numbered 
 
 / John Sturm, now deceased. He was a fine 
 representative of the hard-working, progressive 
 agriculturist, and of tlie man of studious habits, 
 intelligence and upright character. Beginning his 
 career with a small cai)it;d,'he acquired a landed 
 estate of about thirteen hundred acres, the greater 
 part of which was placed under good cidlivation 
 prior to his death. By reason of his enterprise and 
 interest in the material prospeiity and increase in 
 civilization of this section, he became influential in 
 the community, but not as a politician or public 
 oflicer. He had no desire for olficial honors, being 
 content to act well his part as a private citizen. 
 
 ]\Ir. Sturm was a son of the Buckeye State, born 
 January 2.5, 1817, and had passed his three-score 
 years and ten when called from time to eternity, 
 the date of his demise being February 15, 1888. 
 
 m
 
 500 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Ho had accompanied his parents to Medina Town- 
 ship, this county, where the remainder of his youth 
 was passed and the many years of his active life. 
 In this township he married Miss Elizabeth Dick- 
 ison, who proved a true helpmate to her good hus- 
 band, working hard with hio) to accumulate the 
 fine propert}' in which she now holds her dowry 
 rights. Siie was born in Switzerland Countj-, Ind., 
 November 10, 1825, coming to Illinois with her 
 parents in 1837. She was the recipient of very 
 careful home training and a practical education, 
 and is now numbered among the kind m.-itrons and 
 genial neighbors of the section in whicii she lives. 
 Her beautiful home is gl.adly sought by her ac- 
 quaintances, and many are the social hours spent 
 by them under its roof. 
 
 Mrs. Sturm is a daughter of John and Polly 
 (AVhite) Dickison, natives of the Blue Grass State, 
 of Southern parentage and mixed ancestrj'. Soon 
 after their marriage they located in Switzerland 
 Count}', Ind., among the earl}' settlers. There their 
 seven children were born, three of whom are yet 
 living, all on farms, and two in Medina Township. 
 In 1837 they made the overland journey to Central 
 IIHnois. bringing such articles as were necessary to 
 furnish their home in a new country. They located 
 on a tract of wild prairie whicli they reclaimed 
 from its primitive condition, finally acquiring a 
 large properly. A part of the land upon which 
 Mossville is located belonged to them. Mr. Dick- 
 ison died in 1852 and his .wife about two years 
 later, each having reached the age of sixtj-'flve 
 years. They were highly regarded among the early 
 settlers of the township as honest, upright and hos- 
 |)it<able citizens. ' 
 
 Our subject and his good wife became the parents 
 of eight children. A sou, .lohn, died in the flower of 
 of manhood soon after reaching his majority, and 
 Alvin when four j-ears old. The living members 
 of the family are: Marj-, wife of Frederick Webster, ; 
 a farmer in Champaign County; Wallace, a farmer j 
 in his native township, who married Anna Bland; ! 
 Frank, a farmer in the same township, who married 
 ■Tane Bland, and after her death Elizabeth Schil- 
 watcher; Albert, who married Nanc}' Buttles, of 
 Indiana, and occupies a farm in this county, Mark, 
 who operates and lives upon his mother's farm; 
 
 Laura,wife of William Johnson, a farmer in Wood- 
 -ford County. Mark was first married to Miss Jenn}' 
 Knupp, of Iowa, who died leaving one child, after 
 which the widower married Sena Kruse, of Chilli- 
 cothe. 
 
 \f?OIIN R. HARRISON has been an almost 
 life-long resident of Radnor Township, 
 wherein he has successfully prosecuted the 
 work of an agriculturist, winning from the 
 fertile soil so large a share of its products that he 
 has been enabled while still in middle life to retire 
 from active labors with the prospect of spending 
 his remaining j'ears without undue exertion. He 
 is the owner of a fine property consisting of two 
 hundred and ninety acres, the greater part of which 
 is ou section 10. Radnor Township. The estate is 
 now rented. 
 
 Mr. Harrison was born in Hampshire County, 
 W. Ya.. where his parents had settled immediately 
 after their marriage. His mother, Mary Susan 
 (Evans) Harrison, was a native of that State, and 
 his father, James Harrison, wjis born in England. 
 In 1834 the worth }• couple removed to Peoria 
 County, III., settling in Rosefield Township, later 
 rcsiiling in Princeville Towushi)), and still later 
 in Akron Township. The}' finallj- removed to 
 Henry, Marshall Countj', where they passed their 
 last days. They were the parents of eleven chil- 
 dren, of whom our sul)ject was the eldest. 
 
 The natal daj- of John R. Harrison was June 25. 
 1833. He was therefore but a year old when his 
 parents came to this county, in which he was reared 
 to manhood, acquiring a good education and be- 
 coming skilled in agriculture, to which he has given 
 his chief attention since youth. In the township 
 in which he now resides he was married, August 
 21, 1855, to Miss Amanda Hatfield, soon after re- 
 moving to Boone Countj-, Iowa, where he and his 
 bride sojourned a short time. Returning to the 
 Prairie State the\- located permanently and until 
 December, 1888, Mr.IIarrison was actively engaged 
 in farming. He has held various offices, his intelli- 
 gence, trustworthiness, and zeal for the public wel- 
 fare, being recognized by his fellow-citizens. For
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 501 
 
 four years he was Township Assessor, an ollice in 
 which he is now serving satisfactorily. As School 
 Director anil School Trustee he has promoted the 
 interests of education, and as an active member of 
 the Republican party has labored for good govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The wife of ilr. Hairison is a native of llie Hoos- 
 ier State and a daughter of John and Phebe (Cod- 
 dington) Hatfield, who settled in this county about 
 1845. After residing in Radnor Townsiiip for a 
 long term of years, they removed to Taylor 
 County, Iowa, d3-ing there some years later. Their 
 family consisted of twelve children, Mrs. Harrison 
 being the fifth in order of birth. She was born 
 June 3, 1835, in Parke County, Ind., has received 
 a good education, is an excellent housekeeper and 
 has been a devoted mother to her offspring. She 
 h.is made manj- and warm friends in the neighbor- 
 hood in which slie has long so resided. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Harrison eleven children have 
 been born, the most of whom are married and oc- 
 cnpj-ing homes of their own. Mar}' S. is the wife 
 of Samuel Lamay ; Ida K., of John Brassfield ; Levi 
 I. married Miss Carrie Manker; Adelia is the wife 
 of Wally Smith; Maggie, of Flavins S. Barrett; 
 Alice, of George Newkirk; Rachel, of George Tay- 
 lor; Lettie and Ella still linger under the parental 
 roof; James II., who was the second child.dicd when 
 about thirteen months old, and Phebe, who was tiie 
 eighth, when two years old. 
 
 ■€~*-^- 
 
 <"•*•=*/ RANCIS A. SWITZER. Among the well- 
 
 Pl regulated estates of Roscfleld Township is 
 one consisting of one hundred and sixt^' 
 acres on section I, wliich under the careful and 
 intelligent control of our subiect, is j'ielding a 
 satisfactory income, wliile presenting an appear- 
 ance of order and comfort attractive to the pass- 
 er-by. The owner of this estate is numbered among 
 the substantial men of this township to which he 
 came in 1871 from Kane County, where he was 
 born November 15. 1852. Having been reared on 
 a farm he earlj- liecame acquainted with all that is 
 necessary to a successful agricultural life, being led 
 
 to prosecute his researches in that direction by a 
 desire to engage in the work of his ancestors. He 
 received a good common-school education to 
 which he has added by reading and observation, 
 now ranking among the most intelligent men of 
 this vicinil}'. 
 
 John W. Switzcr, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Elizabeth, N. J., on the 8tli of August, 1810. 
 When eight years old he went to Canada with his 
 parents who settled near Toronto. He learned the 
 trade of a carpenter, following it in that country 
 until November, 1%37. when, on account of the 
 rebellion in Canada, he and his brother Martin, 
 returned to the United States. Going to Chi- 
 cago Mr. Switzer entered one hundred and sixty 
 acres of land near that city, improving the same 
 and residing thereon until 1SC4. lie then re- 
 moved to Dowagiac, Mich., where he sojourned 
 seven j'ears, after which he settled in Peoria County, 
 of which he is still a resident. His chosen loca- 
 tion was on section I, Rosefield Township, where 
 he now has a fine farm of two hundred and eighty- 
 four acres, all of which he has had thoroughly 
 improved. He lias been blind for more than thirty 
 years. In politics he is a stanch Republican and 
 in religion devoted to the principles of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, having the entire sym- 
 l)athy of his wife, who is also a member. Mi-. 
 Switzer has been so fortunate as to witness several 
 notable events, having in May, lSl6, seen Fulton's 
 first effort to run a steamboat, and in January, 
 1819, seen the first half-mile of canal dug at Al- 
 bany, N. Y. 
 
 The mother of our 3ul)jcct bore the maiden 
 name of Mary J. Gaddis. She was born in Inis- 
 killin, County Fermanagh, Ireland, February 9, 
 1819, being a daughter of William and Deborah 
 (Blair) Gaddis, who were natives of the same 
 county. They came to the United States in 1822, 
 settling in Albany, N. Y. Mr. Gaddis was a 
 minister in the Methodist Flpiscopal Church and in 
 1837 was sent from the Tro^' Conference to the 
 Illinois Conference. He and his wife died in La- 
 Fa3'ette, Stark County, heat the age of sixty-seven 
 and she when sixty-five years old. They had two 
 sons and five daughters, named respectively: Henr}', 
 John, Elizabeth, Keziah, Mary J., Deborah and
 
 502 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Jemima. All reared families except the youngest. 
 Henry died in California; John is now living in 
 Wisconsin and the daughters in Illinois. 
 
 To John W. and Hilary J. (G.addis) Switzcr 
 nine children were born, of whom those reared to 
 niatnritj' are: Charles \V. of Brown County, Minn.; 
 William H., a millwright of Pullman, 111.; Edmund 
 B. of Chicago; George of BrimBeld Townsliip; 
 Francis A., our subject; John S., of Elmwood. 
 William H. was in the Union army three j-ears 
 as a member of Company E, One Hundred and 
 Twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry. George .Sw-itzer 
 was born August 10, 1849, and with the excep- 
 tion of six j'ears spent in a grist-mill in Michigan 
 has lived upon a farm. In 1 870 he came to Illi- 
 nois, locating in Kendall Count}', whence he came 
 to Peoria County in January, 1889, since that 
 time m.aking his home with his parents. On June 
 12, 1870, he married Marj- Ella, daughter of Nich- 
 olas and Mar}- (Hopkins) Congdon. a devoted 
 Christian, a member of the Congregational Church, 
 who was removed from him by death, April 1, 
 1888. She left six children — Albertus H., Arthur 
 E., Martha L.. Ralph, Mary J. and Frances P. 
 
 Grandfather Switzer w.as born in County Tipper- 
 arj-, Ireland, was a bl.acksmilh, wagon-maker and 
 farmer. He married Mary Maurice of Queens 
 County, rearing four sons and three daughters, 
 three of the sons becoming residents of the Prai- 
 rie St-ate. He came to the United States in 1804, 
 si)ending four years in Maine, and eight years at 
 Elizabeth, N. J. His next residence w.as in New 
 York, whence he emigrated to Canada two and a 
 half years later, taking up land in the Dominion 
 and .abandoning his trade for farm life. Having 
 taken an interested part in the Patriot War he 
 was thrown into prison, but having been released 
 in 1838, he and his wife came to Kane Count}-, HI., 
 where he died in 1852, at the age of seventy--four 
 years and his wife in 186fi, at the age of eigiity- 
 four. He w.as a warm person.al friend of the late 
 John Wentworth of Chicago. 
 
 Martin .Switzer, just mentioned, was a son of 
 John Switzer, a native of County Limerick, w-hose 
 first wife, Mary Sparrow, bore him three children, 
 all of whom emigrated to Canada. The second 
 wife of John Switzer was Nanc}- R3-an, who bore 
 
 him nine sons and two daughters, one of these be- 
 ing the grandfather of our subject. The Switzer 
 family is tr.aced to one of three brothers, all officers 
 under the Prince of Orange in 1688, who being 
 sent to Ireland to quell troubles there, remained 
 a resident of the Emerald Isle. 
 
 Grandfather Gaddis w.as the first of his family 
 to come to the United States. His parents were 
 Henry and Eliza (Hicks) Gaddis, natives of Ire- 
 land to which a former generation of the Gaddis 
 family liad been driven from Scotl.and during re- 
 ligious dissensions. Three of the brothers of the 
 Rev. William Gaddis, — James, John and Adam — ■ 
 followed him to America. Another brother, Henr}-, 
 was killed in the battle of Salamanca. Spain. The 
 wife of William Gaddis was Deborah Blair, a 
 daughter of Edward .and Deborah (Gaddis) Bl.air. 
 
 ■+-1- 
 
 ^-^ 
 
 ^^.EORGE HOLMES. This young gentleman 
 III ^-, .and his charming wife occupy a ple.asant 
 ^^i^l home in Akron Township, their fertile land 
 being supplied with a full line of adequate struc- 
 tures, such as are needed to shelter the stock, house 
 the crops, and afford comfort to the faniil}-. IIos- 
 pitalit}- is dispensed with a bounteous hand, both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Holmes being genial and social, and 
 having the characters that make their home a fa- 
 vorite gathering place of the intelligent, respected 
 members of the community. Mr. Holmes has al- 
 ready become quite prominent as a progressive 
 farmer and public-spirited man. He is now serv- 
 ing as Township Supervisor for the second term, 
 having been first elected in the spring of 1889, and 
 re-elected in 1890. 
 
 Our subject is the fourth child in a family- com- 
 prising seven sons and three daughters, born to 
 John and Lydia (Chambers) Holme.s. of Medina 
 Township. He was born there December 2, 1859, 
 and reared to man's estate, acquiring a practical 
 education chietly in the common schools. He re- 
 mained with his parents until his marriage, which 
 occurred in Peoria February 21, 1883, after which 
 he set up his own home in KickapooTowtiship. He 
 sojourned there but a year, removing thence to
 
 J 0^-^-€ny^ <f\o .e-^/^tJ^-^
 
 ^^ 
 
 'yi 
 
 f^ 

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL«ALBUM. 
 
 507 
 
 Radnor Townsliip. mikI a twelvemonth later still, to 
 Akron Town?' ip. where he has since been a resi- 
 dent. 
 
 Mr. Holmes led to the h3-meneal altar Miss Effle 
 Keach, daughter of Charles and Marian (Fash) 
 Keach, of Kickapoo Township, whose life history 
 will be found on a page of this Album. The bride 
 wj\s born in that township, January 18, 1863. She 
 had the school privileges in which the Prairie State 
 takes just pride, and stored her mind with useful 
 knowledge, adding to that siie learned at sciiool the 
 domestic and social wisdom that fitted her for the 
 s|iheres of wife, mother, and member of society. 
 She has l)orne her husband one daughter, Nellie 
 M., who is the fourth generation now living in the 
 Keach line. 
 
 The estate of Mr. Holmes consists of eighty acres 
 of fine land on section 23. Prior to his election to 
 the ollice he now holds, Mr. Holmes had filled that 
 (if Township Collector two years in the same Town- 
 ship. He is well posted regarding political matters, 
 his judgment concurring in the princii)les of the 
 Democratic party, to which he therefore gives his 
 suffrage. As he is quite j'oung, the prominence of 
 .Ml'. Holmes in the township proves his ability and 
 popularity, ~and gives promise that as years are 
 added he will become one of the most infiuential 
 men in the count}'. 
 
 >|'ACOB HEPPERLY. Fortunate is the boy 
 who, thrown upon his own resources at an 
 early age, has the skill to do and the strength 
 to endure until he acquires a footing among 
 men; more fortunate he who combines with his 
 manual skill and bodily strength, the moral princi- 
 ples and self-respect that bring with his financial 
 success the esteem of those who know him. Such 
 was the case with the late Jacob Hcpperly of Peo- 
 ria whose portrait we present on the opposite page. 
 He was long an honored resident of the city to 
 which he first came when it was but a frontier set- 
 tlement, and in which, from 1853 until the day of 
 his death, ho hml continuously made his home. His 
 substantial fortune w.'is built up by dint of great 
 
 energy and enterprise, and his life was characterized 
 b3' those sterling qualities and habits that secured 
 the confidence of his fellow-men. 
 
 The natal day of Mr. Hepperly was April 11, 
 1813, his parents, Conrad and Mary (Eckhardt) 
 Hepperl}', natives of Wurtemburg, Germany, and 
 his birthplace Gettysburg, Pa. Ho secured a some- 
 what limited education during his boyhood and 
 learned the trade of shoemaking from his father. 
 At the age of sixteen years ho left his home, and 
 after visiting various places, arrived in Peoria 
 March 19, 1831. His trip w.as not a continuous 
 one, but such as a boy would be compelled to make 
 if obliged to recruit his finances on the way. This 
 was done by our subject by plying his trade at 
 various points. He made bis wa}' from Pittsburg 
 down the Ohio and up the Mississippi Rivers to St. 
 Louis, whence he went to Jacksonville, 111., on 
 horseback. 
 
 Feeling the need of a better education, young 
 Hepperlj' attended school in Jacksonville for a 
 time, supporting himself by working at his trade in 
 hours not devoted to study. Upon reaching Peoria 
 he went to work in a cabinet sho|), soon afterward 
 securing emploj'ment with Mr. Moffatt, the miller, 
 for whom he hauled flour to market with an ox 
 team. The persistent industry and frugal economy' 
 of Mr. Hepperly met with their reward and he was 
 finally .able to purchase a mill in Tazewell County. 
 After sojourning there for a time he returned to 
 Peoria in 1853. lie accumulated a fine property, 
 erected a number of houses and several business 
 buildings in the cit3% a gristmill in Woodford 
 County, and some years since retired to enjoy the 
 affluence his efforts had secured. 
 
 Mr. Hepperl}' died February 8, 1888, at his resi- 
 dence in Peoria. He had been a strong robust man, 
 able to enjo}' every reasonable recreation to which 
 his tastes led him, and to assist in the various en- 
 terprises for the pulilic welfare in which his abun- 
 dant means enabled him to take part. 
 
 Mr. Hepperly was married December 6, 1812, 
 to Mrs. Clarissa Meacham, who was born in the 
 Empire State, February- 5, 1810, and began her 
 residence in Peoria in 1833. Soon after the death 
 of Mr. Hepperly she began to exhibit symptoms of 
 mental derangement, finally acquiring the habit of
 
 508 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 leaving her bed at all hours of the night and wan- 
 dering about the premises. Her only daughter, 
 witii whom she lived, slept on a lounge near the 
 door of her a])artnient in order if possible to pre- 
 vent accidents, luit in spite of these precautions the 
 aged lady left the liouse unkni<wn to the family and 
 it is supiwsed committed suicide, as her body was 
 found floating in the cistern. Mrs. Hepperly had 
 lived in Peoria more than fifty 3'ears, had witnessed 
 its growtli, had assisted lier husband in accumula- 
 ting his substantial fortune, but notable to survive 
 the loss which befell iier in the sunset of life, met 
 this sad fate June 23. 1890. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hepjierly were the parents of two 
 children, one of whom is still living. This is Mrs. 
 Harriet C. Hotclikiss. widow of James M. Hotch- 
 kiss, a railroad man who met his death on a train 
 on the Mexican Central Railroad, in INIexico not far 
 from Chihuahua. while acting as conductor, October 
 19, 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Hotchkiss were married 
 April 9. 1868. and became the parents of two chil- 
 dren — Mary T. and Robert J., now grown almost 
 to manhood and womanhood. Their intelligence, 
 good breeding and deep affection, prove a source of 
 consolation to tiieir widowed mother in the afflic- 
 tions which have befallen her in the loss of her 
 trusted companion and the more recent deaths of 
 her revered parents. Although for some years a 
 resident of Central America, at San Jose, Costa 
 Rica, she has more recently been occupying the 
 parental homestead at No. 200 Fourth Street. 
 
 -^-^"« 
 
 ANFORU M. GREEN. This gentleman is 
 senior member of the firm of S. M. Green 
 ifc Co., wholesale and retail fish dealers at 
 the foot of Main >Slreet, and although not 
 an old man, ma}' be called an old business man of 
 Peoria as he has been established here since 1863. 
 For several years he has been interested in real 
 estate, buying and selling quite extensively. His 
 reputation in business circles is good, and by all 
 the patrons of his establishment he is considered 
 worthy of trust. 
 
 Bureau County, 111., claims Mr. Green as one of 
 
 her sons, he having been born there January 8, 
 1840. His parents, George and Mary (Reed) 
 Green, were among the earliest settlers of that 
 county, to which George Green came while yet a 
 young man with his father, John Green, in 1828. 
 His birthplace was near Dover, Tenn., and in the 
 same State his wife was born, although at the time 
 of their marriage she was living in Gallatin County, 
 111. Until within two years of his death. George 
 Green resided in Bureau Ctmuty, his demise taking 
 place in Shelby County, in 1846. The willow and 
 family returne(} to Bureau County the following 
 year and there our subject lived until 1860. 
 
 Soon after the breaking out of tiie late Civil 
 War the subject of this sketch enlisted in Company 
 D, Seventeenth Illinois Infantry, which was sent to 
 St. Louis and wintered at Cape Girardeau. Thence 
 they went into active service, participating in the 
 noted engagements at Ft. Henr}-, Ft. Donelson, 
 Shiloh, Corinth, Jackson, Miss., luka and Bolivar, 
 and enduring the bard marches, the dangers of 
 skirmishing and the monotony of camp life during 
 the weeks and months which intervened. After 
 the battle of Bolivar, Mr. Green was discharged 
 for permanent disability incurred in the service. 
 
 When he could do no more to insure the safety 
 of his country, Mr. Green returned to Bureau 
 County, and in the fall of 1863, came to Peoria. 
 He took up work at his trade in a horse-collar shop, 
 continuing there some two 5'ears. He then entered 
 the fire department, but in 1867, turned his atten- 
 tion to city expressing and freight hauling, which 
 he followed successfully for nineyears, owning and 
 running five teams. In 1879, he established him- 
 self at his present location in the fish trade, which 
 he has built up until his wholesale and city business 
 is larger that of any other dealer here. He imports 
 fish from Wisconsin and various points in the' East. 
 The company has remained the same since the busi- 
 ness was established. 
 
 Mr. Green won for his wife Miss Louisa, daugh- 
 ter of Jacob and Mary (Calhoun) Farrell, old set- 
 tlers of Peoria, at whose home the wedding was 
 celebrated November 4, 1864. After a happy 
 ■ wedded life of nearly twent3'-five years Mrs. Green 
 passed away May 12, 1887. She had borne her 
 husband four children, three of whom have crossed
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 509 
 
 the river of death. Carrie M., the only survivor, 
 still remains with her father. Mr. Green has had 
 little to do with polities, except to cast his ballot 
 with the Republican part}-. He is a member of the 
 Modern Woodmen of America. Although not 
 idenlilied with any religious body, he is a regular 
 attendant of Union Chapel on East Bluff. 
 
 (I/^ON. WILLIAM ROWCLIFFE. It is with 
 )l( pleasure that we trace the history of this 
 prominent resident of Peoria County 
 through the principal events of his past life. 
 We cannot follow it through every changeful year, 
 every devious path, but can only record the chief 
 events in a life that covers a period of three-score 
 and ten years, which since maturity have been 
 passed in useful toil for his family, his neighbors 
 and his country. Although not a native-liorn 
 American, Mr. Rowcliffe is as loyal and patriotic a 
 citi/.en as the broad State of Illinois can boast. 
 During the late Civil War he was active in pro- 
 curing recruits and having himself enlisted did 
 gallant service in camp and field from September, 
 l><(;-2, until July 31, 18G5. At present a resident 
 of .lubilee Township, he is enjoying the comforts 
 which adequate means can obtain and good health 
 will allow, respected by all who know him for his 
 honorable character and years of usefulness. 
 
 Our subject belongs to an old Devonshire family, 
 his father having lived on the skme place until 
 lifty years old. He held parish offices in Swine- 
 bridge, in which parish he was born in 178i). In 
 1.S3G he set sail with his family to found a home in 
 America, and reaching Huron County, Ohio,bought 
 one hundred and forty acres of land on the San- 
 dusky River, on which he continued his olden oc- 
 cupation of tilling the soil. His political views were 
 expref.sed in the platform of the AVhig party and 
 his religious faith by the creed of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. He departed this life July 1, 
 1862, sincerely mourned by manj- friends as well as 
 by the children to whom he had been a kind and 
 considerate parent. 
 
 The wife of John liowcliffc was Grace, daughter 
 
 of Peter Face}-, a Devonshire farmer. She died on 
 the voyage to America in May, 1830. The subject 
 of this notice is the oldest of the parental family. 
 His brothers are John, who died in Ohio in 1847; 
 James, now living in Huron County, that Slate; 
 George, a resident of Akron Township, this county, 
 and his only sister is Mrs. Mary Ann Ford, of Ohio. 
 
 Our subject was born in Devonshire, England, 
 March 12, 1818, reaied on the farm and was the 
 recipient of somewhat limited school privileges un- 
 der the subscription system. He was eighteen years 
 old when the family left Biddcford, England, on 
 the sail-vessel "Ebenezer" which after a stormy 
 voyage finally reached New York, seven weeks 
 having lieen occupied in the passage. He remained 
 with his father in Huron County, Ohio, until he 
 was of age, then began working out by the month 
 and year, continuing his education at night schools 
 and on Sundays. For two or three years he rented 
 a farm, then buying a tract near Nor walk, he im- 
 proved and operated it until the spring of 1853. 
 
 Selling then, Jlr. Rowcliffe turned his footsteps 
 toward Peoria County, 111., to which he had been 
 induced to come by the representations of ac- 
 quaintances, although his original intention had 
 been to settle in Will Count}-, near Joliet. He 
 shipped his goods to Chicago, whence he was con- 
 veyed to Peoria by a team, finding but a small 
 town where now a flourishing city stands. Locating 
 in Kickapoo Township he farmed the James Voor- 
 liees place the first summer, the following spring 
 renting one hundred and sixty acres in Jubilee 
 Township. In 1855 he bought one hundred and 
 sixty acres on section 11, the following year add- 
 ing one hundred and sixty acres on section 12. The 
 land was raw prairie, bare of improvements. It was 
 necessary to use live yoke of oxen on the breaking 
 plows with which the tough sod of the prairies was 
 first turned. Mr. Rowcliffe made various improve- 
 ments upon the place prior to his departure for 
 fields of civil strife. 
 
 Mr. Rowcliffe enlisted in the Fourteenth Illinois 
 Cavalry, was mustered into service at Peoria Janu- 
 ary 7, 1863, as First Lieutenant of Company M, 
 and sent south to join the army of the Ohio in Ken- 
 tucky. The first three months of his active service 
 was during the Morgan raid and after the cap-
 
 510 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 lure of tlie noterl Southoniei- at Buffington Isle, liis 
 regiment was willi (ien. Burnsiile in the East Ten- 
 uossec eountr}'. Tbere the Lieutenant participated 
 in tlie liattle of Walker's Ford, liean Station and 
 Fairdarden. Tlie command was then sent into 
 ('arolina to break up Lidmn squads, in which two 
 regiments ha(] previouslj' been unsuccessfully en- 
 gaged. Jjieut. Rowcliffe was in command of the 
 company most of the lime during this service, 
 which was successful, twenty-one of the Indians 
 being taken prisoners. 
 
 During the Indian raid the First Lieutenant of 
 Company A was killed, and Lieut. Rowcliffe was 
 detailed to bring his body home. After perform- 
 ing that sad duty he was detailed to take recruits 
 from Spring-Held to Nicholasville, Ky., where he 
 mounted and drilled them until June 18G4. lie 
 was next ordered to re-equip and take them to 
 Cleveland, Tenn., having but ten days in which to 
 accomplish that purijose. He had not only to dis- 
 tribute the new stores but to gather up the old un- 
 serviceable ones. After reat'liing Cleveland and 
 transferring the troops and equipments be rejoined 
 his regiment at IJig Shanty. Detailed as an ordi- 
 nance officer on the statTof Col. Cajiron before the 
 battle of Kenesaw IMountain, he laid there and took 
 care of the wounded until July 27. 
 
 AVe next find Lieut. Rowcliffe fighting in Wlieel- 
 er's force during the Stoneman i-aid to Macon. Ga. 
 At Sunshine Church a battle took place and after 
 accomplishing their purpose of destroying tlie rail- 
 road and stores, the brigade passed on. During the 
 night the horse of Lieut. Rowcliffe mired, he w-as 
 obliged to leave the animal and, his comrades hav- 
 ing passed on, to take to the woods alone. It was 
 seventeen d.ays before he reached Atlanta, during 
 which time he was hunted and hounded and spoke 
 with but two persons — one black and one white. 
 He followed the North star for a guide by night, 
 crossing streams on logs and planks, suffering fronj 
 the lack of food and drenched by the rain which 
 fell during the greater part of the time, but to 
 whicli he no doubt owi'd his final escape from the 
 dangers which threatened him. After the second 
 day he had nothing to eat but thirteen ripe peaches 
 which he found on an old plantation, and during 
 the last day of his travel he several times fainted 
 
 from weakness. The first day he was tracked by 
 blood hounds, but having hidden before the dew 
 went off he thus threw them off the scent. The 
 continuous rains and the darki'.ess favored him and 
 he finally rejoined his regiment at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 After a time Lieut. Rowcliffe went to Turner's 
 Ferry to guard Sherman while throwing his armj' 
 about Atlanta. The verj' next morning Gen. Slo- 
 cum sent to Col. Capron to go to Atlanta and act 
 as advance guard for the Twentieth Corps, as he 
 bad no mounted men. Lieut. Rowcliffe suggested 
 the raising of a volunteer company of officers to 
 act as privates in this duty, and securing twenty- 
 four recruits he started for Atlanta. The advance 
 guard was near that city wlien met by the Mayor 
 and officials who announced their readiness to sur- 
 render the place. Lieut. Rowcliffe, whom Gen. 
 Slocum had left in command of the advance, told 
 them to wait for the General who would soon be 
 along, and he with his cavalry dashed on into tlie 
 town which they were thus the first to enter. At a 
 cross street the}- met a rebel squad, there was a 
 cross fire, both parties ran, but the rebels soon gave 
 way before the cavalry. 
 
 Returning to Nicholasville, Ky., Lieut. Rowcliffe 
 w.as remounted and then going to Nashville took 
 his place in the left wing of the Union Army. His 
 brigade was the first struck by Hood's right and 
 for two days ke[>t up a running fight while moving 
 toward Columbia. He was then sent to the left 
 upon Duck River to guard forts there. Hood's 
 force having divided and surrounded them they 
 had to cut their w.aj' out at night, reaching Frank- 
 lin the day before the battle there, after which they 
 lay in the edge of a field a couple of weeks. Then 
 followed the battle of Nashville,during' which Lieut. 
 Ivowcli&'e had charge of the ambulance eor[is of the 
 cavalrj'. The order detailing him for Ambulance 
 Director was issued the day before the battle. The 
 command having followed Hood to Gravelly 
 Springs, had their last fight with him on Christmas 
 day. 
 
 Our subject gathered up the wounded, took them 
 back to Franklin and then went on down the Ten- 
 nessee River. The division being ordered back to 
 guard the Alabama Railroad at Pulaslvi, he left it 
 and rejoined the regiment, although Gen. Wilson,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 511 
 
 then in command, wished him to accompany the 
 division. Our subject liad no receipt for the sup- 
 plies he liad left at Cleveland and was anxious to 
 return there and straigliteu up matters. After 
 getting the receipt he rejoined the regiment at 
 Js'ashvilie, thence accompanied them to Pulaski 
 and there remained on picket turnpike duty until 
 the close of the war. He was thus engaged when 
 the news of the assassination of President Lincoln 
 reached him. Mr. Rowcliffe received a Captain's 
 commission from "Uick" Oglesby, but was dis- 
 charged as First Lieutenant. He was rarely absent 
 from duty, declaring when the doctor told him to 
 go to the hospital that he preferred to die in battle. 
 He passed llirough the various dangerous scenes of 
 his army life without receiving a scratch. 
 
 During the absence of our subject, the farm had 
 been managed by his wife and the boys,upon whom 
 the work of the place had somewhat gained. He 
 took hold with a will, and with his more thorough 
 un<lerstandiMg of the work before them to guide 
 their efforts, an improvement soon took place. A 
 small part of the old place has been sold, the pies- 
 ent acreage of the homestead being two hundred 
 and forty acres. It is supplied with commodious 
 barns, a windmill, and everything in the way of 
 buildings and machinery which will expe<lite the 
 work carried on. The land is fertilized by a creek 
 which flows through it and renders it excellent 
 feeding ground for stock as well as productive of 
 good crops. Mr. Rowcliffe raises a good grade of 
 cattle and sheep, having upwards of a hundred of 
 the latter. lie also raises manj' swine and some 
 horses. 
 
 The wife of our subject was a native of Devon- 
 shire, England, and daughter of the Rev. James 
 Ford, of the IMethodist Episcopal Church, who came 
 to America in 1833, settling in Huron County, 
 Ohio. He bought three hundred acres of land there 
 witli the intention of farming,but died three months 
 after his ariival. His wife. Mary, for whom Mrs. 
 Rowcliffe w.as named, remained on the farm with 
 her children until her death. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Rowcliffe seven children have been born, wiiose 
 record is as follows: .John W. of the firm of Blaine 
 <fe Rowcliffe, dealers in books and stationery, is lo- 
 cated in Peoria; George is engaged in farming, 
 
 owning eighty acres near his parent; James A. is a 
 pharmacist in Peoria; Charles resides in Kewanee 
 where he is Secretary of the Young Men's Clui»- 
 tian Association; Mary J. married Aaron Mollitt of 
 Princeville and died in 188G, leaving two sons; 
 liessie A. is the wife of John Smith, a farmer near 
 Princeville, whose sketch will be found elsewhere 
 in this volume; Celeste I. married A. N. Case, a 
 farmer of Medina Township. All are well educated, 
 (ieorge, James and Charles having been students at 
 Abingdon College, and Bessie A. an attendant at 
 the Normal Scliool in Bloomington, 111. Mrs. 
 Rowclift'e departed this life January 3, 1888, and 
 her remains W'ere deposited in the cemetery at 
 Princeville. 
 
 In 1862, Mr. Rowcliffe was Supervisor of the 
 township, and resigning the position when lie en- 
 tered the army, was re-elected soon after his return, 
 serving several years. He was a member of the 
 Board when the court house was built in Peoria. 
 He has held the offices of Collector, Assessor, etc. 
 He has been School Director for forty years except 
 when in the army and is now discharging the duties 
 of that office. He has been very instrumental in 
 building schoolhouses in this section, one having 
 been erected on his farm. For twenty-four years 
 he has held the oHice of Justice of the Peace. 
 Nominated and elected to the legislature, on the 
 Republican ticket, he served in the Twenty-^iinth 
 session vvhen Elijah Haines was Speaker of the 
 House. Mr. Rowcliffe was a member of several 
 committees, took part in the various discussions 
 and earned the reputation of a man deeply inter- 
 ested in the welfare of his constituency and firmly 
 opposed to everything which savors of bribery or 
 corruption. He is a stanch supporter of the Re- 
 publican party which he h.as served .-js member of 
 the Township Central Committee and delegate to 
 the State and county conventions. 
 
 Mr. Rowcliffe was formerly identified with the 
 Independent Order of Odd-Fellows. He is a de- 
 vout Christian, for over forty years having been 
 a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 for wlii(-h he was licensed to preach in 1842. He 
 was instrumental in organizing the Zion congrega- 
 tion in Radnor Townshif) in which he has held the 
 various offices and is still serving as Superintendent
 
 512 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 of Ibe Sundaj'-school. In erecting their house of 
 worship he bore an important part. It is needless 
 to say that he is held in high esteem by the people 
 and that his excellent views are greatly appreciated 
 by those about him. 
 
 ^\^:-i^-i?:#- 
 
 ENRY RANDALL, is one of the leading 
 manufacturers of brick, which forms so 
 important an interest in this county. He 
 carries on a large business in Limestone 
 where he has an extensive yard which is well sup- 
 plied with all needed appliances. He is a native of 
 Shtliicld, Yorkshire, England, where he was born 
 February 5, 1840. Here he learned the trade of a 
 brick- maker in Sheffield from John Gregory, for 
 whom he worked twenty-one j-ears, becoming one 
 of the most faithful and skillful emploj'es, and 
 gaining a thorough knowledge of the best mode of 
 manufacturing brick. In 1872, he left his native 
 England to take up his residence in this country. 
 After his arrival here he went to Minonk, where he 
 had an uncle in the brick business. E. Goodwin, 
 and he labored in his yards for eleven years. In 
 1883. he came to Peoria, a stranger and prospected 
 for clay till he found that which suited his purpose 
 on section 26. Limestone Township, his long experi- 
 ence and keen eye showing him quickly the value of 
 this plastic earth as a materi.il for brick. He then 
 leased the laud for ten years, and activel3- entered 
 the business for himself, commencing with a small 
 capital which he gra(liiall\- increased till he is now 
 one of the largest manufacturers of brick in Ihe 
 county. His brick are of a superior quality for 
 which he finds a good market, selling to one of 
 the largest contractors in the cit}-, and oftentimes 
 making as many as thirteen hundred thousand per 
 vear. He has three kilns and employs from four- 
 teen to fifteen hands in the yards and about seven 
 teams on the road. 
 
 Our subject was marrieil in England to Miss 
 Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Hill,of Leicestershire, 
 England. This devoted wife accompanied him 
 across the waters, and by her cheerful assistance 
 
 and kindl}' counsel has done much to aid him in 
 
 the upbuilding of their new home. Five of their 
 eleven children are living. Alice is the wife of 
 Robert Hill, one of the merchants of Bartonville 
 and lhe3' have two children; William, is a young 
 man at home, who has acquired the brick-making 
 business; Ada is the wife of John Monroe, a brick 
 manufacturer; Herbert is at home; Albert is the 
 3-oungest of the family. 
 
 In our subject, this township and county have a 
 valuable addition to their citizenship, as he is in all 
 respects a conscientious, fair dealing, business like 
 man, and is a fine representative of one of the prom- 
 inent industries of Peoria County, which his intelli- 
 gent enterprise,and sound practical knowledge of his 
 calling have greatlj' furthered. His neighbors and 
 friends, of whom he has many, find him a pleasant 
 associate who is obliging and thoughtful in his in- 
 tercourse witli them. Politically the Republican 
 party receives his stanch support. He comes of a 
 good old Methodist family and is himself of a sin- 
 cerely religious nature. 
 
 ■^EORGE L. WEATHERWAX. No factor 
 j5^, has been more important in raising this sec- 
 tion of the countrj- to its present condition 
 of solid and enduring prosperiti*, than the citizen 
 soldiers who fought so bravely- and sacrificed so 
 much in the late war, saving the L'uion from de- 
 struction, and at the close of hostilities quietly re- 
 sumed peaceful vocations, and in every walk of 
 life have aided the progress and growth of c)ur 
 great Republic. The subject of this biogra[ihical 
 notice is a representative of that element. Thougii 
 not one of the earliest settlers of Brimfield Town- 
 ship, he is justl}' considered on.e of its pioneers, as 
 he has here developed on section 8. a desirable 
 farm compiising one hundred and tweut3'-five acres 
 of land, which is under excellent cultivation and 
 is provided with substantial improvements. 
 
 Mr. Weather wax is a native of Ohio, born in 
 Holmes County, November 16, 1845. His parents 
 were George and Susan (Craig) Weatherwax, na- 
 tives respectively of New Y'ork and West Virginia.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 513 
 
 He is ihe youngest of a family of ten children, of 
 wliocu the following survive: John, a resident of 
 Indiana; Andrew, living in Brimfield Township; 
 Catherine, wife of T. Patterson, who lives near 
 Des Moines, Iowa; Anna M., a resident of Holmes 
 County, Ohio; Jaeob, living near Mt. Vernon, 
 Ohio; Abram, of Holmes County; and George L. 
 William and Mary are deceased and one cliild died 
 in infancy. 
 
 Our subject was reared on a farm in his native 
 county-, and received his education in the public 
 schools of Ohio, which he did not attend after he 
 was fifteen years old. Although he did not have 
 the advantages afforded the youth of to-day. he 
 has always been fond of reading and is well in- 
 fornie(L He was still a boy when the war broke 
 out and with the ardor of youth and an inborn pa- 
 triotic love of country, he desired to take part in 
 it, and August 17, 1861, had his name enrolled as 
 a member of Company 1!, Sixteenth Ohio Infantrv, 
 which at first formed a part of the Army of the 
 Ohio, and subsequently was assigned to the Thir- 
 teenth Army Corps and later became a part of the 
 Army of the Gulf. Our subject took part in the 
 skirmishing at Cumberland Gap, was present at 
 the battle of Tazewell, Tenn., and with his regi- 
 ment was pursued b)' Gen. John Morgan in their 
 retreat from Kentnckj' to the Ohio River, anil after 
 that was sent as far .as Charlrstown, W. Aa. From 
 there he and his comrades went to Memphis, and 
 joined Sherman's army, which co-operated with 
 Grant at ^'icksburg. and Mr. Weatlierwax took 
 |)art in that memorable siege and was engaged in 
 the battle at Chickasaw Baj'ou, where Sherman 
 w,as nearly defeated, and there our subject was 
 taken i)risoner. December 29, 1SG2. He was after- 
 wards exchanged and with his cor|>s was transferred 
 to the department of the Gulf, and operated on the 
 Texas Coast, taking an active part in capturing 
 Ft. Esperanza. 
 
 Mr. Weatlierwax and his regiment were trans- 
 ferred to the Red River, being sent as far as Alex- 
 ander, where they assisted in building the now- 
 historic dam, that was erected to raise the water to 
 get the guiil)oats over the rapids. They subse- 
 quently fought in the battle of Marksville, La., and 
 in numerous skirmishes of minor importance. For 
 
 more than three years our subject was in the South 
 and underwent all the varied experiences of military 
 life, proving himself to possess excellent soldierly 
 qualities and faithfully (jerforming his duty while 
 defending the old flag, lie was honorably dis- 
 charged October 31. IHGL 
 
 After the excitement of life on the battlefield, 
 Mr. Weatherwax returned to his home in Ohio, and 
 in Februarj-, 18G5, made a new departure, emigrat- 
 ing from there to this county, of which he has been 
 an honored citizen from that time. For some two 
 years he labored as a farm hand. In the spring of 
 1867, he located on his present farm, where he has 
 ever since made his home. 
 
 Our subject was married December 6, 1866, to 
 Marv M. Reed. She was born in West \irginia, 
 January 30, 1846, toWilliara and Margaret (McCoy) 
 Reed, both natives of West Virginia. Iler paternal 
 ancestors are said to have been of Scotch-Irish 
 l)lood, and her maternal progenitors were of Scotch 
 origin. Her father was twice married and b}' his 
 first wife had the following live children : Louisa, 
 wife of J. C. Coe, of Brimfield Township; Angus, 
 who was a soldier and gave up his life for his 
 country in 1863; Mary M.; Martha, wife of J. H. 
 Moore, of Millbrook Township; and Rachael, de- 
 ceased. By his second marriage Mr. Reed had four 
 children, namely: Commodore A., of Jlillbrook 
 Township; James C, of Millbrook Township; Wil- 
 lis J., of Brimfield Townshii); anil Frank W., of 
 Elmwood Township. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Weatherwax have had six children : 
 Margaretta, William A., .Sarah F,, Cora B. (de- 
 ceased). Waiter J., and Mary C. 
 
 Mr. Weatherwax, ably assisted by his wife, who 
 has wisely counseled him and cheerfully helped him 
 in all his undertakings, has accumulated a desirable 
 competence, and has built up a cozy home replete 
 with all the comforts of life and the center of gen- 
 uine hos|)itality. A man of Mr. Weatherwax "s in- 
 telligence, firmness of char.acter and high principle, 
 necessarily exerts a good influence in his commun- 
 ity, and is potent in its public life. So we find our 
 subject occupying various social and civic posi- 
 tions. In June, 1890, he was elected Secretary of 
 the Old Settler's Association of Brimfield Town- 
 ship, and he is also prominently identified with the
 
 514 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Agricultural Association of Fiencli Grove, this 
 county, which he is ably serving as President, this 
 being his fifth term as an incuuibeut of that ortke. 
 lie is or.e of the leading members of theG. L. Foot 
 Post, No. 177, G. A. R. at Brimfield. was the Qrst 
 commander of the Post and served as suc-h success- 
 ivelj' five years and to his energetic administration 
 of its affairs, it owes much of its success as an or- 
 ganization. He has been Township School Trustee, 
 and for a number of years has been Justice of the 
 Peace. He and iiis wife are honored memliers of 
 the Presbyterian Clnirch, which lie has served as 
 Trustee. 
 
 ENRY SHADE. The prosperity of Uiis 
 county is due in no small measure to its 
 active and intelligent agriculturists, who 
 ■* have brought its farming interests to such 
 a high point that it is pre-eminent in that regard. 
 The subject of this biographical review is a worthj' 
 member of the farming community of this section 
 of the Slate, and is the proprietor of a desirable 
 farm on section 18, Millbrook Township. 
 
 Mr. Shade was born in Portage Count}', Ohio, 
 April 25, 1828, his parents, Adam and Marj' 
 (Brener) Shade, being numbered among the pio- 
 neers of that region. His father was a native of 
 Pennsylvania, and his mother was a Virginian by 
 birth. Two of his father's brothers served in tiie 
 War of 1812, and he wished to join the army, but 
 he was too young and the war closed before his 
 ambition could be gratified, although he enlisted. 
 In 1841, the elder Mr. Shade emigrated with his 
 family to Stark Countj- in this State, and resided 
 there about a year and a half, and then joined the 
 pioneers of this county, and bought an eighty-acre 
 tract of wild land in Jlillbrook Township, which is 
 now occupied by Josiah Jaques. He toiled hard to 
 improve it into a farm, that in years became a 
 very desirable |)iece of property, and there his useful 
 career was brought to a close September 22, 1872, 
 at a ripe old age. He was the father of a large 
 family of children, of whom the following survive: 
 Rebecca, the widow of Mr. Shaw of this county; 
 
 Henrj- ; William, a resident of Kansas; .Jacob liv- 
 ing in Kansas: Mary, wife of .Samuel Lambcrtson 
 of Iowa; Elizabeth, wife of James Tofflemeyer of 
 Kansas. 
 
 Our subject was a lad of thirteen years when he 
 came with his parents to their pioneer home in 
 this State. He received the rudiments of his edu- 
 cation in the subscription schools of Oiiio and af- 
 terward attended tlie public schools of this count}-. 
 With the exception of about four jears when he 
 was employed as a car|)enter, he has always en- 
 gaged in farming, having gained a thorougli train- 
 ing on the old homestead from his father, who was 
 a good, practical farmer. He settled on his home- 
 stead in Millbrook Township in 185G and has le 
 sided here ever since. He has a farm of one hun- 
 dred and seven acres, and he may well take pride 
 in the fact that its development to its present fine 
 condition is the result of jiis unremitting and 
 well-directed labors. Its fertile acres yield good 
 harvests in return for the constant care that he ex- 
 pends upon them, and in its well-tilled fields, its 
 neat buildings, and every convenience to operate 
 it to a good advant.age, we find one of the best ap- 
 pointed places in the neighborhood. 
 
 Mr. Shade was first married to Anne Scogill, 
 their wedding taking place Jul}' 10, 1851. She 
 was a daughter of Peter Scogill. By that marriage 
 our subject became the father of one daughter, 
 Elizabeth, who is the wife of Jacob Sneider of Knox 
 County. Mr. Shade was married a second time 
 March 1, 1857, taking as his wife Lucinda Cook, 
 who was born in Switzerland County, Ind,, Sep- 
 tember 13, 1839, Her parents were James and 
 Mary (Cogswell) Cook, natives, respectively, of 
 New England and Kentucky, They were early 
 settlers of the county of her birth, and had four 
 children born to them, of whom Mrs, Siiade and 
 her brother Milton, of that county, are the only 
 survivors. The father died in Southern Illinois 
 in 1842, and her mother in Switzerland County, 
 lud., in 1868. Mrs. Shade came to Illinois with 
 her brother-in-law, Henry GuUioil. and his family, 
 Mr, Shade has found in her an admirable helpmate 
 and all that a true wife should be. ,She is a highly 
 esteemed member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and takes a prominent part in society work.
 
 Ceoroe JLaiie
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 517 
 
 She is also one of the leading members of the El- 
 more Ladies' Aid Sociely, of wiiifh she is Piesi- 
 ilent. 
 
 Mr. ShiuU' is in ever}' respect worlliy of tiio coii- 
 sidoiittion nccordod to him uii ;ill sides, .as he is a 
 man of strict, probity, is manly, just, ami straight- 
 forward in liis relations wilii olliois, and in the do- 
 mestic circle is a devoted hnshand and a wise 
 fatlier. lie lias an inteliiaent knowlediie of politics, 
 and gives sturdy support tf) Rcpidjliean principles. 
 He has served with <>reat etticiency as School Di- 
 rector, lie comes of a iiatriotic family, and two 
 of his lirothers. Jacob and Daniel, were soldiers in 
 the late war. 
 
 Our subject and his wife have been greatl\- 
 lilessed in their wedded life by the birth of thir- 
 teen children, of whom the following ten are living: 
 Clara, wife of Simon Heller of Yates City; Wil- 
 liam, of this county; Mary, wife of Frank Terry 
 of Knox County; James, of F-lm wood Township; 
 Olive, FJIa, Viola, Ida, Elsie and Sylvester. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^^=^P^ORGE J. LANE, one of the oldest settlers 
 (11 ,_— , in Trivoli Township, has resided therein 
 %^J^ since his first year. Although he has 
 passed through many. a hard time and received 
 many a hard knock in the battle of life, he has won 
 success in the accumulation of property, and still 
 better, is held in good repute and is well liked liy 
 those who know him. His fine estate consists of 
 one hundred and sixty acres on section 20, and 
 two hundred and forty acres on section 30, all im- 
 proved except the timber land, and devoted to the 
 purposes of general farming and stock-raising, to 
 the latter of whicli it is well adapted, being situa- 
 ted at the head of Copperas Creek. 
 
 Grandfather Lane, whose given name was James, 
 was the son of an Irishman, and was a farmer and 
 distiller in North Carolina, his native State, until 
 1814, when he removed to Gallatin County, Tenn. 
 There he devoted his attention to farming and 
 stock-raising, holding the office of Sheriff of the 
 countj' several terms. In 1818 he removed to 
 Hamilton County, III., opening up a farm on Gov- 
 
 ernment land, and operating it until he retired 
 from active life, and coming to Pcori.a County, 
 died here at the age of seventy-seven years. Ik- 
 was High Sheriff of Hamilton County. 
 
 The father of our subject, Thomas Lane, was 
 born in North Carolina April 1, 1807. His early 
 3'ears were spent upon a farm, and when of a suit- 
 able age he began working at trades, having a 
 strong inclination for all mechanical employments, 
 and being occu[)ied at different times in carpenter 
 and cooper work. He was married in Hamilton 
 County, this State, and buying a farm, attempted to 
 make a living at agriculture there, but failed. In 
 the fall of 1834 he started for Peoria Count}' with 
 an ox team and covered wagon, bringing his wife 
 and child. He traveled in company with others, 
 camping out by the wayside and reaching his des- 
 tination with twenty-five cents in his i)ocket. He 
 located on section 30, Trivoli Township, buying 
 forty acres and later adding eighty acres. He 
 built a log house, covered with claplioards, and by 
 dint of arduous exertion conquered fortune. 
 
 In 1848 Mr. Lane erected a good brick house, 
 the material for which had been made by him the 
 preceding j'ear. While in Hamilton County he be- 
 gan preaching in the Melhoilist Episcoi)al Church, 
 and after coming to Peoria County he founded a 
 society in his own neighborhood, assisted in build- 
 ing an edifice, and until his death was a prominent 
 member. He became Local Elder, rode many miles 
 to preach the gospel and started numerous 
 churches. He was much interested in township 
 affairs, particularly in educational matters. He 
 died suddenl}-, April 1, 1879, at the age of sev- 
 enty-two years, having been in active life up to 
 that date. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the maiden 
 name of Mary B. Matliis. She was born in Union 
 County, Ky., in 1811. Her father, Martin Matins, 
 a native of the same State, was a farmer. After 
 his death his widow married a Mr. Proctor and 
 came to Illinois. Mrs. Lane is now living on the 
 old homestead ; she has been blind for two years. 
 She is the mother of eight children, our subject 
 being the second in order of birth. The first-born, 
 Marjr J., died in Hamilton County; Lewis M., 
 John M. and Saiah E. died in Trivoli Township,
 
 518 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 this coantj, the date of the latter's decease being 
 1883; William H. resides on section 1, this town- 
 >■■; : Thomas S. in another part of it; and Mrs. 
 V...1A E. Rice at the old home. 
 
 The subject of this biographical sketch was 
 I>om in Hamilton County. Jnlv 27, 1S33. brought 
 to this conntj- when but little more than a year old 
 and reared on the farm. He first attended school 
 when eight years old, the text boots which he used 
 being the old Webster spelling book, the Kew Tes- 
 tament and Pike's Arithmetic, in irhich he passed 
 the Rule of Three, gaining the reputation of an 
 adTanced scholar. The school was in session about 
 six months during the year and, strange to say. 
 was held in a frame building. The lad was early 
 set to work on the farm. Ieamin£ to drive oxen, 
 breaking prairie witli the wooden mold-board plow, 
 grubbing and bearing a part in wolf and coon 
 hunts, husking bees, and fox hunting with hounds, 
 and al^ kiliiug some deer. One of his experiences 
 in early life was killing thirty snakes in au hour. 
 His early home was the log house, which was suc- 
 ceeded by the brick structure which family and 
 friends considered an elaborate mansion. 
 
 Young Lane remained at home until after he 
 had become of age, but when twenty years old be- 
 gan working with his father on shares, getting one- 
 half the proceeds of their labors. He then rented 
 four years, and in 1856 bought eighty acres of the 
 land he still owns, paying #3,000 for the same. 
 Grain was hauled to Peoria and Reed's Landing, 
 and to those places he also diore the hogs and 
 other stock he had to sell. Two years after pur- 
 chasing the property he located upon it, making 
 the improvements, which include CTerything need- 
 ful and convenient. He has added to his real es- 
 tate as circumstances warranted, now finding almost 
 constant employment for five teams on the farm 
 which he ; y soperintends. He raises high- 
 
 ST = r^e =;■ ::■ ;attle, shipping his own stock 
 
 : reding one to three car loads per year. 
 
 His iiO'i>by is raising and feediug hogs, and his 
 
 droves are probably the lai^iest in the township. 
 
 He also deals to some extent in sheep and horses. 
 
 "esides orer the pleasant home 
 
 c ; : : . . _ -. _e his wife February 4. 1858, the 
 
 marriage.being celebrated in this township. She is 
 
 a native of Nicholas County, Ky., came to this 
 section when a young lady, ami, having borne an 
 excellent reputation as Mi^ Mary E. McGraw, has 
 added to her list of friends by her eaimbility and 
 devotion to her family. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Lane became the parents of a 
 large family, comprising four sons and eight 
 daughters. Eldwin M. is married and farming in 
 his native township: Thomas S., a graduate of the 
 Springfield Commercial College, operates a farm 
 of four hundred and eighty acres in Kansas; Mary 
 E. is the wife of Ed. Wells, a farmer in Rice 
 Countv. Kan.: Emily F. died when thirteen months 
 ^ J. is married and residing in this town- 
 iinp; Aimuie A. died May 23, 1878; George H. 
 is working on the home farm ; Amanda T. married 
 Jackson Wright, a farmer in Fulton County; Sa^ 
 rah E.. Ida M., Ada T. and Amy L. are with their 
 parents. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Lane was electetl Justice of the 
 Peace, and has since served continuously, and is 
 also School Director, in which i>osition he has 
 acted for years. He is a Democrat and has been a 
 delegate to county conventions. He is Trustee 
 and Steward in the Metliodist Episcopal Church 
 at Concord, was on the Building Committee when 
 the edifice was rebuilt, and has been Class-Leader. 
 
 A lithographic por&ait of Mr. Lane will be 
 found elsewhere in this Tolume. 
 
 -ww afe niTF 
 
 ^OSIAH JAQUES is one of the foremost of 
 the pioneers who came to this county in the 
 '50s and he h.<is been prominently identified 
 with its agricultural development ever since. 
 He has been pre-eminently succe^ful in the prose- 
 cution of his calling and is one of the largest land- 
 owners and wealthiest citizens of Millbrook Town- 
 ship, where he has his home and is here possessed 
 of a valuable property. 
 
 Mr. Jaques is a native of Richland County, Ohio, 
 bom March 15, 1829, to Santford and Elizabeth 
 (Thomas) Jaques. His father was a native of New 
 York State, the Jaques family being of French ori- 
 gin. His mother was a native of Virginia, her Ca-
 
 PORTRAIT AND lUOGRAPHICAL ALIUM. 
 
 519 
 
 tlier coming from Wales. The parents of our 
 subjoct wcic early pioiiccis of Ohio, and lie ijrew 
 up unckr the inlluences of the prinillive life that 
 the early settlers of that State were obliijed to lead. 
 In the early suhscrij)li()ii schools of Ohio he 
 gleaned a somc»vhat meagre education, as the ad- 
 vantages were not such as the youth of to-(l,iy en- 
 joy, but our subject was a liriiihl intelligent lad. 
 and made good use of his books and observing 
 powers and having read much and thought much, 
 has l<ei)t abreast of the times. He was bred to the 
 life of a farmer, and having a natural taste for that 
 calling, has alw.ays pursued it, and has been more 
 than or<liiiarily prospered. The same ambitions, 
 active sjiiril that led his forefathers to leave their 
 early homes in sunny France, or among the moun- 
 tains of Wales, and cross the waters of the Atlantic 
 to a new and strange country, and in a later day 
 brought his parents to settle in the primeval for- 
 ests of Ohio, animated our subject, and in 18.53, he 
 ventured forth from his earl^' home and came to 
 I'eorua County, and in the spring of 1854, settled 
 on his present farm in Millbrook Township, his 
 residence being on section 18. 
 
 Mr. Jaques first purchased eight}' acres of land 
 here paying $20 an acre for it, it being almost in its 
 original wildness with scarcely' any improvements. 
 His original investment has brought him in large 
 returns, and he is now the owner of six hundred 
 and sixty acres of valuable land, lying mostly in 
 this county. He has placed his property under 
 excellent improvement, has provided commodious 
 and conveniently arranged buildings for every pur- 
 pose, and has all the modern machinery in use on a 
 model farm. The abundant harvests gleaned from 
 his broad acres bring him in a large income and he 
 derives much money from other sources. 
 
 April 17, 1856, Mr. Jaques was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Isabella Pralz. Mrs. Jaques was 
 born in Ashland County, Ohio, and is a daughter 
 of John and Sarah (Wetzel) Pratz, and a sister of 
 the well-known W. W. Pratz, of whom a sketch 
 appears in this work. Mrs. Jaques' parents were 
 pioneers of this county, coming here from Ohio 
 when she was about two j-earsold. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jaques have had eleven children, 
 of whom the following seven are still living: Will- 
 
 iam H., a resident of Brimfield Township; Almira, 
 wife of Charles Craig, of Knox County; Alvira, 
 David, Margaret, Harriet and Mattie. The names 
 of the deceased arc .John, Sarah and Elizabeth, and 
 one child ditd in infancy. Millbrook is indcbteil 
 to no one more than to our subject for the great 
 work that has been accomplished in making it one 
 of the best improved agricultural centers of the 
 county, his activity, far-seeing and intelligent en- 
 terprise, and marked force and decision of character 
 being potent factors in the advancement of its 
 farming interests. He has also pl.ayed an important 
 part in elevating its social and religious status, his 
 generous hand being noted in ever}' scheme devised 
 for the welfare of the community. He is a man of 
 consistent Christian virtues, of a broad and calm 
 outlook on life, and in him and his amiable wife the 
 Christian Church finds two of its most earnest sup- 
 porters. In politics he is identified with the Dem- 
 ocratic party and uses his influence to forward its 
 interests. 
 
 -^ 
 
 ^^ ONRAD BONTZ, Ji;. of Limestone Town- 
 (l( ship, is the son of one of Peoria's early 
 
 ^^r German settlers. The father, Peter Bontz, 
 came to America when a young man from the 
 Kingdom of Bavaria, determined to tr}- his fortunes 
 in the New World that promised protection to all 
 who would take refuge under her banner. Like 
 most of those who sought our shores, he was poor 
 except in health and energy, but witih this capital 
 he set out to make for himself and those he loved 
 a comfortable home, his spirit buoj'ed by hope 
 amid all his discouragements. At Chillicothe, Ohio, 
 he was married to the maiden of his choice, Miss 
 Mary Ann Kauffmann. She had accompanied her 
 parents, Henry and Christina (Fellastean) Kauff- 
 mann, to America a short time before Mr. Bontz, 
 thev having come from the same place as himself. 
 The young couple lived in Ohio for a short time 
 after their marriage, then removing to Peoria 
 County, HI., they made for themselves and their 
 growing family, a pleasant and comfortable home b}' 
 their frugality and close application to business. At
 
 5-20 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the same time tbey managed to give to eacli of their 
 children a good education, b^- which they have 
 been well fitted for the battle of life. Before mov- 
 ing from Ohio thej- were blessed with one daughter, 
 Margaret, who is now the wife of John B. Look, 
 also of a very old German family. This couple 
 now have five children and are among the prosper- 
 ous farmers of the count}-. 
 
 The oldest member of the parental familj' born 
 in Peoria Count}- is Mary Ann. how the wife of 
 II. J. Neumiller, a prosperous ]iver\ man of Peoria 
 and the mother of one child. AVilliam P., the eld- 
 est son, now owns a fine farm adjoining the old 
 homestead, his family including two children. 
 Peter, who is married and has one child, is also 
 h icated on a farm near the old home ; Louie E., a 
 young man of fine education and great promise, a 
 o-raduate of the Normal School at Valparaiso, Ind., 
 is head bookkeeper for a large iron mining firm at 
 Iron wood, Mich., his present salarj' being §100 per 
 month. Conrad, our subject, is the only one of the 
 family left at home, he being the youngest and 
 unmarried. 
 
 Our subject found it necessary at the death of 
 his father, which occurred in 1887, to leave school 
 and take charge of the farm for his mother, who is 
 now well advanced in years. He has been a student 
 in the college at Valparaiso, from which he still 
 expects to be graduated whenever circumstances 
 will allow him to complete the course of stud}" there. 
 He is the possessor of a first grade certificate for 
 Peoria County and has taught several terms in the 
 neighboring schools. He is a young man of very 
 studious habits, with a mind capable of great ac- 
 quisitions, and ambitious to develop his capacities 
 to their full extent. "With his attainments, a strict 
 integrity, and zeal in any calling he may choose, 
 ne predict for him a bright future in the great 
 world which lies before him. 
 
 From the small beginning made by the father of 
 our subject, he was able to rear his family to be 
 come useful members of society and leave his 
 widow in easy circumstances. With the help of his 
 boys, as they became able to assist him, lie reclaimed 
 I'.is estate from the woods by continuous hard la- 
 bor, making it one of the most highly. cultivated 
 farms in the township. He had the satisfaction of 
 
 knowing that he had done his whole duty to his 
 family ere called from time to eternity. He was a 
 son of John and Eva (Sniderfritzer) Bontz. The 
 maternal grandmother of our subject also came to 
 Peoria in 1851, spending the remnant of her days 
 in this neisrhborhood. 
 
 ^^EORGE F. CONKLIN is numbered among 
 (11 (-— the old timers of Elm wood Township, where 
 ^^sll li6 has lived nearly half a century. His 
 home is situated on section 2G, the estate compris- 
 ing one hundred and sixty acres of good land, well 
 improved and nearly all under tillage. The entire 
 place presents an appearance of order and wise 
 management indicative of the enterprise and pro- 
 gressive ideas of the owner, who carries on general 
 farming according to the most approved methods, 
 and who is reaping the reward of his efiforts. 
 
 The parents of our subject were John J. and 
 Calisla (Campbell) Conkliu, natives of the Empire 
 State, in which they were married and continued 
 to I'cside until 1845. They then removed to Illi- 
 nois, setting up their home in Elmwood Township, 
 Peoria Count}', which was still but sparsely settled. 
 There was at that time but one house in Elmwood, 
 and that a log one. A tract of unimproved laud 
 on section 16, became the scene of the efficient la- 
 bors of the husband, to whom farming was a life 
 work. A log house was first built and from time 
 to time, as his means would allow, Mr. Conklin put 
 uj) other buildings and made various improve- 
 ments. 
 
 The parents of our subject were poor when they 
 came to Illinois, having but §10 when they reached 
 here, but painstaking efforts and frugal manage- 
 ment conquered adverse circumstances and tiiey 
 became possessed of a competence. They were 
 members of the Methodist Ei)iscopal Church, w-ell 
 known and highly respected in the community, 
 and the husband was prominent in local offices. 
 He belonged to the Republican party. He died in 
 1876, but his widow still survives, being now sev- 
 ent} -eight years old. She lives with her daughter, 
 Mrs. Joliu Post, on the old homestead. The par-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 521 
 
 ental family consists of three children, of whom 
 our subject is the first-born. Wiliiaui C. resides on 
 section 16, and Adeline is tiie occupant of the old 
 liorae. 
 
 The eyes of our subject opened to the light in 
 Livingston Count}^ N, Y., September 12, 1837. 
 He was reared to the occupation of tilling the soil, 
 his boyhooil being spent in the manner customar_y 
 on new farms and in securing such an education as 
 the common schools afforded opportunities for. He 
 began life for himself when twenty years old, rent- 
 ing and operating farms for several years. In 1861 
 he won as his companion Miss Zerelda Whitney, 
 who has looked well to the waj's of her household 
 and lias as capably managed her department of their 
 affairs as our subject has the matters which per- 
 tained particularly to him. Mrs. Conklin is a 
 daughter of Seva and Hannah AViiitnoy, who died 
 during her childhood. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Conklin bought eigiity acres of his 
 present estate to which he afterward added, making 
 up the quarter-section. The residence was new 
 when he took possession of the property, and u|)on 
 it he lias kept up adequate repairs, surrounding it 
 with other necessary buildings. He h;<s been School 
 Director and Pathmaster, manifesting an earnest 
 interest in the matters wiiich will adcl to the welfare 
 of the community of wiiich he li.as long been a re- 
 spected member. He has alwa3'S been interested in 
 politics and believing that the principles of de- 
 mocracy are best adapted for the national good, he 
 upholds thein with his ballot. lie has been a mem- 
 ber of liie (i range. 
 
 -^ ^^^ ^ 
 
 ,^^AUL HAGERTY. Peoria lias been the 
 ^^^ iiome of this gentlemen since 18.05, and 
 ),! the center of the mechanical labor in which 
 lie enjo3's a liigh reputation. He is a mill- 
 wright, thorouglily understanding his trade and 
 excelled by none in the reliable manner in which 
 all his business tranactions are conducted and con- 
 tracts fulfilled. In the course of thirty-five 3-cars 
 he has had a hand in the construction of numerous 
 mills and distilleries, having built or rebuilt nine- 
 
 teen of the latter in Peoria alone. Every distill- 
 ery in the cit^' except one was erected by him, 
 either alone or in company with a former partner, 
 and the one exception was rebuilt by them. It will 
 thus be seen that the city contains many evidences 
 of his skillful workmanship and capability as a di- 
 rector of others. 
 
 Mr. Hagerty is a native of Venango County, Pa., 
 and the youngest of seven sons and three daughters 
 born to John I. and Ann (Sharp) Hagerty. Six of 
 this family are still living. The natal day of our 
 subject was June 24, 1823. At the age of sixteen 
 years he began learning the art of making pig 
 metal from the raw material, becoming capable of 
 taking charge of a furnace for which he obtained 
 as high wages as $60 per month. Seeing no pros- 
 pect for advancement iu that line of labor, how- 
 ever, he accepted an apprenticeship as millwright 
 at §18 per month. He was twenty-two years old 
 when he began the new trade, after learning 
 which he spent about two years .as foreman of 
 construction on the New York & Erie Railroad. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Hagcrt^' came to Illinois, locating 
 at Ottawa, where he began constructing bridges 
 for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad 
 Company. Three years later he removed t;j Pe- 
 oria where until 1869 he worked witii I. G. Rey 
 nolds, as a millwright. At the date last mentioned 
 he opened business for liimself. The first mill he 
 built was at Kewanee and the second at Pekin. Al- 
 though he is growing ohl in years he still carries 
 on his business, being possessed of abuiidant vital- 
 ity .and enterprise. 
 
 In his political atliliations .Air. Hagert^' has been 
 with the Republicans from the organization of the 
 party. Prior to that time ho was a Whig, his first 
 vote having been cast for Ilenr}' Clay. Of a social 
 nature and benevolent spirit, he has identified him- 
 self with the Masonic fraternity as a channel iu 
 which to exercise those traits. In business circles 
 he is held in good repute for his honorable dealing 
 and mechanical skill, and throughout the city he 
 has many warm personal friends. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Hagerty was celebrated at 
 the bride's home in Peoria May 15, 1856. The 
 lady whom he won as companion and helpmate was 
 Sarah Sloan, a native of Chenango County, N. Y.,
 
 522 
 
 PORTRAIT AKD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 who had accompanied her parents to Peoria in 
 1855. She is an estimable woman who looks care- 
 fully after the comfort of her dear ones, who has 
 carefully reared her children, and is ever read}- 
 to do neighborly deeds of kindness. The family 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Hagerty consists of Samira, wife 
 of Robert Graber; Almon S.; Clara, wife of Les- 
 ter Rose; Sarah Ann, wife of C. P. Tefft; Robert 
 S.; and Harry Guy. The youngest son still re- 
 mains under the parental roof and the others abide 
 in Peoria. Robert holds a position in the Mer- 
 chant's National Bank. Mr. Hagerty and wife are 
 both members of the Baptist Church. 
 
 _ — . — ' W ' l ' S * ^! ' ^" '" ■ — -- 
 
 ^AMES CLARK. The history of this county 
 1 is best told in the record of the lives of its 
 i pioneers, and it gives us pleasure to place 
 '(^ ' on the pages of this Bioguaphical Album 
 these lines concerning an early settler of this part 
 of Illinois, who has passed the best part of his life 
 within the borders of this county, and has done 
 much for its good, and has greatl}' aided in de\ el- 
 oping its resources and in beautifj-ing it. He has 
 here a comfortable home and he has made the 
 grounds around it very attractive b}- the lovely 
 trees that adorn the place, and many of which were 
 planted by his own hands. Some of them have 
 a diameter of from three to four feet through the 
 hutt.and some fine large black walnut trees which he 
 raised from the seed, having planted the nuts, are 
 particularly noticeable. 
 
 .Tames Clark, Sr., the father of our subject, was 
 born in England, coming of a good family, and he 
 received a fine education. As a3-oung man he was a 
 clerk in a bank, and afterward gave his attention 
 to tilling tlie soil, and had under his management 
 a farm of fifteen hundred acres. To a man of such 
 a mind and energetic characteristics, life in a new 
 country had particular attractions, and in 1837 he 
 left his native land and came to the United States, 
 and took up his residence in this county. He 
 shrewdly saw the great fertility of the land on the 
 open prairie and m.ade his settlement on a quar- 
 ter-section, while he rented a home in the neigh- 
 
 borhood, where he lived until he could improve 
 his place. His family lived on tliat place two or 
 three years, and there his death occurred in 1840, 
 and a valualile pioneer was removed from the 
 scene )f his usefulness. When he first located on his 
 land he had to have a plow to break the prairie sod, 
 and he iugeniousl}" contrived one that was a great 
 improvement on an}' that were then in use. He 
 went to a blacksmith in Peoria and had a share 
 and an upright piece made, which he attached to 
 the beam, and to this he added a frame mold, and 
 then fastened them with iron rods on the back of 
 the share, and with this implement he could throw 
 the sod in any direction he wished. Toby & An- 
 derson, who afterward became famous for tlieir 
 plows, when the}' began their business invited Mr. 
 Clark to Peoria to give them his idea of the way 
 tiie jjIow should be made, and the}' followed his di- 
 rections in'evcry respect in manufacturing breaking 
 plows. The first Scotch harrow used in this county 
 was made by them on the origiu.al Scotch harrow 
 plan, they having brought the teeth with them 
 from England. In 1839, or 1840. Mr. Clark im- 
 ported the first grain drill from England that was 
 ever used in Peoria County, and this machine is 
 still on the place and is better than any now in 
 use. At that time it cost him §50 for importing it. 
 The first year after his father's death our sub- 
 ject erected a substantial house on the place, and 
 in 1S4'2 the family moved into it. In the s(iring 
 of the following year the mother, whose maiden 
 name was Isabella Walker, and the oldest sister 
 died, and Mr. Clark soon brought Miss Susan Ben- 
 son to preside over his home. She has been to him 
 a most excellent wife, and her able management of 
 household affairs greatly contributes to the comfort 
 and happiness of her household. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Clark have five children living, as follows: Susan 
 Harriett, at home; Ella G., James Benson, J. W. W. 
 and Cyril B. The three sons are married and well 
 settled in life. The daughters are young ladies 
 of unusual ability and force of character, and are 
 both teachers and writers for Sunday-school papers. 
 James, who is engaged in the lumber business at 
 Oak Park, Chicago, has three children — Ella. Ruth 
 and a baby; William, whose business is putting up 
 elevators, is a resident of Riverside, near Chicago,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 523 
 
 and has a familj' of three children — Douglas, 
 Lucia and Margaret; Cyril is now a student of 
 Champaign College, where he expects to graduate 
 from the engineering department; he is m,arried, 
 and has two children — Grace and an infant. 
 
 Mr. Clark is among our most highly esteemed 
 citizen, and no one knows him but to respect the 
 genuine integrity of his character. He has always 
 been identified with the Republican party, and the 
 family have .adhered to the Church of England 
 and are faithful members of the Episcopal Church. 
 
 I\Ir. Clark's wife was reared in the neighborhood 
 where his father settled. She is a daughter of 
 .John Benson and a sister of the Rev. .John Ben- 
 son, and it gives us pleasure to incorporate in this 
 sketch a notice of the life and work of the latter. 
 He is the beloved rector of St. .James Episcopal 
 Church, and makes his home with our subject. 
 He w.as born in Yorkshire, England, .lune 8, 1815, 
 and was there reared and received some educa- 
 tion. He came to this country in 1833, with his 
 parents, John .and Harriett Benson, and the same 
 year accompanied them to Illinois and settled with 
 them in Edwards County, where they remained 
 until the spring of 1834. The family then came 
 to Peoria County, the Rev. John being a youth of 
 nineteen j'ears, and here he studied law. His 
 father was a lawyer, as w.as also his grandfather, 
 John 15enson, who was a member of the English 
 bar, and their ancestry were of the lords of Eng- 
 land, being all land-holders and members of the 
 Church of lOngland. Mr. Benson, Sr., bought the 
 claim to several pieces of land and settled on one 
 tract that was in Kickapoo and Limestone Town- 
 ships, comprising three-quarters of a section. He 
 was intending to purchase the place at the land 
 sale in 1835, but his death by the .accidental dis- 
 charge of his rifle jnit an eml to his plans. He 
 left a widow and a family of six children, John 
 being the eldest boy. This placed the responsi- 
 bilitj' of the care of the family mainly upon his 
 shoulders, and he took charge of affairs until the 
 death of his mother, which occurred in Se[)tember, 
 1 835. 
 
 In May, 1835, our subject went to (Juinc}' and 
 ln)Ught the land on which the family had the claim 
 ill the name of his mother, and he lived on the 
 
 same place until 18GG, when he sold it. Services 
 were held at his house b^' Bishop Chase, of Jubi- 
 lee, as earl}- as 1830, and were continued there for 
 some ye.ars. Finally, a parish was organized, and 
 in 1845 a fine stone church w.as erected within half 
 a mile of Mr. Benson's home in Limestone. In 
 1843 our subject took a trip South for the health of 
 his wife, and going to Baton Rouge, La., spent the 
 ensuing five years there, and was there ordained to 
 the ministry, he having previously studied with 
 that end in view. Bishop Polk, of that State, pre- 
 siding at his ordination. Coming home, he was put 
 in charge of the stone church in 1852, and occupied 
 its pulpit very accept.ablj' until 1857, when he was 
 called to Farmington to take charge of the church 
 there. For twelve years he w.as engaged in that 
 place. He then removed to this parish, and has 
 been pastor of this church inost of the time since. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Benson was married to Miss 
 Euphemia Clark, daughter of .James Clark, of 
 Limestone, in 1838. She was born in Huntington, 
 England, and came from London to this country 
 with her parents. B}- her death, in 1875, he was 
 bereft of a devoted wife and congenial companion. 
 
 In 1865, as he was broken down in health and 
 his wife was far from well, Mr. and Mrs. Benson 
 crossed the Atlantic to P^ngland to recuperate amid 
 the scenes of his youth, and ten months were passed 
 very pleasantly among his old friends. In 1866 
 they returned to Peoria, and he organized the St. 
 John's ISIission, and had charge of it the ensuing 
 live years. At the expiration of that time he had 
 a call to J^ewistown, the county seat of t^jlton 
 County, and became rector of St. .James Church, 
 which he had oiganizcl some years before. After 
 resigning his pastorate, which had been very suc- 
 cessful, in that city, he returned to Jjimestone, and 
 resumed his old position as rector of the Episcopal 
 Church in this place as before mentioned. 
 
 The condition of the country at the time when 
 the Benson family settled here, and the wonderful 
 change that has since taken place, is well illus- 
 trated by the following account of their journey 
 hither and subsequent events. In the fall of 1833 
 Mr. .John Benson, the f.ather of our subject, rode 
 on horseback over a good share of Canada, Mich- 
 igan and Illinois, and while passing through Chi-
 
 524 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 cago he prophetically remarked that that little 
 trading-post was destined to be the great com- 
 incrcial center of the West. As he passed through 
 Ft. Clark, !ie was enchanted with its site and sur- 
 rounding scenerj-. an<l decided to locate in this vi- 
 cinity. He returned for his family, whom he met 
 ill Cincinnati, and the}" proceeded down the river 
 to Southern Illinois on the return journey, and 
 he there fitted out his wagon with horses and two 
 teams of oxen. Leaving the ox-teams at Vandalia 
 afterward with the household goods, he traveled 
 over the greater part of this State with his wife 
 and children, driving from Canton to Lewistown, 
 and from there to Merchant's settlement, which 
 was tlie starting-point of Farmington. From there 
 the}' drove straight east without any track of 
 any kind over the wild prairies to answer as a 
 guide. 
 
 A man by the name of Handayside was build- 
 ing a log house near the dividing line between 
 Lewistown and Logan Townships, and from there 
 tlie Bensons cuuld by close observation see a track, 
 which led to a spring on a place where Jones had 
 started a farm about six and one-half miles from 
 the city, and tliis became a famous watering-place 
 for travelers along the road between Peoria and 
 Farmington, in the days when they carried produce 
 to market. 
 
 kYMAN SEELYE. The sous of the pioneers 
 of Peoria County ,natives of the soil, who are 
 so closely associated with its present pros- 
 l)eious condition, are finely represented by this ac- 
 tive and capable young farmer and stock-raiser, 
 who is conducting his agricultural interests on a 
 quarter of section 30, Hallock Township, which is 
 as rich a piece .of farming land as can be found in 
 this locality, and under his skillful management 
 yields good returns in rep.ayment of the care, time, 
 and money expended upon its culture. It is well- 
 stocked, is supplied with a set of good buildings, 
 and excellent farming machiner}', and everything 
 about the place is well ordered. 
 
 Our subject is the son of a well-known pioneer 
 of this county, Danford Seelye, who has borne a 
 
 conspicuous part in the development of this region, 
 and is still actively engaged in looking after his 
 extensive agricultural interests in Hallock Town- 
 ship, with whose name and history his own will 
 ever be associated. He and his wife are of stanch 
 New England origin, his birthplace being amid the 
 lovely rural scenery of Vermont, and hers among 
 the beautiful Berkshire hills of Massachusetts, and 
 from their ancestry they inherited those sturdy 
 trails of char.a(;ter that have made them invaluable 
 citizens of the Prairie State, and these they have 
 transmitted in a large degree to their son, of whom 
 we write. 
 
 The subject of this biographical review was born 
 on the parental homestead. August 28, 1857, and 
 here he was carefully trained by his parents to the 
 useful and honorable career that he has since adopted 
 as his life work. He h.as lived on his present farm 
 and successfully operated it for the past five years. 
 This attractive estate was the birthplace of his 
 wife, he having purchased it of her father. 
 
 Mr. Seelye was married at the home of Elder 
 Hick, in this township, to Miss Sar.ali N. Green, in 
 February, 1885. She was born on this farm, her 
 birth occurring January 6, 18G5. She is the daugh- 
 ter of Jefferson and Mary (Nelson) Green, natives 
 of New York and Peoria County, JIL, respectively. 
 They were married in the township of Medina, and 
 later came to this township and bought the home- 
 stead now owned by our subject, and this remained 
 their home until they retired from farming, and in 
 1886 went to Dunlap to reside. There Mrs. Green 
 died in 1887, at the age of forty years. She was a 
 most excellent woman, and a kind and loving 
 mother. Mr. Green is still an honored resident of 
 Dunlap, and is now upwards of fifty years old. 
 Mrs. Seel3'e is one of the youngest of four children, 
 three of whom are yet living, and all married and 
 settled in life. She was reared and educated in 
 this township, and is in all respects a woman of re- 
 fined character and attributes. Her happy wedded 
 life with our subject, has been productive to them 
 of one daughter, Josephine. 
 
 Mr. Seelye is a practical, energetic, thrifty young 
 man. whose excellent capacity for well directed la- 
 bor has already placed him among the substantial 
 men of the township, and we m.ay well say that he
 
 JP /V, Ci^cdJZ^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOORAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 527 
 
 is a credit to his biitiiplace. He and liis wife are 
 sensible, well-informed people, are popular in so- 
 eiet}-, and tbe\' understand well how to make their 
 hospitable home attractive to their friends, of whom 
 they have many, or to the stranger who may chance 
 to cross its tiireshold. Mr. Seelye has never been 
 an office seeker, but takes sufficient interest in poli- 
 tics to support the Democratic party. 
 
 « — ^i,*' 
 
 -5^^- 
 
 -*~r^ 
 
 IIILANDER H. CHASP:. Peoria County 
 ])} numbers among its best citizens manj- who 
 are "native and to the manner born," and 
 we have a fine representative of these in 
 the person of Philander H. Chase, who is conduct- 
 ing extensive agricultural interests in Akron 
 Township, the place of his birth, with the rare 
 judgment, keen intelligence and marked skill that 
 phices him among the foremost farmers and stock- 
 raisers of this locality. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Simon P. and Ann 
 11. (Houston) Ciiase, were among the old settlers 
 of this county, coming from New Hampshire 
 in 1812. making the entire journey from their New 
 England home to the wild prairies of this section of 
 llie county in a wagon. They located in Akron 
 Township, in 1845, and during their lives occupied 
 an important position amongst its pioneers. In the 
 (■()mfortal)le home that thej' built up here the fa- 
 ther died January 9, 1870. The mother passed 
 from earth in Warren County, .lanuary 13, 1875. 
 Tliey had three children of whom our subject was 
 the third in order of birth. 
 
 Se|)tember 18, 1846, w.as the date of the birth of 
 our subject, in the pioneer home of his parents in 
 Akron Township. Here the years of his boyhood 
 and youth were passed, and in the local schools he 
 laid the foundation of a substantial education 
 which was completed by a course of study in 
 Princcville Academy. He has always made his 
 home in Akron Township, and having been bred 
 to agricultural pursuits, he adopted farming as his 
 life work, and now owns a farm of three hundred 
 acres on sections 5. Ifi, 17 and 21. It is replete 
 with valuable improvements, and is supplied with 
 
 buildings of a substantial order; Mr. Chase is just 
 erecting a commodious house, which, when it is 
 completed, will be one of the most attractive homes 
 in the vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Chase was married in Princcville, 111., Sep- 
 tember 14, 1871. to Miss Nannie Calvin, a native 
 of Pennsylvania. She bore him one child who 
 dieil in infancy, and their happj- but brief wedded 
 life was brought to a close by her death November 
 I, 1872. 
 
 Our subject contracted a second marriage April 
 8, 1875, taking as his wife Miss Rachael Smith, who 
 was born in Princcville Township. Their pleasant 
 home circle is completed by their two children — 
 Carrie B. and Forest M. 
 
 Mr. Chase is a man of high principles, is well 
 endowed mentally and physically, and possesses in 
 a full degree those characteristics so essential to 
 success in an}' walk in life. lie stands high in the 
 citizenship of his native county, and to his ac- 
 tive public spirit and the intelligent interest he has 
 always manifested in the welfare of Akron Town- 
 ship, it owes much of its present prosperity. He 
 has held the offices of Highway Commissioner and 
 Township Assessor, discharging their dirties with 
 characteristic fidelity and honesty. In politics the 
 Republican party has his entire allegiance. He and 
 his wife are active workers in the Presb3'terian 
 Church and contribute most generously to its sup- 
 port. 
 
 A lithographic portrait of Mr. Chase will be no- 
 ticed on another page of this volume. 
 
 ■•^-^&-:-#r 
 
 <¥)OnN D. PHARES. This gentleman is a son 
 of a pioneer of this county, and is a worthy 
 
 m 
 
 member of its farming community, the 
 proprietor of a good farm on section 29, 
 Brimfleld Township, where he is prosperously en- 
 gaged in raising grain and stock. He is a native 
 of Butler County, Ohio, born January 3, 1843, to 
 Gr.andersou R.,and Eliza A. (Snyder) Pharcs, his 
 mother now being deceased. 
 
 When our subject was a lad of thirteen years his
 
 528 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 parents emigraterl from their home in Ohio, to this 
 county, the fninily coming Ijy rail with the excep- 
 tion of Jolin, who came by liorsebacl< and assisted 
 in bringing eleven horses to Illinois. His father 
 settled in Brimfleld Townshiii, and after residing 
 in various planes finall)' located on section 22. 
 where he made a permanent settlement. Though 
 he was not the original settler on that place it was 
 still in a wild condition. It was a part of the open 
 prairie and he erected a ln>ard shanty that was of 
 good dimensions, and was cut into four ruoms. and 
 in thi.s the family made their home for a ^number 
 of years. Mr. Pharcs was a pioneer of the town- 
 ship, and did well in ins farming operations, and 
 became a respected citizen of the community. He 
 was the father of a large family of children, of 
 whom the following survive: Joseph, Jolin D., 
 Susan, now Mrs. .lackson ; Henry; Eliza A., wife of 
 Martin Smith; Ellen, wife of George Kotli; Amy 
 A., wife of Cieorge Carr.of Cass County, Iowa; and 
 Katie, wife of Sampson Mnrnan of Nebraska. 
 
 John Phares vvas reared to a stalwart, sturdy 
 manhood in this county amid the scenes of |)ioneer 
 life, and was early called ui)on to assist liis father 
 in the pioneer labors of developing a farm, .and 
 while so doing acquired a good [jractical knowl- 
 edge of farming in its various branches. He re- 
 mained actively engaged with his father till!. e was 
 twentv-iive years old, having received in the mean- 
 time a moderate education in the local schools. 
 The advantages offered him were not such as the 
 boy of to-d.iy enjoys, but he i>aid careful atten- 
 tion to his books when he had an opportunity 
 to go to school, and since then has aimed to keep 
 posted in all matters of general importance. The 
 good iinproveinenls on his farm, which comprises 
 one hundred and twenty acres of highly fertile 
 land under excellent tillage, have all been made b}' 
 himself, and he may well feel satisfied with what he 
 lias accomplished, as from his (ilace he derives a 
 good income and is enabled to support his family 
 in comfort. 
 
 j\lr. Phares has not been unassisted in his labors, 
 but by his marriage in 1858, to Jennie Snyder, 
 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. PhillipSnyder, both now 
 deceased, he secured the active co-operation of a 
 most excellent helpmate. Their pleasant married 
 
 life has been blessed to them by the birth of one 
 
 son, Phillip H.. who w.as born August 23, 1870. 
 
 The perusal of this lirief sketch recording the 
 life of one of Brimfield's most wortliy citizens, will 
 show that all our subject h.as and is, is due to his 
 own exerticjns, that he is, in f.act, one of our self 
 made men, and he has performed a creditaliU^ part 
 in building u\t the township, while he h.as been ac- 
 (piiring his property'. With commendable public 
 siiiril he favors all things to advance the welfare 
 of the community and has been particularly- active 
 in educational matters, serving zealously as School 
 Director. Politically he is a Democrat, and a firm 
 supporter by voice and vote of the policy of his 
 party. 
 
 :^}^— 
 
 ^ OHN WASSON. Millbrook Township's ex- 
 tensive agricultural interests are well repre- 
 sented by this gentlera.an who is one of its 
 most active and progressive farmers and 
 stock-raisers. Though not an early settler of this 
 place he may well be .accorded an honorable posi- 
 tion among its pioneers, as he has done much work 
 in developing its resources. 
 
 He is a native of Cayuga County, N. Y., ))orn 
 May 29, 1833, his parents being George and Sarah 
 (Brewster) Wasson, natives of New York. His 
 father's oldest brother, John Wasson, was a soldier 
 in the AVar of 1812, and our subject's paternal 
 grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier. Our sub- 
 ject grew to a vigorous manhood in his native 
 county, and early adopted farming as his life work. 
 In his youth he liad but little chance to secure an 
 education, but attended school .all that he could, 
 and is mainly self-educated. In 1854 he came to 
 this county, and spent nearly' a year west of Chilli- 
 cothe, and for a time was located in Elm wood and 
 in Briinruld Townships. In the latter place, one 
 of the most inii>ortant events of his life took place, 
 and that was his marrirge November 13, 1856, 
 with Betsey C. Aldrich, a native of Missouri. 
 
 In the spring of 1868 Mr. Wasson came to Mill- 
 brook Township, having been favorably im|n'essed 
 with the many advantages its rich soil offered to a 
 practical, enlightened farmer. He selected a site
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHKAL ALBUM. 
 
 5-29 
 
 on section 14, and bns here built up a commodious 
 home rc'|ilete with eveiy (lesiral)le comfort, lie 
 has here a hirge faru) of three hundred acres of 
 finely-cultivated land, well supplied with improve- 
 ments of a substantial order. In the acquisition of 
 this valuable property Mr. Wasson has successf ullj' 
 demonstrated what a man can accomplish if he 
 works with a determined will, bringing sound, 
 ronnd-about common sense and cool calculation to 
 his labors. 
 
 Hy their marriage Mr. and Jlrs. Wasson have 
 become the (larcnts of a large family of children, of 
 whom the following survive: George, living in 
 Princeville Township; Ella: Samuel; Lillie, wife of 
 .Icwett Uaines, of Stafford County, Kan.; Nettie, 
 wife of ^Villianl Davis, of Duncan ; William, May, 
 Clifford, Delia and Glenn. Louisa F. and Bertha L. 
 are deceased. 
 
 For more than thirtj'-three years Mr. Wasson 
 has lived among the people of this count}', who 
 have ever found him to be a man of the highest 
 moral conduct, who carries on his business affairs 
 with undeviating honesty, and one who has due 
 regard for his word. That he holds the con- 
 (Idence of his fellow-citizens, is shown by the f,act 
 that they have elected him to public ofiices, and he 
 has served faithfully as Township School Director 
 a number of years, was Road Commissioner one 
 tcim, and also has been Director of his district, and 
 he is never backward in his generous help in for- 
 w;irding all schemes for the betterment of the towu- 
 sliip. In politics he is a decided Republican. His 
 wife is a devoted member of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church and they are both active members of 
 the society and do much good work. 
 
 lUSTAV CORNELIUS. This worthy Ger- 
 man-American citizen of Limestone Town- 
 ship, is as well acquainted with the condition 
 of affairs in this county during its early settlement 
 :is any man now living. As will be seen by a pe- 
 rusal of these brief paragraphs, he and his family 
 bore their p:.rtamid tiie toils shared by all families 
 upon the frontier, and lived in themann(!r common 
 
 to tlie settlers before the building of good highways 
 and the introduction of what we look upon as the 
 comforts of civilization. He has been fairly success- 
 ful in a financial sense and has secured what is bet- 
 ter than riches, the thorough respect of those amid 
 wiiom his life lias been spent for many years and 
 who recognize the sterling worth of his character. 
 
 Mr. Cornelius was born in the Fatherland, April 
 30, 1822, anil after having accpiired an excellent 
 education, learned the trade of a miller. lie was a 
 schoolmate of Prince Bismarck, whose power has 
 been felt not oul}' in Germany, but far beyond the 
 borders of the country in which he so long held an 
 exalted position. Mr. Cornelius had not been long 
 in America before he had become a fair reader and 
 writer of English, and so well armed for contact 
 with American citizens. He has been a great reader 
 and year by year has stored up knowledge on vari- 
 ous topics, until he has become one of the best in- 
 formed men one could meet in a (hi\r's journey. 
 
 When twenty-six 3-ears of age Mr. Cornelius bade 
 adieu to his native land, sailed to Quebec, thence to 
 Buffalo, Milwaukee, and via Peoria to St. Louis, 
 Mo. In that city he remained al)out six months, 
 wlieu, having been pleased with the appearance of 
 Peoria County as he passed through it on the boat, 
 he returned hither. In his journey to the Missis- 
 sippi Valley, the only railroad on which he had rid- 
 den was one on which horses were used to pull the 
 cars. He was privileged to enjoy a view of the 
 wonderful falls of Niagara, also. After coming to 
 Peoria, he secured employment in the mill at Blue- 
 town, two miles across the river in Tazewell 
 County and after working there a year rented the 
 mill. The owners asked him for security for the 
 rent, but told him that if he would get married he 
 would not need to give any. He was not averse to 
 this means of advancing his welfare, and winning 
 the consent of Miss Augusta Springborn, a native 
 of his own land, did as he had been advised and set 
 up a home of his own. 
 
 Mr. Cornelius bought eighty acres of land on 
 which stood a little log shanty, covered with clap- 
 boards, and having a rude chimney and fire-place. 
 The first night he slept therein a storm arose and he 
 was soon thoroughly wet by the descending rain. 
 He made up his mind to go to Peoria and secure
 
 530 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the services of a Mr. Plum to build a house, and 
 going to the door he was greeted with the sight of 
 a drove of seven deer close to his bouse. There 
 were neither fences or j'ards in that earl}- time and 
 only a few people had stables. The few there were 
 were constructed of poles covered with straw and 
 the owners were considered very high-toned. Horses 
 were tied to the rear of wagons to be fed and stood 
 out the year around. The housekeepers were not 
 troubled with carpet moths, such a luxury as a car- 
 being unknown as a covering for the floors, which 
 were of mother earth. A broom and shovel were 
 used to clean these rude floors. 
 
 The first house occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Cor- 
 nelius had not a nail used in its construction, bolts 
 being the only articles used asiile from the native 
 wood. The cloor was fastened by a bolt that could 
 be used from the outside or inside, and no lock was 
 thought of. A broom set against the door from 
 the outside w.as an indication that the family was 
 away from home. In those daj-s hogs were allowed 
 to run in the woods, each pioneer having his own 
 mark b}^ which to distinguish the animals belong- 
 ing to him. In the fall tlie hogs were killed, taken 
 to Peoria and sold to a Mr. Varis, who, when asked 
 what he would give for hogs was accustomed to re- 
 ply ••seventy-five cents apiece." If told the}' were 
 extra large he would simply answer '•a hog is a 
 hog." The head and feet together with the ribs 
 would be thrown away. At that time a little log 
 bridge over the Kickapoo was the connection be- 
 tween the home of our subject and Peoria. 
 
 The wife of our subject proved a most capable 
 helpmate and devoted mother, and to her judicious 
 management of the household affairs was due not 
 onlj' the comfort of the home life, but much of the 
 financial success and increased prosperitj' of the 
 family. She lived to see her childi-en grown to 
 maturity, fitted for usefulness in society-, and many 
 of them inmates of homes of their own, ere she ex- 
 changed time for eternity. She breathed her last in 
 October. 1887, leaving many friends to mourn her 
 departure. She and her husband had long been 
 identified with the Lutheran Church and in that 
 faith instructed their offspring. Mr. Cornelius is 
 Democratic in political views and practices, and has 
 served in official stations, to which he has been 
 
 nominated by his party associates. During a period 
 of nine years be served as Commissioner of High- 
 ways, being also Treasurer of the Board. 
 
 The family of our subject consists of eleven chil- 
 dren whose record is as follows: Henr}', who died 
 at the age of twent3'-two years, left a wife and one 
 child; Julius died unmarried at the age of thirty- 
 three; Huldah, wife of Sebastian Eiberger, lives in 
 Missouri; .John is married, has two sons and one 
 daughter, and lives a half mile east of his father; 
 William, with his wife and daughter, occupies a 
 farm in Kingman Countj", Kan. ; Francis, also of 
 of Kingman County, h.as one sou and one daugh- 
 ter; Anna is the wife of August Oehmke of Ne- 
 maha County, Kan., their family comprising two 
 daughters; Paul, with his wife and son, lives in 
 Kingman County, Kan.; Minnie is the wife of Ubbo 
 Freriehs and the mother of two daughters — Katie 
 and Louisa; Fred is unmarried and now in Kans.as, 
 but intends to return to Peoria County in the fall; 
 Katie is the wife of George J. Deiter, of Gentry 
 Count}', Mo. The Freriehs hare charge of the old 
 homestead of our subject who makes his home with 
 them. The three sons who are living in Kingman 
 County, Kan., each own one hundred and sixty 
 acres there. 
 
 
 -©^^ 
 
 i\\ ERRITT REED. The recently deceased 
 Merritt Reed was an almost life-long resi- 
 dent of Medina Township, where he had 
 made many friends by his industrious hab- 
 its, comi)anionable manner and fine moral character. 
 He was an active member of the Baptist Church in 
 which he long held the office of Deacon. He never 
 sought office, finding sufficient to occupy him in 
 the duties pertaining to his private life and good 
 citizenship, but was ever ready to deposit his vote 
 in behalf of Democratic principles in which he 
 firmly believed. The agricultural work to which 
 he devoted his life proved successful, and when 
 called hence he left an estate of more than three 
 hundred acres, the exceedingly comfortable home 
 heiiig now occupied by his widow. 
 
 Thomas B. Reed, the father of our subject, was
 
 rOUTRAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 531 
 
 born in Rensselaer County, N. Y., November 27, 
 1799, and about 1819 removed to Ohio with bis 
 parents. There lie married Frances Wilkinson and 
 after a few years of wedded life determined to 
 remove to the frontier. With their small family 
 Mr. and Mrs. Reed settled on unbroken land in this 
 county in the latter |)art of the '20s, when few 
 white pe«>|ile were living in the northeastern part 
 and Peoria was known as Ft. Clark. They began 
 their work here under conditions known only to 
 the early pioneers, having alread3- endured a tedi- 
 ous and dangerous journey liither. They lived to 
 see the country developed into beautiful homes and 
 to themselves accumulate a large fortune. During 
 the Black Hawk War Mr. Reed shared tiie experi- 
 ences of those who traveled far on horseback and 
 underwent privations in fighting savage foes, but 
 escaped injury except that resulting from exposure. 
 
 The worthy couple occuiiied their homestead on 
 section 3, Medina Township, until thej- became 
 quite advanced in \'ears, Mrs. Reed dying .Inly ">, 
 1869, and Mr. Reed March 22, 1875. They were 
 highly respected as representative pioneers and 
 prominent members of the Baptist Church. Mr. 
 Reed was a Deacon for years. He held township 
 olHces, among them that of Justice of the Peace 
 for many years. The family' of the good couple 
 consisted of two sons and four daughters. 
 
 The subject of this biographical notice was born 
 in .lackson County, Ohio, February 12, 1824, being 
 tile eldest member of the parental family. He grew 
 to manhood on his father's farm in this county and 
 in the township of which lie was a resident married 
 Miss pjlizabeth McKenney. vvlio proved a faithful, 
 efficient helpmate to her husband, and a wise, af- 
 fectionate mother to their children. She was born 
 in Hagerstown, Ohio, IMa}' 27, 1829, but was reared 
 chiefly in this county* to which she came when about 
 ten years old. She is the mother of three children, 
 one deceased, Hiram Herbert, who died at the age 
 of twenty-two months. The living are Frances 
 F., wife of John Hollihan, who lives on and works 
 the Reed homestead; Thomas L.,who married Ger- 
 trude AVeber and occupies a farm in this township. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Reed were William and 
 Elizabeth (Douglas) McKenney, the former of 
 whom was born on the ocean while his parents 
 
 were coming to the United States. His mother 
 died at his birth and was consigned to- a watery 
 grave. His father landed in New York City, 
 and the child was ere long adopted by a Virginia 
 family and in the Old Dominion grew up a useful 
 man, learning the trade of a blacksmith. In that 
 State he married a lady of Scotch birth who had 
 accompanied her parents to the United States in 
 her youth. She grew to womanhood in the Old 
 Dominion, whence after her marriage she removed 
 to Hagerstown, Ohio. 
 
 There Mr. McKenney followed his trade until 
 1837, when with his wife and family he made the 
 overland journey to what is now Kingston, Taze- 
 well County, 111., and there establ'shed a smithy. 
 A few months later he was kicked bj' a horse he 
 was shoeing, dying from the results of the injury 
 some weeks later. He had served in the War of 
 1812. His wife survived him a year, dying near 
 Peoria when upwards of three-score years of age. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. McKenney belonged to the 
 Presbyterian Church. Of their nine children, Mrs. 
 Reed and ]Mrs. Nancy Thomas, of Rutland, this 
 State, are the only survivors. 
 
 — >^;;^ — ••^^>^ 
 
 NTHONY W. HAMMKTT. a prominent 
 resident of Chillicothe Township, his birth- 
 place, represents one of the leading interests 
 of this part of his native count}', as a prosperous 
 owner and operator of a coal mine, and he is also 
 connected with the agricultural concerns of this re- 
 gion. He is a son of one of our earliest and most 
 respected pioneer families, and was born in this 
 township, near where he now lives, September 6, 
 1833. 
 
 His father, John Hammett, was born in 1803, in 
 the State of Kentucky, and it is thought his parents 
 were Southerners. He was reared on a plantation 
 in his native State, and was there married to 
 Miss Elizabeth Sumner. Slie was born in Ken- 
 tucky of Southern parentage, and was reared in that 
 State. After marriage, she and her husband set- 
 tled near Bowling Green, and there resided until
 
 532 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 1829, when they left their old Kentucky liome, to 
 establish a new one on the wild piairies of Illinois. 
 Tiiey located in Chillicothe Township, on a part of 
 the land now owned by our subject, which was 
 then in possession of the Government, but which 
 they afteivvard purchased as soon as it came into 
 the market. There they din tlieir share of the i)io- 
 neer labors in developing tiie agricultural resources 
 of the townsliip, and improved a good farm. Wlien 
 they grew old they retired from active life to a 
 pleasant home in Chillicothe, and there the father 
 died April 21, 1883, leaving behind an unblem- 
 ished record of a life well spent, and his memory 
 is cherished Hko that of other pioneers who have 
 l)assed away. He lived here during the Black Hawk 
 War. and as he was unable to go himself, sent a 
 subsiiLute in his place to take part in the struggle. 
 He was a truly good man, and had many friends. 
 Of a sincerely religious character, he died in the 
 faith of the Methodist Church. In early life he 
 was a Democrat, but not liking the policy of that 
 party with reference to the conduct of the affairs 
 of the nation before the war, he identified himself 
 with the Republican party, and ever after was a 
 strong advocate of its principles. The mother of 
 our subject is still living, and has attained the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty years. She makes her home 
 in Chillicothe with her daughter, Mrs. W. H. 
 Miller. She has been a member of the Methodist 
 Church for many 3'ears. 
 
 Our subject is the third in a family of nine chil- 
 dren, of whom the eldest daughter was born in 
 Kentucky, and four of the family are yet living, 
 namely: Hannah, wife of Timothy McLaughlin, a 
 farmer in Nemaha County, Kan.; our subject; 
 Emily, wife of W. II. JMiller, Esq., of Chillicothe: 
 and Ellen, wife of Samuel Hostleton, of Chillicothe; 
 all of these four children were born in this town- 
 ship and count}'. 
 
 Mr. Hammett, of whom we write, grew to man- 
 hood under the influences of a pioneer life, that 
 obtained here in his youth. In those early times, 
 when the county was sparsely settled, and there 
 were but few neighbors, the family suffered many 
 hardships and privations in their struggle to de- 
 velop a farm from the beautiful prairies and up- 
 lands of this region. He received his education in 
 
 the old log schoolhouse with its primitive furnish- 
 ings, which nestled among the hills of Peoria 
 County. He has long been active in the miniug 
 and farming industries of this region, owns a valu- 
 able farm of one hundred and ten acres on section 
 9, forty acres of which he devoted to agricultural 
 purposes, and the remainder to mines, as underly- 
 ing the soil is one of the finest veins of coal to be 
 found in this localit}'. It is about three feet In 
 thickness, and can be brought to the surface 
 through the side hills at the rate of one and one- 
 half tons a day to each miner. This coal is of a 
 most excellent quality, and commands a ready mar- 
 ket. Some years ago Mr. Hammett em[)lo3ed 
 twenty men to mine for him on. the hills of tiiis sec- 
 tion, and still has a number of men engaged in that 
 occupation. By careful attention to his business, 
 and by judicious management, he has acquired a 
 comfortable property, and. is numbered among our 
 well-to-do citizens. 
 
 ]Mr. Hammett was married in this township to 
 Miss INIargaret A. Brown. She was born in Ross 
 County, Ohio, Maj' 7, 1834, a daughter of James 
 and Nancy (Dawson) Brown. Mr. Brown was 
 born in Ireland, and came to America when a 
 young man with his parents, who settled in Ross 
 County, Ohio, where he grew to maturity. He 
 there met and married his wife, who was a native 
 of that State, and after marriage he began to farm 
 in Ross County, and there spent the remainder of 
 his life, dying in 1840, ere j'et he had reached mid- 
 dle age. His vvife diefl there some years later. She 
 was a member of the cliuieh, and was looked upon 
 as a good woman. Mrs. Hammett was the youngest 
 daughter in a family of four daughters and four 
 sons, and was quite young when she came West. She 
 is the mother of eight children, of whom the fol- 
 lowing are deceased; Charles, Olive B., and Minnie. 
 Those living are: Cornelius, who married Margaret 
 Kaiser, and lives on his father's farm ; Eleanora, 
 wife of Joseph Wipple, a carpenter of Westerly, 
 R. I.; Agnes, wife of Charles Wagner, of Meuden, 
 Mo., of which place he is a railroad agent; Otto, 
 a farmer in this township, who married Augusta 
 Johnson; and James F., who lives at home with 
 his parents. 
 
 During his useful and busy career, Mr. Hammett
 
 POUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 5;!3 
 
 §, (triKE 1). KEMP. Pi-obnbly no resident 
 of Uic farming dislriels of Uruiifield Town- 
 ship possesses a more liiglily cultured 
 mind, a more upright eiiaracter, or a more 
 earnest interest in the welfare of humanity, tlian 
 tlie above-named gentleman — an olil settler living 
 on section .'!2. He is a native of Butler County, 
 Ohio, born December 21, 1845, and reared to man- 
 hood in Peoria County, 111., to which his parents 
 removed in 1853. His progenitors having taken 
 possession of an almost new tract of land, his early 
 life was spent amid the scenes of pioneer develop- 
 ment, In which he assisted from time to time as 
 occasion demanded and his strength would permit. 
 The fundamental education of our subject was 
 obtained in the district schools of his township, 
 after which he studied for a time in the academy 
 at Elmwood, still later entering Otterbine Univer- 
 versity in Ohio. Owing to ill-health he was not 
 able to complete the course of study there, but re- 
 turned to his home after two years' attendance. 
 He has been a continuous resident in Peoria 
 County since that time, and has devoted liiraself 
 with good success to the various departments of 
 agricidtural life. His home farm consists of a 
 quarter-section of land, the appearance of wiiich 
 indicates that its owner is a man of good judgment 
 and orderly ways, wliile the dwelling gives evi- 
 
 has displaj-ed sagacity and fertility of resource in j 
 a marked degree, and these traits have made him 
 what he is, and gained him what he has. He and 
 his wife are people of warm hearts and generous 
 natures, and are noted for their kindness and hos- 
 pitalil}', and are regarded with sincere feelings of 
 affection and esteem by the entire et)mmunity. A 
 man of Mr. llanimett's character and standing, is 
 invaluable in a civic cai):ici1y, and he has held many 
 of the local offices, greatly to the benefit of the 
 township. In politics he stands among the most 
 stalwart Democrats of the count}-. Mr. Ilammett's 
 honesty and integrity of purpose are well known, 
 and when his word is passed, all are cognizant of 
 the fact that he will stand b}- it whatever betides. 
 
 dence of the i)rescnce therein of relined woman- 
 hood. Besides the home farm Mr. Kemp has an 
 additional twenty-six acres in Elmwood. 
 
 In his political affiliations Mr. Kemp is a Pro- 
 hibitionist, and in 1S8G, having been given the 
 l)arty nomination for Sherift', received the hi.ghest 
 vote on the ticket in the county. He belongs to 
 the LTnited Krelhren Church, in whicli he has offi- 
 ciated as Class-Leader and .Steward, and for a num- 
 ber of years held the position of Superintendent of 
 the Sunda3--school. At the general conference of 
 the church in 1885, Mr. Kemp was chosen member 
 of a commission to revise the Constitution and 
 Confession of Faith of that denomination. The 
 commission, which included twenty-seven men ex- 
 clusive of the Bishopric, met in Dayton, Ohio, in 
 November, 188G, and the result of their delibera- 
 tions having been presented to and adopted by the 
 church in November, 1888, was finally ratified by 
 the General Conference of 1889. For a number 
 of years Mr. Kemp has been a eorresponde.nt for 
 the Agricultural Department, for both Springfield, 
 111., and Washington, D. C. 
 
 On December 21, 1871, the rites of wedlock were 
 celebrated between our subject and Miss Sarah 
 Lingle, a native of Butler County-, Ohio, and 
 daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Schenck) Lingle. 
 The father of Mrs. Ken]|) is deceased, but her 
 mother lives, her home now being in Christian 
 County, 111. Like her husband, Mrs. Kemp is a 
 consistent member of the United Brethren Church, 
 her earnest aim being to cany the principles of 
 Christianity into her daily life. She and her hus- 
 band have two children — D. Everett, born Decem- 
 ber 29, 1872, and Malcolm E., liorn .lanuai-y 5, 
 1877. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we writo is l)elieved to 
 be of German ancestry in both lines, and it is also 
 supposed that both his parents were born in the 
 Buckeye State. His father, David Kemp, breathed 
 his last in this county, June 24, 1881. His mother, 
 Sarah (Snj'der) Kemp, still lives at an advanced 
 age, having been born in Ai)ril, 1823. The good 
 couple removed from Ohio toHlinois in 1853, their 
 journey being performed with a team and wagon, 
 as was cu.stomary at that time. Mr. Kemp having 
 purchased land in Biimfield Township, this county,
 
 534 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 lived on section 29, a number of j-ears, removing 
 from it to Elmwood, where he passed his last days. 
 Tlie farm on which liis pioneer labors were ex- 
 pended is still known as the Kemp homestead. 
 
 David Kemp was useful in his day and genera- 
 tion, holding tlie public oflices of Justice of the 
 Peace and Township Supervisor for j-ears, and 
 doing much local ministerial work for the L'nited 
 Brethren Church, of which iie was one of the foun- 
 ders in the township. He was a member of the 
 Democratic party. He had received but limited 
 educational advantages, but had an excellent 
 knowledge of humanity and its needs. By means 
 of his industrious labors he secured a good estate, 
 raid by his personal character and upright life se- 
 f ured the respect of an extended circle of acquain- 
 lanc.s. His family consisted of tliree children, our 
 subject being the youngest. The others are: Maria 
 C deceased, formerly wife of Henry Schenck, of 
 Elmwood Township; and Samuel S., of Brimfield 
 Township. 
 
 RTIIUR T. ANTCLIFF. Among the num- 
 ei'ous manufacturing establishments of Peo- 
 ria, that of llr. Antcliff should not be 
 unnoted. It is located on the corner of 
 Adams and Persimmon Streets, and although the 
 force employed is not so large as that in man^- 
 establishments in the cit3', a good business is done, 
 amounting to some 18,000 per annum. The busi- 
 ness was established bj* Mr. Antcliff in 1887, being 
 that of brass foundry and pipe- fitting works, in 
 which the proprietor of the establishment has had 
 an experience of jears, which, following a tliorough 
 apprenticeship, makes him competent to partici- 
 pate in the mechanical work or oversee that of his 
 eight emploj'es. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Thomas H. and 
 Elizabeth (Wall) Antcliff, a worthy English couple 
 who emigrated to America in 1850. Thej' located 
 at Brimfield, Peoria County, 111., and the father 
 having abandoned the tailor's trade, at which he 
 previously worked, adopted an agricultural life, 
 continuing it some years. He then bought out a 
 
 blacksmith shop, having charge of it for a time. 
 
 In 1857 he was elected Constal)le. 
 
 His loj-alt)' to his adopted country was so in- 
 tense that Mr. Antcliff enlisted, in May, 1861, in 
 Companj' A, Seventeenth Illinois Infantrj*. He 
 served until after tlie battle of Shiloh, where he was 
 struck bj' a shell, which broke his left arm in seven 
 places and also injured his right elbow. Besides 
 that disastrous battle he took part in the engage- 
 ments at Fredericktown and Ft. Donelsou. together 
 with the usual skirmishes and minor campaign 
 duties. After returning from the army he was 
 elected Coroner of Peoria Count}', and while serv- 
 ing his second term died February- 14, 1865. 
 
 The parental familj' consisted of four children, 
 two of whom, Elvira and Mary Ann, are deceased. 
 Rosamond is the wife of Eugene Partridge, a 
 blacksmith in Peoria; Arthur, our subject, who wa.*; 
 born in England, June 7, 1847, passed his boyhood 
 and youth in this county, and in September, 1861, 
 became a drummer in the company to which his 
 father was attached. He was in service two years 
 and two daj-s, being constantl}- with the Seven- 
 teenth in the capacity^ of musician, but entering 
 the smoke of battle only at Fredericksburg and Ft. 
 Donelson. 
 
 After the war 3'oung Anctliff engaged as fire- 
 man on the Cliicago, Rock Island it Pacific Rail- 
 road, continuing in the service of that road about 
 two j-ears. He then served an apprenticeship in 
 brass finishing with J. H. Thompson, for whom he 
 did journe}' work two years, or until the death of 
 his employer, when he went to Chicago, remained 
 eighteen months, and returning to Peoria entered 
 the employ of S. A. Kinsey. A j'ear and a half 
 later he went to Chicago a second time, and after 
 working at his trade there another year came back 
 to Peoria. Until 1872 he alternated between the 
 firm of Frasier, Thompson ife Co.. and Mr. Kinsey 
 as employers. 
 [ Mr. Antcliff then went to St. Louis, Mo., spend- 
 ing four 3-ears as foreman for Kuperflee Bros., then 
 pursued the same avocation iu Kansas Cil}' for a 
 short time. In 1877 he started a brass factory in 
 Jacksonville, 111., but eighteen months later went 
 again to St. Louis for a short sojourn. His next 
 move was to Litchfield as an employe of the Litch-
 
 ,j4nm.- yc?7t4 .
 
 PORTRAIT AND HKXniArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 o37 
 
 field Car & I\Iacliine Compaii}-, going thence to 
 I'aim to hihor in tlie Ohio & Mississippi Railroad 
 slioi)S. In 1880 he returned to Peoria, where after 
 a few years he instituted his present business estab- 
 lishment. 
 
 Mr. Antcrff is a member of Br^an Post, No. 67, 
 G. A. R., and of Columbia Loilge, Xo. 21 , I. O. O. F. 
 His political adherence is given to the Republican 
 part}', for whose princi|)les and candidates he never 
 fails to dei)<:>sit his ballot upon election day. He 
 has made it an object to become well informed re- 
 garding the news of the day and the topics which 
 bear u[)on his life-work, while not neglecting those 
 of general interest. His manly life retlects credit 
 upon his character and training and wins for him the 
 resi)ect of those who know him. His i)leasant home 
 is presided over by an intelligent and worthy lady 
 who became his wife .January 2, 1870. She was 
 known in her maidenhood as Miss Angnsta Kem- 
 per, the family to which she belonged being from 
 Hcuiy, this State. Mr. and Mrs. Antcliff are the 
 parents of two children living, Emma and .\ugusta, 
 and a son. Freeman, who was taken from them in 
 infancy. 
 
 -^ M — -^ — 
 
 1^ RS. ANN (PAGTTER) POTTS. Among 
 the portraits of representative residents of 
 11^ Peoria County presented in this volume, 
 the reader will notice on the opposite page 
 that of Mrs. Potts, whose energy, force of charac- 
 ter and business tact are apparent at a glance. She 
 is an example of rare business talent, which is 
 often developed by women when situated favorably' 
 for its exercise. In the management of her affairs 
 she shows a keen foresight, quick intelligence and 
 prudent econoiu}-, that have [ilaced her in the 
 front rank among the business members of the 
 community. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Potts was Jonathan Pagtter, 
 a native of Fathringo, England. Her mother was 
 Susan S. Kelcic, a native of Shillon, Warwickshire, 
 England. The former died in his native country 
 in 1S42, but the latter, who survived her husband 
 a number of years, took up her residence in Amer- 
 ica at the advanced age of eighty-three years. She 
 
 made her home with her daughter, our subject, for 
 some three years, when she laid aside her mortal 
 body and departed to the land where the inhabi- 
 tants never grow old -or say, "I am sick." Four- 
 score years and six she traveled life's pathwaj', 
 doing good as she had opportunity, and has richly- 
 earned her present rest. Mr. and Mrs. Pagtter 
 were the parents of nineteen children, of whom 
 our subject is the youngest. 
 
 Mrs. Potts was born March 28. 1832, in Folshill, 
 Warwickshire, England, where she grew to woman- 
 hood. She was married iu Folshill church, October 
 13, 1845, to Samuel Potts, who was born in Breedon, 
 Leicestershire, England, December 24, 1821. They 
 settled first in Folshill,where Mr. Potts was engageil 
 in coal mining. They made their home in AV'arwick- 
 shire and Staffordshire until 1856, when thej- came 
 to the United States and took up their abode in Penn- 
 sylvania, where they remained something over one 
 year. Trusting to do better in the West, they 
 once more packed up their household goods and 
 journeyed toward the setting sun. Upon arriving 
 in Peoria County they were so well pleased that 
 they decided to locate here permanently, and pur- 
 chasing a plot of ground in Kickapoo Township, 
 they erected a large brick house, which overlooks 
 the village of Pottstown and the surrounding coun- 
 try. 
 
 Mr. Potts engaged in mining extensively, and 
 was also employed in building stone bridges, taking 
 the contracts and sui)ervising the work while it 
 was being performed. He resided in the old home 
 until January G, 1889. He was Supervisor for 
 three years, Highway Commissioner several years, 
 and took an active part iu [)olilical affairs, but did 
 not ally himself with any party, preferring to be 
 independent, and cast his vote as his judgment 
 dictated. 
 
 Mrs. Potts was the mother of fifteen children, 
 nine of whom are deceased. The living members 
 of the family are: Samuel, George; Lucy, who is 
 the wife of Andrew J. Slaxwell; Eveline, the wife 
 of John Wright; Nettie, who is the wife of Edward 
 jNI. Cannan; and Leah (i. The deceased children 
 are: Mar}- A., John, John II., Tsadore L., Michael; 
 Hannah was the wife of Michael Clancy, and died 
 in Pottstown; Susanna was the vvife of William
 
 538 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 McLoiigbliu, and tlied at Poltstown in December, 
 1872; Sarah was the wife of H. F. Thurston, and 
 died at Pottsto-wn, December 27, 1872; one died 
 unnamed. Mrs. Potts is, as before stated, an ex- 
 cellent business woman. She has operated mines in 
 Pottstown, a village named in honor of Mr. Potts, 
 and at present is engaged in managing a large 
 brickyard, in addition to taking the oversight of 
 of a farm of some three hundred and twenty acres 
 of land. Although so bus}' with the various cares 
 devolving upon her, Mrs. Potts yet finds time to 
 devote to the welfare of those with whom she is 
 associated, and stands high in the esteem and re- 
 gard of her friends and acquaintances both as an 
 honorable and reliable business woman, and as a 
 true and warm friend. 
 
 ORSON B. STOWELL. The life of the far- 
 mer is not devoid of opportunities for the 
 practice of the sterling virtues of industr}', 
 perseverance, honesty, and brotherlj^ kindness. On 
 the contrary, it affords abundant chance for the ef- 
 forts of all who wish to build up a fine character, 
 while carr3-iug on the vocation in which they hope 
 to secure a competence and make provision for their 
 declining years. That this is true, may be seen in 
 the life of the gentleman above named, an hon- 
 ored and influential resident of Hallock Township. 
 He is active in local politics, and in those move- 
 ments which tend to advance the welfare of the 
 communitv in material affairs, in mind and in 
 spirit, and he and his wife are among the leaders 
 of society" in their section of the State. 
 
 The grandfatiier of our subject, Bisha Stowell, 
 who was born in the Green Mountain State, De- 
 cember 9, 1779, descended from a farailj- who had 
 settled in Massachusetts on coming from P^ngland 
 about the middle of the seventeenth centurj-. Some 
 of the descendants afterward took up their abode 
 in Vermont, where Grandfather Stowell. after at- 
 taining to proper years became a farmer. He mar- 
 ried Hannah Fields, who was born March 20, 1784, 
 presumably" in the same Slate, and died in 1819. 
 
 The husband survived her some j'ears, and coming 
 to Illinois in 1840 with a son, died at their new lo- 
 cation ia Hallock Township. Peoria County, a few 
 daj-s later — Se|)tember 5. He h.ad married a second 
 wife, who also died in this county, the date of her 
 decease being in 1859. She was born in 1792. and 
 bore the maiden name of ^lary .lohnsou. Bisha 
 Stowell and his wives belonged to the Presbyterian 
 Church, following its te.achings with the strictness 
 of the New England stock whence the}- sprang. 
 
 The children of Bisha Stowell and his first wife 
 were eight in number, of whom Ebeiiezer, the f.a- 
 ther of our subject, w<as the third. All are now de- 
 ceased, as are likewise five of the seven children of 
 the second wife. Ebenezer Stowell was born in 
 Chenango County, N. Y., October 19, 1807. He 
 served a regular apprenticeship to a millwright, be- 
 coming a skilled workm.an at the trade, which he 
 foJlowed in New York and Pennsylvania until 
 1843. At that date he made a permanent location 
 in Peoria County, 111., spending the remainder of 
 his active life as a farmer. lie had made his first 
 trip hither with two kinsmen — Rosswcll and Isaiah 
 Nurse — in 183G, coming most of the way on foot. 
 The three men purch.ased a large tract of wild land 
 in Peoria and Marshall Counties, which was |>laced 
 in the market that year, after which our subject re- 
 turned to his native State to sojourn there a few 
 }'ears longer. Besides carrjing on his trade, Mr. 
 Stowell was for a few years connected with a lum- 
 ber company at Bingliampton, N. Y. 
 
 Bringing his family and some household goods 
 across the country with a team and wagon. Ebene- 
 zer Stowell began the development of his land on 
 section 3, where he ere long became well and favor- 
 ably known. His first wife was Pauline Bridge- 
 man, who was born in New York, April 14, 1811. 
 and died there Ma}- 7, 1834, after the birth of her 
 only child. She was a noble young woman in the 
 prime of life, whose promising career was cut short 
 by an untimely death, and left grief and sorrow in 
 many hearts. Mr. Stowell married for his second 
 wife Laura Bridgeman, a sister of his first com- 
 panion, and her worthy successor as a helpmate. 
 She w.as born July H, 1808, and died April 2, 1889. 
 She and her husband were Congregationalists, and 
 charter members of the organization in this county,
 
 PORTRAIT AND 15I0G RAPHICAL ALIU'M. 
 
 539 
 
 which was begun with six members, and located at , 
 l>a\vii Ridge. Mr. Slowcll brcatlieil liis last Maj- 
 7, 1.S8(). 
 
 TliL' .secoiid iiiarriago of the father of our sub- 
 ject was productive of eight children, si.x of whom 
 are still living. 'I'liey and their elder brother, our 
 subject, were carefully rc.ired, being given every 
 advantage which their surroundings would allow 
 to become intelligent, well-read, and upright in 
 character. He of whom we write, was born in 
 Binghampton, JS\ Y., May 7. 1834. and was but a 
 small bo_v when he accomiianied his father and 
 stepmother to the West. lie grew to the .age of 
 twenty years in the township which is now his 
 home, then spent four years on the road in this 
 Stale and Indiana. He then married and settled 
 where he has since resided, now owning two hun- 
 dred and ten acres of good land, most of it under 
 improvement. A full line of necessary and con- 
 venient farm buildings stand upon the broa<l acres, 
 the dwelling being particularly homelike in appear- 
 ance, and the evidences of progressive, practical 
 oversight being manifest on every hand. 
 
 The lady who presides over the household econ- 
 omy at the home of our subject, was known in her 
 maidenhood as Miss Harriet R. Church. She w.as 
 born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., October 9, 
 1833* was reared with great care, and received a 
 good practical education. (She is a motherly woman, 
 to whom her children owe much for her devotion 
 and wise counsel, while to her husband her price is 
 far above rubies. She is one of nine children born 
 to Norman and Rebecca (Delurga) Church, the fa- 
 ther having been a native of Massachusetts, of New 
 England parentage, and the mother born in Ver- 
 mont, but of French ancestry. Mr. Church died 
 in the Empire State in middle life, and his widow 
 subsequently came West, living to the age of eighty- 
 one years, and dying in Calva, this State. She be- 
 longed to the ^lethodist Church. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Stowell have had five chil- 
 dren, two of whom — Fanny and Luther — are still 
 inmates of the parental home. The third cliild, L. 
 Rebecca, married J. 15. Bell, and died under her 
 parents' roof, January 13, 1890, leaving a daughter, 
 .lennie B., who has since followed the mother to the 
 tomb; William L.. the eldest son, married Alice 
 
 Merrill, and occupies a farm in the same township 
 as his father; I^ydia P. is the wife of .lames P. 
 Green, a farmer in Marshall County. All the chil- 
 dren are naturally smart, and having had their 
 faculties well developed, are self supporting, well 
 informed, and useful members of the community. 
 Parents and chihlren belong to the Congregational 
 Church. Mr. Stowell is now Justice of the Peace, 
 has other local offices, and takes an active part in 
 political affairs of the section. He is a sound Re- 
 publican. 
 
 is^m 
 
 'RED. AVENKER. Many of the best citizens 
 of the Prairie State are natives of lands far 
 across the sea, and thi» county is not with- 
 out her share of these foreigners, who 3et are true 
 Americans in their love for the country of their 
 adoption and interest in her best growth. One of 
 these is Fred. Wenker, of Ilallock Township,wlio for 
 several years has been occui)ying a good fai ui on 
 section 8. His estate comprises one hundred and 
 sixty acres on which he is pursuing the peaceful 
 calling of a general farmer, adding year by 3-ear to 
 an already established reputation !is a reliable citi- 
 zen and honorable man. 
 
 Amid the romantic scenery of Canton Berne, 
 Switzerland, February 10, 1831, he of whom we 
 write, was born. His father, Jacob Wenker, was a 
 farmer and exemplified in his person the virtues of 
 a good old Swiss family of the Protestant faith. 
 He died at the age of thirt3'-tive }"ears, when his 
 son, our subject, was but seven years old. The 
 mother, formerly IMiss Elizabeth Kuffer, reared her 
 two children, bestowing upon them the best advan- 
 tages which she could obtain, teaching them high 
 l)rinciples and useful habits. 
 
 In 18.j4 Mrs. Wenker with her son and daugh- 
 ter took passage for America, leaving Havre de 
 Grace, France, in November, and landing in New 
 Orleans, La., in Januarj-, 18.')5. Their voyage, 
 though long, had been pleasant. The}' came up 
 the Mississippi River, and began their life in the 
 New World on a farm in Ivickapoo Township, this 
 county. The mother lived with her son until her
 
 540 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 death in 1888, having survived to the advanced 
 age of eigiity-tvvo years. Her daughter, Mary, now 
 Mrs. Ladiey, lives in New Orleans. 
 
 Our subject had passed his majority before he 
 came to America, and was fully equipped for his 
 duties here as far as his principles, determination, 
 and industrious habits could fit him for the duties 
 of a citizen of America. lie had steadilj' pursued 
 his purpose to secure a good home, and conduct 
 himself in a manner befitting one with whose early 
 training so much pains had been taken, and his 
 standing in the community proves his success. In 
 this county he married Miss Nancy Whittemore, 
 who was born in Connecticut, February 5, 1842. 
 She was but a year old wlien her iiarents came to 
 this county, settling in Kickapoo Township, where 
 the father, Daniel Whittemore, is yet living, well 
 advanced in years and in fortune. His wife, Bet- 
 sey Irish, died in that townsiiip in 1872, when more 
 than three score years of age. 
 
 The wife of our subject was reared and educated 
 in a manner customary to the daughters of pros- 
 perous farmers, becoining well skilled in domestic 
 management, well-informed regarding general top- 
 ics, and capable of discharging her duties as the 
 heail of a household. She is the mother of six chil- 
 dren, of whom Lizzie and Sophia E. have been 
 called hence. The living are: Frederick])., Lena 
 M., Albert D., and Arthur N. All reside at home, 
 the second son assisting in the farm work, and the 
 oldest pursuing a mechanic's calling. Mrs. Wen- 
 ker is a member of the Seventh Day Baptist Church. 
 Mr. Wenker easts his vote with the Republican 
 party. 
 
 OHN HENSEL. The farm owned and oc- 
 cupied by this gentleman, consists of eighty 
 acres on section 7, Ilallock Township, and 
 without being sufficiently large to require 
 undue exoition in its management and cultivation, 
 affi)rds an excellent support and abundant field for 
 intelligent labor. The land is naturally good, and 
 is kept in a state of fertility liy the use of the best 
 feitilizing agents, and a proper rotation of crops, 
 while ujjou it tlie various improvements have been 
 
 made which stamp it as the abode of an intelligent 
 and thrifty family. It has been the home of our 
 subject since 1860, at which time he came to the 
 countv from the East. 
 
 Mr. Ilensel is one of those industrious and thor- 
 oughly honorable Germans, whose citizenshij) is an 
 honor to the laud of their adoption, and who afford 
 worthy examples of the results of persevering, 
 straightforward efforts. He was born in Frank- 
 fort-on-the Main. Januarj- 1, 1819, received a good 
 education in his native cit^', among his accomplish- 
 ments being an excellent knowledge of the English 
 language. He learned the trade of a harness-maker 
 and upholsterer, following it in his native land for 
 some time. There he married Miss Jeanette Fresh, 
 a native of Stuttgart, in which city, and in Frank- 
 fort she was reared and educated. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hensel bade adieu to their native 
 Innd in 1852, embarking at Rotterdam on a sail- 
 ing-vessel which cast anchor in New York Harbor, 
 after a voj'agc of six weeks. The good wife died 
 in the metropolis four years after her arrival, leav- 
 ing three children — Charles, Matilda, and Einma. 
 Mr. Hensel continued to live in New York until 
 18G0, when he came West, selected and purchased 
 land, and assisted by his second wife, Ijegan the ini- 
 l)rovements which have resiUted in the formation 
 of a pleasant home. The lady whom he chose as 
 his second companion, was Miss Susan Carpes, who 
 had been living in New York City for some time 
 prior to her marriage. She was born in Germany 
 in 1825, came to America when a young woman, 
 and after having lived to the age of forty j-ears, 
 died at her home in this county in 1882. She left 
 two children, Lena and John. 
 
 The sons and daughters of our subject are mar- 
 ried and living upon farms in various localities. 
 Charles is located near Hoopeston, this State, hav- 
 ing married Miss Mary Fentrick; Matilda is the wife 
 of Charles Weidmann, of Ilallock Township; Emma 
 married Albert Shane, their home being in Akron 
 Township; Lena is the wife of Fred Rapp, of 
 Marshall County; John, who married Sabria Ben- 
 nett, lives in Kansas. Father and sons are sound 
 Democrats, and the entire family belong to the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 The father of our subject was Dietrich Hensel,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 543 
 
 who came of a good German stock, wasau engineer 
 and spent his entire life in the Fatherland, being 
 but in his prime when his career was cut short by 
 death. Our subject, the only child of his parents, 
 was quite small when bereaved of his father's care, 
 after which time his mother endeavored as far as 
 possible to supply to her son the place of both fa- 
 ther and mother. She also was of German blood, 
 having borne the maiden name of Catherine Weid- 
 mann. Slie died at Frankfort-on-lhe-Main, not far 
 from her birthplace, when past three-score years of 
 age. She and her husband belonged to the Luth- 
 eran Church. 
 
 ~i-^^=^^4ri~i^ 
 
 fBRAIIAM RANDLH The indomitable 
 perseverance and force of character, which 
 
 li almost invariably are the heritage of 
 (^J every native of that dominion on whose 
 
 possessions the sun never sets, are displayed in tiie 
 life of Mr. Randle. Although perhaps not a pio- 
 neer of Peoria County, he has resided here many 
 years and is identified with many of the important 
 enterprises of the community. His poi'trait is ])re- 
 sentcd in connection with this brief review of his 
 life. 
 
 The jiarents of Mr. Randle were George and 
 Mar3' Ann (Woodhouse) Randle, natives of War- 
 wickshire, P>ngland, where thej- passed the j'ears of 
 their early married life. The paternal grandfather, 
 also named George, [lassed his entire life within 
 the bounds of his native parish of Warwickshire. 
 The father of our subject remov^ed his family to 
 America sometime in the fall of 1865, or the 
 spring of 1866, and settled in Peoria County. He 
 had previously spent some time in this country and 
 was so well pleased that he decided to make it his 
 permanent place of residence. I'pon the arrival of 
 George Randle and his family in tliis county they 
 pitched upon a place near the present village of 
 Pottstowu, Kickapoo Township, as a suitable site 
 for a home and, purchasing the coveted spot, im- 
 mediately began the building of a house. Mr. 
 Randle_was emploj'ed in farming and coal mining in 
 that place until his death, which occurred in Feb- 
 
 ruary, 1874. The mother of our subject still sur- 
 vives. They vvere the parents of nine children, five 
 of whom were sons. 
 
 The subject 'of this sketch is the eldest son an<l 
 third child of his father's family, and wjis horn in 
 Warwickshire, England, March 27, 1847. When 
 onl}- about fourteen years of age he left home and 
 traveled to Vancouver's Island, where he re- 
 mained a short time then went to San Fran- 
 cisco and other places in California; afterward 
 he proceeded to Portland, Ore., thence to Victoria, 
 where he remained four weeks, from there to Nan- 
 imo, in the British Dominion, where he entered the 
 employ of the Hudson Baj- Comjjan}'. He remained 
 with that company about two and one-half j'ears, 
 then again went to San Francisco, where he made 
 a short stop, then made a tour to several other 
 places, finallj' engaging himself to the Vancouver 
 Coal and Mining Compan}-, with which he re- 
 mained until in March, 1864. Soon after dissolv- 
 ing Ms connection with the above company he 
 went via boat to New York, thence to Peoria, 
 reaching the latter place about the last of August, 
 1864. 
 
 The first occupation of our subject in the count3' 
 of Peoria was in the business of coal raining, which 
 he pursued for sometime near Pottstowu. Later he 
 bought a farm in that vicinity known as the Thurs- 
 ton farm, which he cleared and in connection with 
 his father, cultivated and improved. The farm was 
 the joint possession of himself and father but after 
 the death of the father our subject was sole owner. 
 He operated it until in March. 1883, when he sold 
 out and purchased land in I-^d wards, where he has 
 since been a resident. His property embraces some 
 thirty-five acres of land. 
 
 Mr. Randle is quite a prominent man in politics 
 and h.as been honored by his part}' with a number 
 of official positions, chief of which arc those of 
 Constable, a position he filled three terms. Court 
 Bailiff, and Township Supervisor. He was elected 
 to the latter office in April, 1889, and re-elected in 
 the spring of 1890. As intimated above he has 
 held various other offices, most of them of a minor 
 character, and is a popular and respected worker in 
 the ranks of his partj'. His political affiliations ai-e 
 with the Democrats, whose principles Bml in him a
 
 544 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 warm supporter. He has taken a prominent part 
 in the different mining organizations and among 
 the Knights of Labor, in both of which his extensive 
 travels have made liim a high autlioritj' and a val- 
 ued adviser. 
 
 Our subject was married in Kickapoo Tosvnshi[) 
 to Miss Amanda Jones, a native of Peoria County. 
 She bore him several children but only one lived 
 lo grow to maturity, William. Mr. Randle was 
 ao'ain married in the same townshi|). taking for his 
 second wife Miss Mary Ann Jones, by whom he had 
 eight children, named rcspectivel3' : Louisa. Mary 
 Ann, Abraham, Lottie, three who died unnamed in 
 infanc}% and George. The mother joined her de- 
 parted ones in th« other world December 21, 1887. 
 
 OBERT A. GREEN, an extensive grain. 
 .vi^f coal, and live-stock dealer, with his interest 
 (Si \V centered in Edelstein, occupies a prominent 
 place among the s igacious. wide-awake busi- 
 ness men of Peoria Count}'. He established him- 
 self in his present business in 1887 when the Santa 
 Fe Railroad was completed, and here he has the 
 finest location for his business along the whole line 
 as this is one of the best grain -growing regions of 
 the West. lie has a large elevator with a capac- 
 ity of fortj- thousand bushels, besides other accom- 
 modations for his grain, and is conducting a large 
 trade. He has long been identified with the agri- 
 cultural interests of the State as a successful 
 farmer in La Prairie and A'alle}- Townships, in 
 Marshall and Stark Counties, where he has a large 
 farm, once comprising four hundred acres, two 
 hundred of which he has given to his sons. He 
 settled on his homestead many years .ngo and im- 
 proved it into one of the best farms in that part of 
 the State, supplying it with a substantial set of 
 buildings, including a fine residence, and keeping 
 il well stocked with a good class of cattle, and was 
 greatly prospered in all that he undertook. 
 
 Mr. Green was born in Berlin, Rensselaer County, 
 N. Y., February 15, 1827. His father. John Green, 
 was also a native of that county, while his father, 
 
 bearing the same name as himself, was born, reared 
 and married in the State of Rhode Island. The 
 name of his wife was Sarah, and she was also a 
 native of that New England State, and was of ster- 
 ling antecedents. John Green, Sr., removed with 
 his young wife to New York State and settled in 
 what is now Berlin. He found the county in a 
 wild state and his pioneer home was in the primeval 
 forests, two miles from the present site of the vil- 
 lage. In the years of toil that followed he hewed 
 out a farm from the heavy timber and lived to see 
 the county well developed. He and his wife both 
 died full of 3ears. They were early members of 
 the Seventh-Day Baptist Church. He did faithful 
 service as a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 
 The father of our subject was one of the oldest 
 of a large family of children, all of whom are now 
 deceased, though they lived to be quite old. He 
 grew up in Berlin and early became a full-fledged 
 farmer, and established a home, having married in 
 his native township Sarah Saunders. He was next 
 united in marriage with Sarah Maxon, who was 
 also born in that place, coming of parents who 
 had settled in the State of New York in an early 
 d.ay. After the birth of three children. Mrs. Sarah 
 Green, the mother of our subject, died, when she 
 was in the prime of life. His father died when an 
 old man of eight3'-three years. Bj^ his first wife 
 Mr. Green had four sons, all of whom lived to ma- 
 turity. By his third wife, whose maiden name 
 was Tabitha P^oster, he h.ad three sons, all of whom 
 grew to manhood. His last wife survived him, 
 dying at the age of seventy-two j'ears. She had 
 been a good mother and step-mother and was loved 
 by all who knew her. .John Green, Jr., and his 
 three wives were all members of the Seventh-D.ay 
 Baptist Church, and in politics Mr. Green was a 
 stanch old-line Whig. 
 
 Our subject was the youngest child of his 
 mother and was carefully reared by his father and 
 step-mother, his own mother having died when he 
 was eighteen months old. He was married in 
 Montgomery County, N. Y., to Miss Frances Rich- 
 ardson, who was born in that county, in 1834, and 
 a daughter of Benjamin and Mary Richardson, na- 
 tives of the State of New York. They were reared 
 •and lived in St. Johnsville, Montgomery^ County,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 545 
 
 until their death. Mr. Richardson for some years 
 was the iieeper of a public hotel. He died at the 
 age of seventjr-two years, and his wife at the age 
 of sixty-five. Mrs. Green was the oldest of their 
 five children, and all are yet living. She is a ver^- 
 intelligent, well-informed woman and received a 
 good education in a seminary in her native 
 county. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Green have three children — Fred, 
 who married Katie Murraj-, and lives in Marshall 
 Count}- on a part of his father's lioinestead; James, 
 who married Lina Stowell, and occupies another 
 part of his father's farm; and Marj' E., wife of 
 Fred Wood, of Troy, N. Y., Mr. Wood being con- 
 nected with the Troy Manufacturing Bank. 
 
 Mr. Green came to this State in 1858 and for 
 three years vvas located in Farmington. He then 
 purchased land in Hallock Township, which he 
 sold three years later, and bought land in Marshall 
 County, in La Prairie Township, and also in Val- 
 ley Township, Stark County, where he was exten- 
 sively engaged in farming and stock-raising until 
 he came to Edelstein. He is a man of more than 
 ordinary business eai)acit3', possessing keen fore- 
 siglit and the practical ability to manage large en- 
 terprises with success. He is not a politician or 
 an oflice-seekor, but [assesses sound views on po- 
 litical subjects and is a stanch adherent of the Re- 
 publican party. He and his wife are among the 
 most valued members of the Seventh-Day Bap- 
 tist (Miurch and contribute generously toward the 
 maintenance of the good work tliat it is carrying 
 on in tliis eomniunitv. 
 
 
 TOSIAH MORROW. This gentleman has 
 liecu a lifelong resident of Akron Town- 
 ship, having since 1838 lived upon the 
 same section — 20 — where, he now has a fine 
 farm, consisting of two hundred and three acres 
 under good improvement and thorough cultiva- 
 tion, forming a home of great comfort and attract- 
 ive appearance. One of the most prominent 
 characteristics of Mr. JNIorrow is his deep interest 
 in educational and church matters. Although 
 
 there are many men who bestir themselves in such 
 work or who contribute liberally from the means 
 with whicli the}' have been blest, yet there are in 
 every community some who take the lead in this 
 respect, and in the section in which he lives ]\Ir. 
 Morrow leads the van. 
 
 The natal daj- of our subject was September 26, 
 1834, and his birthplace the parental farm in this 
 township. Here he grew to manhood, early deter- 
 mining to pursue a farmer's life and preiiaring 
 himself for the work b}- thorough observation and 
 participation in the practical labor belonging 
 thereto. He was married on the same section on 
 which he lives, to Ellen Aid rich, a capable, noble- 
 hearted woman, who, like himself, is a member of 
 the Presbyterian Church and highly regarded by 
 the members of the communit3^ 
 
 Mrs. Morrow is a daughter of Linus and Gratia 
 (Carlisle) Aldrich, natives of New Hampshire, in 
 which State both died. In Cheshire County their 
 daughter Ellen was born November 18, 183C, 
 being the ninth of their ten children. She became 
 the wife of our subject June 4, 1863, and has 
 borne him seven children: Thomas E., Laura E., 
 Elliott W. and Gratia E. are living; Linus A., 
 Lucy M. and an infant have crossed the river of 
 death. 
 
 Mr. Morrow has held the oillce of Township 
 Collector three years and has also been School 
 Trustee. He took an active part in forming the 
 Princpville Academy, an exi client institution, which 
 Is carried on under the auspices of the Presby- 
 terian Church, in which religious body he is an 
 Elder. The academy has from its organization 
 been in charge of able instructors, among tliem 
 being Mr. Stevens, Charles Brusie, of Dunlap, 
 and the present Superintendent, Mr. Southgate. 
 Mr. Brusie held the chief position in the school 
 two years, performing its duties in a remarkably 
 successful manner and doing much to build up the 
 reputation of the institution. Miss Emma Jenness, 
 who has been assistant for three }'ears, is also very 
 successful in her work. The town in which this 
 academy is located was named after Daniel Prince, 
 who married a sister of the late Thomas Mor- 
 row, father of our subject. 
 
 Thomas Morrow was born in the Buckeye
 
 5 46 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 State, January 25, 1808, becoming' a resident of 
 Parke County. Ind., wiiere he marricdMiss Eleanor 
 McMillin, a native of Kentucky. Soon after tiaeir 
 marriage, in the spring of 1831, tliey came to 
 Peoria County, settling in Akron Township, wliere 
 Mr. Morrow died March 10,1848. Mrs. Morrow 
 survived until June 14, 1877, reaching quite an 
 advanced age. The honored couple were among 
 the organizers of the Presb3'terian Church, in 
 Princevilie, and were foremost in every good 
 work undertaken by the settlers in the section in 
 wliicli tliey live. They reared a large family of 
 eight sons and three daughters, the subject of this 
 sketch being the third on the family roll. 
 
 ILLIAM COWLEY. No one of the pio- 
 neers of this county still living among us, 
 *^^ is more worthy of representation in this 
 BiOGiiAi'iiiCAL Album dedicated to the citizens of 
 this section of Illinois, than this gentleman, who 
 has long lived here, and has not only witnessed the 
 wonderful transformation wrought by man in de- 
 velo()ing the rich resources of tiiis region, but has 
 had a hand in it. He was an early settler of Brim- 
 lield Township, and for many years labored with 
 assiduous toil to improve his fine farm on section 
 16, and acquired a competence which enables him 
 and his wife, who has actively shared his work, to 
 |)ass their declining years in comfort and prosper- 
 ity. 
 
 Our subject is a native of the Isle of Man, wlucii 
 is in the Irish Sea, north of AVales, his birth occur- 
 ring there March 3, 1811. His parents, Thomas 
 and Catherine (Tearc) Cowley, were also natives 
 of that Island, and until he was seventy years of 
 age, his father never left that little spot of earth, 
 emigrating then to America. 
 
 Our subject was the only son in his parents' fam- 
 ily and was reared on his native isle, and received 
 a fair education in its schools, though he did not 
 have the line advantages thai the 30uth of to-day 
 enjoy. At fourteen years of age he began to learn 
 liie trade of a carpenter and joiner, serving an ap- 
 prenticeship until he was twentj'one years old. 
 
 After that for a time he ws employed as a jour- 
 neyman at his calling in Liverpool and Manchester, 
 England. In 1836, in the vigor and strength of 
 the opening years of an active manhood, he took 
 his life in his own hands, and started on the long 
 journey to America, where he hoped he might, un- 
 der tlie good opportunities offered to foreigners, 
 secure a comfortable competence and build up a 
 good home. He took passage at Liverpool on the 
 good ship "Thomas," at White Haven, and after a 
 long and tiresome voyage of forty-three daj-s, 
 landed in New York Chy. In that great metropo- 
 lis he found work at his trade, and lived there some 
 three years. He next took up his residence in the 
 South, and we hear of him working in Mobile, Ala., 
 at his calling for several years. He was also em- 
 ployed as a journeymen and a contractor in Mem- 
 phis, Tenn., for some thirteen years. 
 
 In 1846, our subject made a new departure, and 
 became a landowner in tliis State, buying the prop- 
 erty on which he now resides, and removing to it 
 from Tennessee in 1853, and since then has made 
 farming his life work. He at first purchased one 
 hundred and thirty acres at §4.50 an acre, it being 
 then in a wild condition, as the Indians had left it, 
 and he turned the first furrow of what is now a 
 most excellent farm, he having brought it to its 
 present condition of great productiveness and line 
 im|)rovement, by persevering and well directed 
 labor. He has added to his original purchase, and 
 now has two hundred and ten acres of land under 
 good cultivation, supplied with the necessary build- 
 ings of a good order and conveniently arranged, 
 and with all the ap|)liances for carrying on farm- 
 ing. 
 
 Mr. Cowley has been greatly assisted in the ac- 
 cumulation of his property by his good wife, who 
 is at once counselor, friend and helpmate. Their 
 marriage was solemnized November 9, 1841, and to 
 them have come nine children, of whom the follow- 
 ing four are living: Cornelia J., widow of Mr. Slo- 
 cum, of Brimfield Township; William T.; Daniel; 
 and Martha, wife of Joseph Harper, of Peoria. 
 The five deceaser! are: Cornelia, Daniel, Jlargaret, 
 Edward, and Catherine A. Mrs. Cowley, whose 
 :£>aiden name was Martha Price, is a native of 
 Flintshire, Wales, and was born March 28, 18111, a
 
 >*»IIVrpr;! ,
 
 CCAU^C^-^^^ >&v^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 549 
 
 daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Dooir) Price, 
 natives of Wales. She came to this countrj' in 
 1840. 
 
 Jlr. (Rowley began life in this countrj' with but 
 little me.ins, and experienced man}' of the incon- 
 veniences and hardships of pioneer life. The com- 
 fortable home in which he lives is the work of his 
 own liand, and was built by him in the spring of 
 1848, the doors and window sashes having been 
 made by him at Mempliis, and brought hither with 
 him on a steamer when he came to this county. 
 Activity, clear discernment, and excellent powersof 
 calculation have been the faculties with which our 
 subject is gifted, that have made his career as a 
 pioneer farmer of Brimfield Township, alike honor- 
 able to himself and useful to the communitj'. He 
 and his wife regulate tiieir lives by Cliristian prin- 
 ciples, and arc regarded with feelings of trust and 
 affection by tiic people around them. They are 
 valued members of the Old Settlers' Association of 
 Brimfield Township. Religiously, they ai-e of the 
 Metliodist Episcopal faith, being devoted members 
 of the church in the township, in which he is acting 
 as Steward and Trustee. In him the Democratic 
 party finds a sturdy supporter, and lie is ever ready 
 with true public spirit, to favor all things tending 
 to the good of the community. He was formerly 
 identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 lows. 
 
 ARRISON REED. On the opposite page ap- 
 l^ears a portrait of this gentleman, who is a 
 Government employe in the revenue ser- 
 vice in Peoria. I^e is the son of a well- 
 known pioneer of this county, and for many j'ears 
 lias been variously identified with its interests, and 
 prominent in its business and social circles. He is 
 a veteran of the late war, and fought in many 
 battles, his valor and patriotism making him one of 
 the most efficient soldiers in tJie rank and file of 
 the Union Army. 
 
 June 30, 1837, was the date of the birth of our 
 subject in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a 
 son of Nathan and Hannah (Merrill) Reed, natives 
 respectively of Kentucky and Alaino. His father 
 
 settled in Ohio at an early day, and was a Govern- 
 ment employe. In 1845 lie came to this State and 
 was one of its pioneers, locating first in Jackson- 
 ville, and being a near neighbor of Abraham Lin- 
 coln. He subsequently removed to Rushville, and 
 in 1852 came to this county, where he has ever 
 since been numbered among its most esteemed citi- 
 zens. In the month of April, 1867, he had the mis- 
 fortune to lose the wife and companion who had 
 for man3' years shared with him life's joys and sor- 
 rows. He afterward went to Iroquois County, and 
 in 1878 was again married and settled near Wat- 
 seka, where he still lives. Mr. Reed was a devoted 
 follower of "Old Tippecanoe," as is evidenced by 
 his conferring his name on his son, our subject, 
 and he gave the grandson of the old hero hearty 
 support during the last Presidential campaign. 
 
 Harrison Reed was a lad of eight years when his 
 parents came to tliis State, and twelve years old 
 when they took up their abode in Rushville, and a 
 youth of fifteen when they made their permanent 
 home in this countj'. He first began business for 
 himself as a farmer, and was thus engaged until the 
 date of his enlistment in the army. As soon as 
 possible after the breaking out of the war he vol- 
 unteered in defense of the Stars and Stripes, and 
 September 29, 1861, his name was enrolled as a 
 member of Company H, Fifty-seventh Illinois In- 
 fantry, commanded by Capt. Josiah Robbins and 
 Col. S. D. Baldwin, of Chicago, the latter of whom 
 resigned, his place being filled by Lieut. Col. F. J. 
 Hulburt, of Chicago, after the battle of Corinth. 
 
 Our subject had enlisted in Galva, whence he 
 was sent to Princeton, thence to Chicago, where he 
 and his comrades were dispatched to Ft. Donelson. 
 His regiment was activelj' engaged at Pittsburg 
 and Shiloh, besides doing good service in the siege 
 of Corinth, and in the battle at that place. After 
 being stationed at that point some time, they were 
 transferred to the Fifteenth Army corps, Sherman's 
 command. Our subject and h'S comrades were with 
 the famous commander on his "March to the Sea," 
 and fought valiantly in the battles of Resaca, 
 Kingston, Rome, Altoona Pass, Savannah, and Ben- 
 tonville, and carried the colors triumphantly from 
 Corinth to the sea. Tlie weary and battle-worn 
 veterans composing our subject's regiment were
 
 550 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 mustered out after that long march on the 25th of 
 December, 1864. 
 
 Mr. Reed retired from the army to Peoria, and 
 resumed the business of farming, which he con- 
 tinued i>rosperously until 1870. Failing health then 
 admonished him that he must seek ciiange of climate 
 and new scenes and occupations, and lie went to 
 Kansas Citj', and engaged in coopering for some 
 j'ears. In 1876 he returned once more to Peoria, 
 and has ever since made his home here, and is 
 I>leasantly located at No. 808 Seventh Street. In 
 the month of October, 1889 he was selected to fill a 
 responsible position on the revenue force, and im- 
 mediately entered upon his duties, and is still an 
 incumbent of the office. Resjiect and esteem are 
 accorded to him by his fellow-officers, as is due to 
 a man of his well-known fine chaiacter and stand- 
 ing in the eommunit}-. In him Briner Post, No. 
 67, a. A. R., has one of its most interested mem- 
 bers. Of an open and trutiiful nature, he is also re- 
 ligiously inclined and favors Methodism. 
 
 Mr. Reed and Miss Maggie A. Van Arsdale. a 
 native of Peoria, were united in marriage March 7, 
 1867. She is a fine woman and is a representative 
 of one of the oldest families of the county. Her fa- 
 ther was a native of Maryland, and he and his wife 
 are still honored residents of the county. 
 
 OHN C. ROBERTS, M. D. is a finely edu- 
 cated and well-trained physician and occupies 
 an honorable position in the medical pro- 
 (^^J fession of this count}', Peoria being his seat 
 of practice. Our subject was born in the town of 
 Morton, Tazewell Countj', on a farm, and there re- 
 ceived his early training. He was ambitious to 
 obtain an education and after he had left the public 
 schools, he entered Paxton College in Paxton, 
 studied there one term, and then became a student 
 at AVesleyan University- at Bloomingtou. where he 
 pursued a fine collegiate course. His mind early 
 turned to the medical profession as his choice, and 
 he entered upon the necessary studies to fit himself 
 to be a phjsician, in the office of Dr. Chapin in 
 Holder, McLean County. He subsequently entered 
 
 the college of Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago, 
 from which he was graduated in the spring of 1887, 
 taking the degree of Doctor of Medicine and hav- 
 ing pursued a special course in Pediatrics, he re- 
 ceived a certificate thereof. 
 
 Our subject has obtained his education through 
 his own efforts as he h.as been entirely without help 
 during the long struggle. In order to defr.ay ex- 
 penses he sometimes engaged in teaching and first 
 taught in Ford County. After receiving his di- 
 ploma the Doctor located in Peoria and has since 
 been engaged in his profession in this city. He has 
 alread}' acquired a good practice which is steadily 
 increasing as he is becoming better known, and a 
 bright and promising future is before him in his 
 medical career. 
 
 February 23, 1887, was the date of the marriage 
 of Dr. Roberts to Miss Alice Casey, a native of 
 Illinois, her parents being well-known residents of 
 Bloomington. The Doctor possesses a bright, ac- 
 tive, well trained mind, and his knowledge of 
 medicine, and of the branch to which he is par- 
 ticularly devoted is of a superior order. He is a 
 man of purest personal character and of fine 
 social attributes anil is prominent in social and re- 
 ligious circles in this city. He is a member of the 
 Improved Order of Red Men of the Kickapoo Tribe, 
 and is identified with the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen. He belongs to the First Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and no scheme is put forward 
 for the moral elevation of the community with 
 which he is not connected. 
 
 ^ 
 
 '^OHN GILLETT, M.D., druggist and one of 
 the foremost citizens of Dunlap, occupies an 
 honorable position among the representa- 
 tives of the medical profession of this 
 county. His father, the late Gardner Gillett, was 
 a native of Massachusetts, while his mother, whose 
 maiden name was Phosbe Bishop, was born in the 
 State of New York. In 1838 they emigrated from 
 Ontario County, N. Y., to this county, and settled 
 among the earl}- pioneers of Trivoli Township, 
 where he developed a farm and was prosperous!}-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 551 
 
 engaged in its management until death closed his 
 career October 20, 1878, at a ripe old age. His 
 wife preceded him to the grave, dying in 1869. 
 They had five children, three sons and two daiigh- 
 ers, and our subject was Iheir third child in order 
 of birth. 
 
 Dr. (iillett was born in the town of Canaan, Col- 
 umbia County, N. Y., September 5, 1823. When 
 he was thirleen years old, he went to live with a 
 man by the name of Justus Mead, in Ontario 
 County, N. Y.,and remained with him until he was 
 twenty-one years old. Up to that time his educa- 
 tion liad been obtained in the common schools. A 
 thoughtful, studious youth, he w.as very desirous 
 to become more learned, and he then entered the 
 Waterloo Academy, at Waterloo, Seneca County, 
 and for a [icriod of one and one-half years was 
 closely engaged at his books there, and pursued an 
 excellent course of study. He next became a stu- 
 dent at the Lyons Tnion School, which he attended 
 a ])(>rtion of one year. He tiius acquired a solid 
 foundation for any profession that he might care 
 to enter, and for awhile he was engaged as a teacher. 
 He taught in Seneca County, having charge of a 
 j^ihool at Seneca Falls for one year, and another at 
 Waterloo, the ensuing year. At Seneca Falls he 
 began to prepare himself to be a physician, and 
 studied with a Dr. Brown for six months. In the 
 spring of 1848 he entered the office of Landon 
 Wells, and diligently read medicine under his tu- 
 ition for two and a half years, and during that time 
 spent two terms at the Geneva Medical College, 
 from which he was graduated with an honorable 
 standing in his class and received his diploma. He 
 first established himself as a medical practitioner 
 in the town of Romulus, Seneca County, N. Y. He 
 was there one year, and in the fall of 1851 decided 
 to take up his residence in Illinois, as he wisely 
 thought that in a newly settled country men of his 
 calling would l)e greatly in demand and that lie 
 would have better opportunities to rise in his pro- 
 fession. 
 
 After coming to this State the Doctor took up his 
 residence in La Salle, where he was actively engaged 
 in practice until May 16, 1864. In that month 
 he had the sad misfortune to lose the wife who hnd 
 accomiiaiiied him from his native State to his new 
 
 home in Illinois, and he then left that place coming 
 to this county and settling in Trivuli. He secured 
 a good practice in that town and resided there un- 
 til October, 1871, and in that month came to Dun- 
 lap. The village had been but recently platted 
 and his was the first residence erected and he was 
 the first to engage in business, establishing himself 
 here as a general merchant in connection with his 
 work as a phjsician, and his daughter, Jessie B. was 
 the first child born in Dunlap. The Doctor con- 
 tinued in general mercantile business till 1874, 
 and then opened a drug store and carried on busi- 
 ness as a druggist exclusivel\'. The village has 
 grown up around him and with its growth his bus- 
 iness has increased and he now comm.ands a very 
 profitable trade not only here but among the resi- 
 dents of the outlying country. His store is neatly 
 fitted up and is well stocked, and his patrons are 
 sure of getting none but the purest drugs or the 
 best of anything that is usually found in a drug 
 store. 
 
 Dr. Gillett has been twice married. The maiden 
 name of his first wife, to whom he was wedded in 
 Varick, Seneca County, N. Y., November 17, 1852, 
 was Julia A. Planning. She was a native of wego, 
 Tioga Count}', N. Y. She bore him two children, 
 of whom the eldest died in infancy. Their second 
 child — Luc\' Chester — is now the wife of Morris J. 
 Rogers. In their home in La Salle, the wife and 
 mother departed this life May 5, 1864. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject, which took 
 place in this county, October 20, 1866, was to Al- 
 mia E. Blood, a native of Trivoli Township; their 
 pleasant wedded life has been blessed to them by 
 the birth of one daughter, Jessie B. 
 
 When Dr. Gillett took up his residence in this 
 county, its citizenship received a valuable acquisi- 
 tion. His high reputation, his attainments, his bus- 
 iness tact, and his active public spirit have given 
 liim a leading place among the citizens of Dunlap 
 and he has been potent in placing this busy, enter- 
 prising village on a substantial basis. While living 
 in La Salle, the Doctor was prominent in its pub- 
 lic life ; was at one time Alderman of the city,served 
 one term as School Director, and was Overseer of 
 the Poor for four years. He was elected School Di- 
 rector in Trivoli and has held tlial imi)ortaiit
 
 552 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 office in Dunlap, and uses his influence in every way 
 to advance its educational interests. He takes a 
 lively interest in political affairs, as a lo^yal and 
 iutclligent citizen slionid, and he is an advocate of 
 the principles of the Democratic party. He has 
 been a member of the Masonic fraterait}- since 
 1851. lu his rclioious views he is liberal. 
 
 J AVID D. NIGHTINGALE is an old set- 
 j tier of this couut3' and, as a pioneer of 
 Millbrook Township, has helped in the 
 development of this region, and is still 
 identifled with its agricultural interests, owning 
 and occupying a good farm on section 20. 
 
 This venerable gentleman is a native of York- 
 shire, England, and was there bora November 5, 
 1810. His parents, David and M.iry Nightingale, 
 were also of English birth and bree:liug. When a 
 youth of between sixteen and eighteen years, our 
 subject took an import.ant step in life, boldly 
 venturing forth from his old home and taking 
 passage at York, England, in a sail vessel, landed 
 in Quebec, Canada, six weeks later, and thence 
 came to the I'nitcd States. He began his life 
 in this countrj- in Oneida County, N. Y., but 
 after remaining there a few years he emigrated to 
 this count}' and has been a resident here ever 
 since. Thus much of the growth and develop- 
 ment of this part of the State has taken place un- 
 der his eye, and he has done what he could 
 towards its improvement fiom the wild state in 
 which he found it, to its present fine condition, as 
 a well-developed and wealthy section of the coun- 
 try. For a number of j'ears after he arrived here 
 Mr. Nightingale farmed on shares in Millbrook 
 Township, and then bought the farm that be now 
 owns and has made it his home manj' j-ears. He 
 was one of the first settlers of his neighborhood, 
 and his farm, when it came into his possession, 
 was merely a tract of wild, uncultivated land, and 
 its development has been the work of his own 
 hand, much severe Labor, many sacrifices, and the 
 hardships and trials incidental to pioneer life in a 
 newly settled country going to its making-up. It 
 
 comprises eighty acres of well-tilled land, that is 
 supplied with good buildings and every needful 
 appurtenance for carrying on farming operations. 
 
 Mr. Nightingale was married in New York State 
 to Mary A. Heaton, who was to him all tliat a true 
 and loving wife could be. She was devoted to his 
 interests, faithfullj' shared his pioneer labors and 
 worked hard in the performance of the duties de- 
 volving upon her in the care of a large family. 
 She walked b}- his side manj' j'ears, encouraging 
 and cheering him in his work and her death was a 
 serious loss to him. She bore him ten children, of 
 whom the following are living: Adrian; Mar^^wife 
 of James Leery, of Kansas; Julia, a resident of Kan- 
 sas; Harriet, wife of William Doddsworth : Fran- 
 cis and DeWitt. 
 
 Mr. Nightingale is well-known by the people 
 among whom he came to settle so long ago, when 
 in the prime and vigor of manhood, and among 
 whom he has grown old, and all accord him the re- 
 spect due to his age and worth. His pioneer work 
 links his name with the history of Millbrook 
 Township, and he will evtr be held in veneration 
 as one of its earl}' settlers. He has led a busy life, 
 and has therebj- secured a comfortable competence 
 that will forlif}^ him against want in the coming 
 years. He is a sturdy Republican politicall}', and 
 has served creditably as School Director, and has 
 done what he could to further the educational, 
 moral and material interests of Millbrook Town- 
 ship. 
 
 - o<r>e> , 
 
 fclLLIAM W. VAN TASSEL, of Peoria, is 
 a storekeeper in the employ of the Gov- 
 
 W 
 
 ernment, and is one of the best ofiicials 
 on the Revenue force in this city. He is a native 
 of the city of New Y'ork, born May 6, 1839. His 
 parents, Albert and Harriet (Drawbridge) Van 
 Tassel, were likewise natives of the Empire State. 
 Our subject grew to man's estate in the city of 
 ills birth, and was well educated in its public 
 schools. In the fall of 1862 he came to Illinois, 
 and gave his attention to farming till 1871. Then 
 he took up his residence in Peoria, and engaged in 
 railroading in the freight department, .and con-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BKHiRAl'IIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 553 
 
 tiiiued iu that relation without interruption until 
 1889, when be accepted iiis present position under 
 the government, entering upon his duties the loth 
 of October. His standing in the community is 
 among our best citizens, those who are most ac- 
 tive iu advancing all schemes for its social and 
 moral elevation. He and his wife are among the 
 loading members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Cluirch iu tliis city, and lie has been prominent as 
 a Class-Leader for many years. 
 
 Our subject was a volunteer in the late war, and 
 liis millitary record is honorable alike to himself 
 and his country, and is commemorated bj' his con- 
 nection with Briner Post, G. A. R. Mr. ^'an Tas- 
 sel threw aside all personal aims and ambitions to 
 take part in the great conflict, enlisting in the 
 spring of 18G2 in the Eiglilh New York Infantry, 
 and for three months was iu the service under 
 Gen. McClellan. In the month of February, 1865, 
 lie re-enlisted and became a member of llie One 
 Hundred and Fortj'-eight Illinois Inf.antr^f, and 
 was engaged in battles and skirmisiies in Tennes- 
 see until the close of the war. He was honorably 
 discliargcd from the armj' in the month of Sep- 
 tember, ISGo. 
 
 Mr. Van Tassel was married in 18G1, to Miss 
 Jane Boardman, a native of England, and of their 
 pleasant wedded life eiglit children have been born, 
 of wliom the following six are still living: Robert 
 \\'., who is engaged in the grain business in Peo- 
 ria; Ethvard J., Hattie, George, Alpha and Harri- 
 son, all of whom have been well educated in tlie 
 public schools. 
 
 UGH MORROW, a native and a resident 
 of Akron Townsliip since his birth, is now 
 one of its foremost citizens. For many 
 ^) j^ears he has been prosperously engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits, having always followed the 
 vocation of a fanner, and he has on section 20, a 
 choice farm, whose improvements make it one of 
 the most desirable estates in the vicinity. 
 
 Thomas Morrow, the father of our subject, a 
 native of Ohio, was one of the early pioneers of 
 
 Peoria County, settling in AI<ron Townsliip among 
 its very first settlers. He was reared in iiis native 
 State and was married to Eleanor McMillin, who 
 was born iu Kentucky. They came to Illinois 
 from Parke County, Ind., in the spring of 1831, 
 and established their pioneer home on the wild 
 prairies of what is now Akron Townsliip, and here 
 they lived until death called them hence. The 
 father was an active business man and was a good 
 fa"rmer, and his death, March 19, 1848, was a seri- 
 ous blow to the interests of the townshij). His 
 good wife survived him until June 14, 1877, 
 when she too passed away. The^^ had eleven chil- 
 dren, 6f whom our subject was the eldest. 
 
 Hugh Morrovv was l)orn in this township, April 
 14, 1832, the first child born in the township, 
 and has always resided iu this locality. He 
 gained a practical education in the local schools, 
 and on the old iiomestead early acquired the rudi- 
 ments of farming, and has since become very 
 skillful in this noble calling. For nearly thirty 
 years he was engaged very profitably in operating 
 a threshing machine. He has placed his farm of 
 one hundred and ninety acres under good tillage 
 and has made all the necessary improvements that 
 constitute a first-class farm. 
 
 On January 12, 18GU, our subject and Miss 
 Emiliue Wilson were united iu marriage in this 
 his native township, and their wedded life has 
 been iiroductive of mutual happiness. Mrs. Mor- 
 row is a daughter of Willi'un H. and Sarah (Wil- 
 son) Wilson, who came to this county in 1848. and 
 cast in their lot with the i)ionecrs of Akron Town- 
 ship, and here resided the remainder of their 
 lives. They came from Brown County, Ohio, 
 where Mrs. Morrow was born, December 8, 1835. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Morrow have nine children, viz: 
 Alice, wife of Alexander Gra^-; Anna, wife of 
 James Kinney; Albert M., who married Emma 
 Alter; Ambrose W., John R., Lewis A., Willard 
 N., Evelyn and Grant R. 
 
 Mr. Morrow has faithfully and honorably served 
 his township as Highway Commissioner and as 
 School Director, and has held the latter office many 
 years. In politics he gives a stanch support to 
 the Democratic party. He is a genial, courteous 
 gentleman, always willing to do a favor and gen-
 
 554 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 erously extending a helping hand to all who are 
 need}' or suffering, and the place that be holds in 
 the hearts of his fellow-citizens is a warm one. He 
 and his wife are members of the Presbyterian 
 Church, with which they have been connected for 
 a long term of years, and their Christian faith is 
 illustrated in their everyday life. 
 
 — *> ■•o»o.'gc)^<Y^-o»o.. <<■«- 
 
 DWARD MANSFIELD. Early identified 
 witii the agricultural interests of Peoria 
 /ILsii^ County, Mr. Mansfield has met with marked 
 success in tlie prosecution of his calling, and has 
 acquired a front rank among tlie stock-raisers and 
 feeders and grain-growers of this part of Illinois, 
 he being the most extensively engaged in these in- 
 terests of any agriculturist of Princeville Town- 
 sliij). He is a large landowner, having many acres 
 of land both in this and Jubilee Townships, and lie 
 has built up an attractive home, replete with all 
 that goes to make life comfortable. 
 
 A native of New York, our subject was born in 
 the pretty town of Esperance, in Schoiiarie County, 
 August 8, 1826, descending from standi New Eng- 
 land stock. His father, I^everett Mansfield, was born 
 in the month of November, 1786, in North Haven, 
 Conn. He was a son of Richard Mansfield, who 
 was born in that city May 24, 1763, and was a 
 saddler by trade. He married Mar3' Stiles and 
 subsequently died in North Haven. His father, 
 Titus Mansfield, great-grandfather of our subject, 
 was also a native of Connecticut, was a large land- 
 owner, and was proprietor of the famous Mansfield 
 Farm. His father's name was Joseph Mansfield, 
 and the origin of the family in America dates back 
 to one Richard Mansfield, who located in Connec- 
 ticut in the seventeenth century, coming to this 
 country from Exeter, Devonshire, England, in 
 1639, and locating near the town of Hamden, and 
 from him descended a large family. For a further 
 account of the MansHelds we refer you to the biog- 
 rajihy of H. Mansfield, of Peoria, which appears in 
 this volume. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared on a New 
 England farm in his native State and after mar- 
 
 riage went from the phice of his birth to Esperance, 
 Schoharie Count}', N. Y., which was then in its in- 
 fancy, and became one of its prominent pioneers. 
 He bought a piece of land in the timber, cleared it 
 and made a productive farm of it and also engaged 
 in liotel-keeping on the great Western Turnpike at 
 Esperance for some thirty years. In 1843 he dis- 
 posed of his property there and came westward as 
 far as Kane County, this State, and settled near 
 Elgin on a tract of wild land that he purchaseil on 
 his arrival. He im])rovcd it and followed farming 
 there until his retirement from active life. He re- 
 sided with our subject for one year after that and 
 then bought a place in Princeville Townshi|), and 
 there his life was brought to a close December 22, 
 1868. He was a sturdy Democrat in political 
 views, and religiousl}' was a stanch Presbyterian. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Sarah Sanford, and she was born in North 
 Haven, Conn., March 8, 1789. She died December 
 20, 1868, in Princeville, her death occurring just 
 three days before that of her husband, so that tliey 
 who had been so much to each other in life were 
 not long separated. She was a daughter of Perry 
 Sanford, a farmer and a life-long resident of Con 
 necticut. The following is a record of the nine chil- 
 dren born to her: pjliza died in Elgin ;Janett, Mrs. 
 Lyon, lives near Beecher, 111.; Stiles is a resident 
 of Fair Haven, Conn. ; Sarah A. died near Alle- 
 ghany, Mich.; Henry is a resident of Peoria; 
 Mariette died near Dundee; John lives in McIIenry 
 County; Leverett, who was a teacher in New Jer- 
 sey, died in that St.ate; Edward is the subject of 
 this sketch. 
 
 He, of whom we write, passed the early years of 
 his lite in his father's hotel, in the place of his 
 birth. He received excellent common-school ad- 
 vantages and as soon as old enough went to assist 
 his father in his business. When fourteen years 
 old he left the parental home and went to Madison 
 County, N. Y., and was engaged on a farm there 
 for three months. From there he proceeded to the 
 home of his ancestors in New Haven, Conn., where 
 he worked in a blacksmith shop and on a farm for 
 a year, and also had an opportunity to advance his 
 education, by attending school in that place. He 
 staid there until the fall, and in November, 1843,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 555 
 
 came westward with a team and wagon, pursuing a 
 part of the journey on an old tug which was not 
 safe, and as he found it too slow a mode of travel 
 he left it at Dunkirk and proceeded ihrough the 
 mud and sloughs across the wild prairies to Chi- 
 cago. This he found but an insignificant place 
 with one hotel, for the accomodation of travelers. 
 He came on to Kane County, which was then 
 scarcely more than a vast stretch of uncultivated 
 prairies, and among its pioneers he found work to 
 support himself. In the fall of 1847, he l)ought 
 forty acres there of wild land, but did not improve 
 it, continuing to work out for others and doing 
 odd jobs until 1849. In that ever memorable year 
 in the history of our country he, like many others, 
 was stricken with the California fever, and was one 
 of the great multitude of '49ers who penetrated 
 the Pacific Coast in search of the precious metal. 
 He rigged up an ox-team and wagon, and joined a 
 party who had three other wagons and with them 
 loft Elgin, in the month of April, to perform the 
 long, dangerous, and tiresome journe3' across the 
 plains and mountains to the gold regions. They 
 crossed the Mississipi)i at Burlington, and the Mis- 
 souri at St. Joseph and struck the Platte at Ft. 
 Kearney, following its route to Laramie, then going 
 by the North Platte to Lawson, and from the 
 Soutli Pass to Red Bluffs, Lawson's Kancli. and 
 finally arrived at their destination. Tiiey were 
 seven months on the way, and were fortunate 
 enough to have no encounter willi the Tndinns. 
 Our subject engaged in mining there on the 
 Feather River, then on the South Fork of the 
 Feather, and went from there to Hopkins, and from 
 there to Poor Man's Creek and was fairly success- 
 ful in his mining operations. Then on Trinity 
 River he was engaged in the same occupation for 
 four years. 
 
 In the fall of 1853, Mr. Mansfiehl returned to 
 Illinois by the way of Panama, New York City 
 and Chicago, to Kane County. Ambitious to be- 
 come better educated he went to (ialesl)urg and 
 entered Knox College. He was a student there for 
 a while and then attended Bell's Commercial Col- 
 lege in Chicago, and was graduated from that in- 
 stitution after pursuing an excellent business 
 course. He had purchased one lumdred and fifty 
 
 acres of land in 1854, and after leaving college he 
 located on it in a log house and entered upon its 
 improvement. At that time the country around 
 here was yet in a partly wild condition, and deer 
 and wolves still haunted the groves of timber. Mr. 
 Mansfield broke prairie with oxen and horses, and 
 continued to extend his farming operations, buy- 
 ing horses, cattle and hogs, and driving them to 
 Peoria for shipment and from time to time added 
 to his farm, until it now comprises six hundred 
 aiul sixty-five acres of a-s well-cultivated and highly 
 improved land as is to be found anywhere in the 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Mansfield has erected three dwellings on his 
 land including a large and handsome residence, oc- 
 cupied by himself and family, and there are four 
 commodious barns, a fan and windmill and all the 
 appliances for conducting agriculture to the best 
 advantage. It is located on the North branch of 
 the Kickapoo, and is adapted to both stock and 
 grain raising purposes. It is well fenced and four 
 miles of tiling give it ample drainage and tiiere 
 are a good orchard and fine grove. lie has twenly- 
 three finely graded roadsters, Clyde and Norman 
 horses, and is the proprietor of the Belgian stallion 
 Moxman, a three-year-old, which is considered a 
 very valuable piece of horse ttesii. He lias one 
 hundred and seventy-five head of cattle, full- 
 blooded and high grades Slfort-liorns.and feeds be- 
 sides one liundred and fifty head of cattle a year 
 and raises hogs ver3' extensively, having one hun- 
 dred and fifty head of the Poland China breed and 
 three hundred of another grade. Besides raising a. 
 large amount of grain, he buys some seven or 
 eight thousand bushels a year to feed. Five teams 
 are needed to carry on his extensive interests. 
 
 To the lady who presides over his home and has 
 cheerfully co-operated with him and encouraged 
 him in his work, Mr. Mansfield was married April 
 1, 1857. Mrs. Mansfield's maiden name was Re- 
 becca Fulton, and she is a native of this county, 
 born in Richwood Township. Her lather was .Tosiah 
 Fulton, who was born in 1800, and came to Illinois 
 in 1819, and was one of the earliest settlers of the 
 county. He was a ranger and his sketch appears 
 in this volume. 
 
 Blr. and Mrs. Mansfield are the parents of six
 
 556 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 children: Lcverett, a teacher in the Princeville 
 schools, gra<iuatecl from the Valparaiso Normal; 
 Albert in the emplo}- of the Santa Fe Railroad, was 
 also educated at that school; Edward is living at 
 home, and is a student of that institution ; Sanford, 
 Joseph and Charles are at liome, Joseph havina: at- 
 tended the Valparaiso Normal one winter. 
 
 Mr. Mansfield is a man of wide and varied expe- 
 rience, of keen observation, and a cultured mind. 
 He has an extensive acquaintance Ihroughout tiie 
 county, his social and business relations bringing 
 him into contact with man^- people, and it is the 
 universal opinion of all that he is above reproach 
 in all respects. He is a man of excellent mental 
 calibre, possessing that firmness, decision, sturd3- 
 self-respect and rectitude of character that com- 
 mands the confidence of all. As a good citizen 
 should, he interests himself iu politics, was in early 
 manhood, in ante-bellum times, an outspoken, 
 earnest Abolitionist, and cast his first vote for 
 James G. Birney. After the formation of the Re- 
 publican party, sympathizing deeply witii the sen- 
 timents of its founders, he joined its ranks, and has 
 ever since remained true to its principles. He has 
 served on the petit jur}', has been School Director 
 and a Pathmaster for years. He is identified with 
 the Patrons of Husbandry, as a member of Salem 
 Lodge. 
 
 ON. CALVIN STOWELL, a successful 
 farmer and stock-raiser living on section G, 
 Hallock Township, is one of those agricult- 
 urists whose life exemplifies the old adage 
 
 "Honor and shame from no condition rise; 
 Act well 30ur part, there all the honor lies." 
 
 He has not only become the owner of a considerable 
 landed estate b}' the exercise of diligence and pru- 
 dence, but he has at the same time gained what is 
 hetter than silver or gold, the esteem of those amid 
 whom his life has been p.assed. His title of Honor- 
 able has been well earned b3' his conduct as a pri- 
 vate individual, as well as by his efforts to advance 
 the interest of his constituents while serving in the 
 legislature. 
 
 Mr. Stowell was born in Bainbridge, Chenango 
 
 County, N. Y., October 5, 1836, being a son of 
 Ebenezer .Stowoll, whose full history is incorpor- 
 ated in the biographj- of 0. B. Stowell, on another 
 page in this volume. He was a lad of six years 
 when brought to Peoria County, 111,, and here 
 grew to manhood, becoming a full fledged farmer 
 as soon as he became of age. In the meantime, 
 however, he had developed the faculties of his 
 mind as thoroughh' as the schools of the neighbor- 
 hood gave him opportunit}, and since his school 
 days has added to his information b}- means of the 
 facilities afforded bj- the press and contact with 
 mankind. He remained under the home roof until 
 after he was twenty-eight 3ears of age and then pur- 
 chased his first land iu JLarshall CountJ^ From 
 that time he has been closeli' identified with the 
 agricultural development of both IMarshall and 
 Peoria Counties. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Stowell enlisted in the Eleventh 
 Illinois Infantry, which was commanded bj^ Col. 
 Coats, and was enrolled iu Company D, under 
 Capt. Bedoe. He joined his regiment at Memphis, 
 Tenn., remaining with it until the close of the war 
 bearing a part in the battles of Spanish Fort, Ft. 
 Blakely and the capture of Mobile, Ala. He re- 
 ceived an honorable discharge at Alexandria and 
 at once returned to the North to resume the peace- 
 ful occupati(m in which he has proved so success- 
 ful. His home farm consists of one hundred and 
 sixty acres on which he has resided five 3'ear.>!, 
 and he also owns one hundred and sixty acres on 
 another section, and an interest in one hundred and 
 twent3- acres in still another part of the township. 
 During the twenty 3-ears of his residence in Marshall 
 Couut,y his home was in LaPrairie Township where 
 he improved a good farm. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. Stowell was elected to the legisla- 
 ture b3' the Republicans of the district which in- 
 cludes Marshall, Woodford and Putnam Counties. 
 He was a member of four committees of considera- 
 ble importance, notabl3', that on agriculture and 
 buildings. He introduced and was interested iu 
 some local bills, but failed to secure their passage, 
 although he labored arduousl3' in behalf of the 
 welfare of his constituents. Prior to his election 
 to the legislature he had served five terms as Su- 
 pervisor of LaPrairie Township, Marshall Count3',
 
 (&M^c
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 559 
 
 and had held all the oilier township offices. He is a 
 stanch Kepul)lican who from the time he cast his 
 first vole for Abraham Lincoln, has been sound in 
 the faith. He ims been delegate to county conven- 
 tions and generally active in the local work of the 
 party. 
 
 When he set up his own home Mr. Stowoll se- 
 cured as his companion Miss Priscilla Greenhalgh, 
 their marriage rites being- performed in Ilallock 
 Township, August 27, 1864. Mrs. Stowell is a na- 
 tive of Lancastershire, England, is of pure English 
 ancestry, and the representative of an excellent 
 family. Her natal day was April 30, 1837, and she 
 was about eight j'ears of age when her parents 
 emigrated to America, making their home in the city 
 of Peoria. There her father, John Greenbalgh, 
 died in the i)rimc of life. Her mother, formerly 
 Miss Mary Mauock, is now seventy-three years of 
 age and is an inmate of the home of our subject. 
 Mrs. Stowell was reared and chiefly educated in 
 Peoria, acquiring the knowledge, habits and virtues 
 which make her the highly honored wife, parent 
 and friend. 
 
 The family of our subject and his estimable wife 
 consists of five daughters, several of whom have 
 ahead}' received instruction in Knox College, and 
 the elder of whom is a skilled musician and an apt 
 teacher of that art. The eldest daughter, Agnc's, 
 now lives at Lawn Uidge, liaving married Charles 
 Pickney, a farmer there. Laura, Annie and Nellie, 
 students at Knox, and Edith, who has not yet left 
 home, complete the circle. The entire band rank 
 high in culture of mind, in accomplishments, and 
 in character, all being consistent members of the 
 Congregational Church, with which the parents are 
 also identified. Miss Nellie has aleady won some 
 laurels as a school teacher. Mr. Stowell has been 
 Cluirch Trustee and now holds the office of Deacon. 
 
 C-Hfr-^ fe 
 
 ^ ZllA C. WING. The future [irosperity of 
 «i) this nation depends upon our j'oung people, 
 ^ and in exact proportion to their enterprise, 
 industry and principles of honor, will our country 
 tlourish. It is always a pleasure for the student of 
 
 human nature and the biographer, to record the 
 events in the lives of those whose intelligence and 
 progressive spirit have placed them in the front 
 ranks of the citizenship of their communities. The 
 gentleman of whom this brief sketch is written is 
 numbered among the prominent residents of Peo- 
 ria, where he has made a name and a place for him- 
 self in the financial circles. In connection with 
 this sketch we presei>t his portrait on another page. 
 He is connected with the Peoria Transfer and Stor- 
 age Companj', as Treasurer and Manager of its large 
 business, which is ste.adily increasing under his able 
 supervision. 
 
 Mr. AVing has not yet reached the prime of life, 
 having been born February 6, 18()2, in Ottawa, the 
 county seat of LaSalle County, 111. He is a son of 
 Clifton L. and P^liza M. (Tucker) Wing, natives 
 respective!}' of Massachusetts and New York, and 
 belonging lo well-known pioneer families, the 
 Tuckers having lived in Peoria County since 1834. 
 C. L. Wing came hither in 1837, and was united in 
 marriage with Eliza M. Tucker near ISrimfield, 
 April 26, 1861. Since then they have resided in 
 various places, but for several years have been 
 residents of Elmwood, where they have a very 
 pleasant home. Mr. Wing at one time was engaged 
 in business in Peru, and is now actively carrying 
 on a profitable grain trade in Yates City. 
 
 Ezra C. Wing was early introtluccd into business, 
 and at the youthful age of sixteen years entered the 
 grain trade in connection with his father. At the 
 age of twenty-one he went to Chicago, where he 
 was book-keeper for the Ajax Forge Compau}', and 
 was employed bj' it for a year, ile then returned 
 to Brimfield and was busily engaged in the grain 
 trade the ensuing two years. At the expiration of 
 that time he established himself in the same trade 
 in Hamburg, Iowa. A 3'ear later he came to Peo- 
 ria, and 1887, connected himself with the Aver\- 
 Planter Companj', and kept books for it until Au- 
 gust, 1889. In that month he accepted his present 
 position as Manager of the Peoria Transfer and 
 Storage Company, and during the year that he has 
 had charge of its business he has proved himself to 
 possess exceptional capacity for financial undertak- 
 ings, being shrewd, far-seeing and systematic in 
 the conduct of aft'aiis. lie looks zealously after
 
 560 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ENRY OERTLEY. Oue totally unac- 
 quainted with the details of farm life, the 
 value of different soils, or the modifying 
 influence of forests, liills or prairies, can 
 still judge of the worth of an estate and the capa- 
 bility of its manager b}- a glance. Fields wherein 
 weeds fill every fence corner and lift their heads 
 between the rows of grain, poor or inadequate shel- 
 ter for stock and crops, tumbled down fences and 
 a general air of disorder, give conclusive evidence 
 that the land is poor or illy managed. On the other 
 hand, the appearance of neatness and order pre- 
 vailing throughout every part of an estate, is an 
 equally conclusive evidence of good management, 
 industry, or fertility of the acres under considera- 
 tion. The farm of the gentleman above named is 
 included in the latter class, the buildings being 
 most excellent and everj' improvement kept up in 
 good shape. It is located on section 15, Akron 
 Township, and comprises two hundred and fort}- 
 acres. 
 
 Mr. Oertley, is a native of the beautiful land of 
 
 the interests of the com pan}', which is perfectly 
 satisfied with his method of conducting business 
 and considers that it is in a large degree indebted 
 to him for its present standing. 
 
 ;Mr. Wing was wedded to Miss Minnie Furcell, 
 daughter of ^Maggie Purcell, of Elmwood, October 
 29, 1887, and they have established an attractive 
 home in our midst, where the considerate kindness 
 of the hostess and the genial courtesy of the host 
 attract numerous friends to share its pleasant hos- 
 pitalities. Two children have come to bless their 
 union — George C. and Marjorie Frances. 
 
 ]Mr. Wing possesses in a rare degree, those hap- 
 py combinations of character tliat mark him .at once 
 as a man who is prompt and bold in his measures 
 and at the same time, prudent and cautious in car- 
 rying out his undertakings. He possesses a frank 
 and open manner, is warm-hearted and liberal, and 
 is much liked by his associates. He has intelli- 
 gent convictions in regard to polities, and ranks 
 among the active young Republicans of the city. 
 
 Switzerland, wherein his birth took place Septem- 
 ber 27, 1840. His parents, Henry and Anna (Grass) 
 Oertley, were Swiss, who emigrated from their own 
 country in 1848, making their first home after 
 crossing the ocean in Peoria. After living there 
 three years thej' came into Akron Township.spend- 
 ing the remnant of their days here. They were 
 the parents of eigiit children, our subject being the 
 fourth, upon whom they bestowed every advantage 
 which their means and affection could compass. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in the township 
 which is now his home and of which he has been a 
 continuous resident with the exception of three 
 years, during which he was serving gallantly in 
 the Union Army. The intense loyalty and love of 
 freedom which are inherent in the Swiss character 
 led him to take a deep interest in the mutterings 
 of the war cloud, and not long after the first gun 
 was fired he determined to give the strength of his 
 right arm to the Union cause. June 25, 1861, he 
 became a member of Company H, Eighth Missouri 
 Infantry, and going to the front participated in 
 various severe skirmishes, sanguinary battles and 
 the various trying duties of camp and campaign 
 life. When mustered out of the service he returned 
 to his father's home and when he set up his own 
 household still remained within the township. 
 
 The lady whom Mr. Oertle}- won for his bride 
 was Miss Babetta Hartmann, who was born in the 
 same country as himself, her natal day having been 
 September 17, 1846. She is the only child of Jacob 
 and Babetta (Hansenberger) Hartmann who left the 
 romantic land of their birth in the latter part of 
 the '50s to become citizens of the United States. 
 They settled in Peoria, but afterward removed to 
 Akron Township where Mr. Hartmann died and his 
 widow still lives. 
 
 The marriage rites between our subject and Miss 
 Hartmann were celebrated December 9. 1866. and 
 have been productive to them of five children — 
 Henry, Jacob, Amelia, Emit and Babetta. The 
 older daughter died when in her tenth 3'ear. She 
 was an interesting little maiden, sprightly and apt, 
 and like her brothers and sisters was being very 
 carefully reared by her parents, whose earnest en- 
 deavor it is to have their children grow to man- 
 hood and womanhood in the possession of good
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 561 
 
 educations, fine principles, and tlie manners of the 
 truly I'uiirteous. That their effort? are Iseing 
 crowned willi success tlie popularity of the various 
 members of tlie family proves. 
 
 Mr. Oerlley votes the -Democratic ticlcet. He is 
 interested in public affairs to the extent of en- 
 couraging every worthy movement with liis intiu- 
 CTico and means, is respected for his good character, 
 while his wife is regarded as one of the most in- 
 telligent and worthy women in the neighborhood. 
 
 RS. PlIEBE UINKLEY is a well known 
 and greatly esteemed resident of Brinitield 
 Township. From her fine farm on section 
 28, she derives a most excellent income 
 ami her home here is replete with comfort. Mrs. 
 Iliiilviey is a native of Massachusetts, antl was born 
 in Lancaster, September 11, 1831, coming of a 
 sterling New England ancestry. Her parents, Otis 
 and Clarinda (Severy) Bennett, were also natives 
 of the old Bay State. When she was about a year 
 old they took her to Cayuga County, N. Y., where 
 they resided for some years, and then took up their 
 abode in Oswego County, the same State. There 
 Mrs. Ilinkle}- grew to womanhood, receiving her 
 education in the common schools, her instruction 
 there being supplemented by the careful training 
 that she received at the hands of her good parents 
 in her childhood's home. 
 
 She was thus amply fitted for the cares of a 
 liousehold, and September 11, 1851, by her marriage 
 in Oswego County with William Darby, was placed 
 in a ln)me of her own. Mr. Darby was of New 
 England birth and antecedents, and was a son of 
 William Darby. Wy her marriage with him she 
 had one daughter, Frances L., who is now deceasetl. 
 In 1852, Mr. Darby came to Peoria County and 
 purchased eighty acres of land in Brimfield Town- 
 ship, of which he thus became a pioneer, and in 
 1853, he sent for his wife, who joined him, and she 
 has been a resident here ever since. Mr. Darby's 
 career in his new home was not destined to be a 
 long one, as he died April 29, 1850, and his mem- 
 
 ory is still cherished as one of the sturdy pioneers 
 of this section of the State. lie was a man of high 
 principle and earnest religious character, and was a 
 devoted member of the Baptist Church. 
 
 Our subject was married a second time Ai)ril 13, 
 1860, taking as her husband Rockwell Ilinkley. Mr. 
 Hinkley was of New England birtli, born in the 
 month of May, 1831, in Windsor County, Vt.,and 
 he was a son of J. Hinkley. By their marriage Mr. 
 and Mrs. Hinkley became the parents of a daughter, 
 named Alice M., who is now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Hinkley departed this life July 11, 1875, 
 leaving behind him an honorable record of a life 
 work well done. He was a true Republican in his 
 politics, and actively co-operated with the public- 
 spirited citizens of Brimfield Townshi[), in any en- 
 terprise looking to its improvement, morally, 
 socially and religiously, and in his death, the citi- 
 zenship of this place met with a loss. He was kind 
 and loving as a husband, and was obliging as a 
 neighbor, and was much missed far beyond the 
 home circle. He served as Townshii) Road Com- 
 missioner, and School Director, doing good work 
 in both capacities. 
 
 Mrs. Hinkley, our subject, is a woman of many 
 sterling virtues, possesses ability, tact, and energy. 
 She has here a very pleasant home, and her farm 
 comprising one hundred and two and one-fourth 
 acres, is replete with improvements of substantial 
 order, and its fields are under admirable cultiva- 
 tion. A true Christian, who is active in all good 
 work, she is one of the most valued members of the 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 ^ ACOB SELTZER. No more striking exam- 
 ples of the result of the persistent pursuit 
 of a purpose, prudent management, and wise 
 econora}' can be found than in the careers 
 of some of our German-American citizens. The 
 subject of this notice is one of those who, begin- 
 ning life's labors empty handed, has acquired a fine 
 property, surrounded his family with every com- 
 fort, and made provision for ease in his declining 
 years. He owns and occupies a fine farm on sec-
 
 562 
 
 PORTRAIT A^D BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 tion 21, Elm wood Township, and other landed es- 
 tate, the entire acreage being about four hundred 
 and fort}--two. 
 
 ^Ir. Seltzer was born in German}, September 15, 
 1 834. being one of three children born to Jacob 
 and Elizabeth Seltzer. His father was a farmer and 
 soldier in the German Army. When our subject 
 was about six years of age, the parents emigrated 
 to America, settling in Trivoli Township, this 
 county. The father survived until 1859, and the 
 mother until 1870. Our subject and a brother are 
 tlie only members of the family circle livTng. Dur- 
 ing liis boyhood and j'outh, the school privileges of 
 Mr. Seltzer were somewhat limited, and he acquired 
 but a meagre education. In lieu of book knowl- 
 edge he learned habits of industry and persever- 
 ance, and became well versed in agricultural pur- 
 suits. 
 
 When about eighteen j'ears of age, Mr. Seltzer 
 began his personal career, w'orking out by the 
 month about two j'ears, after which he operated 
 rented farms in Trivoli and Elmwood Townships. 
 On February 6, 1865, he took possession of one 
 hundred and twenty acres which he still occupies, 
 and for which he paid -?60 per acre. Prior to this 
 time he had bought one hundred acres of unim- 
 proved land, and after improving, had sold it at a 
 fitting advance. Tlie laud upon which he perma- 
 nentl}' located, has been added to by adjoining 
 IH'Oiierty and various improvements have been 
 made by the present owner. A well built residence 
 and barns have been erected, and the usual adorn- 
 ments in the way of fruit and shade trees, a well- 
 kept garden and neat fences, also added. 
 
 The most of the land is under cultivation, de- 
 voted to diversified farming, and some fine speci- 
 mens of Short-horn cattle roam over the p.istures. 
 Another tract of one hundred and thirty-seven 
 acres, also in this township, has been supplied with 
 a residence and proper outbuildings, and is mostlv 
 under cultivation. Mr. Seltzer likewise owns a 
 live-acre tract of timber land. 
 
 In his efforts to build up a home, Mr. Seltzer has 
 been ably seconded bj' a wise and loving wife with 
 whom he was united in marriage in 185G. Prior to 
 that time she was known as Rebecca J. Bevins. 
 She was born in Ohio, August 13, 1836, and is one 
 
 of seven children, three now living, born to Rob- 
 ert Bevins, who removed from the Buckeye State 
 to this section about fifty years ago. Both her par- 
 ents are now deceased. 
 
 The famil}' of Mr. and Mrs. Seltzer comprises 
 six children — Edward, Harriet, Amos, Richard, 
 Louis, aud Jacob. Tlie first-born is now Road 
 Commissioner for Elmwood Township, and he and 
 his joungest brother remain under the parental 
 roof. Harriet, wife of Dexter Dikeman. lives in 
 Fulton County; Amos married Elvira Harding, has 
 one child, and lives in Knox County; Richard mar- 
 ried Minnie Dillon, their home being in the same 
 township as our subject; Louis married Catherine 
 Crabill. has one child, and also lives in Elmwood 
 Township. Mr. Seltzer votes the Democratic ticket, 
 has served his fellow-citizens as Pathmaster, and is 
 considered a reliable and worthy citizen. He is 
 justly proud of his worldly success, and of the 
 standing which he occupies in the community. 
 
 ^1^^ 
 
 1^ OBERT W. HARRISON, deceased, was one • 
 'v^' of the most prominent and wealthy farmers 
 iks 'A\ of Princeville Township. who took a leading 
 "^^ pare in the development of this section 
 of the county, and was one of its most honored 
 citizens. His father was an earl\' settler of this part 
 of Illinois, and was verj' much prospered in his 
 various enterprises. 
 
 James Harrison was born in England in 1809, 
 his birthplace being Yorkshire. He was a son of 
 Robert Harrison, a blacksmith of that part of Eng- 
 land. In 1822, when he was thirteen years old, 
 his father emigrated to this country', and settled in 
 Hampshire Count}', W. Va., where he established a 
 home for his family, and tliere followed farming, 
 and was also engaged as a blacksmith, aud there he 
 passed the remainder of his life. The father of our 
 subject left his earh' English home with his father, 
 aud accompanied him to this couutr}', and in Vir- 
 ginia learned the blacksmith's trade of him, and 
 carried it on there some years. In 1834 he came 
 to Illinois with a wagon drawn by one horse, and 
 settling in Rosefield Township, on the Kickapoo, he
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 563 
 
 took up a claim there and erected a smithy as soon 
 as lie couhl get tools from Springfield, wliich \v:is 
 not until two years later. He carried on furtniiig 
 in connection with hlacksuiilhing. and in 1S3G 
 bought a tax title to some land near I'rinceville. 
 He engaged in its cultivation for one year, and then 
 removed to .Vkron Townshii), where he bought a 
 tract of wild land. He put up a smithy There, and 
 for some time was actively engaged as a blacksmith, 
 besiiies managing his agricultural interests. He met 
 with more than ordinary success, and became (piite 
 wealthy. He added to his farm until he possessed 
 si.K hundred acres of as fine farming land as is to 
 bo fonnd in this county. In 1871 he removed to 
 Henry, Marshall County, where he lived retired 
 until his death in 1879. He was in ever}' respect 
 a true, noble-hearted man, whom to know was to 
 respect. In politics he used his inlkicncc in favor 
 of the Republican party. He was actively identi- 
 fied with the religious interests of his community, 
 as one of the prominent members of the Methodist 
 Episco|)al Chuich, in which he served as Class- 
 Leader, and in various other capacities ; and he also 
 exerted his influence in behalf of education, and 
 gave 4^20 toward the erection of the old stone school- 
 house which is still standing, and is now used for a 
 residence. He was a man of great practical me- 
 chanical genius, and in early days used to make 
 plows and manufacture some of the first that were 
 ever used in this part of the State, and he made 
 several other useful inventions. During his resi- 
 dence in Akron Township, he built a mill, and 
 oi)eiatcd it very successfully for five years. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Susan M. Evans, and 
 she was born in Hampshire County, Va. Her fa- 
 ther died in that count}-. She died in Henry, 
 Marshall County. 
 
 Eleven children were born to the parents of our 
 subject; John R., a resident of Dunlap; Robert W.; 
 Elizabeth, Mrs. Little, of Princeville; Frances, who 
 is deceased; Absalom, of Radnor Township; Ira 
 D., of ISIadison County, Iowa; Ruth, who died in 
 Iowa; James, of Marshall County; Paul, living 
 near Huntsville, Ala.; Susan, Mrs. Gregery, living 
 near Henry; Jesse, a resident of ]\[arshall County, 
 111. Ira served in the w.ar one hundred d.ays. 
 
 Robert Harrison was born in RoseSeld Town- 
 
 ship, December 13, 1834. He was reared on a farm 
 
 in Akron Township, and was early set to work driv- 
 ing oxen, teaming wood, |)lowing, and at other 
 farm labors. His education was conducted in the 
 primitive log schoolhouse of pioneer times, and when 
 thirteen years old he went into the mill to learn the 
 trade of a miller. He subsequently began to oper- 
 ate the mill on shares when he was twenty years 
 old, and was engaged at that for three years, when 
 his father sold it. He then turned his attention to 
 farming, threshing and corn shelling, and w.as cm- 
 plojed in those pursuits two years. In 185(' he 
 bought eight}- acres of land on section 35, Prince- 
 ville Township, which is included in his present 
 farm. He actively entered ui)on its improvement, 
 and in the years that followed, developed it from 
 a tract of wild prairie to a productive and well cul- 
 tivated farm. In the spring of 1854 he went to 
 Boone County, Iowa, and entered eighty .acres of 
 land, but did not settle on it, and subsecpiently 
 sold it at a good advance. He located on his farm 
 in 185G, and has since bought more land until he 
 has increased its acreage to four hundred acres ly- 
 ing on section 35, and he has besides one hundred 
 acres w'ith improvements in Jubilee Township, the 
 price he paid for it varying from $7.50 to ^GO an 
 acre. He has two sets of buildings in his land in- 
 cluding ample barns, granaries, etc., and his resi- 
 dence is a substantial and well fitted up dwelling. 
 His land is well fenced, and is well watered, hav- 
 ing windmills, tank, etc., and he has a fine orchard 
 and valuable groves of trees, and everything about 
 the place shows care and excellent management on 
 the part of the owner. Besides this fine farm, Mr. 
 Harrison owns valuable city property, is owner of 
 the Henry Hotel, and has town property in Prince- 
 ville. Our subject grows large quantities of grain, 
 and raises a good deal of stock, having eighteen 
 head of improved Norman horses, using four teams 
 on his farm, and he has high grade<l cattle, feeding 
 and selling two car-loads each year, and raising 
 two car-loads of hogs, shipping his own stock to 
 market; he also raises sheep. 
 
 Mr. Harrison was married in I'rinceville Town- 
 ship, March 2, 1859, to ISIiss Klinore Lawrence, a 
 daughter of Francis Lawrence. She w.-is born in 
 Mamaroneck, Westchester County, N. Y., March
 
 Vf 
 
 564 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 28, 184L She received excellent school advan- 
 tajies, and remained an inmate of the parental home 
 until her uiarriaKC. Her father was also a native 
 of Westcliester County, and was a son of Charles 
 Lawrence, who was of English birth. lie emi- 
 grated to this country, and engaged in farming in 
 New York, and there died. Mrs. Harrison's father 
 was a stone-mason by trade, but after coming to 
 Princeville Townshii), from his native State in 
 1854, he turned liis attention to farming. He was 
 thus engaged here two years, and then bought a 
 farm in Juljilee Township, where lie lived until his 
 death in 1889, he having improved in the mean- 
 time a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres. 
 He was a Democrat in politics, and in religion wsis 
 identified with the Methodist F.piscopal Ciiurch, as 
 one of its most faitliful members. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Mary S. Rodgers,and she was 
 born in New York, a daughter of William Rodg- 
 ers, who was of English parentage. Slic lives on 
 the old homestead at tlie age of seventy-one years. 
 She was the mother of the following six cliildren: 
 Caroline, Mrs. Moffatt, of Monica; Charles W., a 
 farmer in Jubilee Tovvnshiii; Mary F., now Mrs. 
 Beal, of Stark County; Rachael S., now Mrs. Har- 
 rison, of Princeville; Frank II., living on the old 
 homestead. 
 
 JMr. and Mrs. Harrison's pleasant wedded life has 
 blessed to them by the birth of nine children: two 
 died in infancy; Agatha A., Ilanford J., Emma J., 
 IMinnie S., Frank II., Ada M., and Bertha L 
 Agatha married Theodore Pierce, a farmer of Nod- 
 away County, Mo.; Ilanford is farming on the 
 home farm; Emma married George Smith, of Ju- 
 bilee Township; Minnie and Ada attended Prince- 
 ville academy, and the former has been a teacher. 
 
 Mr. Harrison was a man of marked enterprise, 
 and possessed more than ordinary energy, tact and 
 liusiness talent, as shown by the fact that he bad ac- 
 quired wealth by his own exertions, and occupied 
 a conspicuous place among the representative citi- 
 zens of Peoria County. His public spirit identified 
 him with the leaders who bore an active part in 
 promoting the material, social, and e<]ucational 
 welfate of this p.art of the State, and he was actiVe 
 in public life. He w.as serving his third term as 
 Commissioner of Highways; had been School Di- 
 
 rector for twenty-sis years, with the exception of 
 two years, and assisted in building the academy 
 and placing it on a sound basis, and he was a mem- 
 ber of the Detective Thief and Mutual Benefit As- 
 sociation, had been prominent in its management, 
 and had held the oflice of Lieutenant. He was one 
 of the leading Republicans of the county, had been 
 a delegate to Congregational and County Conven- 
 tions, and was serving his second term as Central 
 Committee man. He had been member of the 
 Grand and I'elit Juries. Mr. Harrison died at his 
 home in Princeville Township, August 8, 1890. 
 The following obituary is taken from a local pa- 
 per: "Robert W. Harrison was born December 13, 
 1834, and died August 8, 1890. His death was the 
 result of an accident which resulted fatally in about 
 thirty-six hours after the occurrence. The deceased 
 often referred to his boyhood days, the difficulties 
 and deprivations of the first settlers. He was a 
 scion of tlie sturdy stock who first emigrated to Illi- 
 nois. Like all young men in his day, he started in 
 life with limited means, but being a careful man- 
 ager, and very energetic, he had at the time of his 
 death acciimuLated a valuable estate. He was a man 
 avowedly in favor of moral elevation and intel- 
 lectual advancement. He was a studious reader, 
 and consequently well informed in the history' and 
 cuirent events of the day. He was plain and un- 
 assuming in his habits, an(i had no taste or desire 
 to indulge in the fashions and frivolities of the 
 times. In his intercourse with his fellow-men, he 
 was kind, generous and obliging, and in the matter 
 of private or public benefaction he never failed to 
 respond when the object was worthy. He had fre- 
 quently been elected to ofBce by the voters of his 
 town; at the time of his death he was in an olllcial 
 position. He was earnest and true to the princi- 
 ples of the political party to which he belonged, 
 and was recogTiized as one of its local leaders. A 
 few weeks before his demise he w.as a chosen dele- 
 gate to a convention which placed in nomination a 
 candidate for congressional honors. As an evi- 
 dence of the resi>ect and esteem in which he was 
 held, there was a very large concourse of people in 
 attendance at his obsequies. The funeral service 
 was conducted at the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 by Rev. A. Smith, the pastor, in a very appropriate
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 J65 
 
 and impressive manner. His remains were laid 
 awa}- to rest in the Prince ville cemetery— lie is 
 numbered with the inhabitants of the silent cit3'. 
 The sympathies of the pal)lic are extended to his 
 respected companion and family in their bereave- 
 ment." M. W. 
 
 ARVEY SEYMOUR, a retired farmer, was 
 for a long time engaged in .agrieullnre in 
 this county, and by his superior manage- 
 ment of his affairs accpiircd a handsome 
 properly. He still owns five acres of land near the 
 southern city limits of Chillicothe, where he has 
 made his home for many years. He has borne an 
 honorable pait in public affairs, and is highly re- 
 garded for his solid worth as a man and a citizen. 
 
 Mr. Seymour was born December Ifi, 182;"), not 
 far from the city of Auburn, N. Y., C(nning of ster- 
 ling New England stock. His parents were Edward 
 and Elizabeth (Foot) Seymour, natives of Ver- 
 mont, where they were reared and mairied. Soon 
 after that important event in their lives they set 
 their faces toward New York, and in the wilds of 
 that part of it where the thriving city of Aulnirn 
 now stands established themselves in a pioneer 
 home. Mr. Seymour immediately oi)ened a smithy, 
 he having learned the trade of a blacksmith among 
 the Vermont liills, and w.as busily engaged in that 
 oceupatiim in that [ilace until the time of his death, 
 which o'iciirred when he had scarcely |)assed the 
 meridian of life, he being but little more than lifty 
 j'ears of age when he died. He left a large family, 
 the greater part of which went with his widow to 
 Eairlielil Township, Huron County, and there the 
 motln>r died at the age of seventy years. IJoth she 
 and hiM- husband were faithful members of the 
 Baptist Church. They were the parents of seven 
 sons ;uid two daughters. 
 
 ( )ur subject is the youngest but one of the family, 
 and he and his youngest brother and two sisters 
 are the survivors. He remained an inmate of the 
 parental home until he had attained manhood, and 
 then went out into the world to make his own liv- 
 ing. He went to Rochester, N. Y'., and the ensu- 
 
 ing fifteen years worked in a foundry there. In 
 1851 he joined the horde of emigrants from all 
 parts of the world that were hastening b}' various 
 routes to the Pacific Slope in search of gold, and 
 he made his way thither by the way of the Isthmus 
 of Panama, and entered the Golden Gate in the 
 month of June. He went at once to Greenhorn 
 River, near Red Dog, and not far from the Nevada 
 mining regions, and he was there busily eng.aged 
 on one claim for two years. In spite of the enor- 
 mous expense of living there, he made monej', and 
 finally, wearying of the rough life of the mines, 
 turned his face homeward, traveling by the way of 
 the Isthmus of Panama to New York, and thence 
 to his old abode in Rochester. He lived there one 
 year, and then made a new dei)arture, and this 
 time came to Illinois, and has since been a resident 
 of this State. He lived in Champaign County five 
 years, and in 1862 took up his ()ormanent abode in 
 this (»unt}'. For several years he gave his atten- 
 tion strictly to farming and stock-raising, and was 
 so prospered in all that he undertook that he was 
 enabled to retire with a comfortable competence 
 ere yet the shadows of old age darkened his life. 
 
 Mr. Seymour has been twice married. He was 
 first married in Champaign County to Miss .lane 
 McCartj'. She was a native of Scotland, who 
 came to this country with her parents when she 
 w.as two vears old. The famil}' settled in Oswego, 
 Ivendall County, where she grew to womanhood, 
 and later removed to Champaign County, and from 
 there came with hei' husl)and to Chillicothe. In 
 the pleasant home that she had aided her husband 
 in building up her death occurred in 1871, at the 
 age of twenty-nine years. She was young to die, 
 and her death was a sad loss to her family. She 
 was a sincere Christian and a faithful member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. She had borne 
 her sufferings, caused by a m.alady that she knew 
 to be incurable, with a wonderful i)atience and 
 sweet resignation. She w.as the mother of four 
 children, two of whom, Henry and Frank, died 
 when young; Emma J. and Charles are at home 
 with their father. Mr. Seymour was married a 
 second time in Chillicothe, taking as his wife Miss 
 Agnes WilLard: She was born in Michigan, and 
 was young when siie came to tliis State with her
 
 566 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 parents, who setlled in CliiliicoUie, where she 
 received her education and grew to a noble woman- 
 hood. Her father died some years after his settle- 
 ment here, but her motiier is still living, now p.ast 
 seventy years of age, making her home with a son 
 in ]'rineeville. Mrs. Seymour was a victim of the 
 same terrible malad3' that destro3cd the life of our 
 subject's first wife, but she bravely bore her suffer- 
 ings with cheerful submission to the inevitable, and 
 finally succumbed to the disease in September, 
 188G, dying at the age of forty j-ears. S;ie was in 
 all respects a model woman, and was a true mother 
 to her step-children, who hold her in grateful re- 
 membrance. 
 
 Mr. Sej'mour is a sagacious, thrifty man, possess- 
 ing keen perceptions and a mind well balanced, 
 which attributes make him one of the most trusted 
 and respected citizens of Chillicothc, and his wise 
 counsels have been us(!f ul in the guidance of public 
 affairs. He lies been Alderman of the city two 
 terms, and is one of the stalwarts in the Democratic 
 party in this count}'. 
 
 ^ LIVER WHITE is one of Peoria"s leading 
 citizens, and for a number of years has been 
 variousl}' connected with its interests as a 
 journalist, or in some prominent official capacity, 
 and has been very active in the work that has been 
 carried on for several years by the most enlight- 
 ened and progressive citizens of the city to ele- 
 vate its literar}'', scientific and educational status. 
 
 Blr. AVhite is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 
 Tioga Count}', August 6, 1831, a son of Hewes 
 and Hannah (Williamson) White, natives of New 
 York. His father was a blacksmith. In 1837 he 
 came to Illinois, and was an early pioneer of Stark 
 Count}\ He located first in Oceola and afterward 
 in Toulon. 
 
 Our subject was a small child when his parents 
 brought him to this State, and here he was care- 
 fully reared amid its pioneer scenes. His educa- 
 tion was mainl\' wrought out by his own force, 
 sometimes over the blazing forge and sometimes 
 at school, but alw.ays by the hardest and in the 
 
 thickest of the fight. He first entered the teacher's 
 profession, but the calling of a journalist had a 
 great attraction for him, and, in 1854, he became 
 employed in the printing office of the Henry 
 County Dial, of which lie subsequently became 
 editor, and was afterwards eouuecled with differ- 
 ent papers. He was Inisily engaged in his work as 
 an editor when the war broke out, and in April, 
 1862, threw aside his piofessiou to take u|) arms 
 in defense of his country's honor, enlisting in the 
 New York IMarine Artillery. For a year he served 
 in this capacit3% until that arm of the service 
 was disbanded bj' the War Department on account 
 of the fraudulent enlistment of some of the men. 
 He then resumed newspaper work at Toulon. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. White came to Peoria, and worked 
 first on the Call. He afterward worked at differ- 
 ent times on the staff of each of the city dailies. 
 Under the Arthur administration he served a four 
 years' term as Government storekeeper. Then 
 after three years service on the Journal, he was ap- 
 pointed Government Gauger, which position he 
 now holds. He attained a high place in the jour- 
 nalistic profession, his clear cut, timely editorials 
 on all subjects of public importance, wielding a 
 marked influence on public sentiment; and his 
 ready, eloquent pen has often done much to pro- 
 mote the various entcr|)rises for the common weal 
 of the community. ■ 
 
 September 16, 1857, Mr. White was married to 
 Miss Isabella Rumbold, their marriage taking place 
 in St. Louis. Their wedded life though happy was 
 of brief duration, her death occurring May 9, 1864. 
 Mr. White was married to his present wife, form- 
 erlj' Miss M. Louise Mercer, June 27, 1865. Mrs. 
 White is a native of Belmont County, Ohio, but 
 was reared in Illinois, her i)arents having located 
 in Bureau County, among its pioneers in 1839. 
 Mr. and Mrs. White have one son, AVhitaker Mer- 
 cer, who is a civil engineer. 
 
 Both Mr. White and his estimable wife are 
 prominent people socialh^, and are held in high 
 consideration by a large circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances. A man of Mr. White's ability, learn- 
 ijig and capacity for affairs, cannot but be an 
 important factor in the management of i)ublic inter- 
 ests, and, us we have seen, our subject has been
 
 .r: 
 
 ^^^-Z^UI.^.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 569 
 
 conspicuous in the civic life of the county. For 
 ten years be was Postmaster of Touhin, and was 
 Deputy Provost-IMarshal of the congressional dis- 
 trict during the latter part of the war. lie has 
 always liecn inlluential in politics, and has ever 
 been true to the Re|niblican party. These brief 
 lines do but scant justice to our subject, who is a 
 man of i>rofound intellect, large culture and a 
 broad outlook on life, possessing suflicieut energy, 
 stamina and resolution to make him a marked 
 force in the community, and Peoria finds in him 
 one of her best and most useful citizens. 
 
 ^^, YRUS L. BERRY. The name of C. L. 
 fl( Borr3- is well known far be3'ond the limits 
 
 ^^l' of Peoria, in which cit}' lie makes bis home, 
 as that of an ellicient public servant and honorable 
 man. During the past four years he has been cred- 
 itably filling the position of Deputy United States 
 M.arshal of the Northern District of Illinois, in the 
 .Southern Division. He is a native of the Emjiire 
 State, born in Ashland, Greene Couniy, February 
 3, 1834. His parents, Abner and Esther (Merwin ) 
 Berry, natives of Maine and New York respect- 
 ively, bad seven children, of whom be is the fourth. 
 Of the four survivors of the household band all 
 remain in the Empire State except our subject. 
 Abner Berry was of English ancestry, and was a 
 carpenter and joiner bj- trade. He passed to his 
 rest September 10, 1884, leaving the memory of 
 honorable deeds as a heritage to his children. 
 
 The boyhood and earl3' manhood of our subject 
 were pa.«sed in bis native State, and until twentj'- 
 two years of age he worked with his father in the 
 intervals and after the conclusion of bis studies. 
 He then entered an hotel as clerk, continuing to 
 occupy such a position seven years, after which he 
 rented and managed a hotel eight years. In 1870 
 be removed to Peoria County, 111., secured land 
 and devoted his attention to tilling the soil for 
 about twelve years. He was then elected Sheriff, and 
 moved into the city. Four years later, in 188fi, be 
 was appointed Deputy United States Marshal, hold- 
 ing that ollicial station until .\pril. 1890. 
 
 The important positions above noted are not tlie 
 onl}- public oflices in which Mr. lierr}- has served. 
 He was Town Clerk three terms in New York, and 
 was filling the same station in Peoria County when 
 nominated for Sheriff, resigning the minor office 
 when elected to the more arduous position. Prior 
 to that time ho had also been serving as Treasurer 
 of the township in which he resided, which office he 
 also resigned on coming to Peoria. Mr. 15err3' is an 
 ardent Democrat, and has been from the time be 
 cast bis first Presidential ballot for James Ilu- 
 chanan in 185G. He is a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity, K. of M. and R. M. 
 
 On October 29, 18G0, Mr. Berry led to the hy- 
 meneal altar Miss Mary E. DeNo3'ells, who, as her 
 maiden name indicates, is of French extraction. 
 She w.as born October. 1, 1836, and possesses all 
 the vivacit3- which is a conspicuous trait in those 
 of French descent, together with a kindly nature 
 and a spirit of devotion to her home and famil3'. 
 To INIr. and Mrs. Berry six children have been 
 born, two of whom died in infancy — Clarence D., 
 born .July 4, 1861, died July 28, 1884. The liv- 
 ing are: Birdsall A., born March 28, 1867; Willie 
 R., October 8, 18C8; and Erma A., March 14, 
 1878. 
 
 Elsewhere in this volume the reader will notice 
 a lithographic portrait of Mr. Berry. 
 
 ^yCHARD W. BURT. The Peoria Soap 
 Works constitutes one of the leading in- 
 dustries of the city nnd was established 
 by the subject of this notice in 1888. It 
 differs in one important feature from the majorit3' 
 of the enterprises of the kind, there being used in 
 the manufacture of toilet soap especiall3', a vegeta- 
 ble product obtained from the soap tree in Mexico 
 and Central America, thus doing awa3' with the ob- 
 jectionable matter too often utilized in the manu- 
 tacture of this indispensable article of commerce. 
 
 The soap tree first came to the notice of Baron 
 Von Humboldt, the great traveler, as the natives 
 were using it in cleansing clothing and various 
 other articles in Central America. It was not un-
 
 570 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 til raanj^ 3-ears afterward that it became an article 
 of commerce and its valuable qualities adapted to 
 general use in tliis counlr}-. The establishment of 
 a factory in Peoria making a si)ecially of this arti- 
 cle, has added largely to the importance of its var- 
 ious industries and Mr. lUnt is given great credit 
 for the part which he has played in thus adding to 
 the manufacturing interests of the city. He is an 
 enterprising business-man. popular among the peo- 
 ple and occupies no secondary position in either 
 business or social circles. 
 
 A native of Orange County, N. Y., Mr. Burt was 
 born April 23. 1823, the sod of Foght and Eliza- 
 beth (Welling) Burt, both of whom were likewise 
 natives of the Empire Stale. The first representa 
 tives of the family in America came soon after the 
 landing of the "Mayflower" and were familiarly 
 known throughout New England during the Colo- 
 nial days. They were people, lionest, industrious 
 and enterprising and mostly liecame well-to-do. 
 Tlie two hundred and fiftieth anniversarj' of the 
 settlement of Henry Burt, the ancestor of our sub- 
 ject, and the founder of the family in America, at 
 Springfield, ISLass., is to lie celebrated in that city 
 October 3. 18;)0. 
 
 The father of our subject was a hatter b^- trade 
 and remained a resident of his native State until 
 1834. He then removed with his family to Ohio 
 where he changed his oecui)alion and turned his 
 attention to farming, settling in Coshocton County. 
 He followed agricultural pursuits until advancing 
 yeius warned him it was time to retire from active 
 labor, then in 1880 joined his son in Peoria 
 and died in the eighty-seventh j'ear of his .age in 
 November, 1887. The wife and mother had pre- 
 ceded her husband to the silent land, her death 
 taking place in Van Wert, Ohio, in 1878. The 
 family consisted of three children of whom R. W., 
 our subject, was the eldest ; Thomas H. died a few 
 years since in Michigan; Josephine is the wife of 
 W. O. Brown of Chicago, III. 
 
 The suliject of this notice was a lad of eleven 
 years when his parents removed from New York 
 State to Ohio, where he grew up on the farm and 
 obtained a ijractical education in the common 
 Bohool. He interested himself in farming pursuits 
 until 1853, in the meantime keeping abreast of the 
 
 times by a course of reading and indulging his 
 tastes for good books and periodicals. He was 
 especially interested in newspaper work and finally 
 became editor of the P rogressicp Agi\-Ai Coshocton, 
 which he purchased in the year mentioned and 
 which he conducted three years. The results of 
 this enterprise not being entirelv satisfactory. Mr. 
 Burt abanibmed the newspaper field and embarked 
 in the coal and grocery trade in which he continued 
 until the outlireak of the Civil War. He watched 
 the conflict a few months and then decided that he 
 must have a hand in the preservation of the L^nion. 
 He accordingly enlisted December 3, 1861, in Com- 
 l)any O, Seventj'-sixth Ohio Infantry, upon the 
 organization of which he was elected Second 
 Lieutenant. He went with his company to the seat 
 of war and after the battle of Arkansas Post, was 
 promoted to a First Lieutenancy. 
 
 At the expiration of the first term of enlistment, 
 Lieut. Burt re-entered the ranks in March, 18G l,as 
 Captain of Company H, Seventy-sixth Ohio In- 
 fantry, which he commanded until the close of the 
 war and was mustered out Jul}' 15, 1865. He par- 
 ticii)ated in about thirty battles and skirmishes, in- 
 cluding Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Milliken's Bend, 
 Chickasaw Ba3'ou, Arkansas Post, Yicksburg, Jack- 
 son, Mission Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Ringgold, 
 Resaca, tiie siege of Atlanta and Jonesboro. He 
 went with .Sherman on the march to the sea and 
 then returned up through the Carolinas to Wash- 
 ington where he was present at the Grand Review. 
 Mr. Burt is a poet of no mean talent and wrote 
 many war songs, a number of which were published, 
 including '-Sherman and the Boys in Blue," "(Gen- 
 eral Logan and the Fifteenth Army Corps" and 
 various others which served to while away many a 
 tedious hour in camp and on the march. Prior to 
 the Civil War Mr. Burt liad served in the Mexi- 
 can War as a private in Companj' B. Third Ohio 
 Infantr}', one year. 
 
 Upon leaving the service Mr. Burt estalilishcd 
 himself in the grocery business at Peoria, in whicli 
 he had had considerable experience, having been a 
 Government store-keeper for ten years. Gradually 
 lie became interested in the manufacture of soap 
 and commenced in a modest mauncr, being re- 
 markably fortunate with his experiments, and fin-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 571 
 
 ally became convinced that lie coulil turn his talents 
 ill this direction to good advantage. lie finally de- 
 cided to make a business of this and established 
 liiiiiscif in a convenient building occupying Nos. 
 1 17 and 1 19 Hamilton Street, where he has all the 
 maciiinery and equipments necessary for prosecu- 
 ting the business in a successful manner. He gives 
 om|ilo}Mnent to twenty-five men and girls and finds 
 a market for his product all over the United States. 
 Mr. F. E. Leonard became a partner March 4, 
 1889, the firm being known as K. W. lUirt & Co. 
 
 Tiie subject of this notice was married in Ohio, 
 January 26, 1848, to Miss Malona Evans, a native 
 of Ohio and who by her union with our subject be- 
 came the mother of four children. The eldest of 
 these, a son Oliver died at the age of seven years; 
 Evelyn is the wife of J. S. Starr. Collector of Uni- 
 ted States Revenue at Peoria; Is.aac E. is a cra3-on 
 artist of marked talent and is a resident of Minneap- 
 "lis, I\linn. ; Lulu M., is the wife of William B. 
 Cravens of Kansas City. Mrs. Malona Burt de- 
 jiarted this life at her home in Peoria, Jaiiiiar}- 1, 
 1873. 
 
 Mr. Burt contracted a second marriage July 13, 
 1876, with Miss Betsey Cotton. This lady was born 
 in Onondaga, N. Y. Mr. Burt, politically, is a 
 sound Republican and religiously, a Universalist. 
 Ho belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic 
 at Peoria and is also identified with the Masonic 
 fraternity. He was at one time the Senior Vice- 
 Commander of Bryuer Post, No. 67, G. A. R. of 
 tills cit}'. At the battle of Resaca, Ga., he was 
 shot through the cheek, losing all his teeth, but 
 rapidly recovered and returned after thij'ty daj's 
 to his command. 
 
 4^^ 
 
 -V— 
 
 EMUEL T. BARTON came to Peoria 
 County in his childhood in the early years 
 of its settlement, grew up under the primi- 
 tive conditions that obtained here during his boy- 
 hood and earl}- manhood, and for many years has 
 exerted a potent influence in advancing its great 
 agricultural interests, and to-daj- is one of the 
 solid men of his community. He has a valu- 
 
 able farm in Limestone that is in all respects as 
 good a farm as is to be found in the whole count}-. 
 It is finely improved and its w-ell-tilled fields yield 
 a rich income aside from the money the owner 
 makes in tlie stock-raising business. Our subject 
 is ably assisted in his work by his two sons. 
 
 Mr. Barton was born in Ohio, April 10. 18-20, to 
 Vincent and Mary Barton, who died here in 1834, 
 and left a faniih- of four boys — Simeon, \Villiam 
 C. H., Lemuel T. and John. The latter died in 
 Arizona. 
 
 The subject of this biographical review- w-as but 
 five 3'ears of age when he came with his parents to 
 this county. He grew to manhood here, and in 
 1847 went out in the world, wishing to see more 
 of the country and to better his financial condition 
 if possiiile. He started on the long and tedious 
 journc}- across the desert (jlains and mountains to 
 the western coast, accompanied by Conrad Bour- 
 land and Henry Aiken, both Peoria boys, and they 
 fitted out an ox-teani and wagon together, and 
 started out on the trip bv the way of St. Joseph, 
 Mo., where the last house was seen. The}- struck 
 the Platte River near Ft. Kearney and they fol- 
 lowed that stream to Ft. Laramie. They passed Lar- 
 amie Peak and crossed a part of the Black Hills, and 
 crossed the Rocky Mountains at South Pass. They 
 went along the coast to Smoke River and stopped 
 at what was then F^t. Vancouver, on the Columbia 
 River, for a short time and then i)roceeded to the 
 mouth of that stream and built a mill, which was 
 fur the purpose of manufacturing lumber. At 
 about that time gold was discovered in California 
 and the rush in that direction left them without 
 men to operate the mill. So our subject and his 
 comratles followed suit, and in the winter of 1848- 
 49 went to California and worked in the mines. 
 They subsequently returned to Oregon and bought 
 a sawmill for 815,000. which they managed suc- 
 cessfully for a short time and then sold out at an 
 advance, and shortly after, in 1852, returned to Ill- 
 inois by the way of Mexico and the Gulf, New 
 York and Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Barton staid there until the o|)ening of the 
 war, and in the meantime was married to Miss 
 Mary, daughter of William McCown, who had 
 come to this county from near Johnstown, Pa.
 
 572 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 After the birth of three chiUlicii. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Bartou started wcstvv.ard with their famil^y, going 
 by tlie w.ay of ranaina, to San Fr.ancisco, and 
 from tliere to Portland, Ore. They staid in that 
 city some months and tlien returned to this State 
 by the same route. Our subject tlien took posses- 
 sion of the place where he now lives, wbich he 
 bought of Ills father-iu-law. Ilis farm is pleas- 
 antly located on the Pekin road about five miles 
 from the court house, and here he has a lovely 
 home, located on the side of the hill overlooking 
 the valley of tlu' Illinois, vvhcrc his land lies. His 
 homestead com|)rises seventy-one acres and he has 
 three hundred and twenty acres l)esides in Living- 
 ston County, which is among the finest farming 
 land in the world, lie and his sons do quite a 
 large business In stock-raising, and have now about 
 one hundred head of cattle of choice bree<ls in the 
 place. They take quite an interest in horses, and 
 have some very fine specimens of the Belgium and 
 Henry Clay stock on hand. 
 
 The death of six of their eight cldldren has 
 shadowed the otherwise bai)py wedded life of cur 
 subject and his wife. Their son, William J., died 
 at the age of twenty-three. He was a j-oung man 
 of great promise and was well educated, having 
 been graduated at Cole's College, Peoria. .Tohn 
 and Ollie died in childhood; Frank, Elmira and 
 Cole also died when quite young. They have but 
 two sons now living, both of whom are fine 3'oung 
 men of great activity and business enterprise. 
 Joseph, the eldest, received the benefits of a liberal 
 education, and is a very energetic j'oung man. 
 Miner, the other son, is a graduate of the Peoria 
 Business College. 
 
 As we have seen, I\lr. Barton has been a resident 
 of this countj' these many years. He h.as witnessed 
 almost its entire growth and has been an able as- 
 sistant in bringing about the great change that 
 makes it one of the leading counties of the State. 
 He has a vivid remembrance of the early days of 
 the settlement of this p.art of Illinois and of the 
 primitive manners and customs of the people. The 
 children wore buckskin breeches in the winter and 
 in the summer a shirt of linsey woolsej^ completed 
 their costume. He can remember the day when 
 money was a scarce article, with no surplus in the 
 
 treasury, and instead of specie and greenbacks as 
 
 mediums of exchange, most any commodity was 
 used; coon skins taking the place of silver, bees- 
 wax of gold, and deer or buckskin of greenbacks. 
 When he was a boy there were no schools. The 
 State did not give him any education whatever, 
 but later subscription schools were established. ]Mr. 
 Barton is a strong Republican in his |iolititical 
 views and his two boys follow in his footste|)s in 
 that line. Our subject's honorable and useful life 
 has not only been productive of prosperity for him- 
 self, but has won him a high place in the estimation 
 of the entire community. 
 
 -^ 
 
 -i— 
 
 ER^ 
 ei 
 ) T 
 
 RNEST F. SHEPARD is a successful gen- 
 eral farmer and dairyman in Chillicothe 
 /I' — ^ Township, conducting the latter business in 
 partnership with Mr. Whittaker, under the name of 
 Shepard & Whittaker, and as an intelligent, en- 
 terprising and progressive young man he is of 
 great assistance in furthering the prosperity of this 
 section of the county. 
 
 A native of Kalamazoo County, Mich., our sub- 
 ject was born January 28, 1856, and is the son of 
 Francis E. Shepard. His father was born in New 
 York State, and there grew to manhood near Syra- 
 cuse. He learned the trade of a shoemaker, but 
 subsequently turned his attention to farming. He 
 was married in his native State to Miss Hannah 
 Smith, who was also born in that State, her parents 
 being Germans. After the birth of their first child 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shepard settled in Kalamazoo County, 
 Mich., and there he entered upon a prosperous ca- 
 reer as a farmer. He improved a place which he 
 sold in order to come to this State in 1861. After 
 his arrival he located in Chillicothe, and later set- 
 tled on a farm in the country not far from (he 
 citj'. He disposed of that afterward and pur- 
 chased one of one hundred and forty acres on sec- 
 tions 6 and 7, on which he still makes his home, 
 though he and his wife are now living retired, 
 having accumulated an ample competence. The 
 farm is well improved, and is supplied with good 
 buildings, and ever^'thing necessary to carry it on
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 575 
 
 to the best advantage. Mr. Shepard is seventy 
 j-cars old and his good wife is some j'ears j-ouuger. 
 A residence liere of nearly' thirty 3cars has given 
 them an extensive acquaintance, and one and all 
 regard Uiem with confidence and esteem for their 
 kindly, friendly ways and benevolent sympathy, 
 and their many other excellent qualities of Lead 
 and lieart. 
 
 The subject of this biography is the third child 
 in a family- of four children, three daughters and 
 one son, all of whom are married and well settled 
 in life. He was a small boy when his parents 
 brought him to this township, and be was educated 
 in the public schools. He early adopted the call- 
 ing of a farmer, and has been engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits on his own account ever since he 
 became of age. His farm is located on sections 
 5 and 6, Chilllcothe Township, and comprises- one 
 hundred and twenty acres of exceeding fertility, 
 and supplied with substantial improvements, in- 
 cluding u neat set of farm buildings. Mr. Shepard 
 o|)erates altogether two hundred and sixt3' acres of 
 land, and is meeting with unqualiaed success in his 
 work. Besides attending to the management of 
 Ins farm Mr. She[)ard also has extensive dairy in- 
 terests in company with j\lr. Whittaker, whose bi- 
 ography appears on another page of this volume. 
 Tiiey have fifty cows, which they depend upon for 
 tlu'ir supply in catering to the wants of all Chilll- 
 cothe, where they liavea large trade, and :ire iloing 
 a fine business, as they are found to be fair and 
 square in liicir dealings, and sell nothing but the 
 best of milk and cream to their customers. 
 
 Mr. Shei)ard was married in this county, in the 
 city of Peoria, to Miss Henrietta Buller, and in iier 
 he finds one who is all that a good, true wife can 
 be. She is a true home-maker, and their dwelling 
 is the centre of comfort and hoi)itality. Five chil- 
 dren have come to her and our subject, namely: 
 Frank 15.. Arthur R.. Ruby S., (Jeorge C, (irace 
 M. Mrs. Shepard is the daughter of John and 
 Susanna (Smith) Buller, natives of England ; the 
 father is deceased, the mother resides in McKees- 
 pori. Pa. Mrs. Shepard was born in McKeesporl 
 September 26, 18()0, and came to Illinois with her 
 sister in September 1878. 
 
 Dowered with energy and ambition, seconded 
 
 by prudence, thrift and stability, and with an ex- 
 cellent capacity for labor, Mr. Shepard is sure to 
 make of life a success, and is already accounted 
 one of the solid men of the neighborhood. Politi- 
 cally ho is a supporter of the Republican party. 
 
 '^'AMES A. TURBETT. We invite the at- 
 tention of the reader to a lithographic por- 
 trait of this gentleman, presented on the 
 opposite page. He is a representative 
 citizen of Peoria County, owning and operating 
 a fine farm in Logan Township. Besides being a 
 practical tiller of the soil he is interested in stock- 
 raising, making a specialty of Short-horn cattle 
 amd Norman horses. Upon his farm he has a 
 beautiful home, replete with the comforts and 
 luxuries of modern civilization. 
 
 The parental history of Mr. Turbett is fully 
 given in the sketch of John B. Turbett, to be found 
 elsewhere in this volume. His parents were John 
 and Nancy (Beaty) Turbett, and while they were 
 residents of Fayette County, Ohio, James A. was 
 born. May 31, 1834. When five years of age he 
 accompanied his parents to this county, of which 
 he is now an honored and enterprising citizen. At 
 the age of eighteen he began to work out by the 
 month, and his extensive property has been accu- 
 mulated b}- the persistent force of quiet and well 
 directed toil. He is now the owner of a large and 
 very valuable farm of four hunilred and fort}- 
 acres, and has erected a handsome and substantial 
 residence, a commodious barn and other conve- 
 niently arranged outbuildings. For the past eight 
 years he has been engaged in breeding Short- horns, 
 and for six 3ears has bred Norman horses, having 
 a fine collection of stock on his |)lace. 
 
 March 3, 1870, Mr. Turbett and Miss Nancy 
 Parr were united in marriage. She was born in 
 Ireland, and is a daughter of Andrew and Ann 
 (Parr) Parr. Of their pleasant wedded life seven 
 children have been born, of whi>Mi ihe following 
 are living: .lohn G., Stewart, William and James H. 
 
 As the most of his boyhood and manhood have
 
 576 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOURAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 been passed in this county, out- subject is well 
 known, both socially and in a business way, and is 
 regarded with favor and friendship b}^ a numerous 
 acquaintance, his wife sharing with him in the 
 high estimation in which lie is lield. He has long 
 been identified witli the Democratic party, having 
 cast his first vote for James Buchanan. 
 
 "JI^AMES CriALLACOMBP:. For more than 
 thirty years this gentleman has been num- 
 bered among the progressive, thorough- 
 going farmers of Radnor Towusliip. His 
 industry has been rewarded by the securing of a 
 good farm, his private worth has been recognized 
 1^3' an established reputation, and the confidence of 
 his fellow-men in his ability to serve them has 
 been manifested b}" lus election to positions of 
 public responsibility and trust. His well-regula- 
 ted estate is located on section 30, consisting of 
 two hundred and twenty-five acres, on wiiich good 
 improvements have been made, and where the 
 fields present an appearance which indicates, even 
 to one unfamiliar with farm life, that it is con- 
 trolled by one who understands his business. 
 
 Mr. Challacombe is an Englishman, having been 
 born in Devonshire in 1836. He is the third child 
 in a family consisting of four sons and one daugh- 
 ter, born to AVilliam and Anna (Stevens) Challa- 
 combe, who spent their entire lives amid the fair 
 fields of Devon. Our subject passed his early 
 years in the mother country, leaving it only after 
 he had attained his majority, when, believing that 
 America would afford a broader field for the exer- 
 tion of his energies, he emigrated in 1858. He 
 selected the Prairie State as the scene of his fu- 
 ture labors, and in this count}' secured employ- 
 ment as a farm laborer, continuing his work as 
 such some three years. He then rented land until 
 his accumulations had reached an amount which 
 warranted him in purchasing, when he became an 
 American landowner. 
 
 The estimable character and pleasing manners 
 of Miss Lucy A. Rogers, a native of this county, 
 won the regard of Mr. Challacombe, who wooed 
 
 and won the lady for his wife. The happy union 
 was blest bj- the birth of three children, one of 
 whom died in uifancy. The survivors are Charles 
 and Lncy Bertha. The wife and mother was torn 
 from her deai' ones by death in 1872, breathing 
 her last at her home in Radnor Township. Some 
 time afterward Mr. Challacombe was again married, 
 in Peoria, to Sar.nh F. Rogers, a sister of his first 
 wife, and the possessor like her of genuine worth 
 of character, together with the domestic knowl- 
 edge and general intelligence which enables her to 
 make her dwelling a happ}' honie. This union has 
 resulted in the birth of three children — Arcliie T., 
 Bruce and Edna. All of the children of our sub- 
 ject are receiving the best advantages which the 
 section affords to secure good educations and fit 
 themselves for useful careers in years to come. 
 
 Mr. Challacombe is now serving his second tei'ni 
 as Highway Commissioner, an ofHce to which he 
 was at first appointed but subsequently elected. For 
 about fourteen 3'ears he has been Scliooi Director, 
 his continuance in this position giving abundant 
 evidence that the residents in the district think the 
 progress of the schools is being advanced at his 
 hands. In political affairs he takes quite an active 
 part, voting the Democratic ticket. Mrs. Challa- 
 combe is a member, in good standing, of the Bap- 
 tist Church. 
 
 II OHN G. SIEGEL is numbered among the 
 leatiing substantial farmers and stock-raisers 
 of Roscfield Township, wherein he has a fine 
 estate of four hundred acres. Sixty-six 
 acres were inherited by his wife, but tlie remainder 
 has been purchased bj- Mr, Siegel. 
 
 Mr. Siegel is of German ancestry' in both lines of 
 descent. His paternal grandfather, George Siegel, 
 was the father of four sons and three daughters. 
 The sons emigrated to America, all settling in Troy, 
 Ohio, and all rearing families. Ferdinand, the fa- 
 ther. of our subject, was the first to locate there, the 
 date of his arrival being 1838. He was a native of 
 Baden, Germany. He learned the trade of a black- 
 sniith in Troy, where he livecl nineteen years, then
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOORAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 577 
 
 rcinoviiin to Putiiaiii County, piueliased one hun- 
 (Ii'imI and twent\- acres of land, and spent the re- 
 uiaindei- of liis days in farming. He i)assed awaj' 
 June 30, 1888, at the age of seventy-six year.s, Uis 
 faitliful companion liaving departed tliis life some 
 thirteen years (irevionsly. 
 
 Tlie wife of Ferdinand Siegel was linowu in lier 
 girlliood as Margaret. Acer. Her parents came to 
 America in 1 83.'!, locating in t'lianibersliurg. Pa., 
 whence they removccl to Ohio, the father dying in 
 D.ayton when forty-four years old, and the mother 
 also lircathiiig her last there. They reared three 
 childien — Margaret, Elizabeth, and John. Eliza- 
 l>eth Acer was first married tolMr. Colter, and sub- 
 quently to ^fr. Raschke; John Acer nas a member 
 of the Union Army during the Civil War. The 
 family was reared in the Catholic faith. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Siegcl afterward became identified with the 
 Presbyterian Cimrch. Their family consisted of 
 seven children, the subject of this notice being the 
 first-boi'n. The other members of the fraternal 
 liauil are William, whose home is in Ohio; Jacob, 
 a resident of Crawford Count}', Nel).; Ferdinand, 
 living in Columbus, Ohio; Mary Ann, now Mrs. 
 Heard, also of the Buckeye State; F'rank, of Co- 
 lumbus, Ohio; and Fdward, who resides in Brim- 
 lield Township. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in 'i'rov, 
 Ohio, .lanuarj' 1, 184.5, lived in that city until 
 twelve years old and there obtained his education. 
 When twenty years old he left the parental home 
 to begin life for himself, coming to Peoria County, 
 where he sojourned but a short time ere returning 
 to his native .State. Two years later he came again 
 to Illinois, finding employment in Rosefield Town- 
 ship, this county, as a farm lahf)rer, working by the 
 month for a year. He then made brick at F^dwards 
 Station a twelvemonth, after which he began farm- 
 ing for himself wheie he is still living. He rented 
 the laud eight years, then purchased with the re- 
 sult that he now has, one of the best farms in the 
 township. 
 
 Mr. Sicgel is an honored citi/.en, peaceable and 
 law-abiding, upright and considerate in all ids deal- 
 ings with mankind, and kindly in domestic life. 
 His political adherence is given to the Democratic 
 party, liut his friends are not confined to that or- 
 
 ganization. He has served as Tax Collector of the 
 township, and was Highway Commissioner three 
 terms. 
 
 The home of ]\Ir. .Siegcl is presided over by a 
 lady of genuine worth, who became his cherished 
 companion February 3, 1870. She is a daughter 
 of K|)hraini C. and Keziah (Luce) Rynearson. her 
 parents lieiug natives of Hamilton County, Ohio, 
 and Indiana respectively. She was christened liliza- 
 beth A., and when married to our subject, was the 
 widow of Andrew Meeks, who lost his life during 
 the Civil War. The happy union of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Siegel has resulted in the birth of four children, of 
 whom William and Charles W. survive. Deraini- 
 cus V. died when seven years old, and Rebecca B. 
 at the .age of seven weeks. 
 
 <^, 
 
 ILLIA.M 11. BRADLEY. Although but 
 I Ay// lliii'ty years of age IMr. Bradley is well- 
 ynd known in Rosctield Township and the ad- 
 joining agricultural districts, as a farmer and 
 stock-raiser of enterprise and substance. He was 
 born in Marshall County, April 1, 1860, his father, 
 Hugh Bradley, being a native of Ireland, anil his 
 mother, Phebe Jane (King) Bradle}', of Peoria 
 Count}', this .State. 
 
 llngli Bradle}' came to the Inited States when 
 but a boy, working for K. C. Rynearson in this 
 county by tiie month for several years. After his 
 marriage he located in Marshall County, purchas- 
 ing two hundred and forty acres of land, in the im- 
 provement of which he became broken down in 
 health. Returning to his native land in hopes of 
 regaining strength, he died there about 1868. He 
 left three children — Mary, now Mrs. John Loguc; 
 F\anny. now the wife of Alphonso Dunn, and Wil- 
 liam II., of whom we write. He was a Republican 
 in politics. His two brothers, F'rancis and Barney, 
 and his sister Catherine, now Mrs. Sloan, came to 
 the Inited States after his death, and the brothers 
 are now living in Iowa. 
 
 The mother of our subject hiis been twice mar- 
 ried since the death of Mr. Bradley, but has no 
 children by the later unions. She is a daughter of
 
 578 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 John King, who was among the earliest settlers iu 
 Roseficld Townsliip and the parent of four children 
 — AVilliam, Jacob, Phebe Jaue and Catherine. The 
 latter is now Mrs. Van Arsdall. The mother of this 
 family died some j'ears since and the father after 
 marrying a second time removed to Oregon. 
 
 Since the death of his father our subject has 
 shifted for himself, but has fortunately found 
 friends able and willing to assist him in worldly 
 affairs. lie was reared in the family of Henry Hu- 
 lick, an earh- settler of this township where he had 
 entered one hundred and sixty acres of Govern- 
 ment land. Eight}- acres of this was willed to our 
 subject,who has since purchased the other eight}' and 
 a forty-acre tract additional. On this tine estate 
 of two hundred acres he is carrying on the work of 
 the general agriculturist, successfully prosecuting 
 his calling and gaining the respect of those who 
 know him bj' reason of his manly, upright char- 
 acter. He has had *; 1,000 from his father's estate, 
 which, together with the land he inherited, gave him 
 an excellent start in life. 
 
 A most important member of the household on 
 the estate of which we are writing, is Mrs. Bradlej', 
 formerly Miss Minnie Harper. She is an intelligent 
 lad}-, possessing much housewifely skill and a fine 
 character. She became the wife of our subject 
 August 12. 1880, and their union has been blessed 
 by the birth of two children — Hulick R. and Leon 
 Forrest. Mrs. Bradley is a daughter of David and 
 Christenah (Vanover) Harper, and is a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Bradley 
 followed school teaching for nine years before her 
 marriage, teaching several terms at one place, and 
 was quite successful in her labors. 
 
 -f==i= 
 
 ^ILLIAM JASPER EWALT. As a repre- 
 sentative of the pioneer stock of Elmwood 
 W^ Township, no better person can be found 
 than W. J. Ewalt, who occupies a farm on section 
 
 28. His grand fither, John Ewalt, was the first 
 settler in the township, locating in 1831, on section 
 
 29, where he built the first log house, and with the 
 help of his son William D.. turned the first fur- 
 
 row. In 1846 he erected a brick house that is yet 
 standing. His land was taken from the Govern- 
 ment and at one time he owned thirteen hundred 
 acres. He passed away April 3, 1869, his first 
 wife, the grandmother of our subject, having died 
 in 1857. 
 
 The father of our subject was bom in Hamilton 
 County, Ohio, August 26, 1818, and was therefore 
 about thirteen years old when he began his labors 
 in the Prairie State. In 1845 he married Hannth 
 Bevans. whose parents had come hither from the 
 Buckeye State in October, 1838, settling on sec 
 tion 34. The Bevans family included twelve chil- 
 dren, all yet living but two, and the youngest now 
 nearly sixty years old. Mrs. Hannah (Bevans) 
 Ewalt is still hale and hearty, although seventy- 
 three yeais of .nge. Her husband, William D. 
 Ewalt. died on the homestead on section 28, to 
 which he had taken his bride, and on which they 
 lived happily until he was called home February 
 14, 1882. Their children are George M. D. of this 
 township; Maggie, wife of Levi Okell, of Mis- 
 souri; our subject; Elizabeth, wife of John Xicke- 
 son, of this township; and Arthur, who died in 
 1858. The father was particularly interested in 
 the cause of education, and like his progenitors was 
 esteemed as a trustworthy and energetic citizen. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born on the farm 
 he now operates, December 27, 1850, remaining 
 thereon until of age. He acquired a practical edu- 
 cation, completing his course of study in the high 
 school at Elmwood. After reaching his majority 
 he spent a short time in Iowa, then returned here, 
 permanently locating at the old home, where he is 
 carrying on general farming, breeding standard 
 grades of cattle and the George Sprague stock of 
 horses. He owns sixty-seven and one-half acres, 
 together with a third interest in a forty-acre tract, 
 having adequate improvements upon his home 
 place and various conveniences for carrying on his 
 occupation. His comfortable dwelling was erected 
 two years ago at a cost of §1,200, taking the place 
 of the old home which was destroyed by fire. 
 
 In February, 1882, the rites of wedlock were 
 celebrated between Mr. Ewalt and Miss Grace, 
 daughter of James P. and Cynthia (Ferguson) Ja- 
 cobs, The bride's mother was the first white cliild
 
 ipm ^-^^ V 
 
 ft 
 
 M^i^ S. lKs^^tMH,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 581 
 
 boni ill Orange Township, Knox Countj^ to vvliieh 
 Mr. .Jacobs came in 1847. The latter is still sur- 
 viving, keeping an hotel at Eureka. JMrs. .J.acobs 
 (lied in 1!S78. Their famii}- consisted of seven 
 children, five of whom are yet living. 
 
 To Mrs. and Kwalt one daughter and one son 
 have been born. The natal day of Forencc was 
 November 14, 1H83, and of William Fountain, 
 November IG, 188,'). Their interesting ways and 
 growing intelligence afford great pleasure to their 
 parents, more particularly to the motlier, at whose 
 side the}' are so constantly found, and who is al- 
 ready teaciiing tliein courteous manners and the 
 kindliness which is a part of her own worth}- char- 
 acter. Jlr. Ewalt is a member of the Masonic or- 
 der at Elmwood and votes the Democratic ticket. 
 He and his estimable wife are respected by those 
 about them, and as might be expected of re|)resen- 
 tatives of worthy ancestors, both are much inter- 
 ested in every movement which [lertains to the 
 good of the community. 
 
 3gHB;[g|iHfiBE 
 
 \TJOnX O. KENDALL. On the fourth day of 
 the month of M.ay, in the year 1845, the 
 pioneers of tliis county received a \aluable 
 acquisition in the person of this gentleman, 
 who has since been no unimportant factor in ad- 
 vancing the material prosperity of this section of 
 Illinois, and has greatly aided its develo|)ment from 
 its original wild slate. During these forty-five 
 year's his attention has been given to farming and 
 stock-raising, and on section 30, of Hallock Town- 
 ship, he has built up a home in which comfort 
 reigns supreme. Here he has a f-um comparing in 
 cultivation and improvement willi the best in the 
 neighborhood, and which formerly comprised two 
 hundred acres of land, but he has recently reduced 
 its acreage by giving some of it to his children. 
 
 Our subject was born in Columbia County, Pa., 
 .lauuary 3, 1814, to Andrea and Cornelia T. (Wag- 
 ner) Kindler. The family name, as we see, was 
 Kindler, instead of Kendall, but in the case of our 
 subject it was accidentally changed by the man who 
 made out his shipping papers, and the error being 
 
 noted too late for the name to lie altered, from 
 that time he h.is been .John (i. Kendall. Andrea 
 Kindler w.as born among the beautiful hills of 
 .Switzerland, of a worthy Swiss ancestiy, and (here 
 he w.as reared to manhood, and married his wife 
 who w.as a native of the same part of Switzerland 
 as himself. After tin' birth of two or three of their 
 children, they emigrated to the Tnited States in 
 1809 and settled among the |)ioiieers of Columbia 
 Count}', Pa., p.assing their remaining years on a 
 farm in that county. Their d.aths occurred when 
 they were a little past miildle life. They had not 
 a vei'}' large family of children, ami our subject is 
 the only one now living. 
 
 IMr. Kendall left home at an early age and un- 
 fortunately never again saw his parents, as he did 
 not revisit his early home until after death had re- 
 moved them. The early years of his life were 
 passed in Columbia County, and at the earlv age 
 of fourteen years, the bright active lad left the i)a- 
 rental home to carry out his inordinate desire for 
 a seafaring life, he being of a roving disposition, 
 and for many years his life was passed principally 
 on the ocean; he visited many countries and saw a 
 great deal of the world. C(jmmencing as a cabin 
 boy he soon proved that he had not mistaken his 
 calling, and from time to time was promoted until 
 he became first mate; he served with great skill and 
 credit on merchant vessels, and for three years he 
 was in the United States Navy, entering the service 
 of this Government, in 1837. He circumnavigated 
 the globe in the United .States frigate, •'Columbia," 
 Commodore George C. Read commanding. The 
 vessel sailed from Hampton Ro.ads jNI.ay 16, 1838, 
 and arrived at Boston, Mass., .Iiine 20, 1840, after 
 a voyage of twenty-six months. While in the navy 
 our subject was for three months on the receiving 
 ship '".Tava," and during the Iri)) he saw many im- 
 portant places, touching Africa at several differcnt 
 points, and doubled the Cape of Good Ilojie and 
 Cape Horn. He also served three years on the 
 United States ship "Pennsylvania," the largest 
 man-of-war in the world. It was on his last voy- 
 age on the bark ••Oceola," .sailing from Rio Do Ja- 
 neiro to New Orleans that he wrote the following 
 beautiful lines: 
 
 These lines arc respectfully dedicated to my dear
 
 582 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 devoted children. AViitten at sea. on lioaid the 
 bark '"Oceola," of Pliiladelpliia, on a passage from 
 Kio De Janeiro to New Orleans. March. 1845. 
 
 Joiix G. Kendall, 
 Soutlianipton, Peoria Cuiintj- 111. 
 
 -rilE LAST CRUISE. 
 
 Along with pleasant breezes our ship sails o"er the 
 main 
 With every prospect pleasing our native shore to 
 gain, 
 I walked the deck in silence, the playful clouds did 
 view: 
 Beheld the glorious planets, in their orbits as they 
 flew. 
 
 My watchmates sleeping stretched upon the deck 
 The helmsman keeping the ship upon her track 
 The watch below reposing in pleasant dreams of 
 home 
 Of sweethearts, love, and duty, and many joys un- 
 known. 
 
 My heart involved in sadness, I walked the deck 
 alone 
 And thought of days in childhood, and many 
 sports at home 
 When all was joy and gladness, uiy fancy then would 
 soar 
 To hills, and vales oft' traveled in happy days of 
 yore. 
 
 Thoughts of home come fondly, as friendless now I 
 roam 
 To grieve is only sadness, the heart still holds it 
 own 
 The pleasures blighted, the friends since dead and 
 gone 
 The love so warmly plighted, but now I'm left 
 alone. 
 
 As sailing o'er the ocean, in foreign climes, to roam 
 Where all is new and pleasing, but find no place 
 like home. 
 Soon my cruising will be ended, time leaves changes 
 on my face. 
 O, ye stars above, shine oh my resting place! 
 
 Ye winds and waves around me, O, waft me to the 
 shore. 
 In truth, and love abounding, and friends will part 
 no morel 
 To sail no more the ocean, where storms, and break- 
 ers roar 
 And think no more of dangers past, or days that 
 are no more. 
 September 23, 1882. 
 
 After bis arrival in port at New Orleans, La., 
 from a long ocean vojage, Mr. Kendall decided to 
 try life on land and having heard many favorable 
 accounts of the beauties of the Prairie State and 
 its wonderful agricultural resources, he decided to 
 locate here and came to this count3', as before men- 
 tioned, and has since devoted himself to farming. 
 
 He was married in this countj^ and township to 
 Miss Amelia Merrill, who was born in Ross County. 
 Ohio, September 22, 1822. She came AVest ."^hen 
 six years of age with her parents, Samuel and 
 Nancy (Houston) Merrill. They located on a farm 
 two miles north of Chillicothe, in this county, and 
 there she grew to womanhood. Her parents were 
 early settlers, and being farmers by occupation, im- 
 proved an excellent farm and here rounded out 
 their lives at a good old age. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kendall have five children living, 
 as follows: Helena M., wife of Joe Brown, a farmer 
 in Nemaha County, Kan.; Kent K., a resident of Ne- 
 maha County, Kan., and who married Lizzie Har- 
 rington; Reubie K., who married Lucy AYilcox and 
 is a farmer of this township; E:ugena M., wife of 
 George Cramer, a farmer of Dunlap. this county; 
 Edward E., a farmer of this township, who married 
 Alice M. C'liue. 
 
 Mr. Kendall possesses a clear mind, and quick 
 powers of observation, and as we have seen, has 
 decided literar}- talent, and a keen appreciation of 
 the beautiful. His wide experience has given him 
 a large outlook on life, and an extensive fund of in- 
 formation and has broadened his ideas. Independ- 
 ent, sagacious, and liberal in his views, political 
 and religious, he is generously high-minded in his 
 dealings with all with whom he comes in contact. 
 He is a prominent member of the National Liberal 
 League, of Philadeli)hia. Pa. 
 
 In connection with this review of the [u-incipal 
 events in tlic life of Mr. Kendall we present a por- 
 trait of him on another page. 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 iMRl ^V. CASE. Medina Township contains 
 '' no better illustration of the ample reward 
 J which can be obtained by determination, steady 
 habits and well-directed efforts, than in the person 
 of the gentleman above named, who by his own ex- 
 ertions has accumulated a large amount of worldly 
 goods. He occupies a fine, well-improved farm on 
 section 30, owning also several other estates, all 
 of which are well equipped with the best of build- 
 ings, stock and raachinerj-. His landed estate in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 583 
 
 Illinois consists of upward of fifteen hundred acres 
 of iiii|iroveil land; be also owns two-thirds nf the 
 town site of Alta. His personal character is that 
 of an upright, educated and genial gentleman, and 
 his reputation is in keeping witii his merits. He 
 has served as Justice of the Pe.ice, Supervisor, etc. 
 His political adherence is given to the Democratic 
 part}', and his religious faith is that of a Univer- 
 salist. 
 
 Tlie history of the Case family in lliis country 
 begins with two brothers who came from England 
 to Connecticut prior to the Revolution. Through 
 several generations tiiey were closely connected 
 with the history of New England, being numbered 
 among the prominent men of the coninumities in 
 which the}' lived. The father of our subject was 
 Imri Case, who was reared to th6 business of a 
 farmer, and was first married in Connecticut, the 
 wife dying in New York State after the birth of two 
 cluldren, a son and a daughter, both of vvhom are 
 now deceased, but who lived to rear families. The 
 son, Albert, was a [irominent Universalist minister 
 in Massachusetts and other New England States, 
 and was likewise prominenti}' identified with the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The daugh- 
 ter, Phebe, married Lucius Cole, of the Empire 
 State, wherein she died. 
 
 I'rior to the death of his first wife, Imri Case with 
 his family removed to the Empire State. In Os- 
 wego County he was married the second time, his 
 wife being Mrs. Chloe A. Whitesides, iipe Hawley. 
 She belonged to an old New England family, her 
 [larents and herself being natives of the Green 
 Mountain State, wherein she grew to maturity, and 
 married Peter Whitesides. The young couple later 
 lenioved to Oswego County, N. Y., where Mr. 
 Whitesides died leaving three cliildren, all of whom 
 are now deceased. A few years after his decease 
 the widow married Imri Case, and m.ade her home 
 on a farm at Sandy Creek until the death of her 
 second husband, which occurred October 24, 1830. 
 Mr. Case was then in his fifty-second year, having 
 been born January 22, 1779. 
 
 Mrs. Chloe Case finally came to Illinois with her 
 children, dying October it, 1853, in Jledina Town- 
 ship, Peoria County. Her natal day was April 13, 
 1784. Like her husband she was a firm believer 
 
 in the doctrines promulgated by the Universalist 
 Church, and was of sterling worth of character. 
 They had two sons and three daughters, our subject 
 being the eldest son and second child. The oldest 
 daughter is now deceased; she was the wife of N. 
 Howe, who now lives in Peoria, and to whom she 
 bore two children. The other sons and daughters 
 are married and living in this county. The father 
 responded to his country's call in 1812, and fought 
 bravely to defeat British tyranny. He won the 
 promotion from private to captain. He several 
 times narrowly escai)ed being killed or captured. 
 
 Our subject w,as fourteen years of age when his 
 father died, after wliich time he remained with his 
 mother until her demise. He was nineteen years 
 old when he laiuled in the Prairie State. AVanting 
 better schooling, he hoarded his resources, attended 
 school and secured a practical education. Having 
 decided that two heads are better than one, he re- 
 turned to his native county in New York when 
 about twenty-nine years old, and there married 
 Miss Salina Howe, who, coming with him to the 
 West, hel[)ed him to make a good home. She spent 
 her last da3's on the farm where Mr. Case now lives, 
 being cut down in the iirinie of a promising life 
 when but twenty-eight years of age. She left two 
 chiklren, who still live to honor her memory. 'I'lie 
 first-born, Ensley J., married Oeorgie Edgett, who 
 died leaving three children — Morris, Willard and 
 Floss}-; he afterward married Nettie Waugh and 
 is now living in Peoria, engaged in the vvhole- 
 sale drug trade. He also owns the plating works, 
 and was Su()ervisor of Medina Township. The 
 second son of our subject and liis wife is Clarence 
 E., a groceryman in Alta, and for some time Post- 
 master, agent of the station, telegraph ojierator, 
 and Township Treasurer of that place. He married 
 Julia Schnebley, and they have two children, Harry 
 and Georgie. 
 
 Mrs. Salina Case was l)orn in Sandy Creek Town- 
 ship, Oswego County, N. 1'., December 4, 1827. 
 She was the recipient of good home and educational 
 advantages. Her father, Newell Howe, a native 
 of Connecticut, w;is a farmer and brickmaker; he 
 died in the Empire State when quite old. His wife, 
 formerly Jane Snyder, wag a native of New York, 
 and of German iiarentage. Her death took place
 
 584 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 in Oswego Countj^ N. Y., at a goodly age. Mrs. 
 Saliua Case died in October 1851, inoiinied by iLe 
 famil}' and I'ominunit}'. 
 
 ]\Ir. Case is and has been President of the Grange 
 Inturanee Compan^v of this county for the past ten 
 years, and has proved a success. 
 
 I p-, A RAN CIS M. BEALL, occupies no unim- 
 portant place among the native born citi- 
 zens of Peoria County, who are active in 
 advancing its everj- interest. He is a prominent 
 member of the farming community of Jubilee 
 Township, and tliis place has no citizen of public 
 spirit who takes a more earnest interest in its wel- 
 fare, or would do more for its good. 
 
 Asa Beall, the father of our subject, was boru 
 and reared in Kentucky, growing up on a farm, and 
 in early manhood served in the War of 1812. In 
 1833, he left liis native State, and came b}' boat to 
 this county, and for a time was engaged in farm- 
 ing near Mossville, on the Illinois River, where he 
 bought a place. As he was among the early set- 
 tlers, he found the county but little improved, and 
 the nearest market was Ciiicago, where he hauled 
 his grain to sell. He ditl not live in that locality 
 very long on account of malaria and mosquitoes, 
 and consiilering this region more favorable for car- 
 rying on his operations, he removed touearlvicka- 
 poo, on what is now section 36, Jubilee Township. 
 At that time Ije knew every man in tiie countj-, 
 and w.as well-known himself, and he took an active 
 part in its development. He and his sou took 
 wheat to Chicago, and on their return trip brought 
 lumber for the purpose of erecting buildings on his 
 land, he having purchased a quarter-section from 
 the Government. He had but little means, and 
 had to work hard to make his improvements. He 
 carried on that place until 1851, and then fold and 
 bought one hundred and sixt3^ acres of raw land, 
 which is now included in our subject's farm. He 
 developed and operated about sixty acres of it, and 
 subsequently retired from farming, he having in 
 the meantime acquired land until his farm com- 
 prised two hundred and forty acres. At hi§ death 
 
 in 1876, at the venerable age of eighty-one years, 
 Jubilee Township lost an honored pioneer. He 
 was quite a politician in his day, and was identilied 
 with the Democratic part^-. He was a well-read 
 and well-informed man, and was religiously in- 
 clined, leaning toward the Methodist faith. The 
 maiden name of his wife, who was born in Mary- 
 land, was Mary Coylo. She went tlience to Ken- 
 tucky, where her marriage took |)lace, and subse- 
 quently accompanied her family to this place, and 
 here died. She was the mother of eight children, 
 as follows: Susan married James Vanarsdale, and 
 died in Kickapoo Township; Thomas lives in Alma, 
 Neb.; Maria is dead; Harriet, now Mrs. Rogers, 
 lives in Wyoming, Stark County, 111; John is de- 
 ceased; William lives in Essex Township, Stark 
 County; our subject is next in order of birth; Jo- 
 sephine is the wife of William Lawrence, of Jubilee 
 Township. WUliam Beall was a soldier in the late 
 war, a member of the Seventy -seventh Illinois In- 
 fantry, wliich was afterward consolidated with the 
 Forty-seventh. He enlisted in 180'2, and served 
 three years, and was promoted to the ranks of Cor- 
 poral. 
 
 Francis M. Beall was born in Kickapoo Town- 
 ship, one and one-half miles from Kickapoo, Feb- 
 ruary 18, 1840. He was reared in the place of his 
 birth until he was eleven years old, and laid the 
 foundation of his education in the little log school- 
 house of his district. He was early set to work oh 
 the farm, and used to have to haul grain to Peoria. 
 In 1851 he came here, and he helped to break prai- 
 rie with five yoke of oxen. Wishing to improve 
 his education, he attended school two winters at 
 Wyoming and at this place, and by hard studj^and 
 under excellent tuition, gained a good fund of 
 knowledge. Mr. Beall remained an inmate of the 
 parental household until he was twenty-one years 
 old. At that age he took charge of the farm, and 
 had the management of the whole thing,and contin- 
 ued to carrj- on the place until within a short time of 
 his father's death. In 1868 he bought the one hun- 
 dred and sixty-five acres comprising the farm, and 
 has since greatly added to its value by the many 
 improvements he has placed upon it. He subse- 
 quently purchased forty acres on section 3, and a 
 while after bought eighty acres more in Wyoming,
 
 POKTHAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 585 
 
 Later he sold that and bought one hundred and 
 eighty acres adjoining his original purchase. This 
 is all uniler fine cultivation, and is liiiel^- improved 
 with the exception of eiglit3- acres used as ]xastur- 
 age. The farm is especially well adapted to stock- 
 raisiTig purposes, as there are ever tlowing springs 
 on the place, which is all inclosed, the farm as a 
 wIkiIc licing as good as any in the county. In 1871) 
 he built a commodious house, and in 188'.*, a con- 
 veniently arranged barn, both of the latest modern 
 style. lie rents some of liis land, reserving one 
 hundred and sixty acres for his own use, and here 
 he rai.ses stock of a higii grade, has thirteen head of 
 fine draft horses, aud he has three teams in constant 
 use. He has full blooded hogs of the Poland-China 
 breed, and is quite successful in raising them, and 
 ships a number every 3-ear. He raises quite a 
 quantity- of grain, corn and oats, a good deal of 
 whicii he feeds to stock. 
 
 Mr. BeaU was married in Jubilee Township, 
 March 17, 1865, to Miss Mary, daughtcr'of Remem- 
 brance Curl, formerl}- a well-known farmer here. 
 lie subsequently removed to Washington, Iowa, in 
 1885. where lie still resides. Mrs. Beall is a Penn- 
 sylvaniau b^' birth, and came here with her parents. 
 Her pleasant wedded life with our subject has been 
 blessed to them by the birth of seven children: 
 Charles, Josephine, Emma (deceased), (lattie, Ol- 
 ive, Thomas, and Francis, Jr. All are at home, 
 and are receiving good educational advantages, 
 Charles and Josephine being students in the Prince- 
 ville High School. 
 
 Mr. IJeall was born in this county while it was 
 j'et in the hands of the pioneers, and he can re- 
 member well the primitive condition of the coun- 
 try during his early life, before the wild animals had 
 fled from the approaching civilization, and he 
 recollects having seen deer, as many as thirty at a 
 lime, and also prairie wolves and other wild ani- 
 mals. He grew with the growth of the county, and 
 has proved to be a good citizen. He is in every 
 sense a steadfast reliable man, one who never be- 
 trays a trust, and who is at all times and on all oc 
 casions found to be a careful and ready helper by 
 those needing assistance, and his neighbors who 
 consult him in regard to personal m.atters, find him 
 a wise and safe counselor, as he is discriminating 
 
 and just in his judgments, possesses much discern- 
 ment, and is cool headed. These attributes have 
 made him available for olTiee, and he has been called 
 upon to do his share in the management of |)ublic 
 affairs. For fifteen years he acted as Constable un- 
 til he resigned and would not accept the olliee 
 again. For fourteen years he was Commissioner 
 of Highwa3's, and for eighteen years was .School Di- 
 rector. He is a prominent memlur of the Detec- 
 tive Thief and Jliitual Benefit .\ssociation, in which 
 he is Third lieutenant. In his political views he 
 is a sound Democrat. He has served both in the 
 (4rand and Petit Juries. 
 
 OBERT WILL. Some one has said, "It is 
 not difficult to write a biographj'; the 
 great difficulty is to live a life worth writ- 
 );ing." No resident in Peoria County is 
 more worthy of representation in this volume than 
 the late Robert Will, a well-known old settler. 
 His life was spent in usefulness, his labors not ex- 
 l)ended for himself alone, but lor the benefit of 
 those among whom his lot was cast and in whose 
 welfare he was ever deeply interested. He had one 
 of those noble natures which win respect from 
 every acquaintance and retain the deep esteem of 
 all who come to know the possessor well. 
 
 Mr. Will was of Scotch lineage, being a son of 
 Robert Will, Sr., and his good wife Margaret (Law- 
 son) Will. Both were born and reared in Dundee, 
 Scotland, and resided there a few j-ears after their 
 marriage. When their oldest child, Ellen, was two 
 years of age, thej' left their native shores for 
 America which they reached after a storm}' voyage 
 of eight weeks. They sojourned in Philadelphia, 
 Pa., four 3'ears, the husband following his trade of 
 a stone-cutter. During tluat period two sons — 
 William and John — were born to them. They then 
 removed to Tioga County, where their famil3' cir- 
 cle was added to by the advent of four sons — Alex- 
 ander, George, Robert, Jr., .and James. 
 
 In 18.30, the family removed to Illinois, making 
 their journey from the Keystone State with teams 
 which were afterward used in improving a claim of
 
 586 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Government hind. 'I'he father and sons eventually 
 secured several hundred acres of valuable land 
 which they converted into comfortable homes and 
 which became known as a settlement of fine people. 
 The entire famil}- endured the usual experiences of 
 pioneer life, reaping a reward in the respect which 
 was bestowed upon them as well as in their worldly 
 prosperity. On the place where Ihey originally 
 settled, Robert Will, Sr., and his wife passed awaj% 
 the former when about sixt^'-eight 3ears of age and 
 the latter at the ripe age of eighty-two _years. Mr. 
 Will was clKirister in the Presbyterian Church in 
 Dundee, Scotland, but after coming to America 
 both himself and wife united with the Baptist So- 
 ciety. They possessed all tlie sterling integrity of 
 the "canny Scot" and their children were reared 
 with firm principles and useful habits. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Tioga 
 Count}', Pa., April 15, 1822. He was fifteen j'ears 
 old when his parents removed to this county and 
 here he applied himself to stud}' and work, reading 
 cxtensi\ely and developing the faculties of a natur- 
 ally bright mind. He became a successful farmer 
 and stock-raiser in Ilallock Township and an active 
 member of society, promintnt in social, benevolent 
 and religious work. He served his township as 
 Justice of the Peace for twenty years and had filled 
 almost every township oflice before he was elected 
 County Surveyor. He was discharging the duties 
 of the latter office wdien stricken by his last illness 
 which terminated in his death February 14, 187G. 
 He was a prominent member of the Masonic order, 
 identified with lodges at Lawn Ridge and Chilli- 
 cothe, and a leading spirit in both. In politics he 
 was a sound Republican. The Methodist Episcopal 
 Church was the religious body with which he was 
 identified and in wliich he had an oftlcial station 
 many years. Of the i^arental family to which he 
 belonged but three members now survive — the 
 daughter and two sous. 
 
 Mr. Will was fortunate in his choice of a com- 
 panion, winning a lady of great intelligence and 
 nol)le character. This was Miss Mary Robinson, 
 who was born in Broome County, N. Y., March 19, 
 1823, and came to Illinois with her parents when 
 ten years old. She grew to maturity under the 
 home roof, being a useful member of the family 
 
 circle until her marriage, which took place at her 
 home in Hallock Township. Her parents, Lyman 
 and Olive (Stowell) Robinson, natives of the Em- 
 pire State, were married in Broome County, where 
 the father followed the trade of a shoemaker a 
 inimbsr of years. He finally sold out all his inter- 
 ests there and removed with his family overland to 
 the Prairie .State, locating on new land in Ilallock 
 Township, this county. He, however, continued 
 to follow his trade but made the farm his home un- 
 til his death when seventy-six years old. His wife 
 had died at a goodly .age some years prior to his 
 own decease. The worthy couple are now repre- 
 sented by four sons and two daughters. 
 
 The family of our subject and his estimable wife 
 included six children, two of whom are yet living. 
 William and Helen died when quite young; Jtjhn 
 W., in the flower of his youth when nineteen years 
 old, and bidding fair to have a useful and honor- 
 able career; Annie, wife of S. L. A'an Palton, now 
 of Pe.abody, Kan., died a few years after her mar- 
 riage. The snrvixors — Minnie and Lottie — are 
 accomplished young ladies and with their mother 
 belong to the Reformed Episcoi)al Church. The 
 elder is an expert stenographer, iluing business in 
 in ^Minneapolis, Minn. The younger remains with 
 her mfilher in Chillicothe. 
 
 ,p^ OLOMON S. CORNWELL. The name of 
 ^^s2, this gentleman will ever be associated with 
 the history of Peoria County as the 
 founder of Monica. In 1871 he platted 
 the town on one part of his extensive landed pos- 
 sessions and gave it his own name, but that is so 
 near like that of Cromwell, a town on the other 
 road, that it was changed to its present cognomen. 
 Our subject was an early settler of this county and 
 has been foremost among the intelligent, energetic 
 and enterprising pioneer farmers and stock-raisers, 
 who have been so largely instrumental in develop- 
 ing and building up this part of the State, mak- 
 ing it one of the finest improved and richest agri- 
 cultural centers in this jiortion of the Mississippi 
 Valley. He is a man of wealth and his money
 
 rORTHAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 has been so judiciously invested as to prove not 
 onl}- bcnelloiiil to himself but so as to advance the 
 financial ccnditiun of township and county. 
 
 Mr. t'ornwell was born in Dutchess C'oi.nty, N. 
 Y., .luly «, I.SO!). His f.athor, .lob Corn well, was a 
 native of the same count_y, and was a son of .lon- 
 athan Cornwell, also of that county, and a grand- 
 son of Lot Cornwell, who was a soldier in the 
 Revolution. The father of Lot Cornwell came 
 from Knnland as an ollicer in the English army, 
 but in the opening days of the struggle between 
 the Americans and the mother country, he left 
 the IJritish service to join the Colonists and fought 
 with them for their freedom. After tlie war he 
 settled in Dutcliess County among its |)ioneers as 
 a tiller of the soil. 
 
 The father of our subject learned the trade of a 
 blacksmith and carried it on in the town of Stan- 
 ford in Dutchess Count}'. He did a thriving bus- 
 iness and ein|ilo\'ed three men to assist liiin. In 
 1830 he removed to Monroe County, and settled 
 near l>rocki)ort, where he died in 1850 at the age 
 of lifty-six j'cars. He was a Democrat in politicks 
 and was vcrj' influential in public councils and 
 held various county offices. The maiden name 
 of the mother of our subject was Chloe Mayhue, 
 and she was of Scotch descent and born in New 
 York. She survived her husband several years, 
 making her home with her daughter at Grand 
 Rapids, till her death at the .age of seventy-five 
 years. She w.as a truly good woman and in her 
 the Free Will I'.aptist Church found a consistent 
 memlier. She was the mother of eight children, 
 as follows: Lucinda, who died in New York; Fan- 
 nie, who lives in Michigan; Smith, who died in 
 Illinois; Morris, who died in California; Emeline, 
 who died in New York; Ethan, a resident of Chi- 
 cago, who was formerly Captain in the Railway 
 Detective service, and Charlotte, who died in 
 Rock Island. 
 
 Our subject was reared in Stanford, and in his 
 younger daj-s was a delicate, sickly lad. He ob- 
 tained his education in the district school till he 
 was seventeen years old when he was sent to the 
 Nine Partners (Quaker school at Mechanicsville, in 
 his native county, ,nnd there completed an excellent 
 course of study. After leaving school headoi)ted 
 
 the profession of teaching and was engaged at it 
 in Dutchess Countj' some twelve years, and after 
 that taught in Long Island and for three years 
 was principal of the schools where he was sta- 
 tioned. In 1837 he went to Monroe County, N. 
 Y., and eighteen months later in 1839, came to 
 Illinois, traveling liy boat to Cleveland, b\' canal to 
 the Ohio River to take a boat, but as there were 
 none going down the river at that time, he hired a 
 skiff, but after proceeding two miles decided that 
 he could make better progress on foot, so he 
 walked to the next landing and waited there four 
 d.ays for a boat, and as one did not come tried to 
 secure a seat on the stage to Indiana and at length 
 w.as successful, and finally found hisw.ay to Spring- 
 field, this State. He then shouldered his bundle of 
 clothes and made a [ledostrian li-ip to the Missis- 
 sippi River and back to Farmington in search of a 
 school to teach. He was finally referred to Prince- 
 ville, and here was engaged to teach in a log 
 school with primitive furnishings. He engaged in 
 teaching here for several years, .and found it hard 
 work .as among his pupils wer? several large boys 
 who could neither read nor write. He toiled faith- 
 fully and made a success of teaching, and was en- 
 gaged at it some three years. He then went to 
 Fairview, Fulton Count}-, and was engaged in 
 teaching in the academy as its |)rincipal, and occu- 
 pied that position three years. 
 
 Mr. Cornwell had previously bought this place, 
 in 1840, or a part of it, buying a patent of one 
 hundred and sixty acres on section 21, and made 
 all the improvements on that tract. He located on 
 it in 1843, and built a frame house, drawing the 
 lumber from EUisville, Fulton County, a distance 
 of forty miles with an ox team. He broke jjrairie 
 with oxen and a wooden mold j)low, .and got well 
 started in his efforts to develop a farm, and in the 
 years that followed was more than ordinarily suc- 
 cessful in his work, and .at one time owned over 
 eleven hundred and twenty acres of fine farming 
 land. He still possesses eight hundred acres, all 
 of which is improved land with the exception of 
 three hundred and twenty .acres devoted to pas- 
 ture, and it is well fenced and watered by springs 
 and sloughs, having a pure spring of ever flowing 
 water on nearly every quarter section. He has
 
 588 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 two good dwellings and other substantial buildings, 
 on his farm, and in 1871. built here the largest 
 liouse in the lownshii>. and then retired from active 
 business to pass his declining years in this co- 
 ziest and most comfortable of homes. He used to 
 operate the whole farm and had it well stocked. 
 He raise<l full blooded Poland-china hogs ver}' 
 extensively, some years selling enough to bring 
 in ^3,700. He has other valuat/le property besides 
 his farm. He built a house in Monica, and owns 
 two buildings there. He rents his land, but re- 
 tains the pasture and has one hundred he.ad of cat- 
 tle grazing upon it besides other stock. 
 
 M.ay 21, 1842, Mr. Cornwell returned to Mon- 
 roe County, X. Y.. and was married to Miss Emily 
 Munson, a native of Connecticut, and a daughter 
 of Caleb Munson. a farmer of Monroe Count}'. He 
 was estensivelj' engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising and was well-to-do. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are the parents of 
 four children, William II., .Tulia, (wife of "\V. 
 E. Elliott of Princeville Townshij)) Charles, Ade- 
 line, (wife of II. AV. Crawford an agent for the 
 Rock Island Railroad at Monica). William is a 
 farmer in Waldo Townshi|), Livingston Count}-, 
 where he owns three hundred and twenl}' acres of 
 land. He was a soldier in the late Civil War. en- 
 listing in 18G1, wiien he was but seventeen jears 
 old, in the Eleventh Illinois Cavahy, mustered in 
 at Peoria. He took pari in all the battles in which 
 his regiment fought, till he was taken prisoner 
 first in Tennessee and wiis subsequently paroled 
 and was a second time captured at Essex Station, he 
 having been shot through the hip while on his 
 horse, and taken b}- the eneui}'. His wounds were 
 dressed by his fellow i)risoners, and he was sent 
 to Andersonville, and remained there several 
 months until the close of the war, and then came 
 home nearly de.ad from tlie sufferings and priva- 
 tions he had endured in that terrible experience of 
 life in rebel prisons. Charles, an attorney at law, 
 practicing in Peoria, was graduated from Cold 
 Water Michigan College and later was graduated 
 from the law department of the I'niversity at Ann 
 Arbor. 
 
 Mr. Cornwell has a high reputation as a man of 
 honor, truthfulness and unimpeachable integrity, 
 
 who has acquired his large property by honest and 
 fair methods and he is a credit to our citizenship. 
 He is an ardent Republican in his political views and 
 is one of the most intelligent and liberal support- 
 ers of his party, and has been .active in its councils, 
 and has been delegate to county conventions. He 
 was Supervisor one year and has been Director of 
 the graded schools, and a member of the Grand 
 ,Iur_y several terms and the Petit Jury one term, 
 and in each and every capacity showed marked 
 ability as an intelligent and progressive official. 
 
 Y OHN M. PATTERSON. A life-long far- 
 mer, progressive in his ideas regarding his 
 calling, anxious to excel, and energetic in 
 spirit. Mr. Patterson h.as secured a good 
 estate, where he is enabled to surround his famih' 
 with the comforts and even some of the luxuries of 
 life. He is located on section 31, Brim field Town- 
 ship, bis well-regulated estate consisting of one 
 hundred and sixty acres. He had nj one to start 
 him in life, being a member of what might be con- 
 sidered a i)ioneer family in the section in which iiis 
 youth w-as passed, and having not oven the advan- 
 tages of educational training which are secured to 
 the j'oung men of the present day. In lieu of 
 these advantages he possessed a determined spirit, 
 was bred to habits of industry and early taught the 
 self-reliance which is so potent a f.actor in worldlj' 
 prosperity. 
 
 'Slv. Patterson was born in Rockbridge County, 
 Va., .September 22. 1832. being a son of John and 
 .Sarah Patterson, likewise natives of the Old Do- 
 minion. The parents removed to Preble County, 
 Ohio, when our subject w.as about a year old, and 
 there, as he grew toward manhood, he took advan- 
 tage of the limited sciiool privileges, in the inter- 
 vals of study acquiring a knowledge of his father's 
 vocation. Earl}' in the '50s the parents and their 
 rather large family came to Peoria County, 111., the 
 father first locating in Elmwood Townshii). After 
 a time he removed to Knox County, whence after 
 several years he returned to Peoria County, spend- 
 ing tlie remnant of his days with c>ur subject.
 
 /i^^-z^/s-^^:^
 
 
 (.'^-''-^C^ c.^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 593 
 
 In Knox County, in January, I860, the subject 
 of lliis notice was unitcil in marriage with Miss 
 Melissa M. \'ifliery. an estimable yonng woman, 
 who was well qnalified for the life which lay be- 
 fore her. She is a (laughter of Elias and Polly 
 \'ickory, caily settlers of Peoria County. She has 
 borne iier husband four children, and they have 
 hkewise an adopted daughter, named Edith V. 
 Their first-born, Charles L., is deceased; Ida M.. 
 the second cluld, is the wife of Ferdinand E. 
 Bowler, now living in Sheriibm County, Kan.; 
 Fred, the only son living, is a public school teacher, 
 with an excellent reputation in his profession; Edna 
 completes the family list, altliough the adojited 
 daughter shares with them in the kindly care and 
 aft'ection.ate oversight of Mr. and Mrs. Patterson. 
 
 Our subject has served as School Director many 
 years, and has borne a part in advancing the inter- 
 ests of his fellow-men in various ways. He is a 
 believer in and a supporter of the Republican 
 party, ever readj' to cast his vote in the interest of 
 wliat he considers the best of political principles. 
 
 * 
 
 LVIN W. BUSHNELL. Few of the citi- 
 zens of Peoria are more widely known and 
 !4i none more highly esteemed than Mr. Bush- 
 
 /' nell and his wife, whose biograi)hies anil 
 
 portraits are presented on these pages. Mr. Bushnell 
 lirst came to this county in 1837, and has made his 
 home since that time within its limits, with 
 the exception of two and a-half years, which he 
 spent in Chicago. He is therefore thoroughly ac- 
 ((uainted with the progress of the county for more 
 than a half century, and has borne no inconsider- 
 able part in the development of its natural re- 
 sources and the building up of its inrlustries. He 
 was born in Greene County, N. Y., January 8. 
 1815, and inherits from along line of agricultural 
 ancestors many qualifications whicli adapt him to 
 carry on sinular work. 
 
 The Bushnell family were first represented in 
 America by three brothers who came together from 
 England. The grandfathers of our subject were 
 Klijah Bushnell and Zephaniah Chase, the latter of 
 
 whom lived in Martha's Vineyard during the Rev- 
 olutionary War and had his [lotatoes taken from 
 him by British soldiers, except a few that he suc- 
 ceeded in secreting. Anson and Elizabeth (Chase) 
 Bushnell were natives of Connecticut and Massa- 
 chusetts respectively. To them were born three 
 sons and two daughters, namely: Alvin W.; Hor- 
 ace, who resides in St. Paul, Minn,; Eunice, de- 
 ceased; Mrs. Mary Minor, whose home is in York, 
 Neb. ; and Lewis, a magnetic physician in Chicago. 
 The gentleman with whose name this sketch 
 is introduced passed his boyhood in the Empire 
 State, receiving his education i\i the common 
 schools. His first venture in the way of gain- 
 ing a livelihood, was 'that of hiring out as a farm 
 hand at -$13 per month. In 1835 he went to New 
 York City, where he learned the trade of a carpen- 
 ter, making the metropolis his home two years. He 
 then came to Peoria CouiUy, III., and for a num- 
 ber of j'ears carried on a farm and also worked at 
 his trade. In 1848, he sold his estate and removing 
 to Chicago engaged in the grocery trade, which he 
 abandoned in 1851, to return to this county and 
 become a resident of the county seat. He embarked 
 in the lumber business and afterward became en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of building materials — 
 chiefly of asbestine stone, which is used for side- 
 walks and other purposes. 
 
 The career of Mr. Bushnell has been an honor- 
 able and industrious one and he is surrounded by 
 comforts. He occupies a pleasant residence on 
 Fourth Street, where hospitality altounds and re- 
 fined tastes are indicated by the neatness and 
 Ijcanty there to be seen. He is numbered among the 
 reliable citizens and held in good repute bj' neigh- 
 bors and associates. He has been a member of the 
 Board of Supervisors two terms, and in jiolitics is a 
 Democrat of the old Jackson type. He belongs to 
 the Old Settlers' Society and the Scientific Associa- 
 tion. His family now consists of his wife and 
 an adopted daughter. May. They had another 
 adopted daughter, Ella, whom they reared from 
 childhood, giving her the advantage of a literary 
 and musical education. She died December 19, 
 1889, aged thirty-seven years. 
 
 The maiden name of Mrs. Bushnell was Jennette 
 Case, and she was born August 29, 1818, in the
 
 591 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 town of Sandj' Creek, Oswego County, N. Y. Her 
 parents were Iiuri aurl Cliloe A. Case, natives of 
 Connecticut and \'ermont respectively. She became 
 the wife of our subject July 12, 1841. and has 
 proved her worth as a sympathizing companion for 
 "lo! these many years." Since 1849 she lias beeu 
 a member of the Baptist Church and a faitliful fol- 
 lower of its teachings. 
 
 HARLEY FASH, the well known and popu- 
 lar blacksmith and wagonmaker of Lime- 
 
 \iJ/J stone Township, is a representative of an 
 old and honored pioneer family of this county. He 
 was the third cSiiUl of the eleven cliiidren, six 
 sons and five daugliters, born to Daniel and Phccbe 
 (Campbell) Fash, and is a native of New York 
 City, where liis birth occurred .lune 19, 1830. 
 His parents were both natives of Ni'w York, iiis 
 motlier of Tarrytown, and a daugiiter of Joseph 
 Campbell, of that town. His father vv;is a son of 
 D.Hniel Fash, whose wife's family' name was Bogerl. 
 They were seafaring people, and were of fine 
 pliysicnl proportions, strong constitutions and great 
 powers of endurance, and these were also the 
 characteristics of liie F.-islis. 
 
 The father of our subject was born and reared 
 in New York City, and after his marriage in Tar- 
 rytown, continued to reside in the city of his birth 
 for some years, and there four of his cliiidren were 
 born. AVlien the son of whom we write was three 
 j'ears old, his father came to this county, in 
 1833, bringing his family with hiin, and though 
 so young our subject can well remember many in- 
 cidents connected with that ever memorable jour- 
 ney. They packed their goods in boxes an<l 
 bundles in their home on tlie Nortli River, and 
 he recollects the excitement incident thereto, and 
 of lying on a feather bed wliilst the jxacking 
 was going on. Their household effects were ship- 
 ped to Peoria by water, their furniture being of a 
 very fine and costly character for those days, and 
 ia some way it was missent and they never got it, 
 but heard from it some twenty-five j'cars later in 
 
 St. Louis, and at that time from the ill care it had 
 received it was badly decayed and useless. Mr. 
 Fash rigged out a one-liorse wagon," in which he 
 and his Wife and four children started on their jour- 
 ney, taking with them a large churn, which held 
 all their provisions, which lasted until they got to 
 Pittsburg, Pa. On their arrival in tiiat city, they 
 became tired of that mode of travel, and Mr. Fash 
 sold his horse and wagon, took the boat in com- 
 pany witli old Dr. Rouse, and came the rest of the 
 w.ay by water to Peoria, where they landed in the 
 fall of the year. Grandfather Fash had preceded 
 them, and met them on their arrival, his family 
 coming out next J' ear overland with a numUer of 
 wagous. His death, however, occurred before they 
 got here. 
 
 When the Fashes came to this county they found 
 it in a very wild, uncivilized condition. There 
 were no bridges around Peoria and the sloughs 
 were swampy, so that they had to drive around the 
 head of them to keep from sinking down, as at 
 times the mud was so deep in some places that a 
 man would sink into the soft earth up to his waist. 
 The roads being so bad it was no easy matter to go 
 to market, and the early settlers had to be content 
 wiUi living on wh,at they could raise at hand, and 
 much of the time their food was grated corn, 
 which was made into what they called a ''sop." 
 They raised ]iumpkins, cut them in slices and dried 
 them for future use, and the preparation that they 
 made from that, and \h^ prairie chickens they could 
 track formed their chief subsistence. A neighbor, 
 Joe Brown, built a rail pen in wiiich he would 
 often catch as many as two hundred chickens a day, 
 from which he would pick the breast feathers and 
 feed the meat to his hogs, and on Sunday the great 
 dish for dinner would be wheat bread, which was 
 also used on state occasions; when anyone came 
 this bread was brought out in the shape of yellow 
 biscuit. In cases where the visitor would be re- 
 galed with while bread and butter, the little chil- 
 dren would stand aside and see the precious morsels 
 disappear with silent envy. The itinerant Metho- 
 dist preachers of those days used to be the great 
 and favored ones, and wdien they put in appearance 
 at a pioneer home all the good things that the 
 house afforded were set before them and each grow-
 
 PORTRAIT AND;BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 595 
 
 ing boy's ambition was to be a Methodist minister. 
 It would take neuly a weeiv to go and retuni from 
 llic mill oven to gel corn cracked, the settlers going 
 to Mackinaw, Rushville or Snatchmine for such 
 purposes. They finally rigged up a rough afipara- 
 tus to serve as a mill just at the outlet of Peoria Lake, 
 where they built a large round log across the 
 stream in a frame, and the water causing this to re- 
 volve ground the corn, as at one end a rude shaft 
 was fixed and attached to the burr in the mill, and 
 this crude affair was all the mill Peoria had for 
 some years, and as our informant very expressly 
 sa3-s "a man could eat about as fast as it would 
 grind." One of tiie main comforts of life was 
 '■prairie scratches," a species of itch, which was 
 very prevalent, and at times very severe and offen- 
 sive. This constituted the only ailment in the 
 family of our subject, as his father never paid out 
 any money in doctor's bills in rearing his large 
 family of children, except when one of them was 
 U'iherod into the world. 
 
 Mrs. Fash, who was a lad^' of refinement and 
 considerable culture, being reared among the best 
 fMUiilies of New York City, for many years could 
 not be reconciled to her lot, and many and many 
 a time her hot tears poured down on the heads of 
 her little lonesome children as she would sit and 
 think of the life before her, as they lived in a lonely 
 country, theirs being one of three houses between 
 I'eoriaand Farmington. In the course of years, 
 however, some of her relatives moveil here and she 
 liocame more reconciled and enjoyed life. 
 
 Daniel Fash moved from Peoria to Rushville 
 not long after coming here.and built a house, but did 
 not like the place and returned to Peoria the same 
 year. He subsequently- located two and one-half 
 miles cast of Farmington, in this countj-, where he 
 had a cabin built by Mr. Campbell and Clem 
 Kwalt. and also had twenty acres of the land 
 broken. His home was in the tall timber, while 
 his farm was on the open prairie. After a few 
 years he built himself another house, but did not 
 occupy it long, trading off that place as soon as 
 possible, as he had no other but a tax title to it. 
 He traded his land for one hundred and sixty 
 acres where our subject now lives, and got ii.^OO to 
 boot. Here be and his wife made their home until 
 
 their death, which occurred in the year 1882. 
 Tlicy had lived here nearly half a century and had 
 witnessed and aided the growth of the coun'y, and 
 their memory is cherished as among our most re- 
 spected pioneers. The father was a sturd}' Jack- 
 son Democrat in his politics, and remained faithful 
 to his party until the day of his death. 
 
 Onr subject grew up under pioneer influences 
 of the home that his parents had made in this 
 county, and in 1850 was married to Miss Frances 
 J. Smith, who bore him five children, three of 
 whom survived and were all born in California, as 
 our subject was a resident of that State for many 
 years. In 1854 he started out for that land of 
 promise with his wife and one child in an ox 
 wagon, accomi)anying a train of emigrants across 
 the plains. At Salt Lake City they abandoned the 
 train, and for awhile he worked at his trade of 
 blacksmithing at that place. Two months later he 
 resumed his journeys to the Pacific Slope, but when 
 they got to the desert their team gave out and he 
 took his child on his back and with his wife 
 trudged on their way. A train from Iowa over- 
 took them and he paid its captain $20 for the 
 privilege of having his wife ride. The train sub- 
 sequently broke up along the road and left our 
 subject, his wife and child with their few effects 
 sitting bv the wayside. The situation was very- 
 serious, as he only had ten cents in his pocket, and 
 scarcely knew where to turn. His wife gave way 
 and began to cry, but he finally got her "comfort- 
 ably fixed in the woods with the baby and he 
 went along to a wayside town, where he was fort- 
 unate enough to secure employment for himself 
 and wife at the rate of $3 each. They staid there 
 until they had accumulated some money, and he 
 opened a smithy and did work for a Mr. Hall from 
 Peoria for a year at $90 per month, earning his 
 employer -SIO a day for every day in the year. 
 
 Mr. Fash first started in Eldor.ado and afterward 
 was in man}- places, finally going to San Joaquin 
 County, where he took up a farm and lived there 
 five years. He then had the misfortune to lose 
 his devoted companion, she dj-ing in 18G7 of con- 
 sumption, leaving three little children, aged from 
 six years to ten months. Their names are: John 
 Daniel, Phil Sheridan and Sarah. The latter is
 
 596 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the wife of Hugh Hart, an expressman of Peoria, 
 ami tliey have three chihh-en. two girls and a boy. 
 Phil married and lives in Peoria, where he drives 
 a team for a feed sture; John is a blacksmith in 
 Farmington. 
 
 After the deatii of his wife our subject solil his 
 California iiroperty and returned to Knoxville, j 
 he having been on the Pacific Coast thirteen years 
 altogether, and returned from there by the way of 
 the Isthmus of Panama and New York. He built 
 himself a home in Knoxville. and in liS68 bought 
 the place on which he now lives, it being a part 
 of the old homestead where his boyhood and youth 
 were [lassed, and in 1870 lie moved on to it. He 
 was married a second time, in the fall of 18G8, to 
 Miss jNIary Cover, of Knoxville, who has been to 
 him a true wife and to his children a kind step- 
 mother. Besides successfully carrying on a large 
 and lucrative business as a blacksmith and wagon- 
 maker, he pays much attention to cultivating his 
 land, having fifty acres, the most of wiiich is im- 
 proved. 
 
 Wr. Fash inheriled in a full degree the fine 
 physique for which his ancestry were famous, and 
 his stalwart proportions well fit him for his call- 
 ing, in which he is very skillful, being a first-class 
 artisan. He is well endowed mentally, possessing 
 a clear brain and keen wit, and is noted in this 
 locality for his quaint and lucid expressions and 
 humorous originalities. He is withal generous, 
 frank and open-hearted, and is a general favorite. 
 Mr. Fash was originally a Democrat, but later in 
 life he became a Republican, and is still a sturdy 
 advocate of the policy of that party. 
 
 F^HOMA.S J. EDWARDS is one of the active 
 and influential farmers and stock raisers of 
 Rosefield Township. lie is a native of Mar- 
 shall Count3% this State, but having been brought 
 here in his infancy, was reared in this county and 
 has ever since made his home on the old homestead 
 on section 24, where he has one of the finest of 
 farms in this section of the township. 
 
 Our subject was born December 23, 1853, and 
 
 is a son of Sylvester S. and Mary Jane (Schimp) 
 Edwards, who were born in Hampshire County, 
 Va. The father's parents were Thomas and Elinor 
 (Scott) P^dwards, natives of Hampshire County, 
 Ya., where they had a large plantation and owned 
 a number of slaves. Thev came to this county in 
 1834, and settled on the one hundred and sixty 
 acres where our subject now resides; were among 
 the early pioneers of the county, and as such their 
 names are held in reverence by the present gener- 
 ation. The children were: Sylvester S., Isadora, 
 Sarah Jane (deceased), George W., and Edward D. 
 (deceased). The mother of our subject was the 
 daughter of the Rev. Jacob Schimp. 
 
 The father of our subject was a lad of nine 
 ye.ars when his parents brought him to Rosefield 
 Township, and he has resided on the old homestead 
 ever since with the exception of one j'ear in Mar- 
 shall County. He assisted his father in the pio- 
 neer labors of developing a farm and for a short 
 time before the war was engaged in the grocerj' 
 business. After the Rebellion broke out, he offered 
 his servictes to his country and enlisted in Com- 
 pany K, Seventy-seventh Illinois Infantry', and was 
 given the position of Second Lieutenant. He took 
 part in Bank's Red River Expedition and was cap- 
 tured and imprisoned at Camp Ford, Tyler, Tex. 
 At the time of his capture, Mr. Edwards was act- 
 ing as Captain of Companj' F. He was after- 
 wards promoted to be First Lieutenant, he having 
 gained that responsible position by his braverj\ 
 coolness, and efficiency on the battle field, and his 
 whole course during the war showed him to pos- 
 sess fine soldierly qualities and to be a true leader 
 of men, and the military record that he gained is 
 one of which his children may well be proud. Af- 
 ter the close of the war he eng.aged in farming for 
 some time and in the winter of 1875-76, en- 
 tered the mercantile business at Edwaids' Station 
 and was also Postmaster there. 
 
 Mr. Edwards, the father of our subject, h.as been 
 happy in his domestic relations, securing in his 
 wife one who has been to him a true helpmate and 
 companion. She is a sincere Christian and an 
 earnest worker in tlie Methodist P^piscopal Church 
 of which she is a consistent member. They have 
 reared five children, namely: Thomas J; William
 
 PORTRAIT AND I'.IOGEAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 597 
 
 II.; Mary S., wife of Frank L. Tuttle; Isadora- J.; 
 Mild Charleg II., who is in tlic .stamp departnieiil of 
 tlie Peoria post-office. 
 
 Our sulijoet was reared on the old homestead 
 tliat his triandfathfcr liad bought from the Gov- 
 ernment in the early days of tiio settlement of this 
 eounty, and in tlie common schools, laid the foun- 
 dation of a lilierul education. He afterwards i)ur- 
 sued a thorough course in the Normal School at 
 I'eoria, and learned telegraphy in Oberlin, Ohio. 
 He was well equipped for the teacher's profession 
 and taught ten or twelve terms. Me however, 
 preferred what Horace Greeley- st^ded ''tlie noblest 
 of professions," and entered upon his career as a 
 farmer at the age of twenty-one. He brings a steady, 
 active, well trained brain to bear upon the prob- 
 lems that beset the practical agriculturists, and 
 manages his farm admirably so as to produce the 
 best results. Its buildings are of a substantial order 
 and it is well stocked with horses, cattle and hogs 
 of an excellent grade. 
 
 Mr. Edwards was married to Miss Martha J. 
 Ball. September 24, 1877, and to them have come 
 seven children— Otis W,, Thomas J., LeRoy E., 
 Malcolm H., Ma}-, Clarence L., and Essie E. Mrs. 
 Edwards was born March 2, 1853. at St. Anthony's 
 Falls. Minn., and is a daughter of Reuben F. and 
 Rebecca (Fullerton) Ball, natives respectively of 
 Wilton and AVoolwich, Me. Mr. Ball is a merchant 
 by occupation, and in 1849 went to California. In 
 1851 he located at St. Anthony's Falls, wherfs he 
 engaged extensively in the mercantile business, 
 carrying on three stores besides having two at St. 
 Cloud, and he was also an Indian agent. In 18G3 
 he removed with bis family to A'ineland. N. .1. 
 and helped to budd up that town and was propric 
 tor of the only store there at one time. At the 
 close of the war he came to Peoria where he h.as 
 since been engaged prosperously as a merchant. 
 He is a son of Levi and Mary (Le Land) Ball, na- 
 tives of Maine, he being one of their three chil- 
 dren. His father, who was a farmer, was a son of 
 .lolin Ball, whose ancestors came from England to 
 this country in Colonial limes. The LeLands were 
 also derived from an old English family and num- 
 bered amongst their ancestors James LcLand. ;Mr. 
 and Mrs. Ball are greatly respected in their com- 
 
 munity and he is an honored member of the Uni- 
 versalist Church. They have had five children, 
 of whom four are living: Blartha, Susan .T., Wil- 
 liam L. and Abigail F. 
 
 Our subject uses his influence in favor of the 
 Republican party in whose ranks he has been since 
 h(! cast his first vote for Gen. Grant. For a short 
 time he lived in Kickapoo Township and was there 
 elected Justice of the I'eace. He has held the im- 
 portant ofliee of Supervisor, and so ably did he 
 discharge the duties of his position that he was re- 
 elected for a second term. His earnest religious na- 
 ture finds expression in the faith of the Episcopal 
 Church of which he is a member. He is identified 
 with the Grand Army of the Republic as a member 
 of the Sons of Veterans organization, and he also 
 belongs to the Independent Order of Odtl Fellows. 
 
 NDREW E. KARR came to this county 
 many years ago when in life's prime and 
 *' greatly aided his fellow pioneers in their 
 \(^J ar(]uous work of developingand extending 
 
 the wonderful agricultural resources of this region, 
 and in the course of years acquirecl a handsome 
 property, and is now living in honorable retirement 
 in his pleasant country home on his large and finely 
 im|ir()ved f.-irm on section 18. Akron Tovvnship. 
 
 Elisha and Hannah (Debow) Karr, the parents 
 of our subject were natives and life long residents 
 of New Jersey. They had a family of four children, 
 of whom Andrew was the third in order of birth. 
 He was born in New Jersey, Septi-mlier 1. 1817. 
 There he grew to man's e>t;ite. ;ind IVom his earl\- 
 home went out in the world lo see wliat life held 
 for him beyond the bounds of his nniive State. 
 He marie his way to Illinois and for one \ e:ir livc'l 
 in Ad:ims County. He then t<pok up his ni.nde in 
 this county, of which he has ever sinci- been a rfsi- 
 dent. He has i)een chiifly entjagcd in farmini;. 
 and by his practical skill, by steady and unremitting 
 toil and superior nianriireinent, has liccome a man 
 of WCmIIIi, au'l is the pr. .pi iclor ot a Imil;.- f:iiin of 
 upwards of livi' hundnd and t«(nil\ acn s. 1 his 
 is substantially improved in every iiarticular and
 
 698 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 its commodious buildings, broad and well tilled 
 fieliis. and fine appearance generally, make it one 
 of the most valuable pieces of propert}' in this 
 locality. 
 
 March 4, 1868. Mr. Karr and Mrs. Charity E. 
 (Peet) Nixon were united in marriage, and in tliis 
 good woman our subject secured a pleasant com- 
 panion and a housewife who knows well how to 
 preside over her household, and to make its in- 
 mates comfortable and happy. Mrs. Karr is a 
 daughter of Thompson and Diana (Lafevre) Peet, 
 who were old settlers of this county. Her father 
 rounded out an honorable life in Princeville in 
 August, 1^89. Her mother is yet living at a ven- 
 erable age. At the time of lier marriage with our 
 subject, Mrs. Karr was the widow of Ashford 
 Nixon, who died iu Rosefield Townshi|). By that 
 marriage she had the following four children: 
 Gale, Amine, Frances, and Diana. 
 
 During the busy period of his life when he was 
 accumulating his properly, Mr. Karr displayed far- 
 reaching forethought, much native siirewdness. and 
 uncommon energy ia the conduct of his affairs, and 
 in his dealings with others, always justice and 
 fairness. In politics the Republican party has in 
 him a devoted adherent. He has mingled some- 
 what in the public life of the township, having 
 held some of the minor offices. 
 
 ^^^^" 
 
 tHOMAS B. McFADDEN. -Bread is the 
 
 f f(^\ ^^"'^ ^^ '"^^ " ^'^'' ^^ ^^^' supplies a good 
 article fills a great want and earns the grati- 
 tude of many consumers. The gentleman above- 
 named, proprietor of the McFadden Bakery, No. 
 41.") Main Street, Peoria, occupies this place in tlie 
 IJublic mind, and also turns out from his establish- 
 ment other appetizing articles of food. He pos- 
 sesses a large degree of inventive genius, and in 
 addition to his bakery business has charge of the 
 patent rights of several important inventions. He 
 has received one patent for freezing ice. and others 
 for a baker's oven and an apparatus foi' putting in 
 and taking bread out of the oven ra|)i(ll3-. 
 
 After having traveled through all the large cities 
 
 of the East, Mr. McFadden found that all bakers 
 used the old wooden shovel for putting in their 
 bread and he is now preparing to push his inven- 
 tion in the great commercial centers. His patent 
 consists of a long track with a car so arranged that 
 it will run into the oven, and can be lowered to the 
 bottom and taken out again, securing even and 
 proper baking and having a rapidity of action which 
 enables him to put two thousand loaves into the 
 oven per minute. 
 
 Mr. McFadden is one of the oldest citizens now 
 living in Peoria, he having come here in July, 
 1835. He was boru in Sterling, Ca3uga County, 
 N. Y., August 2, 1830, to George C. and Jeannette 
 (Beattie) McFadden. His father removed to Peoria 
 County-, this State, and for two 3'ears was engaged 
 in farming nenr the count}- seat. He was then 
 elected County Surveyor, holding the office con- 
 tinuously for sixteen years. In 1862 he waselectetl 
 Sheriff, serving one term. He was one of the earl}' 
 hotel-keepers of Peoria, having in 1851 located ou 
 Water Street and during the war having kept the 
 Fulton House on Jefferson Street. He finally re- 
 moved to Iowa, dying at Boonesboro. 
 
 Our subject grew to manhood in this city and 
 here received his education. He began his business 
 career b}' engaging in the confectionery business 
 and with the exception of a few years has contin- 
 ued in business here most of his life. He was en- 
 gaged in the Troy Mills in Fulton Countv, this 
 State, until the}' were washed away, when he again 
 started in business in Peoria. In 1881 he estab- 
 lished a small bakery in a quiet quarter of the city. 
 His strict business piincii)les and careful manage- 
 ment of affairs, brought up his tr.ade and obliged 
 him to increase his capacities, and he now has the 
 largest bakery in the city, no other aiijiroaching it 
 in size. 
 
 At the home of the bride in Peoria, in 1852, Mr. 
 McFadden was united in marriasfe with Miss Heleu 
 Loucks, with whom he lived happily for thirty 
 years. She entered into rest August 2, 1882, leav- 
 ing four daughters to perpetuate her memory by 
 following her good advice and useful habits. Three 
 of the daughters are married and iu homes of their 
 own. but Ella, the eldest, is still with her father; 
 Minnie is the wife of George W. Pinkerton, who
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 599 
 
 is engaged with Kingman cfe Co., of this city: Jean- 
 nette is tlie wife of Josepli Densberger, also of 
 Peoria; Louisa is llie wife of Headley \V. Waycott, 
 of Peoria. 'Sir. McFadden is neither a piilitieian 
 or an oflice-seeiver, but supports the [Jiineiples of 
 the Democratic party by depositing liis ballot on 
 election day. 
 
 W4LLIAM W. PRATZ. an enterprising and 
 progressive farmer of Brimtield Township, 
 owns and occupies one hundred and sixty 
 acres on section 20. In the accumulation of prop- 
 erty his efforts have been ably seconded by the 
 prudent management and wise counsel of his wife, 
 whose loving iieart and thrifty ways have made 
 their dwelling-i^lace a true home. He himself has 
 manifested unflagging industry, has pursued wise 
 methods of cultivation, and exhibited good judg- 
 ment in determining what crops to raise and what 
 stock to use and breed. He divides his attention 
 between the cultivation of his fields and the raising 
 of livestock, in both of which branches of agricul- 
 tural work he is meeting with success. 
 
 Mr. Pratz is a native of Stark County, where his 
 birlli took place March 21, ls41. He is a son of 
 pioneer settlers in that count}', whence they re- 
 moved to Peoria County when our sul)ject was 
 about sixteen years old. In common with otiier 
 members of pioneer families, he received limited 
 school privileges and early learned the industrious 
 and self-reliant habits which i)rove sneh stronij 
 levers in moving circumstances to one's financial 
 good. He grew to maturity in this county, sup- 
 plying to some extent the deficiencies in his edu- 
 cation by attendance at a private school. During 
 the whole course of his life he has paid great at- 
 tention to the news of the day and the topics pre- 
 sented for consideration in good books, and is 
 therefore well informed on general subjects. 
 
 On the 2yih of February, 1864, the name of 
 W. W. Pratz was placed upon the muster roll of 
 Company I, iSeventi'-seveuth Illinois Infantry, 
 which formed part of the Union army in the De- 
 partment of the Onlf. The young man bore a gal- 
 
 lant part in the sieges of Ft. Gaines, Ft. ISIorgan, Ft. 
 Blakely and Spanish Fort, in the liy;ht at Whistler's 
 Station, and in numerous skirmishes of minor im- 
 portance. As one of the gallant band of privates 
 upon whom fell the brunt of the struggle, lie served 
 until August 15, 1865, when he received an hon- 
 orable discharge and returned to his home to again 
 identify himself with the .-igricultural interests of 
 the county wherein he h.as continued to reside. 
 
 A few months after his retuin from the fields of 
 battle Mr. Pratz was united in marriage with Miss 
 Mary C. Dey, a native of Warren County. X. J., 
 born November 20,1 842. Her father. Dr. William B. 
 Dey, died in his native State, New .lersey, when 
 Marj' was about seven 3'ears of age. and about three 
 years later the widowed mother came to this part 
 of Illinois with her family. She settled in Mill- 
 brook Township, Peoria County, and here Mrs. 
 Pratz grew to maturity. .She received a good 
 practical education, and for a time was engiged in 
 school teaching. Her marriage to our subject was 
 celebrated Januar\' 17, 1860, and the union has 
 been productive to them of eight children. The 
 first-born, Edith, is the wife of J. B. Sprowls of 
 Elm wood. The others, who still remain with their 
 |)arents, are Charles U., Fred D.. Rowena H., Lois 
 E. A.. Carrie H.. Clark A. and Gertie O. The eld- 
 est daughter and the two eldest sons have taught 
 school. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Pratz took posses.sion of his jiresent 
 farm, a tract of land under excellent cultivation 
 ami bearing such improvements as make it a home 
 of comfort and pleasing appearance. He has ever 
 endeavored to assist in the movements which have 
 been made to advance the interests of society and 
 develop the material resources of this section of 
 the fertile Prairie State, while at the same time 
 bestowing upon his children every opportunity 
 possible to gain knowledge and acquire habits 
 which will fit them for honorable citizenship. He is 
 now serving as Township School Trustee. In com- 
 memoration of his army life, he is identified with 
 the Grand Army Postat Brimfield.and, it is scarcely 
 necessary to say, votes the Republican ticket. 
 
 The parents of our subject were John and Sarah 
 (Wetzel) Pratz, natives of the Keystone State, who 
 for a time itiadc their home in Ohio. They came to
 
 600 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Stark County. 111., in 1837. securing one hundred 
 .ind sixty .acres of Government land, for which 
 Ihej- paid the usual price of §1.25 per acre, and 
 which thej^ reclaimed from the raw prairie, making 
 of it a productive, well-improved estate. In 1857 
 they removed with their f.imil3' to Peoria County, 
 making their home in Millbrook Township until 
 called hence, the father, in 18G2 and the mother in 
 18G6. Thej- had quite a large family-, of whom the 
 deceased members are Elizabeth. Susannah. Mary 
 C, Sarah and Stephen. The survivors are: .Jona- 
 than and John, who live in Stark Count\-; Marga- 
 ret, wife of G. M. Hazen, of Stark County; Isabella, 
 wife of Josiah .Taques. of ^Millbrook Tovnship; 
 Sarah J., wife of A. R. Aten. of Round Rock, Tex.; 
 Emeline. wife of H. S. .Taques, of Millbrook Town- 
 ship, and our subject. The father was a Repub- 
 lican in politics and a member of the Christian 
 Church. 
 
 After the death of Dr. Dev the mother of Mrs. 
 Pratz became the wife of A. U. '\V\-coft', who died 
 several years since. T!ie widow, now past seventy 
 years old. is kindl}- caied for by her children, under 
 whose various roofs she spends such time as she 
 desires. She bore her first husband five children, 
 of whom the onl}- survivors are Sarah, wife of Ezra 
 G. Webster, of Upper Alton, and Mrs. Pratz. The 
 deceased are I'heodoric, Emma and William. The 
 children of Mr. Wycoff are: Harriet E., wife of 
 James Coe. of Milbrook Township, and L3dia A.. 
 wife of William J.aques, of Brimfield Township. 
 
 
 DeTALLYRAND moody has live.l in 
 /// i| this county as boy and man for n)ore than 
 A half a century, and is well known and uai- 
 versall}- respected. He has been a farmer 
 all his life, and that he has pursued his work to 
 good advantage is shown by the farm that he has 
 im[iroved in Pi inceville Township, Ij'ing partly on 
 section 4, and the remainder on section 5, which, in 
 a locality noted for its fine farms, compares with 
 the best in regard to cultivation, and the excellence 
 and value of its appointments in general. 
 
 Ira Moody, the father of our subject, was a 
 
 native of Massachusetts, and a son of one Ethan 
 Moo<ly. who was born in England. He was a sailor 
 working his wa}' up from a cabin bo}' and eventu- 
 ally died on the sea. He had, however, before 
 that, made his home in Massachusetts for years, and 
 there reared a family. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in the old 
 Bay State and followeii farming there until his re- 
 moval to Medina C(Hinty, Ohio, of which he thus 
 became a pioneer. He bought a tract of land in 
 the primeval forest, cleared it. and became the pos- 
 sessor of a good farm of one hundred acres. In 
 1839, he brought his family to this State, traveling 
 with a team and wagon, and after a journej-of five 
 weeks, arriving in Peoria Countv. He located on 
 section 4, this township, on eightj' acres of raw 
 land, which he broke and improved. He subse- 
 quently bought one hundred and sixtj^ acres ad- 
 joining and moved on to it and was engaged in 
 farming here until his death. He took an active 
 part in educational affairs here, holding some of 
 the school offices, and .as a pioneer of the township, 
 his name will ever be held in remembrance. He 
 was prominent in local affairs and was Township 
 Trustee for some 3'ears. His wife, a native of New 
 Jersev, whose maiden name was Ann M. Reaves, 
 also died on the homestead. The}' were the parents 
 ot the following ten children: Oliver, a resident 
 of Princeville; Hcnr}-, and Ira M., deceased; 
 Julia, Mrs. Henry, of Princeville Toivnshi[); M. 
 DeTallyrand: Amy, Mrs. Davis and Reaves, de- 
 ceased; Mary, Mrs. James, living in Oregon ; and 
 Nathan and Charlotte, deceased. 
 
 M. DeTallvrand Moody was born in ^ledina 
 County, Ohio, Mav 9.1835. He was four \ears 
 old when he accompanied his parents on their event- 
 ful journej', from the place of his birth to their 
 new pioneer home, and he can still remember the 
 aspect of the country as it was in his early days. 
 He developed into a manlj', strong, self-reliant m.an, 
 under the pioneer influences. He was set to work 
 at a vervj'outhful age, and plowed corn when onl^' 
 ten years of age, and when quite j'oung he broke 
 the prairie soil with five yoke of oxen and a wooden 
 plow. He obtained his education under difficul- 
 ties, there being no schools in the vieinit}' and he 
 had to walk to a distant schoolhouse through three
 
 f0i^MM 
 
 ^ 
 
 -z-^ ^,.^ 
 
 <;^-<2_^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOORAPIIICAL ALBUM, 
 
 603 
 
 miles of tall piairie grass. He can icmember when 
 wolves, (leer and other wild game were [ilent}', and 
 venison and prairie ciiiekens formed a part of the 
 fare (_>f the early settlers. ^Markets were far away 
 and his fatlier hail to li.aul ins wheat to Cliieago. 
 lie worked for his father until hf was twenty-one 
 and then oiicrated the home farm on shares. In 
 1874 he took a trip with a team to Missouri for 
 pleasure. He operated his father's farm until the 
 hitter's dcat!;. He bought sixty acres of it to start 
 on before his father's death, and ho has sinee added 
 to his original purchase until he owns two hundred 
 and fort3' acres, one hiindied and sixty on section 
 4. and eighty acies on section ."), all of which is very 
 well improved. It is divided into convenient fields 
 and is well fenced and there is an ample sup|ily of 
 water on it from three never-failing springs, and it 
 is supplied vvitli all the latest improved farming 
 machinery. He has lieen engaged in raising graded 
 catUe an<l hogs, and has some fine draft horses, ten 
 head of Normans and Cleveland bays. For the 
 last three years he has rented his land, and derives 
 from that source an excellent income. As his land 
 is nearly- all in grass and pasture and is well watered, 
 it is a fine stock farm. 
 
 Mr. Mo(vly and Miss Harriet Barr were married 
 in Princeville Township, in 18(j4, and their pleasant 
 wedded life has been blessed to them b3- the birth 
 of three children: ^Miranda. Anna, and Stella. 
 IMiranda was a school teacher until her marriage to 
 K. V.Graves, of Duncan, who is in the grain busi- 
 ness in that place. The wife of our subject was 
 born in Penn.sylvania, a daughter of David Barr. 
 She came here with her parents when thirtcon _ycars 
 old. and her father was engaged as a shoemaker in 
 Princeville. 
 
 Our subject is a man of many fine characteris- 
 tics, is tliouglitful, discriminating, and always con- 
 siderate in his relations witli others, and though 
 quiet and vin.assuining, is a force for much good in 
 his community, and is looked up to liy all, ,as a 
 sage counselor whose honest}' and integrity of pur- 
 pose hold him to his duty without regard to 
 personal considerations. These traits, with his 
 well-known interest in all that ))ertains to the well 
 being of this township, and his energetic co-opera- 
 tion with his fellow-citizens in pushing forward any 
 
 l)lans devised for the benefit of the community, 
 make him very desirable as a factor in carrying on 
 the public work of this part of the count}', and he 
 has tilled various local otliccs very acce|5tabl_\'. He 
 has been Commissioner of Highways three years, 
 and was School Director from the age of twenty- 
 one until six years ago, a hjug and honorable ser- 
 vice in behalf of educational matters. Ho is a 
 member of the Detective Thief and Mutual Benefit 
 Association at Princeville. Politically he is iden- 
 tified with the Democratic party and has been a 
 delegate to county conventions. He has served on 
 the Grand anil Petit .luries. 
 
 -5-i-|«^^=f+-J— 
 
 ^ R. SARAH DkLOSS is a famous physician, 
 and is one of the most successful members 
 of the medical profession now practicing in 
 Peoria. She is a daughter of Maj. Samuel Cooper, 
 a gallant soldier in the War of 1812, and a des- 
 cendant of an ancient family. 
 
 Dr. DeLoss is a woman of no ordinary character. 
 Early in life she evinced the [)ossession of peculiar 
 powers of mind. She received a thorough mental 
 training, and at an age when many girls are in the 
 school-room she began lecturing on phrenology 
 and physiognomy. She possessed an accurate 
 knowledge of those sulijects and a fine command 
 of language, delivering her views in an easy and 
 interesting manner that delighted her audiences. 
 She continued in the lecture field man}- years, and 
 at the same time devoted her leisure to studying 
 medicine, and entered upon its practice after 
 attending several courses of medical lectures. 
 
 The Doctor possesses in a wonderful degree the 
 occult power of diagnosis by that peculiar natural 
 endowment of mental vision. After diagnosis her 
 treatment of disease is on the regular plan of phy- 
 sicians. Her success h,'is been verj' marked, even 
 in the most ditticult cases, and patrons come to 
 her from everj- part of the I'nited States, At 
 forty-seven years of age her practice is well es- 
 tablished and constantly growing, while she holds 
 an assured place in the medical world. 
 
 The Doctor is a very intelligent and pleasant
 
 604 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOORAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 woman, auil an interesting conversationalist, and 
 has nianj' warm friends and admirers. She is build- 
 ing a residence and infirmary in this city, at 'So. 217 
 Fifth .Street, that will be perfect in its api)oint- 
 ments and adaptation to her profession. She is mak- 
 ing a specially of the treatment of hydrophobia, 
 has made a careful study of that terrible disease, 
 and is now prepared to cope with it in its most 
 dreadful form. She also makes a specialty of 
 consumption, having cured cases where half the 
 lungs were gone. She removes cancers and tumors 
 without using a knife, and now has over one 
 thousand patients in different parts of the United 
 States. Her portrait, presented on another page, 
 will be welcomed by the many friends she has won, 
 both professiorally and socially. 
 
 lOHN W. HANSEL, now United States 
 Store-keeper in Peoria, is an honored resi- 
 dent of the cit}', well deserving of repre- 
 sentation in this BioGEAiTiK.AL Album by 
 reason of liis sterling character, energetic nature, 
 and painstaking pursuit of wjiatsoever vocation he 
 is engaged in. He was born in Fairfield County, 
 Ohio, March 23, 181G, being a descendant of two 
 German families, and a son of John and Rebecca 
 (Zerby) Hansel. The original spelling of the pa- 
 ternal name was Hensel. He remained in the 
 Buckeye .State until twent3'-two 3-ears old. taking 
 advantage of the opportunities afforded him to 
 acquire an education, and manifesting industry and 
 zeal in gaining a support. In 1829 he carried the 
 mail on horseback from Mansfield to Bue3'rus, and 
 he also took a route to Delaware, the latter trip 
 consuming three days. The principal part of his 
 education was obtained while on these trips, he 
 carrying books and studj-ing on the wa}'. 
 
 A short time after passing his majority Mr. 
 Hansel went to New York City, where he spent 
 two years, then returning to his native State, went 
 into the furniture business in Newark. He became 
 skilled in cabinet-making, a trade in which he has 
 done iDuch fine work. In 184G he went to St. 
 Louis, where he was engaged in the fiuuitiire busi- 
 
 ness until the gold fever broke out in 1849. He 
 tlien crossed the plains overland to California, tlie 
 trip consuming four months. He first engaged in 
 making shingles from redwood, sixteen miles from 
 Benecia, then the capital of California. Mr. Han- 
 sel had a cabin in tliose woods, one side of it be- 
 ing a tree, twelve feet in diameter. This was in 
 October, 1819, and within a few months there were 
 thirty cabins in the forest. Later Mr. Hansel 
 wt^nt to .San Francisco, where he finished the first 
 good banking house office in the State, and executed 
 some fine wood carving and veneering for it. Thus 
 he was occupied until the 1st of April, 1850, re- 
 ceiving as compensation -^14 per day. Later after 
 spending six weeks in the mines he went to Sacra- 
 mento, and engaged in the furniture business, meet- 
 ing witli success. 
 
 Our subject recalls one interesting incident in 
 illustration of the |)ioneer life of California. He 
 at one time needed seasoned lumber, and seeing a 
 notice in the paper that a cargo of colfins was to be 
 sold to pay freight, concluded that the boxes in 
 which they came would be serviceable to him. 
 Accordingly he made a bid for what the lumber in 
 the outside cases was worth, but as none of them 
 were opened, he saw no coffins. The whole cargo 
 was knocked down to him, and amounted to about 
 $800. On opening the boxes he found three solid 
 mahogony coffins in each box, the inside coffin 
 being filled with dried peaches, then sold at a high 
 price. The coffins seemed of but little use, as the 
 neighborhood was a health}' one. and Mr. Hansel 
 stacked them awa^', expecting to use them in mak- 
 ing other furniture. But six weeks later the cholera 
 broke out, and the death rate was so high that all 
 the coffins were disposed of very soon, and at less 
 price than others were selling pine coffins. Mr. 
 Hansel realized out of that trade between two and 
 three thousand dollars. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. Hansel returned to the States via 
 the Isthmus, which he walked across. The vessel 
 on which he sailed from San Francisco was be- 
 calmed, and was ninety days in reaching its port 
 on the Isthmus. On this trip the crew and p,assen- 
 gers were almost starved, being reduced to one 
 wormy biscuit per day, and a pint of water for each 
 person. He took a steamer to the ^Vest Indies,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 605 
 
 llieii(;e to New York, :uul I'liuii there to St. Louis. 
 He filially reached Peoria June G, 1851, and iiere 
 he eiigaucrl in the hardware business. He has 
 visited almost every city in the United States and 
 Canada, and made manj' trips to the Pacific Coast, 
 takinn; in all the territory betweeu Old Mexico on 
 the South and British Columbia on the North. 
 
 Since the organization of the Republican part^-, 
 Mr. Hansel has been a member of it, [irior to which 
 he was a Whig. He is proud of the fact that, hav- 
 ing voted for William Henry Harrison in 1840, he 
 was able to cast his ballot for another of the name 
 in 1888. He has held various [jublic ollices, dis- 
 charging their duties in a manner which has won 
 good words from all who were acquainted with his 
 duties. He is a member of the Indeiiendent Order 
 of Odd Fellows. His religious belief finds expres- 
 sion through the E|)iscopal Church, his name being 
 enrolled among the members of St. Paul's. 
 
 In looking back over his life Mr. Hansel remem- 
 bers with pleasure an event which trans|)ired June 
 18, 1839, itbeing his marriage with Miss Mary Ann, 
 daughter of Jacob Little, of Newark, Ohio. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Hansel have enjoyed a privilege permitted 
 to but few — that of celebrating their golden wed- 
 ing. Twelve children have been born to them, 
 five of whom have crossed the river of death. 
 Those still living are: Jacob Corwin; Mary C, 
 wife of W. Y. Miller, now living in Eldorado, Kan. ; 
 Ellen S., wife of William A. Wilkinson, whose 
 home is in Indianapolis, Ind.; John W.. Jr., of 
 Chicago; George H., head book-keeper for Kolin 
 Bros., wholesale clothing manufacturers, of Chicago; 
 Charles, a civil engineer in Springfield, formerly 
 Chief Engineer on the Wabash Railroad, now Con- 
 sulting Engineer of the Railroad Commission; and 
 Annie S., who still remains under the parental roof. 
 
 -m- 
 
 ESLIE ROBISON. This name is well known 
 £j) to the older residents of I'coria as the cog- 
 nomen of one of her able lawyers, for 
 
 many years engaged in the practice of his pro- 
 fession, winning fame and fortune by his wisdom 
 and legal skill. At a more recent period Mr. Robi- 
 
 son has become known for his interest in various 
 enterprises of an industrial nature. At present he 
 is President of the tJas Light and Coke Company, 
 the Jenney Electric Light and Power Company, the 
 Nicol. Burr & Co. Foundry and JIachine Works, 
 and the Gipps Brewing Companj-, all prominent 
 corporations. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Robison were born in Aber- 
 deenshire, Scotland, whence they came to America 
 in 1832. James Robison, the father, was a farmer, 
 and was for a time contractor on the old Pennsyl- 
 vania State Railroad from Johnstown, to Pitts- 
 burg, Pa., now the Pennsylvania road. He died in 
 Tazewell County, this State, in .September, 1881, 
 where be had located in 1837. To his good wife, 
 Isabella (Leslie) Robison, ten children were born, 
 five of whom are 3'et living: James W. is a banker, 
 farmer and stock-raiser in Butler Count3% Kan.; 
 the next is the subject of this notice; Mrs. Susan 
 Woodrow lives in (Jreen A'alley, Tazewell Countj', 
 111.; Isabella, wife of Rev. Charles E. Marsh, lives 
 in Farmington, 111.; and Mrs. Mary R. Caldwell, 
 in Peoria. 
 
 Leslie Robison was born in Detroit, Mich., 
 August 8, 1834, and being brought to this State 
 when scarcely more than an infant, grew to man- 
 hood amid the usual surroundings of a farmer's 
 son in the fertile Prairie State. He pursued 
 his studies in Knox College, at Galesburg, III., 
 and subsequently entered Y''ale College, gradu- 
 ating in the classical course in the class of '58. 
 His taste leading him to choose the law as his fu- 
 ture occupation, he entered the office of Judge 
 Powell and Henry Grove, in Peoria, and under 
 their instruction became well grounded in the 
 principles and precedents laid down by Coke, 
 Blackstone and other lights in the legal firmament. 
 
 After he was admitted to the bar, Mr. Robison 
 built up an excellent practice, for twentj'-two 
 years devoting his attention to legal affairs. He 
 gradually became divorced from professional labors 
 as he became interested in industries of various 
 kinds that require financial ability to bring them 
 to a successful issue. DLiring the years 1876 and 
 1877 he served as Mayor of Peoria, gaining 
 plaudits from those who approved his course, and. 
 as is always the case, being a target for the shafl.s
 
 60C 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 of others. His report! stands as the true test of 
 his worth in imiuifipal affairs. In politics he is a 
 slaiicli Uopublican. As a financier liis abilitj- is 
 ariinowledged b^y liis associates, and Ids legal acu- 
 men, individual worth of character and social 
 qualities, are known to all with whom he conies in 
 contact. 
 
 The first wife of Mr. Robison was known in her 
 girlhood as Miss .lulia Ballanee. Their marriage 
 rites were celebrated in 1864, and they shared life's 
 cares and pleasures until 1871, when the wife was 
 called iience. She was the mother of three chil- 
 dren, of whom the only survivor is Charles W., 
 now engaged in the electric light business. In 
 187:^ Mr. Robison contracted a second matrimonial 
 alliance, his companion being Miss Elizabeth. 
 daughter of William Rutherford, of Peoria. .She 
 is a lady of charming manners, cultured mind, and 
 womaiil3' virtue, who has many friends. 
 
 IIARLE.S J. BENNETT has been engaged 
 in the grain and commission business in 
 ^. Peoria for several j'ears. and his standing 
 in tlie financial circles of the city is of the highest, 
 lie is a veteran of the late war, in which he did 
 noble service for his adopted countr3- as a brave 
 and ca(.able soldier. 
 
 A native of Wiltshire, England, our sul)ject was 
 born November 1.5, 18.34. He is a son of Eli and 
 Elizabeth ( Whitmarch) Bennett, who crossed the 
 Atlantic with their family in 185."), and established 
 themselves at Jamestown, near Syracuse, N. Y., 
 vhere the father carried on farming, a business he 
 liad pursued in England. In 185G the family 
 came to Peoria County, and made their home in 
 Ihimfield, and were lionoied residents of that place 
 for several years. In 1865 the father started to 
 revisit his old English home and died on the way. 
 lie was a man of man}' sterling virtues, and was 
 well regarded in his eominunity, and his death was 
 a blow to its industrial interests. His widow sur- 
 vived him several years, her death not occurring 
 until 1880, Of their children Nebemiah had 
 
 preceded the family in their emigration to this 
 country, coming herein 1850, and he died in 1886. 
 The names of the others were: Amelia, wife of 
 Horace Rider, of Brinifield; Albert, deceased, who 
 was a soldier in the late Civil War, and ne^er 
 recovered from injuries sustained on the battle- 
 field; Edwin, a resident of Rice County, Kan; and 
 Charles J. 
 
 The first wc>rk of our subject was on a farm. He 
 received excellent training as an agriculturist, and 
 for several years farmed near (ialva. He was thus 
 engaged when the war broke out, and as soon as 
 he could arrange it he entered the army to defend 
 the honor of his ado|)ted country, enlisting in Com- 
 pany E, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Illinois 
 Infantrj'. He fought all through the A'icksburg 
 camijaign, and after that was chiefly engaged in 
 Mississippi. Eor a while his regiment was stationed 
 at Champion Hills, and he and his fellow-soldiers 
 took an active part in many a ski-mish and hard- 
 won battle. Our subject was honorably discharged 
 in the month of Se|)tember, 1865, having won a 
 fine military recortl. 
 
 After he left the army Mr. Bennett returned to 
 this county, and for several years was employed by 
 Ctark ife Hanna in Peoria. In 1877 he invested 
 his capital in his present business as a grain and 
 commission merciiant. He handles hay, potatoes, 
 grain, etc., and commands a large and lucrative 
 trade, and takes a leading place among the com- 
 mission merchants of this city. 
 
 Mr. Bennett and Miss Susan Harrison were 
 united in niarri.age May 4, 18G1, and they have es- 
 tablishetl here a very pleasant and cozj' home, to 
 which their numerous friends are often attracted 
 b}' the geniality of the host and the genuine kind- 
 ness and thoughtfulness of the hostess. Two chil- 
 dren have been born of their wedded life: Minnie, 
 wife of Thomas ^'alentine; and Harry C, who 
 married Lottie Eishaur, and is engaged in the com- 
 mission business with his father. 
 
 Jlr. Bennett is a thoroughl}' wide-awake practi- 
 cal man of business, who conducts his affairs me- 
 thodically and systematical!}', and withal so hon- 
 orably that his credit is good wherever he is known. 
 His arm}' life is commemorated by his connection 
 with the Grand Army of the Republic, and he also
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 609 
 
 belongs to the Masonic order. He is a man of 
 tiiic Christian spirit, a member of Calvary Mis- 
 sion Ciiureh, and is active in all good works that 
 tend to elevate the community. In politics he 
 favors the policy of the Reimlilican party. 
 
 ♦^-^^= 
 
 h^^ OSE.SS. BEECHER. Amono- the reputable 
 business men of Peoria none have a better 
 * standing for their use of honorable busi- 
 ness methods, their knowledge of that in 
 whieii tliej' deal, and their high principles, than 
 the subject of this notice, who has for a number of 
 years been engaged in the lumber trade, and whose 
 portrait appears in our Aliujm. ile comes of the 
 old Pilgrim stock, the paternal line being traced 
 back to the days of the Puritan Fathers, and can 
 proudly point to ancestors who have done the 
 country good service in her limes of peril, as well 
 as in the quiet years when an honorable life was 
 her chief need. 
 
 Our subject is a native of New Haven, Conn., 
 born December 1, 1!S31, to Alexander II. and Phebe 
 (Weed) Beecher. The parental family included 
 six children, four of whom are now living, he of 
 whom we write being the eldest of these. Ilis 
 parents were natives of the same State as himself, 
 ills father being originally a comb-maker, but after- 
 ward a merchant. He died in 1886, and his good 
 wife is still living. The son of whom we write 
 was apprenticed to the carriage-making trade, 
 which he followed altogether tvveniy-niiie years. 
 Of tiie union of our subject and his wife, which 
 was celebrated .lune 13, 186.5, three children 
 have been born, namely: Mary F., Cornelius R. 
 and Kditli .1. 
 
 In the year 1860 Mr. Beecher came to Peoi'ia, 
 where he continued to work at his trade until 1877, 
 becoming well known for thorough and leliable 
 workmanship. During the year mentioned he re- 
 nioveil to Harve}' County, Kan., wlune he opened 
 up a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, re- 
 siding there nine years, after which he returned to 
 Peoria and embarked in his present occupation. 
 He is still one of the prominent stockholders in the 
 
 Newton National Bank, at Newton, Kan. lie is a 
 member of the Jlasonic order, having attained the 
 Thirty-second degree in Masonry. Politicallj', he 
 is a Republican, and religiously, is a consistent 
 member of the Congregational Churcii. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our sul)jtct, Moses 
 Beecher, a native of Connecticut, became a sailor 
 in early life, and during the Revolution did his 
 country good service as Captain.of a privatrer. lie 
 w.as taken prisoner by Commodore Hardy, and 
 after spending six months in captivity, was released 
 on the coast near Halifa.x, placed on a barge and 
 taken out to where the water was up to his neck, 
 when he was told to make his way to land as best 
 he could. He was unable to swim, lint he man.aged 
 to get ashore, where he w.as Bred at by the enem3', 
 but escaped fatal injury and linally reached friends. 
 
 On another occasion while pursuing his seafaring 
 life he was taken prisoner, when the Island of 
 Cuba was under an embargo, and spent several 
 months in the notorious Moro Castle prison, lie 
 performed ninety-nine long voyages, braving the 
 perils of the deep for more than half a contiiry, 
 sailing on nearly every sea under the sun, visiting 
 many a foreign land, and establishing an enviable 
 reputation as a sea cajjtain and practical navigator. 
 He entered into rest in 1847, at the advanced age 
 of eighty-nine years, leaving a large family of 
 children, grandchildren and great-grandrhililrcn to 
 cherish his memor}*. 
 
 ///-^EORGE W. BUTTS. Akron Township is 
 the home of many men of enterprise who 
 have displayed skill in the work to which 
 they have turned their hands, good judgment in 
 management, honor in dealing with their fellow- 
 men and the thoroughly ujiright characters whieli 
 win respect from all about them. One of this class 
 is the gentleman named above, who is located on 
 section 25, owning three hundred and twenty acres 
 of fine land, upon which most excellent buildings 
 have been erected and the various fine improve- 
 ments made which stamp it as the abode of one who 
 has prospereil in worldly affairs and i)osscsses good
 
 610 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 tnste and jiulgmetit. In addition to this fine estatt- , 
 Mr. Butts owns a one-tliird interest in the West 
 IIallocl\ Cheese Facloiy, of which he has been man- 
 ager and salesman for several years. 
 
 Our subject comes of respectable parentage, his 
 father having been John R. Butts, a native of 
 "Washington Countj-, N. Y , and his mother, Lo- 
 raina (Cliurch) Butts, a native of Vermont. After 
 their marriage the worth}' couple lived iu New 
 York for a time, then located iu Ingham County. 
 Mich., spending about five years there, and at the 
 expiration of that time changing their location to 
 this county. Their removal hither took place in the 
 fall of 1849,and in the following spring they located 
 on section 25, Akron Township, where thev lived 
 several 3-ears. removing thence to Rock Countj', 
 Wis., where Mrs. Butts breathed her last. She was 
 llie mother of three children, of whom our subject 
 was the 30ungest and is now the only survivor. 
 The father returned to this township prior to his 
 decease, entering into rest here. 
 
 The birthplace of our subject was Chenango 
 Count}-, N. Y.. and his natal day November 10, 
 ls;U. He accom|)anied his parents to Michigan 
 and Illinois, pursuing his stuiiies in the various 
 States in which he resided during his boyhood and 
 and youth, and acquiring an excellent knowledge 
 of farm work while still quite young. To this oc- 
 cupation he has devoted his attention, choosing it 
 for liis life labor. He takes an active interest in 
 the various affairs wliich will benefit this section of 
 country and has been prominent in the local offices. 
 As Supervisor of the township he has served effi 
 ciently several teims, has also held the office of 
 Assessor and that of School Director, bringing to 
 each public station a determination to exert all his 
 energy in bchalr of those who placec* him in office, 
 and satisfying them in his manifold duties. In 
 politics he is a Republican, and both he and his 
 wife are active members of the Seventh D.ay Bap- 
 tist Cliurch. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was celebrated in 
 Peoria, November 11, 1858, his bride being 3Iiss 
 Emily Tallett. She is a daughter of the late Dud- 
 ley and Anna (Church) Tallett, whose birth and 
 death took place in the Empire State. Mrs. Butts 
 was born January 3. 1835, and during her married 
 
 life has proved her worth as wife and mother, and 
 has made many friends among the neighbors who 
 appreciate her kindliness and intelligence. .She has 
 borne her husband four children, two of whom are 
 still inmates of the parental home. These are Anna 
 B. and Frank C. John C, a half-brother of Mr. 
 Butts is also a member of the family. The oldest 
 member of the family is Ella J., now the widon* of 
 Albert T. Hakes; the second is IMary L.. wife of 
 George Potter. All have been well reared, given 
 good educations, and so fitted for useful and hon- 
 orable lives. 
 
 ,p^ AMUEL 3IARSHALL. who resides on sec- 
 
 ^^^ tion 30, Brimfeld Township, has accumu- 
 
 \/_J)) lated an excellent property by means of 
 
 unflagging industry, judicious expenditure, 
 
 and prudent management. He and the wife who 
 
 has so ably assisted him in every worthy enterprise 
 
 wliich he has undertaken, are numbered among the 
 
 oldest settlers of their locality, and are now in the 
 
 prime of their lives, enjoying the fruits of years of 
 
 usefulness ar.d well doing. It afl'ords us pleasure 
 
 to present to the readers of this volume some fads 
 
 regarding their past lives, and by doing so indicate 
 
 the road to success. 
 
 The Marshall family is of English lineage, the 
 great-grandfather of our subject having emigrated 
 from the mother countr} many years ago and lo- 
 cated in ^larvland. In Baltimore County of that 
 State, Edmund Marshall, the father of our suliject, 
 was born. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 His death took place in 1840. The mother of our 
 subject was a native of Kentucky, lier maiden name 
 having been Rebecca Richey. The son, Samuel, of 
 whom we write, was horn in Preble County, Ohio, 
 February 8, 1825, reared amid the surroundings 
 incidental to life in a newly-opened country, anjJ 
 given such educational privileges as the public 
 schools of that time and section would allow. He 
 is mainly self-educated, as he is self-made in a 
 financial sense. 
 
 Realizing that it is not good for man to live alone, 
 Mr. Marshall won as his bride Miss Eliza A. Austin,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Gil 
 
 a native of Preble County, Ohio, born in 1828, and 
 a daughter of James and Beulah Austin. She is a 
 sister of James E. Austin, of Brimfiehl Township, 
 this county, of whom a biographical sketch a|)pears 
 elsewhere in this work. Mr. Marshall ami his bride 
 journe^'ed to the Prairie State, making their abode 
 for a year in Adams County on a rented farm. 
 They then came to Peoria County, and settled on a 
 farm now owned by Squire I). Kemp, living thereon 
 some twenty-three years. At tlie expiration of 
 that period thej' took possession of their present 
 home, whose acreage they have increased, placed 
 under cultivation and thorougidy well improved. 
 Their estate consists of three hundred and twenty 
 acres. 
 
 Pulilic-spirited, interested in all movements 
 whicli promise to add to tlie prosperity and happi- 
 ness of all his fellow-citizens, efficient as a school 
 officer, and affectionate in his home life, ]Mr. Mar- 
 sliall may well be looked upon as an excellent rep- 
 resentative of true maidiood and good citizenship. 
 For many years he has been School Director of his 
 district. He supports the Republican party. He and 
 his good wife have had live children, two of whom, 
 James A. and Hubert C, are deceased. Albert W., 
 the eldest surviving child, now lives in Indianapo- 
 lis, Tnd.; Emily, the only daughter, is the wife of 
 David M. Snyder, of Knox County; Robert P., the 
 youngest son and child, still makes his home under 
 the parental roof. 
 
 -^ 
 
 EDDY BAKER was 
 County, N. Y., April 
 ' a resident of Peoria 
 
 born in Rensselaer 
 12, 181G, and became 
 ria County, 111., in 1844. 
 He is, therefore, well acquainted with the efforts 
 which liave been made in this county toward a 
 high state of material prosperity and civilization 
 and the success which has been achieved. His 
 cash capital when he l)egan his life in this county' 
 w.as 82.50, and he had a wife and two children to 
 support. He now owns a valuable estate of four 
 hundred and thirty-three acres all told, together 
 with village property in Brimfield. This fact is 
 sufficient to indicate what manner of man he has 
 
 shown himself to be during his connection with 
 the improvement of the county. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Benjamin and 
 Lucy (Ives) Baker, natives of Connecticut. When 
 he of whom we write was about twelve ^•ears old 
 they removed from the Empire State to "Williams- 
 town, Mass., in and near which place our subject 
 grew (() manhood. His education was obtained in 
 the district schools of !New Y'ork and Massachu- 
 setts, wherein he laid a practical and solid foun<la- 
 tion for the general intelligence which he has 
 acquired through the public press and by observa- 
 tion. Farming has been his life work, and it is 
 plain to be seen that he has an excellent under- 
 standing of his business in all its details. 
 
 In the old Bay State, December 28, 18:57, Mr. 
 Baker was united in marriage with Miss Eliza 
 Wooster, who bore him four children. The first- 
 born, Stephen, now lives in Independence Covinty, 
 Iowa; Martha A. is deceased; Helen is the wife of 
 John McLaughlin, of Nemaha Count}', Neb.; Eddy 
 is deceased. A second matrimonial alliance w.as 
 contracted by Mr. Baker, December 28, 1875, his 
 bride on this occasion being Miss Nellie OTIara. 
 Her father. John OTIara, a native of London- 
 derry-, Ireland, emigrated to America when about 
 fourteen j'ears old. Her mother, Sarah (Campbell) 
 O'Hara, is a native of Ireland, but of Scotch an- 
 eestr}-. She came to America with her parents 
 when about twelve years old. Mr. and Mrs. OTIara 
 lived in Jefferson County, N.Y.. when their daugh- 
 ter, now Mrs. Baker, was tiorn, but came to Peoria 
 County, 111., in the spring of 1869. They settled 
 in Brimfield Township, where the widowed mother 
 is still living. Of the eleven children born to 
 them the following survive: Kitty, wife of J. W. 
 Griffin, an architect in Watertown, N. Y. ; iSIary 
 E,, living in Brimfield Township; Nellie, Mrs. 
 Baker; Capt. Thomas OTIara, of this county: 
 Susannah, wife of A. G. Church, of Fairmount, 
 Neb.: Frances A., wife of Eddy Baker; Josephine 
 E., of !Monica. The deceased are William, John, 
 Oliver and Sarah. 
 
 Upon coming to this county, our subject spent 
 Sonne four months working for his brother, Hiram 
 Baker, at $15 per month. The most of his time 
 was spent in breaking new land. He next farmed
 
 612 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ns a renter three years, then made a $50 payment 
 on eighty acres of land, paying the balance in in- 
 stallments, the land costing $3.25 per acre. lie 
 turned the first furrow on the ground, reclaiming 
 it from its wild condition. He has been pre-emi- 
 nently successful in worldl3' affairs, furnishing an 
 example well worthy the emulation and imitation 
 of future generations. Not only so, but he lias 
 lieen a useful member of society, in vatious ways 
 aiding in the advancement of the community, act- 
 ing as School Director and active in social circles. 
 None are more worthy of mention in this Alisu.m, 
 and long after his body shall have been covered 
 witii the "clods of the valley" his memory will be 
 grt'en in the hearts of those who knew and hon- 
 ored him. Mr. Baker votes with the Democratic 
 paity. His good wife is a communicant of tlie 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 m 
 
 /UDGE HENRY" B. HOPKINS. This name 
 will be at once recognized as that of one of 
 Peoria's most eminent lawj'ers and a gentle- 
 man who, as Judge of this Circuit, and as a 
 practicing lawyer for manj' years, won a high repu- 
 tation for the justice of his decisions and his thor- 
 ough knowledge of the principles and precedents 
 upon which they must be based. For more than 
 thirty-five years he !ias been established in Peoria 
 in the practice of his profession, to which he 
 brought a keen logical mind, and for which he was 
 well schooled under an instructor of eminence in 
 New England. 
 
 He was an active worker in establishing the lirst 
 Peoria Library Association and was its first Secre- 
 tarj'. He was also active in securing the passage 
 by the Legislature of the original act creating the 
 l)resent Peoria School Sj'Stem, and was tlie first 
 School Superintendent under that law. 
 
 John Turner Hopkins, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Brookfield, Vt., in 1799, and died at 
 Groton in that State, November 13, 187G. He was 
 a harness-maker by trade, possessed of all the energy 
 inherent in the natives of the Green Mountain 
 State, as well as the sturdy principles which belong 
 
 to the descendants of Puritan ancestors. He mar- 
 ried Miss Matilda Hall, who was born at Claremont, 
 N. H., January 19, 1804, and died at Pcachara, Vt, 
 April 13, 1885, in the eightv first year of her age. 
 ■The parental family consists of nine children, at 
 present all living, of whom our subject is the 
 eldest. The others are Stephen W., a physician in 
 Lynn, Mass. ; Mrs. Samantha McLachlin of Peacham, 
 Vt.; Elizabeth, wife of Dr. H. S. Colburn, of Athol, 
 Mass. ; John L., of Peacham, Vt.; George W. of 
 Chicago, 111.; Edward W.,of Northfleld, Vt. ; Jidius 
 II. an atlorney-at-law in Princeville, this county, 
 and Electa, wife of William Ash of Peacham, \'t. 
 
 Judge Hopkins was born October 4, 1S2(>, in 
 Peacham, VI., and in his youth, alternated attend- 
 ance at the district schools with work at his father's 
 trade. He completed his literary education at the 
 Caledonia County Academy, in bis native town. 
 The last thing he did before leaving home to enter 
 upon the study of the law was to perfect himself 
 in the trade of harness-making. lie then read 
 law with the Hon. E. H. Stoughton in Chester, Vt., 
 and was admitted to the bar of Windsor County in 
 1852. For a 3'ear and a half he practiced with his 
 former preceptor, then, having formed a co-partner- 
 shi|) with the late E. N. Powell, of Peoiia,Ill., came 
 hither May 1. 1854. The connection between these 
 two gentlemen continued until Mr. Powell was 
 elected Circuit Judge in 1856. 
 
 In 1861 Judge Hopkins entered into partner- 
 ship with the late Hon. E. G. Johnson, with whom 
 he was associated until April, 1873, when the 
 resignation of Judge Puterbaugh caused a vacancy 
 on the Circuit Bench. Gov. Beveridge appointed 
 our subject to flll the position, which he did credit- 
 ably and etBciently, after the expiration of the 
 term returning to the legal practice to which he has 
 since devoted himself with his wonted fervor. The 
 legal erudition of Judge Hopkins is well-known to 
 all who have become in any way familiar with the 
 legal circles of this section. And it is also well- 
 known that his mental culture includes various 
 scientific and literary topics which do not always 
 receive the attention of professional gentlemen. He 
 is Vice-President of the Peoria Scientific Society, in 
 whose investigations and discussions he takes a 
 great interest.
 
 C-'<_,'-ty< ^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 C15 
 
 Judge Hopkins is an earnest believer in the 
 principles of Republicanism, anil, although not a 
 polilicia 1 in the ordinary sense of that term, wields 
 his strong personal influence for their iidvancenient, 
 and uses the powers of his mind to convince others 
 of their soundness. He is a member of the Re- 
 formed Episcopal Church. His personal character 
 is above reproach and he possesses the social quali- 
 ties which give him popularitj' in the best circles. 
 
 The wife of Judge Hopkins w.as Emily A. Hough, 
 a native of New Hampshire, who became his bride 
 October 17, 18.57. She died August 15, 1873, but 
 still lives in llie influences whicli a noble life ever 
 exerts. She bore her husband seven children, all 
 of whom are yet living. Tiiey are, Anna M., now 
 a rcsiiUMit of Chicago; Henrietta A., wife of Prof. 
 Edward P.. I'erry of Boston, Mass.; Henry S., book- 
 keeper for Buckley, Pursley & Co., at the Board of 
 Trade in Peoria; Emma Louisa, liousokeeper at the 
 family home; (ieorgo W., farming in Nebraska; 
 May Alice and Nida Helen, students in the Peoria 
 High Scliool junior class. 
 
 # 
 
 -<-es©^*f 
 
 ,EV. JOHN MULLER, A. B.. A. M. The 
 pleasing office of the biograiihical writer 4s 
 to rescue from oblivion the names and deeds 
 
 ^ of those" whose lives are well spent, whether 
 on tented Held, in busy marts of commerce, amid 
 pastoral scenes or in the ranks of professional life. 
 The man who stands before the people to proclaim 
 the '-unsearchable riches of the gospel of Christ," 
 and to teacii humanity how to live in order that 
 it raaj' lie prepared to die, is surely worthy of 
 remembrance, and deserving of an honorable place 
 in the annals of the country. Rev. John Muller, 
 l)astor of the (tierman) Reformed Church of Peo- 
 ria, has filled the position since 1871, in a manner 
 that denotes his deep attachment to the cause of 
 Christianity, and his fitness for the holy office he 
 has assumed. 
 
 The church over which Mr. Muller has charge, 
 was estal)lis!ied mainly through his eft'crts in organ- 
 izing a society, as thai organized in 1869 hail gone 
 
 down for lack of a pastor. After the re-organiza- 
 tion a church was built at the corner of Persimmon 
 and Madison Streets, which still stands, and with 
 which a school has since been connected, under the 
 supervision of the officers of the church. The mem- 
 bership of the church is now fifty families, and of 
 the Sunday-school two hundred and twenty, while 
 the day school is attended b}' fifty-six pupils. 
 
 Mr. Muller was born in Germany June 22, 1826, 
 and under the wise laws of his native land ac- 
 quired a fair education in bojiiood. Before he had 
 passed through his teens, he determined to seek a 
 lield of labor in the United States, and so bade 
 .adieu to the land of his birth, and crossing the At- 
 lantic, arrived in New York August 19, 1845. He 
 made it his first endeavor to learn the English lan- 
 guage, and afterward attended Rutger College in 
 New Brunswick, N. J., from which he was grad- 
 uated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, having 
 the higher degree of Master of Arts bestowed upon 
 him by his Alma Mater in later years. 
 
 We next find Mr. Mailer prosecuting the studies 
 that were intended to fit him for the ministry, 
 in the Theological Seminar}' of the Reformed 
 Church at New Brunswick, N. J. During the 
 first week of October, 185.4, he was ordained, his 
 first charge being at Wolcott, N. Y., the congre- 
 gation American, and his pastorate continuing 
 three years. He then went to Philadelphia to or- 
 ganize a church, but his health was so poor, that 
 he was obliged to .abandon his labors and rest for 
 a twelyemonth. At the cxiiiration of the period 
 of enforced idleness, he took charge of a church in 
 Burlington, Iowa, leaving that city for a new field 
 of labor in 1861. 
 
 At that time Mr. Muller assuracl the pastorate 
 of a large German Church in Silver Creek, Steph- 
 enson County, 111., continuing his labors there 
 until 1871, when he came to I'eoria. He is an ex- 
 cellent speaker, forcible in argument, and as a pas- 
 tor so faithful and conscientious is he, that his 
 warmest and most devoted friends are his own peo- 
 ple. His influence extends, as that of every true 
 man must, beyond the limits of his congregation, 
 and he is everywhere spoken of as an earnest and 
 capable advocate of the claims of Ciiristianity. 
 
 A young lad_v of New Brunswick, N. J., secured
 
 616 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the affection of Rev. Mr. Miiller,!inrt with her he was 
 uuiled in marriage in January, 1855. Slie bore the 
 maiden name of Cornelia V. Camp, and was born 
 April 3, 1826. She entered into rest December 27, 
 1885, leaving beliind lier the record of good deeds 
 that is a source of loving remembrance in the 
 minds of her friends, and adds to the weight of her 
 recollected words of counsel. Mrs. Mulier was the 
 mother of eight children, sis of whom survive. 
 They are Herman F., chief clerk for the Chicago, 
 Burlington & Quincy Railroad in Peoria; Frank A., 
 now in Omaha, Neb.; Mrs. Bessie Clinch, of Elm- 
 wood, this count}'; John, in the employ of the Chi- 
 cago, Burlington & (Quincy road in Peoria; Martin 
 is at home ; and Emma Augusta, who has the house- 
 wifely care of the house. All are well informed, 
 upright, and useful in the spheres thej- occupy, and 
 so are preparing themselves for greater works in 
 the future. 
 
 Tlie portrait of the Rev. John Mulier, which is 
 presented in connection with his sketch, will be con- 
 sidered a valuable addition to the Album, not 
 only by his parishioners, but by his many friends 
 throughout the county. 
 
 DWIN S. WOLLAND is a prominent and 
 wealthy coal miner of tliis county, and is 
 successfuU}'^ operating the mine of E. Wol- 
 land & Sons with his brothers — Jesse Thomas and 
 Henrv. Within a fevr years he has purchased from 
 his fatlier, a former well-known and honored resi- 
 dent of this county, the old homestead, which is 
 finely situated near the village of Bartonviile, and 
 here he and his family have ari^eautiful home. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Richland Count}-, Wis., 
 and was a Christmas gift to his parents, Edward 
 and Eliza (Strickland) Wolland. he having been 
 born December 25, 1857. When he was three 
 months old, they settled on the same section where 
 he now resides, and his father engaged in mining 
 and has always been interested in mines in the vi- 
 cinity of Peoria on the Kickapoo Creek, and has 
 acquired a comfortable fortune. About three years 
 ago, he and his familv removed to Missouri, our 
 
 subject [)urehasing the old homestead at that time. 
 During his residence here the father took a promi- 
 nent part in public affairs, and held many oflBces 
 of trust in the townsiup. He was a true Repub- 
 lican in politics, and in religion is a Methodist. He 
 Is a man of upright, noble character, and has always 
 borne himself, both in public and in private life, so 
 as to win and retain the thorough respect of all 
 about him. He and his wife are of English birth, 
 were married in England and came from Bristol to 
 America many years ago. Two of their children 
 were born in Eng;land and eleven were born iu the 
 United States, eight of whom survive. They were 
 all given fair educational advantages in the district 
 schools. 
 
 Since he was eleven years old, our subject has 
 been iu the mines of this count}-, with the exception 
 of two years in Leadville, Colo., where he worked 
 in the smelting works and one j'ear in Argentine, 
 Kan., where he was also employed in smelting 
 works. He thus gained a good practical knowledge 
 of mining at an early age, and when he attained his 
 majority he commenced in business for himself, 
 working in the mines and then operating mines in 
 his own interest, and is at present engaged as be- 
 fore stated. His large enterprise and talent for 
 business have brought him in largfe returns, and 
 though he has not yet attained middle life he is 
 already a man of considerable wealth. 
 
 Our subject has been very fortu;iate in his mar- 
 ried life, as in his marriage, in 1882, to Miss Violet 
 Johnston, lie secured a true and devoted wife. She 
 is a daughter of Archibald Johnston, who died when 
 she was about fifteen years old. By that sad event 
 she became an orphan, her mother having died when 
 she was nine years old, but kind friends provided 
 for her a home, and she became an inmate of tiie 
 household of Mr. Lemuel Barton, whose sketch ap- 
 pears in this work. .She remained iu his family 
 until within a year of her marriage, when she 
 went to live with Joseph Collier. Each of thise 
 families think as much of her as if she was their 
 own, and treated her-like a daughter. To her and 
 our subject have come four children, two of whom 
 survive, two having died in infancy. Harold, a lad 
 of six years, and baby Agnes brighten the home of 
 their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Wolland spent one
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 617 
 
 year of their wedded life in Argentine, Wyan- 
 dotte County, Kan., but have since made their 
 home here. They are people of high social stand- 
 ing and are greatly esteemed by the entire commu- 
 nity. Mr. Wolland's practical business abiliti' and 
 enterprise have been very beneficial in their effects 
 on the prosperitj' of the township and have given 
 him a good name in financial circles. 
 
 KNRY S. BARTON, an extensive farmer 
 i] and stock-raiser of Limestone Township, is 
 '' the son of a well-known pioneer farail3', and 
 '(^1 since attaining manhood has taken his place 
 among those who are most active in sustaining and 
 cxti'ndinu- the great agricultural interests of Peo- 
 ria, his native county. 
 
 He is the eldest son of William C. II. Barton, 
 luid w:»s born in Peoria Township, within half a 
 mile fiom where he now lives. He was given ex- 
 cillont educational advantages, attended the Tomey 
 <(hi)(]l. now known as Oak Grove, and the district 
 schools, and completed his studies by a course at 
 Cole's Business College of Peoria. After marriage 
 he took charge of the old homestead, and has re- 
 sided on it ever since, carrying on an extensive 
 farming business, and paying particular attention 
 to stock-raising. There are about four hundred 
 ncrcs of land in the farm, and much of it is finely 
 adapted to stock-raising purposes, and is used for 
 [lasturing. It is under good improvement, has 
 .substantial, well-appointed buildings, and is in all 
 ri'.-p'.'cts one of tlie most desirable estates in the 
 tinvMshiit. I'liis location may be considered his- 
 tiiiical, as it was once the home of an Indian tribe, 
 and directly in front of the Barton homestead was 
 till' old camping ground of the noted Shabhona, the 
 Cliicf who was so friendly with the whites, he and 
 his braves having their wigwams in the mouth of 
 Shabbona hollow or creek, five miles south of Peo- 
 ria. 
 
 ^Ir. Barton was married in 1879, to Miss Mar3' 
 .1.. daughter dl' Uoiny and Margaret K. Bickerton, 
 and their plea.iMnt liomc circle is completed liy tlio 
 presence of their only child. Pearl May. Mr. and 
 
 Mrs. Barton are exceedinglj- hospitable, and render 
 their charming home attractive alike to friend or 
 the stranger who may happen within their gate. 
 
 Mr. Barton's career as a practical agriculturist, 
 as a man and a citizen, has been such as to reflect 
 credit on the place of his birth. A man of many 
 resources, possessing a clear, well trained mind, and 
 a good capacity for business, he has been instru- 
 mental in advancing the prosperity of Limestone, 
 and the township finds in him a citizen who takes a 
 genuine interest in its welfare, and never hesitates 
 to use his influence to forward all schemes that are 
 in any v/ay likely to benefit the community. In 
 polities he is. and always has beep a stalwart Re- 
 publican, and his means and energy have always 
 been at the disposal of his party to a most generous 
 extent. He takes quite an interest in political mat- 
 ters, and during the war when as a boy, he went to 
 school in the neighborhood, he and his cousin were 
 the two only representatives of Republican fami- 
 lies, the other scholars being rebel sympathizers and 
 Democrats. They would jump on the two Bartons 
 and many a hard battle was fought between them. 
 But our subject and his cousin always stood bravely 
 by their colors, though so greatly in the minority. 
 
 lieving in the immortality of the soul, the 
 ti-^V calling of a minister is looked upon as 
 ^^@ one of the utmost responsibility, requiring 
 the exercise of the highest faculties of which 
 mind and heart are capable, and needing for its 
 successful prosecution the tact which will make a 
 man -'wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove." 
 Althongh there have been worthy men who have 
 won many souls to Christ by means only of their 
 religious zeal and natural aptitude for the presen- 
 tation of Gospel truths, it is generally conceded 
 that a thorough education is a weapon that should 
 be used in the Gospel warfare. The man who com- 
 bines with an earnest faith the knowledge of liter- 
 ature which will enable him to cull illustrations 
 from many climes and seasons, and to connect rev-
 
 618 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 elation with nature and science, possesess :i lever 
 with which to move some hearts which might oth- 
 erwise remain untouclied. 
 
 The subjpct of this sketch, a well-known minis- 
 ter of Elmwood. was prepared in excellent schools, 
 to carry on the work to which his natural inclina- 
 tions and abiding interest in the cause of Chris- 
 tianit}- led him. He is of English birth, having 
 opened his eyes to the light September 25. 1841. 
 in a town in tlie mother country. His parents, 
 NVilliani and Sophia A. (Chaiipt'll; Butcher, like- 
 wise natives of England, emigrated to America in 
 1847. coming directly to Illinois. They settled in 
 McLean County, but in I Sol removed to Knox 
 County whore tliey are still living. The aged 
 couple Eire the parents of seven children, three of 
 whom have been spared to the present time. Of 
 these the subject of our notice is the oldest. The 
 others are: L. G.. a resident of Cass Count\\ Iowa, 
 and W. J., whose home is in Galesburg. this State. 
 After some fundamental instructitin, he of whom 
 we write entered Knox Academy at Galesburg, 
 whence he at length departed to Montreal, Canada, 
 to become a student in McGill University. He 
 left the University at the close of his junior year 
 and spent some months in England. Returning to 
 llhnois he engaged in farming, with the variety 
 of school leaching during two winters, until a 
 change in his life plans directed him toward the 
 Christain ministry and he entered the Chicago 
 Theological Seminary, from which he was gradu- 
 ated in 186'J. The American Home Missionary 
 Society desired to send ministers to the Far AVest 
 and was looking about for such as possessed the 
 neccessary qualifications to carrj' on the work in a 
 new field. While yi-t in the Theological Seminary. 
 Mr. Butcher was selected as one fitted for such a 
 position. He w.as ordained in Galesburg. III.. Jnne 
 15. 1869. and went'west the following August. 
 
 For seven years .Mr. Butcher remained on the 
 Pacific .Slope, during that time being pastor of 
 a Cougregaiinnal Church at Albany. Ore., and 
 subsequently of one at The Dalles He put the 
 whole strength of his mind and bod}- into his 
 work and was abundantly blest bj- the love and 
 confidence of his people and by the increase of 
 the religious bodies under his charge. He returned 
 
 to Illinois in 1876 and in this State has since re- 
 mained with the exception of two and one-half 
 years, still laboring in the Master's vineyard and 
 garnering sheaves for his kingdom. He has been 
 stationed at Hinsdale, Wataga and Elmwood, liis 
 charge in the latter place having been assumed 
 some three years since. Kokomo, Ind., was the 
 field of his labors during the period which he has 
 passed outside of Illinois since his return from the 
 West. 
 
 The Congregational Church at Elmwood, over 
 which our subject h.as pastoral care and oversight, 
 has been in existence since 1854. The congrega- 
 tion numbers about two hundred, carries on a 
 great deal of benevolent work, and is an impor- 
 tant factor in the moral education of the young .as 
 well as the spiritual welfare of those that are old 
 enough to decide the great question, "whom will 
 j-e serve."' 
 
 Mr. Butcher is an able speaker, not only on Bi- 
 ble topics, which he eloquently expounds, but 
 on other subjects of both soci.al and 'national im- 
 port. He frequentlj- delivers orations on Decora- 
 tion Day and the Fourth of July, the .announce- 
 ment that he is to speak never failing to attract 
 many listeners. He is well known as a strong ad- 
 vocate of Temperance, although not a third party 
 man, his political atBliation being with the Repub- 
 lican party. His first Presidential vote was cast 
 for Aliraham Lincoln at his second candidacy. 
 Thoroughly posted on various political issues. 
 ^Ir. Butcher has not only weighed well .and 
 calmly ilccided upon their merits, but he is able to 
 clearly express his convictions to others. 
 
 The household of our subject includes a wife 
 and five children, the most important member of the 
 circle being a devoted Christian woman who bore 
 the maiden name of Mary Avery. She became the 
 wife of our subject in 1869, and by her appreciation 
 of his eflforts and entire sympathy with his aspira- 
 tions,as well as by the peace which she has secured to 
 his home llfe,has been an efficient aid to him in the 
 work wliich he has undertaken. Her parents. 
 George and S. P. M. (Phelps) Avery, were mem- 
 bers of the first colony in G.alesburg, where the 
 daughter was born August 13, 1844. She w.as a 
 I student at Knox Seminary and has ever been
 
 POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 619 
 
 much inlerestcd in the prosjjerily of her Alma 
 Mater, as are all lovers of learning. Her father 
 was a native of New York and her mother of 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 The cliihiren of Mr. and Mrs. Butcher are: 
 Harry K.. Mary Zelle, p]tha,Williara A., and Irene 
 Louise. The older son has just entered Knox College 
 and the others are students still in the common 
 and high schools. 
 
 r lvA^'CIS E. SHEFARD came to this county 
 
 in 1860 and has ever since been an iufluen- 
 /1\ tial and prosiierous member of its farming 
 
 community. He purchased his present valuable 
 farm, located on section 7, Chillicothe Township, 
 in 1864, and since then has made many fine im- 
 provements and has placed it among the most de- 
 sirable estates in this locality. Mr. Shepard was 
 born in Cortland County, N. Y., August 20, 1820. 
 His father, Nathaniel Shepard, was a native of 
 Massachusetts, and a son of the Rev. Timothy 
 Shepard, who was born in England, and came of 
 pure English ancestrj*. 
 
 The Rev. Timothy Shepard was only a small 
 boy when his parents came to the United States 
 and settled in New Y'ork. He grew to manhood in 
 that Commonwealth, and entered the ministry of 
 the Baptist Church, being a representative of the 
 old school. He was later married to a lady of 
 New Y'ork State, Miss Casiah Cooper, who was 
 born and reared in that part of the country, and 
 came of an old family, who were early settlers of 
 Cooperstovvn, N. Y.. and gave that place its name. 
 After their marriage Mr. Shepard took his young 
 wife to the wilds of Broome County, and there he 
 farmed and preached during the remainder of his 
 .active life, djing when an old man past four-score 
 years of age. Although a minister of the gospel 
 he had a truly martial spirit, and when the Rev- 
 olution broke out his patriotism was aroused and 
 he offered his services as a foldicr. and did good 
 work in that conflict. 'He was an hdiiest upright, 
 man, and was greatly reverenced by the entire 
 
 community where so many years of his life were 
 passed. His wife preceded him in death some two 
 years. They were the parents of fourteen chil- 
 dren, Nathaniel, the father of our subject being 
 the. eldest, and eleven of the family were reared and 
 married, and in their turn reared families t6 good 
 and useful citizenship. 
 
 Nathaniel Shepard grew up on a farm in his na- 
 tive county, and in early manhood was married to 
 Polly Billings, who was of fine old New England 
 stock and was a native of Vermont. Her parents, 
 Jonas and Polly (Lawrence) Billings, were also 
 natives of the Green Mountain State, and were 
 there reared, educated and married, and later in 
 life removed to Broome County, N. Y., of which 
 they became pioneers and there reared a family on 
 a farm. After their children, four in number — 
 Sallie, Polly, Alvin and Jonas — had grown to 
 manhood and womanhood, Mr. and Mrs. Billings 
 both p.assed away at an advanced age, on their old 
 homestead in Broome County. They had been all 
 their lives active members of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and were most severe and straight laced 
 in their principles, after the old New England 
 faith of their d.ay. 
 
 After his marriage, Nathaniel Shepard at once 
 took his bride to Willett Township, Cortland 
 County", N. Y., where he began life as a farmer, 
 and they made their home there the rest of their 
 days. Mr. Shepard died at tte age of foi-ty-seven 
 j'ears. his death having been caused by a fall from 
 a barn that he was building. His wife survived 
 him some years, and died when little past fifty 
 years of age, she, like her husband, dyiag in the 
 faith of the Baptist Church. 
 
 Our subject is one of seven children, three sons 
 and four daughters, all of whom are yet living, 
 with the exception of two brothers, whi> sacrificed 
 their lives on the altar uf their country during the 
 late Civil War. All are married anil hav reareil 
 families. Our subject gleaned an excellent educa- 
 tion in the common schools of his native county, 
 and gained a good |uacfical knowlediie of farming 
 on his father's h(>iiiestea<l. Since cuiiiin : t" Illi- 
 nois. Ills di voti.iiitii hi? -viirk. mpI hi- > -i d ji 
 nieni n legard !•■ ^dl inntlers per'aiiiini; l>.iliebe 
 means of carrying on farming ami slock raising.
 
 620 
 
 PORTRAIT AND KIOaRAPIlICAL ALBUM. 
 
 liave biouglit liim their sine renanl, and have 
 phiced him among the substantial farmers of Chilli- 
 eothc. Here lie lias a farm of one liundred and 
 sixty acres, which is first class in its appointments, 
 and is under a high state of cultivation. 
 
 Mr. Shepard was married in his native county, 
 to Miss Hannah Smith, and had the good fortune 
 to secure one who has been to him a true help- 
 mate indeed. She was born and reared in Broome 
 County, her birth occurring April 12, 1823. Her 
 parents. Nicholas and Elizabeth (Cornell) Smith, 
 were also natives of New York, and lived and died 
 in Broome Count>-. They were ftirmers b}' occu- 
 pation, and rounded out their useful lives at an 
 advanced age. Jlr?. Shepard was the youngest 
 but one of a family of thii teen children, but few 
 of whom are now living. She is an intelligent 
 lady and is nell considered ))y her neighbors for 
 her (jleasant social qualities and kindh' helpfulness. 
 She is the mother of four children, as follows: 
 Mary, wife of Frank Wilson, a farmer in Howell 
 County, iMo.; Ellen, wife of S. Neil, of Chillico- 
 the, who is connected with the Sante Fe Raihxiad 
 Company as a mechanic; E." F., whose biography 
 appears in this volume; and Ada, wife of William 
 Whittaker, a farmer and dair3'man in this town- 
 ship. 
 
 A man of Mr. Shepard's common sense, good 
 cripacitj- and sterling principle is necessarily a per- 
 son of weight and infiuence in any community, 
 and he is found to be one of our most useful citi- 
 zens. He has filled several of the local oftices with 
 ability, and has always interested himself in what- 
 ever concerned the welfare of his adopted town- 
 ship. In politics he is a true Republican, though 
 not offensively partisan. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 FREDERICK SCHLOTS, a pioneer though 
 not an early settler of Brimfield Township, 
 11^ has borne an honorable part in its develop- 
 
 ment, and is to-day accounted one of its substantial 
 and most worthy citizens. He'is a native of Ger- 
 • many, Wurtembcrg being the place of his birth, 
 and December 20, 1833, the date thereof. His 
 
 parents, Frederick and Catherine Schlots, were also 
 of German birth, and he was carefull3' reared by 
 them to industrious hal)its,and when he was twenty- 
 one years of age., started for this country, with his 
 heallh and good principles and excellent capacity 
 for labor as his only capital, to seek on a foreign 
 soil a home for himself. It was in the fall of 
 18.i3 that he took passage at Hamburg on a sailing 
 vessel, and after an ocean voyage of fifty-six da3's, 
 landed in New York and went directl}' from there 
 to I'ennsylvania. He lived in that State some nine 
 months, working at whatever his hands could find 
 to do to make an honest penny, and he then made 
 his way to Kentucky- and for eighteen months was 
 em|)lo3ed by a gar<iener near Louisville. In 1850, 
 he came to this county, and for some five years 
 worked by the month as a farm hand, receiving 
 from ^15 to §18 per month and his board. He also 
 farmed as a renter for about four years. He was 
 careful in saving up his money and finally was en- 
 abled to buy his present farm on which he settled 
 in 186C, and since that time has been a highly re- 
 spected citizen of Brimfield Township. His farm, 
 comprising two hundred and Ihirtj'-five acres, is one 
 of the most desirable in its locality on account of 
 its excellent cultivation, and the many good im- 
 provements that are the work of his own hand. 
 Thus we see his industry and perseverance,seconded 
 by careful and thrifty management and sagacious 
 judgment have been well rewarded. 
 
 Our subject h.as not worked alone all these years 
 but has had the cheerful .assistance of an active and 
 cai)able wife, to whom he was married January 23, 
 18G2. Mrs. Schlots' maiden name was Catherine 
 Eslinger, and she is a native of Ohio. To her and 
 our subject have been born eight children, of wdiom 
 the following four are living: Charles, Samuel. 
 Sadie and Alice. 
 
 Our subject is a fine type of the German-Amer- 
 ican, than wdiom Peoria Count}' has no better or 
 more desirable class of citizens. He possesses a 
 good mind, well trained by the excellent education 
 that he received in his native land, to which he has 
 added since he became a citizen of this country, 
 early acquiring a good knowledge of the English 
 language, which he speaks and writes with facility, 
 using it in tihe transaction of all his business. He
 
 I'OiriKAlT AMJ BlOUKAl'lIICAL AI.IU M. 
 
 621 
 
 is a sincere Christian, anil tiie United Brethren 
 Cluirc'h finds in him one of its most zealous meiu- 
 bois and trusted officials, he being Trustee of the 
 cluireh. He is a firm Demofu-at in his politics, and 
 in regard to advancing all schemes for *;he improve- 
 nientof iiis adoiiled township is pulilic spirited and 
 liberal. 
 
 ^^HARLES B. HOFFMAN. In noting- the 
 (l( business establishments of Peoria, the cigar 
 
 ^^i' and tobacco house of C. B. Hofifman should 
 not be passed by, although the number of men em- 
 ployed is not large — only nine being at present en- 
 gaged. The trade is a flourishing one and the lovers 
 of the weed in its various forms bestow their aji- 
 proval upon the goods made here. 
 
 Tiie proi)rietor of this business establishment is 
 a native of Peoria, in which he was born December 
 18, 1852. After pursuing the usual studies he weut 
 into a cigar and tobacco house as a stripper boy, 
 afterward being apprenticed to Hurton Bros, with 
 whom he thoroughly learned the business. After a 
 period spent on the road as a journeyman, he, in 
 1878, establisiied a business of his own, devoting 
 himself to supi)lying the home market. He lias at, 
 limes had as man}- as fourteen or fifteen hands em- 
 ployed. 
 
 The marriage of IMr. Hoffman was celebrated at 
 the home of the bride December 21, 1873, the lady 
 of his choice being Miss Luella Sights, a native of 
 tiiis city and a woman of intelligence and many 
 virtues. The family comprises three living chil- 
 dren named respectively, Clemens, Hamie and 
 Burt. Mr. Hoffman belongs to the social societies 
 of the'Ancieut Order of United \Vorknien and the 
 Independent Order of Red Men. In his political 
 views he concurs with the Republican [larty, voting 
 with it on all national issues, but in the minor 
 local elections giving bis suffrage to the best man 
 irresijcetive of jjart}-. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Ciiarles and 
 Louisa (Tzacka) Hoffman, natives of Prussia, 
 whence the}' came to America in 18k"i-46. In 
 1849, the father joined the gold seekers in Cali- 
 
 fornia ami for two years engaged in mining with 
 considerable success. Returning to Peoria he took 
 up work at the trade of a tailor and was also for 
 some time occupie<l as an hotel-keeper. For a time 
 he \vas pioprietor of the Illinois House on Wash- 
 ington .Street, likewise keeping an hotel called the 
 (ilobe Exchange, on .South Water Street. He was 
 also the owner and operator of a soa|) and candle 
 factory. During the late Civil War he spent three 
 j-ears, three mouths and ten days in the Union 
 army as a private in Corai)any F, Forty seventh 
 Illinois Infantry. The familj' comi)rises four sons 
 and five daughters, all still living and the brothers 
 of our subject occu[)ied as follows: Frank is a 
 l)ainter in Omaha, Neb.; Otto G., a sickle maker in 
 Canton, Ohio; Anthony is assistant bookkeeper at 
 Barker's distillery. 
 
 \f'A"MES GELLING, a resident of Millbrook 
 Townshii), where he is busily engaged in 
 farming, owning and occupying a desirable 
 farm on section 34, is a pioneer of this 
 county, and has been variously identified with its 
 industries for many years. Mr. Gelling is a native 
 of the Isle of Man, and was born in 1826, to John 
 and Mary Gelling, w'ho were also natives of that 
 island. His boyhood and youth were passed in the 
 place of his l)irtli, and he gleaned his education in 
 the local schools. At the age of about seventeen 
 years he began to lenrn the trade of a carpenter, 
 and followed that calling some thirty years, becom- 
 ing very skillful in the prosecution of his work. A 
 part of the time he was emploj-ed as a carpenter 
 and joiner on his native isle, and was also thus en- 
 gaged in Englan<l, and later still after coming to 
 America carried it on very profitably. Shrewdly 
 thinking that in this country he should have a bet- 
 ter chance of ac(iuiring property and securing an 
 assured income, he determined to migrate to these 
 shores, and in 1850 took passage on a sail vessel at 
 Liverpool, and eleven weeks later landed in New 
 Orleans. Thence he came up the river to St. Louis, 
 and thence to Peoria, whence he proceeded to 
 Brinifield. He remained there for a time working
 
 622 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 at carpentering, or at anything whereby be could 
 earn monc}', and subsequentl}- located on a farm in 
 Brimfield Township. He carried on agricultural 
 pursuits there until he came in possession of his 
 present farm. This comprises eighty acres of choice 
 land, pleasantly' located, under excellent cultiva- 
 tion, and supplied with every needed improvement, 
 everything about the place betokening tiirift, en- 
 terprise, and skillful management on the part of 
 the owner. 
 
 After our subject had been'in^this countrj' nearly 
 twenty years, he returned to the home of iiis birth, 
 to secure on that little island the chiefesl^Messing 
 of man, a good wife, 'and was tliere united in mar- 
 riage to Miss Jane Sliinner, who was likewise a na- 
 tive of tiie Isle of Man. He immediately brought 
 his bride to this country and established her in his 
 home in Brimfield, where thej' lived until they took 
 up their abode in this township. 
 
 Mr. Gelling is classed among the representative 
 and intelligent citizens of Millbrook Township, and 
 does credit to the snug little island which gave liira 
 birth. The sturdy principles of a well ordered life 
 have guided onr subject in all iiis undertakings, 
 and all who have dealings with him, place impli- 
 cit confidence in his word. He is a consistent 
 Christian, and .in active member of the Church of 
 England. Politically he stanehly adheres to the 
 Republican party. 
 
 'MAN SCHEELLERisa fine representative 
 of the farmers and stock-raisers of Peoria 
 Count}', who have been influential in de- 
 veloping its agricultural resources and 
 raising its financial status, until to-day it is one of 
 the finest farming regions in tlie world, and is one 
 of the wealthiest and best improved counties in 
 the State of Illinois. Mr. Scheeller is a large 
 lindowner, and has converted many acres in this 
 :iiid adjoining counties into a farm which, in re- 
 gard to productiveness, value and appointments, 
 compare favorably with the most highly improved 
 in this section of the country. It is known as the 
 "Yankee Street Stock Farm," and comprises four 
 
 hundred and eighty acres on sections 5 and 6, Chil- 
 licothe Township,where he makes his home,and three 
 hundred and sixty acres lying just across the line 
 in Steuben, Township, Marshall County. The land 
 possesses every facility for raising stock, and Mr. 
 Scheeller devotes much of it to that purpose, hav- 
 ing it well stocked with cattle and horses of a higli 
 grade; he makes a specialt}' of raising horses, hav- 
 ing about one hundred of the Norman breed, and 
 has the credit of introducing the draft Normans 
 into tills part of the count}'. Arid at the head of 
 his valuable stud are the well-known stallions, 
 Pamphile and Begot, aged respectively six and 
 seven years, and each weighing about two thousand 
 pounds, of good build and action, and tine speci- 
 mens of their kind. 
 
 Mr. Scheeller is a native of Germany, and was 
 born in the Province of Saxon}', April 24. 1832, 
 coming of ancient Saxon stock, and of Saxon-Ger- 
 man parentage. His father, Joseph Scheeller, was 
 a farmer, and a life-long resident of Saxony, where 
 he rounded out a busy and honorable life at the 
 age of seventy yenrs. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Maria Schafer, was a Saxon lady, and at 
 the time of her death was seventy-one years old. 
 Both were bred in the Catholic Church, and were 
 steadfast followers of the faith, leading consistent 
 •Christian lives. 
 
 Our subject is the eldest of a family of five sons 
 and^two daughters, and is the only one of them 
 who ever came to America. His brothers and sis- 
 ters are all living, so far as known, and still make 
 Uieir home in the Fatherland. He grew to man's 
 estate in the land of his nativity, and received the 
 benefit of a good practical education in its excel- 
 lent scliools. At the age of nineteen the ambitious 
 youth boldly took his life in his own hands and 
 traveled across unknown seas to make a homo and 
 a name for himself in a strange country. .Tuly 10, 
 1S52, he embarked at Bremenhaven on the good 
 ship "Augusta," in which he sailed across the At- 
 lantic, and after a jjrolongcd voyage of sixty-three 
 days, landed in New York City. Thence he pro- 
 ceeded to Rocliester N. Y., and the ensuing three 
 years worked for the farmers in that vicinity. In 
 1855, he came to Peoria County, wisely thinking 
 that, in this region so marvellously fruitful, his
 
 ^^»^. 
 
 *"* 
 
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 lif 
 
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 CO
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 625 
 
 |)rospects of piir.-uinjj; agriculture successfully 
 would 1)0 much irrcater tlum iu loss favored locali- 
 ties, lie 1ms been prospered far beyond Ins hopes, 
 and in his mngniflcent farm, with its luindrtds of 
 weil-lilled acre,s. its fine cattle and horses, and its 
 many valuable improvements, we witness the result 
 of his uureuiitting toil and practical ahility .as an 
 intelligent, wide-awake farmer and stock grower. 
 
 When Mr. Seheeller came to this county be was a 
 single man but lice lie found that best of all bless- 
 ings ever vouchsafed to man. namely, a good wife. 
 Mrs. Scheeller's maiden name was .Sarah Dixon. 
 She was l>orn in Ross County. Ohio, dul}- 4, 1834, 
 and is a daughter of Jehu and Frances (Ray) 
 Dixon, who came from Ohio to Illinois about 1840. 
 They became i)ioneers of Stark County, locating 
 thereon a farm. A few 3ears later they came to 
 Peoria Count}', and settled on a farm in Cliilli- 
 cothe Township, and there both dieil. Mr. Dixon 
 at tlie advanced age of eight^'-onc years, and his 
 wife when seventy one years old. Sirs. Seheeller 
 is one of a family of eight children, all of whom 
 came to Illinois, and she now has two sisters and one 
 brother living. She was only a child when she 
 came here \vith her [larents, and was reared to a use- 
 ful womanhood, receiving a caref\d training in all 
 domestic matters, so that when she become the head 
 of a household she was competent to take charge of 
 its affairs. 
 
 Five children have blessed the happ}' wedded 
 life of our subject and his wife, of whom one is 
 deceased, Alice, who died at the .age of three years. 
 The following is tfie recorded of the others: Ma- 
 tilda is the wife of Jacob Stapp. and they have a 
 home near her parents, where he is engaged in 
 farming; Frances is the wife of Frank Kellenbeck, 
 of Steuben Townshij); Arthur, who resides on his 
 fiitiier's farm, married Martha Hart; Carrie is the 
 wife of William Tayloi.who lives on Mr. Scheeller's 
 farm in this county. 
 
 Our subject is n noble type of our self-made 
 men. He started on' in life with no .adventitious 
 aids of a name and furtuncto insure success. But he 
 had what is better, a clear brain and steady nerve, 
 anil plenty of courage to do and to dare, a high 
 ambitidu and tenacity of purpose to enable him to 
 carry out whatever he undertook, and aright royal 
 
 capacity to do it well; these have been the open 
 sesame to mnke fortune's doors swing wide for him, 
 and he has entered into iier domain and taken what 
 rightlv belonastohim wliocan persevere to the end 
 in spite of all obstacles. The success that he has 
 achieved has not spoiled him. as he is the same 
 kind hearted, friendly man as in days of yore, and 
 the generous use that he makes of his we.-dlh shows 
 his aim to become rich was not entiiely a selfish 
 one. His j)ublic sjiirit is seen in his lilier.al use of 
 money to push :ihead all plans ilevised for the ben- 
 efit of Chillicothe in jiarticular. and the county in 
 general. Air. Seheeller has shrewd opinions on all 
 questions of the d.aj-, and has his own views as to 
 politics, being independent of party ties. 
 
 In connection with this personal sketch of Mr. 
 .Seheeller, we are pleased to present a view of his 
 elegant residence, with its pleasant rural surround- 
 ings. 
 
 ooc> 
 
 APT. JOHN H. HALL. No more enti 
 
 'apt. Hall, the cfliclent President and Gen- 
 er.'il Manager of the Ft. Clark Horse Railro.ad. He 
 has had charge of this car line about eighteen years. 
 It has five miles of double track, is well equipped, 
 and financially successful. The life of Capt. Hall 
 has not been devoid of adventure and hazard, nor 
 unmarked b\' gallantry in trying scenes. lie won 
 an excellent record as a plucky soldier during the 
 Civil War, and in business affairs has ever been 
 known as zealous, energetic and honorable. 
 
 The [)arents of our subject were Capt. William 
 A. and Prudence T. (Si)alding) Hall, and were n.a- 
 tives of Connecticut, from which State thej' emi- 
 grated to the present site of Chicago in the spring 
 of 1822. At the little trading post called Ft. Dear- 
 born they landed June l,and about a year Later, 
 June 12, 1823, their first child was born. This was 
 a daughter, Madorah, who became the wife of Au- 
 ren Garret, now of Peoria, and is claimed to have 
 been the first white child born in Chicago. In the 
 spring of 1824 the parents removed to Chagrin 
 Falls, Ohio, where they remained a year, thence 
 removing to Pittslnirg, Pa., which was their home
 
 626 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 iiutil late in the fall of 1829. They then changed 
 their place of abode to Cincinnati. Ohio, leaving 
 that city in June. 1833, to Ijecome residents of 
 Peoria. 111., where Ihey arrived the 1st of Septem- 
 ber. The\- were, therefore, among the very first 
 settlers in this now flourishing city. Mrs. Prudence 
 Hall died in 1852. and the widower subsequently 
 marrte d Mrs. Sarah A. Thoman, iwc Hepperl}', who 
 still survives. In 1875 Capt. Hall removed to 
 Oregon, returning to Peoria in 1879 and making 
 this his home until his death, August 11, 1881, in 
 his eighty-fourth year. He was a gun-smith and 
 in Government employ both in Pittsburg and Chi- 
 cago. For man\" years he followed engineering on 
 the river. He ow-ned and ran the steamboat "Joe 
 Davis" in the St. Louis and Illinois River trade. 
 Either as engineer or captain be followed river life 
 about thirt3'-four years. To him were born nine 
 children of whom the present survivors are: J. H., 
 of whom we write; Mrs. Caroline Hudson, of Colo- 
 rado Springs, Colo.; Willis A., whose home is in 
 Adelaide, AVash., and Mary W., wife of W. E. S. 
 Bunn, of this city. 
 
 Capt. John H. Hall was born in Pittsburg, Pa., 
 Jlay 12, 1828, but passed his early life chieflj- in 
 Peoria. He obtained a common-school education 
 during the winters preceding his fourteenth j-ear. 
 He then entered the employ of Tucker & Mansfield, 
 druggists, with whom he remained about four3-ears, 
 when he went to St. Louis and entered the drug 
 establishment of Charless <fc Blow. After working 
 for that firm a little more than a year he became a 
 clerk on a boat plying between St. Louis and New 
 Orleans, and on that route and the Illinois River he 
 followed that occupation until May, 1849. 
 
 At that date the young man crossed the plains 
 for the land of gold, making one of sixteen who 
 started from Salt Lake City via Los Angeles, on a 
 trail a wagon had never traveled. Thej' left the 
 Mormon capital with forty daj's' rations and were 
 one hundred and twent3--five days en route. Two 
 days before their arrival at the Great Desert five 
 of them, Capt. Hall among the number, were sent 
 as a forlorn hope to secure aid for their part3\ 
 They came near starving, to avoid which they were 
 obliged to resort to eating a crow and also a dog 
 that attended them. While dressinir the latter a 
 
 party of three overtook them and it was found that 
 the new comers had ten pounds of rice. Exchange 
 was made of dog meat for rice, and the two parties 
 continued in companj- two days. The third tlay 
 they saw deer tracks and two of the party. Antoine 
 and George S. Harding, of Charleston, S. C, started 
 off to get a deer, if possible, carrying the only rifle 
 left to the comijany. Hall, YanBlack, and Robert 
 Rohrbottom, an Englishman, had been left in the 
 camp, and just at sunset rejoiced to see their com- 
 rades returning. In addition to the scarcitj- of 
 food, from which thej- suffered, danger was immi- 
 nent from savage foes and wild animals. Their 
 hunger was relieved bj' a deer, which had been shot 
 bj- Antoine, and which, although served without 
 salt or [jepper. proved verj- gi-ateful to the almost 
 famishing part}-. They survived the terrible hard- 
 ships which the}' encountered, and arriving at the 
 mission at San Bernadino sent back supplies to the 
 camp they had left and all the party reached the 
 coast in safet}'. 
 
 Mr. Hall engaged in mining but with ill success, 
 and in 1851 returned to the States via Central 
 America and the Nicarauga route. At Gra3town 
 an incident occurred worth}' of note. The}' were 
 obliged to wait two weeks, and were there sub- 
 jected to a search made by English soldiers. An 
 English man-of-war, the "Devastation," was har- 
 bored there and upon it Mr. Hall secured pass.age 
 to New Orleans. After reaching his former home 
 he turned his attention to agriculture, but after two 
 years spent in farming became a clerk. In 1856 he 
 took charge of Springdale Cemetery, retaining his 
 position until August 1, 1862, when 'he opened a 
 recruiting office on Adams Street. On the 27tb he 
 was mustered into the Union army .as Captain of 
 Company H, Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and in 
 October accompanied his regiment to Louisville.Ky. 
 
 The first heavy engagement in which Capt. Hall 
 participated was the bloody battle of Perrysville, 
 October 8. He then followed Bragg to Cr.ab 
 Orchard, after which his command was sent to the 
 relief of Nashville, arriving in that city in Decem- 
 ber. They remained there doing camp duty until 
 the movement culminating in the battle of Chicka- 
 raauga.in which our subject took part .'September 19, 
 20. and 21, 1863. The next noted engagements in
 
 POKTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 627 
 
 wliifli ho iiartiL-ipated were Lookout Mountain and 
 Mission Kidgo, and in May, 18G4, he went to Ring- 
 gultl, afterward participating in tlie entire series of 
 of liattles t)efore Atlanta. Capt. Hall accompanied 
 Shern)an to the sea au<l through the Carolinas, the 
 battles of Averj-sboro and Bentonsville being the 
 last in which he participated. lie was mustered 
 out of service after the Grand Review at Washing- 
 ton, in which he participated Juue C, 1865. 
 
 After his return from the seat of war Capt. Hall 
 resumed his position as Superintendent of the 
 Springdale Cemetery, retaining it until the fall of 
 1873, since which time he has been in charge of the 
 Ft. Clark Street Railway. lie belongs to the lude- 
 Ijcndent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic 
 fraternity. In politics he is a Republican of the 
 most uncompromising character. Capt. Hall took 
 a companion in life March 16. 185 1, wedding Janet 
 G. Coventry-, a native of Scotland and a lady of 
 great worth of character. To Mr. and Jlrs. Hall 
 . four children have been born, and they mourn the 
 loss of one. The survivors are: Willis, Secretary 
 of the Ft. Clark Horse Railwaj' Company; John I)., 
 who is engaged with the same company, and is 
 iJeutenant Colonel of a Division of the Sons of 
 ^■eterans, and Benoui. who is learning photography. 
 
 ^€ 
 
 i^^^ 
 
 j^REDERICK WINKELMEYER. The story 
 (gS' of the freedom prevailing in the United 
 States and of the opi)ortunities for advance- 
 ment existing here, is told again and again around 
 the hearthstones in foreign lands. Its recitation 
 often leads to a determination to seek a new home, 
 and Illinois has received a full complement of 
 these home-seekers from abroad. The German 
 Revolution of 1818 furnished an added incentive 
 to many to leave their native land and avoid the 
 consequences resuliing therefrom. Among these 
 were Frederick and Christina Winkelnieyer, whose 
 household was gladdened by the presence of seven 
 children — five sons and two daugiiters. After land- 
 ing in New York, in 1840. they made their way up 
 the glorious Hudson to Albany. thenc(! by canal to 
 Buffalo, where they embarked on a lake steamer 
 
 for Milwaukee, Wis. On Lake Michigan a heavy 
 fog enveloped their vessel, necessitating a h.alt, and 
 at Shebo3gan, Wis., the family remained. There 
 the father fell a victim to the cholera in 1851. 
 
 The son, who first came to Feoria in 1851, and 
 wiiose career is the subject of these brief notes, 
 w.as born in Saxony, July 1, 1835, and learned the 
 trade of a cabinet-maker in Peoria, working for 
 Fritley & Lingle two and one- half years. He then 
 went to Chicago, only to return to Sheboygan 
 after a year had passed and continue his labors in 
 that city. On Sc|)tember 24, 1857, he led to the 
 hymeneal altar Mi's Emolia Illig. a native of Sax- 
 ony, Germany, whose training had well fitted her 
 for the duties of a home-keeper and mother. She 
 came to Sheboygan, Wis., in 1848. In 1861 Mr. 
 Winkelmeyer returned to Peoria, bringing with 
 him his family, .and bectjuiing proprietor of the 
 Union House, on Fulton Street, as host of which 
 he continued two years. He then opened the 
 grocery store which has brought him gain, and 
 comfort, and in which he has established a fine 
 business. He keeps a full line of the best goods, 
 and through his business tact and personal popu- 
 larity has enjoyed a large trade for many years. 
 
 Love for the land he had chosen for his home 
 led Mr. Winkelmeyer to become a soldier during 
 the dark days of the Civil War, and as a member 
 of Company C, Forty-seventh Illinois Infantr}-, he 
 displayed the bravery and undaunted courage so 
 characteristic of the German. His enlistment dated 
 from March 15, 1865, and he was discharge 1 Janu- 
 uari^ 21, 1865. His musical knowledge was known 
 anil led to his being detailed as a musician, but this 
 fact did not prevent his manifesting soldierl}- qual- 
 ities when occasion demanded. On the contrary', 
 his position was often one of even greater danoer 
 than that of a jirivate in the ranks. 
 
 The home of Mr. and IVIrs. Winkelmej'er has 
 been made more ha[)py by the birth of seven chil- 
 dren, several of whom yet remain under the pa- 
 rental roof. The filial band consists of Emma, 
 Julius, Clara. Bertha, Lena, Edward and Josephine. 
 The oldest daughter is now the wife of John Fried- 
 man, Clara the wife of Jacob Baker, and Bertha 
 the wife of Theodore Goldstein. The two sons 
 assist their father in the business which he con-
 
 628 
 
 POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ducts, and, inheriting financial ability from Mm, 
 give promise of adding to the mercantile laurels of 
 the family. Mr. Wiukelmeyer is a member of 
 Knights and Ladies of Honor. Polilicall}' he is a 
 strong Democrat, and religiously is identified with 
 the Grace Presbj-terian Church. His excellence of 
 character, good citizenship and genial qualities se- 
 cure for him the high esteem of his fellow-citizens. 
 He is now one of the three senior members of the 
 original brass band of Peoria, which was organized 
 i.n 1851. 
 
 ATTEY JOHNSON, a respected citizen of 
 Limestone Township, where he has a pleasant 
 home and one of the finest residences in the 
 oeighborhood, is a fine type of the German 
 element that has done and is doing much for Peoria 
 County. He has assisted in the development of its 
 agricultural resources and while doing his share of 
 the work necessary, has acquired a competency. 
 
 Our subject was born December 2, 1816, and was 
 roared in East Friesland, Kingdom of Hanover, Ger- 
 many, and iu its excellent schools obtained a fair 
 education to which he added after coming to this 
 country by learning to read and write the Eng- 
 lish hinguage. April G, 1848, in the prime of a 
 vigorous manly manhood he left the Fatherland to 
 seek in the United States of America tlie fortune 
 that he felt assured awaited him who was willing to 
 labor hard at any honorable calling. He landed in 
 New York City the 24th of !May. after a voyage of 
 forty-nine dajs and making his way to Albany on 
 the Hudson, and from there to Buffalo, worked hard 
 for a while in the brick^-ard for $9 a month, wages 
 were not being high then as they are now. He 
 then prQceeded to Chicago and from there came to 
 Peoria in the month of Juh' of the same j'ear. He 
 was empt}- handed liutlie enjoyed fine health as he 
 alwa3-s has done since he came here, having been 
 endowed with a strong constitution and great pow- 
 ers of endurance. He was not long in finding some- 
 thina to employ his time and hired to a German 
 farmer for $12 a month, and as early as 1852, was 
 enabled to establish a home, he being married on 
 the 8th of September of that year to Miss Gal§na 
 
 Siebolds. Her father. Otto Siebolds, was a miller, 
 and lived and died in the old countr3'. 
 
 After his marriage our subject lived in Peoria 
 until 1856, working industriously at whatever he 
 could find to do and in the meantime wisely saved 
 his earnings until he had §1,000 at his disposal. He 
 worked in the lumber yard or carried the hod for 
 the masons or turned his hand at auvthing b}' 
 which he could make money. He bought eighty 
 acres of land on section 18, Limestone Township, 
 and came to it in 1856, and built a cow shed which 
 he and his family used as a dwelling and as it was 
 covered by boards, the^^ lived in it comfortably 
 until he could replace it by a better one. He de- 
 veloped his land from its wild condition, brought 
 it to a high state of cultivation and made on it 
 man^' valuable improvements and then sold it to 
 his son and iu 1871 bought a fine home on the 
 Farmington road, about nine miles from town. 
 
 The married life of our subject and his wife has 
 been one of hai)piness and has been greatl}- blest to 
 them in the birth of their six children, two of whom 
 died in infancy. Of the remainder the following is 
 recorded: Lina, the eldest, is now Mrs. Brants 
 iind has five children; Annie is the wife of Samuel 
 McGluggage, the son of an Irish family, and tliey 
 have two chihJren, boys; Onteo married a Miss 
 McGluggage, sister of 8. JIcGluggage, and the}' 
 have one child: John L. is a resident of Logan 
 Township where he has a farm of one hundred and 
 fifty acres purchased from his father. He was mar- 
 ried to Miss McElroy, Februar^-S, 1888, and they 
 have one child. 
 
 Mr. Johnson's honorable and upright course in 
 all the affairs of life since he became a resident of 
 this country, and his loyal discharge of the duties 
 of citizenship in his adopted home, have won him 
 universal respect. He has been identified with 
 some of the movements to elevate the social, moral 
 aud material status of the community and is liber.al 
 in his support of all things that will in any way 
 enhance the welfare of the township. He is prom- 
 inent in religious affairs aud when the Presbyterian 
 Church was built, he took quite a prominent |)art 
 in its erection and has since been one of its most 
 devoted members aud his wife and children are 
 also connected with the church. He is Democratic
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 -■''^1^*^''
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 631 
 
 in his political beliefs and has lield the office of 
 Patlimaster and School Director of his township, 
 lie is now talking- life easy as, having neai'I_v rc!;f;lic(l 
 his seventy-fourth year, lie has wisely conclmled 
 to rest from his labors and enjoy the comforts so 
 well earned. 
 
 OBKRT GARRLSON. One of the largest 
 andliolders in all Peoria Connl^- is this 
 gentleman, who has met with more success 
 k'2^ in the prosecution of his calling as farmer 
 and stock man than usually fell to the lot of the 
 pioneers of this section of the countr}'. He is one 
 of the wealthy and influential citizens of Millbrook 
 Townsliip, and has borne a prominent part in 
 bringing it to its present condition as one of the 
 finest agricultural regions in this part of the State. 
 On the pages of this volume his portrait is pre- 
 sented, and the principal events of his life are 
 recorded. 
 
 Oliio is the native State of our subject, the place 
 of his birth being in Clinton Conntj^ and the date 
 thereof February 2, 1H16. Lemuel and Mar^- Garri- 
 son, tiio former a native of New Jersey and the latter 
 of Kentucky, were his parents. His paternal 
 grandfather, Lemuel Garrison, was a Revolutionary 
 soldier. The father of our subject was born in 
 1788, anfl emigrated to Ohio about 1807. That 
 part of the country was then almost entirely in a 
 wild condition, less than a quarter of a century 
 having ela[)se(l since it was opened to settlement; 
 the Indians still had hunting grounds there, and 
 pitched their wigwams along its streams in its 
 primeval forests. Mr. Garrison was for a short 
 time a resident of Warren County, and then be- 
 came an early pioneer of Clinton County, where he 
 lived for over half a centurj', and reared his fam- 
 ily; he finally died in this county in February, 
 1872, at a ripe old age. 
 
 Robert Garrison, of whom we write, grew up 
 amid the pioneer surroundings of his early home, 
 was reared to farming, and has all his life been en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits. When he was but 
 four years old he had the misfortune to lose his 
 
 mother, and his boyhood and youth were passed 
 with his brothers and sisters in his father's home. 
 He assisted his father in clearing a farm, and has 
 done much [)ioneer work both in Ohio and Illinois. 
 He gleaned his education in the subscription schools 
 of Ohio, and has extended it by reading good 
 literature, so that he keeps well informed on topics 
 of general interest. 
 
 In the month of September, 1837, our subject 
 was married to Rebecca Batsoii. She is a native 
 of Pennsylvania, and was born in July, 1816, *to 
 Nathaniel and Mar}' Batson, earl}' settlers of Clin- 
 ton County, Ohio. By their union have been 
 born eleven children, five of whom survive, as 
 follows : Jane, wife of James Shockley, of Stark 
 County, 111.; Mana, wife of W. L. Barnes, of ftlill- 
 brook Township; Lucinda, wife of Tobias Moats, 
 who lives near Grafton, Neb.; Thomas B., a resi- 
 dent of Peoria, is Deputy Sheriff in the Sheriff's 
 office; Susan, wife of Milton Hart, of Millbrook 
 Township. 
 
 In the fall of 1852 Mr. Garrison made a new 
 departure in life, and determined to do as his 
 father had done, and seek a new location in a more 
 recently settled part of the country, where land 
 was cheap and the virgin soil yielded large har- 
 vests to those who persevered in their labors. 
 After his arrival in this State he remained in Knox 
 Count}' until the following spring, when he came 
 to this county, and for one }'ear resided on a farm 
 at French Grove, and finally in 18.55 settled on the 
 farm which he now owns on section 15, Millbrook 
 Township. There were but few improvements 
 made on the place either as to cultivation or in 
 point of buildings. He toiled early and late to de- 
 velop his land, and has met with remarkable suc- 
 cess in his calling. He has a commodious residence 
 on section 15, and is to-da}' one of i.he most exten- 
 sive landowners in this part of the State. He and 
 his children together own about two thousand 
 seven hundred and fifty acres of land, the most of 
 it in Illinois, though some of it is in Missouri and 
 Nebraska. Mr. Garrison, personally, owns and 
 operates one thousand and eighty acres of land, 
 which is highl}^ improved and under the best of 
 cultivation. 
 
 This county is greatly indebted for its wonder-
 
 632 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ful growth and present high financial standing to 
 the men of intelligence, far-reaching enterprise and 
 action who came here in pioneer times, and have 
 in various waj-s sought to push forward its inter- 
 ests. Robert Garrison is a fine representative of 
 this class of men, is a time honored resident of 
 this part of the State, and is widely known and 
 revered. Many warm friends have been drawn to 
 him by his honorable conduct in all the affairs of 
 life, as well as bj' his frankness and genuine cour- 
 tesy. He is strongly interested in politics, and ac- 
 tivel}' uses his influence in favor of the Democratic 
 part3'. His public spirit is an important factor in 
 carrying out all schemes for the benefit of township 
 or count3', toward which he gives with a liberal 
 hand. He and his venerable wife are now past the 
 age of tliree-seore years and ten, and are enjoj-ing 
 the fruits of their earl}' labors in a home where 
 comfort and hospitality abound. 
 
 THEODORE DAWSON; This gentleman, 
 who is numbered among the younger farm- 
 S^i^' ers of Rosefield Township, was reared to 
 the pursuit which he is now^ following with a 
 degreee of success highly satisfactor}-. He was 
 born near Oak Hill, August 30, 1853, being a sou 
 of Andrew and Elizabeth (Stahl) Dawson. He 
 acquired a good education in the common schools 
 and keeps himself well informed regarding current 
 events and general topics of interest. He was 
 married August 20, 1882, to Miss Rebecca Ry near- 
 son, who has borne him two bright children — 
 Reuben and Minnie Belle. The estate upon which 
 Mr. Dawson lives consists of one hundred and 
 fifty-tliree acres belonging to his wife, being her 
 portion of the estate of her deceased father. 
 
 Mrs. Dawson was born April 1, 1865, to 
 F-pliraira C. and Keziah (Luse) Rynear.son, by 
 whom she was carefully reared, acquiring a good 
 education, much useful domestic knowledge, and 
 the habits and traits of character which fit h<r to 
 discharge the duties devolving upon her as wife, 
 mother and member of society. She is one of a 
 family of twelve diildreu, of whom we note the 
 
 following: Mary J. is now Mrs. Keys, of El Paso; 
 Harriet Ann died when five years old; Sarah is 
 now, Mrs. Shut, of Ford County; Mrs. EHzabeth 
 Seigel lives in this township; Robert J. is a resi- 
 dent of Elmwood; Maria died when seventeen 
 years old; Deminicus lives in Clay County, Neb.; 
 Alice is the wife of Lafayette Smith, of this town- 
 ship; Keziah died when five years old; Charles 
 died at the age of seven months; Isabella, Mrs. 
 Holt, lives in this township; Rebecca is the wife 
 of Theodore Dawson, our subject. 
 
 Tiie father of Mrs. Dawson was born in Hamil- 
 ton County, Ohio, March 2, 1814. reared ou a farm 
 and received a common-school education. He 
 came to Peoria Count}', 111., settling on section 28. 
 Rosefield Township, then going to Franklin 
 Count}', Ind., was married December 5, 1836. to a 
 native of that countj-, and bringing his bride to 
 the Prairie State spent the remainder of his life 
 here. In 1862 he raised a company, of which he 
 was appointed Captain, but after serving three 
 months in the Union Army, sickness compelled his 
 resignation. He serveil as Township Supervisor 
 ten years and Justice of the Peace twent^'-two 
 j-ears. At the time of his death, November 29. 
 1877, he owned fourteen hundred acres of land, 
 and was occupying the homestead on whicli his 
 father had settled in 1833. 
 
 The parents of Ephraim C. Rynearson were Min- 
 ney and Sarah (Carl) Rynearson, natives of Penn- 
 sylvania and New Jersey respectivel}'. The father 
 was a soldier in the War of 1812. On removiuo- 
 from Hamilton County, Ohio, to Peoria Count}-, 
 III., Mr. Rynearson took up a large tract of land 
 and built a brick residence, which was one of the 
 first erected in this section and one of the finest 
 of the period. He served as Justice of the Peace 
 many years, being gathered to his fathers in April. 
 1865, his wife dying some two years later. Of 
 tlie fourteen children born to them, Maria. 
 Ephraim, John, Elizabeth, Sarah.Thomas, Martha J. 
 and Rebecca A. grew to years of maturity, all roar- 
 ing families except Maria, Jane and Thomas. 
 
 The mother of Mrs. Dawson was born January 
 9, 1817, and is a daughter of Roltert and Mary 
 (Jones) Lufe. both of whom were natives of Penn- 
 sylvania. They removed to Indiana at an early
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 633 
 
 day, spending the remainder of their lives in 
 P'ranklin County-, wliere Mr. Liise died about 1825, 
 his widow surviving him fort3' 3'ears and reaching 
 the age of eigiit3--four years. Ten children were 
 born to them, two of whom died young and five 
 in later life. Those now living are: Dr. Alexan- 
 der Luse, of Ohio; Ilirani, in Indiana; and Mrs. 
 Keziah Rynearson. Tlie hitter holds two iumdred 
 and ten acres of the Rynearson homestead, upon 
 it being a briciv house which was built in 
 18.51. The Luse family is of Dutch origin, and its 
 members have long been identified with the Bap- 
 tist Church. 
 
 ■M 
 
 LFRED G. MILES is of tiie third genera- 
 tion of tlie family in Elmwood Township, 
 I i and an excellent representative of tlie pio- 
 neer stock to wdiose efforts the present 
 high civilization and development of this section 
 of the Mississippi Valle}' is due. The surround- 
 ings of his early j-ears and tlie manner of life of 
 his progenitors, will acquaint the reader with the 
 school in which his sturdy virtues were developed 
 and physical hardihood acquired. 
 
 Josepli ;Miles, the grandfather of our subject, 
 came to Illinois in 1837, walking all the w.ay from 
 Connecticut, and carrying with him a set of car- 
 penter's tools. He put up the first mill in this 
 township, which was located on section 15, where 
 a part of the old frame is yet to be seen. He died 
 in 1851, leaving to liis descendants tlie heritage of 
 a good reputation. His son, Freeman, who was 
 born in Litchfield Count}', Conn., and married 
 Ruth Emma Woodward, of the same count}-, lived 
 in the Empire State for a time, working at the 
 trade of a carpenter. In 1838 he came to Illinois, 
 his first home being in the upper floor of the mill 
 which hi.s father had built, and which he afterward 
 operated. 
 
 The country was tlien but very thinly settled, 
 Brimfleld was a hamlet of three log houses, South- 
 port contained two, and Elmwood was not even 
 dreamed of. Of the settlers here at that time 
 none survive except Avery Dalton, .Tolin T.aylor 
 
 and II. S. Harkness. The country was timbered open- 
 ings, wherein wild aiiimals.-and snakes abounded. 
 Freeman Jliles helped to organize the township of 
 Elmwood, of wliicli he acted as Clerk for several 
 years, and was elected .Tustice of tlie Peace, al- 
 though he did not serve. He was a strong Aboli- 
 tionist and before the issuance of tlie Emancipation 
 Proclamation was interested in the work of the 
 underground railroad. He was a believer in wo- 
 man suffrage. He became prominent in this sec- 
 tion, well rc.-^pected for the vigor, hospitality and 
 kindliness which marked his life. He died March 
 8, 1890. at the ripe age of eighty-eight years. 
 
 The mother of our subject is still living in Elm- 
 wood, suffering from some of the infirmities of age, 
 being now eightj'-three 3-ears old. She and her 
 husband belonged to the Congregational Church 
 during the earlier years of their lives, but after- 
 ward became identified with the Presbyterian 
 Church, the faith of which cliecis lier declining 
 \ears. 
 
 The parental familv consisted of five children, 
 three of whom are living. Tliev arc: Amelia .1. 
 wife of Cyrus H. Brooks, of Galva; Alfred G., of 
 whom we write; and Rosa V., wife of Joseph 
 AVheeler, of Elmwood. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in Connecti- 
 cut, June 25, 1834, and was a child of about four 
 years when brought to Illinois. His education 
 was inainl3' acquired in the district schools, al- 
 though he had the advantage of instruction in the 
 academy at Brimfleld one season. He resided with 
 his parents until twenty-four 3'ears of age, engaged 
 in various occupations. He operated the mill, ran 
 an engine, did carpenter work for about six 3'ears, 
 and also did house painting. In 1860 he set up 
 his own home, having won as his companion Miss 
 Angeline Lawrence. This lad3' was born in Co- 
 shocton County, Ohio, March 21, 1838, her parents, 
 George P. .and Phebc (Butler) Lawrence, remov- 
 ing to Illinois in 1855. She is a sister of Erastus 
 M. Lawrence, of Elmwood Township. Both her 
 parents are deceased. 
 
 The famil}' of Mr. and Mrs. Miles consists of si.x; 
 living cluldren and the}' mourn the loss of two. 
 The oldest of those who survive is Frank, whose 
 home is in the same township as Ids parents, and
 
 634 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 who married Emma Parsely, and is the father of 
 one child. The other members of the household 
 band are George, Edward, William, Earl and Archie, 
 all still single. The entire family have received 
 good educations in the common schools, are well 
 bred and of good character. No finer family of 
 boj's can be found in aday's journej'. The mother 
 might well be taken as a type of a perfect house- 
 wife and devoted mother, as she looks well to the 
 waj's of her household, making home a place of the 
 most perfect order and watching carefully over the 
 welfare of lier loved ones. 
 
 The land owned and occupied bj' Mr. Miles 
 comjjrises two hundred and ninety .acres on section 
 10. and is devoted to general farming and the 
 raising of standard grades of stock. The comfort- 
 al)le dwelling, full line of farm buildings which ac- 
 coaipanies it, and other improvements have been 
 made by himself, and together with the thoroughl}' 
 cultivated fields, make up a splendid looking estate. 
 Mr. Miles has been a School Director for severaj 
 years, and has also sery^ed as Road Commissioner in 
 the township six years. He keeps well informed 
 regarding political matters, voting the Republican 
 ticket, and does not neglect other topics of inter- 
 est. Success has crowned his labors and left him 
 free from anxiety regarding the future. He is 
 liberal in the use of the means which he has ac- 
 quired, honest in his dealings with his fellow-men, 
 anil in social and domestic relations a man among 
 men. • 
 
 ^. ATRICK HARMON, a native of the Emer- 
 11' aid Isle, is numbered among the pioneer 
 citizens of Peoria, in which he made his ad- 
 vent November 15, 1837. He was born in 
 Count}- Louth, Ireland. M.ay 12. 1812. his parents 
 being Dennis and Mary (Callan) Harmon. He 
 learned the trade of a harness-maker, following the 
 same until 1837, when he bade adieu to his native 
 land, believing that better opportunities for per- 
 sonal preferment were to be found in America. 
 He landed in New York, -lune 7, but found it im- 
 possible to find employment in the citj', where, 
 
 owing to the failure of the United States Bank, a 
 financial crisis was at hand. 
 
 Mr. Harmon obtained employment at Newburg 
 for a short time, then going into the countrj' en- 
 gaged with a farmer to reap, which he did with a 
 sickle. He next set up a shop in Newburg for 
 the manufacture of horse collars, but in the fall 
 turned his footsteps westward. Finding nothing 
 to do at his trade in Peoria, he turned his hand to 
 other emploj'uient, being willing to do any honest 
 labor by wiiicli he could gain a sustenance. The 
 story of his early experiences is an interesting one, 
 particularh' when he tells of his efforts to split 
 rails and chop cord wood, a business in which- he 
 engaged during the fall, and which he learned by 
 hard kuocks. His first attempt at rail-making was 
 to sjjlit them out one by one with wedges. A 
 passing farmer came to his aid and gave him a les- 
 son from which he profited. 
 
 During the winter following his airival in the 
 Prairie State, Mr. Harmon went with others to 
 Iowa to look for Government land, but finding 
 none to suit him returned to Peoria, read}' as be 
 fore to adopt any employment he could find. He 
 broke prairie for Mr. Underbill, at 5*2. 50 per .acre, 
 breaking in all about five hundred acres. The 
 pioneers well understand what an arduous task 
 this was, although those unacquainted with farm 
 life or accustomed only to seeing plowing done 
 on old ground, will have little comprehension of 
 it. 
 
 The next enterprise of Jlr. Harmon was to begin 
 farming for himself, which he continued three 
 years, after which he again came to the city. For 
 seven years he was occupied in hauling, after 
 which he opened a grocery store, and began a bus- 
 iness life which has been prosecuted for over 
 thirty years. Having met his early reverses 
 bravely, he has received prosperity in an apprecia- 
 tive spirit, using it .as a means of additional com- 
 fort in the home life, better advantages for his 
 family and an opportunity of assisting those in 
 need. He is a communicant • of the Catholic 
 Church, as are the various members of his family, 
 and is respected by a large circle of acquaintances 
 in business and social life. 
 
 The wife of Mr. Harmon bore the maiden name
 
 
 /^^m 
 
 :^^cj^/;u^2^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 037 
 
 of Mary Boyle. Their maniago rites were cele- 
 brated February 'il, 1841, and liie union lias been 
 productive lo tlieni of lliirteen children. Of this 
 large family six are now living. The^- are: Ann, 
 widow of Augustus Myliins; Peter, a cigar manu- 
 facturer and dealer, of Peoria; Kate; Agnes, a pub- 
 lie school teacher; Dennis lives in Peoria; and 
 John, a resident of Providence, R. I. Peter is do- 
 voting his attention thoroughly' to a business in 
 which he gives emploj'ment to eight hands, his 
 transactions covering about $20,000 per annum. 
 Politifally Mr. Harmon is a Democrat. 
 
 ,^f=!C| EOIIG E W. .SCHNEBLY, Jr. The general 
 intelligence, high moral character and busi- 
 ness ability of the local freight agent in 
 Peori.i, of the Terre Haute & Peoria Railroad, are 
 such as to entitle him to the respect of tlie entire 
 community and the deeper esteem of those who 
 know him well. Mr. Schnebly hai been a freight 
 agent here for several years, having begun his la- 
 bors during- the days of the old Illinois Midland 
 1111° and retained his position after the change in 
 the road. For seven years he has had entire charge 
 of the local business, having secured the confidence 
 of ins superiors in his honor and efficiency. 
 
 Mr. Schnebly is a native of Spring Ba^-, Wood- 
 fold Count}', 111., where his eyes opened to the light 
 January 16, 1855. His parents, George \V. and 
 Margaret M. (Cox) Schnebly, were formerly resi- 
 dents of Peoria. They removed to Mossville when 
 our subject was a babe, and when he was about eight- 
 een years old to Alta. He received his education in 
 the schools of tiiis count}', after whicli he turned 
 his attention to pedagogy for some time. At length, 
 however, he abandoned that honorable field of la- 
 bor for one in which he thought the opportunities 
 for personal aggrandizement were more favorable, 
 and which would afford a field for the exercise of 
 the business qualities of his mind. 
 
 Mr. Schnebly therefore connected himself w^Ui 
 railroad work on the line of the Missouri Pacific 
 Road, Gccui)ying positions at Kansas City and In- 
 dependence, Mo., two years. He then returned to 
 
 his native State, and at Peoria resumed the duties 
 of clerk for the Peoria & Pekin Union and Illinois 
 Midland jointly. His later career has already been 
 noted. He manifests a considerable degree of in- 
 terest in the social and benevolent orders and has 
 become a member of the Royal Arcanum, Uni- 
 formed Rank of the Knights of Pythias, and Mod- 
 ern Woodmen of America. He also belongs to the 
 First Presbyterian Church, as does his estimable 
 w i f e. 
 
 Our subject has built for himself a fine residence 
 on East Bluff Street, whose general adornments 
 and air of refinement prove tliat it is presided over 
 by a lady whose aim is to make her home the most 
 attractive spot on earth to husband and children. 
 This lady was known in her maidenhood as Miss 
 Lillie S. Saul, and is a native of Peoria, in whose 
 schools she obtained a good education. She is a 
 daughter of Wesley H. Saul, an early resident and 
 commission produce man who removed hither from 
 Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother, former!}' Harriett 
 Secor, is now deceased. 
 
 The union of Mr. Schnebly and his amiable wife 
 was celebrated November 25, 1880, and to them 
 have been born five children named, respectively, 
 Ervvin J., Lillie M., Robert S., William G. and Hat- 
 tie B. They had the misfortune to lose their son, 
 William G., a briglit child of four years, with that 
 dread disease, scarlet fever. The children form a 
 bright and interesting group, and are receiving the 
 benefit of a good education. The family are highly 
 respected socially, and heartily endorse every 
 measure calculated to advance the interests of the 
 community. 
 
 On another page of this volume we present a 
 lithographic portrait of Mr. Schnebly. 
 
 ■yf EROME C. HAWLEY is the owner and 
 occupant of a good farm on section 2, Akron 
 Township, consisting of two hundred and 
 eighty acres of productive land, which lias 
 been placed under good improvement in every 
 part, is supplied with a complete line of necessary 
 buildings, sufficiently commodious for their vari-
 
 638 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 oils purposes and convtmienlly located. The owner 
 of the estate is a man of intelligence, who, having 
 received a good practical education, has regarded 
 the same as a foundation upon which to huild 
 greater knowledge through reading and ohserva- 
 tion. He is courteous in his dealings with his fel- 
 low-men, has a reputable character, and while 
 devoting his chief attention to his private affairs, 
 has been useful in several of the local offices. 
 
 Mr. Hawley is the younger of the two children 
 born to Nathan and C'hloe A. (Whiteside) Haw- 
 ley, whose (irst home after their marriage was in 
 Sandy Creek, Oswego County, N. Y. The mother 
 was a native of the Empire State, but the father 
 was born in ^'ermont. In the fall of 18.3.) tliey 
 came West, and in LaSalle County, this State, the 
 father breathed his last October 24, 1836. The 
 widow removed to this county, settling in Medina 
 Township, but subsequently' locating in Radnor 
 Township. She died at the residence of our sub- 
 ject in Akron Township, October 20, 1879. 
 
 The birthplace of him of whom we write was 
 Sandy Creek, Oswego County, N. Y., and his na- 
 tal day .June 9, 1832. He w.as in his fourth year 
 when he came to the Prairie .State with his parents, 
 and .^till but a little lad when he accompanied his 
 mother to this county. For eighteen years his 
 home was in ^Medina Township, after which he lived 
 in Radnor Township until 1866. He then settled 
 on section 2, Akron Township, continuing the 
 farm work, in which he has been engaged from his 
 youth, prospering in his occupation, and attaining 
 a position among the solid men of this section. 
 
 Mr. Hawley was fortunate in securing for his 
 companion a lady of genuine worth of character, 
 cultured mind ancl thrift3' w.ays. This was Miss 
 Sarah Wilkinson, who was born in Philadelphia, 
 Pa., July 15, 1840, and whom he led to the li\'- 
 meneal altar in Peoria, .Tune 11, 1863. The liap|)y 
 union has been blest by the birth of four children 
 — Alvin J., Clarence E., Nettie and Charles N., 
 who have been as thoroughl3f equipped for useful 
 careers as the comfortable circumstances and ardent 
 desires of their parents would permit. 
 
 The parents of ]Mrs. Hawley were Jolm and 
 Soiihia (Barden) Wilkinson, the former a native 
 ol England and the latter of New Jersey. They 
 
 settled in Philadelphia, where the wife died Octo- 
 ber 12, 1850. In the spring of 1853 Mr. Wilkin- 
 son came to Peoria County with his children, 
 locating in the county seat, where they lived 
 three years. He then removed to Woodford County, 
 where he departed this life May 30, 1861. The 
 family consisted of five sons and two daughters, 
 Mrs. Hawley being the third child and eldest 
 daughter. 
 
 The politic. d adherence of Mr. Hawley is given 
 to the Democratic party, in the principles of which 
 he firmly- believes. Among the oflices which he 
 has held in the township are that of llighwa3- Com- 
 missioner and various positions relating to the con- 
 duct of the schools. He and his wife are lilicral 
 in their religious views. 
 
 ■<ci» •t ^ • 
 
 ^H 
 
 lUSTAVE DAMMANN. We would fail 
 of our object of representing a complete 
 ^^^iAj bistoiy of the county were we to omit from 
 this Album the sketch of the late Gustave Dam- 
 mann, who for nearly a quarter of a centuiy was 
 engaged in busine.'^s in Peoria. He was an excel- 
 lent examiile of the zealous, industrious, law-abid- 
 ing German-American citizen, who, steadfastly 
 pursuing his business career, thriftily managing his 
 income, secured a good standing in business circles 
 and was enabled to supply his family with all of 
 the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 The parents of our subject were John Frederick 
 and Johanna (Gebser) Dammann, natives of Prus- 
 sia, in which kingdom the sou Gustave was also 
 born, the date of his birth being October 22, 1832. 
 He remained in his native land until after he had 
 become of age. acquiring the education which the 
 Fatherland provides for all her sons and daugh- 
 ters. Having been drawn to America by the re- 
 ports which had reached him of the better ojjpor- 
 tunities for financial adv.aneement and personal 
 advantage' which would be found here, he emigrated 
 in 1854, making his first settlement in Burlington, 
 Iowa. There he was engaged in the grocery busi- 
 ness about four years, after which he removed to 
 Galesburg, 111., resuming his former occupation in
 
 PORTRAIT A:SD BlOCiRArHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 639 
 
 that place. In 1862 he took up Lis abode in 
 Peoria, embarking in the toy l)usiness, which lie 
 successfully prosecuted as long as his health woidd 
 permit. After a long sickness he breathed his last, 
 November 11, 1886. 
 
 Mr. Daninianii was a man of inlegrily in busi- 
 ness relations, kind and considerate in social and 
 domestic life, meriting the esteem of his associates 
 and receiving from them a due measure of the 
 same. Appreciating the oi)portunities which this 
 country affords, he gave his children every advan- 
 tage possible, assisting them to secure good edu- 
 cations, and encouraging all their efforts toward 
 personal advancement. lie was a member of the 
 Order of Driuds. Before coming to this country 
 Mr. Dammann was a member of the Lutheran 
 Church, but never identilied himself with any 
 church here. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Dammann and Miss Jose- 
 phine Sleft'ens was celebrated April 20, 18o6. ^Mrs. 
 D-immann is a native of Oermany, but at the 
 time of her marriage was living in Burlington, 
 Iowa. She is a notable housewife, a devoted mother 
 and a devout member of the Sacred Heart Church. 
 Air. and Mrs. Dammann became the jiarents of 
 seven children, but three of whom are now living. 
 The son, P'rederick Joseph, is now in business; 
 Jenny, a graduate of the Normal School, is en- 
 gaged in leaching; Ernestine is her mother's com- 
 panion in the home, and is now engaged in the 
 millinery business. 
 
 !fj DWARD F. WILDER has been engaged in 
 Y^ farming and stock-raising in Radnor Tovvn- 
 iLi^/ ship since pioneer times, and by his skill and 
 ability as an .agriculturist he h.as contributed not a 
 little to its growth and material prosperity. His 
 farm on section 12, compares favorably in all re- 
 spects with the many choice farms for which this 
 county is so celebrated. lie comes of a sterling 
 New England ancestr}'. His father, Lindal Wilder, 
 was a native of Massachusetts, and his mother, Bet- 
 sey lladley, was also of New England birth. Thcv 
 
 spent their married life in Oswego County, N. Y., 
 where they were industriously engaged in farming, 
 and there rounded out lives of worth and useful- 
 ness. The3' had a famil}- of three children, of 
 whom our[subjcct was the second in order of l)irih. 
 
 lie was bom in the town of Sandy Creek, Os- 
 wego County. N. Y., Februar\- 14, 1824, and on his 
 father's farm was reared to the life of a farmer. He 
 resided in his native place until 1845, and then in 
 the opening years of an active, noble manhood, 
 came to Peoria Count}', seeking on these western 
 prairies to establish a home for himself. He had 
 come here without capital, and in order to secure 
 means of independence, worked out by the month 
 as a farm laborer until about 1856. He then set- 
 tled on his farm on section 12, Radnor Township, 
 which is still his home, and which he had purchased 
 as earl_v as 1847. He has here one hundred and 
 eight}- acres of land, which by unceasing activity 
 and hard pioneer labor, he has developed into a 
 line piece of property. It is under good tillage, and 
 he has erected commodious buildings of a substan- 
 tial order for every needed purpose, has .provided 
 good machinery for carrying on farming, and con- 
 duets his interests after the most approved meth- 
 ods. 
 
 When our subject first located on bis farm, he 
 was unmarried, but he was not obliged to toil alone 
 for a great length of time, as by his marriage, April 
 30, 1857, with Miss Eliza J., daughter of Thomas 
 and Margaret Hanson, n.atives of Ireland, he se- 
 cured the active co-operation of a wife, who has 
 been all in all to him. Mrs. Wilder's parents came 
 to America in 1839, and were pioneers of this 
 county, where they passed the remainder of their 
 days. She was the third of their four children, and 
 was born in County Kerr\-, Ireland, December 16, 
 1826. She and her husband have one daughter, 
 Rosella M., who was born in Radnor Township, 
 March 13, 1H58. She is now the wife of Charles 
 R. Cline, and is the mother of two children, Oscar 
 E. and Nellie R. She remained at home with her 
 parents until her marriage, and was carefully reared 
 and educated. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wilder are very pleasantly situated 
 and their attractive home is the center of a charm- 
 ing hospitality. By his fellow-citizens Mr. Wilder
 
 640 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 is regarded with feelings of friendship and confi- 
 dence, as he is Icind, considerate, and conscientious 
 in all his dealings with them, and when an^y of his 
 neighbors are in sorrow or in need, they look to 
 him, and also to his good wife, who is held in like 
 esteem, sure of their sj'mpathy and help. Mr. 
 Wilder has been School Director for three years, 
 although he has not sought office, but has attended 
 strictl}- to his business. Mrs. Wilder and daugh- 
 ter are among the most valued members of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 -^ 
 
 ^/OHN P0RTP:R. deceased, formerly lield an 
 import'int place among the leading farmers 
 and stock-growers of this county, of which 
 he was an honored pioneer. He was an 
 earl}' fetller of Millbrook Township, and his death 
 w.as a serious loss to its citizenship, as he had al- 
 ways taken a deep interest in its welfare, and his 
 name was associated with all plans for the moral, 
 social and educational advancement of the com- 
 munit}". 
 
 He was a native of Scotland, coming of a good 
 faniil}-, and was born in Gallowaj'shire, March 6, 
 1812. He was a son of James and Grace (Tail) 
 Porter, who were also natives of Scotland, and his 
 father was a phj-sician by profession. The early 
 years of the life of our subject were passed upon 
 his native heath, but when about eighteen 3'ears 
 old he went from his old home to Blackburn. Eng- 
 land, and there served an apprenticeship in the 
 mercantile business as a grocer and dry-goods 
 clerk for some seven jears. He continued clerk- 
 ing for some years and gained a thorough knowl- 
 edge of the business, he having a quick mind, 
 which had been developed by a good education. 
 In 1848 he threw up bis position as clerk in Eng- 
 land and came to America. He landed in New 
 Orleans and from there came to this count}', and 
 for a time was engaged as clerk in a mercantile 
 business in Peoria. 
 
 Our subject finally turned his attention to farm- 
 ing, and in 1852 located on section 12, Millbrook 
 Township, whence he removed with his family in 
 
 1856 to the home now occupied by his widow. 
 His success as an agriculturist was complete, and 
 at the time of his death, August 21. 1878, ne had 
 here a large farm of two hundred and forty acres 
 that was under fine improvement, with well-tilled 
 fields and substantial buildings for every purpose. 
 It was originally a tract of wild land, on which a 
 furrow had never been turned, and it was only by 
 the quiet force of persistent and unremitting toil 
 that he made it what it is. to-day. 
 
 Mr. Porter was fiist married in November, 1848, 
 to Jane Anderson. His marriage with Jeanetle 
 Smith, who survives him, was solemnized Febru- 
 ary 24, 1852. Mrs. Porter was born in Glasgow, 
 Scotland, April 20, 1830. a daughter of John and 
 Bethial'ry Smith, who were also of Scottish birth 
 and antecedents. When she was about twelve 
 years old they emigrated to America, crossing the 
 Atlantic in a sail vessel and landing in New 
 Orleans, and thence proceeding to St. Louis, 
 Mo., where they remained about two years. In 
 1844 they came to Princeville Township, where 
 they spent their remaining years, the father dying 
 in 1852, and the mother October 24, 1876. They 
 were among the early pioneers of Princeville 
 Township, where Mr. Smith purchased forty acres 
 of land from the Government, at $1.25 an acre, 
 and did much pioneer labor in developing it. 
 While a resident of the old country, when he was 
 a young man, he had been a soldier in the British 
 army arid bad served in the Peninsular campaign 
 under the famous AVcUington; he also fought in 
 many battles in .Spain against the French. He was 
 a regular and served nine years. He was a sincere 
 Christian and a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
 Mrs. Porter and her brother, Archibald, of Prince- 
 ville Township, are the only survivors of a family 
 of eiglit children. She is an active member of the 
 Presbyterian Church, always t.aking part in any of 
 its good works, and she is a very intelligent, capa- 
 ble woman, of many pleasant social qualities, and 
 is highly regarded by the entire community. She 
 has witnessed the gradual growth of the county, 
 and can recall many a pioneer scene, and converses 
 interestingly of the primitive life and the condition 
 of the country in the early days of its settlement. 
 
 To our subject and bis wife were born ten chil-
 
 PORTIiAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 641 
 
 dren, of whom six are living: Bethia, now Mrs. 
 Dcbord, of Princeville Township; Grace, Clara, 
 David, John P., and James. 
 
 Mr. Porter was a man of marked intelligence, 
 and of a firm and dignifled character, whicli, with 
 his higli moral integrity, won him tlie absolute 
 trust and full esteem of iiis fellow-citizens when he 
 came here to cast his lot with the resolute pioneers 
 of Peoria County, witli nianj' of whom he lived in 
 close friendsiiip for many years. He conducted 
 his affairs with excellent business tact and wise 
 cconomj', and his honesty in all his transactions was 
 proverbial. He was a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and had officiated in the Sunday-school 
 as Superintendent. He served as School Director, 
 and was frequently solicited to take other important 
 offices of trust by his fellow-citizens, but would not 
 accept, preferring the quietness and comfort of his 
 happy fireside to the turmoil of public life. Since 
 tlie death of Mr. Porter his widow has added eighty 
 acres to the original homestead, and she now has 
 tliree hundred and twenty acres. 
 
 
 
 V/li ICHAEL PFEIFER. This gentleman is 
 one of the leading German-Americans of 
 Peoria, in which cit^' he has pursued a suc- 
 cessful business career for more than a 
 quarter of a centurj-. He has been the organizer 
 of many important beneficiar}' corporations and to 
 his business ability much of their success has been 
 due. A detailed account of his labors from the 
 time when he was engaged in chopping wood on 
 the Mississippi River to tlic present, would afford 
 the strongest possible proof of his energy and capa- 
 bility, and add another striking example to the list 
 of prominent and influential men who have risen by 
 their own exertions. 
 
 In Bavaria, German}-, .lanuary 17. 1 829, tliee3'es 
 of our subject first opened to the light of day. He 
 was reared in his native land until near man's 
 estate, when he determined to seek liis fortune in 
 America, arriving in this country in August, 1849. 
 Coming west as far as the Mississippi River, he 
 spent four or five months in wood chopping and 
 
 then found employment as a teamster in St. Louis, 
 Mo. After a time he entered a furniture store 
 where he remained until 1855, when he came to 
 Peoria to engage as a clerk for Albert Pottlioff & 
 Co., hardware dealers. He remained with them 
 and their successors until 18C1, when he embarked 
 in business for himself, opening a grocery store on 
 the corner of Bridge and Washington Streets. Two 
 years later he added hardware to his stock, after- 
 ward abandoning tlie trade in groceries and devo- 
 ting his attention entirely to dealing in hardware 
 and agricultural implements. In this he still con- 
 tinues, having added farm seeds to his stock, and is 
 doing an excellent retail business under the style 
 of M. Pfeifer A: Co. 
 
 Mr. Pfeifer is one of the organizers of the Work- 
 ingmen's Loan and Homestead Association, which 
 was the first society of the kind started here and in 
 which he has been a Director since its organiza- 
 tion, with the exception of four years when he was 
 representing the First Ward in the City Council 
 having resigned his directorship when elected 
 Alderman. He also assisted in organizing the Ger- 
 man Workingmen's Association, which is still in 
 existence, and the Inheritance Association wnich 
 has been disorganized. He was one of the origi- 
 nal stockholders in the Central City Street Car 
 lines, in which he is still interested and in which 
 he has been a Director thirteen years. He was in- 
 terested in the organization of the German Bank- 
 ing Company, of which he was President about six 
 years; it was then merged into the German-Ameri- 
 can National Bank with a capital of $100,000, of 
 whicii Mr. Pfeifer was President six years. 
 
 Another institution with the organization of 
 which Mr. Pfeifer was connected, is the German 
 Fire Insurance Company, which w.as incorporated 
 in 1878, wilb a capital of $100,000 and now has a 
 capital of 8300,000 and a record of thirteen years 
 of successful business. Mr. Pfeifer has been the 
 Director and the Treasurer of this society since its 
 organization. 
 
 Mr. Pfeifer has belonged to the Independent Or- 
 der of Odd-Fellows since 1852, and is one of the 
 leading members of the society in wbich lie has 
 filled all of the Chairs. In 1858 he joined the Ger. 
 man Fire Company, of which he was an active mem-
 
 612 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ber for twelve jeai-^, flaring tliat time filling the 
 positions of Secretary, Treasurer and foreman. He 
 ovns quite a large amount of real estate in the 
 cit_v. He married Miss Barbara Goeliring of St. 
 Louis who w.as born in Bavaria in 1827. She is 
 still living, hale and heaity. and capable of enjoy- 
 ing as in earlier j-ears the society of her man\- friends 
 and the comforts b}' which she is surrounded. 
 
 LAIR K. MOLIL is a practical wide-awake, 
 energetic member of the farming commu- 
 ■^■J)))! nity of Peoria County, and since he located 
 on his present farm on section 7. Brim field 
 Township, he has greatly developed and improved 
 it until it now stands among the most valuable in 
 this locality. Our subject is a native of Perry 
 Count}-, Pa., and was there born February 15. 1854, 
 to Joseph and Margaret ( Lyons) Moul. His par- 
 ents were also natives of the Keystone State, and 
 there our subject spent the early j-ears of his life, 
 receiving his education in the local schools. He 
 did not have many advantages in the way of ac- 
 quiring book learning, but being fond of reading 
 and possessing good powers of observation, he has 
 since become well informed, and keei)s abreast of 
 the times concerning all subjects of general inter- 
 est. When he was a l.id of ten j'ears. he had 
 the misfortune to lose his father, and his mother be- 
 ing poor, he was earh- thrown on his own resources. 
 He. however, possessed a sturdy, self-reliance, and 
 was active and capable, and found no difficulty in 
 finding work, being employed as a farm hand at 
 fourteen jears of age, anil for some five years was 
 thus engaged iai his native State, receiving as pa}-- 
 ment for his services about §12 |)er mouth. In 
 1874 he started out in the world, ambitious to do 
 still better than he was doing, and made his wa}' to 
 the Prairie State, and for five years worked out b}- 
 the month. He lived in Bureau Count}- one year, 
 and then came to this county. He prudently saved 
 his earnings, and finall}- was enabled to become in- 
 dependent, and after farming as a renter for a short 
 time, purchased his present farm in 1880. This 
 comprises eight\- acres of choice land of excep- 
 
 tional fertility, which is under the best cultivation, 
 and for which he paid -^50 an acre. 
 
 ^Ir. Moul has wrought a great change on this 
 farm during the decade that it has been in his pos- 
 session. He has put in seven hundred rods of tile, 
 and h.as it under excellent drainage. He has erected 
 a neat dwelling house, and other necessary build- 
 ings, and the land he has placed under fine tillage, 
 so that it yields to him the great amount of sev- 
 enty-five bushels of corn to the acre. 
 
 February 4, 1878, was the date of r.n important 
 event in the life of our subject, as he was then mar- 
 ried to Mar}' L. Kohlcr, who has been to him a 
 true wife and an inviluable assistant in his work. 
 She is likewise of Pennsylvania birth, her native 
 [liace in Juniata County, and was born on the 5th 
 of May. 1855. She is the daughter of William and 
 Susan (Motz) Kohler. By their union our subject 
 and his wife have become the parents of seven 
 children — Charles R., William T., Harry L., Edgar 
 B.. Susan B., Maggie, and an iiifimt daughter. 
 
 Mr. Moul and his wife are among our most es- 
 timable citizens. They are sociable people, harmo- 
 !iious in their relations with their fellow-citizens, 
 showing neighborly kindness and helpfulness where- 
 ever it is needed. Mrs. Moul is afaithfid member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, or chapel, at 
 Bethel. Knox County. Sir. Moul is always found 
 among those who favor public improvement. He 
 is a stalwart among the Republicans, giving his 
 party stanch support. 
 
 -i^^. 
 
 !5DWARD ]). ]-:DWARDS. Among the young 
 ^ farmers of Rosefiild Township, none beais a 
 better i"i-,-'-tion for activity and progres- 
 sive ideas than t . gentleman above named, who 
 I owns and occui)ies one hundred and sixty acres on 
 section 22. He located there in the spring of 1884, 
 since which time he has cleared and improved this 
 farm, bringing it to a condition that attracts the 
 attention of passers-by. and indicates clearly the 
 (lualities of ilic ''w. er. With the exception of one 
 year, which wr;- spent by hira in McLean County. 
 I and one '.■-.: qicnt in the West, on the Pacific
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 643 
 
 Slope, the entire life of Mr. Edwards has beeu 
 been passed iu the township wlicein hu is so well 
 and favorably known. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write, opened his 
 eyes to the light. Maj- 23, 1853, on section 21, Rose- 
 6eld Township. He was reared on the parental 
 farm, early learning the art of agriculture from ob- 
 servation, and such a participation as his strength 
 would permit in the cultivation of the estate. His 
 home duties were alternated by attendance at the 
 district school wiierein he acquired a practical knowl- 
 edge of the more important branches of study. 
 When twenty j'ears old he began his personal career 
 in life, busying himself at various employments 
 until he was able to bu}' the land which he is now 
 tilling. In politics he is a Republican, his first 
 Presidential ballot having been cast for Rutherford 
 B. Hayes. 
 
 Realizing that it was not good for man to live 
 alone. Jlr. Kdwards won a companion in the per- 
 son of Miss Liiella O. jMcVicker, with whom he was 
 united in marriage August 7, 1877. Mrs. Edwards 
 is a daughter of .ioliii W. and Melissa (Shepliard) 
 McVicker. and with good educational privileges and 
 iiome training became intelligent in mind and skilled 
 in domestic accomplishments. She belongs to the 
 Methodist E|)iscopal Church, and endeavors to 
 make her jiractice correspond with her profession. 
 She and her husband have two children. Charles 
 Ellis and Edna Mamie. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of our subject were 
 Thomas and Eleanor Edwards, who removed witli 
 their family from Hampshire Count\-. Va., to Peo- 
 ria County, 111., in an eail}' da}'. Their son Ed- 
 ward 1), Sr., located on section 24, Rosolield Town- 
 ship, where Frank Edwards is now living. There 
 he died about 18.j6, leaving six children. He had 
 entered several liunilrcd acres of land, and in addi- 
 tion to his successful agricultural work, had built 
 eight or ten miles of the Peoria & Oquawka Rail- 
 road, now tiie Chicago, Burlington & (Juincv, ex- 
 tending east from Oak Hill. His wife was Susie E. 
 Schnebley, a native of Maryland. The record of 
 the brothers and sisters of our subject is as follows: 
 Thomas II., who is now living in Livingston 
 County, aided the Union cause as a soldier during 
 the late war; Ellen .1. is tlie wife of Uavid Gigley, 
 
 of McLean County: John S. died in inf;u]cy; Mary 
 A , died when quite young; Francis A. noiv lives on 
 the old homestead; George AV. died when twenty 
 years old; Susan is the wife of Frank A'an Arsdall, 
 of Galesbnrg. 
 
 Vl]OHN C. E. MEYER was bred to the life of a 
 farmer in his native Germany, and has al- 
 ways devoted himself to that vocation. For 
 the success that has followed his labors since 
 coming to this county, which [ilaces him among its 
 men of wealth, he is indebted solely to his own 
 ability and skill. For many 3'ears he has been 
 iilentitied with the growth of the agricultural in- 
 terests of this part of the State, and more especially 
 of Akron Township, where he lias one of the largest 
 and best eqHip|)cd farms in this vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Meyer was born in Germany, August 5, 
 I80O. ami at the age of nineteen years left the Fa- 
 therland to seek a new home in America in com- 
 pany with his parents, John C. and Sophia (Pahl) 
 Meyer. They landccl in New York, and came di- 
 rectly to Peoria, and soon after settled in Radnor 
 Township. 
 
 Mr. Meyer after his marriage, first lived in Rad- 
 nor Township, whence he removed to ^Medina, and 
 finally took up his abode in Akron Township, where 
 he still makes his home. He has toiled hard and 
 with untiring perseverance and as a result has a 
 farm of five hundred and twenty acres, on which 
 he luas erected a fine set of buildings and everj'- 
 thing about the place is neat and well ordered. The 
 marriage of Mr. Meyer with Miss Anna Schnoor 
 was solemnized in Radnor Township. Mrs. Meyer 
 is, like himself, a n.ative of German}-. She is a most 
 excellent housewife, is a good manager and to 
 her co-operation Mr. Meyer attributes not a little 
 of his prosperity. They have a family of nine chil- 
 dren, named — \Villiam, Lena, Henry, Louisa, Anna, 
 John, Fred, George and Sophia. 
 
 In his practical work as a farmer and stock-raiser, 
 Mr. iSIeycr has displayed prudence and frugality, 
 so combined with far reaching enterprise and 
 tenacity ^of purpose, as to place him on a solid
 
 G41 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 financial basis and bring him a handsome com- 
 petency ere yet old age had dimmed his energies, or 
 his power of enjoying the fruits of his labors. Al- 
 thougli a busy man be has given some of his lime 
 to the demands of pulilic life, and has held wilii 
 honor some of the school offices and other minor 
 positions in the township. In his political belief he 
 is a Republican and gives strong support to his 
 party. He and his wife are Lutherans in religious 
 faith and are among the leading members of the 
 church of that denomination. 
 
 OREN WILDER, now deceased, entered 
 into rest at his home on section 19, Medina 
 ^ Township. September 11, 1889. He had 
 
 resided in the county more than half a century, 
 had prospered in his worldly affairs, possessed the 
 confidence of all who knew him. and left a record 
 for public spirit, honor and uprightness which is 
 contemplated with pleasure b\- his bereaved fam- 
 ily and friends. He took a i)rominent part in local 
 political affairs, althougli in no sense an office- 
 seeker. Office sought him. however, and for 
 eighteen consecutive years, except one, he held 
 the office of Supervisor. He also held all the other 
 local offices at various periods, and was a member 
 of the County Poor Committee. He was a sound 
 Democrat. Although he iiad never united with 
 with any religious body, his belief accorded with 
 that of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Mr. Wilder upon first coming to this counts- 
 purchased unbroken lands in Medina Township, 
 improved them to some extent and then sold, buy- 
 ing others. About 1846 he purchased one hun- 
 ared and sixty acres, which became his permanent 
 home, making upon it such improvements that at 
 the time of his death it was considered one of the 
 liest farms in the township. Realizing the value 
 of the land in this section, he had secured about 
 five hundred acres, which was improved by him- 
 self, and, wilii the exception of eight}- acres, pcr- 
 sonalh- managed by him. He also helped to I.iy 
 out the village of Alta. which consists of eightj- 
 acres, owning a one third interest in the same at the 
 
 time of his decease. His energy and good judg- 
 ment were recognized by his acquaintances, and no 
 one reposed confidence in him in vain. 
 
 The family of which Mr. Wilder was a worth}' 
 member has an extended history in Vermont, and 
 an illustrious name in Xew England annals. His 
 father. Nathaniel Wilder, was reared and educated 
 in the Green Mountain State, becoming a farmer. 
 He married Polly Warner, who was of English 
 ancestry and a native of Vermont. They contin- 
 ued to reside in that State until after the birth of 
 several children, when thev removed to Oswego 
 Count}', N. Y., settling on a farm at Sandy Creek. 
 There they spent the remainder of their natur.d 
 lives, the husband dying in middle life and the 
 wife surviving until quite old. They were Pres- 
 byterians in religious faitii. Tliey had three sons 
 and two daughters, the on!}- survivors being a son. 
 Edson. a well-to-do farmer in Waldo Towufhip. 
 Livingston County, III., and a daughter, Mrs. 
 Rufus Salisbury, of Sandy Creek, N. Y. 
 
 Loren Wilder was born in Windham County, 
 Vt., November 11, 1813, and was but three s'ears 
 old when his parents removed to the Empire State. 
 There he grew to manhood, learning and follow- 
 ing the tanner's trade in Oswego County until he. 
 came to Illinois in 1836. He sojourned for a time 
 in Peoria, there marrying Miss Mary Hanson, who 
 was born in County Derr}-, Ireland. .July 17, 1823. 
 She is of pure Irish blood, a daughter of Thomas 
 and Margarette (Hanson) Hanson, natives of tiie 
 same county as herself, who emigrated to America 
 after the birth of two sons and two daughters. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hanson left the Emerald Isle in 
 the spring of 1839, crossing the ciiannel to Liver- 
 pool, there taking passage for America on a sailing- 
 vessel, which landed at New York City in due 
 time. They then crossed the Alleghany Mountains 
 to Pittsburg, thence journeyed down the Ohio and 
 up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Peoria, 
 which the}' reached three months after leaving 
 their old home. They subsequently settled in 
 .Medina Township on an almost unbroken farm, 
 which they improved and made their home during 
 the remainder of their lives. Mr. Hanson died 
 I when eighty six years old, and his wife when sev- 
 I enty-five. They were identified with the Presby-
 
 M
 
 PORTKAI r AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 6i: 
 
 teriiiii Cliuirh. 'I'liu only surviving inembers of 
 tlie funiil^' are: Mrs. Wilder, of this notice; and 
 Mis. Edvviiid AViider, of Radnor Township. 
 
 Mrs. WiMcr wps seventeen years old whoii her 
 parents came to this country. She is a smart, in- 
 tellisenl woman, having been carefully roared by 
 her parents, and having had her edue.-ilioi' wisely' 
 looKed after by her father, ivho was a merchant in 
 his native land. She is a consistent member of the 
 Presbyterian Church, her name being enrolled at 
 Dunla|). She has had three children, but one of 
 whom is now living. iNIargaret became the wife of 
 Alexander Keady, a farmer in Medina Township, 
 to whom she bore three daughters — Marion, Kiea- 
 nor and Maggie. She departed tliis life in Medina, 
 April 1), 1883. The only .■^on of Blr. and Mrs. 
 Wilder was Thomas, who died when ten years old. 
 The surviving child — Polly F. — an educated, rclined 
 woman, married D. M. Waite, a native of the Em- 
 pire State, whoT^arae West after having served his 
 country as a private soldier three years in the 
 Third New York Cavalrj^ and returned from the 
 war fairly sound, lie now has the management of 
 the Wilder farm. He and his wife have two living 
 children — Linnie and Edward F. — and have lost 
 two — Nellie and Loren W. 
 
 Mv. Wilder took a boy when seven years old, who 
 has ever since made his home here. He has been 
 carefully reared and educated b^- Jlr. and .Mrs. 
 Wilder. His name is Fred E. Koyer. 
 
 — -#>E^ ^ 
 
 r OHN MOSS. No resident of Jubilee Town- 
 Townshi[( is better known or more highly 
 respected than this gentleman, whose biog- 
 raphy and portrait we present on these 
 p.ages. He is one of the oldest settlers of the 
 township and has been an important factor in de- 
 veloping its agricultural interests. 
 
 During the four-score years of the life of Mr. 
 Moss he has been a witness of the many startling 
 changes in the history of this county and the 
 development of its resources. He was born in 
 Onondaga County, N. Y., August 18, 1810. His 
 father, bearing the same name as himself, was of 
 English descent and was born in New Haven, 
 
 Conn. He was reared to farming pur.siiiis, and in 
 1799, when a 30ung man, removed to the primeval 
 forests of Onondaga County, locating live miles 
 from Sjn-acuse. He cleared a farm on which he 
 lived until his death, which occurred in 1816, when 
 he was scarcely p.ast the prime of life, at the age of 
 forty-five years. He furnished a substitute during 
 the War of 1812, thinking it dangerous to leave his 
 famil}' alone in that wild country, where Indians 
 still remained. He was a devoted member of the 
 Episcopal Church and was in every way a 
 thoroughly good man. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Marj- Esther C. INFoss, bearing the name, al- 
 though not being a relative of her husband. She 
 was born in New Haven and at the time of her 
 husband's death was left with several small chil- 
 dren. She bravely took up the burden of rearing 
 them to years of usefulness, and was an inmate of 
 our subject's home until her death in 1852. Two 
 of her children died in infancy, and five grew to 
 maturity, as follows: Mury, who died in Jubilee 
 Township; Caroline, Mrs. White, who died in Mo- 
 line; Narcissa lives in Jubilee Township; Jose|)h 
 resides in Coldwater, Mich.; ,Iohn, our subject; 
 William and Jessie died in 1816. 
 
 He, of whom we write, was reared on a farm, 
 and was early put to work. He received the pre- 
 liminaries of his education in the district school 
 which was conducted on the subscription plan and 
 completed it in the Onondaga Hollow Academ}^ 
 which he attended for a year when he was eighteen 
 years old, besides being a pupil there at different 
 times for four years. He remained at home with 
 his mother until twenty-one years of .ige and then 
 began to utilize his excellent education b^' teach- 
 ing in the district schools, and was thus engaged at 
 various times for four years. Of a studious turn 
 of mind and very amliitious to obtain more learn- 
 ing, he studied Greek and Latin, and look several 
 academic tern<s in matlie.matics under Profs. Wool- 
 worth, Fairchild and Hendricks. During the four 
 years in which he was engaged in teaching he 
 taught in onlj' two schools. In 1833 he attended the 
 Episcopal Academy at Cheshire, Conn., where his 
 studies were directed by the celebrated Rev. Vv. 
 Judd.
 
 648 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Our subject returned home when he had com- 
 jileted his course in that instilution. and attended 
 the academy at Onondaga HoUuw. In 1835 lie 
 resumed farmin.s;, Init for three years in succession 
 there was a general failure in ciops.and he had but 
 little in return for his labors. He paid crsh for 
 everytliiug, and as he did not make money, his 
 finances were at a low ebb, and becoming discour- 
 aged at the prospects in his native State, he deter- 
 mined to come West. Accordingly, in the spring 
 of 1838, be began his long journey, bringing his 
 household with 1iim, traveling by canal- to Buffalo, 
 then by steamboat on the lakes; severe storms 
 arising, obliged the boat to stop at Cleveland, and 
 our subject went by stage to Toledo, and thence 
 by canal fifty miles, where his travels were stopped 
 on account of a breakage in the canal. Ho then 
 took the boat to .Steuben ville, on the Ohio River, 
 and from there embarked on a steamboat for Cin- 
 cinnati, and thence went down the Ohio and up 
 the Mississippi to St. Louis, and from there came 
 to Peoria b_v water, landing here Ma}^ 12, 1838, 
 itftcr passing a month on the way. 
 
 At the time of his arrival Mr. Moss found Peo- 
 ria a small place of about fifteen hundred inhabi- 
 tants, and giving few indications of its pve.sent 
 culture and prosperity. He proceeded into the 
 country as far as Mt. Holly, on a prospecting tour 
 with his brother-in-law, Mr. White. Three weeks 
 later he selected his present quarter-section, com- 
 prising the northwest part of section 14. He 
 "jumped" the claim, that awaited the claimant's 
 return, and in the fall entered it at $1.25 per acre. 
 It was wild prairie land with oak openings, and 
 was a tract of military land. He located on it in 
 a log house that had no cover; this he roofed at 
 first with split boards, living in it nine years. He 
 split three thousand rails and built a Virginia rail 
 fence the first winter, and enclosed thirty acres of 
 his land, having broken and worked three acres the 
 first summer. He worked out on the Kickapoo for 
 a man, breaking three acres of land for him and 
 raising buckwheat, on which he lived. He worked 
 out that summer and winter, and the next year pro- 
 cured a team, with which he farmed and raised a 
 crop. Peoria was the nearest market, and he made 
 O'ie trip to Chicago wjth a load of pork, in 1844, 
 
 Mr. Moss was ver3- fond of hunting, for which 
 h( had plenty of opportunities when the countrv 
 was wild and unsettled; at one time he trapped 
 forty-eight prairie chickens, and killed other wilil 
 game. He continued to break piairie, but being 
 troubled witii the ague the second year he was 
 iiere. he could not work so much. In 1838 he en- 
 tered eighty acres of land on section 22, and a 
 short time afterward sold it at a good advance. 
 In 1847 he built his present substantial residence, 
 the brick being made in this township. His farm 
 is supposed to have been bunting grounds of Black 
 Hawk and his tribe, and to this da}' arrow heads 
 and other relics are found here. Mrs. Moss, while 
 at her home in the East, saw the noted Black Hawk, 
 who was on his wa}- to Washington. 
 
 The main object of Mr. Moss in coming here was 
 to build up a home, and not to enrich himself, and 
 he has succeeded in acquiring the modest compe- 
 tence that he desired. He has been engaged in 
 general farming and stock-raising, and has his 
 farm well stocked with cattle and hogs of good 
 grades. His estate of one hundred and sixty acres 
 is all improved and is supplied with the necessary 
 buildings. He has but fifty-six acres now under 
 his control, having divided the rest between two 
 sons. Possessing a good physique, keen intellect 
 and a well-trained mind, he is remarkably well pre- 
 served for his age. His face shows benevolence in 
 every line, and he is revered and beloved bj' all 
 who know him. His name will always be indisso- 
 lublj' linked with that of Jubilee Township, .as one 
 its earliest settlers, and his valuable work as a pio- 
 neer will never be forgotten. In all enterprises 
 that pertain to the social, religious, political 
 and civic life of township and county, he has 
 been preeminent. He represented the town- 
 ship on the County Board of Supervisors for 
 three j'ears, was Collector for one \ear, and has 
 been Commissioner of Higliways. Politicallj-, he 
 has alw,ays been a Democrat, though by no means 
 offensively partisan; during the Rebellion he sided 
 with the Government as a War Democrat, and was a 
 recruiting officer. The money that was collected 
 to provide for the widows and orphans of the sol- 
 diers was pl.aced in his care for disbursement, and 
 could have been put in no better hands. He hag
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 649 
 
 been delegate to county and State conventions. 
 Religiouslj-, lie is idenlifieil witli ihe Episcopal 
 Cliiircli, having been connected with it from in- 
 f:inc3' and holding nunnbershij) in .Jubilee Chapel, 
 of wliich he is a Vestij man. He assisted in quar- 
 rying some of the stone for the chapel, and was 
 present at the laying of the corner stone of Jubilee 
 College in 1839. He has been Superintendent of 
 Sunday-school for years, and though his advanced 
 age will not permit of his taking as active part in 
 it as he would like, he is always ready to assist in 
 any way that he can. 
 
 To the faithful and devoted companion vvho has 
 walked by his side for more than fifty years, who 
 has shared his work and strengthened and cheered 
 him in his labors, our subject was united in mar- 
 riage May 4, 1837. I'hey are now the oldest cou- 
 ple in the vicinity. Mrs. Moss' maiden name was 
 Julia A. Warner, and she was born in the town of 
 Skaneateles, Onondaga County, July 24, 1813. Her 
 father, Mark Warner, a native of ^Massachusetts, 
 was of Welsh-English descent, and received a good 
 education in the old Bay State. In early manhood 
 he became a pioneer of Onondaga County, where 
 he engaged in farming and where lie died in the 
 '40s. He was a stalwart Whig in politics. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Anna Bolles, who was 
 born in Massachusetts, and reared in Coldbrook, 
 Conn. She went from there to New York, and 
 after her husband's death came to Illinois to live 
 with her daughter and our subject, and her death 
 occurred at their home February 20, 1862. She 
 was a truly religious woman, and a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. She was the mother 
 of four children: one who died in infancy; Morris, 
 who died in 1876, in Detroit, Mich.; Julia A.; 
 lUimina, Mrs. Rev. Parker, was in the Treasury 
 Department of Washington, D. C, and died in 
 1859. 
 
 Mrs. Moss had very good educational advant- 
 ages in select schools, and at the early age of six- 
 teen years engaged in teaching, and followed that 
 vocation until her marriage. Of her wedded life 
 with our subject six children have come: Julia N. 
 married the Rev. James S. MuOowan, an Episco- 
 palian missionary residing in Monterey County, 
 Cal,, on a farm; Cecil C, who is farming on the 
 
 home farm ; John M. died at the age of thirty 
 years; Joseph C. is a Ph. G. of Ann Arbor, and 
 has practiced the profession some, but is now in 
 Washington; Francis E. assists in the management 
 of tiie home farm. One child died in infancy. 
 Mrs. Mc(TOwan is a practicing physician in Cali- 
 fornia. She was graduated from the Chicago 
 Women's Medical College, and inaeticed in that 
 city very successfully until her marriage; Cecil C. 
 attended the aciideniy at PrinceviUe, and completed 
 his education in Jubilee College. He is prominent 
 in public affairs, is and has been Assessor for ten 
 years. John was educated for the profession of 
 teacher at the Normal School, and was engaged in 
 that vocation for several years. He was a natural 
 artist, and acquiring the art of photogiai) ly, [irac- 
 ticjd it for some time. He was a young man of 
 great [iromise. Francis is a graduate of the In- 
 dianapolis Commercial College, was a teacher here 
 at one time, and has traveled quite extensively in 
 Kansas and Texas. 
 
 -*— 4i-l%*- 
 
 EV. SAMFEL S. KEMP is the son of an 
 ti honored pioneer family of Brimfield 
 ^^ \V Township, and since attaining manhood he 
 has been classed among the leading farm- 
 ers and stock-raisers, having on section 31, one of 
 the choicest and best improved farms in this sec- 
 tion. He has not only been active in the promo- 
 tion of the material welfare of the township, but he 
 has been very prominent in all that pertains to its 
 religious, educational and social prosperity. He 
 has recently been licensed to preach in the United 
 Brethren ministry, is a power in the church, and is 
 an influence for much good in the community. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Ohio, born in Butler 
 County, December 31, 1843, and a son of the late 
 David and Sarah (Snyder) Kemp. They were na- 
 tives of Ohio, and came from the Buckeye Slate to 
 Illinois in 1853, and were among the early settlers 
 of Brimfield Township, the father selecting a tnict 
 of land that had been partly cultivated, lying on 
 section 29. He was a man of singularly Indus-
 
 650 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 trious and persevering habits, and in the years of 
 labor that followed, despite the struggles and sacri- 
 fices of a [)ioneor life, improved a farm that is to- 
 day one of the most valuable in this part of the 
 county. He becpme a man of promiueute in local, 
 public and religious affairs, was a Democrat in 
 politics, and served wisel3' as Justice of the Peace 
 for man}' 3-cars, and was one of the founders of 
 the United Brethren Church, known as Paradise 
 Chapel, in BrimSeld Township, and was ever after 
 active in its interests, being a local preacher for 
 about fifteen years. He was liberal not onl}' in the 
 support of the church, but in forwarding all things 
 that would in any way enhance the welfare of the 
 cororaunity. June 26. 1880, this Christian man 
 entered into his reward, leaving behind the mem- 
 orj' of an upright life that is cherished in the hearts 
 of his family and many friends that he had gath- 
 ered about him. In his death the count}' lost one 
 of its best citizens, who had been a public spirited 
 pioneer. His wife, who was in ever}' way worthy 
 of him, now lives in Elm wood, and is quite an 
 aged lady. They were the parent* of three chil- 
 dren, as follows: Maria C. married Henry Schenck, 
 and is now deceased; Samuel .S. and Squire D. 
 
 Samuel S. Kemp was but a boy when his parents 
 brought him to their home on the wild prairies of 
 this county, and here he was reared under the in- 
 fluences of pioneer life, receiving good instruction 
 in the best modes of farming, and in the home was 
 carefully trained in the highest moral principles. 
 He received the rudiments of his education in the 
 public schools of Brirafield Township, and for a 
 time attended Elmwood High School. In his 
 twenty-first year he entered Lombard University 
 at Galesburg, and was a diligent student there for 
 one year, making rapid progress in his studies and 
 pursuing an excellent course. Thus equipped for 
 the battle of life, he entered upon the work of a 
 farmer, in which he has met with excellent success, 
 and has here a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
 whose finely cultivated fields yield him large har- 
 vcstS; and here he has one of the loveliest homes in 
 the township. 
 
 May 21, 1867, Mr. Kemp and iMiss Nellie Barca- 
 l(iw were united in a marriage that has prove! one 
 (if singular felicity, Mrs. Kemp is, like her hus- 
 
 band, a native of Ohio, and is a daughter of Derrick 
 and Temperance Barcalow. She is the mother of 
 three children, of whom the following is the rec- 
 ord: Clarence H. was born January 27. 1870; 
 William B., March 16, 1877; and Dav=d E.. Jan- 
 uary 10, 1881. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Kemp is a thoroughly good man, 
 and holds a high place in the estimation of his fel- 
 low-citizens. His is a true Christian nature, deeply 
 religious, and he has an earnest, pleasant manner 
 in expressing his views that gains him a favorable 
 hearing, and often carries conviction to the minds 
 of his hearers, and that augers happy results in his 
 ministry. He has long been an active member of 
 the United Brethren Church, and in February. 
 1890, was licensed to preach. For several years he 
 has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the 
 United Brethren College at Weslfield. He has 
 served efficiently as School Director. He interests 
 himself in politics, and uses his influence in favor 
 of the Democratic party. 
 
 HAUJS'CEY GALLUP is the owner and oc- 
 cupant of a farm on section 18, Ilallock 
 Township, at which place he has lived since 
 1865. He has made considerable improvement upon 
 the estate since taking possession of it, and everj-- 
 where upon the one hundred and sixty acres of 
 good land one sees the evidence of New England 
 thrift and enterprise. 
 
 ilr. Gallup came to this county from Connecti- 
 cut, having been born in that State, in Windham 
 County, October 4, 1838. He comes of an old New 
 England family, his father, Nathaniel Gallup, hav- 
 ing been a native and life-long resident of Windham 
 County, Conn. He lived to the age of three-score 
 and ten years, leaving behind him the record of a 
 prominent local politician in the Democratic party 
 and a citizen of unimpeachable integrity. His 
 wife, formerly Miss Sally Barber, was born in 
 Rhode Island and died in AVindham County, Conn., 
 when past three score and ten years of age. Our 
 subject is the youngest son of a large family born 
 to his parents. He grew to manhood in his native
 
 '^yiyic/\\ K^^Jlxrv 

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 653 
 
 county amid the scenes of a farm life and has al- 
 ways devoted himself to the cuUivation of the soil. 
 
 At the home of tlie bride's father, K/.ekiel Sher- 
 man, in 18G0, in Windham County, Conn., he of 
 whom we write, was united in marriage with Miss 
 A hi lie Sherman. She conies of a good family, of 
 whk-h numerous representatives have held high 
 standing in Rhode Island and in other .States, to 
 which later generations have scattered. She was 
 born in South Kingstown in 1 ."< l.J,in"Little Rhody," 
 but was quite young when he)' parents removed to 
 Connecticut. There she grew to maturity, joined 
 her fortunes to those of our subject, and began tlie 
 wedded life which is passing so prosperously and 
 happily. She is the mother of two children, a son 
 and a daughter. Hattie is the wife of William 
 R3'on, their home being in North Chillicothe, 
 where thej- carrj' on the Midland Hotel; Frank, who 
 operates a part of his father's farm, married Daisy 
 Sweetman and has two children — Frankie and Ma- 
 bel. 
 
 .Mr. anil Mrs. (iallupare members of the Meth- 
 odist Church at Lawn Ridge. Mr. Gallup votes 
 the straight Democratic ticket. Asa peaceable and 
 law-abiding citizen, an intelligent and frugal farmer 
 and a man of social nature, he finds many friends 
 throughout tlie section which he is aiding to de- 
 velop. 
 
 ' — f3— ?^^^^^— "• 
 
 f/OMN L. OSWALT. On the opposite page 
 is presented a portrait of this gentleman, 
 who has been a member of the revenue force 
 of Peoria for several years, holding the po- 
 sition of storekeeper, and such has been his record 
 as an honest and capable official, that though the 
 Government has ])assed from the hands of the Re- 
 publicans to the Democrats and from the Demo- 
 crats has again come under Republican rule, he has 
 held his place through all the changes during three 
 administrations. 
 
 Our subject was born January 23, 1847, in Wet- 
 zel County, W. Va., which then formed a part of 
 the Old Dominion. His parents, Tobias and Sarah 
 (Archer) Oswalt, were natives of Virginia. The 
 father, a mechanical engineer by occupation, moved 
 
 from his native State to Ohio in 1852, and estab- 
 lished his home ir\ the town of Akron, Snnnnit 
 Count}', and there both he and his wife died in the 
 fall of 1865. The}' were the i)arenls of ten chil- 
 dren, the two eldest of whom were patriotic soldiers 
 in the Union army during the late war. 
 
 He of whom we write was only five 3'ears old 
 when his parents took him to Ohio, and there his 
 boyhood was passed in attendance at the public 
 schools where he laid the foundation of a liberal 
 education. He was of a studious, thoughtful char- 
 acter, and gladly availed himself of the opportunity 
 to attend college. For one 3'ear he was a student 
 at Alliance College in Alliance, Ohio, and subse- 
 q-uently pursued a fine course of study in Parkman 
 College for one year. 
 
 Our subject watched with intense interest the 
 course of events that led to the breaking out of the 
 Rebellion and earnestl}' longed to take part in the 
 great conflict. On the 12th of August, 18fi3, al- 
 though he was but sixteen years of age, he enlisted 
 in Compan}' F, Fifth Ohio Infantr}', which formed 
 a part of Hancock's Corps. He accompanied Sher- 
 man on his famous march to the sea, and was in 
 every battle that was fought on that momentous 
 campaign. Though so young, he was called ui)on 
 to endure and suffer nuicli, as at North Edislo 
 River he lost an arm while bravely fighting with 
 the enemy. He still continued, however, with his 
 command until the regiment arrived at Fayette- 
 ville, N. C, and from there he was taken to Wil- 
 mington, in the same State, thence to New York, 
 where he was placed in the hospital at Willets 
 Point. Later he was sent to Camp Dennison, Ohio, 
 where he was honorably discharged, June 29, 1865, 
 having shown true soldierly qualities during his 
 long period of service and behaving under all cir- 
 cumstances with the valor and coolness of a vet- 
 eran. 
 
 Mr. Oswalt had left his education incomplete 
 when he went forth to his country's call to aid in 
 saving the Stars and Stripes, and after his return 
 to his home in Ohio he endeavored to make up for 
 lost time. The season of 1868-61) he went to Ot- 
 tawa, Canada, where he studied telegraphy, and in 
 1870 he accepted an agenc}' on the Pittsburg <& 
 Ft. Wayne Railroad, and was in the employ of the
 
 654 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Big Four Railroad C'oin|jany for fourteen years, 
 lie at length resigned his position as agent at 
 Smithfield in 18S4 to accept the ottice of a store- 
 keeper under tiie Government, and was assigned to 
 dut3' in Peoria, where he has since been in contin- 
 uous service. 
 
 Mr. Oswalt and Miss ^Nlary A. Mitrliell. a native 
 of Indiana, were wedded September 1, 1872, and to 
 them have come six children. They have a happy 
 home where hospitality and comfort abound. Mr. 
 Oswalt is a methodical, scrupulous, fair-minded 
 man. exercising excellent judgment in business 
 affairs, and has kept his life record unblemished. 
 He is prominent in Grand Army circles, a member 
 of Bryner Post, and no one is more thoroughly 
 inteiested in the organization than he. He insti- 
 tuted the first Grand Army Post in .Smithfield, this 
 State, and his fellow eomrides find in him a warm 
 and true friend. He belongs to the Order of Rail- 
 way Telegraphers, and is connected wtth the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a Methodist 
 in his reliiiious faith.* 
 
 -•^^*>^'» 
 
 a^LEXANDER T. McDONNELL is a native 
 of Peoria Count}-, and his career as an in- 
 _^ ji dependent, progressive and energetic farmer 
 and stock-raiser has been such as to reflect great 
 credit on the place of his birth. His position among 
 the enlightened agriculturists of Millbrook Town- 
 ship is a high one, and he is influential in its public, 
 religious and social life. 
 
 Our subject was born in this count}-, December 
 12, 1854, and is the son of one of the foremost 
 pioneers of Millbrook Township, who was very 
 active in laying the foundation of its prosperity. 
 Alexander and Elizabeth (MeCabe) McDonnell, 
 the parents of our subject, were both natives of 
 Ireland. His father settled in this county sometime 
 iii the '40s and immediately entered a tract of land 
 from the Goverumcut, comprising eighty acres, 
 which now forms a part of our subject's homestead, 
 lie paid §1.25 an acre for it and subsequently pur- 
 chased another eighty acres at ^2.50 an acre, and 
 still a thiid eighty-acre tract for which he paid ¥5 
 
 an acre. He and his wife were among the first to 
 settle in Millbrook Township, and for a time lived 
 in a sod house and he broke the first furrow or. his 
 land, which was in its natural state when he pur- 
 chased it. He used to go to Chicago to sell his 
 hogs after they were killed and dressed, and he had 
 to go to Lacon to get his grist ground. There 
 were practically no roads and when he first came 
 here deer were still numerous. He was diligent and 
 persevering in the prosecution of his work and 
 achieved complete success as a pioneer farmer of 
 the Prairie State. He was well educated, a man of 
 clear, cool intellect and was full of enterprise, these 
 characteristics making him invaluable as a citizen. 
 He took an active interest in the political matters 
 of his time and was a true Democrat. He was an 
 earnest and consistent member of the Roman 
 Catholic Church, and was a man of unquestioned 
 integrity in whom all reposed complete confidence. 
 He died in February, 1864, his beloved wife hav- 
 ing shortly before preceded him to the grave, her 
 death occurring in August, 1863. 
 
 The parents of our subject had a family of eight 
 children, of whom seven are living: .Tane. wife of 
 Daniel Jones, of Caldwell. Kan.; Alice, wife of 
 John Higgins, of Peoria: Lizzie, wife of William 
 Haulon, of Canton; Catherine, wife of Thomas 
 Kelley, of Lexington, Mo. ; Alexander; Ignatius L. 
 a resident of Kearney, Neb., and Agues, wife of 
 John Day, of this county. Henry is the name of 
 the son who died. 
 
 Alexander T. McDonnell li.is been a life-long 
 resident of this county, and for several years has 
 been intimately associated with one of its leading 
 industries. He received his education in the schools 
 of the county, and as he was early left an orphan 
 had to begin the struggle of life when nothing 
 more than a mere boy. He began at the age of 
 eleven years to work on the farm which was his 
 birthplace, and has ever since carried on his farm- 
 ing ojjerations here. He is the proprietor of two 
 hundred and forty acres of well-cultivated land, 
 and many of the substantial improvements which 
 make it one of the most desirable estates in this 
 part of the tow-nship are the work of his own hands, 
 and here he has a neat and commodious home re- 
 plete with comfort.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUJI. 
 
 655 
 
 January 22, 1879, Mr. McDonnell and Miss Alice 
 McArdle were united in marriage, and theirs has 
 been a pleasant wedded life. Mrs. McDonnell is a 
 (laughter of Thomas and Sarah (Kearns) McArdle, 
 of jMillbrook Township. Mrs. McArdle is def^eased. 
 To her and our snbject have come two children — 
 Saraii, born July 13, 1881, and Alexander T..l)orn 
 September 3, 1883. 
 
 Mr. McDonnell is a man of good natural ahilit}-, 
 which is reinforced b3' strong common sense, so that 
 he manages his affairs sagaciousl}^ and well. He is 
 shrewd in his dealings, though never taking unfair 
 advantage in a bargain, and is well wortiiy of the 
 success that has followed his efforts. His desire to 
 promote the proeperity of his township is strong, 
 and when serving it in a public capacity' he has 
 been zealous and efticient in tlie discharge of his 
 duties. He served one term as Township Collector 
 and in 1888 and 1SS9 represented Millbrook Town- 
 on the County Board of Supervisors. He is intluon- 
 tial in politics and works with the Democratic 
 part}'. He is a R(^man Catholic in religion and is 
 true to the faith of his fathers. 
 
 EV. SMITH KETCHUM. Peoria County 
 may well be pleased to number among her 
 \\\ citizens a man so intelligent, upright and 
 public spirited as the gentleman above 
 named, wiio devotes much of his time and talent 
 to the work of agriculture, to vvhich he was bred. 
 An ordained minister of the Old School Baptist 
 Church, he formerly paid much attention to minis- 
 terial work, and still pre.aches occasional Iv in 
 churches located in this part of the State. He owns 
 a splendid farm of one hundred and sixtj- acres on 
 section 30, I'>rimfield Township, which being well 
 improved and controlled by a progressive man, 
 affords a comfortable income. 
 
 In the paternal line Mr. Ketchum is undoubtedly' 
 of Welsh descent, while his maternal ancestors are 
 probably English. Members of the Ketchum fam- 
 ily settled on Long Island in an early day. a num- 
 l)er of them taking up arms against tlie British in 
 the first great struggle for American hnh'ijendence. 
 
 The father of our subject, Eddy Ketchum, was 
 born in Cayuga County, N. Y., and his mother, 
 Harriet (Smith) Ketchum, in Tioga County, Pa. 
 They were living in Crawford County, Ohio, when, 
 January 7, 1840, the son vvas born who is the sub- 
 ject of this brief notice. 
 
 In 1852 the Ketchum family locateil in Peoria 
 County, III., but after a short sojourn removed to 
 Marshall County, where our subject ivas reared to 
 manhood on a farm. He received his preliminary 
 education in the early schools of Ohio and Marshall 
 Count}', III., not having the .advantages afforded 
 young men of the present day. An active mind, 
 a love for knowledge, and an amljition to keep 
 abreast of the times, »Mi)plicd the deliciences of 
 school privileges, and he became well informed, 
 mainly by personal efforts. In Henry County, 
 where he resided for a period of about twenty 
 3'ears, Mr. Ketchum was ordained to the ministry 
 in June, 1873. For years he gave himself almost 
 exclusivelj' to the work of preaching the Gospel. 
 In 1883 he settled on the farm which is now his 
 home, and the possession of which he owes to his 
 individual efforts. 
 
 Mr. Ketchum possesses a considerable amount of 
 inventive genius, which has recently' been displayed 
 in the modeling of a check-row corn planter, a 
 combination machine which he h,as patented, and 
 which promises to be a success. He takes an ac- 
 tive interest in political issues, especially in the 
 affairs of his township and county, and, approving 
 the policy of the Democratic part\-, gives it his 
 support. Although he has not been a resident of 
 this county m.any years, he was known by reputa- 
 tion, at least, to many of the citizens prior to com- 
 ing hither, and his personal contact with the com- 
 munity in wliicli he lives has deepened their 
 regard for him. 
 
 Tlie estimable Lad}' who for a quarter of a cen- 
 turj' has had charge of the household affairs at the 
 home of our subject wiis formerly Miss Martha A. 
 Clement. .She was born in Hamilton, Canada, to 
 Margaret and Robert (Jones) Clement, both of 
 wiiom are now deceased. Her marriage riles were 
 celebrated October 12, 1865, since which time she 
 has conscientiously discharged her duties as a wise 
 and affectionate wife and mother. Mr. and Mrs.
 
 G5G 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Ketcbum have seven children, one of whom, their 
 first-born son. .iwaits Ibeni beyond tlie river of 
 death. The survivors are: Mar}' S., Milo S., Dan- 
 iel C, George S., Chauncey C. and Harold V. The 
 deceased bore the name of Robert E. 
 
 -^: 
 
 Ui_ 
 
 ^ IfclLLIAM SCHROEDER. This gentleman is 
 \&J/' ^'^^ senior member of the firm of William 
 W^ Sehroeder & Co.. contractors and builders, 
 and is the oldest prominent contractor in the city 
 of Peoria. For thirt3-three years he has been car- 
 rying- on business here as William Schroeder it Co., 
 for the past nine j-ears having the same i)artners. 
 These are his son, Frederick Sciiroeder, and Mr. 
 Henry Wichman. The abundant means of Mr. 
 Schroeder have been accumulated b)' bis own en- 
 ergy and ability, and the beautiful home on Seventh 
 Street, in which he has lived for many years, is a 
 standing monument to the results of persistent ap- 
 plication and good workmanship. 
 
 Until he was sixteen years old Mr. Schroeoer 
 lived in Hanover, Germany, where he was born 
 March 12. 1S26. His parents then emigrated to 
 the United States, settling in Cincinnati. Ohio, 
 where our subject grew to manhood and learned 
 the trade of a carpenter. During the second year 
 of the Mexican "War he enlisted and served under 
 Gen. Scott a year. He escaped wounds and capture 
 and was able to render efficient service, being al- 
 ways on duty. He is now one of the few residents 
 of Peoria drawing a pension as a soldier of that 
 war. 
 
 For a short time after his apprenticeship, Mr. 
 .Schroeder followed bis trade in Cincinnati, but in 
 May, 1852, removed to Peoria, where he was occu- 
 pied in the same manner for three or four years. 
 He then began contracting, among the early jobs 
 which he undertook being the erection of the King- 
 man warehouse, the Calvary Presbyterian Cbnich, 
 and the First Methodist Episcopal Church. He 
 now has the contract for the new Young Men's 
 Christian .Association building, which when com- 
 pleted will cost «12.').000. During the long years 
 of his labors here his reputation has become thor- 
 
 oughly established for reliability and strictly hon- 
 orable dealing. At an early period in its existence 
 be was connected with the People's Loan & Home- 
 stead Association, of which he was a Director, but 
 be vvas more particularly engaged in real-estate 
 transactions. 
 
 For half a century Mr. Schroeder b.as been iden- 
 tified with a religious bod3\ his name now being 
 included in the list of members of the Plymouth 
 Congregational Church, in which be holds the of- 
 fice of Deacon. His wife, formerly Miss Margaret 
 Tbielbar, was born in the Province of Hanover, 
 Germany, and when a child came to Cincinnati. 
 Ohio, in which she developed the character which 
 gained the regard of our subject and led him to 
 desire her companionship in life. Tliey were mar- 
 j rii'd in the Buckej'e metropolis and have lived 
 I happil\' together for many years. To them came 
 j two cbildien, one of whom, a son, Fred, is still 
 living. He has for sever.al years been associated 
 with bis father in business. He married Miss 
 I^ouisa Vonbehren and has eight children. 
 
 TON'ATHAN K. COOPER was born in Cum- 
 berland County, Pa., November 9, 1814. and 
 died in Peoria, November 22, 1884, carry- 
 ing with him to bis grave as nearly univer- 
 sal respect as it is possible for man to secure. He 
 was a son of John Cooper, who was a famous classi- 
 cal scholar of his d.ay, and grandson of the Rev. 
 Robert Cooper, an eminent divine and Revolution- 
 ary patriot. Our sal)jeet inherited the fine mental 
 trails of his ancestors, and early gave promise of 
 great ability-. He was educated by his father, who 
 conducted a classical school, and was graduated 
 from Jefferson College in 1835, being the young- 
 est member of a class of fortj--tbree, and sharing 
 the second honors. 
 
 After his graduation, Mr. Cooi)er taught the 
 classics for a brief term, then turned bis attention 
 to tiie law, and was admitted to the bar in 1839. 
 Coming to Peoria the same year, he at once began 
 ibe brilliant career which continued fortv-five }'ears, 
 bj' whirb he reaclu'(l liie eminence of professional
 
 V'y'VERs
 
 iVy
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 G59 
 
 lionor. He brought to the law the kenn acumen 
 and trainetl capabilities that b\- heritage and culti- 
 vation cnabletl him to grasp its intricate questions 
 with ease and readiness. His chief legal triumphs 
 were in the higher courts, and many keen battles 
 proved his title to greatness in his profession. The 
 only office of political nature that he ever held was 
 tliat of Mayor of Peoria. 
 
 Mr. Cooper was an intensely religious man, be- 
 lieving in the Bible literall}'. For eighteen years 
 he was an Elder in the First Presbyterian Chureli. 
 A persistent and systematic Bible reader, he for 
 twenty }'ears taught a Bible class. Amid the du- 
 ties of his profession he found time to read his 
 favorite authors thoroughly-, and so became a man 
 of wide and varied culture. At a meeting of the 
 members of the bar after his decease. Judges Hop- 
 kins, Pnterbaugh, and others, pronounced eulogies 
 u|)on him, not only as a lawj-er, but as a citizen, a 
 companion, and a Christian friend. 
 
 Vi/ OHN W. ROBBINS is an old settler of this 
 I county, and an earh' pioneer of Timber 
 Township, witli whose interests he has been 
 ^y' variously and prominently connected fo'" 
 man}- j-ears. lie is now one of its leading farmers 
 and has here a large and valuable farm. His 
 portrait will be noticed on the opposite page. 
 
 Our subject comes of sturdj- New England an- 
 cestry, and is himself a native of that section of 
 the country, born October 9, 1818, in the town of 
 Acton, county of Middlesex, Mass. ; his parents, 
 Bennah and Mary (Lampson) Robbins, were also 
 natives of that town. His father was a son of 
 Donsmore Robbins, who w.as killed while teaming 
 lumber from New Hampshire; he left a widow and 
 the following children: Densmore, Joseph, Albe, 
 John, Bennah, 2d., Lucy and Eunice, all of whom 
 married and reared families. The great-grandfather 
 of our subject came from England and the Lamp- 
 son family came from Scotland. To Bennah and 
 Mary Robbins were born eight children, one of 
 whom died in infancy, tlie others grew to maturity, 
 and of them the fullowing is recorded : Francis is 
 
 a resident of Massachusetts; Hannah, Mrs. Hill, 
 lives in Peoria; Marj' is deceased; Friah died in 
 or near Pella, Iowa, leaving a family of two sons 
 and three daughters; Lucy died in infancy; John 
 W. is the subject of this notice; Joseph was killed 
 in a cotton factory in Lowell, Mass.; Horace, a 
 resident of Quincy Point, Mass., is an inventor. 
 Their parents, who were people of exceedingly 
 great worth and higli character, died in tiieir New 
 England home in Massachusetts. They were faith- 
 ful members of the Congregational Church. 
 
 He of whom we write passed the early j'ears of 
 his life on a farm in his native place and was thor- 
 oughly drilled in the best methods of carrying on 
 agriculture and gained an excellent education in 
 the common schools. He was ambitious to try life 
 in the West and in the month of Maj', 1838, started 
 on the eventful journej- from Boston, coming by 
 the way of Philadelphia to Pittsburg, Pa., thence 
 b}' river to Alton, 111. For eighteen months he 
 worked at the trade of a cooper in that city, and 
 on the 2'2d of June came to Lancaster, Timber 
 Township, from Pekin. He worked as a cooper 
 there for several years and then engaged in the 
 mercantile business for some eighteen 3'ears. In 
 the meantime he prudently saved his money and 
 invested it judiciously and had acfjuired considera- 
 ble property, when in the mouth of November, 
 1865, he located on the farm in Timber Township, 
 which he had purchased before, and where he now 
 resides. It comprises two hundred and forty acres 
 of very fertile land, which he has placed under ex- 
 cellent improvement; he owns besides two hundred 
 and eighty acres in Fulton C'ounty; and a forty- 
 acre tract in Timber Township, all of which is 
 cleared and under first-class cultivation, with the 
 exception of about twenty-seven acres. Our sub- 
 ject has experienced manj- n|is and downs in the 
 acquirement of his propertj-. When in Peoria he 
 lost 814,000 in the hay business In 1865, and lost 
 all of his possessions excepting the place on which 
 he now lives. When he first came to the State he 
 landed at Alton with but $5 in his pocket. He has 
 increased that until he is now numbered amongst the 
 raone3'ed men of Timber Township, by the exercise 
 of those faculties that mark him as a shrewd, keen 
 sighted, capable man of business.
 
 660 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Mr. Robbins" and Miss Charlotte A. Fahenstock 
 were united in the happy bonds of wedlock, Septem- 
 ber 3. 1846. and in her our subject has found one 
 who fills the perfect measure of wife, motiior and 
 friend. Mrs. Robbins is a iiative]of Adams County. 
 Pa., and is a daughter of Jacob ami Maria (Har- 
 mon) Falienstock. Mr. and Mrs. Rolibins have 
 had six children born to them, namely: Bennah, 
 who served in the Eleventh Illinois Cavalry during 
 the late war: Louis A.. Clarence A.; Abbie L.. wife 
 of Lcinan Kice: JIaria. wife of Orra Charaberlin : 
 and .lohn \\ ., who died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Robbins holds a high place in the estimation 
 of his felkiw-citizens. as he possesses those attri- 
 butes of char.icter that command the confidence 
 and regard of all who come in contact with him 
 either in a business or social way. Those traits of 
 character that have lirought him prosperity also 
 make him useful as a public official and he has 
 served w itli distinction as a member of the Countj- 
 Board of Suiicrvisors and as Justice of the Town- 
 ship. For several years he was Postm.ister of Lan- 
 caster, and was very popular in that capacity. He 
 is a sturdy adherent of the Democratic party and 
 possesses shrewd and intelligent opinions on all 
 political questions. 
 
 e ASTER PATTERSON, ex-Mayor of Elm- 
 wood City, and one of its leading citizens, 
 is a well-to-do retired farmer, living in one 
 of the many pleasant homes of this place. He has 
 a well-improved farm in l*;iba Township, Knox 
 County, and its rental is a source of a good income. 
 He is a veteran of the late Civil AVar, in which he 
 did noble service, sacrificing much for his countrj-, 
 and won an honorable military record, of which 
 he and his may well lie proud. 
 
 Mr. Patterson was born in Preble County, Ohio, 
 January 1, 184L His father, John Patterson, 
 belonged to an old Virginia family, and he was him- 
 self a native of the Old Dominion, his birthplace be- 
 ing in Rockbridge Countj-. His wife, whose mai<leu 
 name was Sarah McCorkle, was a native of the 
 same county as himself. The}- were there married, 
 
 and afterward moved to Ohio. in the early daj's of 
 the settlement of that State. Many years of their 
 life were passed there, and they then took up their 
 abode in Indiana, whence they came, three years 
 later, to Illinois, and settled in this vicinity. The}' 
 were people of genuine goodness of character, and 
 were thought very highh- of by their neighbors. 
 They were for many j-ears members of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, but he finally became a 
 Presbyterian and died in that faith. Thirty-five 
 j-ears ago the good mother passed away, and in a 
 few years the father folded his busy hands in 
 death, his life-record being closed twenty-nine 
 3€ars ago. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of ten children, 
 of whom but six are now living. He came to Illi- 
 nois about forty years ago, when he was a jouno- 
 lad, and received his education in the local common 
 schools. At the early age of sixteen years he be- 
 came entirel}- self-supporting, going out to labor 
 as a farm-hand, and was thus employed until he 
 was twenty years of age. He had not attained his 
 majority when the war broke out, and he watched 
 its course with intense, patriotic interest, and at his 
 earliest opportunity offered his services to the 
 Government to fight or die for the old flag. In 
 August, 1861, his name was enrolled among the 
 brave volunteers that composed the rank and file of 
 Com|)any C, Forty-seventh Illinois Infantr}-. which 
 was recruited in a Peoria camp, and the regiment 
 was also organized at that place, and from there 
 was dispatched to St. Louis, where they received 
 their uniforms and other equipments. Our subject 
 and his comrades were then sent to Jefferson City, 
 Mo., and thence to Ottersville, Mo., where they 
 wintered. In tiie spring of 1862 they marched 
 back to St. Louis, fr<ini there to New Madrid, on 
 to Cairo and to Pittsl)urgh Landing. They ope- 
 rated around Corinth and through Alabama, and 
 skirmished all over that section of the couutrj'. 
 October 3. 1862, Mr. Patterson was severely 
 injured by a gunshot wound in the right leg, be- 
 low the knee, while he was bravely fighting at the 
 front in the battle of Corinth. The bullet struck 
 the small bone of the leg and was nearly split 
 against it, shattering the bone in two places and 
 cutting the cords and sinews in two places. In the
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 661 
 
 subsequent operation performed at the general 
 hospital in Corinth a piece of the bouc nearly four 
 inches in length was removed from his leg, and 
 our subject still retains possession of it and of the 
 split ballet as memorials of what he did and suf- 
 fered for the Union cause. This serious injurj- put 
 an end to Mr. Patterson's career as a soldier. He 
 remained but a few days in the hospital, howcvci', 
 and was then discharged from the armj* on account 
 of disability, and arrived at home weak and suffer- 
 ing from his injured limb. He remained almost 
 helpless until May, 1863, and was then able to get 
 around a little and do some work. After that his 
 health greatly improved until about 1881, when 
 the old wound began to trouble him, and in 1883 
 he was obliged to have his leg amputated six inches 
 above the knee, the operation being performed by 
 Dr. Concoran, of Brirafleld, novv deceased, assisted 
 b}- Dr. Stewart, of Peoria, and now an artificial leg 
 does duty in place of the original limb, and enables 
 him to walk. 
 
 Mr. Patterson was married in August, 1866, to 
 Kesiah Esslinger, and they removed from the old 
 homestead in Elba Township to their present resi- 
 dence, in Elmwood City, four years ago. Jlrs. 
 Patterson was born in Butler County, Ohio, Au- 
 gust 11, 1847, to Alexander and Salome (Snyder) 
 Esslinger, who were likewise natives of Ohio, and 
 there were engaged in farming. Tlie father died 
 in 1851, leaving a widow and seven children, of 
 whom Mrs. Patterson is the fifth in order of birth, 
 and all are still living. The mother married again, 
 becoming the vvife of John Maher, and they live in 
 Briiiifield T'ownship. 
 
 ai r. and Mrs. Patterson have two children — Harry 
 and Zella, both of whom have been well educated 
 in the public schools, and Harry has taught school, 
 licginning at the youthful age of seventeen years. 
 He married Miss Jennie Clingan, and resides in 
 Elmwood City, and is successfully managing a 
 bakery which he has established here. 
 
 Mr. Patterson is held in high personal consider- 
 ation, as he is in every sense a manly, straightfor- 
 ward man, in whom his fellow-citizens can place 
 implicit trust, and that they do so was denoted by 
 iheir electing liim to the highest municipal office 
 within their gift— that of Mayor — and during his 
 
 incumbency of that position, in 1889, local public 
 interests did not suffer from neglect, but were 
 carefully guarded bv him, and were promoted 
 wiierever opportunity offered. He has been a 
 prominent figure in local politics, giving strong 
 support to the Republican party, and he has inter- 
 ested himself greatly in educational matters. He 
 i and his entire family are members in high standing 
 of the Presbyterian Church, and all are active 
 workers in the Sunday-school, of which he is As- 
 sistant Superintendent; his children are both teach- 
 ers in the school, and he has served tlie church 
 as Elder for the past seven years. 
 
 E 
 
 ^NOCH PASSMORE SLOAN, Clerk of the 
 United States Courts at Peoria, was ap- 
 pointed to this office at the establishment of 
 the courts by act of Congress, March 28, 1887, and 
 has held it continuously since that time. The pre- 
 siding officer is Judge W. Q. Gresham, Judge of the 
 United States Circuit Court, and Judge Henry W. 
 Blodgett, of the District Court, for the Northern 
 District of Illinois. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in Cambridge, 
 Dorchester County, Md., January 27, 1822, and is 
 a son of Enoch and Mary (Sulner) Sloan. When 
 eighteen years old he came with his sister to Peo- 
 ria, having lost both parents before he was five 
 years old, when he went to live with his brother-in- 
 law, and at eleven years of age, began learning the 
 trade of a printer, in the employ of his brother-in- 
 law, John S. Zeiber, who, upon removal here, es- 
 tablished the Peoria Democratic Press, the first 
 number of which was issued February 22, 1840. 
 This was tlie third paper successfully established in 
 Illinois, and in 1846, Mr. Sloan became one of the 
 proprietors, having worked his way up from office 
 boy to that position. 
 
 Mr. Sloan remained witli this paper until 1848, 
 when it was bought by Thomas Phillips, for whom 
 Mr. Sloan worked until 1850, when it was sold to 
 Washington Cockle. The latter conducted the pa- 
 per one year, then sold it to Mr. Sloan, who issued 
 it as a weekly until 1853. He then instituted a
 
 662 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 semi-weekly edition, and after twelve months en- 
 larged it and began publishing a daily. He con- 
 ducted the weekly and daily until December 185G, 
 when the Democracy whom he had faithful!}- 
 served, m.ade him the Clerk of the Circuit Court 
 of Peoria County. 
 
 The above-mentioned office was held bj^ Mr. Sloan 
 for eight years. During the progress of the Civil 
 War. he became convinced that his party was in er- 
 ror, and he accordingly bravel}' wheeled into the 
 Republican ranks. The county, however, remained 
 intensely Democratic, and he was defeated during 
 the third election to the office. After the close of 
 the war he went to Springfield and applied for ad- 
 mission to the bar, passing a successful examina- 
 tion, and being regularly license<l to practice law, 
 which profession he followed for two years. Find- 
 ing, however, that the labor involved exceeded his 
 power of endunmce. mentally and physically, he re- 
 tired from the profession, and turned his attention 
 to the abstract business. For this he was amply 
 prepared, having written in his own hand sixty vol- 
 umes of abstract of titles, wliicli comprises a com- 
 plete iiistory of real-estate transfers for the city 
 and township of Peoria, and is invaluable. 
 
 Following this business until 1887, Mr. Sloan was 
 then appointed to his present office, he still follow- 
 ing the abstract and conve\-ancing business. He li:is 
 twice been a member of the City Council, and 
 served on the School Board two terms. He occu- 
 pies a good position in social and business circles, 
 and is a man of more than ordinary intelligence, a 
 reader and a thinker, keeping himself posted upon 
 the leading events of tlie day. 
 
 The 15tli of April, 1845, witnessed the marriage 
 of our subject with Miss Elizabeth M. Banvard, at 
 Peoria. Mrs. Sloan is a native of Rochester, N. Y., 
 and was born April 1.5, 1825, being a daughter of 
 Daniel and Maria (Hunt) Banvard, who came to 
 Illinois as early as 1834. Daniel Banvard, an un- 
 cle of Mrs. Sloau, was a prominent minister of the 
 Baptist Church in the citj- of Boston. John Ban- 
 yard was the man who first produced a panorama 
 of the Mississippi, and traveled with it largely 
 throughout this and foreign countries. 
 
 There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sloan, 
 eight children, six of whom are living, viz: Charles 
 
 Passmore, who is connected with the Police Depart- 
 ment of Peoria; Eliza Z.; Maria, the wife of H. M. 
 Rogers ; Wesley, who is a dentist bj* profession ; 
 Louisa; and Harrj^ E., senior member of the firm of 
 Sloan & Nelson. The parents and all the cliildren 
 are membe.s in good standing of the Methodist 
 Episcopal C'huych. The family- residence is pleas- 
 antly situated at No. 508 Fayette Street, and is the 
 frequent resort of its most cultured people. 
 
 ENRY GILFILLAN. Among the prac- 
 Ji tical farmers of Hallock Township, none 
 .are more thoroughly acquainted with the 
 l,(^ growth and development of this county 
 than the gentleman above named. He has seen the 
 country converted from its wild state into one of 
 great beauty and productiveness, where well-tilled 
 acres and thriving towns take the place of the un- 
 broken prairie or the infrequent log house of the 
 frontiersman. His own farm came into his pos- 
 session in an unbroken state and is now numbered 
 among the well-improved and thoroughh^ culti- 
 vated tracts of the county. It comprises one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres on section 8. 
 
 The birth of our subject took place in Ross 
 County ,Ohio, November 7, 1832,and he was but two 
 j'ears old when his parents came overland to Central 
 Illinois. They located in Limestone Township, this 
 countj% near the cit}' of Peoria, living there until 
 1846, when they removed to Hallock Township. 
 Amid the frontier scenes j'oung Gilfillan grew to 
 manhood, bearing such a part as his strength would 
 permit in the work of development and acquiring 
 as good an education as the time and circumstances 
 would allow. He studied law and practiced the 
 profession for a short time. He also learned the 
 trade of a brick-mason and plasterer and by its 
 pui'suit earned the wherewithal to purchase his 
 farm. He was a skilled workman, but having 
 chosen an agricultural life he has devoted himself 
 unremitingly to a faithful discharge of the duties 
 of his latter occupation, proving his skill also in 
 this line of labor. 
 
 The pleasing qualities and fine character of Miss
 
 -^^''V''
 
 PORTRAIT AND BI0C4RAPII1CAL ALBUM. 
 
 665 
 
 Jemima Newell,of Marshall Count}', won the regard 
 of our subject, whicli being reciprocated, tliey be 
 came man and wife Novemlier 20, 1861. Mrs. Gil- 
 fillan was born in Coles County, May 5, 1839, and 
 was tlie tentii in the large family of Benjamin and 
 Phebc (^Horton) Newell. Her parents were born 
 and reared in Bradford County, Pa., and after 
 their marriage came west. For some years the)' 
 lived in Coles County, 111., later settling in Madi- 
 son County, where Mr. Newell dieil when about 
 tiftv years old. Ilis widow subsequently removed 
 to Marshall County, and after some years came 
 to live with her daughter, Mrs. Gilfillan, at whose 
 home she died in 187G at the age of seventj'-five 
 years. Both jMr. and Mrs. Newell were of the 
 Methodist faith. 
 
 The family of i\Ir. and Mrs. Gilfillan is com- 
 prised of three children, two of whom are now 
 married and settled in homes of their own. Lucy 
 is the wife of William Kettle; their home is on a 
 farm belonging to our subject, not far from liis 
 own residence. Charles also occupies a farui in 
 the same township, his wife having formerly been 
 Miss Martha Clawsou. Olive M., a well educated 
 young lady who intends to follow the profession of 
 teaching, is yet at home. t)ur subject and his wife 
 occui)y a prominent position in society and are 
 highly esteemed b)- those to whom they aie known. 
 Mr. Gilfillan has held some of the local offices and 
 is an ardent advocate of Republican principles. 
 
 The father of our subject was Adam Gilfillan, 
 who was born near Pittsburg, Pa. He was the son 
 of Mathcw Gilfdlan, one of six brothers who had 
 come from the North of Ireland to America when 
 young men and located in or about the Smoky 
 City. The family has since spread out until it is 
 now re|)resented in many of the States. The grand- 
 father of our subject while living in Pittsburg, was 
 Postmaster for many 3'ears, and was prominent 
 and influential. He had married a lady of this 
 countrv and was the father of a small family. 
 
 Adam Gilfillan grew to manhood in the Key- 
 stone State whence he removed to Ohio. There he 
 enlisted as a private in the War of 1812, finally ad- 
 vancing to the rank of First Lieutenant, in the Brig, 
 ade of Gen. McCarthj-. He passed through the 
 dangerous scenes of the war unhurt and returned 
 
 to Ross County, Ohio, where in 181.5 he was mar- 
 ried to Jliss Sarah Motz. That lady was born in 
 Pennsylvania and accompanied her parents to Ohio 
 during her girlhood. Mr. and Mrs. Adam (Tilfil- 
 lan resided in Ohio until 1834, when they removed 
 to Illinois, in 1846, becoming residents of Hallock 
 Township, Peoria County, as before noted. Here 
 they s|)ent their last days, the husband dying when 
 about forty-five years old and the wife surviving 
 him many years, passing away in 1S7G when more 
 than four-score years old. Mv. (iilfillan was a 
 thorough-going AVhig and bore an active part in lo- 
 cal politics. His wife was a memlicr of the Metliod- 
 ist Episcopal Church, honored for her noble 
 Christian life and character. Our subject and two 
 sisters are the only surviving members of a family 
 of ten sons and three daughters. 
 
 "_^ IRAM JACKSON departed to the bourne 
 whence no traveler returns, iVIarch 25,1883, 
 leaving to his family and friends a record 
 i§^ of manly, upright conduct that goes far to- 
 ward alleviating the sorrow thatcan never be wholly 
 healed on earth. He breathed his last at his home at 
 Jackson's Corners, where he had for some time been 
 engaged in farming, after having spent several 
 years in merchandising there. The jjlace was 
 named in his honor. Prior to his turning his at- 
 tention to a mercantile career and taking up bis 
 residence in Richwood Township, he had lived in 
 Peoria several jears. following his trade of a 
 cooper. In that city he had settled immediately 
 after his marriage which took place in Moline, 111., 
 April 21, 1849. At the time of his demise Mr. 
 Jackson was in his sixtieth year, having been born 
 in Saratoga County, N. Y., February 24, 1821. 
 
 The estimable woman whom Mr. Jackson won 
 for his companion was formerly known as Miss 
 Mary Smith. She was born in Allegheny County, 
 Pa., February J 4, 1826, being the fifth in a family 
 of six children belonging to William and Barbara 
 (Fink) Smith, who died in that county. Since the 
 death of her husband she has operated the fine es 
 tate he left in Richwood Township, assisted in her
 
 GG6 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 raanagemeiil of the same by her daughter, Miss 
 Phebe. Tlie farm consists of two hiimlred and 
 twenty acres on section 19, bearing such improve- 
 ments in the way of buildings, fences, trees, etc., as 
 betoken it the home of a familj' of industry, judg- 
 ment and good taste, who, without malting any 
 pretensions to elegance, surround themselves with 
 comfort and enjoy those recreations and employ- 
 ment that makes life worth living. 
 
 The family of our subject and his good wife 
 comprised six sons and daughters, several of whom 
 are now located in homes of their own. Kllen is 
 the first-born; Martha is the wife of Julius Moblo; 
 Mary, who was the wife of William K. Wild, died 
 in March, 1889; Phebe, her mother's helper and 
 chief friend, is the next in order of birth; Ada is 
 the wife of Alfred A. Burr; Hiram J. died in in- 
 fiincy. All are well informed, capable and well- 
 respected. 
 
 Elsewhere in the Album tlie reader will notice a 
 portrait of the late Hiram Jackson, who, during 
 the long period of his residence here, made many 
 warm friends and built up a fine estate. 
 
 ^ ^^^ ^^ 
 
 /^^ ONRAD BONTZ came to this county in 
 ill n pio'i^^r times, and has been a potent factor 
 *^^^' in bringing about the wonderful change 
 that makes it one of the richest and best developed 
 counties in the State of Illinois. He came to the 
 United States from a foreign shore, and found him- 
 self a stranger in a strange land, unable to speak 
 its language or understand its customs, but after 
 many vicissitudes and a life of toil and sacrifices 
 he has placed himself among the substantial citi- 
 zens of his adoi)ted coimtry, and is to-day a man 
 of wealtli and inlluence in his community. He is 
 the proprietor of a large and valuable farm in Lime- 
 stone Township, and here he has erected a hand- 
 some, commodious and well appointed residence, 
 and has a lieautiful home. 
 
 Mr. Bontz was born in Bavaria, M.ay 1, 1819, 
 lived there until he was twenty-one, and then came 
 to America. After landing in this country, he staid 
 in Pittsburg, awhile, and was engaged to work for 
 
 a gardener. He had no money, and could not under- 
 stand the English language, and when he was called 
 to breakfast, didn't know enough to go. There 
 were but few Germans there at that time, whicli 
 fia.s unfortunate for him, as he seemed all the more 
 friendless. He had left the old country to avoid go- 
 ing into the army, as he had no taste for a military 
 life. He was glad to get anything to do by which 
 he could turn an honest penny, and when the gar- 
 dener for whom he first worked paid him off, he gave 
 liiin $9 in paper inonej*, and as our subject had 
 never seen any of it before, he thought it was use- 
 less. However, lie presented it to the agent of 
 whom he purchased a ticket for Chillicothe, Ohio, 
 offering liim a $5 bill for the fare, which was a dol- 
 lar or so, and as he handed it to the man as if afraid 
 of it, the agent gave him change in silver, which 
 much relieved him. 
 
 Our subject h.ad some acquaintances in Chilli- 
 cothe, and after seeing them he secured work on a 
 farm in that vicinity, find afterward went from 
 there to St. Louis, Mo. He had the misfortune to 
 learn that the bank in which he had placed his 
 money to the extent of -$100, had become insolvent 
 and he lost his savings. lie had a hard time to get 
 work in th.at city, and he tramped to St. Charles, 
 often stopping on the waj', and asked for employ- 
 ment, but failed to get it. He finally managed to 
 get a job in St. Louis carrying a hod, at which he 
 was engaged until he secured n\oney enough to 
 bring him to Peoria. When he arrived in t'.iat 
 city ho started out in search of work, and found 
 there w.as |)lei)ty of it, but no money to paj' with. 
 He flnall}' went to live in a tavern on tlie river 
 bank kept by old Mother Slough, his employment 
 being as hostler. He worked there until 1844, when 
 lie rigged up a team of tluee yoke of oxen and a 
 breaking jilow. nr.d started out to break the prairie. 
 Most of the wi! 1 land in the vicinity of where 
 he now lives was broken b\' him, among the farms 
 where he turned the wild prairie, being the Alva Mof- 
 fatt place, and the land lying along the bluff bounded 
 by that and the plank road. In the winter he used 
 to haul logs to Monroe's sawmill, and continued in 
 that some years. .\t one time, at an early daj' he 
 was in the emplo}' of a man who sent him with 
 some cattle to L. L. Guyer, in Brimfield Township.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 GG7 
 
 He staid there over nig^ht, and the nest morning 
 waliced to Peoria, a distance of twenty-two niilos, 
 for iiis breakfast. In the latter part of the journe}- 
 he was nearly' exhausted witli the i)angsof hunger, 
 and linding an onion on the way, a delicacy of 
 whicli lie was not fond, he picked it up and ate it 
 with avidity. 
 
 When Mr. Bontz was married, he built a log 
 sh.anty under the bluff, near the intersection of the 
 plank road, the land there all being covered with 
 tinil)er, which extended along the creek and bluffs. 
 In the liuilding of this dwelling he had the assist- 
 ance of Ernest Lee, and they put up a structure 
 16x16 feet in dimensions, whose clapboards were 
 held on by long poles that were tied down, and a 
 inud and stick eiiininey served to carry avvay the 
 smoke from the rude fireplace tliat was then used in 
 place of a stove. Mr. Bontz jilaced a barrel of 
 water on a sled in front of the door, and when ids 
 bride asked him if the water was liandy in their 
 new home, he saiil "it is just in front of the door,'' 
 and tiiore she found it when she came. Thej' lived 
 there two 3'ears, when he bought a (liece of land 
 where Collier's coal iiank is, for which he paid in 
 dril)lets of ^HO a 3'ear, until he had paid up tlie 
 ^'MW which was the price of the eigiity acres. He 
 cleared the laml, put it under cultivation, fenced it 
 all, and made money by chopping wood which he 
 sold in town. He then built a good log liouse, get- 
 ting the water in front of tlie door, sure enough tliis 
 time, and ever since tliero has been an unfailing 
 supply of pure cold water. 
 
 Our subject subsequently bought ten acres of 
 land beautifully' located on tlie l)luff, and biult a 
 neat dwelling. One day Alva Moffatt came along 
 and said: "Coon, there must be coal here," and he 
 went to work and found it, and then gave our sub- 
 ject $4,000 for the eighly acres. i\Ir. Hont/, then 
 located on his present farm, liuying at that time 
 one hundred and tw(!nty acres which were partly 
 broken. He built a good house, and in a few years 
 bouglit the i)iece of land adjoining, on which he 
 now lives, and built his present large and comfort- 
 able residence. 
 
 Mr. Bontz has become wealthy by his operations 
 in his various judicious investments of money, and 
 the good business management that he has dis- 
 
 pkiyed in the conduct of his affairs. He owns four 
 hundred and ten acres of land where he lives; has 
 a large interest in a herd of three thousand cattle 
 in New Mexico, has given his son, A. N. Bontz, 
 $3,000 to use for speculation in the bank business, 
 and has $17,000 deposited in the bank with which 
 his son is connected. 
 
 Our subject was married in 1845, to Miss Mary 
 Magdalena Bettelon, a daughter of Isaac and Mary 
 Bettelon. They came to Woodford County in 
 1835, and her mother died shortly after, and the 
 children were all put out to live with others, three 
 of them being reared by John Armstrong on the 
 bluff. The father lived among his children until 
 his death. Mr. and Mrs. Bontz have nine children: 
 Julia, Mary, Amelia. Philip Jacob, William C, 
 I^izzie, John D., George Isaac, and Antoine N. 
 Julia is the wife of Fred G. Kru.se, proprietor of a 
 meat market in Peoria, and they have one child, 
 Alma; Mary is the wife of William Henry Bishop, 
 a farmer of Kickapoo, and they have three chil- 
 dren; Amelia E,, is the widow of William Stromer, 
 of Washington, III., where her husband was en- 
 gaged as a merchant until his death, which left her 
 with two children, one of whom — Ada — survives; 
 I'hilii), who lii'cs on his father's farm, married Miss 
 Wehner, of Washington, and tliey have one child, 
 Mabel; William is in New Mexico, where he owns 
 a large cattle ranch ; Lizzie is the wife of Oscar V^an 
 Arsdale, President of a bank in Burton, Kan., and 
 they have one child, Harry: John, who lives on his 
 father's place, is married, and has two daughters; 
 George is a young man at home; lie has interests 
 in New Mexico with his brother, and spent several 
 years there; Antoine. cashier of a bank, lives in 
 Sylva, Kan.; he married Miss Elsie Davis, of Bur- 
 ton, Kau. 
 
 A man of gooil mental calibre, energetic and 
 callable, our subject's [icrspicacity and far reaching 
 enteriu'ise in business matters have gained him a 
 conspicuous place in tin; liiiancial circles of this 
 county. He is a man of broad and enlightened 
 views, possesses a re.ady wit, and is well informed 
 on many subjects. He is an independent Demo- 
 crat, but takes no [lart in politics. He was reareil 
 in the lyiitheran fold, but is not now a follower of 
 tliat faith, his religion being to do good and help
 
 668 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 other.*, and in him the suffering, sorrowful and 
 need}' find a sympathizing and generous friend. 
 He does what he can to elevate the moral status of 
 the community by contributing liberally Uj build 
 churches of the various denominations that are rep- 
 resented here. 
 
 --*»- 
 
 -^yX^*"*"" 
 
 EV. ALBERT Z. McGOGNEY. Calvary 
 1,^.. Presbyterian Churcli of Peoria, of wliich 
 •^\^ the gentleman above named is pastor, was 
 founded by Mr. and Mrs. William Reynolds 
 in 1867. being organized with a membership of 
 thirt3'-six. Tlie first services were held in a frame 
 structure on Walnut Street, where the body of be- 
 lievers worshipped until 187G, when the present 
 church was built at the corner of First and Fisher 
 Streets. The handsome edifice is the most com- 
 plete in the city arid has the largest seating capacity 
 of an\' Protestant church here. The audience room 
 and Sunday-school room each have a seating capac- 
 ity of twelve hundred, and the building also con- 
 tains church parlors, pastor's study and the usual 
 conveniences for carrying out the purposes for 
 which it was designed. Its total cost was §66,000. 
 which indicates the manner in which the people 
 took hold of the work, as it has been, during its 
 entire history, a religious home for working people. 
 The church membership is now five hundred and 
 fifty, while the Sunda3' -school numbers six hundred 
 and fifty. The latter is under the superiutendencv 
 of William Reynolds, who has been continued in 
 the ofBce year after year since tiie organization was 
 made. 
 
 The first pastor of Calvarj' was the Rev. Joiiu 
 Weston, now of Chicago, who held the charge 
 nineteen 3'cars. He was succeeded by the Rev. A. 
 Z. McGogney, a native of Pittsburg, Pa., a man of 
 deep thought, broad culture and unbounded zeal 
 :u the work of the ministry. His' natal day was 
 Februarj' 6, 1852, and his parents David and Mar- 
 garet (Bradshaw) McGogney. His father was en- 
 gaged to some extent in contracting and farming, 
 but had retired from a very active participation in 
 the labors of life. Our subject grew to maturity 
 
 in the old iiome in the Smok}- Citj- where lie pur- 
 sued his elementary studies. In the University at 
 Wooster, Ohio, he pursued a literary course, being 
 graduated in the class of 187.'), with the degree of 
 A. B., and having the degree of A. M. conferred 
 upon him in 187.s by liis Alma Mater. 
 
 Having determined to devote himself to the 
 ministry, Jlr. McGogney entered the Western 
 Theological Seminarv at Alleghen3% Pa., complet- 
 ing his course of study there in 1878 and being 
 ordained by the Erie Presb3'ter3' June -5, of that 
 year. His first charge was Cochrantou, Pa., with 
 which church he remained four vears, departing 
 thence to labor at Connellsville. In that city he 
 remained until he assumed his [iresont pastorate 
 and began the labors which have resulted in a rapid 
 growth of the Calvarv- Church. 
 
 In each of the presbyteries to which he has be- 
 longed our subject has held the various offices. 
 This fact speaks well for his general intelligence, 
 his understanding of the needs of the church and 
 his zealous interest in all that pertains to her good. 
 He has been fortunate in his home life, having won 
 as his companion a most estimalile and refined lad3', 
 who has been his cherislied ctmipanion since May 
 1, 1877. She is a native of Pittsburg, Pa., and 
 was known in her maidenhood as Miss Maggie 
 Lyons. 
 
 'S^.ETER E. SPURCK. This enterprising and 
 )}) efficient business man of Peoria is President 
 f^' of the Spurck Street Paving Brick Com- 
 l\ pan3% which was incorporated in 1890 with 
 a capital of §36,000, and in which George T. 
 Spurck, eldest son of our subject, holds the office 
 of Secretar3' and Treasurer. He of whom we write 
 is also interested in the Peoria Paving Block Com- 
 p;in3' which was organized about a year ago, being 
 the first firm to manufacture large brick for the 
 pavements of Peoria. In the latter company his 
 son, Edward L., is Treasurer. 
 
 Mr. Spurck is a native of Zanesville, Ohio, born 
 February 17, 1831. but grew to manhood in Peoria 
 to which place liis parents, George and Ann M. 
 Spurck, removed in 1846. After completing his
 
 *' ".VL?Z
 
 
 ^S^a;).' -|; 
 
 ^2y^'t£^ 
 
 7'I/2^Jdi/^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 671 
 
 etiucation he engaged in the distillery business with 
 Ills ffither, continuing in \\w management of it 
 after tlie deatli of his parent until the Trust was 
 funned, when he became a slockliolder therein. 
 After the formation of the Trust he embarked in 
 the brick business, having a yard in I.iniestone 
 Township, this county, and anolht'r in I'azewell 
 County. Extensive works run by steam power 
 liave been erected at each (ilace, botli j'ards em- 
 ploying about one hundred men. 
 
 The Limestone Township yard is devoted to the 
 manufacture of Peoria Paving Block, and the Taze- 
 well County yard to that of the Spurck Street 
 Paving Brick. These articles of manufacture have 
 been adopted bj- the citj' government of Peoria 
 for all its new pavements. Competent workmen 
 are engaged in the manufacture, and the employ- 
 ment of a considerable force of men distributes a 
 large amount of monej', thus adding to the pros- 
 perity of various business establishments and aid- 
 ing in building up the homes of this part of the 
 Prairie State. 
 
 The competent housekeeper and agreeable com- 
 panion who presided over the home of Mr. 
 Spurck, was a native of Zanesville, Oiiio, where 
 slie was formerly known as Miss Ellen B. Hughes; 
 her death occurred in June, 1889. The faniilj^ 
 consists of four children, the two sons before 
 mentioned, and two daughters, Anna and Charlotte. 
 Mr. Spurck has not been engaged in i)olitics, pre- 
 ferring to devote his time and attention to his per- 
 sonal atfairs and the enjo\-ment of social life. 
 
 ^TJAMES McALISTEU. Among tiie biog- 
 raphies and ;)ortraits of influential citizens 
 of Peoria County, we jjresent that of Mr. 
 McAlister, the son of one of tiie earl}' pio- 
 neers of this county, and himself a pioneer here. 
 He was an early settler of Logan Township, and is 
 now one of its substantial farmers and most res- 
 pected citizens. May U, 1817, he was born in the 
 hunjble pioneer home of his parents, Hector and 
 Mar\ (Kimzey) McAlister, who were natives res- 
 pectively of South and North Carolina. In liie 
 
 very early days of the settlement of Livingston 
 County, Kj'., thej' went with their parents to that 
 countj'. It is not known whether they were mar- 
 ried in Kentucky or Illinois, but they were "squat- 
 ters" in Saline County, this State, when the pioneers 
 first settled there. They lived on a farm until 
 their first child was born, and then returned to 
 Livingston Countj', Ky., where he engaged in 
 agricultural operations on a farm which he owned. 
 
 Nine years later they again came to Illinois, and 
 were in Hamilton County until 1834, then in 
 Sangamon County, and from there in the fall of 
 1835 came to Timber Township. Mr. McAlister 
 lived for two j'ears on a "squatter's" claim, and in 
 the fall of 1837 came to where our subject resides 
 on section 16, and purchased forty acres of land, 
 which he improved and made his home until his 
 death. May 24, 18.52, at the age of sixty-six years. 
 His widow lived with our subject until her death, 
 in 186G, at the age of seventy-three years.' They 
 were among the members of the first class organized 
 in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Ho was a 
 soldier in the War of 1812, and did good service. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject was Enos 
 MoAlister, who was born in Scotland, and came to 
 America after his marriage. He settled in South 
 Carolina, where he carried on the occupation of a 
 blacksmith prior to his removal to Kentucky, 
 where he and his wife passed the remainder of their 
 lives. They had children, as follows: Hector, 
 John, Archibald, Enos, Grace, Flora, Jane, Cathe- 
 rine and Patience, all of whom married and reared 
 children, excepting Archibald. The mother of 
 our subject was a daughter of David Kimzej', and 
 four children were born of her marriage, whom she 
 named James, Archibald, Enos and Elijah. Archi- 
 bald died in Iowa. 
 
 Reared to the life of a farmer, our subject early 
 gained a thorough knowledge of tiie calling that 
 was to be liis life work. He was given such an 
 education as the country afforded in those pioneer 
 times, having to go a distance of three miles to 
 school. He has lived in his present place of resi- 
 dence since 1838, a period of more than fifty 
 years. The half century and more that he has 
 been engaged in developing this farm, and placing 
 it under its present fine cultivation and excellent
 
 673 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 improvement, has been productive of good finan- 
 cial results, and he is now a man of property. His 
 farm comprises one hundred and thirt3'-eight acres 
 of verv fertile and productive land. When he 
 Drst started out in life he worked by the day or 
 month until he acquired money enough to become 
 more independent. 
 
 Twice has Mr. McAlister been married. First he 
 was wedded December 15. 1838, to Elizabeth M., 
 daugliter of Joseph and Jane (Mathews) Proctor, 
 who came from Kentucky to Hamilton County, 
 111., and thence to Logan Township, in 1835. He 
 died here, while his wife passed away in Iowa. 
 Mrs. McAlister was a native of Hamilton County, 
 and bore our subject ten children: George H., 
 who. died at the age of seventeen; Mary, who died 
 young; Rachael, deceased, was the wife of John 
 Williamson, of Trivoli Township; Thomas, who 
 died at the age of t went}' four; John Martin, at 
 the age of nineteen; William, at the .ige of twenty- 
 one; Joseph Enos, at the age of thirteen: Sarah; 
 Elizabeth, who is the wife of George W. DuMars; 
 James Franklin; Eliza Ellen, deceased, was the 
 wife of John Moyer, and left a son and daughter, 
 of whom the latter only is living. Januarj- 9, 
 1863, the shadow of death crossed the threshold of 
 our subject, and removed his wife at the age of 
 fortv-two years. She was a woman of high princi- 
 ple, and was a member in good standing of the 
 Methodist Church. 
 
 Mr. McAlister was married to his present most 
 estimable wife October 29, 1875. She is a native 
 of this township, and her maiden name was Sarah 
 J. Proctor, she being a daughter of Reuben and 
 Sarah (MathewS) Proctor. 
 
 The parents of our subject experienced man}" of 
 the vicissitudes of pioneer life, and were obliged 
 to live in the most primitive style. When his 
 mother was a girl there was a severe earthquake, 
 whose effects were felt in man}- parts of the coun- 
 try. She was preparing cornmeal to bake, when 
 the tray, which was made of sassafras wood and 
 was about two feet long, began to rock very vio- 
 lently, and she became greatly terrified, thinking 
 the day of judgment was come. 
 
 Our subject has been going in and out among 
 the people of this community for more than half a 
 
 century, and in all that long period of time he has 
 so conducted himself in all the relations of life and 
 in the management of his business affairs, as to win 
 the thorough respect of all who know him. He 
 and his wife are among the leading members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and their kindness 
 and benevolence are well Known. In politics. Mr. 
 McAlister was a Democrat prior to 1860, and being 
 then more in sympathy with the course of the 
 Republican party, he joined its ranks, casting his 
 first Presidential vote after he became a Republican 
 for Abraham Lincoln in 1 864, and has ever since 
 firmly stood by the party. 
 
 -*- 
 
 '^OHN HARDY is managing his faiming in- 
 terests in Millbrook Township with the 
 ^_^ j I sound discretion, energy and ability that 
 (^J has characterized his whole course as an ag- 
 riculturist, and his practical skill has placed him 
 among the substantial, well-to-do citizens in this 
 vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Hardy is a native of Yorkshire, England, 
 and was there born in the month of October, 1823. 
 His parents were William and Dinah Hardy, and 
 they were also of English birth. His boyhood and 
 3^outh were passed in his native shire, where he had 
 practically no school advantages, as there were no 
 public schools and his father having a large family 
 of children w.is unable to p.a}- for his tuition. At 
 the unusually early age of eight years ho had to 
 start out in life on his own account, and until he 
 was nearly ten years old worked for his board. 
 After tiiat time he was paid so much a year and 
 was thus employed until he emigrated to America. 
 He was very desirous of improving his financial 
 condition and determined to come to this country 
 where he would be enabled to build up a home for 
 himself. Accordingly in the spring of 1852. with 
 his wife and three children, he took passage on a 
 vessel at Liverpool and in six weeks landed in 
 New Orleans. Two weeks later he arrived at St. 
 Louis, and from there crossed the river and went 
 into Scott County, this Slate. He found employ- 
 ment there, was engaged principall}' as a farm hand
 
 POUrUAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 673 
 
 some six years, and then for a number of j-ears he 
 farmed as a renter in Morgan County, and finally 
 bought one hundred and thirty acres of land there 
 near the Suott County line. He lived thereon sev- 
 eral j'ears, actively engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits. In the fall of 1872, he came to this county 
 and has ever since made his home in Millbrook 
 Township. His diligent a])plication to his work 
 and his business like manner of carr^'ing it on have 
 been productive of good results. When he first 
 came to Illinois and began life in Scott County, he 
 had but *1 left and novv lie has a valuable piece of 
 properly in the finely improved farm on section 
 16. of which he is the proprietor. It comprises 
 two hur.dred and thirty acres of land that is mostly 
 under a good state of cultivation, and the build- 
 ings on it are of a substantial order and everything 
 about tlie place lietokens the presence of one who 
 understands well how' to carry on agriculture to the 
 best advantage. 
 
 Mr. Hard}- was married in England in the month 
 of June, 184C, to Miss Ellon Woodall, a native of 
 England. Their wedded life was brought to a close 
 by lier death February 16, 1882. She was a wo- 
 man of many excellent qualities, of a kind and gen- 
 erous nature, and left behiiul her a wealth of love 
 and affection and man}' warm friends, who united 
 with her husband and children in mourning her 
 death. 
 
 By this marriage our subject became the father 
 of twelve children, of wliom the following six are 
 living: Hannah, wife of Nathan Henderson, of 
 Millbrook Township; ,lohn. in Laura, III.; George 
 II., a resident of Millbrook Township; Robert, of 
 Millbrook Townshii); .lames, a graduate of the 
 Val|)araiso (Ind.) Normal School; KUa, wife of 
 David Porter, of Millbrook Township. Mr. Hardy 
 has also reared one grandchild — Myrtle — a daugh- 
 ter of his son George II. Hardy. The names of his 
 children who are deceased are: William, Sarah, 
 .lomith.-ui, VA\:i and .lohn. and one child who died in 
 infancy unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Hardy is endowed with the persistence, 
 steadiness, discretion, and natural ability, so char- 
 acteristic of the English people, and since coming 
 here has manageil not only to hold liis own, but to 
 get ahe:id in the world, and is a credit to the cit- 
 
 izenship of his adopted country. He has served six 
 years as School Director of District No. 5, and h.as 
 done what he could to better the schools of the 
 township. He is a Democrat in politics and serves 
 his party faithfully whenever opportunity olTers. 
 
 x^OL. ISAAC TAYLOR. In tiie desperate 
 (iv JTl *''''""§''' ^^'•■'^ threatened the life of our na- 
 ^^■^ tion, many, who li.ad before led the quiet 
 lives of private citizens, devehjped the qualities of 
 heroism and even martyrdom, and offered llieir 
 services in behalf of their country. Among these 
 who responded to the country's call, was Col. Tay- 
 lor, who, in those times that tried men's souls„ was 
 one of the foremost in the field of battle, and 
 whose standard of duty, zeal, and personal eftort 
 was of the highest. His patient performance of 
 duty inspired the soldiers with him. and by his per- 
 sonal character and individual energy, he was an 
 important factor in the success of his army. He 
 enlisted as a private in Company H, Third Rei^iment, 
 Minnesota Infantry, October 2. 1861 — was com- 
 missioned Second Lieutenant Octoijer 28, 1861 
 commissioned First Lieutenant February 18,1864 
 and Captain April 15, 186-4. 
 
 Coming of worthy ancestors, Col. Taylor was 
 born inSaiatoga, N. Y., April 22, 1836. His |)ar- 
 ents, Isaac P. and Martha C. (Schidmore) Taylor, 
 were natives of Saratoga, N. Y., and the father 
 followed the occupation of a farmer. In 1836, 
 thty came west, locating in Canton, III. .where they 
 resided two years. Thence they removed toTrivoli, 
 Peoria County, 111., and there the father died in 
 1853. The mother survived many years, and 
 passed away in 1886 in Yates City, Knox County, 
 111. They were honored among the pioneers of 
 Peoria County, and were highl}- esteemed amono- 
 a large circle of acquaintances. In the develop- 
 ment of the resources of the country the father 
 bore a conspicuous part, and w,as one of the fore- 
 most men in his section of the county. 
 
 In Trivoli our subject grew to a stalwart man- 
 hood, attending the public schools of the district 
 and assisting in the farm work. At the ave of
 
 674 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 twenty-one years he went to the Jonesville (New 
 York) Academy, and there completed a good ed- 
 ucation. ReturnLrig to Illinois he engaged in farm 
 ing until 18G1, when for a short time he sojourned 
 to Minnesota, where he went on account of his 
 health. Soon after the outbreak of the Civil War 
 he enlisted at Ft. Suelling, Minnesota, ami his 
 regiment was immediately' ordered to Kentucky. 
 After the fall of Ft. Henry his regiment was sent 
 to Ft. Heiman. He was placed in command of 
 Ft. Henry, and with his companj' engaged in 
 scouting and had many skirmishes with the enemy. 
 
 Later his regiment was ordered toNashville.Tenn., 
 where they were on duty about four months. 
 Murfreesboro, Tenn., was their next camping 
 ground, and tiiere on the 23rd of July, 1862, they 
 engaged in a skirmish with Gen. Forrest. The reg- 
 iment was captured by the Forrest Brigade, and all 
 taken prisoners. However, Lieut. Taylor and 
 Lieut. Eustrum of the Third Minnesota, escaped 
 and returned to Nashville, where Lieut. Taylor was 
 put in command of the Convalescent Camp of six 
 hundred soldiers. He continued in command 
 through the first siege and engaged in a number 
 of skirmishes with the enemy during the siege. 
 The regiment was paroled and sent to Minnesota, 
 where they were detailed to fight the Indians. The 
 Colonel, however, remained in Tennessee on duty 
 and the regiment being exchanged came to Co- 
 lumbus, Ky., where he joined them in 1863 and 
 was assigned to the Sixteenth Arra^- Corps. 
 
 The Third Minnesota Regiment was assigned to 
 Col. Wood's Brigade and was ordered to Vicks- 
 burg, and tiie regiment took an active part in re- 
 ducing that stronghold. After the surrender of 
 Vieksbiirg Col. Ta3'lor was ordered with his regi- 
 ment to Helena, Ark., where an expedition was 
 formed under Gen. Steele to move on to Little 
 Rock, Ark., then held by the rebel General Price. 
 The Third Minnesota took a prominent part in the 
 capture of Little Rock, under Gen. .Steele. 
 
 Until the close of the war our subject was kept 
 ill Arkansas, eng.aging in several battles, the most 
 important of which was at Cash River. During 
 their sojourn in Arkansas the army suffered much 
 from the climate. While at Pine Bluff in October 
 1864, the Colonel's term of enlistment expired, but 
 
 he immediately re-enlisted with a veteran fur- 
 lough of thirty days. He was so debilitated by 
 constant exposure that he was carried on a 
 stretcher, unconscious, to the steamer and thence 
 taken home. 
 
 At the expiration of thirty days Col. Taylor, 
 jjarliall}- recovered, returned to Pine Bluff, and 
 his regiment was then ordered to Duvall's Bluff on 
 the White River. T'here a raid was organized to 
 go to Cash River and other posts. Until the close 
 of the war he continued in raid service, but upon 
 reeeiving an honorable discharge April 18. 186.5, 
 at Duvall's Bluff, Arkansas, he returned to Trivoli, 
 and t.iking his famil}-, who had remained there 
 during his army service, removed to Minnesota, 
 thinking that his health might be improved. How- 
 ever, finding that he grew worse instead of better, 
 he returned to his former home in Illinois, and 
 for three years was unable to do an^-thing. His 
 home was then in Trivoli. In 1869 he was ap- 
 pointed Assistant United States Internal Revenue 
 Assessor, for Peoria County, outside of city, and 
 served in that capacity until the fall of 1871. 
 
 To show the esteem in which Col. Tajior is 
 held it is onl^- necessary to state that he has been 
 elected five times County Treasurer of Peoria 
 Count}', with a majority of from three hundred to 
 twenty-one hundred, altliough the county usually 
 gives a Democrat majority- of seven hundred, 
 while he is a stanch Republican. His first election 
 to this office was in 1871 and he held it continu- 
 ously for eleven years. After retiring therefrom 
 he w'ent into the real estate business and for four 
 years served as Canal Commissioner having been 
 appointed to that oflice by Governor Oglesby. He 
 look a leading part in the great Waterway Con- 
 vention, being chairman of the local committee 
 which called the convention. This convention 
 was held in Peoria October 11, 1887, and was one 
 of the largest and most important of the kind 
 ever held in the West. 
 
 Since the organization of the Republican party 
 Col. Taj'lor has been an ardent supporter of its 
 principles, casting his first vote for Abraham Lin- 
 coln. He was a charter member of Brvner Post G. 
 A. R. and has been Post Commander. Religiously, 
 he and his family worship at the Congregational
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 675 
 
 C'huicli, of wbich they are active members. After 
 the war the Colonel was Captain of the "National 
 Blues" from 1875 until 1878. He was also Colo- 
 nel of the Seventh Illinois National Guards, being 
 commissioned by Gov. CuUora. His poor health 
 coni|)elled him to resign the latter office, and he 
 still suffers from the effects of his army life. He 
 enjoys a wide acquaintance, not only among the 
 best people of Peoria County, but also among the 
 leading men of the Nation. 
 
 On the 15th of October. 1860, a very impor- 
 tant event took place in the life of our subject took 
 place. He was then united in marriage with Miss 
 Mary B., daughter of Melatiah T. and Mary L. 
 Bourne, of Trivoli. To them three children, daugh- 
 ters, have been born: The eldest is Alice Lee, the 
 wife of Charles E. Bunn, of Peoria; Laura B. and 
 Isa D. remain at home. The family residence is a 
 pleasant and comfortable one, located on Sixth 
 Street, and there they have lived for seventeen 
 years. Mrs. Taylor is a descendant of good old 
 I'uiitan stock, her mother bearing the maiden 
 name of Bartlett, being a daughter of Isaac Bart- 
 lett,of Boston, and cousin of .Sidney and George 
 Bartlett, of the same place. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our sul)jeet was 
 Isaac Taylor, of Connecticut, who moved into the 
 Empire State during the earl}* days of its history. 
 The maternal grandfather was Mr. Putnam, a di- 
 rect descendant of Isarel Putnam, ftynous in the 
 nals of the Revolutionary War as a Colonial hero. 
 
 -♦'•£-— 
 
 ^I^ENRY S. HARKNESS. Elmwood Town- 
 ship has no more worthy representative of 
 its flourishing agricultural interests than 
 this gentleman, who was born within the 
 borders of the count}-, educated in its schools and 
 in the opening years of a vigorous manhood, took 
 his place among its busy farmers. While actively 
 engaged in laying up a competence he has also 
 aided in promoting the material welfare of his na- 
 tive county. He is the son of a pioneer of this 
 region who assisted in the devciopuient of its re- 
 
 sources and reclaimed a fertile farm from the pri- 
 meval wilds. He h,as now retired from the active 
 labors of life, although still occupying his home- 
 stead, which is under the efficient management of 
 his son. 
 
 The immediate progenitors of our subject were 
 Isaac and Sarah (Wilson) Ilarkness, the former a 
 native of Pelham, Mass., and the latter of Pennsyl- 
 vania. They were married in the Keystone State, 
 residing there until 1830, when the husband walked 
 to Illinois with the intention of selecting a location 
 on which to make his future home. In Trivoli 
 Township, Peoria County, he chose eighty acres of 
 land on which he broke a few acres of sod and 
 planted corn. He then returned to Pennsylvania 
 where he remained during tlie winter. It proved 
 an extremely hard season in this section and a great 
 manj' Indian ponies died from want, but the corn 
 which Mr. Ilarkness had left growing was un- 
 touched by the savages, whose honesty in this in- 
 stance, affords a striking example to more civilized 
 people. 
 
 In the fall of 1831 Isaac Ilarkness removed with 
 his famil}- to his claim, where he spent the remain- 
 der of his life, accumulating worldly goods and 
 assisting in various frontier labors. He helped to 
 organize the township and afterward held the office 
 of Constable. He eventually secured two hundred 
 acres of land, built an excellent stone house and 
 barn, and otlierwise made of his estate a home of 
 comfort. It is worthy of record th.at he never 
 killed but one thing with a gun, that being a crow. 
 He died in 1879, on the forty-ninth anniversary of 
 his arrival in this section. His faithful companion 
 survived until February 3, 1885, when she too en- 
 tered into rest. Both were members of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church. They were the parents of 
 thirteen children, eight of whom are yet living. 
 
 The subject of this notice is said to be the first 
 white child born in Trivoli Township, and is cer- 
 tainly the first native of Harkness Grove. His 
 natal day was January 21, 1832. He attended one 
 of the first schools organized in this section, con- 
 tinuing to pursue his studies during the winter and 
 assisting on the farm during the summer. He re- 
 mained an inmate of the parental iionie until about 
 twent3--three years old when, on Ai)ril 30, 1851, he
 
 676 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 was united in marri-ge with Miss Sarali C. Parker, 
 witli whom lie set up his own homo. 
 
 Mrs. Harkness is the third child born to Samuel 
 A. and Harriet (Potter) Parker and was born in 
 Ooean County, N. J., May 24, 1836. Her mother 
 was born in the same county, December 15, 1800, 
 and her father in Monmouth County of the same 
 State, July 30, 1800. Their home was in New 
 .Tersej' until 1844, when they removed to Indiana, 
 residing there seven years. They then changed 
 their location to Peoria County, III., living in Tri- 
 voli Township until 1876, when Ihe^- came to make 
 their home with our subject. Mr. Parker died 
 March 7, 1886, at the age of eightj'-five years, 
 seven months and seven da3S. The widow still 
 survives and although she has reached the advanced 
 age of ninety years, still enjoj'S fairl}- good health 
 and an unusual degree of brightness of mind. 
 John Parker, the brother of Mrs. Harkness, was a 
 member of the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and 
 died from disease in 1863 in a hospital near Mur- 
 freesboro, Tenn. Another brother, William, who 
 belonged to the same company and regiment, suf- 
 fered from sunstroke there. 
 
 The farm of ]Mr. Harkness now comprises one 
 hundred acres on sections 29 and 32, all the build- 
 ings upon which and all the improvements have 
 been added by himself. Fine specimens of Here- 
 ford cattle, which Mr. Harkness believes best for 
 the market, arc raised there, while the other stock 
 is of good grades. A noticeable feature on the 
 estate is the large assortment of small fruit. Taken 
 all in all the farm is one of the most attractive in 
 this section and affords a \ery pleasant iiome in 
 which to spend the peaceful years of declining life. 
 Mrs. Harkness is very intelligent, with a thoroughly 
 womanlj- nature, and presents a fine example of 
 the model wife and mother. 'J'he family consists 
 (jf two children, Hattie and Charles. The former, 
 who was born July 9, 18.55, is living in Montgomerj- 
 County, Iowa, being the wife of Daniel Hovenden, 
 and the mother of four children. The latter, who 
 was born June 5, 1863, is unmarried. He is a young 
 man of line mental ability, well educated, and has 
 had a successful experience of two j'cars as a teacher 
 in this county, being now Principal of the graded 
 school at (Jiasford. 
 
 m 
 
 From his youth Mr. Harkness has been deeply 
 interested in political questions and since he was 
 entitled to the right of suffrage has missed but two 
 elections, either general or local. He belongs to 
 the Republican part}' and is well known as one of 
 its stanchest members. For fourteen years he has 
 been Director of his school district and he has also 
 served as Pathmaster. His excellent character, 
 general intelligence and industrious life have se- 
 cured to him the hearty respect of an extended 
 acquaintance, in whose esteem his wife and children 
 share. His brother, Kelton W. Harkness, now of 
 Linn County, Kan., served in the Union Army three 
 years during the late war. 
 
 ^— I- m ^— 
 
 l7 OHN TAYLOR. The subject of this sketch 
 is one of the few remaining pioneers of Elm- 
 wood Township, and has passed through all 
 the hardships inuideutal to the career of him 
 who begins upon the lowest round of the ladder of 
 poverty in an undeveloped country and climbs la- 
 boriously' until he reaches the platform of affluence. 
 He was born in Highland Count3', Ohio, in 1823. 
 and came to the Prairie State with his parents in 
 November, 1833, stoi>ping at a fort which had been 
 built by the few settlers for protection against the 
 Indians, near the present site of Farmington, Ful- 
 ton County. 
 
 After remaining at the Block House a short time 
 the parents removed to Middle Grove, where for 
 two weeks the}' lived in a log house containing but 
 one room, in company' with a family of eight, 
 which, added to their own family of nine, made it 
 necessary to utilize every inch of space. In the 
 meantime thej- were constructing a house for them- 
 selves, the material for which was furnished by the 
 neigiiboring forests. Shortly after moving into 
 this house John witnessed the strange phenomenon 
 known as "falling stars," which he looked upon 
 with awe, wondering if it was one of the character- 
 istics of the frontier. Ere man}' months a removal 
 was made to Knox County, near Summit, which 
 was the parental home during the remainder of 
 their lives. The father, Alexander Tayloi', died in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 677 
 
 January, 1857. His native plaeu was Bedford 
 County, Ky. His wife Nellie (Dalton) Taylor, a 
 native of Virginia, passed away May 15, 1847. Of 
 tliis marriage six cliildren are now living, our sub- 
 ject being the eldest. Tlie father had six children 
 by a former marriage. 
 
 The |)ioneer labors of John Taylor began at an 
 early ago.im mod lately after the removal to this .State. 
 He broke the first ground in Elba I'ownshlp, Knox 
 County, the work being done with oxen, in accord- 
 ance with tiie pioneer custom. Canton, which con- 
 tained about twenty liouses, was the nearest town, 
 the few people who were cultivating tlie land be- 
 ing located in what was termed "settlements," com- 
 posed of three or four families living within a 
 radius of a mile or two. There being no roads or 
 bridges, grain was carried on horseback to the mill. 
 The clothing of the frontiersmen consisted of home- 
 spun cloth and liuckskin, and their food of corn 
 bread, hominy, and honey which could be had in 
 abundance in the woods, together with meat i)ro- 
 cured by luinting the wihl hog, deer, turkeys, etc. 
 In the fall of 1834 John Taylor and a brother killed 
 over three thousand pounds of pork, sui)[ilied by 
 the wild liogs of that region. 
 
 The spring following the removal of the family 
 to this State, our subject made sugar in a camp 
 which had been used by Indians the previous sea- 
 son, catching sap in troughs made by the Indians' 
 tomahawks. While thus engaged he often saw sus- 
 pended in the trees the remains of pappooses, which 
 had been placed in a section of a hollow tree and 
 made fast to the branches above by means of a piece 
 of bark. Many scenes and incidents of those early 
 days are related by Mr. Taylor, who proves a most 
 entertaining companion when called upon to relate 
 his experiences. 
 
 October 14, 1847, Mr. Tayloi and Miss Emily 
 J.ane Doyle were joined in wedlock, the ceremonj' 
 taking place in the Peoria House, from which the 
 young couple departed the next daj-. Mr. Taylor 
 had paid his wedding expenses from a $5 bill and 
 liad twentj'-seven cents left as a casii capital on 
 which to begin his new life. He had forty acres of 
 unimproved land and his father gave him a horse. 
 He built a log house, which is still standing, and in 
 it he and his devoted companion began tlic toil- 
 
 some career which has resulted in worldly prosper- 
 ity and deep respect from those towhom thc}' are 
 known. 
 
 Mr. Taylor bought eleven siioats of Daniel Hark- 
 ness on a year's time, and having,7attened them, 
 drove them to Peoria, vvhere he received §124 in 
 cash. Returning, he paid his purchase money, $1 I, 
 leaving him what he considered a goodly sum of 
 money. The first wheat lie ever hauled to Peoria, 
 although as good as he has ever seen, sold for thirty 
 cents per bushel, his cash jiayment for the entire 
 lo.id being $2 and the balance having to be traded 
 out. Two ,acres of timber land, price -I^IO, whicii 
 he purchased from Isaac Doyle, was paid for l)y 
 liauling to Peoria, at §3 [ler trip, with a load each 
 way. 
 
 Mr. Taylor remained on his little farm until after 
 the death of his wife, since which time he has pur- 
 chased additional land, now having one hundred 
 and ten acres on section 17. His first additional 
 purchase was of eightj- acres at $5 per acre on four 
 year's time. The residence which lie now occu|)ies 
 waserected in 1889 at a cost of §1,500. Although 
 he has been troubled with rheumatism for the last 
 thirteen years, he still actively carries on the farm, 
 dividing his attention between crops and stock. 
 He has always been interested in political issues and 
 voted the Democratic ticket, his first ballot having 
 been cast for James K. Polk. He has been a 
 School Director for six years and has frequently 
 served on the juries in Peoria. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Taylor five children have lieen 
 born, viz: Irene, Eliza, Amanda, Marj' and Edwin. 
 The firstborn is deceased; Amanda is the wife of 
 David E. Speriy, of Bedford, Iowa, and h.as two 
 children; Edwin learned t'ue trade of a jeweler at 
 Galesburg, finished at Parson's Horological Insti- 
 tute at LaPorte, Ind., and during the last year has 
 been following his trade at Omaha, Neb. For the 
 past ten j'cars he has done considerable correspond- 
 ing for the local press and has written a series of 
 excellent biographical sketches of the pioneers of 
 this locality, to one of which we are indebted for 
 interesting items. All of the children have re- 
 ceived good common-school educations. 
 
 The wife of our subject, breathed her last April 
 11, 1878, after twenty years of invalidism. She
 
 078 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 was born within four miles of the Mammotli Cave, 
 Ky., and her father Isaac Doyle, having been one 
 of the earliest settlers in this part of Peoria County, 
 slie had a vivid experience of pioneer life and 
 scenes. Indians were numerous and hostile when 
 she was brought hither and the family was fre- 
 ■quently obliged to seek shelter in the thickets. 
 They lived in a tent for some time. She drove the 
 team wliich turned the first furrow in Elba Town- 
 ship, Knox County, be who became lier husband 
 n-uiding the breaking plow. Slie was a woman of 
 noble character, a consistent member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, and her memory is revered 
 by her family. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Taylor was the first Justice 
 of the Peace in Elrawood Township and one of its 
 most prominent citizens. His residence in the Prai- 
 rie State began in 1831, and his death occurred 
 March 21), 1879. His first wife, Mary Copeland, 
 passed away January 10, 1859, leaving four sons 
 and five dauglitors. His second wife is yet living. 
 
 Sy/U^ENRY TRUITT. deceased, was during his 
 ""^ life one of the best-known citizens of this 
 count}', and one of its leading financiers 
 and business men. He was a pioneer mer- 
 chant of Chillicolhe, and wljile he lived no enter- 
 prise was evolved for the advancement of the 
 business and social interests of the city with wliich 
 he was not prominently connected. He came here 
 in llie early '50s, wlien Chiliicothe was bat a ham- 
 let, and opened a warehouse on Water Street, and 
 from that small beginning accumulated a large and 
 valuable property, his business growing with the 
 growth of the city. Later he turned his attention to 
 the lumber and grain trade and did a large business 
 in buying and selling both grain and lumber. In 
 1 8(58 he helped organize a private bank at this place, 
 the bank being known as Truitt, Mathews & Co.'s 
 Bank which has since held a leading place among 
 the financial institutions of the county. He was 
 a large stockholder in the concern and was its 
 President. 
 
 yir. Truitt was a native of Indiana, l)orn at 
 
 Rising Sun, January 1, 1 81 9. He grew to maturity 
 in his native State and was first married there to 
 Frances M. Goddard. who was also a native of In- 
 diana. After the birth of their two elder children, 
 they came to Illinois and established a homo in 
 Chiliicothe, and here their third and last child was 
 born, Henry, who died when ten months old. While 
 yet in life's prime Mrs. Truitt was taken from her 
 husband and family, her death occurring December 
 27. 18G3. The only living child of that marriage 
 is Frances M., wife of Nathaniel Cutright. a lum- 
 berman of Chiliicothe. The daughter who died 
 was Mrs. John AV. Fuller, of Peoria, who departed 
 tliis life when she was a j-oung woman. 
 
 Our subject was a second time married near Chil- 
 iicothe taking as his wife Mrs. Eliza A. Moffitt, nee 
 Dennis, who survives him. Mrs. Truitt was born 
 in Clermont County. Ohio, March 9, 1829, a daugh- 
 ter of Joseph and Kachael (McClelland) Dennis. 
 They were early settlers of Illinois, having come 
 to Peoria County, in 1833, and locating on a farm, 
 and here BIrs. Dennis died less than two 3'ears after- 
 ward. Mr. Dennis later went to Galesburg, and 
 lived tliere for some time and then came back to 
 Peoria County, to his old home, where he passed 
 away from the scenes of earth at sixt^- j-ears of age. 
 He had been a .second time married and his widow 
 is now living in Galesliurg. Mrs. Truitt was only 
 six years old when her mother dieil, and she was 
 afterwards reared by ilr. and Mrs. Aaron Read, 
 with whom she made her home until her first mar- 
 riage to Alonzo MofHtt, wiio was an old settler of 
 this county. His father was a merchant, and in 
 his store he spent his active life until his death in 
 1850, while yet in life's prime, Mrs. Truitt was 
 thus left a widow with one child, Olive E., who is 
 now the wife of Linas S. Hoyt, a grain dealer of 
 Chiliicothe. By her marriage with our subject 
 Mrs. Truitt has one child, RoUin H. Truitt, born 
 March 13. 18(50, who now manages his motlier's in- 
 terest in the bank of which he is cashier. He 
 married Effie Johnston, of this county. Jlrs. 
 Truitt is a woman of great worth, and in her the 
 Baptist Church has one of its most consistent mem- 
 bers and liberal supporters. 
 
 Mr. Truitt's life-career distinguished him as a 
 man of exceptional character, of i)ionipt and s^'s-
 
 c,-. 
 
 •'VEBSIT;'
 
 cJ^u>-^U^ (yl^ii. 
 
 d/ru-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 681 
 
 lematic husiuess habits, combined with honorable 
 and conscientious dealings, and too much cannot 
 be said of him as a man of unswerving: integril>' 
 and truthfulness, whose clear head and large foie- 
 siglit and sagacious judgment gave his opinion 
 great value and his counsel was often sought by his 
 fellow citizens who thought ver}' highly of iiim. 
 In him all worthy reforms found a champion, and 
 he was esDecially interested in the temperance 
 movement, and was influential in llie Prohibition 
 party during the last years of his life. A sincerely 
 religious man. he was a valued member of the 
 Methodist Church. At his death, September 17, 
 1881, there passed away a truly good man and one 
 of our most venerated citizens. 
 
 »r^=(K'--. — 
 
 za 
 
 «^;f»^^- 
 
 DWARD ALLEN has for many years 
 been extensively connected with the mining 
 interests of Peoria County, and still owns 
 valuable mines in the vicinit}' of the city of Peoria, 
 lie is also identified with the agricultural interests 
 of the county, owning and occupying a well- 
 impruved farm in Limestone Township, and re- 
 siding in an attractive home, beautifully' located on 
 section 13, about three miles southwest of the 
 cmirt-house. 
 
 Mr. Allen, whose portrait is shown on another 
 page, is a native of Burlingham, Warwickshire, 
 iMigland, his birth taking place April IG, 1827. 
 His parents were .lames and Mary (Graham) Allen, 
 nnd after he came to this countr}- and was well 
 settled he sent them monty to pay their passage 
 across the water, so that their last years were spent 
 in comfort in this country. When our subject was 
 a small boy the family removed to the county of 
 Durham. England, where he was reared. He had 
 to work in the mines in the day time, and his only 
 chaiice for obtaining an education was in attending 
 an evening school, but since then he has .advanced 
 his education by reading ami otherwise, and is a 
 n]an (if some Ic.irning. 
 
 At the age of twenty-one .Mr. .Mien and his 
 
 brother James came to America to seek their for- 
 tunes. They settled iu Pittsburg, where our sub- 
 ject soon became interested in the coal works. He 
 was there six years, and then, in tiie fall of 1854.' 
 (^ame to Peoria, attracted thither by the splendid 
 opportunity offered men of enterprise in these rich 
 coal fields. He settled on section 13, Limestone 
 Township, adjoining the city of Peoria, and at once 
 entered the business of coal mining, and h.as bought 
 and operated some of Peori.a's largest mines. He 
 still owns large mines near the town, but at present 
 is not operating them. He has also eng.aged in 
 farming to some extent, having a farm of lift3-two 
 acres of exceedingly fertile land, which he has 
 placed under the best of cultivation, and has sup- 
 plied it with good modern improvements. His 
 ventures have brought him wealth and made him 
 one of the most substantial men of the township. 
 
 The maiden name of the wife who presides over 
 the pleasant home of Mr. Allen and so cheerfully 
 assists him in extending its hospitalities to their 
 numerous friends, was Sarah Pattou. She was of 
 Pennsylvania birth, and is a daughter of John and 
 Catherine (Yoc) Patton. Of tlicir liai)py wedded 
 life ten children have been born, two of whom 
 died in infancy. 'I'he others are Mary, wife of Joe 
 Day; James, Catheriau, Edward, Sarah, Elizabeth, 
 Josephine and William Albert. The children are 
 all well educated, Pllizabeth having taken a course 
 at Brown's College, in Peoria, and Josephine fin- 
 ishing her education at the High School. 
 
 Mr. Allen is a man of sturd}', self-respecting 
 character, endowed with firmness and activity 
 and a well-balanced mind. He has always con- 
 ducted his Inisiness by honorable methods, and his 
 standing in financial circles is of the highest, while 
 he and his family are people of social distinction. 
 He possesses decided opinions of his own, .and is 
 independent in his religious views. A man of his 
 mental make-up could not do otherwise than take 
 sides against slavery when becoming the citizen of 
 a country where slave-holding was a recognized in- 
 stitution; he naturally drifted into the Republican 
 party, and is yet a stalwart supporter of its polic}-. 
 He has had the nomination for Sui)ervisor in the 
 townshii), but as it is so strongly Deraocr.atic, of 
 course <lid not expect to be elected. He has been
 
 682 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 a member of the School Board, ami has served as 
 Road Commissioner, discharging the duties of both 
 offices with characteristic energ}- and abilit\'. 
 
 =le?i. 
 
 EDWARD BALL, now Government Store- 
 keeper in Limestone Towushi)). is a native 
 ' of Mercer County. Pa., having been born in 
 West Greenville, August 8, 1850. He is the on]3' 
 living son in a famil3' of six children, three of whom 
 were born in Wales. Of that land his motlier, Sarah, 
 dauo-hter of Mathew Kaer, was a native, while bis 
 father, Samuel Ball, was born in Bristol, England. 
 The parents were joined in wedlock in AVales, 
 whence they finally emigrated to America, coming 
 to Peoria County. 111., in 1852. Here they settled 
 on a farm near Bartonville, where the father 
 bre.athed his last in 1878, the widowed mother sur- 
 viving until .Tune 21. 1890. Samuel Ball was an 
 old-time Whig and AbolilionLst and an earl3- sup- 
 porter of the Republican party to which he gave 
 his stanch adherence until death. 
 
 The subject of this brief notice having been but 
 two yesys of age when his parents came West, was 
 reared on the farm in Limestone Township, whicli 
 is still in the possession of the heirs of the estate — 
 Mr. Ball and his two sisters. He has worked in the 
 mines, whose development is so important an inter- 
 est in the township, and he has likewise m.ade a 
 business of gardening and fruit-raising. To the 
 otBce which he now holds he was appointed by the 
 present administration, his fitness being recognized 
 by those who are best acquainted with the qualities 
 of his mind and the enterprise of his nature. He is 
 quite interested in the progress of Republicanism 
 and ready at all limes to give his vote and other- 
 wise assist toward that end. He has been Chair- 
 man of the Township Committee, and for four 
 years a member of the Count\' Central Committee. 
 His party friends gave him the nomination to the 
 otflce of Township Supervisor. 
 
 At the home of the bride's parents in Limestone 
 Township, January 21, 1874, the interesting eere- 
 nionv took place which transformed Miss Colona 
 Anderson into Mrs. Edward Ball. The happy union 
 
 lias been blessed b}- the birth of six children, who 
 bear the respective names of Isola, Sarah L., Samuel 
 E., Colbert, AYesley and Claire. Under the careful 
 instruction of an estimable mother, the}' are becom- 
 ing courteous and pleasing in manner, upright in 
 character, and with the educational advantages 
 which the}- receive are developing their intellects 
 as rapidly as their years will permit. Mrs. Ball is 
 a daughter of Colbert and Juliet (Trial) Anderson. 
 
 ON. BERNARD CREMER. This wide- 
 awake, progressive gentlem.an enjoys the 
 confidence and trust of the people of Peo- 
 ria to a degree not exceeded by that be- 
 stowed upon any other of her German citizens. He 
 has been connected with many of her most import- 
 ant public enterprises during the past twentj^-five 
 j^ears, and as the manager of the ^•Demokraf a 
 sheet reputed to be the best and most prosperous 
 German newspaper in the State, has become known, 
 by reputation at least, to many citizens of the great 
 commonwealth. He is the senior member of the 
 firm of B. Cremer & Bros., publishers and proprie- 
 tors of the Daily and Weekly Demokrat,m\\i which 
 is connected an English and German book and job 
 printing office. The firm includes the brothers, 
 Bernard. Adolph, Mathias, and Charles. Reinhold 
 was also one of the firm, wlio died December 14, 
 1876. 
 
 The Cremer family came to America from Col- 
 ogne, German}-, in 1854, settling in Wisconsin. 
 Our subject removed to Peoria in 1864, taking 
 charge of the Dvmokrat, which he has since suc- 
 cessfully managed. Thd' paper was established by 
 Alois Zotz in 1860, its publisher having also estab- 
 lished the first German paper in Peoria in the year 
 1852. He is still connected with the Demokrat as 
 one of its editors. 
 
 Bernard Cremer was the originator of the first 
 German Bank in Peoria, the institution now being 
 known as the German-American National Bank. 
 In 1876 be organized the German Fire Insurance 
 Company of Peoria, of which he is now President. 
 In 1886 he was a Director of the Merchant's Na-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 683 
 
 lional Bank, and was one of the chief instruments 
 in saving this now flourishing institution from 
 wreck. He was also a Director of the National Hotel 
 Compan}- at the time the house was built, and was 
 likewise interested in the Grand Opera House, in 
 whicli the office of the Demokrat is located. 
 
 In 1878 Mr. Cremer was elected member of tlic 
 State Legislature, where he displayed the same zeal, 
 intelligence, and desire for advancement which 
 have led to his personal success, and won him the 
 esteem of his fellovv-mcn. Having accepted the 
 position tendered him, he endeavored to promote 
 the interests of his constituents, wielding his best 
 efforts in their behalf, and adding to his already 
 excellent reputation. 
 
 JOSEPH P. WATROUS owns and occupies a 
 pleasant farm, in Hollis Township, of which 
 he is a native. He was born Februarj^ 8, 
 1849, a half mile below where Mapleton now 
 stands, his parents, Samuel and Julia (Palmer) 
 Watrous, having set up the third household in the 
 township. They came hither from Ohio in 1829, 
 long before the Indians left the country, and to the 
 door of their cabin, which was built on the bluff 
 overlooking the valley of the Illinois River, sav- 
 agi s often came to beg for something to eat. Sam- 
 uel ;ind Julia Watrous, after enduring many of the 
 loils and privations incident to pioneer life, and re- 
 joicing in the growing prosperity of the section to 
 which they had come, were gathered to their fathers 
 lluir mortal remains being deposited in the La 
 Marsh burjing ground. 
 
 The parental family comprised eight children, 
 the eldest of whom was born in the Buckej'e State. 
 They were named respectively: James, Louisa. 
 Elnora, Marion, Philancj-, Jasper, Nathan, and Jo- 
 seph P. Those who now survive are Marion, Phil- 
 ancy, and our subject. The latter was educated in 
 the schools of the county, beginning his own career 
 in life when about twenty years of age. The farm 
 which he now occupies has been his home for six- 
 teen years, and the ninely-seven acres which com- 
 
 prise it have been thoroughly improved bj' him, 
 and made the scene of a good general farming busi- 
 ness. 
 
 The gentlaman of whom we write was] fortunate 
 in his choice of a life companion, winning Miss Mar}' 
 Jane Powell, a lady of intelligence and Christian 
 character. She is the eldest of eight children born 
 to Michael M. and Catherine (Hamer) Powell, na- 
 tive of Wales, subsequently residents of St. Louis, 
 Mo., and finally of Peoria. The mother is now de- 
 ceased. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Watrous 
 were Edward, Elizabeth, John, Emma, Maude, 
 Benjamin, and an infant, all of whom are now liv- 
 ing except two. 
 
 The happy union of Mr. and Mrs. Watrous has 
 been blessed by the birth of eight children, with 
 four of whom thev have been called upon to part. 
 Those who survive are Edward, Herbert, Ralph, 
 and Katie, the baby of the family. The parents are 
 members of the LaMarsh Baptist Church, and are 
 earnestly endeavoring to carry the principles of 
 their faith into the conduct of their dail}' life. Mr. 
 Watrous is a stanch Republican, following the foot- 
 steps of his father, whose'political belief gave him 
 the name of a '-black Abolitionist." 
 
 -♦^^^ 
 
 HILIP SMITH. The firm of Smith & Ga- 
 ll) ble, insurance agents, of which our sub- 
 ject is the senior member, represents five 
 leading companies and does an excellent 
 business. So also does the real-estate firm of Smith, 
 Gable & Rej'nolds which vvas established but a short 
 time since and has already worked up a large trade. 
 A pleasantly located office in the Masonic Temple 
 on .South Adams Street, I'eoria, is the seat of tiic 
 operations of the two firms. 
 
 Although foreign boru, Mr. Smith has spent all 
 but a few months of his life in America. He 
 opened his eyes to the light in Prussia, May 5, 
 hS41, and was but a year old when his parents, 
 Paul and Mary (Rupprecht) Smith crossed the At- 
 lantic. They located first at New Orleans, but soon 
 passed up to St. Louis, then on to Wisconsin, and 
 finally in 1845. made a permanent settlement in
 
 684 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Peoria. Here onr subject grew to manhood, re- 
 ceiving a good practical education in the citj- 
 school?. After completing his studies he engaged 
 as a grocery clerk until his peaceful occupation was 
 interrupted by the mutterings of the wfir cry. 
 
 Bred to love the country to which he had been 
 brought in infancj', Mr. Smith enlisted June 19, 
 1861, in Company H, Eighth ^lissouri Infantr}', 
 and being mustered into the service July 7, be- 
 came an integral part of the Western Arm}-. The 
 regiment afterward belonged to the Fifteenth 
 Corps, Army of the Tennessee, Mr. Smith took part 
 in all the engagements and manoeuvres of bis regi- 
 ment, displacing the sturdy valor which seems in- 
 se|)arable from the nature of a Prussian, until the 
 battle of Big Shanty, when his time expired and 
 he was honorably discharged. He was .at that time 
 Color Sergeant of his regiment. After his return 
 to the North he again engaged in the service of his 
 countr}-, doing provost duty until the close of the 
 war, much of the time being spent in Chicago, 
 Springfield and other large cities, as far South as 
 Chai,tanooga. 
 
 After the close of the war in 1865, Mr. Smith 
 engaged in the grocery business for two years, then 
 entered the United St.ates Postal service of Peoria, 
 in which he continued ten years and until after the 
 inauguration of President Cleveland. Engaging 
 then in the insurance business, lie has continued in 
 that line, working alone until 1889 when he formed 
 a partnership with A. T. Gable. He had se- 
 cured a fine patronage bj- his pleasing manners and 
 honorable conduct. He has been quite interested 
 in fancy poultrj', is a charter member of the State 
 Poultr}- Association, of which he is Treasurer, and 
 prominent among poultry breeders. 
 
 Mr. .Smith w.as fortunate in his choice of a life 
 companion. winning Miss Marj- C. Vanscoj'k.daunh- 
 ter of Aaron and Rebecca Vanscoj'k, who are 
 numbered among the early .settlers of this countv. 
 Miss Vanscoj-k was born, reared and educated 
 in this count}', where she has made many friends 
 by her estimable character, intelligence and uses 
 fulness. She became the wife of our subject 
 October 1, 1864, and has borne him one child — 
 Frank H. — now in the railroad employ in this citv. 
 
 Mr. Smith is identified with the social bodies of 
 
 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the An- 
 cient Order of United AVorkmen, and Bryner Post 
 No. 67, G. A. R. He belongs to the First Con- 
 gregational Church. He is highly spoken of by all 
 who know him, as a man of strict integrity in all 
 transactions .and one who can be relied upon at all 
 times to act as becometh a man. 
 
 ai^a^jG 
 
 Crt 
 
 . OSEPH W. COYNER, M. D. The medical 
 profession of Peoria County recognizes a 
 worthy representative in the subject of this 
 notice, who is a disciple of the Homeopathic 
 school, and during his j^ractice of twelve years in 
 the city has fully established himself as a physi- 
 cian and surgeon of no mean talents. He has bis 
 office at the beautiful home of his own building on 
 Perry Street, No. 109, which, with its surround- 
 ings, invariably attracts the attention of the 
 passer-by as indicating the abiding place of cul- 
 tured tastes and ample means. 
 
 The subject of this notice, a n.ative of Colfax, 
 Ind., was born September 18, 1851, and is a son of 
 J.acob and Hannah (Little) Coyner, with whom he 
 lived until a youth of eighteen years. He then for 
 a time occupied himself as a te.acher, then spent 
 two years in the Norm.a! School at Lebanon, Ohio. 
 Becoming thoroughly interested in educational 
 matters, he continued connected therewith, finally 
 going to Nashville, Tenn., where he became Prin- 
 cipal of a ward school, and at the same time prose- 
 cuted his studies in Yanderbilt University. 
 
 Later Dr. Coyner spent a year in the Homeo- 
 pathic College at Cincinnati, from which he was 
 graduated in the cl.ass of 1878, and was subse- 
 quently located for a short time in the Queen City. 
 Thence he came in 1878 to Peoria, and established 
 an office at the corner of Main and Perry Streets, 
 a half block from his present elegant mansion, 
 which he built in the summer of 1889. Within it 
 he has the finest suite of offices of any physician in 
 the city of Peoria, and fully equipped with all the 
 books and apparatus pertaining to the profession 
 or required by the pltysician and surgeon. 
 
 The residence of Dr. ( oyner is a model of archi-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 685 
 
 teclural beaut^', aside from its location, wliicli is 
 one of tlie finest in the city, and adjacent to wliicli 
 are many otlier of the beantiful Iiomes tlieiein. 
 The presiding genius of this liome, to whom Ur. 
 Coyner w.is wedded Februaiy 10, lfS82, was for- 
 merly INIiss Lucia 8. Hoteliiiiss, a native of Massa- 
 chusetts and a daughter of Carver and Sarah 
 (Gillette) Hotchkiss of that State. The Doctor is 
 prominent in Masonic circles, and both he and his 
 estimable lady are members in good standing of the 
 Baptist Church. Politics possess little interest 
 for Dr. Coyner, although lie usually votes with the 
 Republican party. He stands well socially and 
 professionall3', and is highly spoken of as a mem- 
 ber of the community more than ordinarily intel- 
 ligent. 
 
 ■ — i^sm- — - 
 
 fSs; ANIEL IIIGGINS. It affords the bio- 
 I j)] graphical writer pleasure to note the sue- 
 (-^JJtr cess which attends persevering industry 
 " and prudent management, resulting, as in 
 
 the case of our subject, in securing to him who has 
 pursued such a course a sufficient amount of 
 worldly goods to allow him to abandon hard labor 
 and siiend his declining years in case and enjoy- 
 ment. After having been connected as a trades- 
 man and dealer with the business life of Peoria for 
 man}' a year, Mr. Iliggins has reached a position 
 which entitles hiui to be classed among the retired 
 men of the city. He owns a number of dwellings 
 in the city, from which he derives an income suffi- 
 cient to procure the comforts and many of the 
 luxuries of life. 
 
 Mr. Iliggins is a native of County Limerick, 
 Ireland, born in June, 1819, to John and Ann 
 (Riordon) Iliggins. He was reared on a farm, but 
 when of suitable age began to work at the carpen- 
 ter's trade. In Juh'. 1843, the rites of wedlock 
 were celel)rated between him and Miss JaneGleason 
 of his own county. Owing to the difficult}' of 
 meeting the requirements of the landlords, Daniel 
 Higgins, together with thi' other members of the pa- 
 rental family, determined to seek a home in tlie 
 New World, and in 1849 bade adieu to the land of 
 their birth. The parental family comprised seven 
 
 sons and one daughter. All who now survive are: 
 our subject; Patrick, a marble cutter in Peoria; 
 and Mrs. Mary McMahon, of Canton, P\ilton 
 County. 
 
 The Higgins familj' sailed to (Quebec on the 
 '' Victoria," the passage consuming about a month, 
 and came direct to Peoria by way of the lakes and 
 canal. Our subject began work in a carriage and 
 wagon shop, conducted by James Speers, continu- 
 ing in the establishment a short time after his first 
 employer sold out. This was five years after Mr. 
 Iliggins arrived in Peoria, and upon leaving the 
 shoi) he entered the employ of .1. \V. Smith & Son, 
 for whom he worked fourteen years. His length 
 of .service for one employer is indicative of the 
 trust reposed in him as a reliable workman. At 
 the expiration of the period mentioned, Mr. Hig- 
 gins 0[>ened a grocery store, continuing to conduct 
 it until he was able to retire. The establishment 
 is at present occupied by his oldest son, John G. 
 
 Besides the son above mentioned. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Iliggins have two others living. Timothy is a 
 machinist and James S. a book-kee|)er for James 
 Deal, contractor. The last named still resides un- 
 der the parental roof, but John and Timothy are 
 established in homes of their own. In a financial 
 sense Mr. Iliggins has done well in America, and 
 for this, as well as for the belter opportunities 
 which his children have had, rejoices that his --own 
 native isle of the ocean " is no longer his home. 
 He is a thoroughbred Democrat, and a communi- 
 cant of the Catholic Church. Both his parents 
 died soon after coming to America. 
 
 ACOB GALK. Among the old residents of 
 I Peoria now retireit from .active life with a 
 well-earned reputation for usefulness. Judge 
 Gale occui)ies the front rank. He has cred- 
 itably filled several (niblic offices, and was finally 
 elected Circuit Judge, the district in which he liatl 
 jurisdiction comprising Peoria and Stark Counties. 
 He served until the duties of the office became dis- 
 tasteful to him, when he resigned. He has been a 
 resident of this county since M.ay, 1834, and during
 
 686 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 many of llic years was well known as a member of 
 of llie legal fraternity, eminent in his profession, 
 cultured in mind and well bred in manner. 
 
 Judge Gale was born in Salisbur}', N. H .Febru- 
 ary 22, 1814, being a son of Benjamin and Aclisab 
 (Bailey) Gale. His early life was spent in the 
 Granite State, and liis education comi)leled at Dart- 
 mouth College, Hanover, from which he graduated 
 with the degree of A. B. in 1833. The following 
 spring he came to Peoria, and for a time was in tlie 
 hardware busin( ss with Moses Pettengill who was 
 originally from his own native place. Subsequently 
 he read law in the ottice of Cyri:s Loland, being 
 admitted to the bar of the Stale of Illinois in 1837. 
 
 When beginning his practice, Mr. Gale opened 
 an office with Horace P. .Johnson, their connection 
 continuing about .one and one-half years, when 
 our subject became a partner of Onslow Peters, 
 from Massachusetts. The firm of Peters <fc Gale 
 survived a number of years, and after the dissolu- 
 tion of the partnership Mr. Gale continued his 
 legal labors alone until his appointment as Clerk 
 of the Circuit Court. This was received from 
 Judge John D. Caton. being prior to the period 
 when the ofliee became an elective one. After that 
 change was made ilr. Gale was elected to the office 
 for two terms of four years each, and from that 
 position was elected Circuit Judge. He is now the 
 oldest attorn e)' living in the citj''. 
 
 Judge Gale has ever mauifested a deep interest 
 in the cause of education, and his fellow-citizens 
 have called for his services as Superintendent of 
 the city schools and as a member of the Board of 
 Education. He has twice been Mayor of this city, 
 his last term having been during the war, when he 
 was elected on the Democratic ticket. He is one 
 of the persons first interested in the gas compan}', 
 of which he was Secietar3' more than twentj' years. 
 One of the first fine homes on the west bluff was 
 erected b}- him — where he and his family now re- 
 side — at No. 1 15 North .Street. 
 
 Judge Gale was united in marriage, in June, 1838, 
 with Miss Charlotte P. Bartlett, of .Salisbury, N. H., 
 who shared his joys and sorrows, sympathizing in 
 his aspirations and plans, until November 28, 1868, 
 when she entered into rest. Of their children. 
 Edward survives. He married Mary E. Maxwell, 
 
 who died, leaving two children. He afterward 
 married Miss Eva L. Allison, who h.as borne him 
 two children also. .Tudge Gale makes his home 
 with this son. 
 
 0' ORRIS PITT. In a city as large as Peoria 
 there will of necessity be numerous busi- 
 ness establishments of the same nature, 
 
 and merchant tailors are well represented here. 
 One of the oldest merchant tailoring establish- 
 ments in the city is now located at No. 423 
 JIain .'Street, its proprietor being Norris Pitt, who 
 has been continuously in business here since 1867. 
 He is therefore one of the oldest merchant tailors 
 in this vicinity, and it is a pleasure to record that 
 his labors have resulted in a thoroughly-established 
 reputation and a fair share of worldly goods. His 
 store is favorably located, and is one of the finest 
 establishments in the citj', with a well-selected 
 stock, well displa3ed. 
 
 The birth of Mr. Pitt took place in England, 
 November 28, 1827. and there he grew to maturity, 
 received his education and learned his trade. He 
 followed his calling for some years in his own 
 land, princiiially in London, but also in Birming- 
 ham. In 1867 he determined to seek a home in 
 America, and crossing the Atlantic came direct to 
 Peoria, 111., at once establishing a merchant tailor- 
 ing house on Main Street, where be has conducted 
 a successful business for nearly a quarter of a cen- 
 tury. 
 
 Mr. Pitt is at present an Alderman, representing 
 the Fifth Ward, and elected on the Republican 
 ticket. He has never sought public honors, but 
 was willing to accept this position when it was 
 urged upon him. B3' virtue of it he is a member 
 of the Police and Judiclarj' Committee, and also 
 that on Public Grounds and City Property, two 
 verj' important committees. The enterprise and 
 good judgment which have made of his business 
 career a success are exhibited in his actions as a 
 member of the Common Council, and the expecta- 
 tions of his constituents are being fulfilled. James 
 Pitt, the father of our subject, is still living, hav-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 687 
 
 ing passed the age of f'nii--scoie years and ten, in 
 Bristol, England. 
 
 T'he lady who presides over the home of ISIr. 
 Pitt, and to whose womanly nature be owes 
 much of the enjoyment of his life, was known in 
 her girlhood as Miss Elizabeth Granger. She is a 
 native of the mother country, in which their mar- 
 riage was celebrated March 14, 1854. To them 
 were born, in England, three sons : C'rescens 
 Granger, whose home is in Chicago; Kred, at Can- 
 ton; Harry N., a dentist in Chicago. After the 
 removal to America there were added to their 
 household band two sous, now living: William A., 
 who is employed in the post-office in Peoria, and 
 Albert E., who is still pursuing his studies. Mr. 
 Pitt is a member of the Knights of the Golden 
 Rule, and he and Lis wife belong to the Congre- 
 gational Church, of which Mr. Pitt is a Deacon. 
 
 iiEN.TAMIN W. THOiMP>SON, one of the 
 best known and most popular conductors 
 on the Toledo, Peoria <fe Western Railroad, 
 is a native of this State, born in Sangamon 
 County, September 6, 1850. His jxirents, Richard 
 M. and Nam j' (Brawner) Thompson, were natives 
 respectively of Indiana and Richmond, Ky. The 
 father of our subject was a farmer by occupation 
 and in 1835, came to Illinois, and was a (lioneer 
 settler of this State. In 1856, lie again became a 
 pioneer, locating in Iowa, and there died in 1871. 
 His wife also died in that State, her deatli occurring 
 in 1865. 
 
 He of wiiom we write, was about six years of age 
 wlicn he accompanied his parents to Iowa, and 
 there lie gleaned his education in a district 
 school, and after leaving school worked one year 
 for a faimer. He remained in Iowa until 1866, and 
 then came to this Stale, and in 1867 went to work 
 for the Chicago, IJnrlington & Quincy Railroad 
 Company. We next hear of him in Peoria, com- 
 ing to this city in March, 1868. From the 1st of 
 April, that year, he was engaged in a brick yard 
 until he entered the employ of the Toledo, Peoria 
 and Western Railroad Company May 1, 1868. At 
 
 first, he acted as a bridgenian until 1871. He was 
 next engaged in breaking on passenger trains. He 
 thus gained valuable experience and learned how 
 to manage a train, and in 1872, was put in charge 
 of a freight train. In 1876, he was appointed to 
 Ins present position as conductor of a passenger 
 train and has ever since acted in that capacit}'. It 
 is worth}' of note in this connection that he is al- 
 ways on duty, has never yet missed a pay roll and 
 no train while under his care has ever met with an 
 accident. He has seen the management of the 
 Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad change many 
 times, but such is the confidence reposed in him and 
 the high regard felt for him by his employers, that 
 his position as conductor has always been secured. 
 His kindly courtesy and obliging manners make 
 him a favorite with the traveling public, and he 
 has many warm friends among the officials and 
 patrons of the road. 
 
 Mr. Thompson purchased his present homestead 
 in Peoria in December, 1886, and has since made it 
 his dwelling place. He is actively identified with 
 the lodge of the Order of Railroad Conductors and 
 is connected with the Universalist Church in this 
 city, his liberality, progressiveness and activity in 
 all its good works, making him a valued factor in 
 the society. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was married in 1872, to Miss Sue 
 Mealey, a native of La Ilarpe, Hancock County, III. 
 She is a charming woman and understands well 
 how to make home attractive. Their pleasant house- 
 hold circle is completed by their two children, the 
 eldest of whom is Charles M., and the name of the 
 other is Frederick N., both of whom are attending 
 school. 
 
 ^ 
 
 E^^ 
 
 m. 
 
 \f? AMES HARVEY ADAMS. None are more 
 worthy of representation in a Biographical 
 Album than tlie late James Harvey Adams, 
 of Brirafiekl Township who, while he lived, 
 enjoyed the good will, esteem and confidence of all 
 who knew him. He was well known as one who 
 was honest in all business transactions, interested 
 in the welfare of those about him and exhibiting
 
 688 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 in Ills domestic relations the utmost affection and 
 consideration. He departed tliis life at his pleas- 
 ant home October 3. 1885, leaving a wife and three 
 children to mourn his loss, as well as a large^circle 
 of friends. 
 
 Mr. Adams was a native of Lawrence County, 
 this State, where his e_yes first opened to the light 
 November 1. 1833. His mother, Mary (Chene- 
 worth) Adams died when the lad was about six 
 years old and his father, Joseph Adams, some eight 
 years later. He* received but a common-school 
 education, his privileges being somewhat limited, 
 but endeavored to keep well informed regarding 
 the topics which ire of general Importance and 
 particularly those relating to the Government and 
 the line of work with which he was connected. 
 
 He c.'inie to Peoria County in 1852, worked by 
 the month for several j'ears, and then bought the 
 farm upon which his widow now resides. His first 
 purchsise was in the spring of 1860, the amount 
 eighty acres, and the price §2,000. He afterward 
 bought an additional eighty, the entire amount be- 
 ing in a practically' unimproved condition when he 
 obtained it. He brought it to an excellent con- 
 dition, being able when called hence to leave his 
 famil}' in the possession of a comfortable and re- 
 munerative estate. 
 
 Mr. Adams was elected School director and 
 earnesll}' endeavored to advance the cause of edu- 
 cation, discharge well the duties of his position and 
 show himself the friend of pupils and patrons as 
 well as a good counselor to the teacher. In i)ulilies 
 he was a stanch Republican. 
 
 The good wo:aan who for more than twenty 
 3'ears was a faithful helpmate and companion to 
 our subject was formerly' known as Miss Anna 
 Mae\'. She was born in Union' C'ountj', Ind., Au- 
 gust 25, 1836, to Thomas and Sarah (Petty) Macy, 
 with whom, when seventeen jears old, she came to 
 Peoria Count}', settling in Elmwood Township. 
 There her marriage was celebrated December 24, 
 1863. She is the mother of four children, the living 
 being Henry, Lulu and Joseph. Adelbert, tlie first- 
 born, is deceased. She is an active member of so- 
 ciety, looked up to for her Christian cbaracter,being' 
 a consistent mctnber of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. She resides upon the laud where almost 
 
 her entire wedded life was spent, exhibiting good 
 juilguicntin the management of the business affairs 
 connected with the estate. 
 
 Ths parents of Mrs. Adams were natives of North 
 Carolina, but died in this county, the one in Elm- 
 wood and the other in Brimfield Township. They 
 h.ad eight children, of whom the following survive: 
 David, now living in Indiana; Matilda, in Brim- 
 field Township, this county; Micajah, in Elmwood 
 Township; Emeline, wife of James Paddock, of 
 Knox County, and the widosv of our subject. 
 
 ?RANK NEWSAM. The denizens of the 
 larger cities and towns are not the only 
 ones who enjoj' what are called modern con- 
 veniences. On the contrary a traveler throughout 
 the rural districts of the States which have been 
 settled for a number of 3'ears, will find many homes 
 thorough!}' supplied with the conveniences of life 
 and furnished in a manner which would do credit to 
 the good taste of any family. One of these beau- 
 tiful homes is located in llollis Township, one and 
 one-half miles noith of Mapleton. It is a commo- 
 dious structure of pleasing design and convenient 
 arrangement, heated b}' steam, supplied with water 
 pipes from three large wells and furnished in the 
 latest style of decorative house furnishing. The 
 water is pumped into a tank thirty-eight feet high, 
 from which the fluid can be thrown to the second 
 stor}'. The dwelling was erected at a cost of ^4,- 
 500, while the fine large barn, other outbuildings 
 and improvements upon the estate causeil the ex- 
 penditure to reach §15.000. A view of this beau- 
 tiful home and pleasant surroundings appears else- 
 where in this volume. 
 
 The owner and occupant of this fine residence 
 is of English buth and ancestry', his eyes having 
 opened to the light in Lancashire, April 6, 1841, 
 The parental home was twent}' one miles from 
 Liverpool and there he remained until 1863 when 
 lie came to America. His first abiding-place was 
 in Pittsburg, Pa., where he sojourned a jear, going 
 thence to East St. Louis, where he remained until 
 1865. He then removed, to Peoria County, 111.,
 
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 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 691 
 
 working in Kingston until 1869, when he formed a 
 partnofsliip with Tlionias .letiford, the firm opornl- 
 ing llic I^ancnstcr coal mines located on the Illi- 
 nois River, three years. During this time the}' 
 reached as high an output as one hundred and 
 twenty tons per da)'. 
 
 At the expiration of three years, Mr. Xewsam 
 sold his interest to Mr. Jefford and removing to 
 the village of Mapleton, emhai-kcd in the mercan- 
 tile business, at the same time opening up what is 
 now known as the AValker mines, in which he sold 
 out his interest on account of a misunderstanding. 
 He continued the mercantile lousiness and developed 
 other mines at Mai)leton, among them theMcGrew 
 in E.ast INIapleton, which it was expected would he 
 the largest in the county. It was opened in 1879, 
 but development proved that there was no large 
 vein of mineral and it gave out in three years. 
 
 Mr. jS'ewsam has also been interested in the Or- 
 chard mines with Richard Newsam, the two operat- 
 ing there for seven years under the firm name of 
 Newsam Bros. The output from there and the 
 Mapleton nune of our subject was as high as three 
 hundred and twenty tons of clean coal daily, fur- 
 nishing employment to a force of one hundred and 
 sixty-five men. In 1881 BIr. Newsam sold his 
 mining interests and removed to his farm which he 
 fitted up in elegant style, and ex|)tcted to oiien up 
 a larger coal field, but sickness and shipping facil- 
 ities prevented, it being too far from railroad com- 
 munications. He is a thorough, practical man, 
 biitli as a manager and business man, having worked 
 himself u|) from the lower levels to the top, and 
 is master of his business. He drew the plan for 
 his residence which contains nine rooms and was 
 built under his own oversight. The farm com- 
 ])rises three hundi'cd and twenty .acres. in the man- 
 agement of which he finds sutlicient occupation. He 
 is the inventor of a double lock car coupler, the 
 right to which was sold to practical parties who 
 considered it worth their attention. 
 
 Mr. Newsam is a Rejiublican and is now a mem- 
 ber of the County Central Committee. He has been 
 School Director and Township Supervisor several 
 terins and has likewise served as Coal Mine In- 
 spector for the county. His home is presided 
 over by a Lady of English birth who bore the 
 
 maiden name of Emma Harris. Their marriage 
 rites were celebrated in Peoria, in ISGf) and their 
 union has resulted in the birth of seven children. 
 The\' mourn the loss of four, having left to them 
 John T., William F. and Richard. The gracious 
 hospitality dispensed by Mr. and Mrs. Newsam and 
 the pleasing qualities which they possess, add to 
 the charm of their home and win favor from those 
 with whom they come in contact. 
 
 lS^^HEODORE J. MULLER, is a fine representa- 
 //^ five of our native-born citizens, who, within 
 %&^'' recent years have stepped forward to aid in 
 sustaining and extending the great business inter- 
 ests of Peoria. He occupies the responsible posi- 
 tion of Secretary of the German Fire Insurance 
 Comi)an}' of this citj', with which he has been con- 
 nected since 1879, acting in his present capacity 
 since September 1, 1887. 
 
 Mr. Muller w.as born in this city, July 17, 18G0, 
 a son of Jacob and Paulina (Koenig) Muller. 
 After he hail comi)!fited his education he was em- 
 ployeil in his father's grocery store on Bridge 
 Street, until he engaged himself with the insurance 
 compau}'. Here he began in the lowest position 
 and by his faithful attention to his vvork, his ready 
 tact, and the excellent business talent he displayed, 
 gained the confidence of his employers, who pro- 
 moted him from time to time to more responsible 
 positions until he became Secretary of the com- 
 pan}', now having under him fifteen men and doing 
 a business of about §300,000. 
 
 The German Fire Insurance Compan\ was or- 
 ganized in 1876, with a capital stock of §100,000, 
 and was incorporated with Louis Green as Presi- 
 dent and F. H. Wagner as Secretar3\ It has in- 
 creased its capital from %!200,000 to §300,000, in the 
 years from 1882 to 1881. When Mr. Muller first 
 took charge of the compan}' it had a smaller amount 
 of stock and did a much smaller business than at 
 present. He devotes his whole attention to his 
 work and is justly considered one of the most 
 efficient and trusted officials in the company. 
 
 Mr. Muller married Miss Minnie Borries, who was
 
 692 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 l)oin and reared in this city, a daughter of F. II. 
 Borries. an old settler of Peoria, and tliey liave es- 
 tablished a pleasan' and inviting- home in their na- 
 tive cit}'. They have one child — Jeanetta. 
 
 Mr. Miiller is one of the prominent German- 
 American citizens of the city and earnestly interests 
 himself in its welfare. He is a young man of fine 
 capacity and excellent principles, and is highly 
 spoken of by all who know him. He is a member 
 of the Roy.al League, Turners and Schuetzenverein. 
 of which he is Treasurer. 
 
 <« l»;yLEY POPLETT. The life of a farmer. 
 flA /\y/' although devoid of the confusion and ex- 
 V^^ citement wiiich marks that of the denizen 
 of the large city, is not therefore devoid of inter- 
 est nor does it lack in opportunities for usefulness 
 as a neighbor and citizen. This has been demon- 
 strated in the life of the gentleman above named, 
 a respected and useful member of the agricultural 
 community of Richwood Township. 
 
 Tlie parents of our subject were Thompson and 
 .lane (Montgomery) Poplett, who were born in 
 North Carolina and Virginia respectively. After 
 their marriage the}' settled in the latter .State 
 whence they removed to Kentucky, again changing 
 their residence to Parke Count}', Ind., where they 
 remained several years. In 1835, thej' journe}-ed 
 farther westward, locating in Knox Count}'. 111., 
 where Mrs. Poplett died November 16, 1841, when 
 forty-one years old. The family remained in that 
 county until 1816, when they removed to Peoria 
 County, settling on section 5, Richwood Township. 
 There Thompson Poplett improved a farm which 
 was his home until called upon to lay down the 
 burdens of life, August 13, 1868. at the age of 
 sixty-nine years. The parental family consisted of 
 twelve children, of whom our subject was the 
 seventh in order of birth. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Parke 
 County, Ind., June 29, 1830. He w.as about five 
 years old when his parents came to Illinois and 
 about sixteen when he accompanied his father to 
 
 this county. Since his youth he has been engaged 
 in farming and has continued to reside in Rich- 
 wood Township, remaining with his father until 
 he was about twenty-three years old. He now owns 
 the old homestead, bis entire estate comprising 
 about three hundred and eighty-five acre^ of fine 
 farming land. 
 
 The lady who presides over household affairs on 
 the Poplett estate became the wife of our suliject 
 March 22, 1871. She bore the maiden name of 
 Lucinda J. Vaughn, was born in Jefferson County, 
 Pa., April 20, 1852, and accompanied her parents 
 to Illinois early in the '60s. Robert and Elizabeth 
 (Walkup) Vaughn settled in Richwood Township, 
 this county, where they still reside. They are na- 
 tives of Huntington and Cumberland Counties, Pa., 
 respectively. Their family consisted of ten ciiil- 
 dren. of whom Jlrs. Poplett is the eighth in order 
 of birth. To our subject and his good wife eight 
 children have been born, named respectively, Wil- 
 liam T., Edgar L., George M., Cora E., Sarah J., 
 Wilber I.V Chester R. and Myrtis M. William. 
 Edgar and Sarah are deceased. 
 
 A glance at the official record of Mr. Poplett 
 shows in a flattering manner the confidence which 
 is reposed in him by his fellow-townsmen who have 
 eleeted him to office year after year. As Townshi[> 
 Collector he has served seven years, and as Town- 
 ship Assessor nine years.and as Supervisor four con- 
 secutive years. He takes an active part in political 
 affairs, giving his ballot to the candidates who are 
 pledged to support the principles of Democracy. In 
 his religious views Mr. Poplett is liberal, basing his 
 opinion of men upon their actions rather than their 
 creed. 
 
 J";ILL1AM S. McCULLOUGH is a represent- 
 ative of a pioneer family of this county, 
 ^ ^ and has v.aluable farming interests in Lo- 
 gan Township. He is a native of Ohio, born Sep- 
 tember 26, 1835. He is a son of John and Martha 
 (Glasgow) McCuUough, who were natives of Rock- 
 bridge County, Va.. born respectively in 180-4 and 
 1808. 
 
 The father of our subject was but a small boy
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALliUM. 
 
 693 
 
 vflieu liis jjareuts took liim from !iis early home in 
 Virginia, to the pioneer wilds of Adams County. 
 Ohio, in 18r2. He was llitre reared, received but 
 limited educational advantages, and was there mar- 
 ried. In the year 1840, the same pioneer spirit 
 that had actuated Lis father to seek a new home in 
 a newly settled .State, determined him to loc.ite on 
 the wild prairies of Illinois. On coming here, per- 
 forming the journey hy wagon, and being two 
 weeks on the road, he selected a tract of eighty 
 acres of land on section 4, Logan Township, as be- 
 ing in everj' way most suited to his purposes. In 
 the years that followed, he developed it into a good 
 farm, and increased its acreage by further purchase 
 until he had one hundred and twenty acres- of ex- 
 ctllent farming land at the lime of his death in the 
 month of Augu^t, 1874. His wife died in the 
 month of June, 1873, and as their lives were united 
 in life, in death the^' were not long divided. They 
 were nien)bers of the United Presbyterian Church, 
 and were among its active workers. 
 
 The parents of our subject had born to them ten 
 children, two of whom died in infancy, and the 
 others lived to maturity: Rosina, wife of William 
 A. Brooks; Thomas H., who was a member of Com- 
 [lany C, .Sevent3'-seventh Illinois Infantry, during 
 the late war, lives in Farmington; Robert G., Will- 
 iam S. ; Samuel E., who was a Corporal in Company 
 A., Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry, was wounded 
 at ^'icksburg, Maj', 1863, and died in the hospital 
 at St. Louis; James A., a resident of Oregon; and 
 Joseph IL, a resident of Kansas, and served through- 
 out the war. The father of our subject was a son 
 of Thomas McCullough. His wife was aMcClung, 
 and her parents went from Virginia to Ohio in 
 1812. where her father carried on farming until his 
 deatli at the age of ninety years. He was of Scotch 
 origin, and had a famil}' of three sons and two 
 daughters — John, Samuel, McClung, Polly, and 
 JIary. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was given the advan- 
 tages of a common-school education in his native 
 State, and as his early life was passed on a farm, he 
 had a fine opportunity to learn all about farming. 
 At the age of •twent3-one he began life for himself 
 by renting land. In the spring of 1863 he invested 
 money in sixty acres of laud, which still forms a 
 
 jjart of his homestr^ad. although he has greatl.y in- 
 creased it until now he is a landed proprietor to the 
 extent of possessing two hundred and sixly^ acres 
 of valuable farming land. This is under substan- 
 tial improvements, is provided with a good set of 
 huildiugs, and every convenience for conducting 
 agriculture advantageously. Our suliject and his 
 wife have other property besides, he having re- 
 ceived $1,000 from his father's estate, and she fall- 
 ing heir to §3.000 from her father's property. 
 
 December 15, 1858, is the date of Mr. McCul- 
 lough's marriage to Miss Margaret A. Stewart. She 
 was born in Rush Counly, Ind.,in June, 1838, and 
 is a daughter of John W., and Mary (Stewart) 
 Stewart. Her wedded life with our subject has been 
 blessed to them by the birth of four children, 
 namely: Martha J., wife of Robert W. Frances; 
 Jolni S., who died in infancy; Sylvester Grant, who 
 died in infanc3-; and Melvin G. 
 
 Mr. McCullough has served as Justice of the 
 Peace for four terms. His views of politics coin- 
 cide with those generally held by the Republicans, 
 but he uses his influence to advance the interests of 
 the Prohibition party, .as he is a strong temperance 
 man. His steady' principle, unswerving integrity, 
 and kindly [jcrsoual attributes have gained him 
 many vvarm friendships. He and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the United Pi-esbytcrian Church, and are 
 untiring in their zeal to promote its every good 
 
 work. 
 
 ^♦it'J'i'*"* 
 
 OHN W. RINER. A good position among 
 the farmers and stock-raisers of Brimfield 
 Township is occupied by the gentleman 
 above named, whose well-regulated estate 
 consists of one hundred and sixty acres on section 
 32. The success which he has met with has been 
 the result of his personal efforts, aided by the good 
 management of a prudent wife, and his career ma}' 
 well be taken as an example worthy of considera- 
 tion by those who begin life without worliUv 
 means. He w.as even denied the educational ad- 
 vantages which boys of the present da}- enjoy, his 
 early life having been spent in Preble County, 
 Ohio, wliile it was yet considered a frontier region.
 
 691 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Ill later life, however, he endeavoreil to suppl}- by 
 judicious reading- and acute observation the defi- 
 ciencies of his mental training, and has succeeded 
 in becoming verj- well posted. 
 
 Grandfather Riner is said to have been a soldier 
 in the War of 1812. Tlie paternal line is of Ger- 
 man descent and the parents of our subject natives 
 of Virginia and Kentucky, respectiveh'. The}- 
 were Peter and Margaret (Kelley) Riuer, who after 
 participating in the tiials of frontier life in the 
 count}' before mentioned, finally, in 18.5G, came to 
 Illinois with our subject and died here some years 
 later. The mother breathed her last on New Year's 
 Day, 1868, and the father on May 14. 1878. Their 
 family comprised ten children, of whom eight are 
 still living: Joseph, a resident of Abingdon; Jacob 
 C, of Knox County: John W.; Meliuda, wife of 
 Elias Swafford, of Iroquois Countj- ; Rebecca wife of 
 Isaac Thurston, of Nodaway County, Mo. : Lorinda, 
 wife of J. "Wilcoxson, of Fulton County, is deceased ; 
 Jackson, of Omaha, Neb.; Margaret E., wife of 
 Daniel Ollaweli, of Brimfield Township, this county ; 
 and Matthew, of Texas; Melissa. Jlrs. Wilson, died 
 in Feliruary, 1868, in Elm wood. 
 
 The natal day of our subject wiis January 3, 
 1832, and liis birthplace Preble Count}', Ohio, in 
 which he was reared to fajming, an occupation 
 wliicli he has followed during his entire active life, 
 lie was married March G, 1856, to Rachel Tiiurston, 
 and the following fall came with his jouug bride 
 to the Prairie State. He located in Knox Count}', 
 but after sojourning there two years, became a resi- 
 dent of Peoria County, spending several years in 
 the northern part of Brimfield Township. In 1876 
 he removed to his present location where he has a 
 most comfortable home and is successfully prose- 
 cuting the labors of his life. 
 
 Mrs. Riner was born ic Franklin County, lud., 
 August 13, 1838, being a daughter of John and 
 Rebecca (Thurston) Thurston. Like her husband, 
 she is identified with the Primitive Baptist Church, 
 earnestly endeavoring to make her daily walk and 
 convcrs.ation correspond with the principles of 
 Christianity. The good counsel and loving care 
 which she has bestowed upon her children and the 
 devotion she has manifested to her husband's in- 
 lirest, have uot prevented her from doing neigh- 
 
 borly deeds of kindness. She has seven children: 
 Elolia. Ida, Alice, William. Lorinda, John Ethel- 
 bert and Emma. Elolia is the wife of James Por- 
 ter, and Ida tlie wife of William "Warns, their 
 homes being in Brimfield Township; Alice is the 
 wife of Ezra Varns. also of this county. 
 
 For many years Mr. Riner has officiated as Dea- 
 con in the cliurch with which he is identified, lie 
 is much interested in the progress of education and 
 in various movements which he considers adapted 
 to the good of the community. He has been 
 School Director of District No. 9, giving his best 
 eiJorts to his offici.al duties and proving a friend to 
 teachers, patrons and pupils, alike In polities he 
 is a Democrat. 
 
 UGKNE B. PIERCE, a leading member of 
 the Peoria Steel Plow Company, came to 
 /f' — ■^ ' this city in 1862, and the year following be- 
 came connected with the plow works in which he 
 has since maintained an interest. He is one of the 
 most solid citizens of Peoria, a man straightfor- 
 ward and reliable in his business habits and who 
 enjoys in a marked degree the esteem and confi- 
 dence of his fellow-citizens. He was born in 
 Providence, R. I., November 30, 1 840, and is a son 
 of Caleb S. and Annie E. (Barton) Pierce, who 
 were natives of Massachusetts and Rhode Island 
 respectively. 
 
 Mr. Pierce was educated in his native city and 
 remained there with his parents until a youtii of 
 eighteen years. He then started out to seek his 
 fortune, coming directly to Illinois and located first 
 in Virginia, Cass County. He ■ had, however, 
 stopped on the way and engaged in teaching for a 
 time in Chicago. He followed this profession also 
 after locating in Cass County. The following 
 year he changed his residence to Peoria and the 
 next year engaged with the plow works, remaining 
 as an employe until 1866, when he was admitted to 
 a partnership in the business. Upon the incorpo- 
 ration of the new company Mr. Pierce was assigned 
 to the secretaryship, a position which he held until 
 the i)lant was destroyed by fire in 1884.
 
 ir««iA!rv
 
 '-v'a^ 
 
 v%^ ' 
 
 ^^:^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 697 
 
 The next move of our subject was to associate 
 liiuiself ill company with Barnhart Meals, and from 
 the ashes of the ohl mainifactoiy they built up the 
 present business which is now one of tlie most 
 nourishing of the industries of Peoria County. 
 Mr. Meals is duly represented on another pa^e in 
 this voUuiie. At one time Messrs. Meals & Pierce 
 were associateil together in the hardwood lumber 
 business with the firm of Duff ife Co. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Pierce gives his support to the 
 Reiiublican partj'. He has never aspired to oflice 
 and with the exception of serving on the School 
 Board three terms has given his entire attention to 
 his business interests. Like his partner, however, 
 he is a warm defender of the principles of Masonry 
 and has been associated with the fraternity for 
 many years. He contracted matrimonial ties No- 
 vember 30, 1866, with Miss Lucia A. Briggs, a na- 
 tive of Providence, R. I., and born November 5, 
 184.5. The four children born of this union are 
 named respectivch', Edith, Bertha, Flora and Win- 
 nefred. Flora died in infancy'. The father de- 
 signs that they shall have the best advantages, 
 educational and otherwise, which it is in his power 
 to bestow. 
 
 -i^m' 
 
 j^,ODNEY MITCHELL, a native of Peoria 
 
 County, is now one of its prominent busi- 
 
 ^\% ness^men. He is proprietor of the Rodne}' 
 
 *\^ ^Mitchell Book Bindery and Blank Book 
 Manufactory, which by his enterprise, systematic, 
 and business like management, lias become one of 
 the important industries of Peoria. 
 
 Mr. INIitchell was born in Timber Township, 
 April 5, 1849. He is the son of Andrew and Eliza- 
 beth (Starr) Mitchell, a pioneer family of Peoria 
 County, coming herein 1842. His father was born 
 in Virginia, and his mother in Delaware. After 
 coming here Mr. Jlitchell bought a tract of wild 
 prairie land, and made a home on the lonely' fron- 
 tier. While 3et he was in the midst of his career 
 of usefulness, his life was brought to an untimely 
 end in 1856. when the county lost a worthy citizen. 
 Later the mother of our subject removed to Peoria, 
 
 where he grew to manhood, and finished his educa- 
 tion in the city schools. 
 
 After leaving school, Mr. Mitchell engaged in 
 the book-binding business in the Transcript, office, 
 gaining a thorough knowledge of the calling, anil 
 was promoted Ui the position of foreman in the 
 bindery department. He acted in that capacity- for 
 a number of years, and in 1881, went into the busi- 
 ness on his own account, first leasing the bindery 
 at the Transcript building, and after a successful 
 career there of three years, establishing himself 
 more independently at his present place of business. 
 No. 207 South Washington Street. He has a large 
 bindery, his business having grown steadily and 
 successfully to its present size and importance. He 
 employs a force of twelve hands, enjoying a large 
 and extensive trade both in the city and outside, 
 and particularly holding his old customers. 
 
 Our subject took upon himself the cares of do- 
 mestic life, b}' his marriage in 18G9, to Sliss Elmira 
 Dudle}', of Peoria, their marriage being solemnized 
 on the 6th daj- of June. Mrs. Mitchell was born 
 in Decatur, 111., a daughter of Isaac and Minerva 
 ((rregory) Dudle3% and when a child, came with 
 her parents to feoria. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have 
 a fine familj' of five children, namely: Gertrude, 
 Evangeline, Robert, Melville, and Bessie. 
 
 Mr. Mitchell has his manufactory well Ktted u|) 
 with all needed applianoes, and conducts his busi- 
 ness after the most approved methods; he has met 
 with marked success, being now one of the moneyed 
 men of the city. His portrait is shown in connec- 
 tion with this brief record of the principal events 
 of his life. 
 
 ^EV. GOTTLEIB TRAUB. One of the most 
 prominent religious organizations in Peoria 
 is the Trinity German Lutheran Church, 
 ^'^^now under the pastoral care of the gentle- 
 man above named, whose devotion to his work and 
 untiring zeal in the labors connected therewith 
 merit recognition. His mind has been thoroughly 
 cultured in good schools and by extended personal 
 efforts, his mental and [)liysieal strength has been
 
 698 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 given to ministerial work, and tiie influence which 
 
 lie exerts tiirough his life and labors is immeasur- 
 able. Trinity Cluireh has grown rapidly in num- 
 bers and influence under his care, reaching out 
 through charitable and educational organizations 
 to the poor and needy and to the children whom 
 ihey desire to thoroughly instruct in useful lore 
 and spiritual knowledge. 
 
 Ihe parents of our subject were the occupants 
 of a farm in AVurteniburg, (Germany, where his 
 father still resides. In that kingdom the birth of 
 our subject took place in 1842, and he remained 
 there until he was of age, attending the public 
 and high schools during the greater part of that 
 time. He then crossed the Atlantic to New York, 
 and thence went to St. Louis, Mo., flnishing his 
 studies in Concordia College. Having determined 
 to follow the grand calling in which his grand- 
 father had done a noble work, he fitted himself 
 especially for it, and took charge of his first con- 
 gregation in Indiana, in Marcli, 1864. He contin- 
 ued in the pastorate two and a half years, then 
 removed to Crete, Will County, 111., where he 
 remained twelve years, pi'oving very successful in 
 building up the church given into liis hands. 
 
 In 1878 the Rev. Mr. Traub came to Peoria to take 
 charge of the organization over which he still lias 
 pastoral control. The congregation now numbers 
 more th.an one thousand active communicants, the 
 running expenses are paid by voluntary contribu- 
 tions, and all the obligations of the church are 
 promptly met. According to the custom of that 
 religious bod3', a school had been instituted in 1857, 
 with one teacher and twenty-five pupils. This has 
 now grown to an institution occupying three school 
 buildings, attended by three hundred i)upils, who, 
 under the instruction of competent teachers, take 
 up a regular curriculum from the age of six to 
 fourteen ^-ears and extend their studies into fields 
 suitalile for more mature minds, if they so desire. 
 
 Tiirough the efforts of the zealous pastor, suita- 
 ble buildings have been provided for the schools, 
 a (laslor's residence secured, and a large debt lifted 
 from the chinch. Its charitable and religious socie- 
 ties are active and progressive, consisting of a Young 
 Men's Association, a Young Ladies' Association, 
 Home for the Friendless, and numerous minor or- 
 
 ganizations for the promotion of Christian work. 
 The Home for the Friendless was instituted about 
 ten years since, and many unfortunate souls have 
 gone from its kind shelter into families of which 
 they could become a part. 
 
 The worthy woman who presides over the home 
 of Mr. Traub is a native of Indiana, known in 
 her maidenhood as Miss Mary Aumann, and be- 
 came his wife June 16, 1864. .She sympathizes 
 fully in the work which her husband has in charge, 
 and in her cheerful society and that of their family 
 he finds rest and comfort after the toils of the day. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Traulj six sons and five daughters 
 have been born, eight of whom are now living. 
 The oldest son, named for his honored father, is 
 following in his footsteps, doing pastoral work in 
 Mason County. The others are still inmates of the 
 parental home. 
 
 #>'^- 
 
 IDNEY A. LYON. There is perhaps no 
 resident in Akron Township who began 
 (l|l^3) caring for himself at an earlier age than 
 the gentleman above named, who certainly 
 is worthy of commendation, when we consider 
 that he has passed through all the temptations 
 which beset a homeless lad and preserved a good 
 character and habits. For many years he has been 
 engaged in farming, and he now owns and occu- 
 pies a good estate of one hundred and twenty acres 
 on section 12. It is under good tillage, has been 
 snpiilied with a full line of farm buildings and the 
 various improvements which are usually made by 
 a man vvho desires to surround himself and faniily 
 with comfort and who prospers in his undertak- 
 ings. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Lewis and Ab- 
 bie (Fordyce) Lyon, whose entire lives were spent 
 in New Jersey. The father died when about 
 forty-three years of age, but the mother survived 
 until more than three-score. The}' had a larue 
 family, he of whom we write being the fourth of 
 eleven children. He was born in Essex County, 
 N. J., February 4. 1818, and although he grew to 
 niauhood in that (unint}". began his own career in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 699 
 
 life when nine yeiirs old. At that time lie left the 
 parental roof and was variously employed until 
 sixteen years old, when he began an apprentice- 
 ship at the trade of a tailor, and after servinir five 
 j-ears followed the trade fifteen years. He is a 
 first-class workman, having thoroughly mastered 
 everj' department of the trade. 
 
 In M.ay, 1849, Mr. Lyon journej-ed westward, hav- 
 ing fully determined that the newer country in the 
 Mississi[)pi ^'alley would afford him a more profit- 
 able field of labor. He decided u|)on a location in 
 the Prairie State, and also determined to abandon 
 his trade and engage in an agricultural career. lie 
 located in Trivoli Township, this county, but after 
 residing there three years, changed his location to 
 Akron Township, where he has since remained. 
 He has experienced some of the ups and downs 
 which fall to the lot of all farmers, particularly of 
 those who have not been reared to the business, but 
 his career has on the. whole been successful, and 
 better than all else, he has secured the thorough re- 
 spect of his associates. 
 
 The excellent woman who for many 3'ears shared 
 the joys and sorrows of our subject, looking well 
 to the ways of her household, capably managing 
 the home and encouraging her husband and chil- 
 dren in ever}' good, was a native of New .Jersey, 
 known in her girlhood as Miss Marj' Potter. She 
 became the wife of Mr. L^on in their native State, 
 and bore him ten cliildren, eight of whom lived to 
 years of matuiily. This interesting group con- 
 sists of Mary, Josei)h. George, Henr^^, David, 
 Frank, Annabel and Emil}-. The faithful wife and 
 mother entered into rest April 4, 1889. She was a 
 consistent meml)er of the Congregational Church, 
 as is her bereaved husband. Mr. Lj'on has been 
 an active Republican. 
 
 \fj OHN FORD came to this country from his 
 native England fort}' years ago, and has 
 ever since been a resident of Radnor Town- 
 ship, and no man has done more in devel- 
 oping its agricultural interests than he. For many 
 years he was very extensivel}' engaged in farming 
 
 and in raising and feeiling stock.'owning a large 
 farm, besides leasing an extejisive tract of land for 
 stock-raising purposes, and it is onl}' within the 
 last few years that he has lived retired from active 
 business in the enjoyment of an amjjlo income. 
 
 March 12, 1822, was the date of the birth of 
 our subject in Devonshire, England. He is the 
 tenth child in the family of eleven children born 
 to Samuel and Sarah (Smallridge) Ford, natives 
 and life-long residents of Devonshire, each living 
 to the advanced age of ninety years or there- 
 abouts. Mr. F'ord's earl}' life was passed on his 
 father's farm, and he remained an inmate of the 
 parental home till he was twenty six years of age, 
 when he married, and with his young bride sought 
 a new home on American soil. 
 
 After his arrival in this country our subject and 
 his wife made a short visit with a brother in Ohio, 
 and then, in the spring of 18.50, came to this 
 county, and the following autumn Mr. Ford 
 bought a tract of land on section 32, upon which 
 he has since made his home. For the first eight 
 j'ears he gave his attention to farming and stock- 
 raising, and after that he bought, fed and shipped 
 stock very extensively for fifteen years, and at the 
 same time he farmed eight hundred acres of land 
 in connection with his stock business, four hun- 
 dred acres of which he owned. His land lie 
 placed under substantial improvements, and made 
 it one of the most desirable farms in this part of 
 the county. 
 
 In his work, our subject has received the cheer- 
 ful help and encouragenient of the good wife who 
 accompanied him to this country when they were 
 both in the vigor and prime of early life. She is, 
 like himself, of English birth and ancestry, and 
 her maiden name was Pha3be Ann Fry. They are 
 now living in peace and quiet, in the beautiful 
 home that is supplied with every comfort that one 
 could wish, and which is the result of their united 
 labors. They have five children living, who are 
 named .John W., Frederick F., James IL, Samuel 
 T. and Charles R. Four of their children died 
 young. 
 
 As a breeder of flue stock, horses, cattle and 
 sheep, Mr. Ford has been eminently successful, and 
 as we have seen, has accumulated a handsome
 
 700 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIUORAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 properly. In his work lie has shown more than 
 ordinary enterprise, sagacit}' and liceuness of jndg-- 
 ment, and his standing in the financial circles of 
 llie coirnt3' is of the highest order. lu politics he 
 is independent, giving his snpport to either party 
 as his views dictate. He has besn a School Director 
 hut has never sought for office. He and his wife 
 were charter members of the Kickapoo Baptist 
 Church, and are among the leaders of that society. 
 Ho has taken a great interest in Sunday-school 
 work, and has been Superintendent of two Snnd.i}'- 
 schools at the same time, and no one has done 
 more to elevate the religious and moral status of 
 the commuuity than he. 
 
 \1|0HN M. XIEHAUS. It affords the bio- 
 graphical writer pleasure to incorporate in 
 the pages of this volume a brief sketch of 
 the career and attainments of the gentleman 
 above-named, who is a prominent member of the 
 bar in Peoria, and whose title of ■•Honorable" is 
 deserved by his persona! character as well as won 
 by his public labors. He possesses mental abilitj- 
 of no mean order, and his mind has been cultured 
 by thorough stud\-, his memory stored with facts 
 and principles pertaining to his profession, and of 
 general use. Hosts of friends are held b}' his high 
 social qualities, and his fellow members of the bar 
 look upon him with high esteem as an honor to the 
 calling that he has chosen. 
 
 The ancestry of our subject is an ancient and 
 honored one, the families whence he siH'ang being 
 well known in Prussia. In that kingdom his par- 
 ents, Frank W. and Matilda (Dahmann) Xiehaus 
 lived until 1856, when they came to America, the 
 following year locating in Peoria. In his own land 
 the father w,as a hardware mer'^hant, but in this 
 city he was for a number of j'ears engaged in the 
 millinery business. He died Februarj' 28, 18G9, 
 leaving a widow whom he had married after the 
 death of the mother of our subject. The family 
 circle of which John Niehaus made one, comprised 
 six children, as follows: Joseph F.. now practic- 
 ing medicine in Boston, Mass.; our subject; Hen- 
 
 rietta, and Tillie, teachers in the public schools of 
 Chiciigo; Frances, wife of Adolph Trefzgerj and 
 Clara, at home. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was born in 
 Warendorf, Westphalia. Germnnj-, Februarj- 15, 
 1855. and brought from his native land to Amer- 
 ica in his infancy-. He w,as educated partially in 
 private German schools, and took a course in the 
 Central Illinois Commercial Universitj-, having able 
 tutors in all cases. Having evinced a desire to en- 
 ter the legal arena, lie studied law with Messrs. 
 O'Brien and Harmon, and was admitted to the bar 
 September II, 1874. He then went to Chicago with 
 Mr. O'Brien, and after practicing there for a time, 
 went to Grand Rapids, Mich., in which city he re- 
 mained two years. Returning to Peoria in 1877, 
 he has succeeded well in his profession, gaining a 
 reputation such ,as few men of his years can bo.ast. 
 
 Mr. Niehaus was elected a member of the Thirty- 
 second General Assembly, and won high favor by 
 his application to the interests of his constituency, 
 by his pleasant address, and his untiring energy. 
 The year following his legislative care;'r he was 
 elected State's Attorney for Peoria County, to fill 
 a vacancj', and has been twice re elected — a gen- 
 uine tribute to his management of the prosecution 
 of criminals, and his devotion to the interests of 
 the county. 
 
 fILLIAM JACK was born in Westmoreland 
 
 Countj', Pa., January 10, 1844 ; he came to 
 
 ^)/sS Peoria September 13, 1860; was admitted 
 
 to the bar of Peoria County in 1865, and has since 
 
 practiced law in the city of Peoria. 
 
 
 LBERT STL' KM, a successful stock-raiser 
 and general farmer of Medina Township, 
 ii> occupies a pleasant home on section 9. The 
 home farm comi^rises fifty acres, and he 
 also owns one hundred and twenty acres on sec- 
 tion 10, the fine property being a part of the first
 
 Of tk:i
 
 ^4JLa^^^ imri^a^e^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALRUM. 
 
 703 
 
 bottoms of the Illinois River, just east of the great 
 bluffs. Tiie entire estate has been well impioved, 
 supplied with all needful farm buildings, ant! is be- 
 ing intelligently managed by Mr. Sturm, who, al- 
 though still quite a young man, is well posted 
 regarding his vocation. 
 
 The birth of our subject took place on his fa- 
 ther's homestead in this township, September 21, 
 185 1. lie is one of the younger members of a fam- 
 ily consisting of foui sons and two daughters born 
 to John and Elizabeth Sturm, whose history is 
 found elsewhere in this volume. lie was reared 
 and educated in the township, and has always re- 
 sided within the limits of the county. In 1875 he 
 took possession of his present estate, and began life 
 on his own account. He is a Republican in poli- 
 tics, a man of excellent character, and is regarded 
 with respect by his fellow-men. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Sturm and Miss Nancy 
 Buttles took place in Switzerland Count}-, Ind., De- 
 cember 29, 1875. The briile was born near Yevay, 
 Ind., October 17, 1849, her parents being natives 
 of New York and the Hoosier State respectively. 
 She lost her father in her childhood, but her mother 
 is still living in Switzerland County, Ind., now 
 quite advanced in years. Mrs. Sturm was carefully 
 reared b_y her mother, receiving her education in 
 her native county, and becoming a woman of intel- 
 ligence and estimable character. She is a member 
 of the Christian Church. The otherwise happy 
 union of Mr. and Mrs. Sturm has been childless. 
 
 ^: 
 
 ':^ 
 
 <^, I^ILLIAM nOVENDEN. This gentleman, 
 a portrait of whom appears on the opposite 
 'Zf' 1" P^gfi' ^'■'^s for many years a resident of this 
 county, spending the latter part of his life in the 
 city of Peoria. He was long identified with the 
 agricultural interests of Trivoli. and as a pioneer of 
 of this county his name will ever he held in rever- 
 ence. Mr. Hovenden was of English birth and an- 
 tecedents, born in County Kent. JIarch 15, 1821. 
 He was a son of George and Elizabeth (Saxby) 
 Hovenden. His bo3'hood and youth were passed 
 on his native soil, but at the age of nineteen years. 
 
 he boldly determined to seek in America the .ad- 
 vantages denied him at home. In 1840, he landed 
 in this country', and for three years lived in New 
 York. He came from that State in 1843, to this 
 county, and located in Trivoli Township, where he 
 followed farming. lie was industrious, active and 
 wide-awake, shrewd in the management of his af- 
 fairs, and pursued his calling with excellent success. 
 He developed a fine farm, placing on it substantial 
 improvements, and making it one of the best in 
 Trivoli Township. 
 
 Mr. Hovenden abandoned .agricultural pursuits 
 in 1877, and leaving his homestead, came to this 
 city with his family to spend his declining years in 
 the enjoyment of the comfortable competence that 
 he had acquired. Here he lived quietly and hap- 
 [lily, taking pleasure in the societ}' of his wife, chil- 
 dren, and friends, and here in a pleasant home that 
 he had established, his e3'es closed in death, Janu- 
 ary 30, 1886. The citizens of Peoria united with 
 his family in mourning their loss. He possessed 
 those pleasant personal qualities that win regard, 
 and those solid practical traits of character that 
 command respect. In his domestic relations he was 
 ever an affectionate husband and a kind father, and 
 is greatl\- missed in the home circle. His wife and 
 children do honor to his niemor}' by having a brief 
 record of his life placed on the pages of this Bio- 
 GKAi'iiiCAL Album. 
 
 Mr. Hovenden was twice married. His first wife, 
 whose maiden name was Mary AVilliams, died Jan- 
 uary 26, 1859. He was a second time married in 
 his native England, August 28, 18G0, taking as his 
 wife Marj' Scoones, who was a native of the same 
 shire as himself, and a daughter of Martin and So- 
 phia (Chambers) Scoones. Mr. and Jlrs. Hoven- 
 den crossed the Atlantic on their wedding trip, and 
 encountered severe storms on the way, but happily 
 the stormy weather was not a prognostication of 
 their future married life, which was calm and serene 
 and productive of much hajjpiness to both. 
 
 Three children blessed the union of our subject, 
 and his amiable wife, namely: Anna S., wife of 
 Charles Anderson; Eddie W.,and Charles S. They 
 were carefully reared by their parent.^ to good and 
 useful lives, and are respected by all. The sf>ns, 
 who are active, enterprising and alile young men.
 
 704 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 are both engaged in' the livcr_v business on Main 
 Street, Peoria, where tliey liave a well conducted 
 establishment, and having secured a large patron- 
 age, alreadj' enjoj' an assured income. Mr. Hov- 
 enden was a zealous Democrat, and his sons are 
 also interested in politics, and alive to the issues 
 of the day. 
 
 WfOHN A. THOMAS, an honored and well- 
 known citizen of Kickapoo Township, where 
 he lives retired, is one of the oldest residents 
 of Peoria County, coming here when a boy, 
 and growing up with the county, as it were, and 
 for many 3-ears he was one of the active members 
 of its agricultural community, and has greatly aided 
 his associates in performing their great work of 
 developing the wonderful agricultural resources of 
 this region, and has been potential in making it a 
 wealthy and finely improved county. 
 
 Our subject comes of good old New England 
 stock. His father, Gideon Thomas, was born near 
 Springfield, Mass.. November 29, 1789. He mar- 
 ried Fannie Howard, who was born either in New 
 Eugland or in New York, April 12, 1796, coming 
 of English and Scotch ancestrj-. They settled in 
 what is now Schuyler Count}". N. Y., after their 
 marriage which occurred Februar}- 9, 1813, and 
 were pioneers of that region. In 1834 they be- 
 came pioneers of another Stale, removing to Huron 
 County, Ohio, where they resided some two or 
 three years. In 1838 they became pioneers of still 
 another State, coming to Illinois in that year. They 
 first took up their abode where Joliet now stands 
 and in August, some six months later, located in 
 Rosefield Township, this county. In 1844, the}- 
 .came to Kickapoo Township which remained their 
 home until death, she dying December 19, 1852, 
 and he April 14, 1861. She was a tlioroughl}' good 
 woman, a sincere Christian and a valued member of 
 the Methodist Church. He was an active, wide- 
 awake man, and a good citizen, and was regarded 
 ,ns a public-spirited man whose hand was felt in 
 many enterprises for public improvement. He was 
 one of the men who located the Knoxville road 
 between that city and Peoria. lie and iiis wife are 
 
 the parents of six children, three sons and three 
 daughters. 
 
 Our subject was the youugest son of the family 
 and the fifth child in order of birth, and is the only 
 survivor, with the exception of his sister, Mrs. 
 Louisa Hopkins. He was born in what was then 
 Steuben County, now Schuyler County, N. Y., Octo- 
 ber 19, 1825, and was twelve years old when he 
 came to Peoria with his parents. The countrj- was 
 then in a wild and sparsely settled condiiion and 
 he grew up amid pioneer scenes to a sturdy self- 
 reliant manhood, and has not only witnessed the 
 many changes brought about in making Peoria a 
 large and flourishing city and this county one of 
 the leading counties of the State, but he hae had a 
 hand in bringing about this wonderful transforma- 
 tion. He has a farm of about three hundred acres 
 of laud that is under a high state of cultivation, 
 and is provided with a substantial and well ordered 
 set of buildings and all modern improvements that 
 go to make a first-class farm. In the exercise of 
 his calling Mr. Thomas has acquired a handsome 
 competence, which enables him to live in retire- 
 ment from the active duties of life in a home as 
 cozy, comfortable, and attractive as may be found 
 in this township. Mr. Thomas passed the early 
 years of his life under the parental roof and from 
 liis father gained a thorough practical knowledge 
 of the calling he was about to adopt later in life, 
 and his education was otherwise chiefly attained by 
 his own individual efforts, and to-daj* he is an in- 
 telligent well-informed man. 
 
 Mr. Thomas was married in Kickapoo Township. 
 April 3, 1856, to Miss Dielsie Stowell. daughter of 
 Jasper and Mary Ann (known as Polly) (Myers) 
 Stowell. Her father was born in Massachusetts and 
 her mother near the Catskills in New York. After 
 their marriage they first settled about five miles 
 west of Rochester, in Monroe County. They came 
 from there to this count\- in the fall of 1854, and 
 after living here about three years, settled in "Wood- 
 ford County, ivhere they made their home until 
 death, he djing February 3, 1876; she in Decem- 
 ber 1862. They had six children, three sons and 
 three daughters. Mrs. Thomas, the third child, 
 was born in Monroe County. N. Y.. five miles west 
 of Rochester, July 29, 1837. Her wedded life with
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 705 
 
 our subject has been blessed to them by the birth 
 of eight children: CliarlesV., of Peoria, who mar- 
 ried Miss llattie R. Stanlej'; Fannie, the wife of 
 Judson Latlin, of Chicago; Etta, Homer, Lauren', 
 Luc}', Bertrand. Edricli A., the second eiiiiil died 
 when he was two 3ears old. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Tiiomas are pto|)lc whose personal 
 worth, kindly manners, and unostentatious helpful- 
 ness toward the suffering and needy havo gained 
 them a iiigh place in the regard of tlie entire com- 
 munity, and a wide circle of warm friends. Rightly 
 judging- that his able management of his own af- 
 fairs showed that he [jossessed qualities that would 
 be of value in the conduct of public affairs, his 
 fellow-citizens have shown their confidence iu him 
 by calling him to civic office, and he has thus been 
 Township Clerk, and has been a member of the 
 School Hoard. Fe has been quite active in political 
 and social matters. He is one of the prominent 
 members of the Patrons of Husbandry, and has 
 held some of the oliices in the Grange. 
 
 i OHN KLEFFM AN, a veteran of the late war, 
 is a Pennsylvanian by birth, and was bred 
 to the life of a farmer in the good old State 
 of his uativit}'. lie came to this county 
 while it was 3'et in the hands of the pioneers, and 
 has ever since been busily engaged at his occupa- 
 tion in Logan Townsliip, on a farm a part of which 
 has been in his possession thirty-flve years. 
 
 December 18, 181 C, was the date of the birth of 
 our subject, in Thomastown, Juniata County. Pa. 
 Ills parents were Justice Everhard and Johanna 
 (Kroon) Kleffman, his father being born in Ger- 
 many, December 7, 1774, and his mother in Am- 
 sterdam, Holland, Apiil 14, 1781. While they 
 were voyaging across the Atlantic to seek a new 
 home in this promised land, they met on board of 
 tlie ship, and in the course of the six weeks con-- 
 sumed iu coming to this country became fast 
 friends, and were married August 24, 1806. After 
 landing on these shores, disembarking at Phila- 
 dflpliia, ^Ir. Kleffman settled in Lancaster County, 
 I'a., where he found em|)lo,\ mcnl on a farm, where 
 
 he earned money to pay for the sum be had bor- 
 rowed to purchase his ticket to the United States, 
 and Mrs. Kleffman also had to pay for her passage 
 after she arrived here. After their marriage he 
 followed distilling, having been a brewer and a 
 baker in the old country. Both he and his wife 
 were devoted members of the Lutheran Church, 
 having been reared in that faith, and were sober- 
 minded, honest people. 
 
 The_y were the parents of six ciiildren, namely: 
 Maria, who married Henry Roush, and reared three 
 children; Catherine married John Krisher, and died 
 in Timber Township; Elizabeth married John 
 Pfahler, of Pennsylvania, both being now deceased; 
 John; Frederick W., who died in Peunsylvania, 
 leaving a family of two sons and two daughters; 
 Samuel H., who died in Pennsylvania, leaving four 
 sons and three daughters. The father of our sub- 
 ject was the only son of his father, who died in 
 Germany, and his widow, the grandmother of our 
 subject, married a second time, becoming the wife 
 of Mr. Osich, who died in Baltimore. He had a son 
 who came to the United States, and at his death 
 left a daughter. The father of our subject died in 
 Pennsylvania, M:i\- 30, 1844, and his mother in Illi- 
 nois in the month of May, 1800. 
 
 The subject of this biographical sketch was 
 reared mostly on a farm, and attended the common 
 schools as opportunity offered. At the 3'outhful 
 age of tw^elve years he was apprenticed to learn the 
 hatter's trade, and worked at that two years in his 
 native village. At the age of twent3'-one he began 
 life for himself on his own account, and was em- 
 ployed by the month on a farm until after his mar- 
 riage. At the time that this important event in 
 his life occurred he had already saved up money 
 enough to establish a comfortable home and to 
 purchase laud and become more independent. He 
 bouglit twentj'-five acres before his marriage, and 
 on that tract of land he and his wife began their 
 wedded life. By steady and unremitting toil he 
 accumulated more projierty. and had a good one 
 hundred-acre farm in his possession during the lat- 
 ter part of his stay in Pennsylvania. In the spring 
 of 1855 he disposed of his property in his native 
 State and came to this county, locating on section 
 19, Logan Township, where he has ever since
 
 706 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 made bis home. He at first owned one liundied 
 and forty-seven acres of land, to wliicli lie added 
 by subsequent purchase until he had two hundred 
 and thirt3' acres. He has since disposed of a part 
 of it at a j^ood |)rice, and his farm now comprises 
 one hundred and sevent_y acres, that is under tillage 
 and excellent imin'ovement, and is in every way a 
 most desiralile piece of property. 
 
 Our subject's loyaltj' to his country was ampl}' 
 proven during the tr3'ing times of llie war. He 
 enlisted in August, 1862, in Company D, Eighty- 
 sixth Regiment Illinois Infantry, and went to the 
 front and did good service on the field. At the 
 battle of Perrysville lie was woumled in the left 
 arm. in the elbow joint, destroying the use of it. 
 He was in the hospital at Louisville from October 
 until Decemlier, and suffered much, and was then 
 honorably discharged on account of disability. His 
 place in this community is among our best citizens, 
 and he is held in worthy estimation by all about 
 him. In his political views he is a sound Repub- 
 lican, and takes an intelligent interest in whatever 
 concerns the public weal. He has been Constable 
 and Collector, and in both capacities showed him- 
 self to be possessed of keen judgment, discrimina- 
 tion, and other qualifications that mark a good civic 
 official. 
 
 Mr. Kleffman was f.rst married to Sarah Posey, 
 a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Peter 
 and Mary Posey. Mrs. Kleffman died December 
 12, 1842, leaving one son, Samuel, now a resident 
 of Dawson County, Neb. Mrs. Kleffman was a 
 member of the German Reformed Churcii at one 
 time, and then identified herself with the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 The marriage of our subject to Eliza C. Bcnner 
 took place September 12, 1844. She is a native 
 of the same Pennsylvania town as himself, and 
 was born October 5, 1821. Her parents were 
 Henry and Mary (Lichenlhaler) Benner, natives, 
 respectively, of Union and Juniata Counties, Pa. 
 They were farmers and tavern keepers, and were 
 Lutherans in religion. Of their six children, two, 
 Mathias and Eliza, married and reared children. 
 
 Our subject and his wife were reared in the 
 Lutheran Church, and have ever since remained 
 true to the religion of their fathers. Their mar- 
 
 riage has been greatly blessed to tlieni in the birth 
 of the following children, seven of whom grew to 
 maturity: William H.; .John T. B.; Albert L., who 
 lives in Greenwood County, Kan.; Theodore; Mary 
 E. ; Sarah E. ; Eliza C, who married Stephen A. 
 Kelley, and died November 26. 1888, leaving one 
 child, VAiza C, who lives with her grandparents. 
 Thomas and Maria P. died in infancy. 
 
 1 
 
 -€^^ — ^^ 
 
 OHN HOLE, a highly respected citizen of 
 Peoria, is in the United States Revenue ser- 
 vice as a storekeeper, to which imi)ortant 
 position he was appointed on the 1.5tli of 
 December, 1889. He is a veteran of the late war, 
 and the United States had no native-born citizen 
 more loyal to its interests than he in that trying- 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Holl w.as born in Hessc-Cassel, (lermany, 
 March 22, 1825. He received an excellent educa- 
 tion in the good schools of his native province, and 
 in accordance with the military' laws of Germany, 
 entered the German army, and for five years served 
 as a soldier and acted with distinction in the Revo- 
 lution of 1848 and 1852. In the latter year he left 
 the arm}', and came to America. He made his way 
 to St. Louis, Mo., and nine months later went from 
 there to Burlington, Iowa, thence to Knox County, 
 111. In 1855 he engaged in railroad bridge build- 
 ing on the Peoria & Oquawka, and was there em- 
 ployed until 1861. On the breaking out of the war 
 his early military training led him to offer his serv- 
 ices to his adopted country, and his experience of 
 German army life, proved very serviceable while 
 in the South. He enlisted in the month of June, 
 in the Ninth Missouri Infantry, and saw much hard 
 service. He fought in the battle of Pea Ridge, and 
 all through the campaign in that part of the country 
 was a member of Jefferson C. Davis's Division, be- 
 longing to Company A., which was commanded by 
 Clayton Hale, now in the regular army. 
 
 Our subject was discharged by general order of 
 Halleck, in March, 1862. He went homo and le- 
 enlisted in Comjjany P., Eighty-sixth Illinois vol- 
 unteers, and started from Louisville, Ky., under
 
 JU Oi Sn^^~A^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 709 
 
 comiiiand of McCook, and went willi Shcrtiiaii on 
 his famous uiaicli to the sea. Before that he had 
 belonged to the army of the Tennessee, and was 
 with Gen. McCook, wlieii he was killed at Kenc- 
 saw Mountain. jNIr. Holl took part in the Grand 
 Review at Washington, in June. 18G5. and tiius 
 closed a ir.ilitary career that was alike honorable to 
 himself and to the land of his adoption. 
 
 After his retirement from the army, our subject 
 returned to Knox County, and resumed his former 
 trade. He was fin.all}' chosen to ids present posi- 
 tion, as before mentioned, and is justly considered 
 one of the most faithful members of the revenue 
 force. He is a prominent member of Post No. 239, 
 G. A. R. He has always voted the Republican 
 ticket, and has never been false to his party. He 
 is an honest, upright man, and is regarded with 
 feelings of great esteem by all about him. 
 
 Mr. Holl and Miss Salome Fremole were united 
 in matrimony in 1856. vShe is a native of Craw- 
 ford Countj-, Pa., and is a woman who merits and 
 receives respect and affection Irom all about her. 
 She liMS led a pleasant wedded life with our subject, 
 tlial has been ble.ssed to them by the birth of four 
 children, of whom two are living, one at home, 
 both married, and our subject and his wifo rejoice 
 in the possession of three grand-children. 
 
 <« IMLLIAM A. BROOKS, a pioneer settler of 
 \/\//j Logan Township, has greatly facilitated 
 WW i's growth and material prosperity by the 
 work he has accomplished as a pr.actical farmer. 
 During his many years residence here he has ac- 
 cumulated a valualjle properly, and is the i)roprie- 
 tor of three good farms, including his homestead, 
 which is finely located on sec'tiou 28. 
 
 A native of Ohio, our subject was born in the 
 wilds of Highland County, August 8, 1821. His 
 l)arcnts were Willi;im and Elizabeth (Irvin) Brooks, 
 who were born in York County, Pa., and County 
 Tyrone, Ireland, respecti velj'. His father was a son 
 of Samuel Brooks, whose children were named 
 Samuel, .Toseph, John, Sallie, Betsey and Peggie. 
 The mother of our subject came from Ireland with 
 
 her parents and two brothers, Joseph and Samuel, 
 and located in Pennsylvania. She was married in 
 that Slate, and in 1820 removed with her husband 
 to Highland C'ounty, Ohio, where Mr. Brooks en- 
 gaged in farming. He was also a disliller and 
 miller, and became prominent in local affairs, filling 
 many of the township offices. In 1847 the Brooks 
 family came to this county, traveling in wagons, and 
 were three weeks on the way. They settled on 
 section 33, Logan Township, where the father had 
 three hundred and twenty acres of choice farming 
 land, and there he made his home until death cut 
 short his useful career in 1854. His wife preceded 
 him to the grave, dying in 1851. They were the 
 parents of five sons and two daughters, namely : 
 Samuel W., Christopher I.; Sarah J., now Mrs. 
 Stewart; Isabella M., Mrs. Patterson ; William A., 
 Joseph O. and John H. The parents were strictly 
 religious people, and were Presbyterians of the old 
 school. 
 
 He of whom we write passed the early years of 
 his life, until he was about eighteen years of age, 
 on his father's farm, receiving his rducalion in the 
 common schools. He then began to learn the 
 trade of a blacksmith, and followed it for about 
 fifty yeais. In the fall of 1845 he came to this 
 county, and for a few months worked .at his trade 
 in Peoria, Canton and Knoxville. In the summer 
 of 1846 he located where he now resides, on forty 
 acres of land. He erected a smithy, and actively 
 followed his calling .as a blacksmith, and at the 
 same time managed his farm. The pursuit of 
 these industries has brought him a competence, 
 and from time to time he has invested money in 
 more land until he now has in his possession two 
 hundred and sixty acres of choice farming land, 
 divided into three farms, one hundred and twenty 
 acres comprising the homestead. He has acquircil 
 the most of his propertj' since he came to Illinois, 
 as when he first set foot on this soil he had only 
 about ^100 in his pocket. During the war he was 
 drafted, but sent a substitute. 
 
 November 29,1848, Mr. Brooks and Miss Rosanna 
 F. McCuUough, a daughter of John and Martha 
 (Glasgow) IMcCuUough, were united in marri.age, 
 and to her faithful assistance and frugal management 
 of their household affairs he owes much of his present
 
 710 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 prosperity. The following is the record of the ten 
 children born of tiieir marriage: John I., a resi- 
 dent of Arizona, was born April 15, 1850; Will- 
 iam II., August 30, 1851; Robert W.. April 1, 
 1853; Martha J., wife of Edward Quinn, born 
 February 28, 1855; .James, February 31, 1857; 
 Elizabeth, November 11, 1858; Samuel E., born 
 .January 14, 18G1, died at the age of fourteen; 
 Rosa P., wife of Henry Karstetter, born February 
 13, 1864;Tiiomas W., ^March 4, 1868; Charles W., 
 Januarj' 6, 1871. 
 
 Our subject and his amiable wife are members in 
 good standing of the Presby':erian Church, taking 
 an active part in all its good work, and they arc in 
 every way worthy of the respect accorded to them 
 on all sides. In connection witii his personal 
 sketch we present a portrait of Mr. Brooks. 
 
 -o»o..g)^J>'V^-«*o~ 
 
 -<,-- 
 
 <^VERY DALTON is the oldest settler of 
 'i'\ Elmwood Township now living. He was 
 !1> born in Pittsylvania Count}', Va., in 1810, 
 his parents being Samuel and Ludah (Mus- 
 tain) Dalton, likewise natives of the Okl Dominion. 
 The father was a soldier in 1812, afterward pen- 
 sioned by the Government. He lived until 1861, 
 but the mother passed away in 1827. Thej' had 
 nine children, five of whom are now living. 
 
 Although our subject helped to build many 
 schoolhouses bt never had a chance to attend one. 
 After the death of his mother the family was broken 
 up and he came west without a dime in his pocket. 
 In Highland County, Ohio, he remained three years, 
 when in the summer of 1830, he was offered the 
 privilege of coming to Illinois with a family, to 
 pay for wiiich he was to drive two cows and take 
 care of the baby. Labor and hardship were looked 
 upon verj' lightly by the pioneers of those da3-s 
 and tbe vigorous 3"oung man eagerlj' accepted the 
 office, firmly determined to surmount any difficul- 
 ties he miglit encounter and secure for himself a 
 home. He landed where Farmington now stands, 
 with ten eei.ts in his pocket which he bad earned 
 • hile en route by carrying pumpkins for one of the 
 horses. His earnest efforts to obtain emplo^'ment 
 
 were at first unsuccessful, but he finally succeeded 
 in obtaining work for which he received three 
 bushels of oats per day. There was no market for 
 the grain at the time, but after keeping it a month 
 he sold it to a neighbor for thirty-seven cents. 
 
 In the spring of 1831, young Dalton hired out 
 at 810 per month to Parnic Owens who lived about 
 six miles northeast of where Knoxville now stands. 
 In order to reach the place it was necessary to cross 
 Spoon River, and there being no bridges tliere was 
 no other way but to wade or miss the opportunity 
 of making some monej'. The latter alternative 
 was not to be thought of, so divesting himself of 
 his clothing, Mr. Dalton held it above his head and 
 walked boldly into the water which, the montli 
 being March, was so cold it almost took his breath 
 away. On finisiiing his work he received his p.ay, 
 §13.50, all in silver half dollars, which was the most 
 money he had ever possessed. Feeling anxious in 
 regard to its safety, he stripped some bark from a 
 tree, tied it around his pocket and fastened the 
 other end around his neck in order that no acci- 
 dent might deprive liim of his earnings. He then 
 walked sixteen miles home. 
 
 Mr. Dalton next worked three years for a Mr. 
 Sargent wiio had offered to furnish land, seed grain 
 and implements, and give our subject one- third of 
 all he could raise in return for his labor. As the 
 grain when marketed brought but little, Mr. Dal- 
 ton bought three calves, some hogs, a colt and a 
 few sheep and feeding all his grain to them thus se- 
 cured a start. He enlisted in the Black Hawk War 
 in the spring of 1832, serving through that memor- 
 able camixaign as member of a company of rangers 
 under Gen. Stillman of Canton. Being quite an 
 expert cook, he volunteered his services in that ca- 
 pacit}' and between cooking from a scantj^ store of 
 provisions and fighting Indians, was busily engaged 
 and many are the thrilling adventures that he can 
 narrate. 
 
 On September 10, 1835. our subject was married 
 to bis second cousin, Miss Delilah Dalton, his capi- 
 tal at that time being a colt, four sheep, three cows 
 and nine hogs. The bride well knew what pioneer 
 life meant, having accompanied her parents to this 
 section in 1829, when but eleven years old and 
 grown to maturity on the frontier where Poltawa-
 
 PORTRAIT AMD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 1 
 
 toniie Inilians still liiigorficl, wild game abounilcd 
 ami st'ttli'monts were few. Anneil with industrious 
 habits wliieli she had aoquired under her father's 
 roof, aud the love of a true woman for her chosen 
 companion, she eheinfuUy began tiie wedded life, 
 of wliieli it ean truly be said that more than half a 
 century of happiness has never been marred l.iy a 
 quarrel. 
 
 Mrs. Dalton is "a daughter of Henj-y and Eliza- 
 beth (Smith) Dalton, natives of Virginia and North 
 Carolina respectively, who spent the first few years 
 of their married life in the Buckeye State. In 
 Highland County the wife of our subject was born 
 May 19, 1818, being one of the three children now 
 living in a family of five. After the removal of 
 her parents to Illinois the3' resided where Farming- 
 ton now stands, in what was then known as Mer- 
 chants' Settlement. The little trading post at Ft. 
 Clark then marked thesiteof what is now the flour- 
 ishing city of Peoria. Henry Dalton died in 18G2, 
 and his wife in 1871. 
 
 One year after their marriage, Mr. and l\Irs. 
 Avery Dalton bought forty acres of land on section 
 19, their last cow being sold to help pay for it and 
 rails being made b}' Mr. Dalton as additional as- 
 sistance to that end. The wife did her full share in 
 securing the home, adding by every means in her 
 power to the joint earnings. In March, 1837, the 
 couple located upon the farm which has now been 
 their home for over fifty-five years. Their first 
 dwelling was a log bouse which they carefully pre- 
 serve, although long since they erected and moved 
 into a commodious brick residence. They now have 
 a fine farm of three hundred and sixty acres and 
 need have no anxiety regarding their support dur- 
 ing the remnant of their days, unless some unfore- 
 seen misfortune overtakes them. They rejoice in 
 good health and in the prospect of enjoying tlie 
 good of life for years to come. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dalton are the ])arents of nine 
 children, five now living. Cicero, the oldest sur- 
 viving child, married Delieia Dixon, has four chil- 
 dren, and lives in Elmwood Township; he served 
 three years during the Civil War in the Ninth 
 Illinois CavaU'y, taking part in a large number of 
 battles and being disabled, on account of which he 
 now draws a pension. LaFayette married Maggie 
 
 Butler and lives in Knox County, tlieir family com- 
 prising two children; Julius married Nellie Scott, 
 lives in Elmwood, and has one child: Almeda is 
 the wife of Charles Richards, of Knox County, and 
 the mother of four children; .lames, who married 
 Minnie JNIorris and has two children, lives on the 
 old homestead, and is now School Director of the 
 district. 
 
 "Uncle Avery," as he is familiarly called, has 
 perha|is killed more deer than any man in this 
 region, while scores of wild turkeys and other game 
 fell before his rifle in the days when this section 
 was all wild woods. He speaks the Indian language 
 fluently and many are the stoiies he can tell of 
 frontier life. He is an uncompromising temper- 
 ance man. has never used tobacco or sworn an oath. 
 His motto is "as 30U mete out to others so it shall 
 be meted out to you." lie is a life-long Democrat, 
 having cast his first vote for "old Hickory." He has 
 been School Director, and as a private individual 
 has ever shown deep interest in educational affairs 
 and other objects that would advance humanity. 
 He and his noble wife are now, in the evening of 
 life, passing their days in happiness ami content- 
 ment side b3' side, enjoying the results of integrity 
 and industry and the esteem of all who know them. 
 
 IRAM S. CARY, an honored resident of 
 ll )!) Peoria, has been engaged in the railroad 
 %^ business for many years, ami has seen it 
 <£)) grow from its primitive state of a few short, 
 illy equipped lines, to a luxurious s3'stera spreading 
 its network over the continent, spanning the vast 
 mountain ranges, leaping the mighty- rivers, and 
 linking together the Atlantic and the Pacific, the 
 Arties ar.d the Tropics, in one grand whole. Mr. 
 Cary belongs to an old and honored family-, which 
 has produced the well-known poetesses, Alice and 
 Phebe Cary. His grandfather was Luther Car\', 
 whose family consisted of four sons — Stephen, Abi- 
 jah, Cephas, and Isaac. 
 
 Stephen Cary was born in I'eunsy Ivauia. and af- 
 ter attaining to man's estate, married Mary Con- 
 ners, establishing his home in Wayne County, Ohio.
 
 712 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 His occupation was that of a farmer, and liis death 
 occurred on tlie oM homestead. Of liis family be- 
 sides our subjpct tliere are four daughters living, 
 these being married and making their homes near 
 the parental homestead. Former generations of 
 the family were of the strict I'rcsbytevian belief. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in Wayne 
 County, Ohio, September 29, 1832, passed the days 
 of his ho\hood on a farm, and attended the public 
 schools, and afterward entered the Kdinburg Acad- 
 emj' in Wayne County. Ohio. The first occupa- 
 tion in which he engaged, was that of a teaclier, 
 which he prosecuterl some three years, after which 
 he turned his attention to that which has been his 
 life work — -railroading. Going to Ft. Waj-ne, Ind., 
 he assisted in laying the first track there, saw the 
 Bret engine launched, and began breaking on a pas- 
 senger train on the Pittsburg & Ft. Waj'ne road. 
 After nine months spent at this employment, he 
 took ciiarge of a baggage car, but two weeks later 
 assumed control of a construction train. On leav- 
 ing that, he took charge of a freight train, and af- 
 ter an experience of two 3ears began the career of 
 a passenger conductor. 
 
 In 1S71, after seventeen years service for the 
 Pittsburg & Ft. Wayne Road, Mr. Cary changed to 
 the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, acting as a 
 freight conductor three months, and then running 
 a passenger train from Milwaukee to Beilin. Af- 
 ter three }'ears' service of that nature, he spent two 
 years as "mine host" of an hotel, then returning to 
 the business of a p.assenger conductor, took service 
 on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois. His next enter- 
 prise was to take charge of trains on the Western 
 Indiana Railroad as Depot Master, in Chicigo, af- 
 ter which, in 1883, he removed to Peoria, and again 
 took charge of a passenger train, this time on the 
 Peoria & Pekin L'nion Railroad. For six years he 
 continued his service, then took a leave of absence, 
 visiting Colorado and other places in quest of re- 
 newed health. His reputation among railroad men 
 is that of a faithful, efficient, honest man. while 
 among the patrons of the various roads in which 
 lie has held service, he became known as a courteous 
 and genial officer. 
 
 In 1860 Mr. Cary led to the hymeneal altar Miss 
 Rebecca Casebeer. a native of the Buckeve State. 
 
 and one of a familj- of thirteen children. She is a 
 cipable, energetic woman, whose home is neat and 
 cheerful, w'hose children have been carefully in- 
 structed^ and whose friends are many. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Carj- are the parents of three sons: Harry 
 Ellsworth married the only daughter of Judge 
 Brackenriilge. of Ft. Waj'ue, Ind., his home now 
 being in Omaha, Neb.; Edmund is in the real-es- 
 tate business in Denver, Col.; "Ullliam H., a3-oung 
 man of eighteen j'ears, is still at home. 
 
 Mr. Cary belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and 
 to the Order of Railway Conductors. He and the 
 entire family belong to the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and are numbered arnong those who bear 
 a hand in all the good work instituted bj' that body. 
 Mr. Cary had one brother who was in the Union 
 service during the Civil War. 
 
 ■^1-*- 
 
 OWARD W. POTTER is a young merchant 
 of Peoria who has a flattering outlook bo- 
 -^y^ fore him. Ho belongs to the firm of Berg- 
 ner & Potter, whose commodious store oc- 
 cupies an eligible site at No. 119 South Adams 
 Street. They have recently located here, have put 
 in a large and well-selected stock of fine dry goods, 
 cloaks, etc., e.-nploy about ten salespeople, and 
 have already an excellent run of custom. Their 
 store being the best lighted in the citj',patrons of the 
 establishment have no difficult}' to determine the 
 color aud texture of that which thej- desire to 
 purchase. Tlie utmost courtes}- prevails on the 
 part of the heads of the establishment and those in 
 their employ, and in every way endeavor is made 
 to accommodate the citizens of the city and vicin- 
 ity. 
 
 Hartford, Conn., is the native place of our sub- 
 ject, who is a son of Gen. J. A. and Harriet (Sav- 
 age) Potter. His education was obtained in the 
 sciiools of his native place and in the Orchard 
 Lake Military School, in Michigan, his advantages 
 leaving him extremely well-informed and fitted 
 for a prosperous and honorable career in life. 
 After finishing his course of study he engaged 
 with the firm of Dives. Pomerov it Stewart, of
 
 #T-^T^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 715 
 
 Reading, Pa., in wlikli city he remained until 
 1888. He then came to Peoria, entering the em- 
 ploy of ^Marshall, Murray it Co., with whom he 
 remaineti until lie entered into tlie prejient partner- 
 ship. 
 
 Tlie social and benevolent qualities in the char- 
 acter of our subject have led him to become a mem- 
 ber of the Knights of Pythias, in the woik of 
 wliich order he finds some Held for tliose traits. 
 Ue is much interested in one of the popular out- 
 of-door si)orts and, as a member of the League of 
 American Wheelmen, has won some laurels. His 
 maidy character and pleasiug manners give him 
 l)opMl.'irity among the }-()unger members of the 
 community, while his evident fitness fur business 
 life secures the good will of the older citizens. 
 
 <S[ IflLLIAM F. COLE. December 23, 1883, 
 \/sJ/' I'^'J''''"' County lost in the death of this 
 W^ gentleman one of its inost worthy pio- 
 neers, who did honorable service in the develop- 
 ment of this part of the State, and made a home 
 for himself in Millbrook Township, gaining an 
 honorable place among its farmers and stock- 
 raisers. His history is linked with the growth and 
 prosperity- of this i)art of the State. 
 
 Our subject was born July 18, 181S. in Pitts- 
 burg, Pa., and was a son of John and Jane (Bates) 
 Cole, natives of England, who came to this coun- 
 try in the spring of 1818. AVhen he was but a 
 few months old his parents emigrated to Hardin 
 County, in this State, of which they thus became 
 verj' early settlers. He grew up under pioneer 
 influences to a sturdy, self-reliant manhood. He 
 gleaned his eaucation in the early schools of 
 Southern Illinois, vvhich were not so fully equipped 
 as those of to-daj% and were often taught by teach- 
 ers who were not proficient in their calling. 
 
 Ambitious to do something for himself and 
 make more of life than he could in the environ- 
 ments of his early home, in 1844, Mr. Cole made 
 his way to this county. For a time he worked b}- 
 the month as a farm hand, being thus employed 
 
 for two years, perha|is, and receiving the equiva- 
 lent c>f §10 in repayment for his services, having 
 half of it in money and half of it in trade. He 
 then ventured still higiier in his calling, and for 
 ten years carrieil on agricultural pursuits as a 
 renter. At the expiration of that time he bought 
 a farm of eighty acres on section 34, Millbrook 
 Township, paying nearly ^G per acre for it. This 
 farm, in its highlv improved condition, is the resi- 
 dence of his widow. When he settled on it the 
 laud was in a wild state, not a furrow having been 
 turned, nor any attempts made at imprt)venient. 
 His was the pioneer task to make of it a good 
 farm, and well did he succeed in his efforts, plac- 
 ing the laud under excellent tillage, erecting a 
 substantial class of buildings and putting the i)lace 
 in good order. He subsequently bought forty- 
 three additional acres of fine farming land, and at 
 the time of his death left a valuable estate of one 
 hundred and twenty-three acres of land. 
 
 Mr. Cole was married April 16. 184G. to Miss 
 Marj' A. Cutter. Mrs. Cole is a native of Rich- 
 land County, Ohio, where she was born Jul}' 29, 
 1829. Her parents were Is.aac and Sarah (Met- 
 calf) Cutter, natives respectively of New York and 
 Ohio. Her mother was of Scutch descent and her 
 grandfather Metcalf was a Revolutionary soldier. 
 ^^'hen Mrs. Cole was about fourteen years old her 
 father died in Brim field Township, of which he 
 was a very earl}- pioneer, coming to this count}' in 
 1833. He was one of the first settlers of French 
 (4rove, being one among the four families who 
 originally located there, and the first election in 
 the township was held in his house. 
 
 Mrs. Cole's marriage with our subject was 
 blessed to them by the birth of a large family of 
 children, of whom the following survive: John, a 
 I)hysician and ihuggist in Rochester; William H., 
 a resident of Barry County, Mo.; Isaac F., living 
 in Knox County; Charles, in Allen County, Kan.; 
 Sarah, wife of G. L. Doubet, of this county; Luc}^ 
 wife of George Nelson, of Knox Count}'; Lemuel, 
 residing in Williamsfield; Frederick; Margie, now 
 Mrs. Parker, of Knox Count}'; Job and Newton J. 
 
 In his career as a farmer and stock raiser Mr. 
 Cole manifested shrewdness, discretion, calculation 
 and an intelligent understanding of the jjrincipleg
 
 716 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM: 
 
 of agriculture, coupled with prurience and indus- 
 trious habits. His credit was always good and his 
 character unimpeachable, he being possessed of 
 those qualities which make the most desirable citi- 
 zens of any cooMnunity. He had in his wife one 
 who zealously aided him in his work, and to lier 
 faithful co-operation and excellent counsel was 
 attributable much of his success. She survives him 
 and holds an honorable place among the pioneer 
 women of this township, who were such an inspi- 
 ration and aid to their fathers, husbands and broth- 
 ers in their great work of developing this portion 
 of the count! y. Mr. Cole was happy in his do- 
 mestic relations, being a loving husband and a de- 
 voted father, and in his intercourse with his 
 neighbors he was always pleasant and considerate. 
 He was interested in political affairs and gave his 
 sturdy support to the Republican party. A litho- 
 graphic portrait of Mr. Cole is shown on another 
 page of this AtnuM. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 OSWELL BILL.S. The ancestral history 
 y of this gentleman [assesses considerable in- 
 terest and may well be regarded with some 
 ^ degree of pride b}' our subject. The fam- 
 ily' is traced in English histor}' to Dr. Thomas Bill, 
 born about 1490, in Bedfordshire, England. He 
 was an attendant of the Princess Elizabeth, in 
 l.")49. and w.as also a phj-sician to King Henrj* VIII 
 and Edward W, from the latter of whom he re- 
 ceived a grant of one hundred pounds per annum. 
 He obtained his degree of M. D. at the university 
 founded b}" Chirlemagne at Pavia, Italy. 
 
 The next in order and the most conspicuous of 
 the family was AVilliam Bill, L. L. D., who in a 
 letter of introduction to Queen Anne, is character- 
 ized as a '-learned and honest man, plentifulh' en- 
 dowed with knowledge and exemplary morals." 
 He became Vice Chancellor of the University- 
 of St. John, from which he was removed after 
 •the accession of Queen Mary, on account of his 
 decided faith in jDrotestantism. Upon the ac 
 cession of "Good Queen Bess" he was highly 
 honored, becoming her Majesty's Chief Almoner, 
 
 Fellow of Eton College ard subsequently Provost, 
 and June 30, 1500, was installed as the first Dean 
 of Westminster. He died July 15, 15G1, leaving 
 among his bequests ten pounds for poor students, 
 thirty pounds for the poor of his native town, and 
 to Trinity College one hundred marks. 
 
 The next member of the direct line was Charles 
 Bill, born in London about 1550, who became 
 highly educated and the author of classical works. 
 His son, John was born in 1576, and became pul)- 
 lisher to King James I, his chief publications be- 
 ing Bibles and prayer-books. A number of Bibles 
 hearing his name and tliat of his son Charles as 
 having been published bj- assignees are still extant, 
 some on the shelves of the American Bible Home 
 in New York. The eldest son of the above-named 
 John Bill was also christened John. He came to 
 America prior to the year 1635, accompanied by 
 his wife Dorothy and three children, leaving two 
 behind who subsequently followed with a famil}- 
 named Tuttle, the father of whom was presumed to 
 be the brother of Mrs. Bills. 
 
 The Bill family can be traced still farther into 
 the past than to Dr. Thomas Bill, the records of Bed- 
 ford giving the name for fire hundred years in 
 that county alone. While it would be interesting 
 to trace the history in detail, as can be done when 
 accurate records are kept, it serves our purpose 
 )iut to show the relation of one of Peoria's esteemed 
 citizens to a family that has furnished men of high 
 standing in tlie mother country, those who in 
 the formative period of American history have sus- 
 stained the reputation of their ancestors and con- 
 tributed their full share to the honor of the name. 
 
 As from John Bill and his wife Dorothy have 
 sprung the numerous familj' of Bill or Bills, as 
 sometime written, we ma\' denominate him the first 
 as far as thev are related to American history. In 
 the next generation we find Philip, a resident of 
 Ipswich, where he became possessed of considerable 
 property. Joshua appears in the third generation. 
 Phineas in the fourth and .Josiiua in the fifth, the 
 latter a soldier in the Revolution. While serving 
 his country he was wounded in the leg by a can- 
 non shot that caused him much suffering and 
 trouble and on account of whicli lie received a 
 pension of ^8 a raoutli during the last ten years of
 
 rOUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 717 
 
 his lifi". lie died December 20, 1841. aged eighty 
 years. 
 
 In liie sixth generation we find Avery Bills, who. 
 was 1)1)1-11 in (iroton, October 1, IT'.iG, anil Decem- 
 ber 10, 1820, married Betsey Barnes. His occu- 
 pation was that of a farmer, although the cutting 
 and hauling of timber and wood received inucli at- 
 tention from him. In a brief period lie stripi)e(l 
 several farms in Ledyane, Preston and Griswold 
 of tiieir growtiiof forest, accunnilating in this way 
 considerable i)roi)erty. He finally settled in South- 
 ington, Conn., where he died iMarch 12, 18G6. To 
 him and his worthy wife ten children were born, 
 the fourth being the subject, of this sketch. His 
 natal day was ,lanuary 14, 1827, and his birthplace 
 Groton, New London County, Conn. 
 
 The days of his early bo3-hood were passed b^- 
 Roswell lulls, in the district schools of his native 
 State and he subsequently attended the Connecti- 
 cut Literaiy Institute at Sutlicld. When twent^-- 
 onc years of age lie taught school near his home. 
 The time of liis youth being his father's until he 
 was of age, his wages, when drawn in the springtime, 
 were divided among father and son. That year, 
 1848, Mr. Bills started West as a book agent, reach- 
 ing Michigan the Sunda}' preceding the Presiden- 
 tial election in which Lewis Cass was candidate. 
 He began canvassing at Mt. Clemens, following it 
 until the next June in Michigan and Indiana, and 
 then returning to his native State. 
 
 In the fall of 1849, Mr. Bills started for Peoria, 
 111., as a book agent and while engaged in his work 
 in Chicago, saw an advertisement asking for insur- 
 ance agents. This changed his life work, for ob- 
 taining an introduction he began the new employ- 
 ment as soon as he could make out his bond, for 
 which he obtained sccurit}^ through his connection 
 with the Odd Fellowship. After canvassing in Du 
 Page and DeKalb Counties he came to Peoria 
 wheie he met C. B. Stebbins,a former acquaintance 
 of his brothers and sisters, with whom he went into 
 partnership. That connection continued some five 
 years, when our subject became associated with 
 the Hon. Peter Sweat with whom he continued in 
 business until 1858. 
 
 In 18()6 David McKinne\' and J. Stevison hav- 
 ing returned from the war, Mr. Bills entered into 
 
 partnership with them under the liim name of Rtis- 
 well Bills cfe Co., the connection lieing ke|it up un- 
 til 187;"). The firm name of Bills & Bacon was 
 tlien established, which was dissolved by the death 
 of the junior member, Charles F. Bacon, in 1886. 
 In the forty years during wliieli Mr. Bills has fol- 
 lowed the insurance business he has represented 
 companies having a capital stock of over one hun- 
 dred million dollars. 
 
 When establishing a home of his own ,Mr. Bills 
 was fortunate in securing as companion and help- 
 mate, a lady of genuine worth of character and 
 many domestic accomplishments. This was Miss 
 Louisa, daugliter of Jacob Kulin,with whom he was 
 united in marriage in Peoria, Novemlier 4, 1851. 
 Tlie happy union has been blest b}' the birth of 
 three children, now grown to maturity and occu- 
 pying their own homes in Peoria. They are: Mrs. 
 Norman S. King, Mrs. C. W. Houghton and How- 
 ard R., the latter of whom resides at No. 210, 
 North Madison Strect,with his parents and is clerk- 
 ing for his father. 
 
 Mr. Bills has won an enviable position among 
 business men by reason of his energy, capability 
 and straightforwardness, qualities which he carries 
 into eveiything with which he is connected, whether 
 church, society or personal affairs. In politics he 
 is an ardent Democrat, and in religion a Presby- 
 terian, being enrolled among the members of the 
 First Church. He is a member of the Masonic 
 order. 
 
 ooo 
 
 I OBERT D. BRADLEY, M. D., whose office 
 is at No. 325 .South Adams Street, Peoria, 
 ^i \V and residence at Pekin, HI., lias gained an 
 enviable reputation in the practice of his 
 profession, and making surgery a specialty, is con- 
 sidered one of the most skillful surgeons in this 
 part of the State. The Doctor is a veteran of the 
 late war, having thrown up his studies at the earl 3' 
 age of sixteen to enlist in the defence of his coun- 
 try, and during the long and wearj' years of strife 
 that followed he gained a noble military recc)rd, 
 both as a soldier and an officer. 
 
 Tlie subject of this review was liorii in (ireeiie
 
 718 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 County. 111., January 25, 1845, being the seventh 
 son of Robert and Laurana (Osborn) Bradley, who 
 had thirteen children, eight sons and five daugh- 
 ters, all of whom grew to maturity. The father 
 was a native of Richmond, Ya., and belonged to 
 an old family of tliat State. The mother was born 
 in Gallatin, Sumner County, Tenn. 
 
 Dr. Bradlej^ was given fine educational facilities, 
 and was a student in the Illinois College, at Jack- 
 sonville, when the Civil War broke out. His pa- 
 triotism at that time being greater than his love 
 for study, in August, 1861, he threw aside his 
 books, and though only sixteen years of age en- 
 listed, and was made Clerk of Company C, Sixth 
 Illinois Cavalrj'. The bright, energetic lad soon 
 became a favorite and discharged his duties so well 
 that he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant- 
 Major, and in 1864 was commissioned as Captain 
 of his company. For some time prior to that he 
 had been acting in that capacity and gallantly com- 
 manded his company in several engagements. He 
 took an honorable part in all the battles in which 
 his regiment fought, was at the siege of Port 
 Hudson, went on the famous Grierson raid, did 
 good fighting at Franklin, Nashville and Chatta- 
 nooga, and was in several engagements with Hood. 
 He received a slight wound in ihe battle of Nash- 
 ville, in December, 1864, but this did not prevent 
 our gallant young Captain from doing his dutj'. 
 
 The Bradley family was well represented in the 
 great conflict, as four of the boys enlisted and a 
 fifth was drafted. The names of these brothers of 
 our subject are: George, who is a prosperous farmer 
 in Mankato, Minn.; Bartholemew, part proprietor 
 of Glen Dora, a suburb of Los Angeles. Cal.; 
 John C, a hardware merchant, of San Jacinto, 
 Cal., who was First Lieutenant of the company 
 of which our subject was Captain; James C, 
 who is a successful farmer of Vernon Countj', 
 Mo.; and Benjamin F., County Clerk of Scott 
 County, 111. Our subject's sister Nancy is the 
 wife of Jacob Rimbey, a retired farmer of Mur- 
 r.aj'sville, Morgan County, 111. 
 
 The summer of 1866 our subject commenced 
 the study of medicine at Bloomington with Dr. 
 Noble. He 'afterward attended lectures in both 
 tlio Chicago Medical College and the Jefferson 
 
 Medical College, at Philadelphia, and received the 
 degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1809. Thus, well 
 started out in his medical career, he entered upon 
 the practice of his profession at Bloomington. In 
 1872 he located in Pekin, and here he has acquired 
 a large geuer.al practice, though he makes a spec- 
 ialty of surgery, in which he has acquired a fine 
 reputation. He is surgeon for the Peoria, De- 
 catur & Evansville and Santa Fe Railroads. He is 
 a member of the Illinois State Medical Societj' 
 and also of the Peoria County Medical Society, in 
 both of which he takes a prominent place, often 
 contributing papers that are listened to with great 
 interest, and are thought to be valuable contribu- 
 tions to medical literature. He has performed num- 
 erous notable surgical operations, which, on account 
 of skill shown and original manner of treatment.have 
 been reported and highly spoken of by medical 
 journals. He is a prominent member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, belonging to Bryner Post, 
 No. 67, though heretofore attached to the Joe 
 Hanna Post, of Pekin, of which he has been Com- 
 mander. 
 
 While practicing his profession in Blooming- 
 ton, Dr. Bradley was married to Elizabeth Karr, 
 whose family was from New Jerse3% and she has 
 greatly aided him in the establishment of their at- 
 tractive home. Dr. and Mrs. Bradley have one 
 son, Robert C, who is attending school in Pekin. 
 Politically, the Doctor is a stanch Republican. 
 
 LBERT L. SCHIMPFF. This well-known 
 resident of Peoria hits been an eye witness 
 '*^ to its growth and development for more 
 than a quarter of a centur}', and for nearly 
 that length of time has been identified with its 
 business interests. He is President of the Peoria 
 Cold Storage Companj', which was organized in 
 January, 1890, and has already been acknowledged 
 as one of the most prominent concerns of the kind 
 in the city. The compan3- erected a cold storage 
 warehouse. 48x60 feet and three stories high, at the 
 corner of Maple and Forsyth Streets, and does a 
 general cold storage and forwarding business.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 719 
 
 The eyes of Mr. Schimpff fusl opt'iierl to the 
 light October 9, 1844, in Rbiuish Bavaria, (Jer- 
 raany. He crossed the Atlantic in 1856, coming 
 directly to Peoria where his father, C. W. Schimpff, 
 had located in 18.')1. Here our subject grew to 
 maturity, pursuing his studies in the city schools 
 and becoming well versed in practical knowledge. 
 His first business enter[)rise was as a clerk in a gro- 
 cery store, where he remained until November, 
 1861, wiien he left his home to enlist in Company 
 A, Twenty-sixth Missouri Infantry. On account 
 of his age he was not admitted to the service until 
 May, 1862, but he followed the regiment, being 
 employed in various capacities by the officers 
 tliereof until he was admitted to the ranks. 
 
 The regiment to which Mr. Schimpff was attached 
 formed a [lart of the Arm}' of the Mississippi, and 
 he participated in the engagements at Island No. 10, 
 luka, Corinth, and those connected with the siege 
 of Vicksburg. On the 16th of May, 1863, at the 
 battle of Champion Hills he was severely wounded 
 and sent to the field hospital. He lost the use of 
 his left arm, and after his health was somewhat re- 
 cruited was discharged on account of disability. 
 Returning to Peoria lie engaged in the grocery 
 business as a member of the firm of R. A. & A. L. 
 Schimpff which carried on a retail trade on South 
 Madison Street for a few j'ears. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. S,chimpff removed toElmwood, this 
 count}', where he conducted a retail grocery busi- 
 ness for three years, then returning to Peoria he 
 engaged in the wholesale cigar manufactory as a 
 member of the firm of Miller & Schimpff. Three 
 years later this connection was dissolved and our 
 subject entered the wholesale grocery and liquor 
 firm of Louis Green & Co., on South Washington 
 Street. With them he did a successful business for 
 fifteen years, or until New Year's Day, 1889, when 
 the firm retired from business. 
 
 Mr. Schimpff has for sonie time been a Director 
 of tlie Workingraen's Loan & Homestead Associa- 
 tion, and has been since the organization a Director 
 in the German-American National Bank and the 
 Peoria Improvement Association. He is connected 
 with various stock companies. He is and has been 
 forsometime President of Canton Masonic Mutual 
 Benevolent Society, with which he has been con- 
 
 nected ten }-ears. He is uuich interested in the 
 Masonic order and is identified with the various 
 bodies in the city. He also belongs to the Grand 
 Arm}' of the Republic, and to the Turner's society. 
 He is now a member of the Board of School In- 
 spectors in this city. 
 
 Mr. Schimpff has always been actively identified 
 with the political affairs of the city and works for 
 the Republican party. He was at one time nomin- 
 ated for Clerk of the Circuit Court and was a 
 prominent candidate for the position of Postmaster 
 last year. In the fall of 1889 he was pressed to accept 
 the nomination for Mayor or City Treasurer, but 
 declined to do so although there was no doubt of 
 his election had he run. His business tact and en- 
 ter[)rise are acknowledged and are winning a com- 
 petence, while his social qualities and sterling traits 
 of character gain the regard of many friends 
 throughout the community. 
 
 At the residence of the bride's father, Louis 
 Green, of this cit}', March 31, 1875, Mr. Schimpff 
 led to the hymeneal altar Miss Frida Green, a 
 worthy and pleasing young lady who has looked 
 well to the ways of her household and made a happy 
 home. She has borne her husband four children, 
 of whom two survive, Lilly and Emily, to add to 
 the joys of the hearthstone. Louis and Frida are 
 deceased. 
 
 ^^ii^ 
 
 ;;ILLIAM W. WAKEFIELD. One of the 
 
 most pleasant rural abodes in Radnor 
 Township is that of the gentleman above 
 named, which is located on section 17, in the midst 
 of fertile fields, where ever3thing necessary in the 
 wa}' of farm biiilclings has been erected, and all 
 other iminovements m.ade which would add to the 
 value of the estate or the comfort of those who 
 occupj' it. The greater part of the life of this 
 gentleman has been spent in this county, and he is 
 quite well known as a man of means, possessed of 
 decided business ability, who has succeeded as an 
 agriculturist, and has loaned considerable sums to 
 those less fortiuiate than himself. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Chester
 
 720 
 
 PORTRAIT A>'D BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 County', Pa., June IS. ITUi, and ditnl in Peoria 
 Couit_v, November 8, 1881. The mother was 
 born in Dauphin Countj% Pa., October 28, 1805, 
 and departed this life Jul}' 19, 1879. When John 
 L. Wakefield and Martha Strickler were married 
 they set up their home in Butler County, Ohio, 
 remaining there until 1834, then locating on Or- 
 ange Prairie, Kickapoo Township, this count}-. 
 After sojourning there two }-ears they removed to 
 Radnor Township, and on section 18, spent the re- 
 mainder of their lives. The}' had a large family, 
 consisting of fifteen children, the name of our sub- 
 ject being the sixth on the family roll. 
 
 The birth of the gentleman of whom we write 
 took place in Butler County, Ohio, January 30, 
 183'2, lie being therefore about two years old when 
 his parents came to Illinois. He continued to live 
 with his father until a year or more after his 
 marriage, when he settled in Jubilee Township. 
 There he pursued his vocation until 1867, then 
 settled in Gilead Township, Henry County, so- 
 journing there a year. Returning to this county 
 he settled on section 18, Radnor Township, and 
 actively engaged in farm work until the spring of 
 1885, since which time he has lived more of a re- 
 tired life. His landed estate consists of about 
 eight hundred and fifty-three acres in Radnor 
 and Jubilee Townships. 
 
 The lady whom Mr. Wakefield was so fortunate 
 as to secure for his wife was Miss Elizabeth Wil- 
 kinson, with whom he was united in marriage in 
 Radnor Township, January 1, 1857. The parents 
 of Mrs. Wakefield were Aaron Ct. and Sai-ah (Har- 
 land) AVilkiusou, natives of Virginia and Ohio 
 respectively, whose first home after their marriage 
 was iu the vicinity of Rockville, lud. Thence 
 they came to Peoria County in If^SC, living in 
 Piinceville Township about a year and then mak- 
 ing their home in Radnor Township. After a 
 time they changed their residence to Kickapoo 
 Township, thence removing to Galva, 111., and 
 subsequently to Red Oak, Iowa. They had two 
 sons and nine daughters, Mrs. Wakefield being the 
 third in order of birth. She opened her eyes to 
 the light in Radnor Township, August 2, 1839, 
 growing to womanhood possessed of intelligence, 
 an estimable character and many domestic virtues. 
 
 The first-born in the family of our subject and 
 his wife is George AV., who married Miss Carrie 
 Davis; the second child, Frank L., married Miss 
 I Isabella Davis; the older daughter. Addle, mar- 
 ried Williani Duggins; the youngest member of 
 the family is Mabel E., who is still unmarried and 
 gladdening her parents by her presence in the 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Wakefield has served as Township Supervi- 
 sor two terms, discharging his duties in a credit- 
 able manner. He has taken quite an active part 
 in the political work of the vicinity, exerting him- 
 self to advance the interests of the Republican party. 
 Although not a member of any religious body, he 
 contributes freely to the support of various 
 churches, and has manifested an equally liberal 
 spirit in promoting the cause of education. He .and 
 his wife are regarded with much respect, their 
 hospitality frequently being enjoyed by their many 
 friends. 
 
 ,-3"*-: 
 
 ANFORD SEELYE. Not many of Peo- 
 )l ria County's pioneers have done better 
 (sJff^'' from a financial point of view liian this 
 gentleman, who Is one of its best known 
 and wealthy citizens today. He. came to Hallock 
 Township many years ago, locating on his present 
 homestead, and by the exercise of great enterprise, 
 rare judgment and an extraordinary power for 
 sustainevl and well-directed toil, has accumulated a 
 fortune, becoming one of the largest landowners 
 of this section of Illinois, and now has in his pos- 
 session nearl}' a thousand acres of realty, free from 
 incumbrance, nearly all under cultivation and di- 
 vided into seven well-improved farms, which are 
 all supplied with substantial buildings and every 
 thing necessary to conduct agriculture after the 
 best methods. His first purchase after arriving 
 here comprised eighty acres of prairie, which was 
 mostly unbroken and uniini)roved, and from that 
 small beginning has come his present handsome 
 propert}-. 
 
 Jlr. Seelyc wiis born in the town of Parnell. 
 Bencington County. Vt., July 7. 1823, coming of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 721 
 
 an old New England family. His father, Thomas 
 B. Seelye. was also a native of the Green Jlountain 
 State, where he carried on farminj;- for many jears. 
 He lived in Bennington County, till he was eightj'- 
 one yeais old, when lie came to Illinois, and two 
 years later passed awa}' from the scenes of earth, 
 in the home of our subject, his death occurring 
 February 10, 1850, at the age of eighty three 
 years and four months. He was a quiet unassum- 
 ing man, and had many friends, by whom he was 
 affectionatcl3- known as "Uncle Barnes." Tiic 
 maiden name of his wife was Bethanj' Shaw. She 
 was born and reared in the State of New York, 
 and came westward with her husband, whom she 
 survived eight years, and then died at the age of 
 eighty-four j^ears, four months and ten days. Ten 
 children were born to that worthy cou()le, of whom 
 our subject was the eldest, and four of the family 
 are j-et living and reside in dififerent parts of the 
 AVest. 
 
 Mr. Seelye was reared in his native county until 
 he had neai'ly attained manhood, when he crossed 
 the State line into Berkshire County, Mass. There 
 he was married to Miss Lucy Larabee, the mar- 
 riage ceremony being performed in Williamstown, 
 which was Mrs. Seel^-e's birthplace. She was born 
 November 19, 1824, and was reared amid the 
 beautifid Berkshire hills. She came of an old fam- 
 ily, who for several generations had lived in Berk- 
 shire County, and her parents were Elcizer and 
 Ivuth (Haley) Larabee, natives of that part of the 
 liay State. Her ancestors had settled there in Co- 
 lonial times, and several of them took part in the 
 Revolution and fought the British at the battle of 
 Bennington, Vt. Eleizer Larabee ^nd his wife be- 
 gan life in their native county, succeeding to the old 
 homestead, aiid there passed their natural lives, dy- 
 ing at an advanced age, when past three-score 
 and ten years. They were members of the Meth- 
 odist Episcoi)al Church and were devoutly relig- 
 ious. ISIrs. Seelye was one of a family of four 
 sons and eight daughters, five of whom are yet 
 living. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Seelye began their life together in 
 Williamstown, and came from there to this county 
 in 1841*. Their wedded life has been productive to 
 them of eleven children, of whom the following 
 
 four are deceased: Marshall, Ephraim, Emeline 
 and Bethany, the latter dying at the age of seven- 
 ti;en years, the others dying quite j'oung. Those 
 living are Diana, wife of Lankford Green, a farmer 
 and stock-raiser in Marshall County; Lyman, of 
 whom see sketch elsewhere; George W.. who re- 
 sides near Chenoa, Livingston County, who married 
 Carrie R. R(jberts; Ruth, wife of William Wilcox, 
 a farmer near Rome; Thomas B., a farmer iu West 
 Hallock, who married Maggie Landers; Lncy M., 
 wife of Michael Landers, a farmer of Hallock 
 Township; and Fannie H., who lives at home and 
 cares for her parents. The children arc all usef\d 
 memliers of society and are well settled in life. 
 
 Mr. Seelye has accumulated a large fortune, 
 solely by his individual efforts, with the exception 
 that ho has alw.aj's had the cordial assistance of his 
 good wife, who, by her wise and prudent manage- 
 ment of household affairs, has contributed in no 
 small degree to his success. When he came to this 
 count}' he had but $5 in cash, which proved the 
 nucleus of after wealth, and what he has, he has 
 acquired by strictly honorable methods, as he has 
 always paid his bills promptly, has never yet been 
 dunned bj' a man and owes no man a cent, his 
 credit standing high in the financial circles of the 
 countj\ Although a strictly upright, moral mnn, 
 he is not religious, nor does he engage iu politics. 
 
 DWARD W. HANLY is an active, intelli- 
 gent and useful member of the farming 
 community i>f Logan Township. Cincin- 
 nati was the place of his birth and September 18, 
 1856, the date thereof. He is a son of Thomas 
 and Mary (Car}') Hanly. His father was born in 
 Ireland and his mother either there or in England. 
 They were married in New York City, and from 
 there came to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he carried 
 on his trade of a shoemaker. He died in that city 
 at the age of fifty-six, in 1868, his wife having 
 died about three months before. Those worthy 
 people were the parents of three sons : Joseph, a 
 printer of Cincinnati ; Edward W^. and Francis R. 
 The father had been previously marrieil and by his
 
 72-2 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUK 
 
 first wifu hail one sou, Thumas, who served in an 
 Ohio Regiment during the war. 
 
 The sad death of his parents left our suliject an 
 orphan at an earl}' age and he then went to live on a 
 farm in Butler Count3',Ohio, and when sixteen years 
 old began to receive wages for his work at tlie rate 
 of $18 a month. He was a bold, venturesome lad, 
 desirous to see something of the world, and at the 
 age of seventeen went to Mississippi, where he 
 worked for six months at * 12.50 per month. He 
 then rented land for a ^-ear and reaped good har- 
 vests in return for the time and care that he spent 
 on the land. 
 
 In the spring of 1875, Mr. Hanly came to this 
 county with his brother Francis, and with the ex- 
 ception of two years passed in Ohio, has been a 
 resident of this county ever since. For one year 
 he was with his elder brother in the grocery busi- 
 ness in Cincinnati, and for one year was on a farm. 
 Since taking up his residence here, he has been en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits and for seven years 
 was employed by the month. He wisely saved a 
 portion of his earnings, and for the past year has 
 been more independent and has rented land for 
 himself on section 11, Logan Township, and is 
 meeting witli excellent success in its cultivation. 
 In the spring of 1890 he was elected Assessor on 
 the Republican ticket, and his choice for this re- 
 sponsible position is shown to be a wise one by 
 the able manner in which he is discharging the du- 
 ties devolving upon him as an incumbent of this 
 office. His father was a sturdy Democrat but 
 our subject upholds the Republican party. 
 
 Mr. Hanly and Miss Luella M. Pinkertou were 
 united in marriage December 24, 1889. Mrs. Han- 
 ly's parents, John H. and Nancy C. (JIaus) Pink- 
 erton were pioneers of this township. Her father 
 was born in Preble County, Ohio. August 10, 
 1842. He was a son of Ebenezer and jNIary (Mc- 
 Crerry) Pinkerton, who were farmers and reared 
 seven children. Mr. Pinkerton's grandfather came 
 from Ireland. Mrs. Ilanly's parents came to Illi- 
 nois about 1852. Her father was a veleran of tiie 
 late war in which he did noble service. He en- 
 listed ii) Company C, Seventy seventh Illinois In- 
 fantr}', and took part in all the hard fought battles 
 ill which his regiment participated. He was at 
 
 Chickasaw Bluff, Arkansas Post, Ft. Hudson,Cham- 
 pion Hills, Black River, Siege of Vicksburg, Jack- 
 son, Mansfield, (La.,) Kane River, Ft. Haines, 
 Siege of Spanish Fort, and at Whistler Station. He 
 was discharged at Mobile, Ala., July 20, 1865. hav- 
 ing won a military record upon vvhich his chil- 
 dren and children's children may look with pride. 
 Ilis death occurred May 1, 1881, and his commun- 
 ity was tlien deprived of an honored citizen. His 
 wife was born in Miami County, Oliio, May 20, 
 1845, and was a daughter of Charles F. and Cath- 
 erine (Sherwood) Maus. Mr. and Mrs. Pinkerton 
 had four children — Mary L., M.argaret C, William 
 E. and Harriet E. 
 
 ^^E 
 
 AMES G. WHITING, D.D.S. A compen- 
 dium of biographical sketches from Peoria 
 would be incomplete did it not include that 
 of the above-named gentleman, who although 
 quite young, is taking a good rank in a profession 
 to which he brings an uiiderstamliug mind, mechan- 
 ical ability, and thorough knowledge of its details. 
 The son of a minister, the Rev. Charles Whitmg, 
 D. D., and Lucy M. AV'hiling, iiee Welib, his youth 
 was spent iu the different places to which his father 
 was called in the line of his duty, and with the 
 usual quickness of boyhood, he picked up consid- 
 erable information regarding men and manners, 
 learning that best of all lessons — Christian faith. 
 
 The birthplace of Dr. Whiting was Dover, Mo. 
 and his natal day August 4, 1866. He obtained a 
 fair education in the various schools which he at- 
 tended, being graduated from the High School at 
 Canton, 111., in 1883. He then entered the office 
 of Dr. J. W. Peck, remaining there two and a half 
 years, studj-ing dentistry. He next entered the 
 Phil.idelphia Dental College, an institution which 
 ranks higher tiian any other school of the kind in 
 America. From this he was graduated in the class 
 of 1889, holding the honored positi(_)n of valedic- 
 torian, in a class numbering ninety-nine. He at 
 once opened an office in Peoria, his rooms being 
 favorably located at No. 430, Main Street, and fitted 
 up in the best style of modern dental parlors. Dr.
 
 '■"•VERSir
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 726 
 
 Wliitiiig is securing an excellent practice and es- 
 tablishing a fine reputation for skill in liis chosen 
 profession. 
 
 Dr. Whiting pursues a most straightforward 
 course in life, while giving his principal attention to 
 his professional work, being ready to assist as well 
 as he can in that which tends to the welfare of the 
 cit\' which he has chosen as his home. He has 
 aljounding faith in the future of the fair town as a 
 business center, and-a pliice from which culture of 
 mind and heart will spread throughout the sur- 
 rounding country. His gentlemanly' bearing, in- 
 telligence and social qualities win friends among 
 those who k)ok no deeper, and his consistent mem- 
 bershif) in the Baptist Church gives hira the respect 
 of those who appreciate worth of character. 
 
 ?^^EORGE W. H. GILBERT. The real-estate 
 interests of Peoria and vicinit}' are worthily 
 s^^ represented by Mr. Gilbert as senior mem- 
 ber of the firm of Gilbert & Gilbert, the junior 
 member being his son, Henry S. Mr. Gilbert is 
 also the Secretary of the Old Settlers' Society. He 
 was born in Peoria, February 12, 1837, and has 
 been a resident of this county his entire life, exceiit 
 a few years spent in St. Louis in early life. 
 
 In noting the parental history of our subject, we 
 find that his father, Henry Gilbert, was a native 
 of London, England, and born in 1808. He was 
 educated in his native city where he grew to man's 
 estate and served' a seven years' apprenticeship at 
 carpentering and architecture. Emigrating to the 
 United .States in 1831 he established himself in 
 Peoria as an architect, contractor and builder, 
 being one of the principal men in this business at 
 that time. He put up some of the largest and best 
 buildings which were then erected in the city, 
 among which was the Mitchell, which afterward 
 became the Fulton House; Mrs. Lettie Baldwin's, 
 formerh' the Louck residence on Bluff Street, and 
 the John Flanigan and Moses Pettengill mansions, 
 all of which urc still standing. 
 
 Henry (ilill)ert maintained his residence in I'eoria 
 
 until his death, which occurred July 4, 1848. He 
 was a Whig, politically, and one of the pioneer 
 temperance men of this region. He was married 
 in early manhood to Miss Margaret Ann Fash, who 
 is still living at the family residence, No. 312 
 South Jefferson Avenue, which has been the home 
 of the family for more than fifty years. Mrs. Gil- 
 bert was born in New York City about 1820, where 
 she was reared to womanhood, receiving her educa- 
 tion in the city schools. She came with her parents, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fash, to Peoria, and engaged 
 as one of the first teachers in Peoria. Her union 
 with Mr. Gilbert occurred in 1835, and they be- 
 came the parents of six children, five of whom are 
 living, viz: George W. H., our subject; Margaret 
 E., the widow of Lester Pattee; A. Frederick; 
 Celestine S., Mrs. J. M. Black, who is one of the 
 chief officers of the Women's Christian Home Mis- 
 sion in Dakota; and Carrie M., Mrs. J. W. Row- 
 cliff, of Peoria. Mrs. Gilbert is a member of the 
 Congregational Church with which she became 
 connected during the ministry of Rev. Levi Spencer. 
 The father was also an attendant of this church 
 and a liberal supporter. He possessed some talent 
 as a vocalist and sang in the choir of the church. 
 
 Mr. Gilbert, of this sketch, with the exception of 
 four j'ears which the family spent in St. Louis, Mo., 
 lias been continuously a resident of his native city 
 and obtained his education principally in the public 
 schools. He commenced his business career with 
 A. Bishop, with whom he remained from 1851 until 
 January 1, 1865, becoming in the meantime, in 
 1858, a partner in the business under the firm name 
 of Bishop & Co. Upon the removal of Mr. Bishop 
 to Chicago, Mr. Gilbert became associated with his 
 brother, A.Frederick, and Gilbert Bros, immediately 
 became recognized as leaders in the sale of hats, 
 caps and furs, which business they conducted until 
 1885. The ambition of Mr. Gilbert was to conduct 
 the largest wholesale, retail and manufacturing 
 business which could be maintained in this section. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Gilbert closed out his business and 
 spent two years in travel. In the meantime he 
 had been posting himself upon the real-estate busi- 
 ness and in 1887 commenced in earnest the business 
 to which he now gives the greater part of his time 
 and attention. Although a stanch Republican,
 
 726 
 
 PORTRAIT A^fD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 politically, lio has never asiiirei] to the respousibili- 
 ties of office, preferring to continue the life of a 
 private citizen. In religion he is a Congregation- 
 alist. being a regular attendant at his church and 
 contributing to its regular support. 
 
 The subject of this notice was first married in 
 1859 to Miss Josephine Speers, a resident of Peoria 
 at that time, but a native of Ponnsjivania. born 
 near the city of Pittsburg. She became the mother 
 of seven children and departed this life at the 
 family residence in Peoria in January, 1875, aged 
 thirty-nine 3-ears. Their eldest son, Henry S., is 
 the partner of his father; Mamie W. is a teacher in 
 the public schools of St. Paul, Minn.; Lester E. is 
 in the employ of the Consolidated Tank Line, mak- 
 ing his headquarters at Peoria. The other four 
 children died in earl3' childhood. Mr. Gilbert has 
 given to the survivors a good education and they 
 occup3' honored positions in society. He con- 
 tracted a second marriage in 1876 with Miss Alice 
 Osbon, of Ri|)ley, Ohio. Of the tliree children 
 born of this vniion only two are living; Retta O., 
 and Elsie M. 
 
 After the outbreak of the Civil War the mother 
 of our subject could not bring herself to give her 
 consent to the enlistment of her sons and kept out 
 of the way so they could not ask her. A. Freder- 
 ick enlisted in Company A, Seventeenth Illinois 
 Infantry, being but a bo}-. His mother was patri- 
 otic in all her impulses and desirous of presenting 
 a flag to her son's company, started out to obtain 
 the necessary funds. Finding it slow work she re- 
 turned what she had collected and then purchased 
 silk with her own monej'. made the flag and pre- 
 sented it with a nice speech. The bojs carried it 
 through the war and when they returned consigned 
 it to the care of the donor with appropriate cere- 
 monies. At everv re-union the old flag is unani- 
 mously called for and the poor old tattered bauble 
 has become a valued relic. 
 
 The mother of our subject was also one of the 
 first women to assist in the organization of a relief 
 corps and went to the* front at Memphis, Tenn. 
 "While there she one night took an armful of pillow 
 slips for use in the wards and by mistake walked 
 over the guards of the boat into the water. She 
 was rescued, after having passed under the boat, a 
 
 steamer, nearly its entire length. At the time of 
 the Garfield memorial services when there was so 
 much discussion about the reunited North and 
 South, this l.",dy hung out both I'nion and rebel 
 Bags, having been presented with one of the latter 
 at Chickasaw bayou. Her sou, the subject of this 
 sketch, inquired why she did so, aud she replied, 
 that " as they say no North no South, we should be 
 able to say no South no North." The incident at- 
 tracted much attention at the time, and this modern 
 mother with the s[iirit of '76 was widelj' spoken of 
 in admiring terms. 
 
 Mr. Gilbert's poi trait is presented on another 
 page. 
 
 
 'lIlOSEPH S. SCHNEBLY is the owner and 
 occupant of an excellent property on section 
 34, Riehwood Township, together with sev- 
 eral city lots in Peoria. He has built a 
 good residence ui)on his farm, is keeping up the 
 other im|n-ovements upon it and operating it with 
 a satisfactory' degree of success. He is known as an 
 unpretentious man who pursues the even tenor of 
 his wa)- with no desire for public honors or a prom- 
 inent place before the public, finding sufficient oc- 
 cupation for his business hours in the conduct of 
 his own aff.airs, and abundant recreation in social 
 .and domestic life. He is an active member of the 
 Presbyterian Church, his estimable companion being 
 likewise numbered among the workers in that relig- 
 ious body. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Henry Schnebly, 
 a native of Maryland, and Elizabeth M. (Wunder- 
 lich) Schnebly, who was born in Dauphin County, 
 Pa. They were married in Mainland, living there 
 for a short time, but removing to Illinois in the 
 fall of 18.35. They settled in Riehwood Township, 
 this county, making it their home during the rem- 
 nant of their days. Mr. Schneblj' died in 1858, 
 his widow surviving until August, 1885. They 
 were the parents of eleven children of whom our 
 subject was the flrst-boru. 
 
 The subject of this notice opened his e3es to the 
 light November 20, 1831, in Washington County, 
 Md. He was about four years old when his par-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 cnts came West and lie grew to manhood in this 
 county, acquiring a good education and learning 
 all that is necessary in order to satisfactorily con- 
 duct a faiin. When twenty-three years old he 
 went to California, being absent from home about 
 nine months. Xot long after his return lie was 
 manied, and settling in this county, remained here 
 several years. We next find him a resident of 
 Woodford County during a period of nine years, 
 then making McLean County his home three years, 
 after which he engaged in the flour and feed busi- 
 ness in Peoria. He carried on that business about 
 a twelvemonth, then purchased the property which 
 he now occupies and again took his position among 
 the dwellers in the rural districts. 
 
 On February 7, 1856, the rites of wedlock were 
 celebrated between our subject and Miss Elizabeth 
 A., daughter of Joseph and Anna (Landis) Stone- 
 braker. Mrs. Schnebly is the tenth in a family of 
 twelve children, was born in Maryland, October 14, 
 ls3;3, and possesses many of the qualities most 
 liighlj' esteemed in womanhood. Her father was a 
 native of M;'.ryland, in which State he died. Her 
 iinrllier was born in Lancaster, Pa., and departed 
 this life at the residence of her son while on a visit 
 ti) Woodford County, 111. 
 
 Our subject and his good wife have had thirteen 
 childien but have been called upon to part with 
 five. The living members of their family circle 
 are Anna K., Cora, Joseph K., Henry, Landis S., 
 IClnur L., Daisy E. and Walter A., all of whom 
 have been carefully reared and well fitted for useful 
 careers. 
 
 ,AUL F. GRAZE. Many of the most enter- 
 prising agriculturists, as well as the most in- 
 dustrious mechanics of America, were born 
 and reared in lauds far across the sea, and 
 wnatever maj- be one's opinion regarding indis- 
 i-riminate immigration into the United States, all 
 honest-minded men must confess that we owe a 
 debt of gratitude to the foreign-born citizens who 
 have done so much to develop our resources. Mr. 
 Graze, whose home is on section 12, Kickapoo 
 Township, is a German-Auierican citizen who from 
 
 early manhood has been identified with the indus- 
 tries of the United States and during the most of 
 the time with those of the Prairie State. 
 
 The e^'es of our subject first opened to the light 
 in Wurtemberg, Germany, May 24, 183.5, .and in 
 his native land he sojourned until about nineteen 
 jcars old. He was reared on a farm, early becom- 
 ing acquainted with the details of agricultural life, 
 and under the school laws of his country acquiring 
 a good practical education. In the fall of 1853 he 
 came to America, acconjpanied by his parents, 
 Ilenrj' and Caroline (Faber) Graze, of whom he is 
 the only child. They both died in Kickapoo 
 Township. 
 
 After lauding in New York young Graze went to 
 Newark, N. J., where he remained until the summer 
 of 1854 when he came westward to Peoria, 111. 
 After spending about three months in the city he 
 found employment on a farm and worked by the 
 month about two and one-half years. He then 
 rented land in Kickapoo Township, operating as a 
 renter eleven years and hoarding his resources in 
 order that he might purchase himself a home. He 
 finally bought land in the same township and now 
 has a good estate of one hundred and forty acres, 
 bearing the usual improvements, and under careful 
 management. 
 
 In his efforts to secure a home Mr. Graze has 
 been ably seconded by his faithful helpmate, for- 
 merly Miss Sarah E. Orr, who became his wife 
 September 3, 1859, the marriage taking place in 
 Peoria. She is the second of three children com- 
 prising the family of the late James and Jane 
 (Howard) Orr, the former of whom died in 1853 
 and the latter January 17, 1890. They were old 
 settlers in Kickapoo Township, where Mrs. Graze 
 was born January 14, 1840. A goodly number of 
 children have come to Mr. and Mrs. Graze, and ten 
 J et remain inmates of the parental home. They 
 are Letltia, Paul, John, Henr3% Rose, Martha, Mary, 
 Charles, Clara and Joseph. Caroline has left the 
 home nest as the wife of Edward Loudenberwer. 
 lona and Elizabeth have been removed by death. 
 
 Mr. Gr.aze has been Highway Commissioner and 
 School Director, in both capacities serving with 
 credit to himself and his constituents. In polities 
 he is iudeiiendent, depositing his ballot in favor of
 
 r28 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the best man or the principles which he believes 
 the important issues at the time. He is interested 
 in all wliioh will tend to tlie material prosperity and 
 personal advancement of the community, in which 
 his reputation is most excellent. 
 
 IkA RS. CHRISTENA M. HALLEK. Among 
 j \ the comfortal)le homes to he found in 
 jlj A Kicicapoo Township, that of the subject of 
 * this notice is deserving of mention. The 
 
 dwelling is a substantial edifice, while the one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of fine farm land which stu'- 
 round it bear various iiiii)rovemeuts, such as are 
 usuall3' to be found on the estates of enterprising 
 and prosperous farmers. For more tlian thirty 
 years this farm has been under the charge of Mrs. 
 Haller, who has continually manifested her ability 
 to guide the labors which are conducted thereon, 
 and to make of agriculture a remunerative em- 
 ployment. She is now somewhat advanced in 
 years, having been born May 2, 1823, but is still 
 one of the smartest and shrewdest women to be 
 met with in Peoria County. 
 
 The lad}' of nhom we write is a native of Wur- 
 temburg, German}', in which kingdom her parents, 
 Jacob and Christina (Grill) Koerner, were also 
 born. They emigrated to America in 1831, mak- 
 ing their first home in Cincinnati, Ohio, and com- 
 ing to the Prairie State in 1848. They spent the 
 remainder of their lives in this county, dying in 
 Kickapoo Township, in which they had taken up 
 their abode. Their family included twelve chil- 
 dren, Mrs. Haller being the sixth in order of birth. 
 She was married in Cincinnati, May 15, 1842, to 
 Conrad Haller, who, like herself, was of German 
 birth and parentage, his natal day having been July 
 4, 1804. His parents died in the old country, but 
 he left his native Wurtemburg fully persuaded 
 that the New World would afford him better op- 
 portunities for financial advancement. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. and Mrs. Haller came to Peoria, the 
 husband continuing his occupation of a butcher 
 until the spring of 1851, when he turned his atten- 
 tion to agriculture, settling on section 11, Kicka- 
 
 poo Township. He prosecuted the peaceful labors 
 of farm life until his death, which occurred No- 
 vember 9, 1855, since which time the estate has 
 been ably managed by his widow. He was well re- 
 spected as a man who steadily pursued his course 
 in life, leaving to his children the example of 
 sturdy manhood, industry, and considerateness in 
 domestic relations. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the mother of eight 
 children, whose record is as follows: Jacob died in 
 infancy; Conrad ,T. married Miss Llicina Bowl- 
 ing: Frederick is still single; Jacob, 2d, died when 
 about one year old ; George H. married Miss Au- 
 gusta Patton; Catherine F. is a teacher; Rosina C. 
 familiarly known as Rose, is the wife of William 
 Armstrong; Mary Christina is a teacher. The 
 daughters are graduates of the Peoria County Nor- 
 mal School, more than ordinarily intelligent and 
 well read, and the Misses Kittle and Christie, as 
 they are familiarly known among their friends, are 
 numbered among the most successful teachers of 
 tlie county. The son, Conrad, enlisted in the 
 Union army when but seventeen years old, being 
 assigned to Company A, Seventy-seventh Illinois 
 Infantry. He served until the close of the war, 
 but during his enlistment, having been captured 
 by the enemy, was held eighteen months in a 
 Texas prison. 
 
 ; OIIN M. GIPPS. The late John M. Gipps 
 is well remembered in Peoria as one who 
 took a prominent part in adding to the wel- 
 fare of the citizens by means of public im- 
 provements, and bore a large share in alleviating 
 the distress of the needy, rejoicing in the oppor- 
 tunity to bestow of his abundance upon those less 
 fortunate, and to aid liberally in promoting culture. 
 He was an excellent type of the steady-going Eng- 
 lishman, persisteut in whatever lie undertook, pru- 
 dent and thoughtful in decisions, and hard to turn 
 when once he had made up his mind; yet withal, 
 of a kindly and generous spirit, a genial compan- 
 ion and firm friend. 
 
 The birthplace of Mr. Gipps was Canterbury,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 72;i 
 
 Kent, Kiiglan'l, and the year of his birth 1820. He 
 lived within sound of llie bells of tlie noted cathe- 
 dral until after he was of age, although he was ab- 
 sent from home while prosecuting his studies in 
 the famous university of Cambridge. He was grad- 
 uated from that institution with the degree of 
 Bachelor of Arts and the proud position of Senior 
 Wrangler, which his father had held before him. 
 After flnisliing his cduealion, he came to America 
 on a pleasure trip, and so much was he pleased with 
 the country in Centr.al Illinois, that he bought a 
 pretty place near Washington, Tazewell County, 
 known as Gipps' Grove. 
 
 Mr. Gipps established himself on a largo farm to 
 the oversight of which he devoted himself for some 
 years. During some time ho also carried on a large 
 store in the town of ]Morton; it was the first store 
 there. In 18G5 he abandoned other employment 
 to establish the Gipps' Brewery, of which he was 
 sole owner and manager for many years, and which 
 at the time of his death was the largest in this part 
 of the country. Two years after the enterprise was 
 inaugurated. Mr. Gipps removed to Peoria, which 
 was his |)lnce of abode from that time until he was 
 called hence. Ills demise took place November 27, 
 1882, dccpl}' regretted by many friends, whose 
 sympathy for his sorrowing household was bejond 
 expression. 
 
 When the Public Library was established, Mr. 
 Gipps was deeply interested in its success, ever 
 proving one of its most hearty supporters. He was 
 one of the early members of the Board of Trade, 
 and made himself a man of note in various move- 
 ments for the welfare of tlic community. Ho would 
 never accept oflice, preferring to serve his fellows 
 in a private capacity. Ho was a memlier of the In- 
 dependent Order of Odd Fellows. The cherished 
 companion of Mr. Gipps was known in her maiden- 
 hood as Miss KUen Dawson, aiul is a native of 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. Their marriage rites were cele- 
 brated December 12, 18.")2, and to their happy 
 union came two children, George IL, and Emma W. 
 Mrs. Gipps is an estimable woman, having m;iny 
 friends, and being looked up to for her virtues and 
 pleasing traits. 
 
 The father of our subject was Henry Gipps, LL. 
 D., Rector of St. Peter's in Hereford, England, and 
 
 having two livings there. He possessed much lit- 
 erary ability, was the author of numerous published 
 works, and a student of note in liis part of the king- 
 dom. His brother George Gipps, was at one time 
 Governor of Canada, and later held a similar office 
 over Her Majesty's possessions in Australia. 
 
 UFUS McINTIRE, Esquire, Justice of the 
 Peace of Trivoli, where he is engaged in 
 L\ \\\ market gardening, is an old settler of the 
 county, and is a veteran of the Civil War, 
 and is well known and greatly respected by the en- 
 tire community. 
 
 Our subject is a New Englander b^- birth and 
 antecedents. He was born in Parsonsfield, York 
 County, Me., April G, 1828. His father, bearing 
 the same name ,as himself, was also a native of that 
 county, and w.as a son of Micum Mclntiro, who was 
 born in the same [ilaco, and there carried on farm- 
 ing. Ho was a Revolutionary patriot, and was in- 
 terested in running Tories outof York. His father, 
 also named Micum, was a farmer, and was a son of 
 another Micum Mclntire. The latter was banished 
 from Scotland, having been captured and sent to 
 this country by Cromwell, because ho was a fol- 
 lower of Prince Charles Edward Stewart. He be- 
 longed to a Highland clan in Scotland, and was 
 among the early settlers of !Maine. 
 
 The father of our subject was a man of culture, 
 and was one of the foremost citizens of his native 
 State in his day. He was graduated from the clas- . 
 sical course at Dartmouth College, and then studied 
 law in Alfred, York County, with .John Holmes, 
 and was admitted to tlie bar when thirty years of 
 age, and established himself in practice in Parsons- 
 field, and also superintended the cultivation of his 
 farm. He mot with brilliant success as a lawyer, 
 and .also became a great statesman. He was the 
 first representative of his town, and was elected a 
 member of Congress to fill a vacancy, and was re- 
 elected throe times to that position. He w.as C'ap- 
 tain of a company of I'liited States Artillery in the 
 War of 1812, and served throughout that conllict 
 on the lake frontier. He became land agent for
 
 730 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Maine in the time of the Aroostook troubles, and 
 was then appointed Surveyor of the Custom House 
 at Porthind during Buchanan's administration. 
 After that lie resumed farming and practice of 
 law. ami died in 1866. at the age of eighty-one. 
 full of years and honor,<. He was one of the lead- 
 ing Democrats of his time. 
 
 The fatiier of our subject was twice mariied : 
 first to Nancy Hannaford, and after her death he 
 was wedded to iier sister Mar}-. The tirst wife, the 
 mother of our suiiject. was born in Parsonsfield. Me., 
 and there spent her enli.-e life. Her father. Josiah 
 Hannaford, was a native of Massachusetts, and af- 
 ter ills removal to Elaine, carried on farming until 
 his death. Seven children were born to the first 
 marriage, uaincly: ISIary and Annette, residents of 
 Portland. Me.. .Tames O., who died in that city; 
 Eveline, who lives in Portland; Alonzo, who died 
 in York County, Me.: ^Malcolm, who died j'oung; 
 and Rutiis. There were three children born of the 
 second marriage — iLakolm. who died young; Mal- 
 colm (2d), a resident of Kentuck}'; and Nancy a 
 resident of Portland. Me. 
 
 The subject of this biograph}- was bred on a farm 
 and was earl}' set to do work of all kinds. He 
 learned to mow with a scjthe, and to reap with a 
 sickle. His education, was conducted in free and 
 private schools. At the age of twenty he left home 
 to learn the tanner and currier's trade in the vil- 
 lage, and worked at it there for six or seven years. 
 We next hear of hini in IMassachusetts, where he 
 had gone to seek employment at his calling. As 
 he could not get a job at it immediately, he learned 
 the trade of a shoemaker at Dauvers. He worked 
 in that town for a year or two, and then returned 
 to Maine, and remained in his native State a jear. 
 
 In 1855 he determined to come West, and in the 
 spring of that year came bj- rail to Peoria, and 
 thence to Trivoli, and took up his residence here. 
 He engaged on a farm for a while with Dr. Levi 
 Hannaford, working for him for six months, and 
 then put up a sho}) and commenced the manufac- 
 ture of shoes, employing two hands. He continued 
 in that business two years, then sold and went to 
 Adair County. Iowa, where he had an interest in a 
 sawmill. He did not make that p.a}', however, and 
 came back to this count}' the same j^ear. The next 
 
 spring he went to New Rutland, on the Illinois Cen- 
 tral Railroad, and conducted the shoe business there 
 for awhile. He had a hard time of it. tried farm- 
 ing and failed, and had to make shoes in the win- 
 ter to get enough to live on. The next year he 
 again attempted farming, onl}' to fail again and to 
 fall back on his trade of a shoemaker during the 
 winter months. 
 
 At the breaking out of the Rebellion, the war- 
 like spirit of his early ancestors stirred in the breast 
 of our subject, and his patriotism was aroused, and 
 he w.as among the first to respond to the call for 
 troops to defend the stars and stripes. He went to 
 Springfield and enlisted in a compan}' of artillery 
 to be attached to the Thirty-second Illinois Regi- 
 ment, but as that failed, it then became a part of 
 the Second Illinois Artillery Regiment, Batterj' K. 
 He and his comrades were sent to Cairo, and thence 
 to Kentucky, from there to ^Memphis, whence the}' 
 were sent down the Mississippi. They engaged 
 in various skirmishes, and were present at the siege 
 of Vicksburg in which they bore a gallant part. 
 Six months later he was promoted to the important 
 position of Quarter Master .Sergeant to the battery, 
 and served as such until the close of the war. He 
 was mustered out at Memphis, December 31. 1864, 
 and honorably discharged. 
 
 Jlr. Mclnlire came back to Trivoli after leaving 
 the army, to the family, and found his wife sewing 
 to support the household. He actively resumed 
 the calling of a farmer, and rented a farm in this 
 township for seven years, operating eighty acres of 
 land. Misfortune still followed his efforts, as he 
 lost two crops, and in 1872 he had a sale and aban- 
 doned agricultural pursu'ts for awhile. The ensu- 
 ing two years he acted as agent for three insui'ance 
 companies until the Mutual Insurance Company 
 spoiled his business for him, and he then engaged 
 in lobbing, doing ditching, draining, and digging 
 wells, working very hard and employing three or 
 four men. He laid a good deal of tile, and finally 
 located on his present place on section 11, where 
 he has two acres of land of exceeding fertility, and 
 is prosperously engaged in raising garden stuff. 
 
 Mr. Mclntire and Miss Eunice D. Jordon, a na- 
 tive of Gorham. Me., were united in marriage in 
 Trivoli, ^lay 12, 1856. Mrs. Mclntire was a school
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 731 
 
 teacher before her marriage, and tamo to Trivoli 
 in that capacity in 1854. Four children liave been 
 born of this marriage, of whom the following is re- 
 corded : p]mi'line, formerly a school teacher, mar- 
 ried Oscar B. Wykoff, a farmer of this township; 
 Emma is a tailoress in Elmwood; Alice, a music 
 teacher, is attending the Mt. Carroll Seminary; 
 James Otis is at home. 
 
 Our subject has been a School Director, and lie 
 has also been engaged in the vocation of school 
 teacher, for which he is well fitted by education 
 and temperament. In 1866, the school in his dis- 
 trict in Trivoli, h.ad acquired a bad reputation on 
 account of the unruly boys who had run the teacher 
 out, and our subject was asked to teach the school, 
 and bring them to terms, and it is needless to say, 
 that he succeeded in tiie undertaking. He is a 
 member of McCook Post, G. A. R., at Elmwood, 
 and is a stanch Democrat in politics. In 1884 he 
 was elected Justice of the Peace here, and has an 
 office in town. He had been Collector of the town- 
 ship for four years, and is considered one of our 
 most intelligent and useful civic offlci.als. 
 
 -I-Hi«^«^4+^ 
 
 ylLLlAM WHITTEN settled in Brim field 
 Township at an early day and is one of 
 the oldest pioneers in his neighborhood. 
 He has here a farm that in point of cultivation and 
 improvement ranks very higli. It is finel}' lo- 
 cated on section 10, and here he li.is erected a 
 handsome residence which is considered to be one 
 of the best in the township. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Peunsylv.aniaand was 
 born in Fayette County. September 28, 1829. He 
 is the son of the Late John and Jane (Freeman) 
 Whitten. His mother was a native of Pennsylvania, 
 and his father was bo'-n in New Jersey. The latter 
 came of sturdy ancestry and his father, William 
 Whitten, bore an honorable part in the Revolution 
 as a soldier in the Continental Army. 
 
 Our subject was the eldest son in a family of 
 four children of whom the following three still sur- 
 vive: William; F:iiza J., the widow of Mr. Barnes, 
 of Bates County, Mo.; and Alpheus, a resident of 
 
 Linn County .Kan. In the f.-ill of 1836,wlien William 
 was a lad of seven j'cars, he left his early home in 
 Licking Count}', Ohio, witli his parents who came 
 to Illinois. They first located in Fulton County, 
 and five years later removed to Knox County, the 
 family residing there ten years and in the mean- 
 time the father died, his death occuring March 29, 
 1852. The mother of our subject who is now quite 
 aged lives in Linn County, Kan., making her home 
 with her son there. 
 
 Our subject has i)assed tl'.e most of his life in 
 Illinois and can know but very little of any other 
 home. He received limited educational advan- 
 tages, as the pioneer schools were but indifferent 
 institutions of learning. However, he has read 
 and observed much and has kept himself very 
 well posted on all things of general concern. In 
 1862 Mr. Whitten journeyed across the plains and 
 mountains, and passed some three j-ears in Mon- 
 tana, Idaho, Washington and the northeast part 
 of Oregon in search of gold. He found that pre- 
 cious metal in various places but he frankly says 
 that the expedition could not be c msidered a 
 financial success. After his return to Peoria 
 County, he resumed his farming operations and 
 has ever since resided here in contentment, peace 
 and comparative happiness. He located on his 
 present farm in 1857, and has had to work hard 
 to bring it to its present fine condition. He bought 
 the land in 1855 in company with his brother, A. 
 F., paying $12.50 an acre for it. The land which 
 comprises one hundred and sixty acres was in a 
 pi imitive condition, never a furrow having been 
 turned or a harvest reaped from its virgin soil. In 
 1868 our subject bought out his brother's interest 
 on the place and has since had sole possession of 
 it. In 1888 he built his present fine residence, in 
 which he and his wife have one of the coziest and 
 most comfortably furnished of homes. 
 
 Mr. Whitten w.as married November 25, 1869, 
 to Miss Zillah P. Lucas, a native of Ohio and a 
 daughter of Er.astusand Isabella( Lucas) Lucas.both 
 of whom are now deceased. She was born February 
 i;j, 1849. By their union they have become the 
 parents of six ehildreJi, of whom the following are 
 recorded: John L. was born October 20, 1870; 
 Lida M., M.ay .31, 1874; Carrie L., April 1, 1877;
 
 732 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Azel O.. September 2, 1879: May Isabella. Decem- 
 ber 23, 1881: William AV. December 26, 1883. 
 
 Jlr. Whitten is' a man of sound, sensible views, 
 is scriipulousl}' honest and just in all bis dealings, 
 .and these excellent characteristics, together with 
 his geni.al and obliging nature, have won him 
 man J' steadfast friends. He is a Republican in 
 politics and is ever willing to lend a hand in push- 
 ing forward all enterprises that will contribute to 
 the public good. He and his wife are among the 
 most consistent members of the Presbyterian 
 Church and their conduct of the afifairs of every 
 day life shows that their religion is not a mere 
 empty form. 
 
 IIAKLE.S BREIER & SONS. One of the 
 most flourishing business establishments of 
 '•f' Peoria is that of the gentlemen above 
 named, who keeps a large livery stable with forlj' 
 horses and a full supplj' of excellent vehicles and 
 ether eqnipments. The business was established 
 b3- Mr. Breier in 1808, and he is now assisted in its 
 management b}- two sons — William and Albert. 
 Mr. Breier was born in Hanover, Germany, April 
 27, 1828, and spent the first twentj' years of his 
 life in the land of his forefathers. He then came 
 to America and, locating in Peoria, engaged in 
 butchering, in which he had been occupied to some 
 extent in the old countrj'. He also dealt in cattle, 
 working up an excellent trade in which he contin- 
 ued until he entered upon )iis present occupation. 
 
 This gentleman is a son of Heurj- and Fredericka 
 Breier, his father having been a butcher and saloon 
 keeper. Of tlie six children belonging to the pa- 
 rental family, four are now living, all remaining 
 in Hanover except him of whom we write. The eld- 
 est, Henry, follows his father's business of butcher- 
 ing; William is Cit^- Clerk of Hanover; Ernst is in 
 the furniaire trade. 
 
 On the 8th of August, 1850, nuptial rites were 
 celebrated between Charles Breier and Miss Au- 
 gusta Lehne, who belonged to a familj' that emi- 
 grated from Germanj' in 1848. Mrs. Breier is a 
 notable housewife, a devoted wife and mother, and 
 a neighbor to whose kindliness many bear witness. 
 
 She has borne nine children, five of whom have 
 been removed by death. Besides the two^sons en- 
 gaged with the father in business, there are now 
 living Mrs. Emma Schober, engaged in the grocery 
 trade, and Minnie, wife of Charles Zimmerman, a 
 druggist in Peoiia. William, the elder son, was 
 married May 11, 1887, to Fannie, daughter of Phil- 
 opona Peters, of Peoria; they have one daughter. 
 He belongs to various civic societies, namely: The 
 Masonic fraternity. Ancient Order of Druids; Red 
 Men, Turners, Concordia, Humboldt, Knights and 
 Ladies of Honor. 
 
 The subject of this sketch served as Alderman 
 in 1866; he has also held the office of Highway 
 Commissioner. He is a sturdy Democrat, never 
 failing to cast his vote on election daj'. He belongs 
 to the Concordia .Society and the Peoria Rifle Club, 
 taking the interest usually manifested by those of 
 his nationality in the matters which form the prom- 
 inent interests in these organizations. 
 
 ; QUILLA HL'BER. Among the men who 
 have for some j^ears been identified with 
 the business interests of the town of Dun- 
 lap, is the gentleman above named, a first- 
 class shoemaker, and the possessor of tact and 
 shrewdness in the prosecutljn of business. His 
 parents, John G. and Anna M. (Gremminger) Hu- 
 .ber, were natives of Wurtcmburg, Germany, whence 
 the}- emigrated about 1851, settling near Morton, 
 Tazewell County, this State. Thence thej- removed 
 toCruger, Woodford County, afterward living in 
 Kentuck}'. in Cairo. 111., and St. Louis, Mo. In 
 1863, the}' settled in Peoria, this county, where the 
 father died ten years later. The mother is still 
 living, now quite advanced in years. Their family 
 consisted of four children, two of whom grew up. 
 Our subject is the first-born in the parental fam- 
 il}' and opened his ej'es to the light near Morton, 
 April 30, 185-1. He resided under the parent.il 
 roof until the death of his father from whom he 
 learned the trade which he successfullj- followed 
 for a number of years. After the death of his par- 
 ent he worked for different parties about a twelve-
 
 ,1^'
 
 N: 
 
 /^'Si 
 
 MDQyyyi^ 
 
 ^^pty^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 735 
 
 niontli, tlieu located in Piiuceville, following his 
 trarle there two years. In 1876, he took up his 
 abode in Dunlap, still pursuing his trade, but also 
 operating a boot and shoe store al)out six j'ears, at 
 the expiration of which time he engaged in the sa- 
 loon business, lie has erected a comfortable and 
 substantial residence and has surrounded Lis familj- 
 with many comforts. 
 
 The first marriage of Mr. Huljer was celebrated 
 in Peoria in 1880, his bride being Miss Louisa 
 Langheiniich, a native of that city. -She survived 
 until .January 14, 1884. when her career was cut 
 short by an untimel3' death. She left one child — 
 Tillie JI. Mr. Iluber contracted a second matri- 
 mojiial alliance March 18, 1886, the solemn rites 
 being celebrated in Princeville. The present Mrs. 
 Iluber was formerly known as Miss Lena Feinholz, 
 is a native of Pittsburg, Pa., and a woman of do- 
 mestic skill and estimable character. She has borne 
 her husband two daughters and one son — Floin, 
 Carrie and A(iuilla. 
 
 -^—^^ 
 
 <^/AMES JORDAN is the youngest son of 
 Patrick and Catherine Jordan, who came to 
 Peoria County, III., when our subject was a 
 child of one year. Their advent was made 
 in 18.53, and after living a short time in the city 
 they removed to a farm in Limestone Township, 
 where thej' resided until the death of the father. 
 The mother then went back to Peoria to live with 
 a married daughter, ai^d now makes her liome 
 there. The father was killed on a bridge near his 
 home, by a runaway team, August 23, 1878, leav- 
 ing a family of eighl'children, four boys and four 
 girls, all of whom arc now living. The mother is 
 in good health at this writing, although she has 
 reached the age of seventy-six years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared on the 
 farm and received his elementary training in the 
 district scliools, finishing his education at the Nor- 
 mal School in Peoria, from which he was gradu- 
 ated in the class of '73. For a short while he 
 followed teaching, then took a trip to see the coun- 
 try, and in the course of his travels visited Wis- 
 
 consin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Dakota, Iowa, 
 Missouri, Arkansas, and all the States bordering on 
 the Miss!ssip|)l River. He reached Texas without 
 mishap, and remained there two j'ears engaged in 
 the exciting sport of hunting buffaloes, which were 
 •at that time very plentiful. A few years later the 
 business had ceased to be profitable, the herds hav- 
 ing become small and widely scattered. In 1870 
 the country, as far as could be seen, was a vast 
 treeless plain, and the ground covered in every 
 direction by one large, moving mass of the shaggy 
 creatures; two years later they had disappeared, 
 and were, for that section of the country, things of 
 the past. 
 
 Our subject returned home in 1878 a few months 
 prior to his father's death, and when th.at event 
 occurred he, in company with his l)rother Patrick, 
 took charge of the farm. They bought out the in- 
 terests of the otiier heirs and divided the place be- 
 tween tliem, our subject taking the portion con- 
 taining the family residence. Before the division 
 the farm contained four hundred and thirty-two 
 acres of land, which had been largely improved by 
 the father during his lifetime. It was under a 
 good state of cultivation, and b.as been further im- 
 proved and beautified until it is now one of the 
 handsomest places in the county. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. Jordan took to himself a wife in 
 the person of Miss Mary Tighe, daughter of 
 John and Catherine Tighe, natives of County Kil- 
 kenny, Ireland, and at the time of the marriage of 
 their daughter residing at No. 1 14 Charlotte Street, 
 Peoria, 111. The family of Mrs. Jordan came di- 
 rectly from their native land to the city of Peoria 
 about the beginning of the Civil War, and have 
 resided there from that time to the present, with 
 the exception of two years spent in Burlington, 
 Iowa. The father died in April, 1890; the mother 
 still lives in Peoria. The Jordans were originally 
 from the same county in Ireland as the Tighes, but 
 they tarried in Ohio for a number of years before 
 taking up their residence in Illinois. Our subject 
 was born while the family were living on a farm 
 near Zanesville, Muskingum County, Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Jordan takes an .active interest in all matters 
 of political importance, and has done as much for 
 the success of his partj' — the Democratic — as any
 
 736 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 man in the township. In 1883 he was appointed to 
 fill a vacancy in tho office of Iliohway Commis- 
 sioner, and at the expiration of the term was elected 
 to the place, and has laeen successively re-elected 
 to the present time, a period of seven years. In 
 1800 he was further honored b}- the nomination of 
 his )iartj' to the office of Supervisor of the town- 
 ship, and at election time his friends rallied to his 
 supiiort and triumphantl}' elected him. His con- 
 duct in office has been such as to call forth many 
 . encomiums fi'om botli friends and jmrty opponents. 
 He is gentlemanly in his demeanor, and makes 
 many friends. He is one of the firm of Jordan 
 Brothers & Swords, contractors and excavators of 
 this cit}'. He has an interesting family of five 
 children, whose names are: Katie, Josie. Martin, 
 Roger and Leo. They are bright children, and 
 give promise of much future usefulness in the 
 world. A fine portrait of this gentleman may be 
 seen elsewliere. 
 
 i\ ARTIN VAN BUREN CONKLIN. Proba- 
 bl}' the most important member of the com- 
 munity of Mapleton in business and politi- 
 cal affairs, is the gentleman above named, 
 wlio carries on llie only large mercantile business 
 therein. He is still quite a3-oung man having been 
 born July 15,1 858. but has already pushed himself to 
 the front by reason of energy and good business 
 qualities. He was born in Mason County, in the 
 little town of Bath, where he lived until reaching 
 man's estate. He is a son of Henrj- and Eliza 
 (Nott) Couklin, who were natives of the Empire 
 State. Henrj' Conklin had been left an orphan at 
 an earlj' age, and lie and his wife died when our 
 subject was but ten j'ears old. During the summer 
 the latter worked for money with which to pay ins 
 board wliile attending school in the winter and so 
 secured for himself a fair education. 
 
 Wiien twenty-one j'ears old Mr. Conklin was 
 united in marriage with Miss Jennie E. Hardin, a 
 native of the same county as himself and a daughter 
 of James and Martha (Micklen) Hardin. Her an- 
 cestors were of English origin, the Hardins being 
 
 of the old Maryland stock. The young couple 
 went to Johnson County, N«b., where Mr. Conklin 
 purchased a farm and lived seven years. He be- 
 came the owner of a second farm in the same county 
 prior to the expiration of that period, when he sold 
 out and returned to Mason County. 
 
 Embarking in the mercantile business in the vil- 
 lage of Kilhiirn, Mr. Conklin continued in trade 
 there about three years, when in 1886 he removed 
 to Mapleton, Peoria County, and bouglit out the 
 business of James Walker, together with the fine 
 residence and store occupied by that gentleman. 
 Since locating here he has been interested in coal 
 mining, but has recently disposed of his mining 
 stock and now devotes himself entirelj' to his mer- 
 cantile business. He carries a full line of all goods 
 sold in a general store and is working up a fine 
 trade for a village of this size. 
 
 When Mr. Conklin bought out Mr. Walker he 
 also took full charge of the jiost-ollice. which he 
 kept for two years or more. In the spring of 1889 
 he was elected to the office of Township Supervisor 
 for the short term, and in the spring of 1890 was 
 re-elected for tiie long term. He has been an active 
 Democrat since Grover Cleveland was first nomin- 
 ated for the Presidency, and since removing to 
 Mapleton has done much for the partj' in Ilollis 
 Townshi]). He belongs to Phoenix Lodge No. 
 C63, A. F. & A. M. He and his good wife have 
 four children, named, respectivelj', Gertrude, Ollie 
 May, Fay, and Hardin Guj'. They form an inter- 
 esting group whose growth and intelligence delights 
 the hearts of their parents, whose object it is to fit 
 them for useful and honorable careers. 
 
 T-#-V-^-i" •' 
 
 NDREW WEATHERWAX, a pioneer of 
 Brimfleld Township, occupying a fertile 
 1 L* and attractive estate on section 11, is one 
 of those to whom Peoria County owes a 
 debt of gratitude for unremitting industr}', well- 
 directed eflforts and sturdy integrity during many 
 years. He is a native of Holmes County, Ohio, 
 born April 27, 1827. His fatlu r, George Weather-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 737 
 
 wax, is believed to Imve been a native of New 
 Yorlv State, and his mother, Susan (Craig) Weather- 
 wax, of Virginia. The father was a pioneer in the 
 wilderness of Holmes County, where he and his 
 wife entered Into rest after having seen a niarljed 
 change in the appearaucn of that country and borne 
 a fair share in tlie toil which conduced to it. 
 
 The parental family was a large one, comprising 
 twelve children. Those now living are, John, a 
 resident in Greene County, Ind.; Andrew, of whom 
 we write; Ann, whose liome is in the Buckeye State; 
 Catherine, wife of Thompson Patterson, living in 
 Warren County, Iowa; .lacob, a resident in Ohio; 
 Abram, living in Coshocton County, Ohio, and 
 George L.. of Peoria County, 111. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was reared to 
 manhood in his native county, bred partly to farm 
 pursuits and partlj' to the trade of a carpenter, his 
 father before him having been a mechanic. He I'e- 
 ceived his education in the early subscription 
 schools of Ohio, and although his advantages were 
 not of the best he has endeavored to keep posted 
 regarding the general topics of interest and while 
 mainly self-educated, is well informed and intelli- 
 gent. About 1847 he went to Ohio County, W. 
 Va., where he worked as a farm hand tluee years. 
 He then rented land five }'ears. 
 
 On December 24, 1847, Mr. Weatherwax w.-is 
 married to Miss Sarah A. McGlothlin, of the county 
 in which he located, who has borne him two chil- 
 dren, Susan and George W., the former now de- 
 ceased. The paternal ancestors of Mrs. Weather- 
 wax are said to have been Irish. To her parents 
 were born four children. Jane is now the widow 
 of Joseph Buchanan, living in Virginia; Ezekiel 
 lives in the same State, and so also does Kmily, 
 wife of James Nickerson. 
 
 In 1856, Mr. Weatherwax removed with his 
 family to Peoria County, 111., where for a time he 
 operated rented land, finally purchasing that on 
 which he now resides, owning all told one hundred 
 and sixty acres. The farm was new and in poor 
 condition, but by dint of persevering energy and 
 good management it was gradually brought to a 
 condition equal to that of other well-improved 
 farms in the township. Jlr. and Mrs. Weatherwax 
 have a clear understanding of what is embraced in 
 
 pioneer life and looking back to their earlier hard- 
 ships and toils, rejoice in their present peace and 
 plenty and tiic beautiful appearance of tlie country 
 round about them. 
 
 Mr. Weatherwax is independent in politics,voting 
 for the principles and the man, not the party. He 
 can always be counted upon when movements for 
 the public good are on fool, being anxious to have 
 future generations enjoy every possible opportun- 
 ity for comfort and improvement. He is well 
 known and esteemed in his locality, and the esti- 
 mable woman whose wise counsel and loving as- 
 sistance have been his for years, has likewise many 
 friends. 
 
 OHN R. ENGLISH, deceased, shared in the 
 pioneer labors that resulted in bringing this 
 county to its present tine condition as re- 
 _ gards its wealth and rank among its sister 
 counties, and when he laid down his life-work April 
 4, 1887, in the comfortable home which he had 
 built up for his family in Brimfleld Township, he 
 left behind a record of an industrious man of 
 exemplary habits and upright life that many a man 
 might envy. 
 
 Mr. English was a native of Ohio, born March 
 25, 1824, to Dan'el and Lucy English. He was 
 reared in their humble pioneer home amid the 
 primitive scenes of his native State at that early 
 day of its settlement, and w.as brought up to a 
 farmer's life and always followed that calling. His 
 educational advantages were not extensive, but he 
 acquired sufficient book-learning to enable him to 
 transact business properly, which was about all the 
 education the youth of his day received. He con- 
 tinued to live in Ohio until 18G0, having in the 
 meantime married and established a home on his 
 native soil. Thinking that he could materially 
 better his financial condition on the rich prairies of 
 this Slate, he came here that year, accompanied by 
 his wife and two children, and for a few years was 
 a resident of Sangamon County. He subsequently 
 came to this county and located on the farm still 
 occupied by his widow. At the time of his death
 
 738 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 it comprised sixty acres of land wliich lie liad 
 placed under excellent cuUivaLion and had \n-o- 
 vided it with all necessary improvements including 
 an excellent set of buildings. Its acreage has since 
 been reducedliy the sale of a part of it and now 
 comprises forty acres of valuable land, which is 
 owned by his widow. 
 
 Mr. English secured bj' his marriage to Miss Al- 
 mira lieardsley, which was solemnized October 12, 
 1854, one of the best of wives, whose encourage- 
 ment and cheerful assistance greatly aided luni in 
 his work. She was born in Licking County, Ohio, 
 February 24, 183G. Her parents were Daniel and 
 Fannie (Leggett) Beardsley, the former a native of 
 tlie State of New York, and the latter thought to 
 have been born in Virginia. Five of the nine chil- 
 dren born to Mr. and Mrs. English are still living, 
 namely: William, David, Daniel, Flora and Milton. 
 The four deceased are, Lucy. Henrietta, Elsworth 
 and Ann. 
 
 Mr English was a thoroughly good^mau, whom 
 to know was to esteem, and he was held in high re- 
 gard by his fellow-citizens. He was a hard worker, 
 was prudent and frugal, was sober minded and 
 honest, and these traits placed him among our most 
 desirable citizens and his death was a loss to the 
 township. 
 
 Mrs. English is one of a family of six children, 
 of whom three are now living, herself, her brother 
 Milton and her sister Dorinda. She has been a wit- 
 ness of much of the growth of this part of the 
 country and may be classed among its worthy pio- 
 neer women. 
 
 ^ 
 
 E^ 
 
 j;^^IIOMAS D. GANTT, deceased, was for 
 many years a well-known and honored resi- 
 dent of Peoria, who was influential in vari- 
 ous ways in advancing its interest in different 
 directions, and was a conspicuous figure in the pro- 
 motion of various projects for the improvement of 
 the city, and his death, while scarcely past the 
 meridian of life was a serious loss to the com- 
 munity with whose material, social and religious 
 interests, he had so thoroughly identified himself. 
 
 Mr. Gantt was liorn in Newport. Pa., April 17, 
 1833, a son of Hiram Gantt. His parents removed 
 to Philadelphia when he was a lad and he received 
 his education in the schools of that city, and then 
 for a short time, worked on his father's farm in 
 that vicinity. He subsequently engaged in book- 
 keeping for a number of years, and finally estab- 
 lished a grocery store at Atkinson, in Henry County, 
 he having gone there when a young man. For a 
 number of years he was station agent on the Rock 
 Island Road. After the breaking out of the war 
 he became connected with the Commissary Depart- 
 ment, and for that reason came to Peoria. He re- 
 mained in the Government employ until after the 
 close of the war, and rendered very efficient aid as 
 a commissary official. After peace was declared he 
 accepted a position as clerk, and later was agent 
 for three years for the packet office. At the expira- 
 tion of that time he became a railway official, and 
 was soon given the position of general freight and 
 track agent of tiie C. P. & S. W. Railway, and acted 
 in that capacity until that railway was sold. During 
 this time his office was in Jolietin the general office 
 of the same road, but he still made his home in 
 Peoria, and for a time was at Evansville, Ind., on 
 the Blue Line. 
 
 About three years before his death Mr. Gantt re- 
 tired from that business, and his fellow-citizens, 
 finding him free to devote his time to public affairs, 
 called him to the important office of Secretary of 
 the Peoria Improvement Association, which posi- 
 tion he held until the time of his death November 
 24, 1889. He was very much interested in his work 
 and lent cheerful assistance to all plans for beauti- 
 fying and improving the city and adding to its at- 
 tractiveness as a place of residence. Mr. Gantt was 
 in other ways closely identified with the progress 
 of the city. He was one of the charter members of 
 the Chamber of Commerce and was very active in 
 securing the erection of the building. He was one 
 of the leading members of the Board of Trade, and 
 at the time of the State Fair he was Secretary for 
 local and city matters. He was much prospered in 
 his finances and built a handsome residence at No. 
 207 Fifth Street. 
 
 Mr. Gantt's devoted wife to whom he owed much 
 of liis success in life, survives him. The^- were
 
 & 
 
 /
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 741 
 
 united in marriage in 1856, and of their union are 
 two cliildren: Ira W. of Chicago, and Thomas A. 
 of this city. Mrs. Gantt's maiden name was Sn- 
 retta Walters and she is a native of Ohio, and a 
 daughter of David Walters. She remained in that 
 State until she was thirteen and then came to At- 
 kinson in this Stale. 
 
 1^^ II AHVEY LAMBERT, M.D.,F.G.S. Al- 
 
 ^^^ though tliis gentleman has been located in 
 IvL^-*) I'Ptiria but a brief period he has already won 
 the lionors of a slvillfid, conscientious lihysi- 
 cian, continuing llie reputation which he had held 
 elsewhere. He was the recipient of the best of in- 
 struction, both from |)rivate parlies under wliom he 
 read and in I lie schools which he attended, and has 
 continued liie pursuit of knowledge regarding his 
 chosen profession, making various scientific inves- 
 tigations which have a bearing on his work and 
 contributing some excellent articles to the literature 
 of the science which he professes, many of his 
 treatises being widely circulated. 
 
 Dr. Lamlicrt was born in Eaton, Preble County, 
 Ohio, February 2.'), 1851, being a son of Jeremiah 
 D. l^ambert, a native of Vermont, who had come to 
 the Buckeye State in 1838. The father remained 
 in Eaton until 185!l when he changed the |ilace of 
 his residence to Liberty, Ind., and in 1808 he re- 
 moved to Union City, in which place he is still 
 living. When the removal took place our subject 
 was a lad of about eleven years and when twelve 
 years of age he returned to his native place where 
 he spent two j'cars under the tutelage of Dr. 
 Huggins. Returning to Union City he took a course 
 of study in the academy at that place and when 
 nineteen years old, following the bent of his natural 
 tastes, began the study of medicine under Dr. Daniel 
 W. Humphreyvillo, a man of rare ability, who is 
 now located at Walerville, Kan. 
 
 In 1872 young Lambert entered the Medical 
 College, of Ohio, at Cincinnati, continuing his 
 studies there two years, then returning to the office 
 of his former preceptor, with whom he practiced a 
 year. He next spent live years at Ogden, Lnd., 
 
 and from there went to Indianapolis, where in 1880 
 he graduated from the Central College of Physi- 
 cians and Surgeons. While there ho was the per- 
 sonal assistant of Dr. Joseph Eastman, Demonstrator 
 of Anatomy, and also of Dr. Haughton, Surgical 
 Clinic. After this experience he located in As- 
 sumption, 111., and while in active practice there 
 was chosen Local Surgeon of the Illinois Central 
 Railroad, in which capacity ho served until 1885. 
 He was then chosen Exarainer-in-Chief and Blcdical 
 Actuary to the Northwestern Benevolent Associa- 
 tion, a position which he resigned in 1887 on ac- 
 count of his health, locating in Peoria. While 
 serving in the arduous position he held in the 
 Northwestei-n Benevolent Association, he won the 
 respect and confidence] of his "associates on the 
 Board, as he has that of other members of the pro- 
 fession whom he has met in the course of his life 
 work. 
 
 The marriage of Dr. Lambert and Miss Callie 
 Funk was celebrated at the liridc's home October 
 21, 1873. She is a native of^Ohio, a member of 
 an old and honored family, and the possessor of 
 the ready intelligence, synii)alliizing spirit and cul- 
 ture which (it her for a place by the side of a young 
 man who already displays such ability as her hus- 
 band and who bids fair to rise still higher as his 
 years increase. Doctor and Mrs. Lambert ' have 
 two children: Winnie, born November 5, 187G,and 
 Hermann, November 1), 1878. The family attend 
 the I'resbyterian Church and Dr.'[Lambert is a 
 member of the Ind('i)endent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 A portrait of Dr. Lambert is shown on another 
 l)age of this volume. 
 
 <X\ MLLIAM J. BRUS. This name will be at 
 \/qJ// once recognized by the German citizen of 
 \ysf/ Peoria, as that of a gentleman who is edi- 
 torially connected with the Sonniags Post, and who 
 is well known to many besides those of similar an- 
 cestr}-. He was scarcel3- more than a boy when he 
 began contributing to a newspaper, and so much 
 fitness for journalism did he exhibit, that he rap- 
 idly advanced to a position as associate editor, lie
 
 742 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 wields the pen of a ready writer, is terse, vigorous 
 and courageous in iiis expressions when dealing 
 with questions of social or political import, and 
 skillful in his selection of that which exchanges 
 can furnish to his patrons. 
 
 Mr. Brus is a son of Anton and Mar3' (Seifcrt) 
 Brus, natives of Bavaria, Germany, whence they 
 emigrated to Americii in 1850. The father had 
 been a weaver in his native land, but after coming 
 to America engaged in farming. In 1855 the}' re- 
 moved to Tazewell County, 111., Mr. Brus dying at 
 Groveland in August, 1865. Mrs. Brus had de- 
 parted this life a few mouths after the birth of 
 our subject, the only son, who was born June 27, 
 1853, at Harper's Ferry, W. Xa. The boy attended 
 the public sciiools in Tazewell County six years, 
 displaying aptness in comprehending that to which 
 he applied himself and grasping the practical rela- 
 tion of his studies to the work of life. 
 
 In 1865 young Brus entered the office of the 
 German Demokrat, in Peoria, and from the position 
 of office boy worked up until he was able to do any 
 duty connected with a printing establishment. His 
 first contributions to the press were published in 
 the columns of the Demokmt, with which he sev- 
 ered his relation in 1876, in order to take charge 
 of the Pekin Fi-eie Presse as foreman and associate 
 editor. In 1879 he returned to Peoria, and became 
 one of the firm publishing the Peoria Sonne. The 
 firm of Wolf & Brus continued six 3^ears, when the 
 second member withdrew, and in connection with 
 Mr. Rennen, started the Sonntags Post. Mr. Ren- 
 nen died soon after the establishment of the paper, 
 and others have been associated with our subject in 
 its publication, the firm now being Brus & Schaefer. 
 
 The Post is a first-class family paper, extensivel}' 
 circulated in Peoria and the adjoining counties. 
 Beside editing and managing the Post, Mr. Brus 
 has connected with it a complete job office, which 
 his thorough knowledge of printing enables him to 
 conduct in such a manner as to send out good work 
 at prices satisfactory to his patrons, while leaving 
 him a fair margin of profit. 
 
 An event of great importance to our subject and 
 to Miss Mary Schleehuber occurred November 27, 
 1878, it being the celebraticm of their marriage 
 rites. Their home is brightened by the preserce 
 
 of four children — Dora Antoinette, William Jo- 
 seph, Elmer Peter, and Joseph Emil. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Brus mourn the loss of one child. Thej' have manj' 
 friends throughout the city, and the social nature 
 of our subject finds an added expression through 
 various societies to which he belongs. He is As 
 sistant Secretary in the St. Joseph Benevolent So- 
 ciety, Vice-President of the Knights of St. George, 
 and President of St. Michael's School Society. Po- 
 litically he is independent. He and his wife are 
 both members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. 
 
 -^ • ^ " ^ * -— 
 
 \|]OSEPII D. HIGGS is one of the oldest set- 
 tlers in this countj', to which lie was brought 
 ^^ 1 when an infant, in 1835. He has devoted 
 (^|// himself to agriculture as a life-work, has ac. 
 quired an independent fortune thereb}', and while 
 prosecuting his private affairs has not neglected his 
 duties to his fellow-men, but has secured a high 
 standing in the community as one of the most 
 worthy citizens. He is the son of Thomas and 
 Caroline (Doty) Higgs, of whom and his ancestry 
 an account is given in the biography of Charles 
 Higgs, found elsewhere in this volume. 
 
 Our subject w.as born near Elizabethtown, N. J.. 
 January 4, 1835, the scenes of his earliest recollec- 
 tions being in Trivoli Township, where he was 
 reared on a farm, earl}' bearing his share in the 
 develoi)meut of the homestead and pursuing the 
 limited school advantages furnished by the first 
 free schools of the district. Oxen were used upon 
 the place and many a day has he spent in driving 
 five 3'oke when hauling rails or produce. His rec- 
 ollection goes back to the time when wild game 
 was plentiful -and wolves and other savage animals 
 roamed at will over the prairies. He remained at 
 home until twenty years old, then began working 
 out by the year, thus getting his flr^t start in life. 
 As soon as possible he bought a team of horses, 
 which he used in breaking prairie during the sum- 
 mer and in teaming for A. D. Reed, hauling pork 
 from Farmington to Reed's Landing on the Illinois 
 River. 
 
 After having followed those occupations two or
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 743 
 
 three years, Mr. Hiiigs located on eiglity acres of 
 his father's laml in Marshall t'ounty. iuiproying the 
 place and oiterating it for some years. He then 
 bought eighty acres near Canton, Fulton County, 
 and in 1880 bought eighty acres of partly improved 
 land in Trivt)li Township, this county, which forms 
 a part of his present estate. He was soon able to 
 purchase an adjoining eighty acres on the south, 
 which he also improved, farming the entire quarter- 
 section until 1875. He then bought eighty acres 
 on section il. for %<5.'250, taking [tossession of it, but 
 still rotauiing his ownership of the old place. 
 
 In the prosecution of his work, Mr. Higgs uses 
 the latest machinery and means of fertilization. He 
 has put in tiles, built good fences, set out hedges, 
 and fitted each of the farms with the necessary 
 buildings. He has raised both stock and grain, 
 feeding a large [lart of the latter to hogs and cattle, 
 in which he has dealt quite extensively. He has also 
 raised draft horses and roadsters. He now rents 
 most of his land, although he continues to occup}' 
 one of the residences upon it. 
 
 Realizing thai it is not good for man to live 
 alone, Mr. Higgs won as Iks comi)anLon Miss Nancy 
 Kline, with whom he was united in marriage, in 
 Farmiiigton, November 8, 1859. His bride was 
 liurn in Franklin Count}', Pa., .June 6. 1835, and 
 educated in the common schools of that county, 
 which she left when twenty years old for a journey 
 to Illinois, which was accomplished by means of 
 three teams and wagons. The family of which she 
 is a member included nine children, one of whom 
 died bi'fore the removal to the West. Those who 
 accom|)anicd the parents hither were: Jacob, now 
 living in Bradford; Andrew H., who died in Can- 
 ton in 1890; George "VV., who died in Henr}', 
 Marshall County, in 1880 ; Mrs. Klizabeth Harri- 
 son, now living in Marshall County; ]\Irs. Mary 
 Dutfleld, whose home is in Henry; Mrs. Christie A. 
 Miller, living near Mansfield, Iowa, and Susan, wife 
 of Thomas Higgs, of .Storm Lake, Iowa. The parents 
 of this family were John and Elizabeth (Hooker) 
 Kline, natives of M.aine and Pcnnsjivania, respect- 
 ively. The father was a farmer and large land- 
 owner in Franklin County, Pa., and after coming 
 West owned two hundred and forty acres in Ful- 
 ton County and other lands in Marshall County. 
 
 He was a Democrat and"a member of the Dunkard 
 Church. He died in Canton in 18G5, his wife also 
 breathing her last there. 
 
 The familjr of our subject and his good wife 
 consists of six children — Joseph, Frank, George, 
 Grace, Mary, and Harry. The eldest is married 
 and living in this township, engaged in farming; 
 Frank has been operating the home farm; George 
 taught when quite young, being obliged to aban- 
 don that pursuit when twenty years old on account 
 of his health, and returned to the home roof; the 
 younger members of the family are at home also. 
 
 Mr. Higgs'has been School Director some years. 
 He is independent in politics, but has in former 
 years beeu a delegate to the Democratic County 
 Convention. He belongs to the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, holding the ofHce of Trustee, and has 
 been Superintendent of.the Sunday-school held in 
 the neighboring schoolhouse. His unusual intelli- 
 gence, paiticularl3' regarding matters connected 
 with the township history, and his cordial manners 
 make it a pleasure to converse with him. Those 
 who know him have only good words for his char- 
 acter and life-work. 
 
 Vj^^ICHOLAS K. WORTHINGTON. Among 
 I jj the members of the legal profession in 
 [il,Xi^) Peoria none are more deserving of notice 
 in a BiOGKAPHicAL Album than the gentleman 
 above named. Not only is he well versed in law 
 and equity, but he h.as a highly cultured mind, and 
 has done much good work in the educational Held. 
 His powers of oratory are far above the average, 
 .and in limes of political excitement have been used 
 to win success for the party to which he belongs, 
 his ability as a political organizer assisting to that 
 end. 
 
 Mr. Worthington is of English extraction, the 
 entire familj' in America being descendants of two 
 brothers, one of whom located in New England 
 and another iu Maryland on first coming to Amer- 
 ica. His father, Samuel G. J. Worthington, was a 
 minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a na- 
 tive of Mar3'land, and a resident at different pe-
 
 744 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 periods of his life iu Pennsylvania, Oiiio and Vir- 
 ginia. He married Mar\' J. Hedges, who bore him 
 two sons and four daughters. Of this family those 
 who survive are: Samuel H.,a merchant at El Paso; 
 Mary C, wife of George Hubbel, a leading lawjer 
 of Davenport, Iowa; Emily, wife of Mr. Forbes, a 
 planter in Texas; and our subject. 
 
 The natal day of Nicholas E. Worlhington was 
 March 30, 1836, and his birthplace Brooks County-. 
 West Ya. With the usual fate of a minister's son 
 in the fields'of Methodism, his boyhood was passed 
 in several States and towns, among them being Al- 
 leghan}' City and Pittsburg, in each of which the 
 famil}' lived two years. In the academy at Clarks- 
 burg, Va., the young man fitted for college, and 
 from the Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pa., he 
 was graduated in the class of '54. He took the 
 first honors of the class, B. F. Martin, now of Graf- 
 ton standing second, and James McKilvey, Cir- 
 cuit Judge of Minnesota, third. The lives of him- 
 self and these classmates have run parallel to some 
 extent, particularly that of Mr. Martin and him, 
 the former having been a member of the Fort}'- 
 sixth and Forly-sevenlli sessions of Congress. 
 
 After graduation Mr. AVorthington taught one 
 year :is First Assistant in the Academy at Clarks- 
 burg, Va., then entered the office of Wartman T. 
 AVillett, as a law student, also teaching there. In 
 1856 he came to Tazewell County, 111., leaching 
 during the first winter at Fremont, and tlien going 
 to Brierfield to pursue his pedagogical labors in 
 that place. While there he was appointed County 
 Superintendent of Schools to fill out the term of 
 William G. Randall. He was afterward elected 
 and sei ved through one term of office, after which 
 he entered upon the practice of the legal profession 
 in Peoria. For three or four years he was a mem- 
 ber of the State Board of Public Instruction. His 
 services to the cause of education were recognized 
 as valuable while on that Board and in the county 
 work which he had formerly done. In 1872 he 
 was a Congressional candidate on the Democratic 
 ticket, but was at tliat time defeated. In 1 882 he 
 won the Congressional race and again, in 1884, he 
 was sent to the legislative halls to represent a 
 large and intelligent constituency. As a member 
 of Congress he has won a good record, and upon 
 
 his return to Peoria to resume his law practice he 
 found that his reputation was here before him, 
 and has aided largely in determining his standing 
 iu the community. 
 
 The wife of the Hon. Mr. Worthington was 
 known in her girlhood as Miss Sarah E. Fowkes, 
 and is a daughter of Col. Richard Fowkes, of West 
 Virginia, in which State her marriage was cele- 
 brated in 1856. She belongs to an old and hon- 
 ored family, and in mind and character is the 
 fitting companion for her brilliant husband. The 
 fruit of the union is three children, two of whom, 
 Louis B. and Nellie, still brighten the home fire- 
 side with their presence. The eldest son and child, 
 Frank E., is engaged iu mining in Alaska. 
 
 HOMAS FRY. Among the farmers and 
 stock-raisers who have been prominent in 
 bringing about this county's high standing 
 as a great agricultural centre, no name is more 
 worthj' of mention than this gentleman's. For 
 many years he has been a resident of Radnor Town- 
 ship, and here he has developed a large farm that 
 is in all its appointments verj- fine, and is in all par- 
 ticulars one of the best regulated landed estates in 
 this locality. 
 
 Mr. Fry- is of English birth and antecedents. ])orn 
 in Devonshire, December 24, 1831, the fourth child 
 in the family of eight children of Thomas and 
 Betsey (Suell) Fry,who were also natives of Devon- 
 shire, England, and there spent their entire lives. 
 
 Our subject grew to a stalwart, self-reliant, ac- 
 tive manhood on his native soil, and at the age of 
 twenty-seven years, in 1 858, ambitious to make 
 more of life than he could in the land of his birth, 
 he sought to better his condition b\^ emigration to 
 the United States of America. Accompanied by 
 his wife, he crossed the Atlantic, and making his 
 wa}- to Peoria County, has ever since been identi- 
 fied with its agricultural interests, and has been ac- 
 tive in the upbuilding of Radnor Township, with 
 the exception of a year spent iu Trivoli Township. 
 
 Mr. Fry has here a farm of three hundred and 
 twenty acres which he has supplied with a fine set

 
 '^ ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 -.4*::
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 747 
 
 of convonlenlly an-angod buildings, including a 
 commodious rosidenee, ancl its broad well tilled 
 fields yield him large harvests and a good annual 
 income. He is much interested in stock raising, 
 and has his farru, which is well adapted to that pur- 
 pose, well supjilied with cattle, horses, and hogs of 
 fine grades. 
 
 Mr. Fry was married i)rior to coming to this 
 country, to Miss Kate, daughter of Robert and Ann 
 (Ilartwell) Simons, natives of Devonshire, Eng- 
 land, tiieir marriage taking place in their native 
 shire, A])ril 20, 1858. Jlrs. Fry was liorii July 12, 
 1836. She was carefully reared, and received an 
 excellent training in all the duties of u housewife, 
 and knows well how to look after the interests of 
 her household. Five of the seven children, born to 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fry, are living: George, Robert, 
 Henrietta, Mary, and Anna. Robert married Fan- 
 nie Brown, and lives in Rosefleld Township. The 
 other two children, Lucy and Mary Ann, died in 
 infancy. 
 
 Mr. Fry's career as a farmer and stock-iaiser has 
 shown him to be practical, skillful and progressive, 
 and has resulted in placing him among the most 
 substantial men of his adopted township. He is a 
 man of good habits, his honesty, integrity, and sta- 
 liility of character are well known, and his credit is 
 good in financial circles. Having decided opinions 
 of his own on all subjects with which he is convers- 
 ant, in politics he is independent. 
 
 sgj^^^: : „ 
 
 7 OHN SCOVIL. Peoria County has no more 
 worthy pioneer still living within its borders 
 than this gentleman, who is one of the old 
 settlers of Timber Township. lie has been 
 prominently connected with its agricultural inter- 
 ests for many years, and has a large farm here that 
 is finely improved, his home being among the most 
 pleasant in this vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Scovil w-as born in the town of Ripley, Seneca 
 County, N. Y., May .'iO, 1823. His parents were 
 Benjamin and Rebecca (Targee) Scovil. His pa- 
 ternal grandfather was-Benjamin Scovil, who came 
 from Scotland to this euuiitrv in Colonial limes 
 
 and served in the War of the Revolution, and also 
 in the War of 1812, under Commodore Perry. 
 
 The father of our subject, it is thought, was born 
 in New York, where he was bred to the life of a 
 farmer. He subsequenth' removed to Huron 
 County, Ohio, in 1828, and thus became one of its 
 pioneers. He was prominent there in public af- 
 fairs and at one time was Sheriff, lie was a soldier 
 in the War of 1812, doing gallant seryice. His 
 last days were spent in Shelb3'villo, 111. He was 
 twice married, his first wife, the niother of our 
 subject, dying' in 1830. She was a true Christian 
 and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 His second marriage was with a Mrs. Boll. His 
 children were all l)y his first wife, and their record 
 is as follows: Lorenzo D., who died leaving a 
 family in Ohio; Harriett C; Lecta, wife of Mr. 
 Mai tin, who died leaving four children; Charles 
 died leaving a family in Shelby ville; William, who 
 left home early, went to California and has never 
 been heard from since; John; Lucy, wife of Mr. 
 Martin; and Gilbert,wLo died in Shelby County, III. 
 
 Our subject was an active, sturdy, bright lad, and 
 commenced the battle of life on his own account at 
 a very early age. When ten years old he left his 
 home in the month of April, 1833, and going to 
 the lake shipped on board a sloop as cook for four 
 men. He was on the lake as a sailor until 1844, 
 and had many exciting experiences of the dangers 
 to be encountered iu the hard storms that so often 
 sweep over these waters. He was a wheelman on 
 the "Big Erie" when she was. burned with four 
 hundred passengers aboard, and he was one of the 
 twenty-two persons who were saved. After that 
 terrible affair he was employed on a canal at To- 
 ledo until 1847. In June, of that year, became 
 to this count}' and located on section 20, in Timber 
 Township, i)urchasing at that time twenty-five 
 acres of land. He added to it until he had one 
 hundred acres, and then selling it bought the 
 place where he now lives, on the same section. At 
 first he purchased three hundred and sixty acres of 
 land which he cleared and improved, and has since 
 bought other land until his farm comprises four 
 hundred and twenty-three acres of the choicest 
 farming land in this locality. He lumbered and 
 worked in timber until the war broke out, and has
 
 748 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 since confined his attention to tlie niiinugenient of 
 his huge farm. 
 
 Onr subject is a veteran of the late war. lie 
 enlisted Febriiaiy 23. 1805, in Company B, Seventh 
 Illinois InfanliT, joined his regiment at Raleigh, 
 N. C, and served faithfull}', proving to be a good 
 and loyal soldier, until his honorable discharge at 
 Louisville, Ky., July 9, 1805. In early days Mr. 
 Scovil was a prominent Whig in these parts, and 
 when he first voted in Timber Township lie was 
 one of the six representatives of that i)arty in this 
 locality. When the Republican party came into 
 existence, he naturally identified himself with an 
 organization with whose sentiments he was so fully 
 in sympathy, and has ever since remained true to 
 its interests. He is a man of weight and infiuence 
 in this community, generously using his money to 
 forward the public good, and is ver^" highly re- 
 garded by all around him. He and his wife are 
 considered among our best people, and his wife is 
 one of the most zealous members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Scovil were mariied September 15, 
 1850, and their wedded life has been as happy as is 
 usually allotted to mortals, their only sorrow' being 
 in the death of some of their cliildren, three of 
 whom died in infancy, .lohn W. at the age of 
 twenty-one and Benjamin at fourteen. The remain- 
 ing children are Charles S., Leroy, Gerald L., 
 Nellie ^^, wife of Ed. Wcisner, and Clara A., Mrs. 
 En gel. 
 
 Mrs. Scovil's maiden name was Mary Ann Me- 
 Co}', and she was born in T-awrence County', Ohio, 
 her parents being .Tohn W. and Abigail (Robbins) 
 McCoy, natives respectively of Virginia and New 
 Jersey. Her father was a son of William McCoy, 
 who was of Irish parer.tage. Her mother was a 
 daughter of .l^iseph and Sarah Robbins. Mr. McCoy 
 was a moulder by trade, and left his native State for 
 Obit) when a young man. In 1837, he to came this 
 county with his family and located in Trivoli, where 
 he carried on farming ma^iy years, being one of the 
 pioneer farmers of that township. In the latter 
 part of his life he kciit an hotel. He was a member 
 of the Methodist Episcoiial Church, and in every 
 v/ay was a good man. He was twice married, and 
 by his first marri.age h.ad eleven ehihlren, of whom 
 
 the following is recorded: .Toseph was killetl on a 
 i-ailway; James lives in Iowa; Mary A., is the wife 
 of our subject; William, of low.a, served in the 
 war; John M. is a resident of Quincy; Sarah' J., 
 now Mrs. Hutchinson, resides in Kansas; Philena is 
 Mrs. Cobb, of Missouri ; John T. lives in that State, 
 and also INIartha E., Mrs. Bickford. 
 
 The attention of the reader is directed to litho- 
 graphic portiaits of Mr. Scovil and his estimable 
 wife. 
 
 -~i— ^S^^^ 
 
 li^RANK D. JACOBS, the son of an old set- 
 iJpH^'' tier of this county, who was a prominent 
 /15> pioneer of Trivoli Township, was born on 
 
 the old homestead here, where he still makes his 
 home, December 15, 1800. He is now associated 
 with the farmers and stock-raisers of his native 
 place, and his standing as an intelligent, capable 
 agriculturist is among the solid men of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Alexander Jacobs, the father of our su1)ject, was 
 born in Juniata County, I'a. His father, William 
 .Tacobs, who was of German descent, was a farmer 
 there. Mr. .lacobs was a carpenter and vvorked at 
 his trade in I'ennsylvania until he came to Peoria 
 County in 1856, and settled on the place now oc- 
 cupied by his widow and family on section 30, 
 comprising one hundred and forty acres of land. 
 Besides attending to its improvement he was en- 
 gaged as a builder and contractor for twelve years 
 after settling here. He engaged successfully in gen- 
 eral farming after that until his death in 1872, when 
 only fifty years old. He was prominent in the relig- 
 ious and public life of the township. He w.as active 
 in building the Lutheran Church, giving ^100 worth 
 of work towards it. He was Collector and Assessor 
 of the township at different times, and at the time 
 of his death was Justice of the Peace. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Mary M. Glasco. She was 
 born in Ireland and came to America when three 
 years old with her parents. They settled in Penn- 
 sylvania, and spent their remaining d.ays in Juniata 
 County. The mother was reared and educated there 
 and is now living in comfort in Trivoli Township. 
 She has had thirteen children, of whiim we recoi'd
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 749 
 
 the following: .Tniius M. died here; Sarah J., Mrs. 
 Riddle, died in California; T. J. resides in Trivoli 
 Township; Jesse W., in Iowa; Howard A. in South 
 Dakota; Clara F., Mrs. McFarland, iu Iowa; Eu- 
 phemia K. died at the age of fourteen; Edward A., 
 deceased; Frank D. ; G. M. lives in Trinidad, Colo,; 
 Josephine lives with her mother; one child died in 
 infancy. 
 
 Frank D. .lacobs was born December 15, 18G0, 
 on the place where he now resides on section 25, 
 Trivoli Township. He gleaned his education in the 
 district schools and his knowledge of farming on his 
 father's farm. He remained at home with his 
 mother, working on the homestead until he was 
 twenty -one. He then rented the farm and contin- 
 ued its imi)rovement, and in 1886 bought fortj' acres 
 of choice lan:l on section 25. Besides tilling his own 
 land he manages iiis mother's and is meeting with 
 gratifying success. He has all the necessary im- 
 provements and facilities for carrying on agricult- 
 ure, and lias his farm well stocked with Short-horn 
 CMtllf and hogs of a good grade, of which he raises 
 and sells about fifty each year. His farm has on it 
 a beautiful orchard and groves, is neatly fenced 
 i;ito convenient fields, and is well watered b}' a 
 br:iiicli of Copper.as Creek. 
 
 Mr. Jiicobs was wedded to Miss AloUie Griggs 
 ill Oiion Township, Fulton County, April 22, 1886, 
 and they have two children, Clifford D. and Wil- 
 bur. Mrs. Jacobs was born in Orion Township, 
 November 25, 1860, and was given a flue educa- 
 tion in the High Schools of ?'"armington and Elm- 
 wood. Slie began teaching at the age of eighteen, 
 and was thus engaged until her marriage. She is a 
 niciiiber in high standing of the Lutheran Cliurch. 
 
 iMrs. Jacobs is a daughter of James and Dulcena 
 (McMains) Griggs, natives, respectively, of New 
 York and Ohio. Her father came to this county 
 when ahoy with his father, (George Griggs, in vevy 
 early days. They lived in Peoria a short time, and 
 then the elder Griggs bought a farm in Timber 
 Township, which was unim[)roved, and there Airs. 
 Jacobs' grandfather died. "When her father started 
 in life for himself he bought a farm in Orion Town- 
 ship, and now owns one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land there, on which he lives retired. He is a Baptist 
 in reliiiion and a Uni inlin politics. Mrs. .Jacob's 
 
 maternal grandfather, Enoch McMains, was born in 
 Ohio and reared there in a Quaker neighborhood. 
 He was a farmer and an early settler of this county, 
 a pioneer of Logan Township. Her [larents have 
 had five children, as follows: George W., in the 
 agricultural implement business at Glasford ; Enoch 
 E., a farmer in Fulton County; MoUie; Susan A., 
 at home with her [)arents; Marion F., who died 
 when a child. 
 
 Our subject's pleasant disposition and easy, open- 
 hearted manner has attached to him many friends. 
 His active business capacity h.as been a factor in 
 |)lacing him in his present position, and also makes 
 him a very desirable public oflicial. He has been 
 Tax Collector of the township two years; is Town- 
 ship School Trustee at present, and has been School 
 Director in the past. Mrs. Jacobs' grandfathers, 
 both; paternal and maternal, were iu the War of 
 1812. 
 
 OL. JOHN BRYNER, deceased, came to 
 Peoria as early as 1845, and subsequently 
 became identified with its mercantile inter- 
 erests. After the war broke out he offered his 
 services to the Government, and as a commis- 
 sioned officer in the Union army afforded valuable 
 assistance in suppressing .the rebellion, and won a 
 distinguished military record. He was at one time 
 a conspicuous figure in public life, and in various 
 ways forwarded the highest interests of the com- 
 munity, and his death was a serious loss to the 
 citizenship of city and count}'. 
 
 Col. Brj'ner was born in Juniata County, Pa., 
 Ootober 6, 1820, and was a son of George and 
 Catherina (Motzer) Bryner. His father was born 
 January 5, 1787, and died January 9, 1823. His 
 marriage with the mother of our subject was sol- 
 emnized April 16, 1805. She was born October 
 28, 1787, and died September 1, 18y3. 
 
 Our subject was early left an orphan, and was 
 brouglit up by an uncle. He entered a dr3-goods 
 store as an errand boy, and from early youth was 
 familiarized with the business, and for a number 
 of years after marriage carried it on. In the 
 spring of 1845 he removed, with his family, to
 
 750 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Peoria, and became book-keeper for the firm of 
 Yories_& Daugbert3',;ancl was thus engaged for a 
 short time, when be was obliged to give up all 
 cares and responsibilities on account of ill-liealtk. 
 After leaving Mr. Daugberty's employ' he be- 
 came book-keeper for D. (Turney A- Co., and re- 
 mained with that firm a year. At the expiration 
 of that time he formed a co-partnership with Will- 
 iam McLean, under the firm name of McLean ife 
 Bryner, and Ihej" engaged in the leatlier trade to- 
 gether until 186L While in the latter business 
 he was elected .Sheriff of Peoria County, which of- 
 fice be filled very acceptablv for two terms. 
 
 The breaking out of the war gave our subject 
 opportunity for the exercise of bis great execu- 
 tive talent, and his knowledge of military tactics, 
 which be bad gained in connection with the Na- 
 tional Blues, of which militia company he was 
 Captain. He entered the services of the Govern- 
 ment in October, 1861. was commissioned Colonel, 
 and organized the Forty-Seyenth Illinois Regi- 
 ment, which he commanded until the siege of Cor- 
 inth, be having thoroughly drilled his troops, so 
 that they acted with the coolness, courage and ef- 
 flcieney of veterans in their various encounters 
 with the enemy. After the capture of Corintli 
 the Colonel was taken sick and w.is obliged to re- 
 sign bis commission at Rieuzi, Miss,, September 2. 
 1862. 
 
 After his return from the scat of war. Col. 
 Bryner still continued to do good service in the 
 cause of bis country, although he was incapacitated 
 for active work on the field, and he assisted in or- 
 ganizing an<1 sending to the front the Eigbt}-- 
 fifth. Eighty-sixth, One Hundred and Third. One 
 Hundred and Eighth and One Hundred and Twelfth 
 Regiments, and had charge of the camp here. 
 When the One Hundred and Thirty ninth, a hun- 
 dred -da\- regiment, was organized, he accepted a 
 commission .as First Lieutenant and Assistant 
 Quartermaster. While in camp at Cairo bis old 
 regiment, the Fort3-sevenlh, which had been re- 
 duced to four companies, came home on veteran 
 leave from the Red River expedition and visited 
 him in a bod}'. His old comrades-in-arms showed 
 their love for their old leader by doing him the 
 great honor of presenting a petition, signed bj' 
 
 every officer and member of the command, request- 
 ing him to reorganize and take command of his 
 old regiment. He accepted the great mark of 
 their respect and esteem, and gaining permission 
 from Gov. Yates, raised six new companies, and 
 went into camp at .Springfield, the four veteran 
 companies having been ordered to join Gen. Smith's 
 command in front of Spanish Fort before the de- 
 fenses of Mobile. 
 
 But the Colonel's illustrious career was already 
 overshadowed by his approaching death, and while 
 yet in the prime of a noble manhood he was called 
 upon to give up his life that was so precious 
 to his country, to his beloved famiU' and his 
 many warm friends. After the completion of the 
 organization of the regiment he was taken sud- 
 denly ill at the Cbenerv House, in Springfield, and 
 on the 19tb of March. 1865, he passed aw.a^- uui- 
 versallly regretted. Every honor possible was 
 l>aid to the dead man's memory, and all that was 
 mortal of him was borne to its final resting-place 
 in Peoria, the funeral ceremonies being witnessed 
 by a large concourse of sorrowing friends. 
 
 Our subject was a man of marked public spirit, 
 and his hand w.as noted in the promotion of an^- 
 and every feasible scheme for the common good. 
 Of a frank, genial and tender nature, he was gen- 
 erous, sj'mpatbizing and considerate, and no one 
 ever appealed to him in vain for aid if suffering 
 or need}-. He was a member of the First Presby- 
 terian Church, and was always active in its every 
 good work. Before the war he .assisted in the or- 
 ganization of Calvary Mission in a railroad car, 
 and to his earnestness and devotion it owed inuch 
 of its success. In commemoration of his patriotic 
 services during the war, Br3ncr Post, G. A. R., or- 
 ganized October 8, 1879, was named in bis honor. 
 
 Col. Br3'ner was happily married September 15. 
 1842, to Miss Rebecca, daughter of James and 
 Rachel (Jordan) North, of Mifflintown. Pa. The 
 North family came of an old and distinguished 
 famih- of England, being descendants of Lord 
 North. Mrs. Brj-ner is a native of Juniata Count}-, 
 Pa., where she w.as born October 28, 1824. Her 
 father died when she was but two years old, while 
 her mother lived to the advanced age of eighty- 
 six years. Mrs. Bryner is living alone in a pleas-
 
 POiriRAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 7i>\ 
 
 ant, attractive home cm Ellis Street. Peoria. She 
 is a woman of fine character, who has suffered and 
 sacrified much, but lias borne herself nobly through 
 it all. .She relates tiiat when she first came to 
 I'eoria with her husband to share with him his pio- 
 neer life she had to endure many hardships to 
 which she was unaccustomed. She lost two of her 
 children the first summer she was here, and has 
 laid away six of her cliildren in all and her hus- 
 band, in two of the cemeteries in this city. One 
 of her children was poisoned by eating mushrooms; 
 and her son Willie was accidentallj' shot and killed 
 July 4, 1867, at the .ige of nine years. Three of 
 the nine chihiren born to her anil her husband are 
 still living: Cloyd, who is in the life insurance 
 business in Pittsburg, Pa.; Clara B., wife of Charles 
 A. Corn well, an attorney- at law of Peoria; and 
 John, who is in the grain and coraniission business 
 in Chicago. 
 
 The following is the record of the children 
 born to Col. and Mrs. Br\Mier: Francis Marion, 
 liorn February 23, 1844, died August 28, I84(i; 
 Mary M., burn March 3, 1846, died August 30, 
 1846; Jane S, born July 25, 1847, died August 
 22, 1847: Byron Cloyd, born February 20, 1849; 
 Clara Belle, February 20, 1854; William Henry, 
 born July 22, 1856, died October 4, 1857; Will- 
 iam, born September 19, 1858. died July 4, 1866: 
 John, born January 1, 1862. 
 
 ^if^OBERT WHITTAKER has done much pio- 
 ( ueer work in this county, and as oue of the 
 
 \V jjrominent members of its agricultural com- 
 \S^i munity, is ent.lled to representation in this 
 volume. He is extensively engaged in farming 
 and raising stock in ^lillbrook Township, where he 
 owns a large and well ordered farm. 
 
 Our subject was born in Ireland, November 20, 
 1837, to John C. and Susannah (Carter) AVhittaker, 
 who were also natives of the Emerald Isle. When 
 he was eight years old he accompanied his parents 
 in their migration from the Old World to the new. 
 They took passage in a sail vessel at Liverpool, and 
 after a voyage of al)0ut nine weeks, landed in New 
 
 York Cit\'. and came directly from there to this 
 county, that being the jear 1845. John Whit- 
 taker resided several years in the city of Peoria, 
 where he was engaged as a laborer, and subse- 
 quently removed to Millbrook Township and lo- 
 cated on section 27. The land was in a wild con- 
 dition when he settled on it, not a furrow having 
 been turned in the virgin soil. By dint of ener- 
 getic and hard labor from year to year he wrought 
 a great change, and in time that tract of wild prai- 
 rie became oue of the best farms in this locality. 
 In his death, December 10, 1886, one of the old 
 pioneers of the county was removed, but his name 
 and memory are still cherished as belonging to a 
 good citizen, and a kind husband and father. His 
 widow survives him, and resides on the old home- 
 stead in Millbrook Township, and though now in 
 her eighty-eighth year, enjoys good health for one 
 of her advanced age. 
 
 Robert Whiltaker of whom we write, was reared » 
 to manhood in this county, amid the wild scenes 
 of pioneer life. His experience of that period 
 made him self reliant and helpful, and gave him 
 good courage to go on with his work, and he is now 
 comparatively rich. He has been a f.actor in the 
 pioneer labors that were necessary to develop his 
 county, and his own financial condition has lieen 
 greatly improved. When lie came to this county, 
 the city of Peoria consisted mostly of log houses, 
 and as there were no bridges across the river, a 
 ferry boat was used for people who desired to go 
 to the other side. He is the proprietor of four hun- 
 dred and two acres of land, which he has placed 
 under fine cultivation, and has otherwise greatly im- 
 proved. His farm is pleasantly located on section 
 27, Millbrook Township, and here he and his fam- 
 ily enjoy life in one of the coziests of homes. 
 
 November 6, 1864, Mr. Whiltaker was united 
 in marriage with Frances Parnell, a native of this 
 county. Mrs. Whiltaker is a native of Peoria 
 County, and was born Jlarch 13, 184G, a daughter 
 of William and Catherine ((lioodman) Parnell. 
 Her father is a native of England, and the mother 
 was born in Pennsylvania, and was of (Jerman ex- 
 traction. Sometime in the '30s thej' came to this 
 county, and were early pioneers of Princeville 
 Tovviishii), where the father pre-empted Govern-
 
 16-2 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 meiit land. He is now past eight}' years of age. 
 He is the father of the followiug seven children: 
 Kliza. wife of William Hissock. of Vermilion 
 County; William, who lives in Vermilion County; 
 Jolin, who lives in Champaign Count}-; Frances, 
 wifi; of our suliject; Katie, wife of James Arm- 
 strong, of Princeville Township; Douglas, living 
 in Champaign Count}-; Caroline, wife of William 
 Meaker, of Princeville Township. Tiie mother died 
 April 12, 1S87. 
 
 Mr.Whittaker's parents had the following children: 
 Arthur, who lives in Peoria; Richard, a resident of 
 Millhrook Townsliip; Robert; .lane, wife of Mor- 
 row P. Reed. Supervisor of Biimficld Township; 
 and John, a resident of Toulon. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Whitlaker have five children: Arthur, born Octo- 
 ber 17. 180.=); Catherine, wife of Albert Catton, of 
 Brimfiehl Township; Martha Jane, William Rob- 
 ert, and Charles Leroy. 
 ; Mr. Wiiittaker might well be proud of tlie fact 
 tliat his fortune has been of his own making; his 
 hands and brain have been busily employed in its 
 upbuilding, as he had no other capital when he 
 started out in life on his own account. He is iude- 
 peudent and self-reliant, is keen and |)-ompt in his 
 dealings, yet he is frank and cordial in iiis manner, 
 and no one is more ready than he to extend a help- 
 ing hand to those who have been less fortunate 
 than himself. In him the township finds a loyal 
 citizen, whose public spirit prompts him to aid in 
 pushing forward every movement for the benefit 
 of the community. His sound common sense is 
 brought to bear upon the political questions of the 
 day, and he favors the Republican party. 
 
 W ^HITMAN R. BENNETT. This gentleman, 
 ' faniiiiarly known by the title of Captain, 
 acquired while in charge of various steam- 
 boats plying on western rivers, first came to Peoria 
 in 1863. Since that lime he has become well known 
 here, having made this his home a number of years. 
 Since 1889, he has been eng.agcd in real-estate dea!- 
 i.rj,. combinin:: with it the management of a hard- 
 
 ware store. He was born in Philadelphia County, 
 Pa.. February 3, 1831, being a son of W. R. 
 and Cornelia (Van Dyke) Bennett, who were like- 
 wise natives of the Keystone State. The Bennetts 
 came originally from England and the Van Dykes 
 from Holland, the latter being among those who 
 fled from persecution in their native land and 
 joined their lot with that of William Penn in the 
 New World. 
 
 The boyhood days of our subject were passed in 
 his native city where, after acquii-ing a fundamen- 
 tal education, he beg;in working in his father's 
 mills. The senior Bennett was a miller and wood- 
 turner and also owned and operated a drug and 
 spice mill. F|)on the destruction of the mills by 
 fire, the son turned his attention to the machinist's 
 trade which he duly acquired under a competent 
 master. In 1856. became West, locating at Ke- 
 wanee, 111 , where ho took charge of mills, soon 
 afterward, howevm-, exchanging this business for 
 that of farming which he continued three years. He 
 then came to I'eoria where he put up the machinery 
 for E. T. Nowlin & Sons distillery. Then to use 
 an expression common along navigable streams he 
 '•followed the river'" for some time. 
 
 Capt. Bennett was in command of different 
 boats, at one time running the "Tiger," then the 
 "Ozurkie" and again the '-Lady Withup," which 
 was used as a dispatch boat during the war. Dur- 
 ing a portion of the time of his river career he was 
 employed as manager of boats by John II. Howe, of 
 St. Louis, Mo. In 18G9. Capt. Bennett left Peoria, 
 returned to his native city, and there engaged in 
 the grain business in wiiich he continued until 
 1884. He then became a real estate-dealer in which 
 occupation he continued after returning to Peoria 
 in 1889. As before stated, he is also tlie manager 
 of a hardware store, in which a fine trade is carried 
 on. 
 
 On October 10, 18.52. the interesting ceremony 
 took place which gave Mr. Bennett a wife and Miss 
 Rebecca C. Anderson, of Philadelphia, a husband. 
 The happy union has been blessed by the birth of 
 four daughters, two of whom await their parents on 
 the other shore. The survivors are Mrs. Mary A. 
 Bowers and Mrs. Lizzie Witliington.of Philadelphia. 
 
 Capt. Bennett is a member of several social and
 
 FORTRAIT AND I'.IOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 753 
 
 benevolent orders, among' then] being tlie Royal 
 Arcanum; Knights of Goiden Eagle; Oirler of 
 Sparta and also a Knight Templar, lie is a pro- 
 nounced Republican. i)olitieally. l"\ir several 3ears 
 he was Tax Collector in Philadelpliia. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal C'hincli and one of 
 the twelve persons who started the Calvary Mis- 
 sion on Spencer Street, Peoria. A man of energy, 
 the fact that his speculations have not always suc- 
 ceeded to his Hiving lias not daunte<l him, but on 
 tlie contrary served to increase his determination 
 a'.id readiness to try again. Frank, genial, intelli- 
 gent and courteous. Ins good citizenship and wortliy 
 manhood have given him an excellent reputation. 
 
 vr EVl W. CARTER, M. I). Among the well- 
 I ((^] establisiied pliysicians (tf Peoria none have 
 J'--^'- . a better re|uitatlon than the gentleman 
 alx)ve named, who combines with tiie technical 
 knowledge acquired in the liest schools, a practienl 
 skill [larlially the result of hereditary instincts and 
 partially accruing from his careful experience. His 
 fine personal appearance prepossesses strangers in 
 his favor and acquaintance but strengthens their 
 trust in him as his unassuming manner and unfail- 
 ing courtes}' become known. 
 
 Dr. Carter was born in Essex (,'ounty, Del.,M.ay 
 9, 1835, his parents, William and Susan (Wyatt) 
 Carter, being natives of the same State. His fa- 
 ther was a contractor and builder (luring his earlier 
 life, later turning his attention to farming. His 
 mother who is still living is now in her seventy- 
 seventh year, but the father died in 18G6. The 
 parental faujily comprised ten children, six of whom 
 are yet living. 
 
 The boyhood days of Dr. Carter were spent in 
 Bureau County, III., to which his parents had re- 
 moved when he was about four years old. His 
 schooling was obtained in the district schools prior 
 to his twentieth year, when he entered the academy 
 at Galesburg. In that inslilntion he (nirsued his 
 studies a year after which he took up the stud^' of 
 medicine imder Dr. V. S. Thompson, of Wyaiict. 
 When his reading was sufficiently advanced he en- 
 
 tered Rush Medical College, in Chicago, subse-- 
 (piently changing to Ilahnneraan College from 
 which he was graduated in March, 1871. 
 
 Upon becoming tlie possessor of a diploma the 
 young doctor formed a connection with his former 
 preceptor, in Wyanet, Bureau County, but after a 
 time went to Atkinson, Henry County, remaining 
 there twelve years and gaining constantly in skill 
 and repute. A removal w.as then made to Pekiri, 
 this State, and after ten years to Peoria, whicli has 
 been his liorae since March, 1882, and the center of 
 an excellent practice. Dr. Carter is a memlier of 
 Pekin Lodge, No. 126, F. A A. M. 
 
 A well-built dwelling of pleasing architectural 
 design at No. 900 Knoxville Avenue, set in the 
 midst of attractive surroundings and presided over 
 by a genial and cultured housewife, is the home of 
 Dr. Carter. His wife bore the maiden name of 
 Mary S. Giles, her father, O. W. Giles, being a res- 
 ident in Wyanet, Bureau Connt)', at tlie time of 
 her marriage November 2, 1858. She wns born in 
 Seneca County-, N. Y., near Lake Geneva, F\'l)ruar\- 
 10, 1838. 
 
 H^^ 
 
 m 
 
 r/ULIUS S. STARR. This well known resi- 
 dent of Peoria was appointed Internal Rev. 
 enue Collector for the Fifth Collection 
 District of Illinois, embracing eleven conn- 
 ties, in July, 1889, and is discharging the duties of 
 his office in a manner satisfactory to all concerned. 
 He is numbered among the older settlers of the 
 city, in which for over twenty-five years he prac- 
 ticed law and bore a part in various affairs of a 
 public and private nature, as will be seen by a 
 perusal of these paragraphs. 
 
 On November 3, 1833, in Sullivan County, N.Y., 
 the eyes of our subject opened to the light of day. 
 During his infancy his parents, Judson and Eliza 
 (Smith) Starr, removed to Middletown, Ohio, 
 where the father died when our subject was but 
 three years old. The lad was early thrown u|)on 
 his own resources to obtain an education and lit 
 himself for the duties of life. In 1849, when six- 
 teen years old, he came to Peoria County, III.,
 
 751 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 working on a farm until 1S6(). and during this 
 time obtaining a good education. He then read 
 hiw with Col. P. Davidson and Judge Williamson, 
 of Peoria, and was admitted to the liar in 1862. 
 
 Mr. Starr at once located in Peoria and began 
 tu buihl up a reputation wbicii has extended far 
 bc)-oud the limits of the city. During the years 
 of his activity in the profession he served as Cit}' 
 Attorney, and in 1874 was elected to the State 
 Loi^islature, re-elected in 1876, serving in three 
 sessions. He was Chairman of the committee on 
 Corporations and second member of tlie .Indicial 
 department. Having been elected to represent the 
 element which desired letter water-ways, he de- 
 voted liimself particularly to work in that line and 
 was quite instrnraental in promoting l)iHs for the 
 improvement of the Illinois River and other water- 
 way's of the State. He was also a member of tlie 
 special committee for the revision of the statutes 
 in 1875. 
 
 Mr. Starr was Reiniblican candidate for Con- 
 gress in 1884, but was defeated by one hundred 
 and sixl\-two votes by reason of the combination 
 of the Democratic, Prohibition and Greenback 
 jiarties. He has always been an active Republican 
 worker in this district, and none moi'e heartilj' en- 
 dorse the party principles than lie. He was a mem- 
 ber of the National Convention of 1888, which 
 nominated Gen, Harrison for the Presidency. Mr. 
 Starr is a member of the Selby. Starr & Co. Manu- 
 facturing Company, which was recently incorpor- 
 ated with a capital stock of §75,000, of which our 
 subject owns a half interest, holding the office of 
 Treasurer. The firm was organized in 1872 by 
 Messrs. Starr & Seliij', for the manufacture of agri- 
 cultural implements, their works being located at 
 Glendale Park, opposite the fair grounds. 
 
 It will thus be seen that Mv. Starr has from a 
 very early period in his life manifested a degree of 
 persistence and determination to reach a high 
 standing, (•xireniel3' creditable. Having set *his 
 mark high on the hill of knowledge, he climbed 
 manfully toward it, and no obstacle was sufficient 
 to change his determination to become the pos- 
 .=essor cf a cultured mind and to win an honorable 
 place in the learned professions. As is often the 
 ia=e, the tcliooj of hard experience only developed 
 
 and strengthened his natural aliilities and led liim 
 to a higher place than he might have filled had 
 Ills boyhood been passed amid more favorable cir- 
 cumstances, or those which seemed such. 
 
 j\lr. Starr has been twice married, his fiist wife 
 l)eing Miss Susan Comstock, a native of Ohio, who 
 died, leaving four children. Subsequentl3- Mr. 
 Starr led to the hymeneal altar Miss Eveline Burt, 
 of Minneapolis. Minn., who was likewise born in 
 Ohio, and was formerl}' a resident of Peoria. She 
 is a cultured and accomplished lady, well fitted to 
 share in tlie reasonable recreations of her husband 
 and enjoy with him all that makes life best worth 
 living. The children of Mv. Starr are: Judsoii, an 
 altornej- of Peoria, who seems likely Ip continue 
 the legal honor which already accrues to the name; 
 Minnic,wife of H. Piiicknej- .Treasurer of the Peoria 
 & Pekin Railroad Company; Emma, wife of Charles 
 Robison, of this citj'; and George, who is still in 
 school, and in the intervals of study is at work as 
 industriously as his father was in early daj's. 
 
 ^^ LAVELL SHURTLEFF, one of the promis- 
 ing young business men of Peoria, is con- 
 /ll nected with the firm of Gauss, Shurtleft' & 
 Co., who are conducting a thriving grocery trade 
 at No. 207 South Madison Avenue. The business 
 w.as established at its present location in 1887, and 
 controls a full share of the best trade in that vicin- 
 it3'. Mr. Shurtleff has had an experience of seven 
 years in the grocery line, and is well qualified for 
 attending to his particular branch of the business. 
 A native of Tazewell County, this State, the sub- 
 ject of this notice was born March 14, 1868, and 
 is a son of N. Shurtleff and Geraldine (Whit- 
 comb) Shurtleff, who were natives of Tazewell 
 County, and who came to Peoria when their son 
 Flavell was onl3- about one year old. The father 
 was in business for a number of years, but is now 
 deceased. The education of Flavell was obtained 
 in the city schools, and he commenced his liusiness 
 career as a clerk for E. D. Culoer, in 1882, in the 
 same building where he is at present. He remained 
 in the same employ until becoming connected with
 
 t!^'HA»: 
 
 ^-wihsitI '''..
 
 my :. 
 
 % J 
 
 
 '^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUIM. 
 
 757 
 
 tlve present firm. Tlieir ti'nflo is steadily on Hie in- 
 crease. They keep a full line of staple and fancy 
 groceries, and have Iheir store convenient!}^ ar- 
 I'anged for the rapid transactiun of business. Mr. 
 .Shurtleff is a slraiiiiitforward and reliable youno; 
 man. prominent In both social and bn>iness circles, 
 a member of the First Congreijational Church, and 
 liighl}- spoken of bj- all wlio kiiovv him. 
 
 OSEPH VOORHKES. Peoria County em- 
 braces one of the richest farmin<>- regions 
 the sun ever shone on, and owes a great 
 debt of gratitude to its uoi)le, hard}-, capa- 
 lile pioneer farmers, who have been potent factors 
 in laying the enduring foundation of its present 
 prosperity. As a fine representative of one of 
 these it gives us pleasure to place on the [)ages of 
 this liiocitAriiKJAL Alkt.m, a brief account of the 
 li-'e, and to present on the opposite page a i)ortr.'iit 
 of Mr. Voorhees, wlio was a early settler of Kicka- 
 piKi Township. Here he has improved one of tlio 
 finest farms in this part of the Cijuntv, beautifully 
 located on section G, where he lives in the enjoy- 
 ment of the comforts of a pleasant and well-ordered 
 home. 
 
 The paternal ancestors of our subject originated 
 in Holland, and the family made its ap()earance in 
 this countr}' in Colonial times, being among the 
 (■arly settlers of ]S'ew Jersey. The members of the 
 faniil}' threw in tlieir lot with tlie Colonists during 
 the Revolution, and bore an honorable part in the 
 struggle for freedom. Garrett Voorhees, the 
 faiUer of our subject, was a native of Somerset 
 County, N. J., born June 9, 17G3, and his death 
 occurred near Reading, Ohio, at the remarkably ad- 
 vanced age of ninety-nine years. The maiden name 
 of our subject's mother was Jerusha Rugg, who 
 was of English anleocdents, and is thought to have 
 been born on Long Island. After her marriage to 
 the father of our subject they settled in Hamilton 
 County, Ohio, where he carried on the occupation 
 of a farmer, and where they made iheir home unld 
 death. 
 
 Our subject was the eldest of the three sons 
 
 born to his parents; Hamilton County, Ohio, was 
 the place of his birth, and February 2, 1814, the 
 date thereof. He w'as reared to manhood on his 
 father's farm, and continued an inmate of the par- 
 ental household until he was about tvvent3'-four 
 years old. In 1839 he abandoned his native iState 
 and came to Ulinois to continue in a more newly 
 settled country the pioneer life to which he had 
 been bred. He resided m Peoria County for a few 
 months, and then returned to his native State, 
 whence he came in the fall of 1841 to take up his 
 permanent residence here. He purchased a tract of 
 land ou section G, Kickapoo Township, which is 
 now incorporated in his present farm. He has de- 
 voted himself very assiduously to farming and 
 stock-raising, and was also successfully eng.aged in 
 the manufacture of brick, his kiln being on his 
 farm. This vv.as in 18;')0, when he made the brick 
 for his house. He has been more than ordinarily 
 successful in his career, has accumulated a lianil- 
 some property, and is numbered among the wealthy, 
 substantial citizen.s of the county. He has a large 
 and valuable farm of five hundred and fifty .acres, 
 which he has put under a high slate of cultiv.ation 
 and supplied with a neat set of substantial farm 
 buildings. He has erected a commodious brick 
 house, in place of the old log cabin in which he 
 and his wife spent the first nine years of their 
 wedded life. 
 
 iMr. Voorhees was married in Peoria, March 10, 
 1840, to Miss Sarah Rynerson. She was a daugh- 
 ter of Minney and Sarah (Carroll) Rynerson, na- 
 tives of New Jersey, and among the early settlers 
 of Peoria County. Thej' continued to live in this 
 county until the time of their death, both dying in 
 Rosefield Township. Mrs. Voorhees was born near 
 Scipio, Franklin County, Ind., August 19, 1823. 
 October 14, 1889, in the sixty-seventh year of her 
 age, after a peaceful and happy wedded life of 
 iiearl}' forty years, death took her from the cures 
 and joys that she had so long shared with our sub- 
 ject. She left behind her the record of a life spent 
 in well doing, and her memory will ever be cher- 
 ished b}' all who knew her. She was a member of 
 the Baptist Church, and faithful to all that belongs 
 to true Christian womanhood. 
 j Mr. Voorhees is the lather of twelve children.
 
 758 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 of whom the following tliroe are living — (iarrett 
 II., who inariicd Miss Kniily Cook, and resides in 
 ill Stark C'liiity; Williaiu M., who married Mary 
 Simpson ai.d rrsides in Peoria; and Joseph M., 
 who is at home with his father. The names of the 
 deceased are: John R., vvho died when about two 
 years; Jernsha A., wlio died when about two years 
 old; Laura A., who died vvhen one year old; Al- 
 gernon A., wiio died at the age of two years; 
 Martha A., wlio died at the age of two years; 
 Elizabeth, Joseph E., Maria H. and Charles E. died 
 in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Voorhees' life career has been distinguished 
 b}' rare energy and stabilitj' of character, and 
 prompt and S3'Stemalic business habits, combined 
 with honorable and conscientious dealing. lie en- 
 joys a high personal standing throughout the 
 county, and holds a warm place in the hearts of 
 hosts of friends. He is a man of intelligence and 
 much information, and possesses broad views of 
 life. Tiiough no.t a member of any church, he 
 generously supports them, sincerely believing that 
 the world is better for the religion taugiit within 
 their walls, and he has a sincere respect for a true 
 Christian wherever found. It is said of Mr. Yoor- 
 hces that, 'Tt is very seldom, indeed, that wq meet 
 with one who has led so temperate a life;" from his 
 boyhood up he has never used tobacco or liquor, and 
 we may add, he is now reaping the reward of his tem- 
 perance in the enjoyment of sound physical and 
 mental healtli. Mr. Yoorhees is a pronounced ad- 
 herent of the Democratic party, and has always 
 been one of its most intelligent and liberal sup- 
 porters. 
 
 ^^EORGE A. THOMPSON. Toi 
 
 III (^— . can scarcely be given those wl: 
 ^^iij vanguard of civilization, bore 
 
 lEORGE A. THOMPSON. Too much credit 
 
 fho formed the 
 re the brunt of 
 privation and arduous toil necessary in opening up 
 a new country, and who, having seen the fruition 
 of their hopes, are in their declining j'ears enjoying 
 the worldly prosperity they so well deserve and the 
 esleeni of all who recognize the worth of their ef- 
 forts. Among such men an honored rank is held 
 by the gentleman above-named, who is the oldest 
 
 of the pioneers of Brimfield Township now living. 
 He resides on section 35, where he located upon 
 coining to this county in 1842. The land which 
 was then raw piairie whose surface iiad never been 
 broken by a plow, is now under excellent tillage, 
 marked with a good line of farm buildings and 
 made valuable by intelligent and persevering ef- 
 forts. 
 
 The natal day of our subject was August 20, 
 1814, and his birthplace the city of New York. He 
 was the .fourth son in the family of Samuel and 
 Mary (Hankins) Thompson, who were likewise na- 
 tives of the Empire State. The father was a dealer 
 in stoves, copper and brass, and our subject was 
 brought up in the store with him. He obtained his 
 education in public and private sciioolsin his native 
 city, where he continued to reside until the S[)ring 
 of 1838. He then emigrated to Illinois, locating in 
 Adams County, where he spent four years engaged 
 in farming, after which lie changed his location to 
 Peoria County, identified himself with the pioneers 
 in Brimfield Township, and ere long became known 
 far and wide as a man of undaunted spirit, indomi- 
 table energy and unflagging industry. The home- 
 stead which he now occupies comprises eighty-five 
 and one-half acres, quite sufficient while well 
 handled to afford the comforts and many luxuries 
 of life, while not unduly burdensome in control 
 and oversight. 
 
 In the building up of his fortunes Mr. Thomp- 
 son has lieen ably assisted by his good wife, who 
 for more than half a century has made his home 
 the dearest spot on earth. She bore the maiden 
 name of Plsther M. Batterson and became his wife 
 March 25, 1838. She was born in Greene County, 
 N. Y., March 19, 1818, being a daughter of Morris 
 and Betse3' A. (Long) Batterson, natives of Con- 
 necticut. Her father was a boot and shoe merchant 
 who, on account of his health, kept his store in 
 Natchez, Miss., some thirty-six j'cars, although the 
 home of the family was at Coxsackie, N. Y. He 
 died in the Empire State June 29, 1855. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are the parents of five 
 children, the youngest of whom, Emma A., is still 
 living with them. A daughter, Adeline F., has 
 been removed by death, and the other members of 
 the family are living in homes of their ow]\. Mary
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 759 
 
 K. is the wife of -laiiies (J. Coolidge, of Oakland, 
 C'a!.; Morris B. lives in Osborn Countj-. Kan.; 
 Anne J. is the wife of J. U. Clark, of Elinwood 
 Township. 
 
 Mr. Thompson has fre(iiientl\- been solieilcil to 
 accept important township ollices bnt preferring 
 the cjuiet of his home, steadfastly declines. He is 
 a member of (he Kei)ublican party, a sui)portcr of 
 every movement which prf)mises to benefit the peo- 
 ple in material, moral or educational matters, and 
 with his wife an active member of society. In 
 Adams County, Mrs. Thompson, in company with 
 a physician's wife there, did much gond in visiting 
 and caring for the sick, whose comfort at that lime 
 dei)ended almost entirely npon the neighliorly 
 kindness and good ofticcs of the settlers. We 
 are pleased to represent this esteemed eouiile, who 
 in their declining life are enjoj'ing the fruits of 
 years of usefulness and well-doing, whose home is 
 a standing monument to their industry and perse- 
 \erance, and whose reputation is astill greater tes- 
 timonial -to their worth. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 ILLIAM REKD, an enlightened and pro- 
 , ,., gressive farmer and stock-raiser, is recog- 
 \/^ nized .as one of the most successful agri- 
 culturists of Peoria County. He is a jirorainent 
 citizen of Millbrook Township, where he is exten- 
 sively engaged in his calling, and has on section 3, 
 a very fine and substantially improved farm. 
 
 Ohio is the native State of our subject, and iie 
 was born in Delaware County, April 7, 1834, a son 
 of one of its early pioneer families. His parents, 
 Joseph and Lucy A. (German) Reed, were natives of 
 Pennsylvania, his mother being of Clerman descent, 
 and his father of Irish extraction. The latter served 
 three months in the War of 1812, and settled in 
 Delaware County at an early daj'. 
 
 The early life of our subject was passed amid 
 pioneer scenes, and he grew to a vigorous and 
 strong manhood, being endowed with an exce|)tion- 
 ally tine constitution. The manly self-reliant little 
 lad was early set to work on the farm, and since he 
 was ten years old has been able to attend to a crop 
 
 and has never missed a harvest, as he has always 
 enjoyed the best of hcaltli. He received his edu- 
 cation in the subscription schools of Ohio, which at 
 that early day afforded but few a<l vantages to those 
 desiring to obtain snbscanlial education. In his 
 twentieth jear our subject, with characteristic en- 
 terprise, sought '-green fields and pastures new" in 
 which to carry on the calling to which he had been 
 bred, coming at that time to Illinois. lie worked 
 for nearly eight years by the month in Stark County, 
 receiving |!18 a month for his services. He subse- 
 quently farme.I as a renter there, and finally came 
 to Peoria County in 1866, and located on his pre- 
 sent farm. As a pioneer in this portion of Illinois, 
 he has witnessed much of the growth of Stark and 
 I'eoria Counties, and has had a hand in their de- 
 velopment. Thirty-two years ago, he used to draw 
 his grain to Peoria, making about three trips 
 weekly. When he first came to this State, markets 
 were! distant, and the roads leading to them were 
 often rough and almost impassable at times, and 
 the farmers of those d.ays did not enjoy the advan- 
 tages that the agriculturists of the present have in 
 their man}' facilities for shijiping their produce and 
 laying in their supplies. ., 
 
 When Mr. Reed first came to this county, he pur- 
 chased forty acres of land in Millbrook Township, 
 p.aying therefor $12 an acre. He has added to his 
 original luirchase from time to time, and now has 
 three hundred and four acres of land, mostly under 
 cultivation, and supplied with every needed im- 
 provement, to make it a valuable farm. When it 
 came into his possession it was mostly covered 
 with brush and timber, being in its original wild 
 state, and he has done much hard pioneer work in 
 clearing it and preparing the soil for cultivation. 
 
 Mr. Reed was married March 6, 1862, to Mary 
 (iingrich, and to them have come eight children, 
 namely: Lucy E., wife of Henry Emery, of Laura, 
 111.; Flora, wife of Caleb Wildrick, of Jackson 
 County, Mo.; Allen G.; Hattie B., Marion J., 
 Milo M., Viola A., and Clyde E. 
 
 When Mr. Reed started out in life, his only 
 cajiital was his fine physical endowments and a 
 clear brain, seconded by ambition, tenacity of pur- 
 pose and good habits, and with these he has achieved 
 success as will be seen in Ihc perusal of this record
 
 760 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 of his life and work. His position in the business, 
 social, and religious fircles of his adopted town- 
 siiip, is among our liest citizens. He is serving as 
 SchoollJirector, and we are sure to find him abet- 
 ting all enterprises that will in any way benefit the 
 community. He is independent in politics, gener- 
 ally voting for the man and not the party, but he 
 has Democratic proclivities. He is a member in 
 good standing of the Lutheran Church, and is most 
 liberal in its support. 
 
 "« « I? ■ S t ' J ' I t * A" «*' 
 
 ^ LDER ABY is the proprietor of a farm on 
 section 8, Millbrook Township, which when 
 it came into his possession was nothing 
 more than a tract of timber and brush. He has 
 cleared it, placed it under excellent tillage, and 
 1ms erected convenient buildings and made of it a 
 valuable piece of property. By doing this he has 
 also placed himself among the substantial farmers 
 of Peoria Count}', of which he was a pioneer. 
 
 3Ir. Ab3' is a native of Penns3'lvania, his birth 
 taking place in Montgomery County, March 2, 
 1828. His parents, Benjamin and Rachel Aby, 
 were also natives of the Keystone State, and his 
 jiatcriial ancestors are said to have been of German 
 origin. When he was an infant his father and 
 mother emigrated to Ohio and became pioneers of 
 Richland County, and there he had the misfortune 
 to lose his mother when he was only about two 
 years old. When he was seven years of age his 
 father removed to Huron County, Ohio, and there 
 remained until early in the '40s, when he again 
 took up his march westward, and crossing the State 
 of Indiana penetrated as far as Stark County in this 
 State, and became a pioneer in what is now known 
 as West Jersey. Mr. Ab}- eventually came from 
 there to this county, and spent his remaining days 
 in Millbrook Township, dying here in 1866 at a 
 ripe old age; his name holds a worth}- place among 
 those of the sturdy pioneers of Illinois. 
 
 KIdtr Aby was a stalwart, active youth of about 
 liftfin years when he accompanied his father to this 
 State, of which he has ever since been a resident, 
 :ind he has had a hand in the pioneer labors of de- 
 
 veloping the wonderful resources of this part of 
 the Mississippi Valley. He was the fourth child in 
 his father's family, and early became self-reliant 
 and heli)ful,and after coming to Illinois for several 
 years worked as a farm laborer at §8 or §9 a month 
 and his board. He was prudent and thrifty, and 
 wisely saved his mone3% and was thus enabled early 
 to marr}' and establish a home. In 1865 he located 
 on the southwest quarter of section 9, Millbrook 
 Township, and for several years was busily engaged 
 in farming there. In 1880 he decided to try life 
 in Kansas, and established himself in Allen County. 
 He did not like that part of the country so well as 
 Illinois, and returned to the Prairie State well sat- 
 isfied that he could do better financially here than 
 elsewhere. 
 
 On his return from Kansas Mr. Aby settled on 
 his present farm on section 8, Millbrook Township, 
 and has ever since made his home, which is a cozy, 
 comfortable abode, in this pleasant locality. By 
 dint of downright hard labor, carried on persist- 
 entl}' and systematically, he has succeeded in clear- 
 ing off the brush and timber that was standing on 
 his land when he purchased it, and its eighty acres 
 are now in a fine condition as regards cultivation 
 and improvement and from them he gleans rich 
 harvests. 
 
 In his wife our subject has found a sagacious 
 counselor and an active assistant, who bravely 
 shared his pioneer labors, and the hardships of life 
 in a newlj' settled country, and is now enjoying 
 with him the fruits of a successful toil. They 
 joined hands in wedlock August 17, 1848, and to 
 them have come ten children, of whom six survive, 
 namely: Frances, wife of Albert Long, of Knox 
 County; F. Albert, a resident of Allen County, 
 Kan.; James O., living in this county; Jacob I., in 
 Laura; Emma, wife of Richard Bilderbeck. of 
 Millbrook Township, and Pluma R. 
 
 The maiden name of Mrs. Aby was Mary A. 
 Murphy, and she was born in Ashland County, 
 Ohio, September 11, 1827, to James and Maria 
 (Trickle) Murphy. Her mother was a native of 
 Maryland. Her father died before Mrs. Aby was 
 one year old and when she was in her tenth year 
 she came to Illinois with her mother and other 
 members of the family, and her first winter here
 
 «?N»VEKSI7V Ot '
 
 # 
 
 €/^^C<^ JQ^^^/^^^^/^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOCRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 76a 
 
 was spent in Fullon County, near Canton. The 
 next spring the family went to Starlv County, and 
 settled about five miles northeast of Rochester, 
 being among the first settlers of that locality. 
 
 His possession of those very desirable traits, the 
 economy that spends judiciously and saves wisely, 
 and tiirift and native force, have been an important 
 factor in placing our subject on a sound financial 
 basis. He is a man of strictly moral habits and 
 sound principles, his personal character being such 
 that his fellow citizens regard him with feelings of 
 perfect trust and kindly friendship. He unites 
 with bis neighbors in forwarding s.11 schemes for 
 the improvement of the community socially, relig- 
 iously and educational!}', and has borne an hon- 
 orable part in carrying on the local government. 
 For nine years in succession he served creditably 
 as School Director, and for three years was Road 
 Commissioner of Millbrook Township. His reli- 
 gious views find expression in the faith of the 
 Christian Church, of which he and his wife are 
 active members and cordially unite with their fel- 
 low-members in doing the good work for which 
 the society is noted. Mr. Aby is independent as 
 regards politics, and votes for the man whom lie 
 thinks best fitted for the office without referenda to 
 (lariy. 
 
 |TpV, ICHARD nOWARTH, one of the wealthiest 
 L^ residents of Kickapoo, resides on section 
 .'i^\\\ 30, where he has a large and finely eulti- 
 ^>^ vated farm. Not only does the smiling 
 prosperity every wliore visible over the broad ex- 
 tent of his domain besi)eak his thrift, pnulence, 
 and intelligent adaption of means to secure the 
 desired ends, but the substantial and tasteful build- 
 ings of stone which he has erected to accommodate 
 his family and serve the needs of his stock, also 
 proclaim in unmistakalile terms that the owner has 
 been no laggard in the "world's great field of bat- 
 tle." He is emphatically a self-made man, and an 
 honor to the county of his adoption. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Uicliard and Martha 
 (Greenwood) Howarth, were both natives of Lan- 
 cashire, England, where they were* married and 
 
 lived until 1842. They then emigrated to Amer- 
 ica and settled in Kickapoo Township, in which 
 place they resided until death claimed them for 
 his own. Mr. Howarth was a stone-mason b^' trade, 
 and followed the business while a resident of his 
 native country, being engaged principally in con- 
 tracting. After coming to America he commenceil 
 farming operation.s, but ere a second harvest had 
 been gathered he fell a victim to the Reaper 
 Death, and passed peacefully away to his home on 
 high, where life is one perpetual harvest of happi- 
 ness. His wife lingered in this lower world some 
 nine 3'ears longer, departing, in LS.'il, from its 
 cares and pleasures, its sunshine and shadows. 
 They were the parents of fifteen children, of whom 
 the subject of this sketch was one of the younger 
 members. 
 
 Richard Howarth, of whom we write, was born 
 A{ivi\ 12, 1821, in Lancashire, England. He ac- 
 companied his parents to America in 1842, and 
 remained under the parental roof until his mar- 
 riage, in 1849, to Miss Alice Lonsdale. Their mir- 
 riage was celebrated October 25, in Kickapoo 
 Township, amid the festivities usual" upon such 
 occasions among the people of that d.iy. With 
 mingled sadness and joy the young couple bade 
 farewell to their respective homes, and took up 
 their abode on a piece of land which forms a por- 
 tion of the present large farm of our subject. 
 
 Mrs. Howarth was a daughter of Thomas and 
 Helen (Halsted) Lonsdale, natives of Lancashire, 
 England. Mr. Lonsdale came to America in 1842, 
 and was joined by his family the following 3ear. 
 The}' settled in Kickapoo Township, where they 
 resided during the remainder of their earthly pil- 
 primage. Mrs. Howarth was born in Lancashire, 
 England. Ofttober 10, 1828, and eiileieil upon the 
 joys of the life beyond January 2.5, 1887. She 
 w.TS a member of the Presbyterian Church, and 
 throughout her life was an affectionate daughter, 
 a devoted wife and mother, and a true Christian 
 whose death was a severe loss to the entire com- 
 munity, as well as a deep atHiction to her iininedialc 
 friends. 
 
 Mr. Howarth is the father of twc> children, the 
 eldest of whom, Samuel, died when one year old. 
 The second, Martha E,. is the wife of William
 
 r64 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUil 
 
 Tavlor. :inil resides willi our subject. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Taylor are tlie parents of six children, as 
 follows: Alice A.. Susanna, Ricliard, Helen, Arthur 
 and Mahel. Arthur departed this life wlien a 
 tender infant of six months. 
 
 Our subject is the jjossessor of a large farm, 
 comprising some nine hundred acres of land in 
 Kickapoo Township, upon which he resides. 
 He also owns valuable property in the city of 
 Peoria. Aside fiom his farmiiis and other in- 
 terests, he is largely engaged in the mining of 
 coal at Edwards' Station in company with William 
 and James Taylor, and is also engaged with Isaac 
 Wantling in a separate coal mine. The3' have 
 been very successful in this business, and are 
 amassing wealth with gratifying rapiditv. Our 
 subject lakes alivel}- interest in the welfare of his 
 adopted country, and keeps himself abreast of the 
 times by reading and meditating upon the great 
 questions that are (iresented for consideration from 
 time to lime. In politics he is a Republican, and 
 has the good will and admiration of his party 
 friends, but does not make enemies among his 
 political opponents, lielieving it the inalienable 
 light of everyone to think for himself. 
 
 A portrait of Mr. Howarth is presented on another 
 page. 
 
 ^ AMES M. MILLER is a Government official 
 in Peoria, where he is acting as store-keeper 
 on the United States Revenue force. He is 
 a native of this county, and his whole course 
 through life has been an honor to its "citizenship, 
 both in his public and in his private life and as a 
 soldier in the late war. He was born October 28, 
 1846, and is a son of W. W. and Amelia (Robey) 
 Miller, natives respectively of Ohio and Maryland. 
 His father is a farmer and came to this State in 
 1841 or 1845, and he and his wife are still honored 
 residents of tiiis county. 
 
 Our subject has passed the most of his days in 
 this county, where he was reared and educated. His 
 early life was passed on a farm, and he was assist- 
 ing his father in his work when the war broke out. 
 He was a mere lad too young to c-iter the service. 
 
 but he watched the course of events with intense 
 patriotic interest and at the youthful age of seven- 
 teen was allowed to enlist in the Union Army. He 
 became a member of Compan}' M, Fourteenth lUi- 
 nois Cavalry, which was ofHcered first by Captain 
 Lupton, then b\' Captain Rowcliffe, of the Robins 
 Nest, and subsequently by Col. H. Capron. now de- 
 ceased. After his enlistment in Peoria in the month 
 of January'. 18G3, Mr. Miller was sent with his reg- 
 iment to Nieholasville, Ky., thence to Knoxville, 
 Tenn. He did gallant service in the battle of Ken- 
 esaw Mountain and from there he and his comrades 
 were dispatciied to Marietta, Ga., and then w^ere 
 onlered to take part in Stoncman's rpid which was 
 sent out with the intention of capturing the enemy, 
 but the regiment itself was taken near Macon, Ga., 
 b}' Gen. Forrest and the men were sent to Anderson- 
 ville. They were there five months, and later were 
 dispatehc' to Florence, N. C, and endured the 
 awful hardships of those two famous prisons with 
 fortitude. After four months In the Florence strong- 
 hold, our subject and his felloiv-prlsoners were re- 
 leased by Sherman's army in April, 18(35, and they 
 were taken to Annapolis, Md., and brought home. 
 Such were the sufferings he endured during his 
 confinement that he had been reduced to seventy- 
 five pounds weight and was a mere skeleton. 
 
 After he had partiality recovered from the effects 
 of his dreadful experience of life in rebel prisons 
 and on Southern battle-fields, Mr. Miller resumed 
 his studies which had been interrupted when Ue had 
 volunteered to give his services to his country, and 
 for two years he was closely engaged at his books at 
 Grinnell College, and thus amply fitted himself for 
 any walk in life. He first entered the mercantile 
 business, and subsequently began railroading as 
 agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail- 
 way Companj- and continued in its service until he 
 received his appointment as store-keeper on the Uni- 
 ted States Revenue force, an appointment due 
 cntiiely to his well-known personal integrity and fit- 
 ness for the ofHce, which he still retains, and is con- 
 sidered one of the most serviceable officials in the 
 employ of the Government in this city. 
 
 'Jo the lady who presides over his home so graci- 
 ously and with his genial assistance renders it a 
 hospitable abiide 1(1 which llieir numerous friends
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 765 
 
 are glad to resort, our subject w.is united in mar- 
 riage December 25, 1878, at Oak Hill, and found in 
 so true a wife a most precious Christian gift. Her 
 maiden name was Isabelle Cunningham, and she is 
 a daughter of Cornelius Cunningiiam. Of their six 
 children four are living — Edna, Charles, Earl and 
 Lester. Two died in infancy unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Miller is a member of Briner Post, G. A. R., 
 and is identified with the Masonic lodge in Elm- 
 wood and the Consistory at Peoria. Religiously, he 
 is inclined towards Metliodism, and his life is 
 guided by principles of honor and truthfulness. 
 
 ■-^ ^-*-B- ^^ 
 
 ^^^^ENRY S. PAYSON, the only living child of 
 his parents, occupies a beautiful country 
 home in Richwood Township, surrounded 
 by all that money can purchase and a tine 
 taste suggest. He is linel}^ educated, being a grad- 
 uate of one of the best known of American insti- 
 tutions of learning, and having enjoyed the added 
 l)rivilege of foreign travel, which, to a man keenly 
 observant, is of itself a liberal education. Having 
 been obliged to abandon a professional life on ac- 
 count of his healtli, he has recently taken up agri- 
 culture, purchasing an estate of about one thous- 
 and acres close to the Illinois River and entering 
 upon his new calling with a determination to make 
 it a sj^ccess. 
 
 Henry R. Payson, the father of our subject, was 
 born in AViscassett, Me., August 24, 1822. He is 
 an able linancier and although now living a retired 
 life, was formerly engaged in business, manifesting 
 decided ability for commercial life and increasing 
 his capital from year to year until he became the 
 possessor of a considerable fortune. He married 
 Miss Alexandrine Cauda, who was born in Boston, 
 Mass., August 27, 1829, is of French and Italian 
 parentage, and attained to womanhood in Paris, 
 France. 
 
 The marriage of the jiarcnts of our subject took 
 place in Chicago, where they made their first home 
 and where the^' have resided most of the time since. 
 Mrs. Pa3-son is a lad\' of rare intelligence, broad 
 culture and most charming manners, and liotli she 
 
 and her husband i)ossess characters which win the 
 respect of all who make their acquaintance. Upon 
 their son the}- have lavished affection and wealth 
 giving him every opiiortunity possible to cultivate 
 his mind, establish his principles and fit himself to 
 secure a position of honor in society. 
 
 The gentleman who is the subject of these brief 
 notes, was born in Chicago, December 23, 1848, 
 receiving his fumlamental education in excellent 
 schools there, and leaving the. city to enter Yale 
 College, from which he was graduated in the class 
 of '72. He next spent eighteen months traveling 
 in Europe, on his return entering the Columbia 
 Law School for professional study. He received 
 his diploma from that institution in 1876, and be- 
 ginning the practice of his profession in St. Louis, 
 Mo., sojourned in that city about a 3'ear and a half. 
 
 Illness obliged Mr. Payson to relinquish his 
 practice, and to benefit his health he turned his 
 attention to an occupation which would lead him 
 more into the open air. Going to liradford, Pa., 
 he embarked in the oil business, operating in pe- 
 troleum two years, after which he made a second 
 trip to Europe. Ere long he again visited foreign 
 shores, combining business and pleasure in these 
 later excursions. In 1882 he purchased the old 
 Littleton estate which was former!}- a portion of 
 the ]\Ioss estate. Here he has taken up his abode, 
 identifying himself with the best agricultural ele- 
 ment and vvitli the intelligence and culture of the 
 county. 
 
 '^1 AMMERT B. LOOK is numbered among 
 I ^ the early German settlers in the eastern part 
 /'L-^\ of Peoria County, and one of those to whom 
 much credit is due for their share in the develop- 
 ment of the material resources of the county, the 
 progress of education and morality, and all that 
 goes to make up the best citizenship. He is the 
 owner of some two hundred and thirty-seven acres 
 of fine land in Limestone Townslup, one hundred 
 and twenty acres of which comprises the original 
 homestead of the Look family. There are two ex- 
 cellent residences on the estate, one of which was
 
 766 
 
 PORTRAIT AKD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 recently erected in the raodern st3'le for the use of 
 our subject and his family. AVhen it was com- 
 pleted Mr. and Mrs. Look found it .«o hard to tear 
 themselves away from the old home around which 
 many associations clung, that they remained therein, 
 giving u}) the new one to their eldest son. The 
 residence which they occupy stands about a quarter 
 of a mile from the road, surrounded liy fields of 
 waving grain, green pasture lands, and orchard and 
 shade trees, while the new residence is pleasantly 
 located on the Smith ville Road. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Barney and 
 Alma (Brons) Look, of Hanover, Germany, in 
 which kingdom our subject was born, November 
 21, 1833. His mother died in the Fatherland and 
 the father married a second wife who is still living. 
 In 18.50 the family emigrated to America, soon lo- 
 cating on the farm now occupied by our subject's 
 brother, John B. Our subject was an inmate of 
 the parcntnl home until 18G1, when he married 
 Cornelia, daughter of Ulrich and Emma (Johnson) 
 Ilippon, of Pekin. In that city Mrs. Look was 
 born, receiving a good education and much useful 
 instruction from her worthy parents prior to her 
 marriage. The Hip|)en famil3' was originally from 
 Hanover, Germany. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Look bought eight3' acres 
 on the Dutch Road, where he made such improve- 
 ments as have made the estate worthy- to be ranked 
 among the finest in tlie county. That place is now 
 owned by his brother. Reared from boyhood to 
 habits of industry' and accurate observation of the 
 manners and methods of others, Mr. Look has been 
 \ery successful in iiis worldly' affairs, and has been 
 enabled to bestow upon his familv excellent advan- 
 tages, encouraging and developing the worthy traits 
 in their characters and their mental abilities. The 
 home is abundantl}' sup|)lied with excellent reading 
 matter, the perusal of which affords great pleasure 
 as well as profit to the intelligent lads and lassies 
 who gather around its hearthstone. Although well 
 versed in German, the children do most of their 
 reading in English. 
 
 Tlie eldest son of our subject and his good wife 
 is Herman, who married IMiss Minnie Bruninga and 
 has one child, a daughter, Nellie. The other mem- 
 bers of the family are Bonny, Anna, Louis, Lena, 
 
 Williana, Bertha and Johnny, the latter a lad of 
 eight years. All are at home except Louis, who is 
 correspondent for the firm of Schipper & Brock, 
 of Peoria, with whom he has been for some months. 
 This J'oung gentleman took a course of study in 
 the Business College of Peoria, in addition to the 
 good privileges which he elsewhere shared with his 
 brothers and sisters. The familj- attend the Ger- 
 man Methodist Church of Peoria, of which the 
 parents are respected members. Mr. Look is not 
 an office-seeker, but is sufficiently interested in po- 
 litical affairs to keep well informed regarding the 
 outlook and tieposit his vote, a Republican one, on 
 election d.aj'. 
 
 fi^^^ ENRY SINGER. A prominent place among 
 li the business establishments of Peoria, is oc- 
 cupied by the Bottling Works of Charles 
 .Singer, now deceased, the business being 
 continued under the same name by his sons, Charles, 
 Jr., Henry, and Emil. The works were establisiied 
 in 18G8, the only goods tlien put up being soda 
 and mineral water. From a moderate foundation 
 the trade has grou-n with llie growth of the city un- 
 til it now stands among the most flourishing of her 
 industries. Finallj' it was thought ailvisable to 
 add the bottling of Blatz' Milwaukee beer to the 
 beverages alread}' put up, and in this alone a large 
 business is done. 
 
 Charles Singer, the originator of the works, was 
 born in Germany, and came to the United States, 
 making his first home in Buffalo, N. Y., and reach- 
 ing Peoria in 1855. On .arriving here he took 
 charge of the boarding house known as the Rail- 
 road Exchange, subsequently becoming one of the 
 earl}' ice dealers of the citj'. At length he deter- 
 mined to open the establishment which his sons are 
 still controlling, and in which he worked u|) a fine 
 large trade. In Buffalo, N. Y., he was united in 
 marriage with Miss .Tolianna Branch, who carefully 
 managed the domestic affairs, and gave loving care 
 to her family. Mr. Singer died in Jul}', 1887, 
 while his wife is still living, making her home in 
 Peoria. 
 
 The geiitU'inan with whose name tliis sketch is
 
 '■•■'VFP':
 
 l/MtJh^ cJfo^tX^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 769 
 
 introduced was born in Peoria, June 16, 1857, and 
 educated in the coiniiiou schools. He turned his 
 .ittention vvliile still young, to a life of trade, and 
 devotes himself steadily to the interests of the busi- 
 ness in which he and his l)rothers, after the death 
 of their parent, took each his usual position. He 
 Is well informed, particularly on those topics that 
 have a bearing upon the work he has in hand, his 
 prospects being favorable to accumulate a fortune. 
 Politics are eschewed by him, as he thinks a single- 
 ness of purpose more effectual than a divided aim. 
 At the home of the bride's parents in Peoria, 
 Mr. Singer and Miss Ada Klewe were joined in holy 
 wedlock. They have one child, a charming little 
 maid, named Camilla. 
 
 ^ IfcARREN NOEL has been honored by this, 
 \jiJ/' '"^ native county, by election to one of 
 VtW its most important offlces, that of Sheriff 
 of the county, and his lidelit3' to his duty, his in- 
 corruptibility and various other sterling traits, 
 show that a wise selection has been made, and that 
 he is in every way fitted for the responsibilities of 
 his position. His portrait appears on the opposite 
 [)age and represents one of Peoria's most widely 
 known citizens. 
 
 Sheriff Noel was born in this county, August 
 8, 1851, and is a son of John and Jane (Trial) 
 Noel, natives of Virginia. They had gone from 
 there to Ohio, and thence to Illinois before they 
 met and married. Of the eleven children born to 
 them nine are now living: Albert, in Iowa; Eliza- 
 beth Nixon, in Kansas; Ariminda Shepherd and 
 Jackson, in tliis county ; Minerva Harker and Na- 
 thaniel, in Peoria; Charles, in Iowa; Mary Horn- 
 backer, in Peoria; and \Vairen. Harriet and Mar- 
 garet are deceased. 
 
 The subject of this biographical review has spent 
 his entire life in this county and farming has been 
 his vocation. In 1882 he was called from his quiet 
 pursuits to public life, being then elected Deputy 
 Sheriff, and so ably did he discharge the duties 
 thus devolving upon him, that in 1886 be received 
 the honor of election to the still higher office of 
 
 Sheriff of the county. He makes a most excellent 
 officer, as he is eminently adapted by temperament 
 and capacity for this responsible position, possess- 
 ing a steady nerve, undaunted courage and ready 
 tact. By his just and courteous treatment of all 
 who come in contact with him he has made himself 
 popular, we might almost say,even with the criminal 
 class. He is a natural detective, and is feared by 
 evil-doers, as is illustrated b}' this forcible tribute 
 that he once received from a notable prisoner: "I 
 thought," said he," "my case would be put in the 
 hands of Chicago detectives, and felt safe, but 
 when I found it was in Warren Noel's, I knew my 
 
 jig was up 
 
 Sheriff Noel is a member of the 
 
 Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen, and politi- 
 cally, is identified with the Democratic party. 
 
 Sheriff Noel is fortunate in having a cozy, pleas- 
 ant home to which he can retreat from the cares 
 of public life. P^or the comforts of this abiding- 
 place he is indebted greatly to his amiable wife, 
 formerly Miss Nancy J. McFarland, to wli nj he 
 was married January 23, 1873. To them have 
 been born two children — Mabel and Julia. 
 
 ^ •^-*^ ^ 
 
 m 
 
 >j|^OHN M. YERION is eminently worthy of 
 representation in this biographical work, 
 where the record of many of Peoria County's 
 pioneers and leading men is preserved for 
 the benefit of rising and future generations. He is 
 a farmer and stock-raiser and is conducting his 
 business in Trivoli Township, where he is pleasantly 
 located in that \r.ii-l generally known as Brunswick. 
 The father of our subject, George Yerion, was a 
 native of Wythe County, Va., while his grandfa- 
 ther was a Pennsylvaniau by birth and of German 
 descent. He married in the Keystone State, and 
 then removed to Virginia,wherc he was successfully 
 engaged as a farmer and stockman and became a 
 large landowner. He was an early settler there 
 and took part in the War of 1812. 
 
 His son was bred to the life of a farmer on the 
 old plantation. He made tar and mined coal to 
 some extent, and also engaged as a blacksmith. He 
 was a good mechanic and made wagons and could
 
 770 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 do anything that required manual skilL His wife 
 urged him to move to Illinois, where she wisely 
 thought a man of his practical ability would find a 
 good opening in the building up of a new couutr}^ 
 In 1848, they started with their family on the 
 eventful journey, traveling witli two teams and a 
 wagon, crossing the Ohio at Louisville, and the 
 Wabash at Terre Haute, and proceeding slowly on 
 tlieir wav to Peoria, which tlie}' reached at the end 
 of nine weeits' travel, and which the}' found to be a 
 small place. One of the sons was sick on tlie jour- 
 ney, so they had camped for twenty-one days. 
 They found plenty of game along the way, and it 
 added greatly to their supply of food. The father 
 rented land in Trivoli Townsliii), and engaged in 
 farming until his death in 1850, closed an honor- 
 able and industrious life. He was a Democrat in 
 politics, and while a resident of Virginia was Justice 
 of the Peace. He was a conscientious aud upright 
 man, and a member of the Presbj'terian Church. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Sallie Miller, and she was born in AVj'the 
 County, Va., a daughter of "William Miller, who 
 was of English extraction. He was a farmer by 
 occupation and during the War of 1812. was a 
 soldier and an officer, and was wounded. The 
 mother resided with her children here until 187o, 
 and then went to live with a daughter in Platte 
 County, "Neb., where she died in 188G, at tl)e age of 
 eiofhty-one years. Thirteen children were born of 
 her marriage, of whom eight grew to maturity : 
 Susan, ISIrs. Minnick, who died in Trivoli; Sarah, 
 Mrs. HoUandsworth, who died in Trivoli; John, 
 Randall and Jackson, who died in Trivoli; David, 
 a resident of Arkansas; Nancy, Mr.s. Yerion, of 
 Farmington; Martha, Mrs. Wolf of Nebraska. 
 David was a soldier in the late war, enlisting in 
 Company I, Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, in 1861, 
 and serving creditably throughout the war. 
 
 John Yerion was born February 12, 1829, on the 
 Cherry Purchase in Tennessee, during the residence 
 of liis parents in that locality. He was reared in 
 Virginia, gleaning what education he could in the 
 subscription schools, that were held three months 
 of each year in a rude log house, furnished with 
 slab benches and having greased pa|)er instead of 
 glass in the windows. He helped on the farm, en- 
 
 gaging in making tar, etc., and was twentj'-one 
 years old when he came to this county. Beginning 
 life for himself in the fall of 1848, he worked out 
 i)y the month until he was thirty-six years of ago. 
 In 1856, he letised a farm in Orion Townshiij, Ful- 
 ton County. Prior to that time, in 1854, he and his 
 partner, made a trip to Texas driving two colts, and 
 returning in the month of November. The next 
 fall he again visited the Lone Star State, going 
 there to pilot seven families, and remaining there 
 one winter, engaged in work. He was taken sick 
 and came home, via the Gulf of Mexico, and tlie 
 Mississippi River. In 1856, he went to Virginia to 
 revisit his old home and remained there one win- 
 ter, then coming back, once more engaged in farm 
 labor. lie is an extensive traveler, and made a 
 trip to Dakota in 1882, and again in J 885. During 
 the latter year he also visited Portland, Ore. 
 
 In 1863, Mr. Yerion having been very successful 
 in agricultural adventures located on bis present 
 farm, which he then purchased, and here he has 
 since been actively engaged in raising grain and 
 stock. He purchased the original eighty acres of 
 his homestead for S3, .300 and has since added ten 
 acres to his landed possessions, buj'ingasmall tract 
 of land on section 28. His place is well fenced and 
 has on it fine buildings, including a roomj- house 
 and good barns; also a fine orchard and good 
 S[)rings of water. He has horses for general pur- 
 poses and uses two teams of draft horses in liis 
 work; he has full-blooded cattle and hogs, bu3-ing 
 and feeding swine in addition to raising them. 
 
 Our subject is very hapjiy in his domestic rela- 
 tions, his wife filling in a perfect measure the duties 
 devolving upon her, in her position as his helpmate 
 and the motlier of children, of whom they have 
 two living— John M. and Flora M. Two children 
 are deceased, Lctta V., who died at the age of one 
 month, and Varina, who died when four years old. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Yerion were married 113- Judge Fol- 
 lett February 17, 1864. Her maiden name was 
 Maria Stookey, aud she was born in Timber Town- 
 ship January 30, 1840. For parental history see 
 the biography of her brother, the Hon. D. B. 
 Stookey, on another page of this volume. As a 
 man of unblemished character and fine refutation, 
 our subject is an important member of tiiis com-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBLIM. 
 
 1 
 
 munity, and eveiy scheme toward its advancement, 
 religiously, educational!}' or materiall}', finds in him 
 a liberal and able promoter. He has been School 
 Director for years and for a period of nine years 
 was Commissioner of Highways in this township. 
 In his political views he is a strong Democrat. He 
 is one of the foremost members of the Presbyterian 
 Church at Brunswick, of which he is a Deacon. 
 
 ^;^, OAII BIRD. Among the many pleasant 
 I )/; and remunerative farms to be found in 
 
 11^^ Trivoli Township, that of the gentleman 
 above named should not be pnssed unnoted. It 
 comprises one hundred and thirty-five and one-half 
 acres on section 30, all tillable and pasture land, 
 watered by Copperas Creek and divided into two 
 parts by the road. The land is surrounded and 
 divided into fields of convenient size bj' substan- 
 tial fences, is furnished with a comfortable dwell- 
 ing, barns and other outbuildings, a good orchard 
 and an abundant supply of small fruits, and further 
 beautified by groves of forest trees. The dwelling 
 is about five miles from Farmington, thus affording 
 the inmates a convenient trading post. 
 
 Mr. Bird is of German descent in the paternal 
 line, and his near ancestors have been natives of the 
 Southern States. Hie grandfather died in Virginia 
 and his father, Henry Bird, a native of AVest Vir- 
 "inia, operated a farm in the Old Dominion. While 
 still single he removed to Hardin Coiint^^ Ky., 
 where he married Mary Parker, a Virginia lady. 
 He located on and cleared a farm, residing upon it 
 until 1833, when he removed to Macoupin County, 
 111. There he lived two years upon rented land, 
 then changed his habitation to Peoria Count}', and 
 after renting land in Trivoli Township some 3'ears, 
 purchased a quarter-section in Orion Township, 
 Fulton County. This was raw land which he placed 
 under excellent improvement, adding to it until at 
 the time of his death his estate amounted to two 
 hundred and forty acres. 
 
 Mr. Bird belonged to the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, being nu oiticial member of the organiza- 
 
 tion at Concord, whose edifice he helped to build 
 and which he otherwise aided. He was an old-line 
 Whig, and in later j'ears a Democrat. He died in 
 1872, having passed his three-score years and ten. 
 The mother of our subject having died, the father 
 married a second wife. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was the first- 
 born of the seven children of his mother, his 
 brothers and sisters being: David, who died in Ful- 
 ton Count}'; Richard, now living in Iowa; Mrs. 
 Sarah A. HoUingsworth, of Sioux City, Iowa; Joel, 
 whose home is in Northwestern Iowa; Jacob, who 
 lives in Northern Nebraska, and Mrs. Nancy Escue, 
 whose home is in Kansas. 
 
 The natal da}' of our subject was January 13, 
 1826, and his birthplace Hardin County, Ky., near 
 Elizabethtown. When seven years old he accom- 
 panied his parents North, the journey being per- 
 formed with a four-horse team and wagon orer 
 mud and corduroy roads. He helped to drive the 
 stock through, and after the family located did 
 what he could on the farm in the intervals of at- 
 tendance at the district school. In the spring of 
 1835 the family came to this county with the same 
 "prairie schooner," our subject driving cattle and 
 sheep. Passing through Peoria, which was but a 
 small village, the lad assisted his father on the 
 Fulton County farm, ere long becoming a champion 
 ox-driver, breaking prairie with from five to six 
 yoke and a twenty-four-inch plow with a wooden 
 mold-board. Rattlesnakes were quite numerous, 
 while wild deer, wolves, and foxes abounded, mak- 
 ing hunting the prominent excitement and recrea- 
 tion. 
 
 When twenty years old young Bird rented a farm 
 in Trivoli Township, receiving one-third of its 
 produce for his labors thereon. In 1848 he bought 
 eighty acres of raw land which forms a part of his 
 present estate. It was partially covered with tim- 
 ber, necessitating grubbing as well as breaking, but 
 by dint of perseverance it was ere long placed in 
 good condition. A small frame house was built 
 upon it and the owner turned his attention to 
 farming and stock-raising, Peoria and Reed's Land- 
 ing being his markets, and all grain and sufipiies 
 being hauled to and fro in w.agons. After a time 
 he was enabled to buy an additional eighty acres
 
 772 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 which he also improved, the whole now making one 
 of the fine farms of the township, and being worth 
 a much larger sum than the $3.50 per .acre wiiieh 
 his first purchase cost him. 
 
 In the summer of 1865 Mr. Bird, witli two 
 brotliers and a number of other men, started with 
 ox-teams for Denver, Colo. Upon reaching Coun- 
 cil Bluffs, Iowa, our subject tliouglit it would be 
 better to remain in that State and hire out at 
 breaking land. His brothers being of a similar 
 mind, they returned to Knox County, Iowa, and 
 bought eight yoke of oxen and two large plows 
 with which they labored in Iowa until July. They 
 received 15 an acre, turned the sod on from five to 
 six acres per daj', and were enabled to return to 
 their homes with a nice purse which, Mr. Bird saj's, 
 was the easiest and quickest money he ever m.ade, 
 as he received "spot cash" for his labors. 
 
 Upon coming back to his home Mr. Bird again 
 turned his attention to work upon his estate, de- 
 voting his energies priucip.ally to grain and stock. 
 He has some graded Short-horn cattle, a good 
 grade of hogs, but makes a specialty of horses, hav- 
 ing inherited from his father a love of equines 
 which amounts to a hobljy. His herd of tliosc 
 animals is the largest in the county anti made up 
 of the finest animals, all being standard-bred. 
 Among his herd is a Norman and English draft 
 horse, "Prince," which now leads the van. He al- 
 waj'S keeps a stable horse which is certain to be of 
 good blood. 
 
 The first marriage of Mr. Bird was celebrated in 
 this township in 1845, his bride Miss Margaret A. 
 Reed, a native of Hamilton County. His second 
 marriage took place in Peoria, in 185G, to Miss 
 Susan Ousley, a native of Cass County. This union 
 resulted in the birth of one son, Alva, who is mar- 
 ried, living in Fulton County and occupied in 
 farming. The present Mrs. Bird was formerly 
 known as Miss Abigail Mathis. She was born in 
 Hamilton County, and celebrated her nuptial rites 
 in Knox Count}' in 1868. She has borne her hus- 
 band two children — Ora A. and Edgar AL, both of 
 whom arc still at home. 
 
 Mr. Bird is now President of the School Board, 
 and has been School Director about half of the time 
 since he has lived here. He is a sturdy Democrat 
 
 but interests himself in politics only to the extent 
 of keeping himself well posted and depositing his 
 vote on election daj'. He has served on both Petit 
 and Grand Juries. The work in which he takes 
 most interest is that of the church, in which lie has 
 for man}' 3'ears been prominent. His membership 
 is in the Methodist Episcopal society at Concord, 
 where he now holds the positions of Trustee and 
 Steward, and is regarded as one of the chief sup- 
 ports. He assisted in building the first edifice in 
 which this society worshipped, served as Trustee, 
 and when it was rebuilt in 1884 was a member of 
 the building committee. His son is now Class- 
 Leader, has been .Superintendent of the Sunday- 
 school and has frequently attended Conference as a 
 delegate, having united with tlie church when but 
 a boy. 
 
 r^^KED PFANDER. This enterprising yo\ing 
 [Wg> gentleman, a resident of Limestone Town- 
 l^ ship, is prosecuting the coal business with 
 
 a degree of energ}' highly commendable. He was 
 born near his present residence, June 5, 1854, be- 
 ing the oldest of the five children of Charles .and 
 Elizabeth (Gabler) Pfander. His father came from 
 Germany to this country when a young man, locat- 
 ing in Peoria, and followed building and contracting 
 in and around that city for j'ears. He also did 
 a great deal of work on the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy Railro.ad, in building bridges, culverts, etc. 
 He was a proficient stone-cutter as well as a good 
 builder. The mother of our subject was, like her 
 husband, a native of Wittenberg, their marriage 
 having been celebrated in this country. 
 
 Our subject has been engaged in the coal busi- 
 ness, in some capacit}', since an early period in his 
 life. He has been a miner and a superintendent 
 of mines, and twelve years since, in partnership 
 with George Noll, lie started in business for him- 
 self. This was operated by tiie firm for a time, and 
 then Mr. Noll was bouglit out by our subject, who 
 carried on the enterprise alone several years longer. 
 In the spring of 1890 he formed a partnership with 
 A. H. Barnewalt, buying wh.at is known as the Star 
 shaft on the Iowa Central IJaiiroad. The shaft
 
 Of THF 
 'VERSITV
 
 y^^^^ ^. 
 
 -^^-^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 775 
 
 was put up to the highest bidder, the machinery 
 and franchise for the one hundred and sixty acres 
 of coal land having cost !i;30,000. and was bought 
 by Messrs. I'fandercfe Barne wait for $10,150. The 
 new owners are putting in great repairs, and will 
 soon coninicnce work with a full force and a ca- 
 pacity of eight or nine car-loads per day. 
 
 Mr. Pfander won for bis companion Louisa, 
 daughter of George and Mary Noll, whom he led 
 to the hymeneal altar in 1878. The hapt)y union 
 has been blest by the birth of five children, and 
 the parents have been bereaved of their first-born. 
 The names of their offspring are George, P'annj-, 
 Charles, Lizzie and Freddie. Mr. Pfander is a man 
 who attends strictly to the business he has in hand, 
 bringing to its prosecution ail the powers of an 
 active mind and an abundance of vital force. In 
 his associations with his fellow-men he is honorable 
 and kindly, while as a citizen of this great republic 
 he is peaceable and truotworthy. In aildition to 
 his recent purchase of coal lands he retains his 
 ownership of another bank, which is shut down on 
 a<'couiit of the strike. 
 
 ~s^S^ 
 
 w 
 
 ^¥/OHN HINES. Among the worthy farmers 
 of Richwood Township, mention should 
 certainl}' be made of John Hines, whose 
 portrait appears on the opposite page and 
 whose comfortalile estate is located on section 28. 
 H^ is a son of .John and KUen (Belford) llines, 
 natives of ^'irginia, who two years after their mar- 
 riage removed to Coshocton Count}', Ohio, remain- 
 ing there until 1836. The^^ then changed their 
 place of abode, settling in Richwood Township, 
 Peoria County, and here s[)ent the remnant of their 
 days. i\Irs. Ilines |>assed away in 1876 and her 
 husband lireathed his last some few years later. 
 
 The subject of this noti(^e is the fifth in the pa- 
 rental household which comprised nine children. 
 He was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, .lanuary 
 6, 1826, anil having accompanied his parents to the 
 Prairie State, abode under their roof until he was 
 twenty-three 3-ears old. He then married and set- 
 lied on his present location, where he has erected a 
 
 good dwelling and made such other improvements 
 as would be expected of one who understands his 
 calling and desires pleasant surroundings. His es- 
 tate compiises eighty-seven acres, sufficient to insure 
 him a comfortable maintenance, and not so large as 
 to require numerous tenants and burden one un- 
 duly in its management and oversight. 
 
 The first marriage of Mr. Hines was celebrated 
 in Peoria Township, his bride being Miss Rebecca, 
 daughter of Smith and Nancy (Shei)ler) Frye. .She 
 was a daughter of the Keystone State, born in 1825. 
 She bore two children, who died in infancy, and 
 w.as herself removed by death in 1856. The sec- 
 ond marriage of Mr. Hines was celebrated in Rich- 
 wood Township, June 10, 1857, his bride on this 
 occasion being Miss Laura N. Corrington, daugh- 
 ter of Washington and Elizabeth H. (Chase) Cor- 
 rington and a native of Hamilton County, Ohio. 
 They have nine children, named, respectively, 
 Lewis, John B., Mary Eliza, Charles W., Walter 
 S., Gilbert B., Laura A., Everett and Winfred. 
 Lewis is farming in Kickapoo Township; Charles 
 in Radnor Townshii), and Walter in Richwood 
 Townshi|). 
 
 Mr. Ilines has not been allowed to devote his 
 entire attention to his personal affairs, but has been 
 called u|)on by his fellow-citizens to advance their 
 interests as Ro.ad Commissioner and School Di- 
 rector. In both oflices he has served acceptably, 
 showing good judgment and a keen appreciation of 
 the neeils of the public. In politics he is a stanch 
 Republican, ever ready to cast his vote for the 
 principles in which he believes. He and his good 
 wife are esteemed by those about them as their 
 useful lives merit. 
 
 'ji? SAAC W. DAVIS was a pioneer of this county, 
 || and during his life took an active part in de- 
 /li veloping its farming interests, and at the same 
 time improved a valuable farm, which is still in 
 possession of his family. He was born in Marshall 
 County, W.Va., November 14, 1831, and was a 
 son of Albert W. and Mary (Ridifer) Davis. His 
 father was a native of the same State, while his
 
 776 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALI'.LIM. 
 
 mother is thoug'ht to have beeu born in Ohio. He 
 was the eldest son in the family, and was bied to 
 the life of a farmer amid the beautiful scenes of 
 his birth, and received a fair education in the com- 
 mon schools. 
 
 In tlie fall of 1856 our subject came to this 
 county and settled in Milbroolt Township, on the 
 southeast quarter of section 28, whicii his fatlier 
 had previously purchased, and here he was actively 
 engaged in its improvement until death called him 
 from his labors. He located on it permanently in 
 1859, and in the years that followed placed it 
 under admirable tillage, and erected neat and sub- 
 stantial buildings, transforming it from a tract of 
 wild prairie to one of the best cultivated farms in 
 all the region. 
 
 Mr. Davis was married December 23, 1858, to 
 Miss Amanda V. Reed, who was, like himself, a 
 native of West Virginia. Marshall County the place 
 of her birth, and February 6, 1840, tlie date thereof. 
 Her parents were John and Louisa (Caldwell) 
 Reed, the former a native of the North of Ireland, 
 of Scotch-Irish descent, and the latter a native of 
 West Virginia. Her father was brought to Amer- 
 ica when he was but one year old by his parents, 
 who settled in West Virginia among its early pio- 
 neers. They came to this county from tliere in 
 1853, and located near Brimfield, where the father 
 died a few months later in the same year. His 
 wife survived him until .July 7, 1861, when she too 
 passed away. They had a large family of children, 
 of whom Mrs. Davis is the youngest child. B3' 
 licr union with our subject she became the mother 
 of seven cliiidren, of whom the following is re- 
 corded: Albert W. is in Canada; John R. is de- 
 ceased; Minnie is the wife of C. A. Snyder, of 
 Elmwood; Arthur, Charles C. ; Everett W. and 
 Freddie M. are at home with their mother. Jlrs. 
 Davis is living in the attractive home that she as- 
 sisted her husband in making, and here, sur- 
 rounded by her children, she ispa?siug life quietlj'^ 
 and pleasantly, in the enjoj'ment of an assured in- 
 come from her well-managed farm. She occupies 
 a prominent place in the social circles of the com- 
 munity, and is actively identified with the Presby- 
 byterian Church, and takes a great interest in the 
 church work. Our subject left his heirs comfor- 
 
 tably well ofif, the homestead comprising a valua- 
 ble estate of one hundred and fifty-eight acres of 
 exceptionally fertile land. 
 
 The life of our subject was rounded out May 
 17, 1876, and he left behind him an unblemished 
 record, of which his friends m.ay well feel proud, 
 lie was one of the sterling pioneers of the county, 
 and his memory is cherished in this township, the 
 scene of his labors, as one of the early settlers who 
 had the making of it and have now passed to their 
 final rest. He was earnest and zealous in giving 
 his support to all things that tended in any way to 
 elevate society, and was ever to be found on the 
 side of right in any important issue before the 
 public. Politically, he was a follower of the Re- 
 publican party, and none had greater faith in it or 
 gave it more active support. A man of high moral 
 char.acter and excellent princii)les, his was truly 
 a religious nature, and in him the Presbyterian 
 Church found one of its firmest and most active 
 members. 
 
 -^^i 
 
 J)ENJAM1N WOOKEY represents the large 
 brick manufacturing interests of Richwood 
 li^)))ltl Townsliip as one of its leading manufact- 
 urers, one who is potent in advancing the 
 growth of the county. He w.as born in Somerset- 
 shire, England, March 1, 1834, to William and 
 Ann Wookcy. He was the seventh son in a fam- 
 ily of nineteen children, eighteen sons and one 
 daughter, ten of whom grew to maturitj-. Ilis 
 parents were natives of the same shire as liinisclf, 
 and there spent their entire lives engaged in the 
 occupation of farming. 
 
 Our subject lived in his native shire until he was 
 almost eight years old, and then spent the ensuing 
 time until he was twent3'-two, in Newport, Mon- 
 mouthshire. At that age, in the flush and vigor 
 of early manhood, he came to this country to see 
 what life held for him here and to build up a home 
 under the favorable conditions offered to people of 
 foreign birth by this Government. Landing in 
 New York City, he came directly to Peoria in the 
 fall of 1855, and was employed in that city making
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 777 
 
 brick until 18G(!. lit; then establislierl himself as a 
 manufacturer of brick in Richwood Township, and 
 has since been engaged in business that luM'e. lie 
 manufactures from a million to a million and a 
 quarter of bricks each year, which are Itiund by his 
 liatrons to be both durable and cheap, ant! from 
 their sale he derives a very [jrofitable income. 
 
 When our subject came to this countrj', ho was 
 a single man, but he left a sweetheart bchin<l in the 
 old Isle, who had agreed to share his liome and 
 fortunes with him in this new country, when he had 
 prepared the way for licr, and in 18G0 he returned 
 lo his native land to secure his bride. Miss RIary 
 Ann Lane, and their marriage was duly solemnized 
 December 13, of that year. Mrs. Wookey is a 
 daughter of tiie late Thomas and Ann (Moore) 
 Lane, natives, respectively of Connvall and Devon- 
 shire, England. Her father died in Newport, Mon- 
 mouthshire, England, in 1887. Her mother survives 
 at an advanced age. They had a family of four 
 children, of whom Mrs. AVookey was the eldest. 
 She was born in Bridgewater, Somersetshire, Eng- 
 land, July 23, 1831. Mv. and Mrs. Wookey's 
 happy wedded life lias brought them tiiree children : 
 Ella L., wife of Ernest W. Dickinson; Willium T., 
 and IJenjamin L. 
 
 By those fine traits of character that mark Mr. 
 Wookey as a sensible, progressive, far-seeing man 
 of business, he has not only built np his own pros- 
 perity, but has materially advanced the interests of 
 his adopted county and township, and is classed 
 among their best citizens. In the neat and finely 
 appointed brick house tiiat lie has erected liere, 
 hospitality reigns supreme under the guiding hand 
 of the good housewife, who understands well how to 
 control the affairs of the household, and seconds 
 her husband in his efforts to entertain friend or 
 stranger while under the shelter of tiieir roof. They 
 are among the leading members of the Methodist 
 Elpiscopal Church, taking an active part in all its 
 good work. Mr. Wookey has aided very eflicicntly 
 in the management of the affairs of the church in 
 the various offices that he has held in connection 
 with it, and especially as Superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school when he held that position. He has 
 been influential in political atTairs, and is an influ- 
 ence in the councils of the Republican party in this 
 
 part of the county. He has been a member of the 
 North Peoria Board of Trustees, and made an ex- 
 cellent record as a public official who was to be 
 trusted to work only fcr the interests of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 LIOT CALLENDER. This name is famil- 
 iarly known to the citizens of Peoria as 
 having been from the start connected with 
 the Dime Savings Bank, which w.as organized in 
 January, 1887, by (). J. Bailey, II. P. Ayers, Frank 
 Myers and Mr. Callender. The latter and Mr. 
 Ayers took an active part in its establishment. Mr. 
 Callender was elected the first President, and still 
 holds the office. 
 
 This bank occupied during the year 1887 the 
 old A. P. Bartlett residence, adjoining its present 
 quarters to which it was removed in January, 
 1888. The building is 30x70 feet in dimensions, 
 four stories in height and was erected at a cost of 
 $30,000. The plans vvere furnished by Burnham & 
 Root, the celebrated architects of Chicago, who 
 had been concerned in the erection of sixty differ- 
 ent bank buildings, and who gave to this their 
 best efforts. The material era|)loyed is compressed 
 brown stone and brick, with tile floors and Italian 
 marble stairs, the wainscoting of Tennessee marble 
 and the woodwork of polished oak. It forms a 
 beautiful structure, as substantial as it is shajiely. 
 
 The bank building is both burglar and tire 
 proof, the safety' deposit vaults being equal to any 
 in the State in point of security and strength. In 
 the construction of the vaults over fifty thous- 
 and pounds of drill-proof steel were employed. 
 The door, weighing five thousand seven hun- 
 dred pounds, has a double time-lock, this 
 alone costing $400. By aid of an electric alarm 
 attachment it cannot be even touched without 
 ringing out its signal to the police station. The 
 vault contains numerous safety deposit boxes be- 
 sides the private safes of the bank, and is in all 
 points as secure us mechanical skill and money can 
 make it. 
 
 The first floor of the bank building, which is ten 
 feet above the sidewalk, is occupied by the bank.
 
 778 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 and its arebitectural design is sufli that light is 
 admitted both at the bacic and front of the coun- 
 ters. There are four coupon rooms for the ac- 
 commodation of the patrons of the safety deposit 
 vault, these being also equipped with every con- 
 venience for rapid and correct transaction of liusi- 
 ness. In point of architecture the building is an 
 ornament to the city, and is excelled by few in the 
 State. The bank accepts deposits of from ten 
 cents to $5,000, the latter being the limit. It now 
 has over seven thousand accounts oi^en, all ac- 
 complished within tlie space of three years. 
 
 This bank, as its name implies, was instituted in 
 order to accommodate the class of citizens for 
 whom no banking advantages had hitlierto been 
 furnished. Anyone may borrow money upon 
 real-cftate security-, and as soon as his deposits 
 amount to -Si 00 it can be applied on the loan, and 
 the interest cease. Interest of four per cent, is 
 allowed on savings, the regular rate being seven 
 per cent. Thus, to an honest and industrious in- 
 dividual a mortgage may be robbed of its terrors. 
 The bank accepts no mercantile paper, whatever. 
 
 The present Cashier is Rudolph Pfeiffer, the 
 Treasurer, II. P. Ayers, the Vice-President, O. J. 
 Bailey, and the Manager of the Safety Deposit 
 Vaults, Joseph E. Callender. The bank operates 
 upon a capital of ^100,000, but the entire assets of 
 each i^artner are liable for the liabilities of the 
 bank, which makes its assets over half a million of 
 dollars. 
 
 Eliot Callender was born March 22, 1842, in 
 St. Louis, Mo., and is a son of George H. and 
 Elizabeth P. (Melcher) Callender, who were na- 
 tives of Maine and Massachusetts. The family 
 left St. Louis when the sou, Eliot, was about seven 
 years old, going to Boston, where he attended 
 school, remaining there until a lad of fifteen years. 
 The parents then came to Peoria, and the boy re- 
 turned to St. Louis, becoming a student of AVash- 
 ington University. Upon completing his studies 
 he learned the trade of a tanner and currier of 
 John Howe, the first Republican Mayor of St. 
 Louis, and was tliere at the outbreak of the Civil 
 War. About this time occurred the Camp Jackson 
 affair, when, the property of Mr. Howe becoming 
 jeopardized, it wa' placed on a steamer at night, and 
 
 under charge of Mr. Callender brought to Peoria, 
 where he finished up ti)e stock in the building now 
 occupied by the wholesale drug house of Colburn, 
 Berks & Co. 
 
 This accomplished. Mr. Callender in November 
 following enlisted in the United States Navy on 
 the gunboat " Benton," at St. Louis, as an ordinary 
 seaman under the command of Commodore Foote 
 and Admirals Porter and Farragnt.and engaged in 
 all the battles on the Mississippi. In the meantime 
 he distinguished himself for his courage and fidel- 
 ity, and was rapidl}- promoted from an ordinary 
 seaman to Paymaster, Steward, Master's Mate and 
 Ensign. At the close of the war he was in com- 
 mand of the United States steamer '• Marnujra," 
 plying the waters of the Mississippi and its southern 
 tributaries. 
 
 In the meantime, in 1864, Mv. Callender re- 
 turned to Peoria, and was joined in wedlock with 
 Miss Marj' E. Fryc, on the 5th of May. Mrs. 
 Callender was born November 11, 1845, and is a 
 daughter of Dr. J. C. Frj'e, one of the most promi- 
 nent phj'sicians of Central Illinois. After leaving 
 the navy Mr. Callender embarked in the insurance 
 business with William H. Robinson, under the firm 
 name of Robinson & Callender. The3' conducted 
 this successfully a few years, then began loaning 
 money for Eastern capitalists upon real-estate se- 
 curity. I'pon the death of Mr. Kobinson, in 1880, 
 Mr. Callender associated himself with Mr. A3'ers, 
 who was then Cashier of the Meclianics' National 
 Bank. In 1883 the banking firm of Callender, 
 Ayers & Co. was organized, Mr. Ayers retiring 
 from the insurance business, which has since been 
 continued at No. 124 South Washington Street 
 under the firm name of Callender tt Co. 
 
 In this new banking enterprise the firm consisted 
 of Eliot Callender, Henry P. Ayers, C. R. Cura- 
 mings (of Chicago). G. T. Barker and Walter Bar- 
 ker. It has been a marked success financiall3', but 
 was deprived of the services of Mr. Ayers in 1885 
 on account of his failing health. 
 
 January 1, 1885, Mr. Callender organized the 
 Commercial National Bank of Peoria, with a capital 
 of ^200,000, this succeeding to the business of Cal- 
 lender, Ayers & Co. Mr. Callender was President 
 of the foimer for two years and until 1887. when

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 781 
 
 the Dime Savings Bani{ was organized, and to tliis 
 iio has since given his entire time and attention. 
 In the meantime, liowever, he acted as Vice-Presi- 
 dent of the Commercial one year, having resigned 
 the Presidency, and was a Director until January 
 1, l^yO, when he was re-elected l)ut declined serv- 
 ing, lie is also Treasurer and one of the Execu- 
 tive Committee of tiie Central Railway Company, 
 and also a Director and Treasurer of the building 
 committee of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion. He w.is also one of the incorporators and 
 directors in building the National Hotel and the 
 (^rand Opera-House. 
 
 Altiiougli a Republican in a Democratic city, 
 Mr. Caliender has been elected to the offices of 
 Township Supervisor and City Collector, which is 
 snfticientiy indicative of his popularity among the 
 people. He belongs to the military order of the 
 l.oy.'d Legion, Illinois Commandery, of which 
 .hidge Waiter Q. Gresham is Commander. He is 
 member and Tra.asurer of the Second Presbyterian 
 Church, and was one of tiie building committee 
 during tiie erection of the church edifice, vvhich is 
 a fine ar.d beautiful piece of architecture. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Caliender there have been born 
 three children, all of whom are living: Joseph E., 
 already spoken of; Anna J. and Eliot, Jr. The 
 family residence, one of the most attractive in the 
 city, is pleasantly located on the corner of Monroe 
 and Jackson, while our subject and his estimable 
 wife occupy a position in the front rank among the 
 social circles of Peoria. 
 
 ■^*-- ^r^-|>^« '"^^ 
 
 OHN S. TUCKER is a native of this county, 
 and his course lluough life has been such as 
 to reflect credit on its citizenship. Urim- 
 field Townshi|) is the place of his birth, and 
 he is the son of one of its earliest pioneers, who 
 became well and favorably known tluougliout this 
 part of the .State and was an active factor in its initial 
 development. Our subject is a veteran of the late 
 war, in which he suffered much for the (■.■uise of his 
 country. He is now one of the prominent farm- 
 
 ers of his natal place, having a finely improved 
 farm on section 6, which he is managing with profit. 
 
 Mr. Tucker was born March .'3, 1814, his parents 
 being John and Ellen Tucker, natives of Ohio. 
 They came from that State to this in 18.33 or 1834, 
 and casting in their lot with the i)ionecrs of this 
 county were among the very first to settle in Brim- 
 field Township, locating on a wild tract of land on 
 section G, far away from an}' other settlement, their 
 nearest neighbors being about thirteen miles dis- 
 tant. Mr. Tucker promptly entered upon the im- 
 provement of a farm on which he lived and labored 
 until his useful career was closed by his untimely 
 death, June 2.5, 1850, when this township lost one 
 of its best citizens. He had an extensive acquaint- 
 ance here, and by all was greatly respected for his 
 undoubted integrity of character and true merit. 
 He was interested in the political issues of the day 
 and gave his support to the Whig party. He was 
 the father of a large family of children, as follows: 
 Saumel, V. L. and Ezra W., who are living in Knox 
 County; Catherine, wife of Amos McKrill, of 
 Brimfield Township; Sarah, wife of L. A. German, 
 of Knox Count}'; Deborah, who lives in Missouri, 
 and our subject. 
 
 John Tucker passed his boyhood and youth 
 amid the pioneer scenes of his native townshi[), 
 growing with its growth to a strong manhood. He 
 received his education in the local district schools, 
 making the best of the advantages thus afforded 
 him, but he is mainly self-educated. He was a 
 youtli of sixteen years when the war liroke out, and 
 with patriotic ardor offered his services in defense 
 of the Stars and Stripes, and became a member of 
 Compau}' L, Eighth Missouri Infantrj-, enlisting in 
 September, 1801, his regiment forming a [lart of 
 the Fifteenth Army Corps under Sherman and 
 Grant. Notwithstanding hisyouthfulness. he fought 
 bravely at Els. Henry and Donelson, bore an 
 honorable part in the battles of Shiloh, Russel 
 House and Corinth, and was then engaged in the 
 siege and capture of VicUsburg. He was afterward 
 dispatched to Memphis with the corps and started 
 with Sherman on his famous march to the sea. At 
 Moscow, Tenn., he was shot in the left hand, re- 
 ceiving a permanent injury, and for that reason 
 now has a pension of ^(i per month,
 
 782 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 In the fearful conflict :it Waterloo, Tenn., our 
 subject was often in tlie tliickest of the battle, and 
 was finally captured by the Confederates. For sev- 
 eral months he had a terrible experience in rebel 
 prisons, suffering ever}' iiuagin.able privation and 
 hards'jip, wliich so affected his health that his 
 weight was reduced from one hundred and sixty- 
 five pounds to seventy at the time he regained his 
 liberty. He was first assigned to Thuu<ler Castle 
 Prison in Richmond, and was in a dungeon there 
 for nine days, and then escaped by effecting a ruse. 
 He did not taste the sweets of liberty very long, 
 however, but was recaptured and sent to Libby 
 Prison, where he staid about six weeks and was then 
 transferred to Belle Island, near Richmond. Three 
 months later he was taken from there to Anderson- 
 ville, where he was confined some seven months, 
 and was then incarcerated in tlie Florence Prison 
 some five mouths. He experienced all the horror 
 of life in those famous prisons and at the close of 
 the war was exchanged and returned home more 
 nearly dead than alive. 
 
 Our brave hero soon found consolation for all 
 his sufferings in his marriage, August 8, 18G5, to 
 Mary Nelson, a native of Knox County, and a 
 daughter of Joseph and Margaret Nelson, pioneers 
 of that part of Illinois. The happ}- wedded life of 
 our subject and his wife has been productive to 
 thera (jf ten children, of wliom the following eight 
 are now living: Emma, wife of Harry Nelson, of 
 Knox Count}-; Maggie, Dollie A., John A., Clem, 
 Carrie. Jlinnie and Elmer. 
 
 Our subject h.as made farming his life work and 
 lias done well at his chosen calling, as is apparent 
 to one who notes the condition of his farm, which 
 is well ordered in every respect, provided with neat 
 buildings and all the necessary machiner}-. Forty 
 acres of his laud he received from his father's estate, 
 but the remainder of the two hundred and seventv- 
 five acres comprising the wliole, he has gained by 
 his own exertions. He shrewdly carries on farm- 
 ing to make money, and is in possession of an in- 
 come that places him among the solid men of the 
 township. 
 
 JNIr. Tucker possesses in a large degree the sound 
 intelligence, ripe wisdom and discretion so neces- 
 sar}' to full success in any walk in life. He is re- 
 
 garded as one of our most desirable citizens, none 
 being more public spirited or more desirous to 
 promote the welfare of the township than he. He 
 served as School Trustee of Brimfield Township 
 three years and showed himself to be earnestly in- 
 terested in educational matters. He displ.ayed true 
 patriotism in his course during the war and his 
 loyalt}- has never been questioned since. In poli- 
 tics the Republican pa'ty receives his zealous sup- 
 port. 
 
 In connection with his sketch a portrait of Mr. 
 Tucker is presented. 
 
 -^^ "#-^ ^^ 
 
 7j; NDREW J. GRAHAM, M.D. A simple 
 stor}' of a life devoted to earnest endeavor 
 in the line of duty and personal culture, 
 ^ presents an example of true manhood 
 
 worthy of consideration b}' all who appreciate 
 heroism in dail}- life or in times of peril. It af- 
 fords the biographical writer great pleasure to re- 
 count the life history' of Dr. Graham, who has 
 reached an honored position through the mental 
 powers which have been developed and the char- 
 acter which h.as been won b}' a will not to be con- 
 quered b}' difficulties. 
 
 William and Elizabeth S. (Jackson) Graham left 
 the Blue Grass State to make a home in Illinois, 
 driving through to Peoria County, and settling 
 near Farmington about 1832. Tho}- reared a fam- 
 ily of ten children, of whom the subject of this 
 notice was the next to the youngest. He w.is horn 
 in Trivoli, this county, in 1844. and was loft fath- 
 erless when four jears old. His mother died in 
 this count}- in 1882. After the death of the father 
 each of the children was obliged to do for him- 
 self as early as possible, as the support of so large 
 a family was an arduous task for the mother. 
 
 Young Andrew grew to maturity on a farm and 
 obtaining his education as best he might, the most 
 of it being gained after the age of twenty-two 
 years. While he yet lacked some months of man's 
 estate he entered the Union Arnay, his loyalty to 
 his Country deciding him to take up arms in her 
 defense. In February, 1864, he was enrolled in
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 783 
 
 Coinpanj' A, One Hundred and Fifty-first Illinois 
 Infantry, and became an integral paiit of the First 
 Brigade, Second Division, of the Armj- of the Cum- 
 berland. He served in Georgia under Gen. Stead- 
 man for a year, the most of the time being spent 
 in fighting guerrillas. He was injured iu the right 
 shoulder and still suffers somewhat from tiie 
 wound. 
 
 After returning to tlie Is'orth Mr. Graham at- 
 tended a commercial school at Aurora,Kane County, 
 from wliich be was graduated in 1866. He also 
 took one term at the Farmington High School, and 
 finally entered Lombard Uuiversitj' at Galesburg, 
 Knox County, his expenses being paid by means 
 which he had saved while in the arm}'. He be- 
 gan teaching near Farmington, the directors of his 
 first school being so well pleased with his success 
 as an instructor that tliey secured for him a cer- 
 tificate on that ground, he having failed to pass 
 the required examination in all branches of study. 
 Thej' also engaged liim for the second j'ear at asal- 
 ar3' of $60 per month, an increase of 815 from the 
 preceding year. From that time on, so well did 
 lie improve Ins opportunities for gaining knowledge, 
 that iie was able to secure a first grade certificate. 
 He continued his pedagogical labors for some time, 
 gaining an excellent reputation among both patrons 
 and pupils. For two years he was principal of 
 Good Hope School, and from 1868 to 1872 was the 
 teacher iu Lancaster; the first school in Glasford 
 was conducted by him in 1873-74, and he then 
 held a position in the Good Hope Iligli School for 
 two years. 
 
 While occupying the latter position ]\Ir. Gra- 
 ham began the study of medicine, his preceptor 
 being Dr. Wright. After gaining a fundamental 
 knowledge of the science to which he desireil to 
 devote his future life, Jlr. Graham entered the 
 College of Physicians and Surgeons iu Keokuk, 
 Iowa, from which Le was graduated in 1879. His 
 initial work as a practicing i)hysician was in Tri- 
 voli, this county, in partnership with Dr. T. R. 
 Plummer. From that [jlacc he went to Summit, 
 Knox County, three years later removing to Elm-, 
 wood, where he remained from the spring of 1883 
 until October, 1888. Mis next removal was to the 
 county seat where he has made for himself an ex- 
 
 cellent reputation, not only as a physician but .as a 
 man. He has a growing [jractice and has already 
 become one of the most prominent inactitioners in 
 the city. 
 
 Dr. Graham belongs to the Grand Army of the 
 Republic and is now Surgeon of Biyner Post, No. 
 67, in Peori.a. In 1886 he was Commander of Dan 
 McCook Post; and while living iu Elm wood was 
 Master of the Masonic lodge, and in the Grand 
 Lodge in 1887 was a. member of the Committee on 
 Charter Lodges. In Trivoli Township he held the 
 oflice of Clerk in 1867-68 and in 1874 was Col- 
 lector. In 1886 he was elected Assessor on the 
 Democratic ticket, and re-elected in 1887 and 1888 
 in Elmwood Townsliip. Since moving to Peoria 
 he has given very little attention to politics. He 
 has always been an active member of society and an 
 earnest worker in the Methodist Episcopal Ciinrch 
 and Sunday-school. Recently he has taken i\ less 
 prominent part in the Sunday-school work, his pro- 
 fessional duties requiring more of his time and 
 attention. He is numbered among the members 
 of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pe- 
 oria. 
 
 The need of assistance at Johnstown, Pa., after 
 the great floods, was felt by Dr. Graham, and on 
 June 6, 1889, he arrived at the scene of devasta- 
 tion. There he labored for a fortnight without 
 remuneration, and his kind heartedness and Christ- 
 ian charity, received the following Uatlering trib- 
 ute from the Sanitary Department of the Pennsyl- 
 vania State Board of Ilcaltli, which was sent to a 
 Peoria paper without the knowledge of the Doctor. 
 The article is dated at Buckuell University, Lewis- 
 burg, July 3, 1889, and re.-ids as follows: "Editor of 
 Transcript — You have in your city a man to whom 
 the State of Pennsylvania owes a lasting debt of 
 gratitude. AVhen the terrible Hoods came ujjon our 
 State he at once left his home and came and offered 
 himself to the stricken people of Johnstown, to aid 
 in whatever capacity he could do the most good. 
 He belongs to the medical profession, but fiudino 
 that he had beeu preceded by so many plysi- 
 cians that the sick and injured were well cared 
 for, instead of returning home as did many other 
 physicians, he offered his services to the State 
 Board of Health to combat anticipated pestilence,
 
 r84 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 and under direction of the Board did most excel- 
 lent work in clearing the devastated region of 
 thousands of carcasses of horses, cows, pigs, dogs 
 and smaller domestic animals. The State Board 
 of Health of Pennsylvania found Dr. A. J. Graham 
 of Peoria, 111., a man upon whom they could de- 
 pend,and siiould sickness during the present summer 
 he held in check in the Valley of the Conemaugh, 
 the valuable work of Dr. Graham will stand as no 
 small factor in producing this hoped for result. Par- 
 don me, Mr. Editor,for this letter, but it is due you 
 and tiie citizens of Peoria that I speak. Respectfully. 
 G. G. Groflf, M.D., Member of Pennsylvania .State 
 Board of Health." The board also passed the fol- 
 lowing resolution at their thirteenth annual meet- 
 ing which was held in Johnstown. July 10, 1889. 
 "Resolved that the tlianks of the State Board of 
 Health are certainly due and are heieby tendered 
 to Dr. A.J. Graham, Peoria. 111., for iiis arduous, 
 indefatigable, and elBcient services, so generously 
 rendered as a volunteer member of the Sanitary 
 Corps of the Board at Johnstown, in aiding in the 
 important work of i)reventing epidemic diseases 
 as a result of the recent disastrous flood in the 
 Conemaugh Valley. Signed; Daniel Engleham, 
 M.D.: Pembertou Dudley, M. D.;J. T. Edwards, 
 M. D.; Howard Murpliy, C. E.; J. H. McClellau. 
 M. D.; George G. Groflf, M. D.; Benjamin Lee, 
 M. D. Philadelphia, Secretary and Executive office. 
 
 -€-*-^ 
 
 ^OHN E. McDERMOTT, United States Claim 
 Agent, and also interested in insurance and 
 general collections, is pleasantly located at 
 No. 100 South Adams Street, Peoria. He 
 takes all classes of claims against the Ciovcrnment 
 and finds sufficient business to occupy his time 
 very thoroughly. He has become well known in 
 Peoria and vicinity as a member of the Revenue 
 force and in other business capacities, and adds to 
 his commercial reputation that of a gallant soldier 
 who devoted some of the best years of his life to 
 the service of his country. 
 
 Mr. McDermott was born in Ireland, October 
 J3, 1838, and spent the first few years of his life in 
 
 the land of his birth. In 1847 he accompanied his 
 parents, Michael and Catherine (McCormick) Mc- 
 Dermott, to America, the parents locating in La- 
 Salle County, 111., where our subject remained 
 until thirteen 3-ears of age. He then came alone 
 to Peoria and found employment in the wholesale 
 and notion house of Bissell tfe Willard, in whose 
 emploj' he continued until August, 1862. 
 
 Mr. McDermott could no longer be contented 
 to remain engaged in a peaceful pursuit in the 
 North while others were battling for the flag, and 
 he, therefore, became a member of Company G, 
 One Hundred and Eighth Illinois Infantry, in which 
 he was immediateh- appointed Sergeant-Major. The 
 regiment was sent to the Southwest with Grant 
 and passed through Kentucky to Vicksburg. The 
 first heavy engagement in which Mr. McDermott 
 was engaged was at Chickasaw Bayou, following 
 which were the contests at Arkansas Post, Port 
 Gibson, Champion Hills, the siege and capture of 
 Vicksburg, the battle of Cnintown, Miss., and fin- 
 ally at Spanish Fort, the last battle of the war. He 
 was one of those fortunate men who escaped 
 wounds and capture, and during his three 3'ears' 
 service he never lost an hour from duty. He was 
 promoted to Second Lieutenant, then to First, then 
 to Cajrtain, and finally became Brevet-Major, with 
 which rank he was mustered out August 5, 1865, 
 conscious that he had done all that was in his 
 power to keep the old flag intact. 
 
 Returning to Peoria, Mr. McDermott engaged in 
 the wholesale notion business, but this not prov- 
 ing suflicienth- remunerative to satisfy him, he 
 closed out at the expiration of a twelvemonth. For 
 a few years following he was in the employ of O. 
 P. Bissell. then traveled for ^'. Ulrich, wholesale 
 grocer, for eighteen months. He w.as then ap- 
 pointed United States Ganger and afterward served 
 as Deputj- Collector for tiie Fifth Collection Dis- 
 trict under Maj. AVhiting and Howard Knowles. 
 We next find ISIr. McDermott engaged as a claim 
 agent and also insurance agent. He is a member of 
 the Masonic fraternity and of the Grand Army of 
 the Republic. 
 
 At the home of the bride, in this city, in Au- 
 gust, 1862, Mr. McDermott was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Mary Fulton, an estimable and
 
 c 
 
 m 
 
 ^, "if^: ^^<^r:r^.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 787 
 
 educated lady, wlio graciously presides over his 
 pleasant iiome. Tlie union has l3een blest by the 
 birlli of two sons and two daughters— Mary Au- 
 gusta, Clara, Robert and Blaine, the last two being 
 twins. All yet brighten the home fireside bj' their 
 presence. Mrs. McDermott is a daughter of Jo- 
 siah Fulton, an old settler of this county, whose 
 sketch will be found on another page in this Ai-bum. 
 
 ILLIAM W. ATWOOD. The reader will 
 '/ notice on the opposite page a lithographic 
 |)ortrait of this gentleman, who occupies a 
 leading place among the most enlightened and pro- 
 gressive farmers and stock-raisers of Peoria Count}'. 
 He has long been prominently identified with the 
 Grange movement which has done so much to ad- 
 vance the agricultural interests of Illinois, and is 
 still a conspicuous figure in the councils of the Pat- 
 rons of Husbandry. He was appointed Poslmasler 
 of Orange Prairie post-oflice, in Kickapoo Township, 
 bj' Postmaster- General Wanamaker, and attends to 
 the duties of that position while managing his 
 large farming and stock interests on section 11, 
 Kickapoo Township. 
 
 Our subject comes of fine New England stock, 
 his father, Hiram Atwood, being a native of Ver- 
 mont, and his mother, whose maiden name was 
 Aurilla Douglass, a native of Connecticut. After 
 marriage the}' settled in Macomb County, Mich., 
 being among its pioneers, and there passed the 
 remainder of their lives. The father was a ship 
 carpenter b}- trade and pursued that calling in 
 connection with his farm work. He died about 
 1875 and his wife died about 1884. The}' had a 
 family of four children, of whom our subject 
 was the second in order of birth. 
 
 He of whom we write was born in Clinton, Ma- 
 comb County, Mich., April 10, 1836. The early 
 years of his life were passed on his father's farm 
 until he was thirteen j'ears old. From the Abo- 
 riginees, who still lingered there, he li,ad learned the 
 Indian language, and at the youthful age of thir- 
 teen was employed as an interpeter at different 
 places on Lake .Superior for about three years. At 
 
 the expiration of that time he engaged in carry- 
 ing the mail between Eagle River and Houghton, 
 and between the latter place and Ontonagon and 
 was appointed assistant- Postmaster. Nearl}' a year 
 later he became employed as a trader and interpre- 
 ter for the American Fur Company, and was with it 
 for about one year, and then became an attache of 
 the Hudson Bay Company, working for it nearly a 
 year and a half. 
 
 We next hear of Mr. Atwood on the Pacific 
 Coast and Puget Sound, where he had been sent by 
 the Hudson Bay Company, and where he left their 
 employ, to enter that of a company wishing him 
 to go to Southern California to engage in pros- 
 pecting. He was thus employed one season in 
 that part of the country and in Mexico, also. From 
 there he wended his way back to the Lakes and 
 purchased an interest in a sailing vessel, engaged 
 In carrying merchandise between Chicago and Lake 
 Superior. In 18G5, having sold out his maritime 
 interests, he came to Peoria County and was em- 
 ployed at different occupations until the time of his 
 marriage, when he settled in Peoria and engaged 
 in the manufacture of spruce beer for about five 
 years. At the expiration of that time he resolved 
 to give his attention to farming and coming to 
 Kickapoo Township, rented land for three years 
 and then purchased the fine farm where he now 
 lives. This comprises four hundred and four acres 
 of as rich and productive land as can be found in 
 the township. He has made many valuable im- 
 provements, having his farm well stocked, and de- 
 voting considerable attention to that branch of 
 agriculture. 
 
 November 24, 1858, Mr. Atwood and Miss Mar- 
 garet Fry took an important step in their lives 
 which has resulted in their mutual benefit, as by 
 their marriage on that date he secured the assist- 
 ance of a cheerful and helpful companion, and she 
 a devoted husband. Mrs. Atwood is a daughter 
 of Smith and Nancy (Shepler) Fry, natives of 
 Washington County, Pa. They married and set- 
 tled in that State and from there came to Peoria 
 abo^ut 1835, and became pioneers of Richwood 
 Township. Mr. Fry was prominent in public 
 affairs and was Sheriff of Peoria County, for two 
 terms. He was a contractor for the railroads and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 had also served as con.Iuctor. During the latter 
 part of their lives.he and his wife removed to Peo- 
 ria, where they died, he June 23, 1860, and she 
 January- 21, 1882. Mrs. At wood was the seventh 
 of their eleven children, and she was born in Rich- 
 wood Township, Maich 29, 1839. Ten children 
 have blessed her marriage with our subject, who 
 are named as follows : Charlie L. who married 
 Miss Ilattie Gordon, and died in Dakota, August 
 3, 1888; George AV., who married Miss Hedges, 
 and lives near Bennett, Neb.; Mary A., the wife 
 of William Enders of Dakota; Smith F., who mar- 
 ried Fannie Harris and resides in Peoria ; William 
 W. Jr., who married Lena Dornbus, and lives in 
 Dakota; Douglass L., of Kickapoo Township, who 
 married Haltie Ames; Henry A., Percj- G., Au- 
 rilla A. and Phoebe C. 
 
 As we have seen, Mr. Atwood wields a potent 
 influence in promoting various schemes for the 
 further improvement of township and county, and 
 his name will ever be linked with various plans 
 that have greatly adv.anced their standing. As a 
 lo3-al citizen he takes an earnest interest in the po- 
 litical situation of the day, and favors the Repub- 
 lican party by voice and vote. He and his wife 
 were charter members of Orange Grange, Patrons 
 of Husbandrj', with which the^- are still connected, 
 and he has been very prominent in an official ca- 
 pacity. He has been Master of the Grange and 
 also of the county Grange and was for two years, 
 (from 1878 to 1880) Master of the Grange Store 
 located in Peoria. Mr. Atwood is a man of excep- 
 tional personal habits, and of a fine character, pos- 
 sessing man^' genial attributes and with his ami- 
 able wife, stands high in social circles in this com- 
 munity. 
 
 - OiiO 
 
 ILLIAM H. CRANDELL, a resident of 
 of Peoria, and at present in the employ of 
 ■^ the Government as United States Store- 
 keeper, a position to which he was appointed in 
 November, 1889, has long been identified with the 
 agricultural element of this county, and represents 
 the brave citizen soldier of the late war, who, since 
 those trjing times has quietlv done his dutj' in 
 
 whatever position he has been placed. In the ex- 
 citing and momentuous days that followed the 
 breaking out of the rebellion, our subject early^ re- 
 sponded to his countrj-'s call, and with noble self 
 sacrifice went forth to aid in fighting its battles 
 and to brave the iiardships of a soldier's life, and 
 the privations he suffered uncomplainingly during 
 his long and almost constant service throughout 
 the entire war testify to his loyalty and devotion 
 to the Union. 
 
 Mr. Crandell is a native of this county, born in 
 Hollis Township, November 26, 1840, and is a son 
 of one of its pioneer families. His parents, Will- 
 iam Zanes and Marj' (Johnson) Crandell, were na- 
 tives of Ohio and came to this State in the early 
 da3's of its settlement. The father died in Missis- 
 sippi in 1863, the mother having died when our 
 subject was about three j'ears old. 
 
 William Crandell began life as a farmer, having 
 received a very good education in the public 
 schools. He was conducting agricultural pursuits 
 when the war broke out, and as soon as he could 
 arrange it he volunteered to defend his country's 
 honor, enlisting on the 15th of May, 1861, at Peo- 
 ria, becoming a member of Company A, Second 
 Illinois Light Artiller3', better known as the Peo- 
 ria Battery A. He went with his regiment to 
 Alton, whence he and bis comrades were sent to 
 St. Ciiarles, Mo., where they were prepared for 
 the army, and were then sent up the Mississippi 
 River. The first campaign in which our subject 
 took part was that in which Fremont chased Mc- 
 Cullough and Price. He returned immediately to 
 Springfield, Mo., after the battle of Pea Ridge, end 
 some months later took an active part in a battle 
 at Prairie Grove. He was found to be admirably 
 fitted for the arduous and dangerous woi'k of 
 scouting and was thus engaged in Missouri. 
 
 Mr. Crandell subsequently accompanied Gen. 
 Grant to Black River Bridge and fought bravely 
 In the battle at that place, and again was in the 
 encounter with the enem^- at Jackson and also was 
 in the battle of Champion Hills. After that en- 
 gagement he was sent to New Orleans, and took 
 part in the defense of that city. He reirained there 
 till he went to Mobile, and was active in the cap- 
 ture of Fts. Morgan, Fisher and Gaines. Our
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALIU'iM. 
 
 789 
 
 subject again retunied to New Orleans, and 
 there they manned the fort at Burwicks Hay, and 
 kept that position till the expiration of his term of 
 service. He was transferred from thereto Spring- 
 field, and was mustered out August 27, 1865. He 
 had veteranized January 1, 1.SG4. and was kept in 
 the same battery all the time, with the excejition of 
 sixt_v days furlough, and it is reuiarkal)le to note 
 that he was never disabled or in a hospital, was 
 never on detached service and was not awa}' from 
 his command during the oar. 
 
 After our subject returned from his lengthy ex- 
 perience of life on Southern battlefields, he re- 
 sumed his former pursuit as a farmer, and in the 
 course of a few years established pleasant domestic 
 relations bj- his marriage. January 1, 1868, to 
 Miss Mar}^ C. Wallace, a native of New York, and 
 a daughter of Robert C. and Margaret (Gaily) 
 Wallace. Her fatiier is still living. Tliree chil- 
 dren have blessed the wedded life of our sulijcct 
 and his wife, of whom the eldest, a son, Charles 
 Franklin, is deceased; tlie names of the living 
 are Cora Isabelle and iMary Margaret, who live in 
 this county. Cora Isabelle married William Giv- 
 ens, a miner by occupation. 
 
 Our subject is a quiet, imohtrusive man and is 
 universally esteemed. He possesses a clear, intel- 
 ligent mind, and, of a natural religious tempera- 
 ment, is liberal in his views and has a preference 
 for the Universalist faith, as have his wife and 
 children also. His career in the army is held in 
 remembrance by his connection with the Joe 
 Ilanna Post. No. 117. G. A. R.. in Pekin. 
 
 ^E 
 
 -:^^ 
 
 "^f^OSEPH BRADLEY, Supervisor of Chilli- 
 cothe Township, and residing in the city of 
 the same name, is ?, sturdy Englishman, on 
 whoiii his fellow-men look with respect on 
 account of his shrewdness and straightforward 
 dealings with mankind. He was born in Groyles- 
 teen, Lancashire, England, April 27, 1828, and 
 worked in a cotton factory until the age of four- 
 teen 3'ears. He then began an apprenticeship at 
 the tr.ade of a wagon-maker, and after ni.astcring 
 
 his handicrafl, .■m-I up a home of liis own. taking as 
 his companion Jliss Mar}^ A. Stores who has shared 
 in all his joys, sympathized in his disappointments 
 and aided him. as none but a loving woman can, in 
 every scene through which they have passed, re- 
 ceiving in return the deepest regard and kindest 
 consider.ation. 
 
 In 1851 Mr. and Mrs. Br.adley determined to 
 emigrate to America, and having crossed the At- 
 lantic, located in Wyoming Couuty, N. Y. There 
 Mr. Br.adley carried on his trade two years, then 
 changing his location to Chillicothc, 111., he, in the 
 fall of 1853, established a business which he con- 
 ducted until 1887. He had not been in tlds pl.ace 
 long before he became known as an excellent work- 
 man and a man of honor in business relations, his 
 trade increasing in proportion .as his reputation be- 
 came established. His fellow-citizens have called 
 for his services in their behalf as Supervisor of 
 Chillicothe Township, in which capacity he has 
 served eight years, and as one of tlie Aldermen of 
 tiiecity,he having filled that position for nine 3-ears. 
 He is a sound Democrat in his political views. To 
 him and his wife one daughter has been born, that 
 event having transpired in the Empire State. This 
 daughter, Jennie, is the wife of Edgar Heath, a 
 grocery dealer in Henry, this State. They liave 
 three children, named respectivel3% Pearl B., Jo- 
 seph W. and Orris R. 
 
 The father of our subject was John Bradley, a 
 native of Yorkshire and dsceendant of English an- 
 cestors. He married Jliss Esther Hughes, who w.as 
 born in Wales, of Welsh parents, but reared in 
 Lancaslnre, England. In that shire Mr. and IMrs. 
 John Bradley- passed their wedded life, dj-ing when 
 past the age of seventy. The wife was a member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Our suljjcct 
 was the second of three children born to his parents. 
 His brother, Thomas, spent his entire life in his 
 native land, leaving a widow an<l four children when 
 called hence. He was a baker by trade. Ann, the 
 youngest member of the p.arental family, became 
 the wife of James Miller, and slie also died in Eng- 
 land, leavir.g one child. 
 
 Mrs. Bradley, of this sketch, w.is born in Pockle- 
 ting, Yorkshire, England, November 5, 182G, being 
 the onl^' daughter and the oldest child of David
 
 790 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 and Jane (Craig) Stoiy, who were likewise natives 
 of Yorkshire. She was well reared, remaining with 
 her parents until her marriage. Her parents came 
 to America when she and her hnsband emigrated, 
 and spent their last days with their daughter in 
 Chillicotlie. Mr. Storj' was nearly seventy-nine 
 years old and his wife seventy-six when called 
 hence. Mrs. Stor}' was of th(^ Presbyterian faith. 
 The three brolhers of Mrs. Bradley also came to 
 America, and all are vet living. 
 
 LBERT ERNST. A visitor to the farm 
 of this gentleman, on section 5, Medina 
 Township, would find there a tract of land 
 ^J under thorough cultivation and supplied 
 
 with a complete line of fine buildings which pro- 
 vide adequate shelter for crops and stock and a 
 home of great comfort for the family'. Although 
 not a native of the United States, Mr. Ernst has 
 manifested his loyaltj' to his adopted country on 
 fields of battle, winning the confidence of his com- 
 manding officers and fellow soldiers by his gal- 
 lantry and read}' obedience to the word of command. 
 As a private citizen he is respected by reason of 
 his interest in the good of the people and the up- 
 building of the country, and his own industrious, 
 thrifty, law-abiding conduct. 
 
 Mr. Ernst is of pure German ancestry, descended 
 from respected families of Hesse-Cassel. His father, 
 Peter Ernst, a sturd}' miner, worked in the silver 
 mines of his own State all his life; he died in 1832. 
 when about fifty years of age. His wife, formcrh' 
 Catherine Bowman, died in middle life, when her 
 son, our subject, was quite small. The family of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ernst consisted of two sons 
 and one daughter. The latter died young, and a 
 son — John — having come to America, married in 
 New York, and died there when quite old. 
 
 Our subject was born in Hesse-Cassel November 
 20, 1818, .and was not j-et fifteen years old when 
 he began to earn his own living. He learned the 
 trade of broadcloth-making, and after completing 
 his apprenticeship, worked as a journeyman until 
 twent3'-two years of age. when he took passage at 
 
 Bremerhaven for the United States. After a te- 
 dious voyage of fort3-seveu days he landed in New 
 York City, remaining there eighteen months. He 
 then went to St. Louis. Mo., but a few months later 
 changed his place of abode to Springfield, 111. 
 
 Mr. Ernst had been living in the capital about a 
 year when.in August. 1846. he enlisted in a regiment 
 of mounted riflemen for service in the Mexican War. 
 He participated in the battles of Chepaultepec and 
 the capture of the citv of Mexico, together with 
 the other prominent engagements of the two j' ear's 
 campaign. During that time he was in some very 
 dangerous places, but he escaped with only a flesh 
 wound above the right cheek bone, near the e\e. 
 He likewise avoided capture, and reported for duty 
 ever}' day. The events of the two years are fresh 
 in his memory, as are the names and characteristics 
 of man}' members of the regiment and his superior 
 officers. For Gen. Winfield Scott he had an ad- 
 miring love, believing him the kindest commander 
 that ever lived. 
 
 At the close of the hostilities Mr. Ernst was hon- 
 orably discharged, and coming to Peoria in the lat- 
 ter part of 1848, remained there until his marriage 
 the following year, when he took up ngrieullural 
 life in Medina Townsbii). He and his good wife 
 are among those who have heliied to build up P«'- 
 oria County, interesting themselves as far as they 
 were able in movements which would tend to that 
 end, Mr. Ernst being particularly interested in the 
 educational affairs of his district. He votes with 
 the Democratic party, and is a devout member of 
 the Catholic Chnrch, of which his wife is also a 
 communicant. 
 
 The lady who for many years has been exhibit- 
 ing her good qualities at the head of the household 
 of our subject, was formerly Miss Theresa Muller. 
 She was horn in Alsace, then a part of France, 
 February 8, 1828, and came to the United States 
 in 1847, when about grown to womanhood. Her 
 parents lived for a time in Peoria, and Later on a 
 farm in Medina Township, where her aged father,An- 
 drew Muller, still resides. Her mother p,assed away 
 in 1886, at the age of eighty-three years. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ernst are the parents of thirteen children, 
 two of whom are deceased. These are Joseph and 
 Molly, who died unmarieil at the age of twenty-
 

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALIJI'M. 
 
 793 
 
 four j'cavs. The living children are Mary, wife of 
 Peter Wilhelm, a farmer near Tolono, Champaign 
 County; Theresa, wife of John Backest, a farmer 
 in Akron Township; Albert, a cigarmaker in Peo- 
 ria, who married Lizzie Rett; Katie, wife of John 
 Knoblock, whose home is in Burlington, Iowa; 
 Matilda, wife of Frank Williams, who owns and 
 operates a farm in Medina Township; Josephine, 
 wife of Jacob Wagner, a farmer in Pasoteera 
 Townshii). Champaign County; John, who carries 
 on the home farm; Robert, who resides with his 
 parents and runs a threshing machine ; Bertha, Anna 
 and Julia A., who arc still with their parents. 
 
 JOSEPH COLLIER. The attention of the 
 reader will be claimed by the portrait and 
 biograpiiy of this gentleman who is a widely 
 known and greatly respected citizen of 
 Peoria County. He has for many years been 
 prominently connected with its mining interests, 
 and is now tlic owner of a valuable mine in Bar- 
 lonville, whicli he leases to a company and de- 
 rives from it a substantial income. He has a beau- 
 tiful home in Limestone, located about five miles 
 south of the court-iiouse on the brow of the bluff, 
 overlooking llie whole city of Peoria, with a fine 
 view of Pekin in another direction. 
 
 Mr. Collier was born in .Somersetshire, England, 
 August 16, 1817, receiving iiis early education in 
 in the scliools of that shire. lie followed the busi- 
 ness of a mason which he had learned wiicn young, 
 and going to Wales, did mason work in the mines, 
 and from that develoi)ed into a miner or an opera- 
 tor of tiie mines, doing a large business. While in 
 that line he did some of the finest and most scien- 
 tific work in tlie Welsh and English mines, as 
 each rock for the shafts was cut and numbered and 
 had its place in the wall, which when completed 
 was a specimen of much better work than is seen in 
 the mines of tliis country. Mr. Collier says that 
 work was done for all time, the mines being put 
 into proper shape before they were formally 
 
 opened and it would take years to get them ready. 
 During his stay in Wales Mr. Collier met and 
 married Miss Ann Kear, who was of English de- 
 scent. After ten years of jiiarried life they came''to 
 America and cast in their fortunes with the pioneers 
 of Peoria Countj^ having first sojournetrtwo years 
 in Mercer County, Pa., where Mr. Collier was en- 
 gaged in the management of some coal mines. 
 After he came here he commenced to operate a 
 coal mine for T. C. Moore, which was one of the first 
 opened in the settlement of Bartonville, before the 
 village was started, that being in the year 1850. 
 He has been very prosperous and acquired valualile 
 property b}' his operations. He first built a home on 
 his farm in 1 853,about four miles south of the court- 
 house and there he and his wife_dwelt for twenty 
 years and reared their family of eight children, four 
 now living. Their daughter Jane is the wife of Otis 
 Wilder, of Limestone, now of Lexington, Johnson 
 County, Neb., and they have eight children. Ann 
 is the wife of Griffith Hopkins, of Ohio, now a res- 
 ident of Maquon, Knox Comity, and they have 
 five ciiildren. Sarah, at the age of nineteen, met 
 her death by a stroke of lightning while standing 
 in her father's door yard. Emma is the wife of 
 Jacob Strasser, a native of Limestone Township, 
 where they now resiile, and they have four children. 
 Franklin Joscfjli is the manager of the compan3- oi>- 
 erating the coal bank at Bartonville, leased from 
 his father. 'Ibis company is one of the most suc- 
 cessful in the State. It was first started about six 
 }'ears ago by Mr. Collier, who interested in tlie 
 venture thirty-five men, who were bound by an ar- 
 ticle of agreement to keep the bank running, and 
 pay him half a cent a bushel for the coal and one- 
 f'cnirlh of a cent a bushel for the improvements 
 until the machinery, which cost ^(),600 was paid 
 for, and this 3'ear will find them all out of debt, 
 with their franchise greatly im|)roved in value. 
 Frankllin J. Collier's, wife, whose maiden name 
 was Kate Strassers, is a native of Altona. Pa., 
 where her parents now live. .She and her husliand 
 have six children — Ernest, Edith Jane, Joseph, 
 Chester, Ethel, and Annie M. Our subject gave 
 all of his children fine educational advantages and 
 educated his girls as teachers, giving them a course 
 in the Normal School of Peoria, fiHjm which tlu^y
 
 794 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 were graduated, and his house has alwa3's been a 
 home for teachers. 
 
 Mr. Collier was for a long time a conspiouoiis 
 figure in the public life of township and county. 
 He has served as Rond Commissioner and as School 
 Director, and in the latter office has been very in- 
 fluential in the establishment of one of the best 
 sc!!Ools in the county in his district. For ten years 
 he represented Limestone on the Countj^ Board 
 of Supervisors, and was one of the foremost in 
 bringing about any enterprise that was calculated 
 to benetit the county, and he will long be held in 
 grateful respect for his active work in securing 
 the building of the court-house. He cast the de- 
 ciding vote when the resolution for building the 
 new court-house was under discussion before the 
 Board, while man3' of the others voted against it. 
 He fought iiard for it and finally won the day, and 
 justly feels more proud of that than any other act 
 of his life. It is greatly due to his personal efforts 
 that the building stands to day a monument of 
 strength and durability, and is an ornament to the 
 city. He looked vigilantly after the work of the 
 contractors, and often got out injunctions and 
 stopped work until the builders would proceed ac- 
 cording to the contract. On his return home from 
 the Centennial he found that they had put in con- 
 crete pillars instead of solid as had been agreed, and 
 in other ways had slighted the work. He at once 
 took steps to have their blunder corrected and did 
 so after a long fight. Wiien they were putting up 
 the dome he told the contractors it would not stand, 
 and it had to be taken down and rebuilt. 
 
 In the fall of 1888, Mr. Collier, accompanied by 
 his wife, went back to visit their Welsh and En- 
 glish friends in Pennsylvania, and while there cel- 
 brated their golden wedding, having an enjoyable 
 time on that memorable occasion and receiving 
 many appropriate and elegant gifts. Mr. Collier 
 has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church for over fifty years, and his children are 
 nearly all connected with it, his daughters have 
 been active workers in the Sunday-school. This 
 fine old English gentleman respects the Lord's Day, 
 and believes that all the good the world knows 
 comes from the fact that England with her manu- 
 facturers has pushed the Bible into all lands, and 
 
 where the people would not accept it as a gift, has 
 forced it upon them at the cannon's mouth, and 
 also from the fact that P^ngland, having always 
 kept Sunday and made others keep it, has been 
 blessed for its observance. 
 
 m' 
 
 AMES H. RICHARD. ISIany decades ago 
 the contest between Protestantism and 
 Catholicism became so serious in Scotland, 
 that many families fled from their homes 
 there to find refuge from the oppression of the 
 ruling powers among the mountains and bogs of 
 Count}' Antrim, Ireland. They were cordially 
 welcomed by the natives of tlie Emerald Isle and 
 in the fair valley of tiie Bann they lived and la- 
 bored for many years, banding down to their de- 
 scendants the frugal habits, calculating minds, 
 persevering spirits and devotion to principle which 
 make their history interesting antl their progeny 
 honored. The subject of this notice is a descend- 
 ant of one of these old families, the home of his 
 more recent ancestors having been that part of 
 Ireland adjacent to the Morth Channel, which has 
 become so famous by reason of that wonderful ob- 
 ject, the Giant's Causeway, whose columns attract 
 the attention of tourists and arc a source of won- 
 der to scientists. 
 
 The present home of our subject is on three 
 hundred and twenty acres of valuable land in Tri- 
 voli Township, where excellent improvements of 
 various kinds meet the eye, among them being the 
 substantial dwelling, a barn 24x40 feet, a" stable 
 capable of sheltering sixteen head of horses, a ha}' 
 shed, and various other edifices sufflciently large 
 and numerous to shelter all the stock upon the 
 place and house all the crops that are raised. 
 The land is fertilized liy living water, a branch 
 of Copperas Creek running through it, the entire 
 acreage is tillable, not a foot being allowed to 
 "•o to waste while fourteen thousand soft ma- 
 ple trees and three orchards adorn the premises. 
 Hedge and wire are used to enclose and divide the 
 property, which consists of one hundred and twenty
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 795 
 
 acres on section 19, eighty acres on section 18 and 
 one hundred and twent3' acres on sections 20 and 
 17, all now combined in one improved farm. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was born in 
 County Antrim, Ireland, being the son of Scotch 
 parents who, after emigiating from their native 
 land became large landowners. Grandfather Rich- 
 ard owned the farm ''Ballinaloob," which means 
 '•loop of the bag," upon which stood a large resi- 
 dence. He farmed until striclven by a fatal illness, 
 when he divided his property among his four sons, 
 and put his worldly affairs in order. He was a 
 Presbyterian, prominently connected with every 
 good work, liberal, enterprising and high!3' hon- 
 ored. 
 
 His son John, the father of our subject, becom- 
 ing the owner of a portion of the old farm, op- 
 erated it until 1845, when he sold and came to 
 America. He found emploj'ment in New York 
 City, remaining there until 1857, as overseer of 
 the engine room in the Farris, Tabcr & Co. marble 
 works. He had left bis family in Ireland, but in 
 1851, sent for them, and si.x^ years later lirought 
 them to Central Illinois, settling on a farm three 
 miles west of Farmington, Fulton County. He 
 rented land until 1860, then took possession of 
 another piece of property farther West, and in 
 18G2, in connection with our subject, bought one 
 hundred and twenty acres of the property now 
 cccu|)ied by the son, moving into a log house upon 
 it. It was his home until 1883, when he removed 
 to Farmington, making that town his home during 
 the remainder of his life. He died May 15, 1890, 
 at the age of eighty-five 3-ears. He was a Demo 
 crat in politics and a rresbyterian in religion, tak- 
 ing an active part in church work, helping to build 
 the house of worship. 
 
 The mother of our subject, like her husband, 
 was born in Count}- Antrim, Ireland. She bore 
 the maiden name of Sarah Henry, l)cingthe daugh- 
 ter of Matliew Henry, a well-to-do farmer, large 
 landowner, and prominent man in the church, in 
 which he was Ruling Flder from the age of 
 twentj'-one until his death when over eighty years 
 old. Mrs. Sarah Richard has reached the ad vanceil 
 age of eighty-four years, making her home with 
 our subject, her eldtst cliild. Her other children 
 
 are Mrs. Jane Davison, whose home is in Logan 
 County, Kaii.; Mrs. Margaret Watson, living in 
 Farmington, Fulton County; Mrs. Matilda Threw, 
 whose home is in EIrawood; Mrs. Mary Vaughan, 
 now living in Peoria; and Mrs. Elizabeth Rich- 
 mond, who resides in Trivoli Township. All have 
 children, there being from two to eight in each 
 family-, and not a death had occurred until the fa- 
 ther of our suliject was called hence. 
 
 Our subject was born near the Giant's Causeway, 
 November 16, 183.3, his home being so near the 
 Channel that in pleasant weather he could see 
 across to the coast of Scotland. Many a day was 
 spent by him sporting on the shore and dallying 
 with the waves of the great deep. The national 
 schools which he attended until he was twenty 
 years old were excellent and through their means 
 be acquired a good education. When fifteen years 
 old he was apprenticed to the dry -goods business 
 at Ballaniana, but after serving several years his 
 health failed and he was obliged to abandon it. 
 He then remained with his mother until August, 
 1851, when he accom[)anied her to America. The}- 
 left Liverpool on the sailer "Jeremiah Thompson" 
 under command of Capt. C. H. Hlake, and after a 
 voyage of twenty-one days landed in New '\'«irk 
 City. 
 
 Young Richard spent three months in an uffice, 
 then was engaged in painting at Brooklyn six 
 months. lie next found employment with the 
 marble firm for which his father worked, doino- 
 their carpenter work and making good wan-es, 
 under pleasant emi)loyers, who were of the (^»uaker 
 belief. He came to llli'iois the same year hi,s fa- 
 ther did, making the journey by rail to Peoria and 
 thence by team to Farmington. For three years he 
 rented land of Uncle John Wallace, then became a 
 tenant of I). Brewer two years. At, the expiration 
 of that time he joined his father in the purchase 
 of property, the price of which was $4,800, and lo- 
 cating thereon, continued to occupy it until 1870. 
 In the meantime ho had bought one hundred and 
 twenty acres on section 19, valued at $10,000, and 
 as water was plentiful on the new place he champed 
 his location. lie bought the tirst self binder in the 
 township, it being an Osborn Wire Binder. In 
 1870 housed the self rake, running it ten years.
 
 796 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Mr. Richard raises various kinds of stock, keep- 
 ing good grades of liorses and cattle, having now 
 eighteen head of half-blood Clydesdales and some 
 three-fourths Kentucky Whip, which fine propor- 
 tioned animals are among the best colts in the vi- 
 cinity. He also raises mules, finding them more 
 profitable than horses. In all his work he emitloys 
 the latest improved machinery and most approved 
 methods. He was School Director twelve j'ears 
 after which he resigned the position. In politics 
 he is a Douglas Democrat. He helped build the 
 church at Farmington, he and his father donating 
 ^300 when they were obliged to borrow the money 
 and pay interest on it. He was formerly Trustee 
 of the organization but resigned. 
 
 The marri.ige of Mr. Richard was celebrated in 
 this township October 14, 1869, the bride being 
 Mis Mar3' Kerr, a native of Couutj" Antrim, Ire- 
 land, and daughter of Robert and Mary Kerr. 
 Her father was a prominent man in his section of 
 the Emerald Isle, where the daughter received a 
 good education. She came to Adrian, ^Slicli., in 
 1864, to the home of her brothers, and having 
 come to this neighborhood on a visit, her marriage 
 with our subject followed. They have four chil- 
 dren — Robert J., Martha H., James Dorr B. and 
 Nellie M., all of whom are still at home. 
 
 
 ARK M. BASSETT,State Senatonis one of 
 the leading citizens of Peoria. He is a no- 
 ble representative of our citizen-soldiery 
 ■* to whose und^'ing patriotism, unyielding 
 
 valor and heroic self-sacrifice, it is owing that our 
 glorious banner still tloats its Stars and Stripes on 
 every breeze over a free and undivided country. 
 The military record of our subject wherein his 
 bravery and abilit}' won him high official rank, is 
 one which is an honor not only to liim and his, but 
 to this his native State. 
 
 Mr. Bassett was born in Schuyler County, 111., 
 March 27, 1837. His father died before his birth, 
 and his mother, whose maiden name was Abigail 
 Carlock, died when he was a small boj'. He 
 passed his boyhood days in Schuyler and Fulton 
 
 Counties, enjoj-ing but limited educational means, 
 yet, nevertheless, attaining such proficiency in his 
 studies as to lay a solid foundation upon which he 
 afterwards erected the superstructure of his legal 
 knowledge. He was brought up to hard labor on 
 a farm. After the breaking out of the war, he 
 watched its course with patriotic interest and at 
 the age of twenty-three,left his agricultural pursuits 
 to enlist his energies as an assistant in recruiting 
 troops for the army and Januar}- 1, 1862, had his 
 name enrolled as a member of Company E, Fifty- 
 third Volunteer Infantry. His coolness and cour- 
 age on the battle field and his constant devotion 
 to duty soon won him the merited approbation of 
 his superiors, and gained him promotion from the 
 ranks, guccessivelj' as Sergeant, Lieutenant and 
 Captain. His first engagement was in tlie battle of 
 Shiloh. and he took part in the Siege of Cor- 
 inth, was at Hatchie and did gallant service at 
 Vlcksburg. At Jackson, Miss., he was in the hot- 
 test of the fight July 12, 1863, and after being 
 slightlj- wounded was taken prisoner, and then for 
 some time he experienced the h.«irdships and priva- 
 tions of life in the Rebel prisons. He was taken 
 to Libby and was one of the one hundred and ten 
 who escaped from that prison February 9, 1864,he 
 being recaptured the fourth night out and returned 
 to that horrible place of confinement, and with 
 sixty others was put into a dungeon. When Grant 
 was marching into Richmond they were taken out 
 and sent to Danville, thence to Macon, Ga., and 
 from there to Charlotte, S. C,, where they were for 
 awhile under fire of one of our guns, and from thct 
 city were dispatched to Columbia, S. C. In that 
 place nine prisoners, Mr. Bassett amongst them, es- 
 caped at the hour of midnight, November 10,1864, 
 were out fift3--two nights and finally arrived at 
 Knoiville,Tenn., January 1, 186.5. They reported 
 to the Secretarj' of War and were ordered to Jack- 
 son, Mich., to assist in drafting men and sending 
 them to the front. April 12. 1865. he was mus- 
 tered out of the army, having done honorable ser- 
 vice for over three long years. 
 
 After the war Mr. Bassett returned to his farm 
 labors and quietly engaged in rural pursuits until 
 the following year, when ambitious to enter the 
 professions and make something more of life than
 
 U'24. i^AU.^ 
 
 ^/la^pi-^^ r lyiZy, t/ujc/^j^ji^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 799 
 
 lie could otherwise, he commenced the study of 
 law at Pekin, with Capt. A. SV. Bull,and after i)ur- 
 suiug a thorough i)ractical course was admitted to 
 the bar in 1868. He first established hiiiiself at 
 J'ekin, and four years later, in 1872, opened an 
 olHce in Peoria where he has since resided. He 
 continued in practice until 1882. A man of pleas- 
 ant address, ready tact, frank and ingenuous, our 
 subject is very popular among all classes, and thi,', 
 together with his great energy and pluck, has been 
 the means of placing him In a prominent position 
 in the political and public life of the county and 
 State. Though this district is strongly Democratic, 
 his i)opularity has carried him through on a Ue- 
 [jublican ticket, and he has been elected to two of 
 the most important offices within the gift of his 
 fellow citizens. In 1884, he was elected to the 
 Lower House of the General Assembly, and in 
 1888, to the Senate, and is still State Senator. He 
 has made an excellent record as a member of the 
 General Assembly, and guards the interests of his 
 constituency with zealous care. 
 
 Mr. Bassetthas established an exceedingly [ileas- 
 ant home in Peoria, and to the wife who presides 
 over it with grace and cordially aids him in ex- 
 tending its hospitalities to their many friends, he 
 was united in marriage November 22, 18C5. Mrs. 
 Bassett's maiden name was Anna E. Gould, and 
 she is a daughter of David Gould, of Michigan. 
 
 ^ 
 
 E^^ 
 
 IRAM H. PEIRCE. As a manufacturer of 
 brick, this gentleman is an important factor 
 in the building industries of Richwood 
 Township and of the count}'. He is a na- 
 tive of Dau[)hin County, Pa., born September 22, 
 1826, the second of the eleven children of Caleb 
 and Elizabeth (Rhodes) Peirce. His father was a 
 native of the same county as himself, while his 
 mother was born in Lancaster Count}', the same 
 State. After marriage they settled in Dauphin 
 County, where they spent their entire wedded life. 
 He was a mason by trade and one of the first con- 
 tractors on the Pennsylvania Railw.ay. 
 
 Our subject was reared to man'sestato in his na- 
 
 tive count}-, and early started out in life for him- 
 self, after first having acquired the trade of brick- 
 layer and mason. He followed that calling in New 
 York City for about twelve years, and in 1855, 
 first came to Peoria, and established himself as a 
 mason. He was thus eng.aged until 1855, when he 
 became a contractor and builder, making a specialty 
 of jails and in the course of time erected five, one 
 in Peoria and others i!i different parts of the State. 
 He also put up the Board of Trade Building and 
 Monarch Mills, and for some years was one of the 
 principal contractors of Peoria. In 1867, Mr. 
 Peirce turned his attention to the manufacture of 
 bricks, making Richwood Township his headcpiar- 
 ters. He is still prosperously engaged in that busi- 
 ness and has a yard with the capacity of thirty 
 thousand bricks per day. 
 
 IMr. Peirce was married in New York City, in 
 1854, to Miss Harriet A. Lockwood, who was born 
 in that city, January 17, 1834. She bore him six 
 children, of whom the following is recorded: 
 Augusta is the wife of Nathan Giles, Jr.; Isabella 
 is the wife of William Ilotze; Laura A. is the wife 
 of Lewis Ilines; Joseph B. married Fannie Brush; 
 Hattie M. is the wife of Alexander Archdale; Hi- 
 ram lives in Peoria. By Mrs. Peirco's death in 
 Richwood Township, her husband was dejjrived of 
 a good wife, her children (if a loving mother and 
 the community of a kind neighbor and friend. 
 
 Mr. Peirce was married to his i)resent estimable 
 wife, January 4, 1870, the ceremony that made 
 them one being solemnized in INIetamora, Wood- 
 ford County. Mrs. Peirce, whose maiden name 
 was Exira A. Speers had been jireviously married, 
 the name of her first husband being Jeremiah 
 Plank. He w.is a soldier in the late war, being a 
 membcrof the One Hundred and Eighth Illinois In- 
 fantry. He died near Nicksburg, ]\Iiss. There 
 was one son born of that marriage, Delmar E., who 
 resides in Washington State. Mrs. Peirce is a na- 
 tive of Champaign County, Ohio, her birth taking 
 place September 11, 1839. 
 
 A man of keen forethought and an excellent in- 
 sight into the best methods of conducting his busi- 
 ness, Mr. Peirce is a man of weight in this com- 
 munity, and wields a good influence in the advance- 
 ment of its financial prosperity and everything in
 
 800 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALHUM. 
 
 any wuy pertaining to the promotion of its welfare. 
 He possesses in a full degree lliose pleasant quali- 
 ties that win friendship, and is highly regarded by 
 iiis fellow-citizens. He is activel}' identified with 
 the Democratic party as represented in this part of 
 Illinois. During his residence in Peoria he was a 
 prominent figure in its public life, serving as City 
 Marshal for two years and as Captain of the Police 
 one 3'ear. showing himself to possess fine executive 
 ability and true tact in both capacities and making 
 a very desirable civic official. 
 
 A portrait of Mr. Peirce is presented elsewhere 
 in tiiis volume, among those of other representa- 
 tive citizens of Peoria County. 
 
 OHN G. S. BOHANAN was a early pioneer 
 of this count}', and as one of the organizers 
 of Logan Township.of which he has been one 
 of the most prominent agriculturists for more 
 than half a centurj% his name is indissolublj' linked 
 with its history. He is one of the ojdest settlers 
 now living within its borders, and is held in the 
 highest veneration and esteem by the entire com- 
 munit}'. 
 
 December 27, 1808, our subject was born in the 
 town of Niskayuna, Schenectady' County-, N. Y., 
 his grandfather, Robert Bohanan, having been an 
 early pioneer of that part of the Empire State. 
 He came from German}' in Colonial days with his 
 brother, who settled in the South. He reared a 
 large family of children in his pioneer home in 
 New York, and died there full of \'ears and honor. 
 The mother of our subject was a daughter of Maj. 
 Snell, who married a Miss Gill. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Thomas and Ann 
 (Snell) Bohanan, were natives of the same county as 
 himself. His father was a farmer and served in the 
 War of 1812. In 1834 he removed v.-ith his fam- 
 ily to this county and became prominent among its 
 early pioneers. He entered three hundred and 
 twenty acres of land, and in the comfortable 
 home that he built up here he died after the war at 
 the ripe old age of eight}- -six years. He and his 
 wife were devoted Christian people and were mem- 
 
 bers, respectively, of the Lutheran and Methodist 
 Episcopal Churches. Six sons and four daughters 
 were born of their marriage, wliora they named — 
 Eliza. Margaret, Lizzie, Caroline, Robert, Major, 
 William, Samuel, John G. S., and Edward. All the 
 children except one daughter reared families, and 
 all came to Illinois except William, a resident of 
 Massillon. Ohio, and Robert, of New York. 
 
 The early life of our subject was passed quietly 
 on his father's farm, where he was thoroughly 
 drilled in all the labors pertaining to its manage- 
 ment. At the age of twenty he went to Albany, 
 the capital of his native State, to learn the trade of 
 a l)laek8mith of Houston & GouhL In the spring 
 of 1834, he came to this State, b}' boat, with his 
 father, being two weeks ou the way. His father 
 entered a large tract of land and gave each of his 
 children forty acres, our subject's being located on 
 section 13. He was very industrious and improved 
 every moment and in time acquired a valualjle 
 property. At one time he owned three hundred 
 acres of land, but has sold until his farm now com- 
 prises one hundred acres. It is highly improved, 
 is under the best of cultivation and is not surpassed 
 in fertility and productiveness by any in its vicin- 
 ity. Mr. Bohanan is a man of wealth and has 
 money in the bank. He w.as one of the organizers 
 of Logan Township, and his liberality and enter- 
 prise have been potent factors in its upbuilding. 
 For many years he Ins been connected with the 
 Presbyterian Church, and the examples of his u[i- 
 right Christian life has been an influence for good 
 in this community. Mr. Bohanan has served as 
 Commissioner of the township. In politics he is, 
 and always has been a stalwart Democrat, casting 
 his first vote for President for Andrew Jackson. 
 While in New York he was prominently connected 
 with the militia, and was First Lieutenant of the 
 Fifth New York Heavy Artillei'}'. His experience 
 and knowledge of military tactics proved very 
 serviceable during the late war, as he took an act- 
 ive part in drilling troops to send to Southern bat- 
 tle fields. 
 
 Four times has Mr. Bohanan been married. Jane 
 West, to whom he was wedded in Albany was his 
 first wife. She was daughter of Thomas West, a 
 New York farmer. They had two children — William,
 
 PORTRAIT AXD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 801 
 
 now liviny in Corning, Iowa, and Jane, wife of 
 George Grazier. They lost foni- tiiildien in the 
 burning of their house. Mrs. Bohaiian was a de- 
 voted member of tlie Kinscopal Cluucii. 
 
 Mr. Bohanan's second wife was Sarah, daughter 
 of Stephen Alwood. Two children were born of 
 that marriage — Steplieu, a resident of Canton, 111., 
 and George, who was amemlier of the One Hunilrcd 
 and iMgiith Regiment under Col. John Brenner, 
 now of I'eoria, and was shot in Kentucky and died 
 of the wound. The third marriage of our subject 
 was to Mary White, widow of Robert White of 
 Peoria. She had the following children: John a res- 
 ident of Peoria; Samuel, who lives in Iowa; Robert 
 and Thomas. 
 
 The maiden name of Mr. Bohanan's present wife 
 was Mary Blackvvell. Her father was Col. Dennis 
 Blackwell, of Maine, who was an oflicer in the War 
 of l!Sr2. Mr. and Mrs. Bohanan have had four 
 children named May, Mella, and George; their first 
 child dying in infancy unnamed. 
 
 gE^I 
 
 W.ILLIAM WHITING wortiiily represents 
 the old pioneers of this county, who are 
 still living within its limits, liaving wit- 
 nessed almost its entire growth. B"or more than 
 half a century he has been a resident of Kickapoo 
 Township, and for many j'ears was active in its 
 development, and is now living in honorable retire- 
 ment on the old homestead on section 7, whose fer- 
 tile acres he redeemed from the wild [uaiiics with 
 his own hand. 
 
 Mr. Wliiting is of English birth and ancestry. 
 His parents, William and Mary Ann (Barfoot) 
 Whiting, were both natives of Sussex and were 
 life-long residents of England. Mr. Whiting was 
 a baker bj- trade, but for a good many years he 
 was employed as foreman in a brewery. 
 
 Our subject was the third in a family of eight 
 children, and was born in Sussex, England, .Janu- 
 ary 31, 1821. He lived in his native land until he 
 was eighteen years old, and then, ambitious to 
 better his condition and to see more of life than 
 he could in the place of his birth, he left English 
 
 soil in April, 18.39, for America, and .at last ar- 
 rived in Peoria on the lOlh of the following June. 
 He first worked out by the month until 1842, when 
 he bought forty acres of land on section 7, Kickapoo 
 Township, and after he had earned money enough 
 to [lurchase teams and farming utensils, he entered 
 upon the task of placing his land under cidtiva- 
 tion and of making substantial impi-ovcnionts. Its 
 one hundred and seventy acres are now under ex- 
 cellent tillage and produce rich harvests, and the 
 place is amply provided with neat and roomy 
 buililings of a good order of architecture. Mr. 
 Whiting worked hard to place his farm in its pres- 
 ent condition, and having secured a comfortable 
 competence, now enjoys it in retirement free from 
 the cares, trials and hardships that beset his early 
 career as a farmer in a new country. It may 
 well be his pleasure that while he has done so well 
 for himself, he has been aiding his fellow-citizens to 
 place Kickapoo Township on a substantial, financial 
 basis. 
 
 In all these years Mr. Whiting has been ably as- 
 sisted by an active, capal)le wife, to whom he was 
 united in marriage June 4, 1818. Her maiden name 
 was Jane Cummins, and her parents were Thomas 
 and Susan (Stow) Cummins, who died when she 
 was quite young, in Portage County, Ohio. They 
 had seven children, of whom she was the young- 
 est. She was born in Portage County, May 11, 
 1 826. Her pleasant wedded life with our sub- 
 ject has been productive to them of eight chil- 
 dren, as follows: Maria, the wife of Jacob Zerwick; 
 William T., an attorney in Peoria, who married 
 Eliza Creeg; Mary J., wife of John Zerwick, who 
 died in Kickapoo Township, June 10, 1879; John 
 married Clara Chapley, and resides in Kickapoo; 
 Edward, of Knox County, who married Miss Etta 
 Patterson; Elmer, Aurilla and Seth Ernest. 
 
 Mr. Whiting is one of our most substantial and 
 trustworthy citizens, and a long and honorable 
 life entitles him to every consideration, and the 
 respect and esteem in which he is held show that 
 his fellow-citizens have a just appreciation of his 
 worth. His public spirit shows itself in his gen- 
 erous support of all plans for the advancement of 
 his adopted township, and in the genuine interest 
 that he takes in educational matters. While hold-
 
 802 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ing the oflice of School Director he was zealous in 
 the discharge of the duties devolving upon hira. 
 In politics he is a sturdy' Republican, earnest!}- 
 believing that part}' to be in tlie right. Mrs. Whit- 
 ing, who shares tlie respect accorded to her hus- 
 band, is a true Christian and one of the most 
 consistent members of the Methodist Church. 
 
 "Mr 
 
 ENRY LETTP:RMAN. On the opposite 
 page is presented a view of one of the finest 
 farms of Rosefield Township. This is the 
 ij^ property of the gentleman of whom we 
 write and is located on section 3. It comprises one 
 hundred and forty-sis acres of fertile, well- culti- 
 vated laud, a well-built dwelling, barn and other 
 buildings, which^mark it as the home of one who 
 appreciates comfort and, having prospered in life, 
 can enjoy it. 
 
 A native of Prussia, Mr. Lctterman w.as born 
 September 2, 1825. His parents, Jacob and Cath- 
 erine (Black) Letterman, reared five children — 
 Joseph, Eliza, David, Jacob and Henry. The 
 daughter, who is now deceased, became the wife of 
 John L. Friling. Tha mother, a consistent member 
 of the Lutheran Church, died in German}'. 
 
 The first of the family to come to America was 
 the eldest son, Joseph, who lived in Baltimore a 
 number of years, coming thence to Peoria County, 
 III., where he yet lives. David and Eliza came 
 over the ocean in 1849, finally settling in Peoria 
 Count}' also. Our subject served five years in the 
 German army, being in service in 1848-49 and 
 participating in the battles of Ilemsbach, Bctz, etc. 
 In the fall of 1850, in company with his father and 
 brother Jacob, he came to the I'nited States, set- 
 tling in Kickapoo Township, Peoria County, 111., 
 wliere the eldest brother was living. Jacob subse- 
 quently went to Nebraska, dying there. 
 
 Our subject worked for three years by the month, 
 receiving during the first two years $8 per month 
 and for the last year $12. He then bought a team 
 and operated rented land until the fall of 1864, 
 when he was drafted and went to the front as a 
 member of Company E, Forty-second Illinois In- 
 
 fantry. He was a particijiant in the battles of 
 Spring Hill, Frankli.i and Nashville, and at the 
 latter place was discharged, resuming the peaceful 
 arts of agriculture as soon as he could return to the 
 North and complete his arrangements. In the 
 spring of 186G he purchased the land on which he 
 is now living, proceeding to put it under improve- 
 ment as rai)idl}' as circumstances would permit. 
 Having been $24 in debt when he reached the 
 United States, the success which he has achieved 
 has been creditable. 
 
 After having kept bachelor's hall upon his es- 
 tate until April, 1869, Mr. Letterman won a com- 
 panion in the person of Miss Gertrude Jeide, who 
 was born about three miles from his own birthplace 
 and who had come to the United States in 1864 
 with her mother, a brother and sister. Mrs. Let- 
 i<.-rmau is a notable housekeeper, has a kindly na- 
 ture, and is a consistent member of the Lutheran 
 Church, as is also her husband. Their happy union 
 has been blessed to them by the birth of eight 
 children, named respectively: Mary, Louisa, Liz- 
 zie, Katie, Emma, Gertrude, Henry and Mina. 
 
 ylLLIAM P. SMITH, whose pleasant estate 
 is located on section 13, Akron Township, 
 „ „ has been engaged in farming from his early 
 years and is as well acquainted with the details of farm 
 work as any man to be found in a day's journey- 
 He is one of those who make of their business both 
 an art and a science, and whose land bears upon it 
 all the buildings and other improvements which 
 make up a well-regulated estate. The one hundred 
 acres which he owns, while not so large .as to be 
 burdensome to manage, is of suflBcient extent to 
 afford a comfortable income when managed by a 
 thorough and progressive agriculturist. His home- 
 stead is represented by a Tiew on another page. 
 
 Mr. Smith is of Southern birth and parentage, 
 although he grew to manhood in Hancock County, 
 Ind., whither his parents had removed when he was 
 but a lad and where he remained until the spring 
 of 1864. when he came to this county. He was 
 born in Pendleton County, Ky., January 9, 1819.
 
 Residence of Henry Letterman,5ec.3.RosefieldTp Peoria Co III. 
 
 ^:"i^,'^;i^%ff^fT^iS^:i^iaaa?s^^^ 
 
 Residence OF W. P Smith,5ec. 13. Akron Tp. Peoria Co III.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 805 
 
 His first home in this comity was near Mossville, 
 where lie sojouriietl but a year ere settling in Akron 
 Township. Here he has been pursuing his chosen 
 calling, and winning the esteem of his fellow-men 
 by his upright life, great intelligence and consider- 
 ate dealings with those about him. 
 
 Mr. Smith was fortunate in winning for his life- 
 companion a lady of genuine worth of character, 
 housewifely skill and pleasing manners; she was 
 known in her girlhood as Miss Sarah Uoberts, was 
 born near Lawrenceburg, Ind., September 8, 1822, 
 and bec.Tine the wife of our subject in Hancock 
 County, that State, August 1, 1844. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Smith have had nine children, six of whom lived 
 to years of maturity, three dying in Infancy. Those 
 who grew u)) are Araminta, Klias, Eliza, Harriet, 
 Jasper and Lelilia. They have been carefully 
 instructed in manners and morals, and owe much 
 to their worthy parents, not only for the loving- 
 care bestowed by all who love their offspring, but 
 for the preparations which have been made for their 
 usefulness in the world. Mr. and Mrs. Smith be- 
 long to the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which 
 tlicy have excellent standing. Mr. Smith casts his 
 vote and exerts his influence for the Republican 
 party. 
 
 The parents of our subject were AVilliain and 
 Martha (Johnson) Smith, natives of Virginia, who 
 died in the Hoosier State. They had a large family, 
 rearing eleven children to manhood and woman- 
 hood. Of these our subject was the seventh in 
 order of birth. The parents of Mrs. Smith were 
 Benjamin and Letitia (Cox) Roberts, the former a 
 native of New Yorlf and the latter of Kentucky. 
 Mr. Roberts died in Kansas and Mrs. Roberts in 
 Iowa. They had seven children, of whom Mrs. 
 Smith was the second and is now the only survivor. 
 
 ^OBERT BOAL, M. D. This name will at 
 once be recognized as that of a physician 
 well versed in the theory and skilled in the 
 ^) practice of his profession, who- has for 
 years enjoyed a fine practice and an exalted repu- 
 tation in medical circles. It will be recognized also 
 
 as that of one who has been connected with the 
 legislative work of the Statu and with her benevo- 
 lent institutions, in every po.silion to which he has 
 been called, performing the duties devolving upon 
 him with discrimination, courage and zeal. No 
 resident of Peoria is more deserving of rui)resenta- 
 tion in a BiociHAi'iiicAi, Ai.iiiui than Ur. IJoal, the 
 main facts in wliose history it is our purpose to 
 relate. 
 
 Dr. Boal comes of excellent parentage, being a 
 son of Thomas and Elizalieth (Crain) Boal, natives 
 of Dauphin County, Pa. The father was a mer- 
 chant who, having removed to Cincinnati in 1811, 
 conducted his business there until 1816, wdien he 
 was called from time to eternity. His widow sub- 
 sequently removed to Dayton, where she became 
 the wife of John H. Williams, to whom she bore a 
 daughter, Eliza J. This daughter became the wife 
 of Judge Charles Shcriiian, of Cleveland, a brother 
 of Gen. W. T. and Senator John Sherman. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Charles Sherman were the parents of two 
 daughters, who became the wives of Don Cameron 
 and Gen. Miles respectively. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is the eldest of his 
 father's children and was born in Dau|)hin Count}', 
 Pa.. November 15, 1806. He had one brother, 
 William C, who died near St, Charles, Mo., in 
 1859, and two sisters — Mrs. Martha McEwen, now 
 living in Montezuma, Ind., and Mrs. Mary Snyder, 
 whose home is in Lacon, this State. His father 
 dying when Robert was but a lad, the latter was 
 taken in charge by an uncle, Robert Boal, for 
 whom he had been named. The uncle was a resi- 
 dent of Cincinnati, where our subject received his 
 rudimental education in the common schools and 
 prosecuted his studies up to the junior year in the 
 Cincinnati College. Desiring- to make the profes- 
 sion of medicine his own, he then began its study 
 with Dr. Wright, of Reading, Ohio. After a year 
 and a half spent in the oflice of that gentleman, he 
 returned to Cincinnati and entered that of Profs. 
 Whitman & Cobb, both of whom fdled chairs in 
 the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati. He fi- 
 nally entered the institution from which he was 
 graduated in 1828, immediately thereafter begin- 
 ning practice at Reading, Ohio. 
 
 Dr. Boal remained in the village mentioned four
 
 806 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 yeaif, after which he opened an office in Cincin- 
 nati, remaiuing there until 1836. For three or 
 four years of llie time he was Demonstrator of 
 Anatomy in liis Alma Mater. In 1836 he came to 
 the Prairie State, locating at Laeon, where he con- 
 tinued to reside until 1865, at which time he 
 changed his location to Peoria. In 1844 he was 
 elected State Senator on the Whig tielvet and for 
 four j'ears gave his attention to the interests of 
 his constituency and the State at large. In 1854 
 he was sent to the House, re-elected in 1856, and 
 at the close of the session, in 1857, was appointed 
 ' by Gov. Bissell, Trustee of the Deaf and Dumb 
 As\-lura at Jacksonville. To that position he was 
 reappointed by Richard Yates in 1861, and the ap- 
 pointment was continued by Govs. Oglesby, Palmer 
 and Beveridge. the entire term of his service l)eing 
 seventeen years, during the latter part of which he 
 was President of the Board. 
 
 In 1862 Dr. Bual was appointed Surgeon of the 
 Board of Enrollment for the Fifth District, in 
 which capacity he served until the close of the 
 war. Since that time he has been ardently pur- 
 suing the duties pertaining to his profession, for 
 which he is SO well qualified and in which he takes 
 ureat delight. He is President of the Peoria Med- 
 ical Society and ex-President of the State Medi- 
 cal Societ\' and a member of the American Medical 
 Association. In 1882 he was made President of 
 the State Society, holding the office one term. He 
 can justly claim to be one of the makers of the Re- 
 publican party, to which he has adhered without 
 a shadow of turning since its organization, he 
 being a delegate to the Convention at Blooming- 
 ton, in 1856, that formed the partj' in Illinois. 
 When a member of the legislature he and the late 
 Judge Stephen T. Logan voted persistently for 
 Abraham Lincoln, until entreated by their favor- 
 ite to cast their ballots for Trumbull and thus pre- 
 vent the election of Mattesou. Thej- did as they 
 were requested, and. thanks to the magnanimit}- of 
 Lincoln, Trumbull was elected. 
 
 The marriage of Dr. Boal and Miss Christiana 
 W. St. Clair was celebrated in 1831, and was fol- 
 lowed by a happy wedded life of more than half 
 a century. Mrs. Boal crossed the river of death in 
 June. 1883, leaving to her dear ones that best of 
 
 all legacies — a record of kindly deeds springing 
 from a noble character. She was the mother of 
 two sons and one daughter. The first-born, Charles 
 T., now resides in Ciiicago, engaged in the whole- 
 sale stove and iron business, his establishment 
 being known as the Charles T. Boal Stove Com- 
 pany. The 3'ounger son, James St. Clair, died in 
 Chicago in 1888. He was a lawyer by profession, 
 and for the last ten years of his life First Assist- 
 ant United States Attorney in the Garden City. 
 The daughter, Clara B., is now living in Lacon; 
 she is the widow of Col. G. L. Fort, who repre- 
 sented what was then the Eighth Congressional Dis- 
 trict of Illinois, for eight j'ears, and who died 
 January 13, 1883. 
 
 i^FLEXANDER McILREE, deceased, was in 
 
 l\ll '^^^ '^^y °"^ ^^ ^^^ most useful members of 
 ^^>1\ the farming community that conducted the 
 earlj- development of the rich agricultural resources 
 of Logan Township, and his name will ever be 
 honored and venerated as that of one of its pio- 
 neers. 
 
 Our subject was born in County Tyrone. Ire- 
 land, and was a son of Archibald and Jane Mcll- 
 ree, who were farmers and spent their entire lives 
 on their native isle. The following are the names 
 of their nine children: Andrew, John, .Samuel, Eliz- 
 abeth, Mar}-, Jane, Archibald. William and Martha. 
 John and Andrew died in Ireland. The rest 
 came to the United States and married, with the 
 exception of Jane. .Samuel was the first to come 
 to this couutiy. and he located in Philadelphia; 
 William settled in Oregon; Elizabeth died on her 
 waj" to Illinois, and the other three lived in Smith- 
 ville, this State. 
 
 Alexander Mcllree came to the United States in 
 1831, he being then in the prime of early man- 
 hood. He lived in Philadelphia for some years, 
 where he was engaged as a dver. In 1852, resolv- 
 ing to turn his attention to agricultural pursuits, 
 and wisely thinking that the rich soil of the Prai- 
 rie State was best adapted to his purposes, he 
 came to this township and settled on section 22. He
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 807 
 
 carried on his fanninu operations witli siiill, and 
 was prosi)erous in his luulertakings, and finally 
 became the proprietor of two liundred and sixty 
 acres of land, as well cultivated and finely im- 
 proved as any in the neighborhood. Here his 
 deatii occurred on the 12th of June, 1.H85, at the 
 age of eighty-one years. Thus w.as rounded out a 
 life that was blameless in every respect and af- 
 forded an lioiiorable example of truthfulness, fidel- 
 ity and trustworthiness in all the departments of 
 life tliat he had been called on to fill. He was a 
 man of firm religious nature, and in liiui the Ihiited 
 Presbyterian Church had one of its most consist- 
 ent members. Mr. Mcllree was twice married. He 
 was first wedded to Jane Eman, widow of James 
 Eman, her maiden name having been Salsbury. 
 Two of the children by that marriage are now 
 living — Samuel 8. and Mary J., wife of Nathaniel 
 B. Leslie. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject was with 
 Sarah J. Toland, widow of George Toland and 
 a daughter of Frederick and Sarah (Gilbreth) 
 Watts, who were born and died in Perry County, 
 Pa. They were farmers by occupation and religi- 
 ously, were members of the jMetliodist Ei)iscopal 
 Church. They had nine children: Mary A., who 
 died when young; Sarah J.; John, a resident of 
 Pennsylvania, who served in an Illinois regiment 
 during the war; Emeline, wife of David Harper, 
 of Pennsylvania; Andrew, a resident of Pennsyl- 
 vania, who served in the war; Margaret, deceased, 
 wife of Adam Woods, of Pennsylvania; Mitchell, 
 who served in a Pennsylvania regiment during the 
 war and died near Raleigh, N. C; Susan, wife of 
 George Kesler, of Rock Valley, Iowa; Frederick, a 
 resident of Nebraska, ^'ho served in a Pennsyl- 
 vania regiment during the war; Maria, and Har- 
 riet, wiio died when young. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Watts were members of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Watts was a son of 
 Frederick AVatts, whose parents came from Ire- 
 land. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
 He was twice married and had eleven children. 
 Mrs. Watts was a daughter of Andrew and Jane 
 Gilbreth, who were natives of Pennsylvania and 
 were of Irish origin. 
 
 Mrs. Jlcllree came to lyOgan Township with 
 
 her first husband in 1851, and tliey made their 
 home south of Sniilhville, where he died in 1852, 
 leaving her with one ciiild, Ueorge, who subse- 
 quently died at the age of three years. 1!\- her 
 marriage with our subject she has two children — 
 Juniata W. anil Cleona May. Mrs. Mcllree is a 
 true and consistent Christian and a UKmiber of tlic 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, to which her first 
 husband also belonged. She ovvns one hundred 
 and eighteen acres left to her by her husband, and 
 she has a fine residence and a very attractive 
 home, in which she lives in the enjovment of the 
 esteem and respect of all al)out her. 
 
 ■rjpV,lCHOLAS HOG AN. Richwood Township 
 I /// I'ossesses extraordinary facilities for the 
 (lii^ manufacture of brick, and prominent among 
 those who have availetl themselves of the opportu- 
 nities thus offered is this gentleman, who is a pioneer 
 in the industry and has built up an extensive and 
 prosperous business. Tie also gives attention to ag- 
 riculture, and is the proprietor of a well-managed 
 farm on section 33, where he has a commodious, 
 substantial home. 
 
 Mr. Ilogan was born in County Kilkennj-, Ire- 
 land, February 2, 1830. He remained on his.native 
 isle until he was twenty years of age, and then, in 
 the year 1850, souglit his fortunes on American 
 soil. He landed in New York City and worked 
 several months in that place, and then came to 
 Peoria in the fall of the same year. He found 
 employment as a workman on the Chicago, Bur- 
 lington & Quincy Railroad, which was then in the 
 process of construction, and he aided in its building 
 until the following spring. He was then employed 
 for two seasons for others in making brick. After 
 that he engaged in the manufacture of brick on his 
 own account in 1856, settling on the land that he 
 now occupies. His yard is well fitted up with all' the 
 necessary apparatus for making brick of a good 
 quality, and he manufactures from a million to 
 fourteen hundred thousand annually. By his thrift, 
 frugality and unceasing toil he has placed himself 
 in comfortable circumstances, and is the owner of
 
 808 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 valuable property. He has a farm of eighty-three 
 acres on section 33, Kichwood Township, on which 
 he has erected a large brick house and has fitted it 
 iij) in good style, having besides other suitable 
 buildings on his place. 
 
 Mr. Hogan was married, in Peoria, to Mary 
 Dunph}', who is likewise a native of County Kil- 
 kenny. Three of their children died when quite 
 young. They have five children living: Kate, the 
 widow of James Rile}"; Patrick; Ann, wife of El- 
 wood Fry ; Julia, wife of Patrick Langon, end Marv. 
 
 Mr. Hogan is a good business man and stands 
 well in the financial circles of the county'. His 
 l)leasant face and courteous genialit\' have won him 
 many a warm friendship, and placed him high in 
 the regard of the community. He and his good 
 wife, are conscientious Christians and are true 
 members of the Catliolic Church. Politically, Mr. 
 Hogan is a firni'supporter of the Democratic partj-. 
 
 \ AMES D. ROSZELL, who is actively en- 
 gaged in farming operations in Richwood 
 Townsliip, IS a native of the county, and is 
 performing a creditable part in the further- 
 ance of its material prosperity. He is a son of Ste- 
 phen W. Roszell, a native of Virginia. His mother 
 was Emilj- H. "U'ren, and was also a Virginian b3^ 
 birtli. After their marriage the parents of our sub- 
 ject settled in Tazewell County among its pioneers, 
 and lived there for several years. The}' subsequent!}' 
 came to Peoria, where Mr. Roszell established him- 
 self in the grocery business. He is now an honored 
 resident of Richwood Townsliip. 
 
 Our subject was the seventh of a family of nine 
 cliildreii, and he was born in Peoria, November 17, 
 18.52. He was reared to manhood in that city, and 
 gleaned a good education in its public schools. He 
 remained with his father until his marriage in 1876, 
 and then settled in Peoria Township, remained 
 there for four and one-half 3ears and then came to 
 his present place of residence on section 21, Rich- 
 wood Township. Here he has one of the best farms 
 of the neighborhood, comprising eighty acres of 
 land under the best of cultivation, and supplied 
 
 with all modern improvements, including a fine set 
 of farm buildings and a coz}', attractive home. 
 
 Mr. Roszell was married in this county in the 
 town of Smithville, to Miss Annie L. Bourne, their 
 marriage being solemnized September 4, 1876. 
 Mrs. Roszell is a native of Smithville, born De- 
 cember 7, 1856, to Herbert E. and Sarah (Mclntire) 
 Bourne. Her father was born in Hlinois and her 
 mother in Ohio. Thej^ married and settled in 
 Smithville, of which thej' were pioneers, and where 
 he was prosjieroush' engaged in farming until his 
 death in 1866. Tliey had three children, of whom 
 Mrs. Roszell was the first. Her marriage with our 
 subject has been a happj- one and has been blessed 
 to them by the birth of four children — Bruce B., 
 Erie D., Ada and Lyle AV. 
 
 Mr. Roszell is au industrious, frugal, capable 
 farmer, who, by his constant devotion to his work, 
 which is directed by wise discretion and good exec- 
 utive abilitj\has wrought with his own hands a suc- 
 cessful career in his chosen occupation. A man of 
 exemplary habits and sound principles, he is well 
 thought of b}' all the community. Politicall}', he 
 lends his influence to the Democratic party. In his 
 intelligent discharge of the duties of School. Di- 
 rector, which position he has held several years, he 
 has promoted the educational facilities of the town- 
 ship. Mrs. Roszell, who is in everj- respect a true 
 and worthy woman, is much interested in and takes 
 an active part in Suiidav -school work. 
 
 ^OHN A. McCOT, deceased, was a pioneer 
 settler of Peoria, and for many years was 
 prominently connected with the civic inter- 
 ests of the city as Justice of the Peace and 
 conveyancer, and bj' his death this community lost 
 one of its most valued citizens, who had with true 
 public spirit sought not only to promote its mate- 
 rial prosperity, but was active in advancing all 
 schemes for its social and moral improvement. 
 
 Mr. SIcCoj' was born in Franklin County, Pa., 
 Februarj- 9, 1810, and there grew to man's estate, 
 and then ni:>rried Miss Eliza Lindsaj-, their mar- 
 riage taking place in McConnelsburg, Apiil 23,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 811 
 
 1833. She was a native of Bedford County, wlieic 
 she was born April 23, 1816. The first few 3'ears 
 of their married life were passed there, but In June, 
 1837, they turned their faces westward, liaviiig re- 
 solved to build up a home on the then wild prairies 
 of Illinois. Their journey was performed by stage 
 as far as Pittsburg and thence tliey came by water 
 to St. Louis and finally arrived at their destination 
 in Ihis part of the country. They found the coun- 
 try rouud about in a very wild condition, and 
 Peoria scarce gave signs in the few houses then 
 standing of its present size and importance. Mr. 
 McCoy first established himself in the shoe busi- 
 ness which he carried on successfully until he w.as 
 called from private life to fill the office of Justice 
 of the Peace, and later he came to be conveyancer, 
 and served in both cap.icities for manj^ years until 
 the time of his death. He had a good knowledge 
 of the law and made a good reputation as a Justice 
 by his uprightness and carefulness in his decisions. 
 He was as an incumbent evcrj^ inch a man, possess- 
 ing probity, true dignit^r, high moral principles and 
 these, no less than his sterling sense, sound intelli- 
 gence, and clear head, commandec,! universal esteem 
 and regard. A terror to evil doers, others found 
 in him a true friend and wise counselor. In his 
 political beliefs Mr. McCoy was a strong ally of the 
 Republican part}-. A true Christian, his Cin-istian- 
 ity was illustrated by his every day life. He was 
 one of the most prominent members of the Presby- 
 terian Church, was one of the first to identifj' him- 
 self with that faith when the few who organized 
 the church worshipped in the courthouse, and he 
 hcliJcd largely in building the Second Presbyterian 
 Church in this city. He was also a great worker 
 in the Sundaj^-school. and taught successively many 
 classes and many of the active business men of to- 
 day can look b.ack to the time when they sat under 
 his instruction and imbibed wholesome teachings 
 which have had an effect in their after lives. It 
 will be seen that bj^ his death, July 9, 1885, a citi- 
 zen was removed from our midst, who was .active 
 and influential in many directions and to whom 
 the community owed much. 
 
 The McCoy family is one of the old and respected 
 families of the cit^'. Mrs. McCoy is still living in 
 a pleasant home which she aided her husband in 
 
 Iniilding, at No. 418 Eaton Street. There thej- cele- 
 brated their golden wedding that marked the fiftieth 
 milestone of a long and happy wedded life. Mrs. 
 McCoy has lived here for more than fifty j'ears 
 and has watched almost the entire growth of the 
 city. Six children were born of her wedded life, 
 all of whom are living, as follows: James McCoy, 
 a wholes.ale grocer on South AVashington Street, 
 (his brothers being connected with him under 
 the firm name of James McCoy & Co.). A. 
 Lindsay, William, Sarah, J. Alexander and J. C. 
 The mother can well be proud of the honored po- 
 sition her sons have attained. A. L. married Miss 
 Ida Weis of this city, and they have three children, 
 Helen I., Lester and Linn. 
 
 \ ^^ AUL S. LIETZ. This name will be rccog- 
 Jl) nized by many readers as that of a rising 
 f^ young architect of Peori.a — a man who has 
 j \ already achieved marked success in his line, 
 who bears the reputation of an honest, trustworthy 
 business man, and whose private character is irre- 
 proachable. He is entire!}' self made, owning his 
 fame and success to his own works, backed by his 
 inherited talent for art, which h.as been of great 
 benefit in the occupation to which he devoted him- 
 self. We are pleased to invite the reader's at- 
 tention to his portrait, which is presented in 
 connection with his personal sketch. 
 
 i\Ir. Lietz is a native of Louisville, Ivy., born in 
 1858, and belonging toa family which h.as produced 
 artists and musicians of high repute. His father, 
 Theodore L. Lietz, was born in Germany, and was 
 formerly an officer in the Germany .army. He is at 
 present residing jn Milwaukee, Wis. He has won 
 fame as an artist, while his eldest son, now United 
 States Band Master at Vallejo, Cal., has gained re- 
 nown as a musician. The mother of our subject 
 was known in her maidenhood as Miss Matilda 
 Scheideraantle. 
 
 When he of whom we write, was five years old 
 he went to Indianapolis, where he attended the 
 public schools when he had arrived at a suitable age, 
 afterward pursuing his studies in Indiana Univer-
 
 812 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 sit\-. After leaving college he began the studj' of 
 architecture under Edwin Maj-, of Indianapolis, 
 one of the first of American architects. A few of 
 the masterpieces designed bj' this gentleman are the 
 Indiana State Asylum, the State House, the Marion 
 County Court-house, and the Northern Indiana 
 State Prison. Young Lietz remained under his tu- 
 telage eight years, imbibing in a great measure the 
 architectural conceptions which have made his 
 instruetor famous. 
 
 In 1880, Mr. Lietz came to Peoria, at once as- 
 suming a position among the leading architects of 
 the place. His works are not confined to the citv, 
 but include the Pontiac Reform School building, 
 the hospital at Bloomington, and manj' other prom- 
 inent structures in the West. A la'-ge number of 
 the fine residences in Peoria are due to his cre- 
 ative genius, while the High-School building, 
 the J. H. Lee school building, the Reed school and 
 library building, which arc pronounced by compe- 
 tent judges to be among the best school buildings 
 of the West, were also designed bj- him. 
 
 The culture, refinement and estimable character 
 of Miss Sarah Albs, a native of Toronto, Canada, 
 won the regard of Mr. Lietz, which being recipro- 
 cated, the}' were united in marri.agc in 1884. They 
 are the happy parents of two interesting children — 
 Olga and Nita. Mr. Lietz is building an elegant 
 residence on Moss Avenue for a home, which under 
 the control of his wife, will undoubtedly become 
 a favorite resort for the best societj- of the city. 
 
 HARLES H. KEACII. The life of this 
 gentleman affords a striking example of 
 i^' perseverance and indomitable courage by 
 which serious reverses have been conquered and a 
 competence accumulated. He began his career in 
 life with no means, but by laboring industriously 
 and managing prudently' he had obtained a foot- 
 hold when his residence was destro3'ed by fire. 
 This catastrophe onl^- made him the more deter- 
 mined and he struggled through it and his other 
 discouragements, finally becoming the owner of 
 three hundred and five acres of land on section 1, 
 
 Kickapoo Township, and being able to place upon 
 his estate excellent farm buildings and all the im- 
 provements which stamp it as the home of a suc- 
 cessful and progressive agriculturist. 
 
 The f.ather of our subject. Heurj- Keach. was 
 born in Rhode Island. He married Lucj' Ilall, a 
 native of Rensselaer County, N. Y., making his 
 home in the East until 1846. He then selected a 
 location in Peoria County, 111., and on the follow- 
 ing j-ear settled his family in Radnor Township. 
 They subsequentl}' removed to Hallock Township, 
 where the\' were living at the time of the death of 
 Mrs. Keach, which occurred in Peoria in the win- 
 ter of 1888. The bereaved husband and father 
 is still living. They reared a family of twelve 
 children, of whon our subject is the third in order 
 of birth. 
 
 The natal day of him of whom we write was 
 June 1, 1833, and his birthplace Hancock, Mass. 
 He was quite 3-oung when his father removed to 
 Renssel.aer Count\-, N. Y. and about thirteen 3'ears 
 old when the family' came to Illinois. He attained 
 to his majority in Radnor Township, remaining 
 under the parental roof until that time. He was 
 married a few months after becoming of age, and 
 settling in Radnor Township remained there until 
 1862. He then removed to Kickapoo Township, 
 where he has remained, engaged almost exclusively 
 in farming and reaping the reward of his pains- 
 taking and persevering efforts. 
 
 At the home of the bride in Stephentown, Rens- 
 selear County, N. Y., in November, 1854, Mr. 
 Keach was united in marriage with Miss Laura 
 Jane, a daughter of William Doty. This lady 
 died in Radnor Township, in September, 1858, 
 leaving one son, William Edwin, who is now farm- 
 ing in Kickapoo Township. He married Miss Mary 
 Sammis. 
 
 March 25, 1862, Mr. Keach contracted a second 
 matrimonial alliance. The ceremon}- was per- 
 formed in Peoria, where the bride. Miss Marian A. 
 Fash, was born July 8. 1842. This union has 
 been blest by the birth of four children, viz. : ElHe 
 G.. wife of George Holmes; Chester P... who mar- 
 ried Emma Slough; Jessie I.; and Cora M., who 
 ilied when about two years old. The surviving 
 children were reared under the careful oversight
 
 PORTRAIT ANDDBI06RAPH1CAL ALBUM. 
 
 813 
 
 of a mother who possesses the nobility of chnrac- 
 ter aiul useful knowledge, which especially fit her 
 to discharge the duties of wife and mother, and 
 which command the respect of all who are ac- 
 quainted with her life and labors. She is a daugh- 
 ter of Abram B.and Georgiettia V. (Smith) Fash.the 
 former of whom died in Peoria in August, 1886. 
 Mr. Keach is somewhat independent in his polit- 
 ical ideas, and exercises the right of suffrage in 
 behalf of the es|)ecial principle which he thinks 
 most important during an}- political campaign, or 
 for the candidate of whom his judgment most 
 approves. He has been School Director, serving 
 acceptabl_y and promoting the interests of the 
 cause of education. By the members of the com- 
 munity in which he lives, he is held in excellent 
 repute as neighbor, citizen and agriculturist. 
 
 ^^1 LEXANDER P. PARR is a son of an 
 (,@/ull early pioneer of Peoria County, and hero 
 ^ the most of his life has been passed, and 
 since attaining manhood he has interested 
 himself in its agricultural development, and is to- 
 day a substantial farmer, earr3ing on his occu- 
 pation in Logan Township. 
 
 Mr. Parr was born in Oswego Count}-, N. Y., 
 May 13, 1831, and is a son of Thomas and Heiress 
 M. (Eno) Parr. His father was born in Ireland in 
 1795, and his mother was born in New York. IMr. 
 Parr had three brothers — John, Joseph and An- 
 drew — who came to the United States, and he and 
 two brothers. Andrew and Joseph, coming directly 
 to tills county, lived and died here. The fatlicr of 
 our suliject came from Ireland to Canada and 
 thence to New York, where he inarried and en- 
 gaged in his occu[)ation of farming. In the fall of 
 1831 he started with his family in a wagon from 
 New York to take the long and momentous jour- 
 ney across the country to the wild and sparsely- 
 settled State of Illinois. For six weeks they were 
 on the way, and finall}- arrived in Peoria in the fall 
 of tlie year. Mr. Parr selected a location about 
 six miles north of Peoria, where he resided until 
 1840, when lie removed to a place one mile west of 
 
 Smithville, on two hundred and forty acres of land, 
 and actively entered upon the pioneer task of pre- 
 paring it for cultivation. In 1852 his labors were 
 brought to a close by his death, and the commu- 
 nity was deprived of a good citizen. His widow 
 still survives at an advanced age. She is the 
 mother of nine children, of whom six were reared 
 to maturit}-, as follows: Alexander; Sarah, wife of 
 David Proctor, who died leaving two children; 
 James; John, a resident of Rollins County, Kan.; 
 Thomas, a physician of Indianola, Iowa; and Sam- 
 uel S. The fatlicr of our subject served in the 
 Black Ilawk War as a teamster, using liis ow-n 
 team. 
 
 Alexander Parr was bred amid the primitive 
 scenes of pioneer life in this count}-, and obtained 
 his education in its rude pioneer schools. He early 
 adopted the calling to which he had been bred, and 
 at one time had a farm of eighty acres in Rosefield 
 Township, which he disposed of at a good price, 
 and then purchased forty acres of his present farm. 
 He has carried on his farming and stock-raising 
 business with discretion, has made money bj- his 
 operations, and is now tlie proprietor of one hun- 
 dred and three acres, ten of which are in timber; 
 he also has three hundred and twenty acres in 
 Thomas County, Kan. He has made the various 
 improvements that made this a veiy desirable 
 farm, in every respect himself, and has done well 
 when we consider that he started out on his own 
 account at the age of twentj--onc, with no other 
 capital than a team and wagon, and the accumula- 
 tion of his property is the result of downright hard 
 labor. 
 
 By her capable management of household affairs 
 the wife of our subject lia,s contriinited her share in 
 the upbuilding of their comfortable home. They 
 were united in the holy bonds of matrimony Feb- 
 ruary 23, 1854. Mrs. Parr, whose maiden name 
 was Rachael M. Cottingham, came of a pioneer 
 family of this county. She v/as born in Hamilton 
 County, 111., February 26, 1835. Her parents were 
 Thomas and Lydia (McNamer) Cottingham, the 
 former a native of Mar3-land, born near Snow Hill 
 in 1801, and the latter a native of Kentuck}-. 
 When he was young Mr. Cottingham left his old 
 home in Marvland to seek a new home on the for-
 
 814 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 tile soil of Ibe Bnekej'e State. On the voyage 
 down the Ohio the father died, and Mrs. Parr's 
 father then took charge of the famil3'. For a time 
 he left his mother, brothers and sisters in Ken- 
 tuekj', and proceeded ' by himself to Hamilton 
 Count3', III., and became an early pioneer of that 
 section of tlie countr}^ and was prominent there as 
 a local minister and merchant. He married there, 
 and in 1843 again became a pioneer, coming with 
 his family to this county and locating in Logan 
 Township on one hundred acres of land, which re- 
 inained his home until his death in March, 1874. 
 His wife was a daughter of Jeremiah McNamer, 
 who married Kiziah Proctor, of Kentuck3-. Mrs. 
 McMamer died, and was the second one to be bur- 
 ied in Pleasant Grove, being interred in the Mttho- 
 dist Episcopal Churclyard. Mrs. Parr's parents had 
 eleven children, of whom the following ten grew 
 to maturity: John F. ; Jeremiah B. ; Kiziah Jane, 
 novv Mrs. Richardson : Susan E. H., wife of John C. 
 Kimzy, now deceased, dying in Kansas; Rachael 
 M. A.; Thomas V.; Mary E., who died young, 
 Sarah E.; Martha E. V., who died young; and 
 Eliza A., Mrs. Hurff. Mr. and Mrs. Cottingham 
 were worthy members of tlie Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 This brief life-record suffices to show that he is a 
 man of solid virtues and exemplary life, and is de- 
 serving of honorable mention in this work dedi- 
 cated to the citizens of Peoria County. He and 
 his estimable wife belong to the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, and ate never behind their fellow- 
 members in the good work accomplished by the 
 society. 
 
 T ,^OX. A. J. BELL is a well-known citizen of 
 
 Peoria, honored for his legal ability, his 
 lo}"alt3^ to the flag during the Civil War, 
 and his labors in journalism and the polit- 
 ical arena. A man of broad intelligence, good con- 
 versational powers and honorable character, his 
 friends are not confined to the members of his 
 profession or partj', but include all who appreci- 
 ate culture and uprightness. He is a native of 
 Madison County. Ohio, born Maj- 25, 1842. and 
 
 descendant in the paternal line of an ancestor who 
 came from England to Virginia in 1718. His 
 father, 'William Bell, a native of the Empire State, 
 died in 1842, and five j-ears later his widow. Mar^' 
 (Wright) Bell, came with her son to Marshall 
 County, III. 
 
 After securing a fair common-school education, 
 young Bell entered Lombard University', in which 
 his scholastic career was interrupted by the excite- 
 ment incident upon the opening of the Civil War. 
 He had scarcely passed his twentieth birthday ere 
 he enlisted in the Eleventh Illinois Infantrj', the 
 date of his enrollment being August 13, 1862. The 
 Sundaj' after he reached the regiment he partici- 
 pated in a fight with Gen. Morgan .at Rigby's Hill, 
 the next heavy engagement being on the Talla- 
 hatchie River. Owing to an attack of tj'phoid fever 
 young Bell did cot participate in the siege of Vicks- 
 burg but was on duty subsequentlj' with his regiment 
 at Yazoo City and in several skirmishes where hot 
 work was done, but which, being engaged in by 
 comparatively few men, figure slightly in general 
 history. Mr. Bell was present during the siege 
 and capture of Mobile, took part in the last fight 
 of the war — the siege of Ft. Blakele\', and was 
 discharged July 24, 18G5. 
 
 Immediatelj' after the war Mr. Bell was admitted 
 to the bar and began the practice of his profession 
 at Clinton, from which place he removed after a 
 year's residence to Lacon. In that town he so- 
 journed six years, removing thence to Peoria in 
 1873. Here he became political editor of the Na- 
 tional Democrat, a position which he filled two 
 j'ears. In 1880 Mr. Bell was elected to the State 
 Senate, and so well did be carry out the wishes of 
 his constituents and so thoroughly satisfy' them 
 regarding bis abilit3' as a legislator, that he was 
 re-elected in 1884. In 1888 he was a candidate 
 for Lieutenant-Governor on the Democratic ticket, 
 but although he made a good race failed of elec- 
 tion. In March, 1889, he resumed editorial labors, 
 taking a position upon the Peoria Herald. 
 
 As a journalist the logical mind and training of 
 Mr. Bell give his words a force which is added to 
 by his effective use of shafts of wit; as a legis- 
 lator he endeavored to promote measures which 
 would increase the material prosperity of the State,
 
 3IefiSon.,L .Woodruff
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 HIT 
 
 aid its citizens to become better int'onucil, and 
 give to its poor or uaforLunate better accommoda- 
 tions and greater care. In comraemoration of the 
 weary niontlis wliicla lie spent at the front, and the 
 dark (la^ys of the eountr3's history, he is a member 
 of tlie (Irand Army of the Republic. 
 
 Tlie refined, accomplished ladj' who presides 
 over the home of Mr. Bell is a native of Marsiiall 
 County, known in her uiaidenliood as Miss Amanda 
 Uavis, whose marriage rites were celebrated March 
 12, 186G. The ha[)py union has been blest ity the 
 birtli of one child, who bears the name of Fair}' K. 
 
 'jEi^EL.SON L. WOODRIFF, whose portrait is 
 I 1/ Pi'ssented on the opposite page, and who 
 ll\ /Zfe, died a little more than a decade since, was 
 an honored resident of I'eoria for many years, 
 classed among her most enterprising business men, 
 and i>eaceable, law-abiding citizens. He was born in 
 Chenango County, N. Y., May 24, IHIfS. being a 
 son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Woodruff, who re- 
 moved to Peoria in 1834. The elder Woodruff 
 was a farmer, and tin- youthful d.ays of Nelson L. 
 were spent in the usual manner of those reared 
 upon farms. U|)on reaching manhood he became 
 a cooper, following his trade for some time in 
 Lower Peoria, and afterward hnilding the first 
 canal boat used on the Illinois Canal. The boat 
 was named the " Ft. Clark." In 1855 Mr. Wood- 
 ruff engaged in the ice business, which has been 
 continued from that d.ate, his widow now l)eing 
 President of the company which bears his name. 
 Mr. Woo'lruff w.as called from time to eternity 
 October 23, 1870. 
 
 Many an interesting incideiit can lie related b}' 
 Mrs. Mary A. Woodruff, and many a word-picture 
 <lrawn of the village of a half-century ago, so dif- 
 ferent from the large and flourishing city of to-day. 
 She has been a witness to the growth of Peoria 
 and the development of her multiplied interests 
 since 1835, during which ye.ar she was brought 
 hither by her parents. She was born in Lnzerne 
 County, Pa., .laiiuary 1, 1826, to Samuel and Lois 
 (Brown) Monroe, who were likewise natives of the 
 
 Ke^'stone State. Family tradition claims ihat all 
 the Monroes of the United States are descended 
 from three brothers who came together to this 
 country from Scotland several genei'ations ago. 
 The Brown family is of English extraction. Mr. 
 Monroe was a miller, who after coming to this 
 county purchased the mill built by John Hamlin, 
 the first in " this section. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Monroe were born eleven children, of whom four 
 are living, namely : Mrs. F^liza Brown of Peoria; 
 Mrs. Adam Sholl, of Pckin; James, of Limestone; 
 and Mrs. Woodruff. 
 
 Marriage rites were celebrated between Nelson 
 L. Woodruff and Jlary A. Monroe, October 15, 
 1 84(1. For more than liiirty years they shared in 
 the joys and sorrows of life, when death with en- 
 vious hand separated them, leaving to the widow 
 7nany loving memories to soften her grief. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. WoodrutT seven children were born, 
 five of whom are living. They are: Mrs. George 
 F. lunerson, of Peoria; Mrs. N. H. McCoy, of Chi- 
 cago; Mrs. W. T. Irwin, of Peoria; Mrs. II. B. 
 Morgan; and Edward N., Secretary of the Wood- 
 ruff Ice Company, at Peoria. 
 
 Mrs. Woodruff is a consistent member of the 
 First Ba|)tist Chinch, and in the same faith her 
 husband w.as an ardent believer. Politically, Mr. 
 Woodruff was a stanch Republican, and a Union 
 man during the war. She has displayed much 
 business .acumen since the death of her husband 
 loft to her the oversight of affairs, which she has 
 been conducting in a creditable manner. She has 
 many warm friends, not onl}' among her contempo- 
 raries, but among those of a later generation, who 
 heartily enjoy her stories of the olden times, her 
 genial courtesy and her trne womanliness. 
 
 -l-f-l^g^H-'-^^ 
 
 C. RANDALL. The home of this gentle- 
 ., man and his highly esteemed wife and fani- 
 
 \^/ ily is most attractive to .all lovers of home- 
 likeness. The roomy old dwelling, built of stone 
 and brick, gives the observer the impression of 
 "four stories, all on the ground floor" and satisfies 
 him that the builders wrought for the comfort of
 
 818 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the occupants and the varied needs of family life. 
 It is surrounded by well-tilled fields and an abund- 
 ant sujiply of small fruits, together with all need- 
 ful farm buildings. The seventy-two acres which 
 comprise the estate are devoted to mixed farming, 
 and iVIr. Randall is also much interested in bee 
 culture, which he began twent3'-five j^ears since 
 without any previous knowledge of the business. 
 
 Mr. Randall is of highly respectable ancestry, 
 his father being Elias Randall, a native of New 
 Vork, and his mother, Mindwell, daughter of War- 
 ren Corning, of Now Hampshire. Grandfather 
 Corning was a Colonel in the AVar of 1812. The 
 parents of our subject resided for some time after 
 their marriage in Mentor, Ohio, where the father 
 was engaged as a carpenter, cabinet-maker and 
 farmer. He l}uilt and occupied, what is now known 
 as the Garfield homestead, which he sold to the late 
 President for $13,000. Mr. and Mrs. Randall re- 
 moved to Illinois in 1854, making their home in 
 I'eoria, where Mr. Randall laid out and platted 
 Randall's Addition. He speculated considerably 
 in land during his later years. He breathed his last 
 in 1 867. his wife surviving until 1884. The3' had 
 seven children, one of whom is now deceased. 
 
 Our subject is the fifth in order of l)irth in the 
 parental family, having opened his eyes to the light 
 June 17, 1830, in Lake C(nuity, Ohio. His youth 
 was spent in his native State, and his boyhood 
 divided between attendance at the district schools 
 and cutting cord-wood, timber and rails, pulling 
 stumps and otherwise exerting his ph}-sical energy. 
 He finally became a student in the High .School at 
 Kirtland, Ohio, where he well remembers seeing 
 Jose|)h Smith and other (jroniinent Mormons, whose 
 temple was located there. After having remained 
 with his parents until twenty-three years of age, he 
 liegan his own career as a salesman of apple trees, 
 also spending about five months in the lightning- 
 rod business. His labors l)efore the war were in 
 various parts of the SDuthern States. 
 
 Mr. Randall next entered land in Iowa and Ne- 
 braska, l)ut taking the gold fever started to Pike's 
 Peak. He went only as far as Omaha, Neb., when 
 he determined to return eastward and, making his 
 way back to Illinois, resumed his former occupa- 
 tion making trips to various places. In 1863 he 
 
 married and settled on section 33,Elmwood Town- 
 ship, Peoria County, where he has permanently re- 
 mained. He owns seventy-two acres of land, the 
 cultivation of which he still superintends. His 
 labors have not been entirely confined to his per- 
 sonal affairs but he has acted for those about him 
 as Pathmaster and School Director, having served 
 in the latter capacity six years. He has voted the 
 Republican ticket since the organization of the 
 party, and in connection with his political views 
 recalls with pleasure a call made upon Abraham 
 Lincoln at Springfield at the time of the first elec- 
 tion of the lamented martyr. In his \outh he was 
 identified with the Christian Church. 
 
 The wife of our subject is a lady of intelligence 
 and generous nature, in whom he has found a faith- 
 ful helpmate. She was known in her maidenhood 
 as Miss Elvira Barstow and was born September 1, 
 1844, in Muskingum County, Ohio. She received 
 but a common-school education, but has improved 
 every opportunity to continue her mental growth, 
 and lia^ been all that a wise and affectionate mother 
 can be to her children who owe much to her coun- 
 sel and training. She and her husband have taught 
 their sons and daughters to follow the guidance of 
 conscience and to use as a foundation for their 
 character the Golden Rule. 
 
 The family of Mr. and Mrs. Randall is made up 
 of Lottie, Nellie M., Daisy Belle, Emma, Willard 
 C. and Happy Jim. The first-born taught four 
 ye.ars at Wahpeton, N. Dak.; she became the wife 
 of F. C. Bohn and the mother of a daughter, Car- 
 lotta Irene, who was left motherless when two weeks 
 old. The dying hours of Mrs. Bohn were cheered 
 by the faith of the Congregational Church, of which 
 she was a consistent member. Nellie and Daisy 
 have adopted the profession of teaching, and Emma 
 h.as just been graduated from the Farmington High 
 School. They are highly spoken of by the entire 
 neighborhood. The nature of the younger son is 
 fitly expressed by his name. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Randall were born, reared 
 and married in Muskingum County, Ohio. They 
 removed thence to Illinois in 1846, lirst settling at 
 LaHar()e, Hancock County, and then moving onto 
 a farm, where they lived thirteen years. At the 
 expiration of that period they came to Peoria
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 819 
 
 County', settling in Elmwood Towiishiii. wlicre the 
 fatlior, AVaiTon llarstow, died in 1870. The motln'r, 
 Eiizabelli (l'.:itenian) Bnrstow. is still living, being 
 now sixty-eight years old. They had six sons and 
 four daughters, one of whom is now dead. Mart 
 Woodruff, an uncle of Jlr. Piarstow, was Captain of 
 the company at lAallarpc which drove the Mormons 
 out of Hancock County. 
 
 ml^=i 
 
 ~®^" 
 
 ylLIJAM C. KDWARDS is a native of this 
 county and is now prominently- identitied 
 ^ ^ with its real estate dealers, who have had 
 as much or more to do with the upbuiMing of this 
 section of the State than any other class of men. 
 lie is associated with Mar3' E. Culver, and they 
 carry on business under the style of Culver ct P^d- 
 wards, with their oflice in the city of Peoria. 
 
 Our subject was horn in Prineeville, August 20, 
 1858, and is a son of John D., and P^veline A. 
 (Parker) Ivlwards, nativcsof Brown County, Ohio, 
 whence they came to this county in 1842. John 
 Edwards was in early life a shoemaker, but after- 
 ward adopted the calling of a farmer, and was one 
 of the active pioneeis of this county. He and his 
 worthy wife had a family of eight children of whom 
 the following five are living: Edwin B., an artist 
 in Peoria; J. Oscar, a farmer in Kansas; William 
 C; Clarence D., a farmer in Iowa, and George S., 
 a farmer in Iowa. The three deceased are Charles 
 L., who was drowned in the Illinois River in June, 
 18G9, Alvin and I'.va. 
 
 The subject of this brief biographical review was 
 given fine educational advantages. lie laid the 
 foundation of his ijook learning in the public 
 Schools of this county, and completed his educa- 
 tion at Valparaiso, Ind. lie was thoroughly equipped 
 for the profession of a pedagogue and for nearly 
 six years taught school in this county. He subse- 
 quently entered the mercantile business as clerk 
 and for five years was thus employed. He next be- 
 came advertising agent for the Journal and acted 
 in that cai)acity very satisfactorily for one year. 
 August 16, 1889, our subject entered upon a new 
 career, as on that date he entered into (lartner-ship 
 
 with Miss Culver and two others in the real-estate 
 business, the firm name then being the Peoria Real 
 Estate, Loan and Insurance Exchange: but after 
 about six months he and Miss Culver bought the 
 interests of the other members, and changed the 
 name to that of Culver & luhvartls. They are 
 meeting with excellent success, often making large 
 sales of realty and doing well in the other branches 
 of their business. 
 
 Mr. Edwards was mariied to Miss Dora, daugh- 
 ter of William .Simpson, June 21, 1883, and they 
 have established in this city a charming home that 
 is the center of true culture and a gracious hos- 
 pitalil\-. Their married life has been rendered 
 happier lij- the child that has I>ecn born to them, 
 whom they have named Neta G. 
 
 Jlr. Edwards brings a vigorous, keen intellect 
 and a most excellent capacity for business to the 
 management of his affairs, and is one of the most 
 wide-awake and active of our business men. He is 
 connected with the Independent Order of Blutual 
 Aid as one of its leading members. He is influential 
 in local politics as one of the slanchest members of 
 the Republican ixarty. 
 
 OHN HALLER is a substantial farmer and 
 stock-raiser, making a specialty' of breeding 
 Poland-China hogs, from the sale of which 
 he derives an excellent income. He carries 
 on his farming operations in Timber Township, of 
 which he is one of the leading citizens, being prom- 
 inent in its public and political life.' 
 
 Mr. Ilaller was born December 27. 1846, in Wur- 
 temberg, Germany. His parents were Ludwig and 
 Anna Maria (Merktlin) Hailer, and they were born 
 in Wurtemberg, in the same place as himself, in the 
 town of Kottweil. The subject's paternal grand- 
 father was Ludwig Ilaller, and he had the fol- 
 lowing children: Erederick, Adam, Ludwig, George, 
 Rosina. Frederick and Adam came to the United 
 States about the year 1836, and settled in Pennsyl- 
 vania where they carried on farming. Frederick 
 came from there to this county in 1851. He was a 
 married man and leared a faniilj- of three sons and
 
 820 
 
 PORTE AIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 throe daughters. An uncle of the father of our 
 subject also came to this county and settled in 
 I'ennsyivania. 
 
 The father of our subject came to tbis country 
 with liis entire family of six children, and landed 
 in Peoria June 14, 1859. They were sixty days 
 on the ocean, and the voyage from New Orleans 
 by river occupied eight da3-s more. Mr. Haller 
 settled in the northeastern part of Timber Town- 
 siiip on an eightj'-acre tract of wild land. He toiled 
 hard and after a great deal of pioneer labor de- 
 veloped a good farm and in the comfortable home 
 he built up here died in the month of June, 1878, at 
 the age of seventy-seven years, he having been 
 born December 2, 1802. His wife who was born 
 June 6, 180G, survived him until April 15, 1889, 
 when she too passed away. The}' were the parents 
 of the following children : Ludwig, a resident of 
 Jacksonville; Mary, deceased ; Fredericka, deceased ; 
 Rosiua who died young; George and John. 
 
 John Haller of whom these lines are written, 
 grew to man's estate ou a farm, and early learned 
 the rudiments of agriculture. He acquired an ex- 
 cellent education in the schools of the Fatherland 
 which has been of benefit to him in his after ca- 
 reer. He was a lad of thirteen years when lie ac- 
 companied his parents to this countrj% and was of 
 great assistance to his father in the work of con- 
 ducting his agricultural interests. In the fall of 
 18G9 he utilized his education by entering the 
 teacher's profession and taught for eighteen years, 
 and for several winters attended school as a stu- 
 dent, being ambitious to still further increase his 
 book lore. He had charge of one school for eight 
 consecutive years and in the summer carried on 
 farming. Wishing to devote himself more exclu- 
 sively to agricultural pursuits, in the spring of 
 1875, he purchased eighty acres of land where he 
 now resides. He lias since been busily engaged in 
 placing it under cultivation and improving it and 
 has made of it a choice farm, supplied with excel- 
 lent buildings, and all the necessary appliances for 
 tilling the soil, and from it he reaps good harvests, 
 and is laying up a comfortable income. 
 
 Mr. Haller has not been without the assistance of 
 a capable, cheerful helper in the person of his wife, 
 to whom he was married August 24, 1874. To them 
 
 liave come two children — Boyd and May. Mrs. 
 Haller is a native of this township and county, and 
 is a daughter of Sliadrack and Lucy Ann (I)oan) 
 Scott, natives of Kentucky and New York and pio- 
 neers of this section of the countrj'. 
 
 A man of Mr. Hallcr's calibre, steady habits.and 
 intelligent mind, is useful in any community and 
 this township was fortunate in securing him as a 
 citizen. He has been one of its most valuable civic 
 officials, has acted as Road Commissioner for six 
 years, was Supervisor for two years and held the 
 position of Assessor of the township six years. He 
 is very prominent in Democratic circles, and h« 
 attended county and State conventions. 
 
 ETER A. BERGNER. Probably no young 
 man in Peoria has a more promising business 
 career opening before him than has the gen- 
 tleman above named, who, with his partnen 
 is obtaining a fair share of public patronage as a 
 dealer in dry goods. The establishment of Bergner 
 & Potter is now located at No. 119 South Adams 
 Street, and in the orderliness of its arrangements, 
 the neatness which pervades it, and its elegant 
 stock of well-selected goods, is one of the most 
 noticeable stores in Central Illinois. The young 
 men richly deserve success for the judgment they 
 have displaj'ed in the selection and the business tact 
 in the disposal of their goods, and the honorable, 
 courteous treatment which they accord to their cus- 
 tomers; and there is no doubt but that they will 
 achieve the merited reward. 
 
 Mr. Bergner was born in Leer, East Friesland, 
 Germany, December 1, 1862, being a son of Charles 
 AV. E. and Hilke (Bonk) Bergner, natives of the 
 same town as himself. In 1870 the family emi- 
 grated to America, locating in Freeport, III., where 
 the father opened a dye house. He is now living 
 in Bailej'ville, engaged in the sale of general mer- 
 chandise. His industrious habits and thrifty ways 
 were an excellent example to his son, who inherits 
 a fair share of the same traits, and has also had to 
 assist him, good advice from worthy parents.
 
 
 '>^'
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 823 
 
 The sulijoct of our sketch began to work on a 
 farm when twelve years okl, anil at the age of 
 twenty became a clerk for William Walton, in Free- 
 port, with whom lie remained seven years. He 
 then spent one year with .Sliip[)en & Block, at 
 Pekin, after wiiicli exi)erie!ice he opened a Imsiness 
 for himself, September 15, 1889, at No. 1327, 
 South Adams Street. The business was removed 
 to its present quarters May 15, 1 «',)(). 
 
 Mr. Bergner was married at Pekin, (October 13, 
 1886, to ftliss EmmaA'ekle, an intelligent and most 
 estimable young lady, well fitted to make a happy 
 home. The marriage has been blest by the birth 
 of two children — Aaron IL and Clarence. Mr. 
 Bergner i.>. a member of the Presbyterian Church, 
 while his wife is an equall}- consistent believer 
 in the principles of Methodism and is identi- 
 fied with the Methodist Episcopal denomination. 
 Both are endeavoring to can-y their faith into their 
 daily walk and conversation, and therefore gain the 
 respect of all who know their lives, while their 
 social qualities win many friends. 
 
 ^-^M 
 
 fe 
 
 aHARLKS J. OFF, only member of the lirm 
 ^ of C. .1. Off & Co., is one of the largest 
 / and most prominent wholesale grocery deal- 
 ers in Peoria, also engaged as a manufacturer of 
 baking powder and grinder of spices, etc., and is 
 conveniently located at Nos. 116-118-120 Liberty 
 Street, where he does a large and satisfactory busi- 
 ness. The success which has attended tiie lirm 
 since its establishment under the present manage- 
 ment, January- 1, 1878, is a rare compliment to the 
 business capacity and efficiency of its [irojector. In 
 addition to his city salesmen Mr. Off emi)loys 
 seven or eight men on the road. 
 
 A native of the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Ger- 
 many, Mr. Off was born October 21, 1813, and 
 when a boy of eleven years came with his parents 
 to America. They located in Peoria, being among 
 its early settlers. Charles J. had begun a practi- 
 cal education in the German tongue in his native 
 country and completed his studies in the city 
 schools of Peoria. He entered upon his business 
 
 careei' at the age of sixteen years as a clerk in a 
 retail grocer}' store in this cit}'. He was in Ciii- 
 cago one year during the war, in the grocei y busi- 
 ness, and had charge of the Commissary Department 
 at Camp IJouglas, which was furnis'ieil with sup- 
 plies by Mr. Solomon, iiis eni|iloyer, under Col. De- 
 land, now of Jackson, Mich. 
 
 In tlie fall of 18G3, Mr. Oh returned to Peoria 
 and entered the em|iloy of the grocery firm of 11- 
 rich ifc Ruppelius, remaining witii them until Jan- 
 uary 1, 1873. He then formed a partnership with 
 Messrs. Henry, Oakford and Fahnest(ick, which* 
 continued for five years with profitable results. 
 Mr. Oft' then erected his present store building and 
 established his present business which has increased 
 yearly to magnificent proportions. 
 
 On January 1, 1890, Mr. OIT enlarged his facili- 
 ties for doing business by the addition of twenty- 
 four feet front so that he now has a building of 
 seventy-two feet front, and four stories and base- 
 ment in height, all of which is devoted to his busi- 
 ness. It is situated in the center of the wholesale 
 district. The spice and coffee mills were added two 
 years from the establishment of the main business, 
 Mr. Off purchasing of Dr. B. F. Miles the Peoria 
 Chemical Works. The accumulations of Mr. Off 
 have been the result of his own industry as he 
 started out in life dependent upon his own re- 
 sources, and he furnishes a fine illustration of the 
 results of energy and perseverance. 
 
 In politics Mr. Off affiliates with the Republican 
 party. He was for one 3ear a member of the 
 Boaid of Supervisors and a member of the Finance 
 Committee of that body. With this exception he 
 has given his entire attention to his business af- 
 fairs. He has been for many years identified with 
 the Masonic fraternity, having attained to the 
 Knight Templar and Thirty-Second degrees. He 
 is an E|)iscopalian in religion and with his estima- 
 ble wife belongs to St. Paul's Church in Peoria. 
 
 The subject of this notice was joined in wedlock 
 with Miss Maggie Fey, October 28, 1879, at the 
 bride's home in this city. Mrs. Off wjis born in 
 1855, in Kentucky, and is a daughter of the well- 
 known David Fe}', the leading jeweler of Peoria. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Off are proud in the possession of 
 four bright boys, namely : Charles David, Robert,
 
 824 
 
 rORTKAlT AND BIOCUAPIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Walter and Clifford. The family residence is lo- 
 cated in the noitliern part of the city and forms 
 one of its most attractive homes. 
 
 A litliograpliic portrait of Mr. Off on anotlier 
 page claims the attention of tbe reader, among 
 other valuable features of tliis volume. 
 
 ANFOUI) R. PKUKINS, M. D. The ex- 
 tended and favoralile reputatioji of Dr 
 ^X\J__M Terkins is not based alone upon his suc- 
 cessful work as a physician and surgeon, 
 but upon his meritorious record as a Union soldier, 
 and his agreeable personal traits of character. 
 From the beginning of his professional labors he 
 has been successful, and in less tlian a decade lias 
 built up tlie largest practice in Prince ville Town- 
 ship and vicinity. He began his work witli a thor- 
 ough theoretical knowledge of all that pertains to 
 his profession, and luis increased his informati(jn 
 from year to j ear as further <levelopments liave 
 been made in medical science, and as his own keen 
 observation has given him advanced views. 
 
 Some brief notes regarding the parental liistory 
 will lead to a better understanding of the life and 
 character of our subject. I lis father, Josiali S. 
 Perkins, was reared on a farm in iMeiHna County, 
 Ohio, where his birth liad taken place. He was a 
 soldier during the War of 1812. In 1848 he re- 
 moved to Jefferson County, Wis., entered timber 
 land near Watertown, and undertook tiie arduous 
 labor of clearing and improving a farm. Seven 
 years later, during tlic cholera season of 185.5, lie 
 and another man seeing that people were notljuried 
 on account of the dread of the disease, themselves 
 undertook to dispose of the corpses. Mr. Perkins 
 finall}' was stricken witli tiie dire disease an<l he 
 and his second wife died at the same time. He was 
 a Justice of the Peace for many years. In i)oliti(s 
 he was a Jackson Democrat, and in religious belief 
 a Universalist. He had a well-informed mind and 
 during his early days had been a teacher. 
 
 The motlier of our subject was known in her 
 maidenhood as Miss Elizabeth Conklin. Slie was 
 a native of the Empire State. Her deatli took place 
 
 when our subject was an infant, and tlie fatiier 
 subsequently married a Miss Brown. He of whom 
 we write was the tliird child of liis mother, liis 
 brothers liaving liorne the names of Marion and 
 Avery. Tlie former was drowned when a cliild in 
 Ohio, and tlie latter gave his life to his country 
 during the Civil War. He had enlisted under the 
 first call for troops in 1861, being enrolled in Com- 
 pany D, Sixth Wisconsin Infantry. At the battle 
 of South Mountain, September 14, 18G2, he re- 
 ceived a wound, but picking up the colors which he 
 had dropped, being Color Sergeant, he moved for- 
 ward until a second ball entered his head, causing 
 death. 
 
 The, second union of the father of our subject re- 
 sulted in the birth of four children : Andrew K., killed 
 in the army; Mrs. Cyrena 1\I. Denton, of Waukesha 
 County, Wis.; I'^liphalet N., who was killed by the 
 kick of a horse, and Mrs. Adelaide Colwell, now of 
 Jefferson Count}', Wis. Andrew enlisted in 18G3, 
 when about sixteen years old, in the Thirty-sixth 
 Wisconsin Infantry, which became a part of Han- 
 cock's corps. He took part in all the battles from 
 the liaiiidan to the James liiver, and at the lirst 
 assault on Petersburg was fatally wounded. 
 
 Dr. Perkins was born in Medina Township and 
 county, Ohio, February 9, 1845. He was taken 
 to AV'isconsin when eighteen months old and lived 
 on the farm until nine years of age, at which time 
 he was left an orphan. He began working out at 
 14 a inonlli, his labors being gradually better i)ajd 
 until he could earn $'J a month. He managed to 
 attend school during the winter seascuis, working 
 for his board in various districts, and clothing 
 liimself with the [iroceeds of his suiiiiiier labors, 
 still making his homo in Jefferson County. In Au- 
 gust, 1S(J2, while yet in his teens, he was enrolled 
 in Company (1, Twentietli Wisconsin Infantry, un- 
 der Capt. Miller. 
 
 Young Perkins was mustered into tiie service at 
 Madison as a private and sent at once to Benton 
 Barracks, IMo. He took part with his comrades in 
 various skirmishes leading up to the battle of Prai- 
 rie Grove December 7, 1802. The boys then had 
 a forced march to Van Buren, Ark., and after the 
 battle there returned to Prairie (irove and thence 
 through to Raleigh, N. C, where they emliarkcd
 
 I'OIM'KAIT AKD BIOGUAPIUCAL ALBUM. 
 
 825 
 
 for Yicksbiug. Tliuie they took |)ail in the siege 
 and buttles until their regiment and tlie Nineteenth 
 Iowa were plaeed in eharge of the [irisoners. When 
 the eaptives were paroled the Union soldieis were 
 sent down the river to take part in tlie attack on 
 Port Hudson. 
 
 Following this came the contest at Lake Provi- 
 dence, the removal to New Orleans and tlie expe- 
 dition up the Red Ui\er under (ien. Banks. The 
 'I'wenlieth took part in the tlank movement, landing 
 at Pjrazos Santiago, and marching to Brownsville, 
 where they rebuilt the forts. The expedition prov- 
 ing disastrous, they returned to the river and pai'- 
 ticipated in battles at Fts. Morgan and Spanish and 
 after the taking of Mobile went to Galveston, Tex. 
 There our subject was mustered out of service and 
 being sent to Madison, Wis., received his discharge in 
 September, 18(35, being not yet twenty one years 
 of age. He was one of the fortunate number who 
 escaped wounds during the man}- months in which 
 he was exposed to danger and death. 
 
 Returning to Jefferson County, Wis., Mr. Per- 
 kins took the money that he had saved while in the 
 army and entering the [ireparatory dei)artment of 
 Milton College, pursued the studies of a scientific 
 course two years. His health failing, he was ad- 
 vised to abandon close mental work and he engaged 
 in teaching in Jefferson aud Waukeslia Counties. 
 He carried on pedagogical work in Delalield seven 
 and a half years, and in Palmj'ra live years, holding 
 the position of Principal. During the last live 
 years he studied medicine, his preceptors being 
 Drs. Peardon & Sherman. Anatomy had been his 
 hobby for years, and during all his army life he had 
 carried a text book on ph3siology and anatomy 
 with him. 
 
 In l.S.Sl our subject entered the Medical Depart- 
 ment of Butler 1 niversily, at Indianapolis, Ind., 
 and having taken two courses of lectures was grad- 
 uated in the spring of LS8;i, with a standing of 
 ninety-five and a half per cent., the third highest 
 in the class. He selected Monica. JU., as a field of 
 labor and h.as all that he desires to do, his practice 
 extending over a r.adius of tliirty-five or forty 
 miles. He reached Monica with a capital of pro- 
 fessional knowledge and fifty cents in money, to- 
 gether with his natural abilities. He now owns two 
 
 farms, one in Bureau County and one in Prince- 
 villle Townshi|), this county, the whole comprising 
 one hundred and sixty acres. He also has some 
 fine horses. 
 
 Dr. Perkins w.as fortunate in winning fin- his 
 i'omi)anion a l:idy of relineiiu^nt and most eNtimnbIc 
 character, this being Miss Mary J. Lowerre,;i native 
 of Milwaukee, Wis. Her father, Robert S. Lowerre, 
 has been engaged in mercantile iiursuits in Dela- 
 lield, Wis., for years and there the marriage was 
 celebrated July 24, 1,SG7. Doctor and Mrs. Per- 
 kins have two sons, the younger of whom. Ldward 
 A., is at home. The elder, Robert S., is attending 
 the Chicago College of Dental Surgery, from which 
 he expects to be graduated in 18!»l. 
 
 While in Indiana Dr. Peikins was President of 
 the Sydenham Medical Society. lie united with 
 the Masonic lodge at Palmyra, Wis., when twenty- 
 one years old, and later was identified with Lodge 
 No. 33, R. A. M., in Juneau County, and a lodge 
 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Dela- 
 lield. He is a menjjer of the Democratic party. 
 His manners are affable and agreeabh^ his conver- 
 sational powers excellent and his character honor- 
 able and u|)right. 
 
 |)ENJAMIN WARREN, Jk. The enterprise 
 exhibited by this gentleman in the conduct 
 (f^)]Jj of li's Inisiness affairs has been such as lo 
 entitle him to the rcsiiect of other dealers 
 and give him a prominent pl.ace in the commercial 
 circles of I'eoria. He was born in Lallarpe, Han- 
 cock County, July 22, 1852, passed his boyhood 
 days in his native place, and after obtaining a 
 good i)raclical education, embarked in the grain 
 business when twenty years old. Four years lalei', 
 in 1876, he came to I'eoria, continuing the busi- 
 ness in which he had jireviously l)een engaged and 
 in which he has become an adept. He is connected 
 with the Board of Trade, of which he was Presi- 
 dent in 1885. 
 
 Mr. Warren is President of the Amerieus Club, 
 and a liighlj--respceted member of the Knights of 
 Pythias. He has been a Director of the Peoria Ira-
 
 826 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 provement Association since its organization was 
 effected, and is now President of tliat bodj'. He 
 1ms never been an as|nrant for political honors, but 
 is a"wlieel horse" in hcl|)ing frien<ls who do desire 
 political preferment. He no doubt inherits nuieh 
 of his tact in trade, as his father has been engaged 
 in general merchandising for ^-ears. He located in 
 LaHarpe about 18t5, coming thence from his na- 
 tive .Stale of Maine. In the Illinois town he met, 
 wooed and married Miss Portia A. JS'utt. an Oiiio 
 lady of estimable character. To his worthy i)ar- 
 ents our subject owes nuich for their counsel and 
 watchful guidance during his earlj' years. 
 
 An important step in the life of our subject was 
 consummated Februar3^ 12, 1879, it being no less 
 than his marriage to Aliss Bertha, daughter of 
 A. H. and Catherine (Baker) Day, her father form- 
 erly a merchant of Joliet, but both now deceased. 
 Mrs. Warren is a well-bred and well-educated lad}', 
 who surrounds her husband and children with the 
 joys of a happy home life, and hospitably entertains 
 the friends who gather beneath her roof. 51 r. and 
 Mrs. Warren have three children — Ella, Charles D. 
 and Frank M. 
 
 ICAJAII C. MACY. Manly courage and 
 . energy are exemplified in the career of this 
 li- gentleman, whose days are given to in- 
 dustrious and well directed labors on a 
 farm in Elmwood Township. The estate consists 
 of one hundred and sixty acres on section 1, in one 
 bodj% forty acres of timber, and the balance im- 
 proved and devoted to mixed farming. A visitor 
 will find thereon an attractive residence, commodi- 
 ous barns and other needful structures, together 
 with all which goes to make up a well-regulated 
 farm property. The dwelling was erected in 1886, 
 and the new barn in 1887, at a joint cost of «2.800. 
 A view of his elegant residence will be found else- 
 where in this work. 
 
 Mr. Macy was born in Indiana, October 14, 
 1840, and came to Illinois in 1853. His parents, 
 Thomas and Sarah (Petty) Macy, were natives of 
 North Carolina and resided in that State until 
 
 1828 when they took up their abode in Indiana. 
 Upon coming to Illinois some years later they set- 
 tled in Fulton County, but in 185G, removed to 
 Elmwood Township, Peoria County. The father, 
 who was a shoemaker and farmer, liveil until 1874, 
 but his wife died in 18G;). They had eight children, 
 five of whom are now living. 
 
 The subject of this brief review received a com- 
 mon-school education only, having his own way to 
 make from his fifteenth year. At that time he took 
 charge of the familj', continuing at its head until 
 he was twenty-six j'ears old. In August, 18C2, he 
 enlisteil in Coinpanj' I. Seventy -seventh Illinois 
 Infantry, and after serving five months was dis- 
 charged on account of illness. He then returned 
 to the farm, to the cultivation of which he has de- 
 voted himself with unflagging perseverance. This 
 is the more creditable as in 1864, he lost the thumb 
 on his right hand while oiling a threshing machioe 
 and in 1874, he was crippled liy the loss of his left 
 hand in almost the same manner. While oiling a 
 threshing machine which was in motion his left 
 hand was caught in the gearing and so badl}- mashed 
 that it was necessary to amputate it above the 
 wrist. Since that time Mr. Macy has used a hook in 
 place of the missing member. 
 
 The efiicieut companion of Mr. Macy, wlio has 
 shared in his joys and sorrows since February 28, 
 1867, was formerh- ]\Iiss Rachel Ruuyon. Her par- 
 ents, James C. and Nanc}' (Smith) Runyon, na- 
 tives of the Buckeye State, came to Illinois in 1848, 
 settling in Adams Count}'. There Mrs. Mac\-, who 
 is the eldest of five children, four now living, was 
 born December 14, 1848. The following 3-ear her 
 parents removed to Brimfield Township, Peoria 
 Count}', where she acquired a common-school edu- 
 cation, together with much useful knowledge not 
 included in the curriculum of the schools. Her 
 mother died in 1884, but her father survives at the 
 age of sixty-four years. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Macy are the parents of five chil- 
 dren, three now living and named respectively, 
 Mattie I., Harry A. and Clyde C. They form an 
 intelligent and interesting group, all having at- 
 tended the common school and having been care- 
 fully reared by their good parents. Miss Mattie is 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and
 
 Residence of Godfrey Fritz , Sec. 1. PrincevilleTp, Peoria Co. III. 
 
 
 
 Residence of I\/1,C.Macy,5ec.1. Elmwood Tp Peoria Co. III.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 829 
 
 is a devoted attendant at the SundaN'-scliool. IMi'. 
 Macy lias alwa^-s taken an interest in |)()litics and 
 votes tiie Republican ticket.- He lias served as 
 Township Collector two terms and is at present 
 Director of xScliool District No. 1. He is classed 
 among the best citizens, not alone for his industri- 
 ous pursuit of his chosen vocation, but on account 
 of his fine character and interest in the welfare of 
 those about hiiu. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 ^>iODFRKV FUIT/, isa fine rcpreseut.itivc of 
 (l( ,__ the earlj' settlers of I'rinceville Township, 
 "^^sJid who are still identified with its interests. 
 He has been engaged in farming here for many 
 years, and has acquired a handsome property and 
 among many well improved productive farnis.none 
 are more valuable than liis, which comprises the 
 north half of section 1 . 
 
 Our subject is of German birth and antecedents. 
 His father Gotleib Frederick Fritz, a native of 
 Wurtemburg, Germany, was a skillful turner in 
 wood and owned a shop in which he carried on his 
 calling and was besitlcs the proprietor of some land 
 which he cultivated. He was a man of consider- 
 able importance in liis community, and for the last 
 fifteen years of his life was a Constable. In his 
 religious views he was a Lutheran, and was a con- 
 sistent member of his church. He died at the age 
 of fifty-five years in 1831. The mother of our sub- 
 ject bore the maiden name of Magdalene Gogel 
 and was also a native of Wurtemburg. Her death 
 at the age of sixty-seven years, occurred in 1856. 
 There were eight children born of her marriage, 
 of whom the following is reco'-ded: Margaret, Mrs. 
 Kneer, died at Kewan9e,Ill.,in January, 1890; Got- 
 leib died in 1831 near Philadelphia, Pa.; Freder- 
 ick died in Germany in 1857; Fredericka, Jlrs. 
 Saltzer, died in Kewanee in April, 1890: Jacob, re- 
 sides in Germany; Johannes, died in Germany in 
 1858; Christian who is in St. Louis, and Godfrey. 
 The latter, who forms the subject of this bio- 
 graphical review, was born in Reichenberg, Wur- 
 temburg, Germany, April 17, 1824, his birthplace 
 being near the Neckar River. He received excel- 
 
 lent common school advantages in his native vil 
 lage, being in school from the age of six until 
 fourteen years old. lie was lnought u|) in the re- 
 ligious faith of his fathers and was cai ly confirmed 
 in the church. In his 30uth he was apprenticed 
 to a mason for three 3'ears, learning tlie tiade of 
 his brother. He then did journey work in his na- 
 tive province and pursued his calling there until 
 he was twenty-four years old. He was doing well 
 at his trade, but was ambitious to see more of life, 
 and to try his fortunes in America, the Mecca of 
 so many of his countrymen, and on the 5th of May. 
 1848, he left Heilbrunnc for Rotterdam, where he 
 embarked on a vessel bound for this country. 
 
 After a long and tedious voyage of fifty-three 
 days Mr. I*"ritz landed in New York City, July 3, 
 and from there made his way to Philadelphia, Pa. 
 Thence he went to Ciiester County in the same 
 State, and was employed on a farm for three 
 months. At the expiration of that time he went 
 to St. Louis, going by rail to Chambersburg, and 
 from there by stage over the mountains to Pitts- 
 burg, and thence by boat, on the Ohio and Missis- 
 sippi Rivers to his destination, taking eighteen daj's 
 for the journe3^ In that city, he worked in a har- 
 ness shop until the spring of 1849, when he re- 
 sumed his trade as a m.asou, which he carried on 
 until the following July. Cholera then being so 
 prevalent in that city he came to this State and 
 from Kingston in tliis county, went to Farmington, 
 where he worked as a mason. He made his home 
 in Trivoli Township, although he worked for a 
 contractor in Farmington. Anxious to acquire a 
 better knowledge of the English language, he went 
 to school two winters in Trivoli Township, at- 
 tending five months in all and 1)3- diligent study 
 became quite proficient in the language. In the 
 spring of 1853 he located in this township, rent- 
 ing a farm and giving his attention to agriculture. 
 In 1854, he removed to Stark County and farmeil 
 on rented land there for one year. After that he 
 bought fort3r acres in Akron Township, paying i!lO 
 an acre for the land; the latter was iinprovc^d by 
 a log house in which he dwelt. 
 
 Mr. Fritz lived some ten 3'ears on his Akron 
 farm busily engaged in its cultivation, and at the 
 expiration of that time sold it very advantage-
 
 830 
 
 PORTRAIT AND HIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ously. In 1858 he bought tbis section in partner- 
 siiip with (i. Scheible, ihe latter making his home 
 here. Jn 18G3 our subject bought liira out and in 
 186 t moved on the place. He has developed a fine 
 farm from the raw prairie, making valuable im- 
 provements until it has become one of the most 
 desirable estates in this part of the county. In 
 1882 he bought one hundred and sixty acres ad- 
 joining his homestead for §8,250, and now has 
 three hundred and twenty acres of tillable land 
 all under the best of cultivation and has five acres 
 in timber, and besides this propertj' he owns some 
 lots in I'rinceville. Ills farm is well watered by 
 Mud Run. and is hedged, most of which was done 
 by himself. lie built an addition to the house 
 and has fitted it up into a commodious and con- 
 veniently arranged dwelling, and has substantial 
 barns and other outbuildings on the place. A 
 view of this pleasant liomestead is presented on 
 another [lage. Beautiful groves and an orchard 
 adorn the place, and everything about it is well 
 ordered. Me raises abundant harvests of corn and 
 oats in his fertile fields, and gives much attention 
 to raising and feeding cattle, shipping a car-load 
 each year, and has a fine lot of hogs, and eighteen 
 head of horses, using five teams to operate his 
 farm. 
 
 April 7, 185'2, was the date of our subject's 
 marriage to Miss Louisa Wieland, the ceremony 
 being performed in Trivoli Township. She was a 
 native of the same town as himself and came from 
 (iermany to America in 1849. She was in Chester 
 Connt^-, Fa., for three years, and then came to this 
 Slate. Her death occurred here September 21, 
 1884, and was a severe blow to her family and 
 many friends. She was a good and true woman 
 and left behind her the memory of a life well 
 spent. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was fruitful of nine 
 children, namely: Mary, wife of J. Wolfe, of 
 Whiteside County, III.; JIargaret S., who died 
 November 9. 18G4; Caroline F., who died August 
 14, 1874; Christian F., who died August 30, 1874; 
 Charles H., a farmer; Joseph G., and William F. 
 at home with their father ; Louisa F.,wife of J. Stein- 
 man, of Johnson County, Kan; and Godfrey W., 
 who married Catherine Nies, a native of Germany. 
 
 During his long residence here Mr. Fritz's hon- 
 orable course in life has been such as to win him 
 universal respect and he is a great favorite with 
 all who have come under the genial inttuence of 
 his guileless, manly character, his pleasant, helpful 
 ways, and his unswerving adherence to the right. 
 He has long mingled in the public life of the town- 
 ship, and his fellow-citizens have found him to be 
 a safe counselor and a good worker in the various 
 offices he has held. He has been School Director 
 for years and School Trustee for several terms, 
 and has often been Supervisor of Roails. He is 
 identified with the Princeville Grange and belongs 
 to the Detective Thief and Mutual Benefit Asso- 
 ciation. In politics he is a Democrat, but Is not 
 radical in his views. Religiously he is a Luth- 
 eran and faithfull}' and liberally supports his 
 church. He has been a petit juryman. 
 
 AMES WICKWIRK, one of the oldest and 
 most respected of the early settlers of this 
 county, was an early pioneer of Trivoli 
 Township, with whose interests he has been 
 closel3' connected for many j'ears .as one of its most 
 practical and successful farmers and stock-raisers, 
 and here he is passing the closing 3'ears of a long 
 and useful life in retirement in one of its most 
 pleasant homes. 
 
 errant Wickwire. father of our subject was born 
 in Litchfield County, Conn., August 7, 1781, at 
 South Farms. Ills f.ither, James Wickwire, was also 
 a native of that State, where he carried on business 
 as a tanner and currier, until his death. He reared 
 a large family, and two of his sons — Barnes and 
 Alvin, enlisted for five 3'ears in the Regular Uni- 
 ted States Army and took part in the War of 1812. 
 The Wickwires trace their ancestr3' back to the 
 Morehouse famil3' of Scotland. The father of our 
 subject was a shoemaker b3' trade and also followed 
 farming in his days. In 1807, he moved to Oneida 
 County, N. Y.,and located in Florence. He bought 
 a farm of seventy acres north of Camden, improved 
 it and engaged in its cultivation until he retired. 
 Our subject went to bring him here and brought
 
 PUUTUAIT A^'l) BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 831 
 
 him as far as Southport, where tliey stopped at. the 
 bouse of one of bis sons, where lie was stricken with 
 paralysis and dieil October 20, 1858, at tlie age of 
 seventy-seven j'ears. He was a member of the State 
 militia tliat \fas called out at Saclictts Harbor in the 
 W;ii(ir 1812. lie was a Congregationalist in religion 
 and 11 Dtmoerat in politics. 
 
 JIary Throop, mother of our i>uli3ccl, was born 
 December 8, 1782, in Litchfield, C'oiui., and was a 
 daugliler of Benjamin Throop, a native of that 
 Slate, and a fanner and mill owner. He was of 
 French descent. The mother came here and died 
 at the home of a son in Orion Township, Fulton 
 County, February 12, 18G0. Siie had ten children, 
 one of whom died when a babe; the others were 
 named: IMaiy, James, Benjamin, Sarah, Deborah, 
 Alvin, Horatio, Sabrina and Merrilt. 
 
 James WicUwire, was born near Florence in 
 Oneida County, N. Y., February 1, 1808. Reared 
 on a farm he used to help burn brush, drive oxen, 
 plow and cutgrain with a sickle. He was educated 
 ill the subscription schools and had to ride on 
 horseback a distance of three miles to the school- 
 house. When he was twenty years old he left home 
 to serve an ap[)rcnticcship to the trade of carpen- 
 ter. He subseqnentl}- worked at lliat and at farm- 
 ing, buying sixty acres of laml. But it was stony 
 and hard to cultivate, so he sold it and in 1833 
 took a trip to Michigan, going by canal to Buffalo, 
 and l)y boat to Detroit and thence set out on foot 
 through the wilderness of Oakland and Shiawassee 
 Counties. But he found the counliy too mucli in- 
 feste<l with ague and returned huiuc. The next 
 spring lie came here, traveling by wati'r to C'leve- 
 lanil, thence on the canal tu l\)rtsuioutii, wlience he 
 went to Cincinnati, and from Uicri' liy river to St. 
 Louis and to Peoria, which he found a small place 
 of about one hundred and seventy-five inhabitants. 
 He was three weeks and five days in performing 
 the journe}' hitlier, arriving June 3, 1834. He lo- 
 cated in Peoria, and engaged in carpentering. In 
 1835 he helped raise the cupola on tiie old court 
 house. June 25, 1835, he entered one hundred 
 and sixty acres of land on section 7,Trivoli Town- 
 ship, from the Government. The settlers in the 
 township at that time were Alonzo Green, Joel 
 Brown, James, Dav id and Isaac Harkness, two of 
 
 the Clark family and Eli Wilson. Our subject had 
 helped build the jail in Penria. and here he erected 
 a small frame house the timber for which he luid 
 hewed and split himself, and he drove everv nail. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wickwire, were tiie first couple 
 ever married in this township, and the ceremony 
 that made them one was performed May 17, 1837, 
 iu the home in which the}' now live, bj' the Rev. 
 George Sill. iMrs. Wickwire's maiden name was 
 Julia Wilson, and her father was Eli Wilson, a na- 
 tive of Ilarwinton, Conn. Her grandfather, also 
 bearing that name, was a farmer of English ex- 
 traction, born in that old New England State of a 
 prominent family. The father was educated in 
 Yale College and in 1818, settled in the wilds of 
 t)neida County, N. Y., where he cleared a farm, 
 and also engaged in teaching in the schools besides 
 being a teacher of vocal music and a leader of the 
 choir. In 1834, he came to this county with his 
 family at the same time that our snljject came, ar- 
 riving in Farmington in a prairie schooner, June 1. 
 He became wealthy and ilie owner of several hun- 
 dred acres of land. He was connected with the 
 educational interests of the township and was a 
 Whig in politics and a Congregalionalist in religion. 
 During the latter part of his life he lived retireil 
 until his death at the age of eight^'-live in 1875. 
 His wife was named Julia Candeeandsho was born 
 in Connecticut, a daughter of David Candee, a 
 large and wealth j' land-owner of that State. Slie 
 died in 1881, at the age of ninety-three years. Mrs. 
 Wickwire was one of eight children and was born 
 September 22, 1817, in Connecticut. She was well 
 educated and was a teacher by [irofession and 
 taught the first school ever taught in Farmington, 
 which was conducted in the rudest of school-houses. 
 
 In 1850, Mr. Wickwire bought this present place 
 of his wife's father, and has since made many 
 valuable improvements. His residence is a large 
 stone, two and one-half story house, 28x5G feet, 
 which lie completed himself, and he has two sub- 
 stantial barns, one 30x50 feet, and other necessary 
 buildings. The farm is fenced and is well drained 
 with sixteen thousand tiles, and has fine orchards 
 and groves. He gave one acre of his land for the 
 schoolhouse. Mr. Wilson and Ed Harkness laid 
 out a town which included part of his farm, calling
 
 832 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 it Harkness. But it is now extinct and our subject 
 lias bought baclv the lots that he sold. He has rented 
 his farm since 1875, and it is now under the man- 
 agement of his son. Mr. Wickwire is justly con- 
 sidered one of our best citizens: he has been As- 
 sessor for one j'ear, Commissioner of Highways 
 several years and has been Township School Trus- 
 tee for a number of years. He was a member of the 
 I'nion League during the war, and before that time 
 was an active Abolitionist and was a conductor on 
 the underground railroad and led many a negro to 
 Rochester, on the Sj.oon River, on their wa^' to 
 Canada and freedom. He is a stalwart Republican, 
 voted for W. H. Harrison, in 18-10, and for his 
 grandson in 1888. 
 
 Mr. Wickwire and wife have had three children; 
 Mary E. ; Maria, who died when four3'ears okl, and 
 Charles W. Mary married C. E. Pettit, of Henry 
 County, and died there leaving a family of five 
 children, four living. 
 
 Charles W. Wickwire was born in Trivoli Town- 
 s'.iip, on the old homestead December 31, 1846. He 
 was well educated in the )>ublic schools and in Lom- 
 t);ird University at Galesburg. When he was seven- 
 teen years old, he enlisted May 2, 1864, in the One 
 ilundredlli and Tiiirly -second Hlinois Infantry, in 
 Company 1), aud was mustered in at Chicago, as 
 Cor[)oral. He was sent witli his company' to Cairo, 
 and thence to Columbus, Ky., where he engaged in 
 skirmishes and did guard duly and was similarl}- 
 engaged in Tennessee. He was sent to Chicago to 
 be mustered ont,when Gen. Forrest began his depre- 
 dations in theSjuth, and he was then dispatched to 
 .St. Louis whence he returned to Chicago, and was 
 honorably discharged October 17, 1804. 
 
 Mr. Wickwire remained at home until his mar- 
 riage October 11, 1870, to Miss Almeda Beals, a 
 native of Clinton Count>'. Ohio, and a daugiiter of 
 .Jesse and Mar}' A. (liowen) Beals. Her parents 
 came here in ISfiG, from their old home in New 
 A'ienna, Ohio, and located at (ialesburg. Mr. Beals 
 was out of iiealth when he came to Galesburg, and 
 died in that city. His widow still resides there. 
 Mrs. Wickwire was a graduate of Lombard in the 
 class of '68, and was teaching when she first met our 
 subject. In 1874, he went to Central America and 
 remained there a year, then returned home and in 
 
 1876, bought a farm adjoining the old homestead 
 and lived there until 1877. when he removed to 
 Prairie City, Jasper Count}', Iowa. He bought a 
 farm of eighty acres, improved aud fenced it dur- 
 ing his residence there of five \'ears. In 1882, he 
 sold that and took up his residence in Prairie City, 
 where he managed a meat market and engaged in 
 the stock business until he returned to his old home, 
 and in 1883 he located on his father's farm and has 
 since carried it on with excellent success. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wickwire have four chil- 
 dren: Jessie W. attended the High School at 
 Farmington two years and was then a student at 
 Lombard University, until she left to engage in 
 teaching when seventeen years old, and is con- 
 sidered one of the beit teachers in Trivoli Town- 
 ship; the names of the others are — Lila J.. Alice 
 W.. and John W. 
 
 "-^3- 
 
 \f ACOB WACHENHEIMER. There are per. 
 haps few young men in the Stale of Illi- 
 nois more successful in his vocation than 
 Jacob Wachenlieimer, and certainly none 
 who has the details of the insurance business more 
 thoroughly at his command. He has been bred to 
 the business, having first engaged in it when but 
 sixteen 3'ears old, and his schooling in large ollices 
 has proved of great value. He is deserving of 
 honorable mention in this volume as a business man 
 of ability and honor, and likewise for his manly 
 character and general intelligence. 
 
 The birthplace of JMr. Wachenhcimer was in the • 
 city of New York, March 14, 1855. He is the son 
 of Abraham and Fanny (Lev}') Wachenheimer, and 
 has three brothers and sisters. These are : Marcus, 
 a merchant in Vicksburg, Miss.; Julius, a whole- 
 sale liqvior dealei in Jersey City, N. J.; and Bes- 
 sie, wife of James Louchien, of New York. The 
 father was a merchant in the American metrop- 
 olis, whence he removed to Peoria in 1858. At 
 the time of his death, December 24, 1874, he was 
 in the Government employ as storekeeper. His 
 widow died in Peoria in 1870. 
 
 Our subject was well schooled in his earl}- years 
 
 w
 
 Q/,<^,yv/ju
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 835 
 
 and at the age of lifteon enteii'd a dry-goods stove 
 as cloik. A year later be entered the office of 
 Robinson ife Callender, insurance agents, witliwliom 
 he remained some three years. He was liien called to 
 Philadelphia as Assistant to the Manager of the 
 Franklin Fire Insurance Company, and remained 
 there six years. On the death of ^Ir. Robinson, in 
 1880, Mr. AVaclienhcimer resigned his position in 
 Philadelphia, returning to Peoria to become a |iart- 
 ner with Eliot Callander and manager of the larg- 
 est agency in the State outside of Chicago. They 
 make a specialty of securing large lines of insur- 
 ance. 
 
 At the home of the bride, in Philadelphia, Pa., 
 June 1.5, ]87(), Mr. Wachenheimer was united in 
 marriage with Miss Susie E. Hood, a charming 
 young lady of culture and refinement who has lie- 
 come very popular in Peoria. Mi'. Wachenheimer 
 is a member of the Masonic fraternity and one of 
 the few who liave taken tlie thirtj'-second degree. 
 His political adherence is given to the Repul)lican 
 party. 
 
 ^ILLIAM C. H. BARTON, a man of wealth 
 and one of the largest landowners in Peoria 
 County, is the proprietor and founder of 
 Bartonville. His name is indissolulil^' associated 
 with the growth and progress of Peoria County, al- 
 most from its origin, .as he has always been fore- 
 most in all enterprises to promote its development, 
 and there has been no scheme evolved to advance 
 the business and social interests of Limestone Town- 
 ship, where he makes his home, with which he has 
 not been prominently connected. He has also been 
 a conspicuous figure in )iublic life, and h.<js held of- 
 fices of trust and responsibility. He has been largely 
 identified with the agricultural interests of the 
 county and owns one of the finest farms to be found 
 in this part of the Slate. 
 
 Mr. Barton is a native of Licking County, Ohio, 
 where he was born May 14, 1818, to A'incent and 
 Mary (Wright) Barton. The famil}' on the Bar- 
 ton side was related to Gen. William H. Harrison, 
 and our subject was named for him and for his 
 brother C'oatsworth, the former being then but a 
 
 Lieutenant in the army. The parents of our sub- 
 ject were of old Virginia slock and were married 
 in Ohio. He was seven years of age when they 
 came to this State and to Peoria, then but a trad- 
 ing-post. There was one store hero and two 
 in the village of Wesley, then a larger and more 
 important place than Peoria, and where the Bar- 
 tons and their neighbors had to go to do the most 
 of their trading. A Frenchman by the name of 
 Crozier kept a little trading store in Peoria for the 
 sale of such articles as he could barter with the In- 
 dians. 
 
 Our subject has a distinct remembrance of the 
 red men who once made their home here, and 
 knew Shackle, who had a large family and used to 
 camp on the hills opposite Peoria, a little above 
 the town. Old Shabbona, with his family, used to 
 camp just below where Mr. Barton now lives, so- 
 journing there several winters. The squaws were 
 very virtuous, as to lose their ch.astity was to have 
 their noses cut off, and 'Sir. Barton can remember 
 seeing several who had been thus punished. The In- 
 dians here were mostly I'ottawafomies, a few Sauks 
 and Foxes, .and an occasional Ottawa. To illus- 
 trate the Indian character, Mr. Barton tells the 
 following stor)': '-At one time an Indian killed a 
 Frenchman at the ferry where the bridge now 
 stands, and he w.as arrested and given a trial and 
 sentenced to be hanged. A Mr. .lohn L. Bogardus 
 was the only lawyer here at the time, and was 
 Court Constable and Slieriff, and also -Judge of 
 the Court, and in his capacity of Sheriff he 
 was given the custody of the prisoner for safe 
 keeping. He had no room in which to imprison 
 him as his house was but a small log cabin, and he 
 had to allow him to sleep in the corn crib. 'J'he 
 Indian made no attempt to effect an escape. Mr. 
 P.ogardns thought to put him to good use, and set 
 him to work in his garden to pull weeds. That 
 was too much for the Indian, who ran away and 
 was never heard of afterw.ard. He could stand it 
 to be hanged, but drew the line at work." 
 
 The parents of our subject died in 1834, one in 
 August and the other in December, an<l arc now 
 lying sleeping their last sleep near Mossville, where 
 they owned a farm at the time of their death. Our 
 subj(>ct has lived within six miles of Peoria and
 
 836 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 much of the time in the town since he came here 
 more than half a century ago. As a bo.y he traded 
 with the Indians, which was an easy matter if one 
 could secure a jug of whisky. There were no schools 
 in or about the town, though once in a while some 
 one would start a subscription school, so that he 
 was twenty j'ears of age before he obtained any 
 schooling, with the exception of three weeks he 
 went to a Mr. Ward, who opened a school in a 
 small log cabin on the ground where our subject's 
 house now stands. In 182G a iNIrs. Clark started a 
 sciiool in a little log house on Farm Cieek, in Taze- 
 well Coui:t3\ She conducted it for awhile with good 
 success, and then a number of Mormons came and 
 got so many to join them and go back to Missouri 
 that the school was broken up for want of sup- 
 port, and the teacher married a jNtonnon 1)3' the 
 name of Cooper aud went away with him. 
 
 Our subject went to a school on LaSalle Prairie 
 in 1838-39, taught by Mr. Archibald ijayborn. Af- 
 ter leaving school he went into the lumber l)usiness 
 upon the Kickapoo, and subsequently- bought a mill 
 in Peoria, located on the river near the Moss dis- 
 tillery. This lie operated for three yeais and then 
 sold out to Capt. INIoss in 1847. In the meantime 
 he had bought a large tract of land along the Kick- 
 |)oo River Bottoms, comprising one thousand acres, 
 which he had purchased for the timber. He felled 
 the trees standing on it, manufactured the log's into 
 lumber at his mill, and then located on the land 
 thus cleared and commenced to place it under cul- 
 tivation. He can truly say that he has made four 
 hundred acres of fine farming land from the pri- 
 meval forest. He now owns about six hundred iicres, 
 having sold some four hundred acres to his brother. 
 His farm comprises two hundred aud lift}' acres of 
 the finest bottom land in the world. It is surpa,ss- 
 ingly productive, and under judicious tillage yields 
 him fine harvests and a solid income. He has pro- 
 vided it with substantial, roomy and well-appointed 
 buildings, and first-class machinery, and ever\-thing 
 about the place wears the air of thrift and shows 
 the best of management. 
 
 yiv. Barton was married, in 1850, to Miss Mary 
 Ann. daughter of Isaac Kicketts. of Peoria. Her 
 family came to this county- from Indiana and were 
 pioneers of tliis region. Mr. and Mrs. Barton's 
 
 pleasant wedded life has been productive to them 
 of three children: Harry Spencer, a farmer on his 
 father's farm, is married and has one child, Pearl; 
 Nancy J., wife of Samuel Brewer, of Shelby County, 
 has two cliildren; William Warren is at home with 
 his parents. They were all given excellent educa- 
 tions in the public schools and the boys are gradu- 
 ates of the commercial college at Peoria. 
 
 A residence here of more than sixtj- j'ears has 
 given Mr. Barton the advantage of witnessing al- 
 most the entire growth of the county in whose de 
 velopment he has so ably assisted, and his name is 
 connected with many a worthy enterprise to pro- 
 mote the the welfare of the communitA'. He has 
 a wide and extensive acquaintance, and the con- 
 duct of his life has been such as to win him the re- 
 spect and regard of all. His fellow- citizens have 
 honored him by electing him to various offices of 
 trust, which he has filled with characteristic fidel- 
 ity and abilitj'. He has served two terms as Super- 
 visor of the town, being a member of the Board at 
 the time the new courthouse was built, and in this 
 connection we m.aj" remark that when a joung man 
 he assisted in the erection of the old courthouse. 
 He has been Director of schools and School Trustee 
 for the past Iwentj- years, and to his faithful work 
 the town is greatlj- indebted for its present excel- 
 lent school system. In his early years Mr. Barton 
 was a AVhig, and on the formation of the Repub- 
 lican party naturallj' took his place in its ranks, 
 aud has been in the line ever since. He cast his 
 first vote for William H. Harrison .and supported 
 the grandson of that gentleman at the time of his 
 election in 1888. 
 
 A portrait of Mr. liarton is presented on another 
 page. 
 
 LBERT G. POWELL is one of the oldest 
 and best known settlers of HoUis Town- 
 ' ship, to which he came in August, 1837. 
 At that time the only residents of the 
 township were Messrs. Thomas .and Topping, two 
 Englishmen, who had come hither in 1836; John 
 Dnllield. who lived on section 20, and John Essex 
 aud Xat Richardson, who lived upon the hill. All
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 837 
 
 these have passed to the bourne from which no 
 tiavelei- returns. A few years later AVilliani S. 
 and Mary II. ( Davis) Powell, the parents of our 
 subject, also came hither accompanied by their two 
 sons — Isaac and Abraham, their son-in-law, Kobert 
 Buchanan, and a IMr. .Tames .Tones. These are all 
 now deceased, the last to [lass away having been 
 Aliraham, who breathed his last in October, 1889. 
 The I'owell family is of AVelsh extraction and 
 the father of our subject was a native of Loudoun 
 County, \ix. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, 
 as was also his brother Charles, who was killed at 
 tHe siege of Norfolk. After his marriage he made 
 his home in Guernsey- County, Ohio, until 1844, 
 when he followed his son to Illinois. He of whom 
 we write was born iu Cambridge, the count}- seat 
 of Guernse}- County, July 16, 1818, and was nine- 
 teen years of age when he came to what was then 
 the Wild West. It took a letter over a week to 
 reach Ohio, whither it now goes in less than twent}'- 
 four hours, and the carriage of it cost twenty-five 
 cents. During the tirst few years of Mr. Powell's 
 residence here, Peoria was Tnit a handet with two 
 or three stores, that of Griswold and Cortenius, on 
 what is now Water Street, being the first and most 
 important, an 1 another being oi)cned by a ]\Ir. 
 Varis. JNIilling was done at Hale's JNIills, ujion the 
 Kickapoo Kirer. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write learned the 
 trade of a carpenter with his father, and worked at 
 it many j-ears. Some twenty years ago he aban- 
 doned it and settled uiion land which was then 
 covered with forests, but which he has cleared and 
 made into a line estate. It compri--es two tracts of 
 three hundred and sixty-seven, and eighty acres re- 
 spectively', the entire four hundred and forty- 
 seven acres lying within a range of two miles. His 
 son Crant is now his chief assistant in the man- 
 agement of the estate, the father feeling that his 
 years and long labors entitle him to a certain with- 
 drawal from the cares of life. He is bj' no means 
 inactive, however, but does a fair share of mental 
 and physical work. 
 
 The first marriage of Mr. Powell was celebrated 
 iu October, 1841, his bride being Miss Eliza .Jones, 
 who bore him three children. Of these Smith is 
 now deceased, having died at the age of forty 
 
 years; John is now living in Hilton, this State, is 
 married and has four children; Emily is tlie wife 
 of .lohn A. Calhoun, of HoUis Township, her fam- 
 ily consisting of ten children. The mother of these 
 three children having been removed bj' death, Mr. 
 Powell contracted a second matrimonial alliance in 
 18G5. He won as his wife Mrs. Margaret Starts, 
 who has borne him tive children — Charles Grant. 
 Maggie, Scott. Albert and Walter, all of whom 
 are 3et at home. Mrs. Margaret Powell is the 
 mother of three children by her former marriage. 
 They are: Melissa; Mary, wife of Walter Ilought- 
 aling, of Warren County. Iowa, .and the mother of 
 two children; and Hugh, also of Iowa, who mar- 
 ried a Kansas lady and has two children. 
 
 Mr. Powell is a Kcpublican and a member of 
 the I^a Marsh 15aptist Church. He was the first 
 Assessor of Hollis Township, Init has taken no act- 
 ive part in public affairs since those early days. 
 All intelligent and law-abidinij citizen, honorable 
 in his dealings with humanity and kindly in his 
 domestic relations, he is highly regarded by those 
 who know him, irrespective of the esteem which 
 his labors as a |)ioneer have earned. 
 
 ?-*^ -^ 
 
 m 
 
 "\f]OHN P. WILEY is numbered among the 
 skillful and business like farmers and stock- 
 raisers, who are active in the agricultural 
 interests of Logan Township. Horn Sept- 
 ember "22, 18.35, he is a native of Piqua, Ohio, and 
 a son of Samuel and Sarah (McCullougli) Wiley. 
 His father was born in .luniata County, Pa , Octo- 
 ber 21, 1810, and his mother in Adams County, 
 Ohio, October 2i), LSO'.I, He w.as a son of -Tohu 
 Wiley, who w.as a farmer and served in the War of 
 1 812, .as a Major. About 1812, he settled amongst 
 the pioneers of Miami County. Ohio, where he spent 
 his remaining d,a3S on a f.arm. He acquired wealth 
 and gave to each of his sons one hundred acres of 
 land and at the time of his death was still proprie- 
 tor of two hundred .acres. He had three sous and 
 one daughter, Samuel, William, John and Margaret. 
 Samuel and John left families. The grandfather 
 'of our subject was a memlier of tlie .Vssociatc Re-
 
 838 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 form Cbureli, now tlie United Presliyteriau Cliuicli. 
 lie was the son of one Samiu^l Wile\% who served 
 throughout the Re%'olutionar3- War. 
 
 The mother of our subject was the- daughter of 
 John ^IcCuUough and her mother's maiden name 
 was McClung. Her parents removed to Ohio in 
 the early days of its settlement, and became pio- 
 neer farmers of Adams County. Later they re- 
 moved to Shelby County, where her father was 
 engaged as a merchant. They had eigiit children, 
 named Samuel, James. Sarah, Eliza, Jlarv, John. 
 Thomas P., and Hadassah, all of whom married 
 and reared children except James. 
 
 Samuel Wile}', father of our subject, was two 
 years old when his parents left their old home in 
 Pennsylvania, and sought a new one in the pri- 
 meval wilds of Ohio, and there he was bred to the life 
 of a farmer. He came to this county in a wagon 
 In 1852 and w.as three weeks on the way. He se- 
 lected a tract of one iiundred and sixty acres of 
 wild land on section 3, and here dwelt until death 
 called him hence February 14, 1877. His wife 
 survived him until October 29, 1888, when she too 
 joined the great majority-. They had six children: 
 Hadassah J. wife of Ste wartGlasgow, of Logan Town- 
 shi|); John P; William, of LoganTownship who served 
 in the war; James P., who died at the age of twenty 
 years; Samuel M., who died at the age of twenty- 
 three years; and Joseph I., who died at the age of 
 twenty years. Their parents were among the prom- 
 inent members of the United Presbyterian Churcli 
 of Logan Townshi]). in whose organization they 
 assisted. 
 
 Receiving his book education in the common 
 schools and his training as a farmer ou the old 
 homestead, our subject grew to stalwart manhood 
 and afforded his father great assistance in the man- 
 agement of his agricultur.ll interests until the age 
 of twenty-three, when he started out for himself, 
 as a renter of a farm. In 1877 he made his first 
 purchase of land, buying at that time eighty-eight 
 acres of his homestead. In the month of Septem- 
 ber, 1889, he located where he now resides at Ilau- 
 nah Station, on a farm of one hundred and sixty 
 acres belonging to his wife. He has shown himself 
 to bo a first-class farmer in every respect, tilling 
 his field aftcy the best methods, having neat and 
 
 substantial buildings, and the best of farming ma- 
 chinery and keeping everything about his place in 
 good order. 
 
 A veteran of the late war, our subject won a 
 ' military record as a brave and capable soldier, of 
 which he and his may well be proud. August 14, 
 18C2, he enlisted in Company C, Seventy -seventh 
 Illinois Infantry, and took an active part in many^ 
 battles and skirmishes, showing himself to be a 
 cool and courageous in the face of danger, and ever 
 ready to do his duty ou ever}' occasion and prompt 
 in the discharge of it. He w.as present at the siege 
 of Vicksburg, was at the battles of Arkansas Post, 
 Magnolia Hill, Champion Hills, and Big Black 
 River. His regiment accompanied Banks on the 
 Red River Expedition and took part in the battles 
 of Kane River and Sabine P.ass. They met the 
 enemy at Ft. Gaines and at Ft. Morgan; were active 
 in the capture of Spanish Fort; and fought their 
 last battle at Whistler's Station. Soon after enter- 
 ing the service our subject was selected by his 
 superior officer as well qualified for the post of 
 Sergeant. He was afterwards promoted to be Or- 
 derly .Sergeant and .icted in that capacity the last 
 year he was in the army. He was honorably dis- 
 charged July 10, 1865, at Mobile, Ala. His servi- 
 ces during the war are now commemorated by his 
 connection with the Grand Army of the Republic. 
 In every department in life he h.as shown himself 
 to be eminently trustworthy, acd no citizen of this 
 township is regarded with greater confidence and 
 honor than he. He and his wife are people of social 
 prominence and religiously are identified with the 
 United Presbj'terian Church as two of its most 
 zealous members. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wiley were united in marriage 
 February 13, 1879, and they have an adopted 
 daughter, Jessie M. Beard. Mrs. W^iley's maiden 
 name was Mary E. Runkle, and she was born on 
 the homestead where she now resides June 2, 1839, 
 being the daughter of John I. and Mary (Herring- 
 ton) Runkle, who were early pioneers of this 
 county. Her paternal grandf.ather, John Runkle, 
 was born in 1 756, in the State of New York. His 
 wife's maiden name w.as Magdaline Van AVort. 
 He was a son of John Runkle, who was a native of 
 the Empire State, and was the son of another John
 
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 ^^^ 
 
 
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 € 
 
 i 
 
 ^y 
 
 $ 
 
 K 
 
 i^l,ri(iy-rv\kiy^ J^'^Jl/
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 841 
 
 Runkle, who came fiotii German}- to this country in 
 Colonial times. The A'anWorts came from Hol- 
 land. Mrs. Wiley's grandfather died February 17, 
 1813. Ho was a prominent member of the Dutch 
 Reformed Cluirch in which he was an Elder. The 
 following are the children born to him and his wife: 
 Elizabeth, born 1797; Mary, 1798; John, October 
 1, 1800; Elder, Auo;ust 19, 1802; Bari)ara, Decem- 
 ber 10, 1805; Henry, November 14, 1807; Corne- 
 lius, .lanunry 19, 1810; and Ann, December 14, 
 1812. 
 
 .Mrs. Wiley's father was born in Albany County, 
 N. Y., October 1, 1800, and was the first of the 
 family to come West, two of his brothers coming 
 later, Cornelius and Henry, settling in Knoxvillc, 
 Knox County, and Elder coming later still, located 
 in the same county. John Runkle came to Logan 
 Township in 1833, by stage and water. He entered 
 a, tract comprising three hundred and twenty acres 
 of wild piairie land on sections 2 and 11, and in 
 the years that followed, by hard pioneer labor im- 
 proved a valuable farm. At his death here, Au- 
 gust 24, 1889, one of the most venerated pioneers 
 passed to his reward. He was twice married and 
 by his first wife had seven children, of whom the 
 following four grew to maturity-: John, a resident 
 of Vulia County, Cal. ; Margaret, now Mrs. Alfred 
 Shepherd, of Harvey County, Kan.; Sar.ah, wife of 
 Moses Beccher, of Peoria, and Mary E. His first 
 wife died April 2, 1842. He took for his second 
 wife Mrs. Fannie Dusenberry, and by that marriage 
 had one child. Catherine C, wife of John Nisley, 
 of Knoxville. His second wife died April C, 1883. 
 
 »r^*^-' 
 
 £^ 
 
 -^f^- 
 
 *.f^Os£-' 
 
 "71 BRA HAM FRYE. Peoria County is greatly 
 (@/j|| indebted for its present wealth and high 
 
 /// IL standing to the sturdy, intelligent, enler- 
 (^ prising tillers of the soil, who have been 
 
 instrumental in devi^loping its vast agricultural 
 resources. As a worthy member of its farming 
 poi)ulation who has contrilnited his quota towards 
 its advancement, it gives us pleasure to present to 
 the readers of lliis volume, a brief review of the 
 
 life of Abraham Frye whose portrait is shown on 
 the opposite page. A representative of an honored 
 pioneer family, he lias himself performed the i)io- 
 neer task of reclaiming from the hand of Nature a 
 farm which is finely located on section 29, Rich- 
 wood Township, and is in all points one of the 
 most desirable in the neighborhood. 
 
 Benjamin Frye, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Washington County, Pa., and his mother, 
 whose maiden name was Sarah Sliafer, was also of 
 Pennsylvania birth. Her father, Thomas .Sliafer, 
 was a soldier in the Revolutionar}' AVar. The par- 
 ents of our subject married and settled in Washing- 
 ton County, Pa., and lived there until 1839. In 
 that year they became pioneers of this county, and 
 early settlers of Richwood Township. Here they 
 lived for more than forty years, respected and es- 
 teemed by all. Their last days were passed in 
 Hinsdale, Cook County. They had nine children, 
 of whom the two eldest died when quite young, 
 seven growing to maturity. 
 
 Our subject was the fourth child of the family 
 and was born in Washington Count}', Pa., July 11, 
 1814. His boyhood was passed in his native eoxmty, 
 on his father'.? farm. In 1838 in the opening j'ears 
 of a vigorous manhood, he came to Peoria County, 
 and at once identified himself with its thrift}-, ener- 
 getic pioneers. He engaged chiefly in farming in 
 Richwood Tovvnship and now has a fine farm of 
 eighty acres on section 29, which is under excellent 
 tillage and is jirovided with a good set of farm 
 buildings, suitable machinery and all things nec- 
 essary for carrying on farming properly. 
 
 Mr, Frye came to Illinois a single man, but he 
 was not long in finding a helpmate, and on the- 
 25th of February, 1840, was united in marriage 
 with F^leanor Campbell, a native of Pennsylvania. 
 She bore him four children: Benjamin D., who is a 
 resident of Radnor Township; Mary E. ; Josephine 
 and Caleb B., the latter dying in infancy. .Septem- 
 ber 20, 1848, Mrs. Frye departed this life, while 
 yet in the prime of womanhood. 
 
 Mr. Frj^e was married a second time in I'eoria, 
 January 27, 1853, taking Margaret Belford,a native 
 of Ohio, as his wife. They have had the following 
 seven children: Frank P., Emma C, wife of John 
 AVeber, Andrew D., Ida M. wife of ('. Eugene Don-
 
 842 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ton ; Richard Yates who rlied September 23, 1873, at 
 the age of nirie ^ears; William E, and Harvey L., 
 the hitter deceased. 
 
 During a resi(]ence in this countj^ of more than 
 half a century, our subject has become well-known, 
 and none know him but to respect him for the ex 
 cellence of his character, and for the possession of 
 tiiose trait,';, such as tenacity of purpose, thrift and 
 industry, that have enabled him to overcome all 
 the obstacles that the early pioneers of this Stale 
 had to contend with, and have also placed him in 
 comfortable circumstances. Mr. Frye is not an 
 office-seeker, though he is iiitiMcsted in public affairs 
 and has serveil with credit in some of the school 
 offices. Politically, he is a stanch Republican, sup- 
 [lorting his party by voice and vole. 
 
 -^^-% 
 
 ^p?l AIN ROBINSON BLACK. The subject of 
 'if <^w} '''''^ sketch is a native of Guernsey Count3', 
 "^^^ Ohio, where he was born May 23, 1823. He 
 was reared in his native place and received a com- 
 mon-school education, to which he has added by 
 reading and observation until he is able to hold 
 his own in any company. When twent^'-one years 
 of age he left home and removed to IVoria 
 Counljr where he settled, choosing Hollis as the 
 place of his future residence. He is the son of 
 Joseph and Eliza (Hutchinson) Black, natives of 
 Virginia, who migrated with their respective fami- 
 lies to Oliio in llieir youth. They grew to matu- 
 rity in their adopted State which was also the scene 
 of their marriage and death. They had a famil3' 
 of eleven children. One sister married and re- 
 moved to Coles County, Ohio, where she died. 
 
 Our subject will ever remember his first months 
 in Hollis, for soon after his arrival he met and re- 
 newed his acquaintance with Miss Susan M.Powell, 
 whom he had previously known in Ohio and who 
 was destined to exert the greatest influence over 
 his future life. Their friendship ripened into that 
 mutual esteem which should precede matrimony 
 and accordingly their nuptials were celebrated in 
 1819, at the home of the bride's parents amid the 
 good wishes of hosts of friends. Mrs. Black is 
 
 a sister of A. J. Powell, a sketch of whose life 
 found elsewiiere in this Album. 
 
 Mr. Black is a carpenter. He commenced to 
 learn his trade with Mr. Powell, but finished it 
 with Mr. Adams after removing to Peoria,and dur- 
 ing the first year of his_ married life his wife re- 
 mained under her father's roof while our subject 
 worked at his trade in the village of Farmington. 
 The first farm which he bought was located on 
 Maple Ridge and that was his home until 1858, 
 when he sold anil moved to the place where he now 
 lives,wlicre his first purchase of eighty ai;res was of 
 land but little cultivated. He improved it as rap- 
 idly as possible and some time afterward liought 
 one hundred and forty acres adjoining, but lying 
 on tiie other side of the road in Timber Township. 
 He has labored diligently and by his own efforts 
 has brought his place under a fine state of cultiva- 
 tion. 
 
 During tiie time Mr. Black was employed at his 
 trade he erected a great many fine buildings, the 
 chief of which were: the large house on tiie poor 
 farm of Peoria County, the "Mason House" of Ful- 
 ton County, and some fine residences in the towns 
 of Kingston Mines and Glasford. Seven children 
 blessed their union, six of whom grew to maturity 
 as follows: Theodore died in infancy; Miss Cora 
 is a young lady at home with her parents; Lj'dia 
 is the wife of Dr. A. Brown of Peoria; Charlie, the 
 fourth child, is a young man of much ability, a 
 graduate of Brown's Commercial College, lie has 
 received a good education and occupies a promi- 
 nent place in the community, having been High- 
 way Commissioner. He is a dealer in fine stock, 
 a business which he handles to a good advantage; 
 Corda is also at home with her parents, she and 
 Lydia are graduates of a school in St. Louis; 
 Lincoln is married and lives in Chicago where he 
 is engaged in the mercantile business; Judson, 
 twin brother of Lincoln is still at home ; spent some 
 time in a dry goods store. Thej' area fine family 
 and enjoy the respect and esteem of all. Mr. Black 
 and his entire family are members in good stand- 
 ing of the La IMarsh Baptist Church and are liv- 
 ing consistent and useful Christian lives. 
 
 Our subject is a believer in the principles of the 
 ReiHiblican party and Lakes a lively interest in mat-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 843 
 
 turs pertaining thereto. His ability and integritj' 
 have been recognized and eniplt>yi'd in various 
 ways. He was Gov'ernnienl Store-ixeeper for seven 
 years in Peoria and gave excellent satisfaction; 
 was Justice of tlic Peace for Iweiity yctirs and Ims 
 also served liis tow)isliip in the capacity of Asses- 
 sor. He is entcrprisinii' and alwa^'s on the lookout 
 for iniproveinents and possesses good judgment in 
 liusiness affairs. He was the first man to introduce 
 into the coui.ty an im|)orled Suffolk boar; he also 
 luouyht into tlie township the first Short-horn 
 liiiUs, and tlie first i)urc bred full-blood imported 
 iiorsc of Belgian stock. In liS()2 he purchased 
 an imported pure blood, thorough-l)red Mor- 
 gan lior.se. He takes a deep interest in line hor- 
 ses as well as in other fine stock. 
 
 UOUBKT. In the biographical history of this 
 county tlie name of this gentleman occu- 
 pies a [)rominent place among those of 
 its most sagacious and able farmers and stock- 
 raisers, who have been connected with its inter- 
 ests since the early pioneer days. While using his 
 influence to advance the developinent and financial 
 standing of this region, he has acquired a hand- 
 some fortune and is classed among the wealthiest 
 men of his community. He has a large and well- 
 ordered farm in Limestone Township, and is the 
 owner of one of its most attractive homes. 
 
 Mr. Doubet is of French birth and antecedents 
 and Ciime to this country in 1837, when he was 
 twelve years of age, with his father, Joseph Doubet, 
 wlio settled abont a mile from where our subject 
 now lives, in Kickapoo. Wiien they first came here 
 there were but few settlements in the county. Deer 
 and prairie chickens were plentiful and with wild 
 turkeys formed the staple meat of the pioneers. 
 Prairie wolves abounded and made night hideous 
 ivith their iiowls. A perfectly vviiite wolf, which 
 is a tare animal, used to be seen quite often in this 
 neighborhood and was afterward killi'd by poison 
 and his body found in thfe vicinity. Wild turkeys 
 used to venture even to the coi'n cribs of the pio- 
 neers and eat the cum, and game was so abundant 
 
 that Jack Johnson killed in one winter a large 
 quantity, as he was an extra good shot and many 
 a time brought down a prairie chicken with his 
 rille while it was on the wing. 
 
 The pioneers conducted their work after the 
 most i)riraitive methods. In those days they 
 used to mow altogether with the scythe, and cradle 
 all their grain, anil when it was ready for thresh- 
 ing .jjut it on the ground and drive the horses 
 over it, as there was no machinery of any kind in 
 use. The people were clad in homes|iun that was 
 the product of the womenkind. Mrs. Doubet, when 
 young, was very skillful in weaving and spinning 
 and coloring the cloth thus made, and making it 
 into jeans, casiuct and gingham, and she also made 
 woolen cloth, which was used for dresses. She was 
 likewise an expert in the mamifactnre of linen, 
 and gives an interesting account of the process. 
 First the flax was pulled and dried and bound in 
 small bundles, which a man could take in his hand 
 and about twelve of tliem were put together in a 
 shock. These would set in the field till cured, and 
 her father would then take the bundles down to the 
 Kicka[)00 Creek and immerse them in water, leav- 
 ing them six weeks, when the (lax thus treated 
 would be taken out and spread to dry and then 
 bundled together again. After that he would 
 take each bundle to a machine which he had made, 
 in which four teeth fitted into the grooves between 
 three teeth on the reverse side. This would b'reak 
 the stalk, and the next process was to take a board 
 on edge and hold the fibre over it, and then with a 
 large wooden knife pound or thresh the wooded part 
 out of the linf. After this the women of the house- 
 hold took the flax in hanks as the father put it 
 into twists, and next came the hackling process 
 when the lint was taken by the women and drawn 
 through the combing machine, which was an in- 
 verted comb of steel teeth about four inches long, 
 set in rows, each alternate row breaking the joint 
 of tlie one in front, there being eight or ten rows 
 with about fifteen or twenty lengthwise, eighteen 
 to twenty inches long, this being fastened with a 
 chain to their machine. From this the flax wotdd 
 come in large silken skeins,with each particular fibre 
 lying side b\' side, and from this they made thread to 
 sell, which supplied the whole neighborhood, and
 
 8U 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 also manufactured cloth for sheets, pillow eases, 
 towels, summer clothing, and mixed with cotton 
 for the women's wear. They often colored their 
 cloth gaiU' with different varieties of bark. For 
 yellow, they used hickory bark witli copperas; for 
 blue, chamber lye and indigo; butternut for brown; 
 for green, peach leaves and alum; and for red they 
 had to buy ma(hler from the stores. 
 
 Our subject was well educated in his native 
 France, his father having been a teacher. After 
 coming to this connly, ho was sent out to work and 
 the self-reliant, manly lad became independent early 
 in life. By his marriage, January 18, 1849, to Har- 
 riet Slane he had the good fortune to secure a good 
 wife, whose intelligence, quickness and natural 
 al»ilily have been no unimportant factors in the 
 attainment of the wealth that is the fruit of their 
 united labors. 
 
 Mrs. Doubet is a daughter of Daniel and Ma- 
 hala Slane, of Hampshire County, Ya. They re- 
 moved from their native State to Guernsey County, 
 Oiiio, where they were married, and there four 
 children were born to them. In the old days of 
 muster Sir. Slane was a fifer in a militia regiment, 
 and when the war broke out he was importuned 
 by the men of the regiment, with whom he was a 
 sreat favorite, to enlist in the army, and his name 
 was enrolled an)ong the volunteers of the Seventy- 
 seventh Illinois Infantr}', at Peoria, and for sis 
 months he did good service at the front. But he 
 was too old for the hardships of armj^ life, and was 
 taken sick and was honorably discharged. He died 
 in February, 1885, leaving behind the record of an 
 honoral)le, upright life, well spent'. His widow 
 now makes her home in lloscfield, and draws a 
 jiension on account of his connection with the 
 army. 
 
 After marriage our young couple began their 
 wedded life in a log cabin on the same place where 
 they now live. They originally owned but eighty 
 acres of land, but have added to it until now the 
 farm comprises four hundred acres, all of which is 
 under the plf>w and has been brought to a fine 
 state of cultivation, and is supplied with many 
 valuable improvements. The house in which they 
 live was built in 1857, and is a neat and comfort- 
 ably furnishcil residence. A new barn has been 
 
 recently erected and there are other necessar3' 
 outbuildings. Mr. and Mrs. Doubet have had ten 
 children, of whom the following is recorded: George 
 LaFayette, a farmer of Knox County, is married 
 and Ins four children; .lames H. died at the age of 
 four years; Joseph D., of Knox County, is mar- 
 ried and has seven children; Eliza is the wife of 
 William Guy, of Carroll County, Iowa, and they 
 have one child; Isabel M. is the wife of Edmund 
 Secretan, a farmer of Kickapoo Township, and 
 thej' have one child; IJebecca died at the age of 
 twenty-one; Delilah died at the age of fourteen; 
 John is at home; Charles E. is the last in order of 
 birth. All the children were well educated for 
 their opportunities and are bright and useful citi- 
 zens, and are well settled in life. 
 
 Mr. Doubet possesses sound, roundabout com- 
 mon sense, a keen, resolute nature, a marked fac- 
 ulty for practical work, and these attributes, to- 
 gether with his financial sagacity, have led him on 
 to fortune. His reputation for honesty and gen- 
 eral integrity is good and he stands well with his 
 neighbors and fellow-citizens. F"or a number of 
 years Mr. Doubet has been connected with the 
 School Board as Director, and has actively inter- 
 ested himself in educational matters. He belongs 
 to the Democratic school in politics. He was 
 reared a Catholic, but has broken away from the 
 church and does not affiliate with any denomi- 
 nation. 
 
 ■• — i^^m- — ■ 
 
 RITZ JIOLCniN has a fine farm on section 
 ] 30, Richwood Township, which he devotes 
 _ to dairy purposes, and is doing a thriving 
 business in that line. He was born in Germany, 
 January 22, 1814. He was reared under (ierraan 
 institutions, receive<l his education in the excellent 
 public schools of his native land, and, in accordance 
 with its laws, served two years in the Prussian 
 Army. He remained in the Fatherland until tli^^ 
 fall of 1868, wlien, ambitious to improve his con- 
 dition anil build up a comfortable home, he boldly 
 resolved to try his fortunes in America. After a 
 prosi»erous voyage he landed in New York and 
 came directly to Peoria County, and for fifteen
 
 
 Residence of Daniel Klinck,5ec. 23. PrincevilleTp.Peoria Co, III. 
 
 Residence of Harrison Harlan, 5fc.22.&23. RadnorTr Peoria Co.I ll.
 
 POUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 8i; 
 
 years was employed in a brick yard in North Peo- 
 ria. He liad carefully saved his earnings, and af- 
 ter tiiat engaged in the dairy Ijiisine.ss, eontiiuiiiiii' 
 to live, however, on Elizabeth Street, North I'eo- 
 I'ia, until June, 18'J0. In that month he removed 
 to Rieh\vot)d Towushii), liaving here a good farm 
 of eighty aeres, on which he I'as erected a neat set 
 of buihlings. lie operates quite a large dairy and 
 sells his products in Peoria at a good profit. 
 
 Mr. Molchin \v;is married in Germany in the 
 sp'ringof 18(i8,lo Miss Bertha Rauteidjcrg. She was 
 like himself, a native of (Jermany and was born in 
 August. 1813. 
 
 In the death of this good and true wife at their 
 home on Klizabi}tli Street, May 7, 1885, Mr. iSlol- 
 chin sustained a severe loss. She was a most cx- 
 einplar}' woman, worthy of the respect anil esteem 
 called forth by her kindness of heart and other 
 personal qualities, and she hail many warm friends 
 who mourn her untimely death. She was a woman 
 of rare Christian nature, and in her the Evangel- 
 ical Lutheran Church found a valued member. 
 Three children were born to our subject of his 
 pleasant wedded life: Mary L.. Hannah K. and 
 Helen F. 
 
 Mr. Molchin has dis[)!ayed excellent judgment 
 and good business talent in the management of his 
 interests and has placed his farm in the best pos- 
 sible shape, its substantial buildings and other 
 valuable improvements showing well his thrift 
 and industry. He has [)roved to be a good citi- 
 zen of his adopted country and in all his relations 
 has borne himself as an lionest upright man. 
 
 -SJIfci. 
 
 ■^f— 
 
 ^- 
 
 AVID I. FINCH. This gentleman was 
 appointed United States Storekeeper in 
 Peoria, August 1, 1889, and commenced 
 work September 1, being the first to as- 
 sume the duties of that ollice in the i''ifth District 
 of Illinois. He is discharging his duties to the en- 
 tire satisfaction of bis superiors, as he has those of 
 other positions which he has held in times past. 
 His integrity is vouched for by Judge Hopkins, 
 Julius Starr, and other well-known citizens, and he 
 
 enjoj's the respect of his fellow-men. His life pre- 
 sents an excellent exam[il(; of devotion to duty an<l 
 regard for principle, well worth}' the imitation of 
 others. As a prominent citizen we arc pleased to 
 present his bitigrnphy and portrait on these pages. 
 
 Counei'ticut claims our subject as one of her sons, 
 his birth having taken [dace at (Jreenwich, June 2, 
 1841. His parents, Gilbert P. and Alalhea P.(Peck) 
 Finch, were also born in Connecticut. Their loy- 
 alty to their country was manifested bj- sending 
 four sons into the Held during the Civil War, one 
 of them giving his life for his country. He was a 
 memlfcr of the Ninth Iowa Infantry, and was fa- 
 tally wounded at Pea Ridge. Another was mus- 
 tereil out as Lieutenantiu the Eighteenth Michigan 
 Infantry, while our sul)ject and his youngest 
 brother belonged to the Tenth Connecticut Infantry. 
 
 The boyhood of Mr. Finch was passed as an in- 
 mate of the parental home, his time being occupied 
 in attendance at the public schools and au academy, 
 and in the recreations and home duties suited to his 
 jears. AVhen sixteen years old he started in life 
 for himself in the cmplo}' of Brooks Bros., an old 
 and i)roniiuent New York firm, for whom he was 
 working when the first gun was tired in the Civil 
 War. Being a minor, he was not able to enter the 
 army at once, as he desiretl to do, but in Septem- 
 ber, 1861, his wish was gratified by the attachment 
 of his name to the muster roll of Company I, Tenth 
 Connecticut Infantry. The enrollment took place 
 at Hartford, whence the regiment was sent to An- 
 napolis, Md., and down the Chesapeake Coast with 
 (■len. Burnsides. 
 
 Young Finch first entered the smoke of battle 
 at Roanoke Island, ■ftdiere the colonel was killed, 
 the next engagement being at Newburn, during 
 which fight our subject was twice struck by balls. 
 The battle of Kingston followed, where, out of 
 three hundred and sixty-six men who entered the 
 contest, seventeen were killed and nearly one hun- 
 dred wounded or missing. This was a severe loss 
 to the regiment, but the de|)leted ranks entered 
 into the next battle with even greater vigor. While 
 Mr. Finch was not wounded at Kingston, the blank- 
 ets in which he was wra[)ped were riddh^l with 
 canister shot. White Hall and Goldsboro were the 
 next heavy engagements in which our subject par-
 
 848 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAFIUCAL ALIUM. 
 
 ticipated, the intervening lime being occupied in 
 Ihe man^- duties belonging to camp and campaign 
 life. Tlie climate seriouslj' affected the health of 
 Mr. Finch and he finally became so ill that he was 
 discharged May 27, 1863. He still feels the effect of 
 the weary months during which his life was so stir- 
 ring and onerous. 
 
 Returning to his liotBe in Connecticut Mr. Finch, 
 as sonn as his health was sufliciently imiiroved, re- 
 sumed the position in which the call to arms had 
 found him, but after a time he came West and be- 
 came clerk in a railroad office. He received a pro- 
 motion, held a position on tlie Hlinois Central and 
 finally was with the Toledo, Peoria ifc Warsaw Road 
 as conductor. He was so unfortunate as to lose his 
 arm, luit could not be induced to give up the train 
 and continued in active business until chosen to 
 conduct the Government affairs in which he is now 
 engaged. He is identified with the Masonic Lodge 
 Xo. 15; with Bryner Post, No. 67, G. A. R.. and 
 with the A. O. U. AV.. No. 15. His religious belief 
 finds expression through theCongregational Cluirch. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Finch and Miss Sarah M. 
 McFatrich was celebrated at tlie bride's home in 
 1868. Slie is a native of AVisconsin, but was reareil 
 in Illinois. Iler intelligence, womanly accomplish- 
 ments and sterling character are such as to entitle 
 her to respect and make her an efficient home-keeper 
 and niemlier of society. She has borne her hnsl)and 
 four children, three of whom are living and still 
 gladden their jiarents' hearts by their presence in 
 tlie home. Tl.e names of the children are George 
 II. Louis W.. Frederick 1*. (deceased) and Fanny A. 
 
 OHN n. VANARSDALE. This gentleman 
 is one of the foremost farmers and stock- 
 raisers of Peoria County; is one of the lead- 
 ing members of the Grange; is generally 
 prominent socially and politically, and in him 
 Kickapoo Township, where he has a large farm 
 and a beautiful home, finds one of its most valued 
 and public-spirited citizens. 
 
 Henry L Vanarsdale, the father of our subject, 
 was born in New Jersey, and his mother, whose 
 
 maiden name was Sophia G. Brown, was also born 
 in that State, a native of Somerset County. They 
 married and settled in that count}-, where he died 
 in 1834. The mother of our subject came to Mason 
 County, 111., in 1849, and her death occurred there 
 in 1878. She had a family of three children, of 
 whom our subject was the second. He was born 
 in Somerset County, N. J., July 4. 1832. and ac- 
 companied his mother to this State when he was 
 about seventeen years old. After coming here he 
 first w-orked out by the month on a farm for 18 
 per mouth, and was thus engaged for one 5-ear. 
 After that he bought a tract of land in Mason 
 County, and was engaged in its cultivation until 
 March, 18C5. He then sold out his farm there, 
 and coming to Peoria County, settled on section 
 10, Kickapoo Township, and on this farm he has 
 lived ever since. He owns three hundred and 
 twenty acres of valuable land, which is under the 
 best of cultivation, and is arapl}- sripplied with 
 roomy and conveniently-arranged buildings, and 
 farming machinerj- of the best models, and is in 
 every respect one of our best conducted and best 
 improved farnis, and by the e.vercise of sound 
 judraent. fine capacity for business, and good man- 
 agement in all directions, our subject derives a 
 handsome income from the rich harvests that he 
 reaps from its fertile soil. 
 
 In the upbuilding of the attractive home that 
 ho Las established here, Mr. Vanarsdale has had 
 the cheerful co-Oi-eration of a wife wlio is in every 
 seiise a true woman. They were married June 6, 
 1856, and of their happy wedded life six children 
 have been born, five of whom are living: AVilliani 
 O. is a banker in Burton, Kan.; Hattie B. is the 
 wife of Samuel Gordeu, of Kickapoo Township; 
 Laura A. is the wife of Arthur Wilson, of Peoria; 
 Charles, who lives at home, and Carrie W. 
 
 It gives us pleasure to place on the pages of this 
 volume the outlines of the life and v.-ork of John 
 Vanarsdale, who has for a quarter of a century 
 been prominently identified with one of the lead- 
 ing interests of the county, and is invaluable as 
 a citizen whose earnest public spirit is a potent fac- 
 tor in forwarding all plans for public improve- 
 ment. He is a straightforward, manly man, the 
 soul of honor and integrity, possesses sound Intel-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 849 
 
 lect and force of character, far-seeing and sagacious 
 
 hiisincj^s qiKilitios, and is progressive, enteri)rising 
 and systematic in tlie conduct of liis affairs. He is 
 a loading member in tlie (irange, has held most 
 all the offices of the local Grange, and is also one of 
 the committee of the State (i range, and has acted as 
 (k'lieral State Agent much of the time. He takes 
 an intelligent interest in the political att'airs of the 
 countrj-, keeping himself well posted in that re- 
 spect, and is a conspicuous figure in Uie Repub- 
 lican party of this locality. Socially, he is a valued 
 uuMuber of the Patrons of Husbandry. While 
 holding the otlice of School Director he sought to 
 promote the educational advantages of the town- 
 
 shii). 
 
 ,*r^-^ 
 
 '^^^:^^^f?5<-^- 
 
 ij^^^UOMAS F. KYLE is numbered among the 
 young men of energy and enterprise who 
 are aiding in carrying on the great agricnl- 
 tiiral interests of Logan Township. He was born 
 February 1, 1857, in Adams County, Ohio, and is 
 a son of William and Elinor (Mclntjre) Ivylc. who 
 were natives respectively of Ireland and Pennsyl- 
 vania. His mother was a daughter of George Mc- 
 Intyre, who came to this country from Ireland. 
 He was the father of five sons and two daughters, 
 namely: Mathe^v, Joseph, James, George, John 
 (all of whom married and reared families except- 
 ing George), Elinor; and Sarah, wife of Herbert 
 I'.ouran. The subject's father came to the United 
 States about fifty years ago, and he also had two 
 brothers who became citizens of this country and 
 died unmarried. 
 
 Mr. Kyle lived in various [)laces in Pennsylvania 
 and Ohio, and finally married -in the latter place 
 and established a home among its pioneers and 
 there engaged in farming. In the fall of 1869 he 
 came to this State, casting in his lot with the 
 early settlers of the county. He lived in the place 
 where he first located until the following spring, 
 and then removed to section 7, Logan Township, 
 where he (jurchased one hundred and three acres 
 of land. Busy years followed, in which he was en- 
 gaged in developing and improving his farm, and 
 at the time of his death, July 2, 1884, at the age 
 
 of seventj'-two, he had it in a fine condition. His 
 wife died just before he did, April "2, 1.S84, at the 
 age of fifty-eight years. They had a family of 
 eight children, nimeh': Robert J.. William (i., 
 James, Thomas F., Josei)h (living in Kansas), Al- 
 bert, Mar}' and Charles. The latter ilicd at the 
 age of eight years. 
 
 As our suliject was Ijrcd on a farm, he acquired 
 a sound, practical knowledge of agriculture in all 
 its branches. His education was gained in the com- 
 mon schools, and thus equipiied, he early started 
 out in life for himsi'lf when he olitaiued his ma- 
 jority, and for two years was employed by the 
 month. After his marriage, December G. IS.-^l, he 
 located on a farm of eightv acres w'ith his brother 
 in Trivoli Townshi|). In the spring of 1888 he 
 settled on his. farm on section 17, h;iving then one 
 hundred acres of land, having (lurchased in the 
 first place eighty acres adjoining. He has here an 
 excellent farm leplcte with every convenience for 
 carrying C)n agriculture advantageously and sup- 
 plied with neat farm buildings. He jjossesses the 
 requisite energy, stability, and capacity for con- 
 tinued labor that are so necessar}' in the pnrsuit 
 of any calling if one would be successful in life, 
 and he is doing well in the management of his af- 
 fairs. He is a sturdy Democrat in his political 
 views. He has served as Constable, and was found 
 to be a vigilant and useful officer. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ivyle have two children, named Claude F. and 
 Jay T. 
 
 ^ .^^ ^ 
 
 ALPH NEEDHAM BAILEY. Among the 
 young citizens of Peoria who are manifest- 
 ing a creditable degree of enterprise and 
 \^ proficiency in the work to which they give 
 their attention, the gentleman above named de- 
 serves mention. He is quite young, having been 
 born September 19, 1866, in Sycamore, DeKalb 
 County. His parents, Oliver J. and Mary E. 
 (Needham) Baile}', were born in the Empire State. 
 They removed to Chicago when Ralph was about 
 six years old. sojourning in the metropolis about 
 two years, then removing to Springfield, 111. Af-
 
 850 
 
 PORTRAIT AND MOGRAPIIICA-I. *ALnUlSr. 
 
 ter remaining there a. sliort time they located in 
 Peoria. Here our subject obtained liis education, 
 first attending the public sciiools and subseciuenll^- 
 taking a six niontlis' course at Parish's Business 
 College, now Brown's College. 
 
 At the age of eighteen years young Bailey took 
 a position in a produce and commission house at 
 East Saginaw, Mich., also having an interest in the 
 establishment. After six months experience he 
 sold out, and returning to Peoria took a position 
 with Fred S. Tucker, in the furniture business. We 
 next find liim assistant book-keeper in the loan 
 ofHce of Bourland (fc Bailey. I-'or the past two 
 3'ears he has been in charge of his father's farm 
 work, and from the amount of stock in which he is 
 interested might well be denominated a stock 
 farmer. He is a Republican, ever ready to cast his 
 vote for the piinciples whicl\ he believes demandeii 
 by the interests of the nation. Intelligent and of 
 manly character, he is looked upon with esteem 
 and gives promise of winning a high reputation in 
 business and social circles as he advances to a ri[)cr 
 age. 
 
 An important stej) in tlie life of a young man is 
 his choice of a companion, and it is a pleasure to 
 the friends of Mr. Bailey to know that his has been 
 a fortunate one. He won for his wife Aliss Mary 
 Dennisou Culver, wlio was born in Peoria, March 
 13, 1866, and became the wife of our subject Sep- 
 tember 4, 1885. She is a daughter of Edwin D. 
 and Martha A. (Dennisou) Culver, natives of tiie 
 State of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey iiave 
 two interesting children — Louise and Martha. Mr. 
 Bailey is a member of the Congregational Church. 
 
 ]OHN W. SMITH, born and reared in this 
 county, is now actively aiding his feUow- 
 farmers and stock-raisers in the great woi k 
 (^^ of carrying on its immense agricultural in- 
 terests. He lias a farm in Logan Township, the 
 place of his birth, which compares well with any 
 other in its vicinity in regard to improvement and 
 cultivation, and which is represented b}' a vien' on 
 another page. 
 
 Mr. Smith was born June 19, 1843, at the parental 
 
 homestead on section 17, Logan Township. His par- 
 ents,who were pioneers of this section of tlie country, 
 were Benjamin I), and Martha Ellen (Uichards^on) 
 Smith, natives respectively of liuckingliam County, 
 Va., and of Ohio; the former was born in the month 
 of September, 1815, and was the only member of 
 his family to come to this county. When he was 
 a young man he left his native Virginia, and ac- 
 companied his brother James to Highland County, 
 Ohio. There he met his future wife and w.'is mar- 
 ried. He was a blacksmith by trade, and followed 
 it until the latter part of his life, when he gave his 
 attention exclusively to farming. He eaine to this 
 county with James Richardson, a sketch of whose 
 life appears in this volume. He purchased twenty- 
 nine acres of land on section ID, Logan Townshi[>, 
 which he later increased to thirty-nine acres, and 
 before his death had acquired two hundred and 
 twenty-six acres of fine farming land. 
 
 June 25, 1883, Mr. Smitli passed to eternal rest, 
 leaving behind him a worth}- record as a pioneer, 
 as a citizen, father, husband and neighbor. He 
 was twice married, and became the father of ten 
 children. The children of his first marriage were : 
 James R., who died in infancy; John W.; George, 
 who died when quite young; and Thomas C. His 
 first wife, who was a good and true woman, and a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, died 
 in 1847. His second wife was Mrs. Nauc\- 15. Tur- 
 bett, nee AIcKinney, widow of Thomas Turbett 
 and daughter of David and Martha (Goudy) Mc- 
 Kinney. She was a member in good standing of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, and died May 18, 
 1890. She was the mother of six children, namely: 
 Benjamin F., who died in Missouri; Charles W., 
 who died at the age of seventeen; David H.. a 
 resident of Sumner Count}', Kan.; Julia A., wife 
 of John H. Finley, of Page County, Iowa; Raphael 
 H. ; and Jula H., who died j'oung. 
 
 Passing liis bo3'hood on a farm, our subject 
 learned all about farming, and iu the local schools 
 gained a good education. He remained at home 
 until his marriage, and after that important event 
 in his life located on section 15. After living there 
 three j'ears he purchased his p\'esent farm, which 
 comprised one hundred and sixty acres, now under 
 excellent cultivation and improved. When he
 
 Residence OF John W.Smith, 5ec. 15. LoganTr Peoria Co. III. 
 
 - ^-=7.=tiv>-«*»■-'V*li^rf*?,^,-;-r7.„3t^.V,S»*»•«K-i!fi^'«^ «.'^ ,-b.T^,--./J,^- . - ^;^i-«*-,^S>i;vfri*iJ»<. r>.- r^W^^ Tt^ S fcJSSt^ ^^fe^ 
 
 Residence of Thomas Catton.Sec.H.BrimfieldTp. Peoria Co. 111.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 853 
 
 st;irto(] out in life his sole |)ossessioiis were a horse 
 ;ui(I saddle. He now has one hundred and eighty 
 acres of land, and is one of the substantial men of 
 his native lowuslii[i. 
 
 February 12, I.SGH, was the date of the marriage 
 of our subject with Miss Hadassah .lane Patten. 
 She Is a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Thomas 
 E. and Martha Ann (Fluley) Patten. Mrs. Smith is 
 a woman of fine [jcrsonal character, kind, thought- 
 ful and attentive to others, and in her the I'Dited 
 Presbyterian Church linds one of Its best workers 
 and most consistent members. Six children have 
 been born of her marriage with our subject, whom 
 they have named Martha K., Nettie B., Nora Jane, 
 Sarah Harriet, AVilllam Uufus and Clarence Klder. 
 Martha and Nettie are deceased. 
 
 In his whole course in life our subject has shown 
 himself to be a loyal and patriotic citizen. During 
 the dark days of the Rebellion he offered his ser- 
 vices to his country, and Deeeniber 15, 1861, his 
 name was enrolled as a member of Company C, 
 Fifty-seventh Illinois Infantry. He and his com- 
 rades met the enemy at Ft. Donelson and atShiloh. 
 Ho discharged his duties with fidelity, and showed 
 excellent qualities as a soldier, but was oliliged to 
 leave the army on account of ill-health, and on 
 Ai)ril 22, 1862, was honorably discharged. Feb- 
 ruar3' 12, 1865. he re enlisted and became connec- 
 ted with Company A, One Hundred and Fifty-first 
 Illinois Infantry, and was honor.abl}' discharged 
 January 25, 1866. He is a man of good Informa- 
 tion, having a clear, intelligent mind. In politics 
 he stands firmly with the Repulilican party. 
 
 S)HOMAS CATTtJN has been actively in- 
 terested in agricultural pursuits in this 
 county since the opening years of his man- 
 hood, and in the course of time has developed a 
 good-sized farm in Brinifield Township, pleasantly 
 located on section 11, whose well-tilled fields, and 
 many substantial improvements constitute it one of 
 the best ordered farms in the locality. He h.as a 
 commodious residence a view of which is presented 
 in connection with this sketch. In performing for 
 
 so many years these arduous duties Mr. Cation has 
 fairly earned the title of a pioneer of this region. 
 
 Mr. Catton was horn In Lincolnshire, England, 
 In the month of .Tanuary, I !S;i5, his parents being 
 Thomas and Mary (Clark) Catton, both natives of 
 the mother country. He vFas reared on his native 
 soil and when about eighteen years old boldly ven- 
 tured forth from his old home in 1853, and ac- 
 companied by his brother, Holland, set sail across 
 the broad waters of the Atlantic to find at least a 
 competence and build up a home fur himself. He 
 took passage at Liverpool on a sail vessel, and af- 
 ter a voyage of three weeks and five days landed 
 in New York City and thence came directly to 
 Peoria County, whither his brother William had 
 preceded him one year. 
 
 For a few months Mr. Catton worked as a farm 
 hand until he became acquainted with the methods 
 of carrying on agricultural ijursuils in this country 
 and then, in partnershq) with his brother William 
 he farmed for a number of years as a renter. He 
 linallj' became a land-owner, purchasing a place in 
 Brinifield Township, and now has in his posses- 
 sion two hundred and fort}' acres of as fertite land 
 as is to be found in all the region round about. It 
 is cultivated by the best of methods, is su})plicd 
 with ample buildings, and every needed appliance 
 for carrying on farm work. Oifi- subject began 
 life in this country with no means,and has acquired 
 his property by the exercise of those faculties of 
 thrift, prudence and acute judgment which insure 
 success in any walk in life. Feeling anxious to 
 revisit the scenes of his youth, Mr. Catton started 
 for his old home, March 17, 1866, and spent sev- 
 eral months there. During that time he met the 
 lady who was to be his bride. Accordingly on Sep- 
 tember 8, 1866, he contracted a matrimonial alli- 
 ance with Miss Jane H. Butler, who is, like 
 himself, a native of England, having been born in 
 Lincolnshire, January 30, 1845. On Mondiy, Se|)- 
 tcmber 11, 1866, they departed for their home 
 across the waters. Mrs. Catton is a daughter of 
 Joseph and Elizabeth Butler, who were of English 
 birth and .'intecedents. Six children have been bovn 
 of her union with our subject, namely: Ada Ann, 
 wife of Andrew Whittaker, of Miilbrook Township: 
 Herbert Edward, Lorado Butler, 'Thomas Frank-
 
 854 
 
 POUTUAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALP.LM. 
 
 iiii, Lena Elizabeth ami William Artluir. Mr. and 
 Mis. Cattoii and tlieir oldest datightei- arc con- 
 sistent membtrsof tlie Methodist Episcopal Church 
 at Hrimfk'ld. 
 
 Mr. Catton.takt'S a warm interest in everything 
 that pertains to the welfare of P.riintield Towship, 
 and is a liberal supporter of all schemes that will 
 in any way enchance its prosperity. Politically, 
 ho is a Republican and his part)- lind in liim a warm 
 supporter, lie is well liked in this community 
 and his neisrliboVs find in him a true friend. 
 
 I F. SLONE, an honored veteran of tlie late 
 war, is well known throughout Trivoli 
 and adjoining townships as an able aiic- 
 (^ tioneer and a practical farmer. He was 
 
 born in Goshen, Clermont Count\-, Ohio, March 
 1(). 1829. His parents were William and Rachael 
 (Cramer) .Slone natives respeotivelj- of ^^'arren 
 County, Ohio, and Butler County, Ky. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of our suliject, .lere- 
 miah Cramer, was born in New Jersey, and was a 
 pioneer farmer of Clermont County, Ohio, where 
 he died. Mr. .Slone's paternal grandfather, AVill- 
 iam Slone, came from Ireland to this country and 
 took up his abode in Pennsylvania, whence he 
 went to Hamilton Count)', Ohio, and thence to 
 Warren County, in the same State. He went to 
 Cincinnati when it was nothing but a fort built for 
 defense against the Indians, and he was an actor in 
 the French and Indian War, under Gen. Anthony 
 Wayne, of whom he was a great admirer. From 
 Warren County he went to Clermont County, of 
 which he was one of the very first settlers, only 
 three or four families having preceded him. He 
 constructed a log shanty in the wilderness for a 
 habitation, and in the course of years became pros- 
 perous, and was the possessor of four hundred 
 acres of land, and to each of his eight children 
 gave a fifty-acre tract. He was very prominent in 
 local affairs, and had the honor of naming the 
 township in which he lived, and conferred upon it 
 the name of AVayne. in commemoration of his old 
 friend and general. He was a Hard-shell Baptist 
 
 in religion, and a Democrat in politics. He died 
 at the ripe old age of eightv years. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in the 
 primeval forests of Clermont County. He started 
 out in life as a farmer, but subsequently became 
 a merchant, carrying on bis business on the Mar- 
 tinsville and Cincinnati Road, and he also erected 
 a hotel there, which was the best place in the 
 county for a [lublic house of entertainment, as so 
 many travelers passed that way. He had at one 
 time four hundred acres of land, but was unfortu- 
 nate and lost some of his property. In 185G he 
 sold out and came to Illinois, and bought a farm 
 in Knox Count)', seven miles from Knoxville, and 
 improved his homestead from a tract of wild prai- 
 rie to a substantial farm, comprising eighty acres 
 of land. He disposed of that place in 1.S64, and 
 went to Iowa, where he lived but one year. In 
 18G5 he came from there to Trivoli T'ownship, and 
 purchased eighty acres of land on section 23, where 
 our subject now lives, and in the home that he es 
 tablished there his life of eighty-one years was 
 brought to a close in 1870. He was a stanch 
 Democrat, and a consistent memlier of the I'nited 
 Brethren Church. During his residence in Ohio he 
 was Justice of the Peace twenty years. His wife 
 departed this life in the spring of 1885, at the age 
 of eighty-three years. She made her home with 
 our subject. She was a meml)er of the liaptist 
 Church. To those worth)- people six children 
 were born: William, an attorney and merchant at 
 Winfield, Kan.; F. G., a resident of Clinton, Ohio; 
 A. F.; J. D., living in Shelby County, Ind., where 
 he is engaged in gardening; Samuel JNL, who died 
 in the home of our subject; Elizabeth, Mrs. Young, 
 of Oregon. F. G. enlisted in 1862 in the Seven- 
 tieth Ohio Infantry, and was Captain of Company 
 K, till he was mustered out of the service on ac- 
 count of physical disability. 
 
 The subject of this biography was early set to 
 work on his father's farm, and from the age of nine 
 years had to plow- and perform other hard labor. 
 He attended. both the subscription and free schools 
 and gained a fairly good education. When he was 
 twenty-one j'ears old hejeft home, and for awhile 
 was engaged in farming as a renter. Two years 
 later he went into business as a huckster, and for
 
 PORTRAIT AND UlUGUAriUCAL ALIJUM. 
 
 855 
 
 tlie next three years maile a good rleal of money 
 liy liis operations. In the fall of 1855 he aljan- 
 (loned that business and came to TUiuois with a 
 team and wiii^'on, ci'ossing the Wabash at Terre 
 Haute, and the Illinois at Pekin, and thence pro- 
 ceeding to Auington, where he wintered. In the 
 spring he began farming at that place, but at the 
 end of a year he rented land four miles west of 
 there. A year alter tliat he went to Galesburg,aud 
 for three years carried on agriculture near that 
 city. 
 
 Our subject was living there when the war broke 
 out, and August II, 1SG2, he threw aside all per- 
 sonal considerations and volunteered to defend the 
 old flag, and at Springfield was mustered in as a 
 private in the Seventh Illinois Cavahy, Corapanj- 
 K, and joined his regiment at Corinth, and the 
 next morning first faced the enemy in the seco:.d 
 battle fought at that place. He was present at 
 Coffeeville, fought gallantly at CoUerville, and 
 from there went lo take part in the Salem fight, 
 where his regiment was badly defeated. Our sub- 
 ject next met the rebels at Red Uank, and then 
 saw some hard fighting on the Tallehatchie River 
 and at Franklin and Nashville. From there he and 
 his brave coniiades were dis|)atched to Jlississippi 
 near Jeff Davis' oltl home. and were set to guard the 
 road. The men were finally sent back to luka, 
 and thence to Decatur, Ala., where Mr. Slonc 
 was mustered out July 12, liSfio, having fought 
 long and well, lacking twenty-nine days of three 
 years service in the army,and his war record shows 
 him to have acted with true courage, faithfulness 
 and capability whenever and wherever placed dur- 
 ing all that trying time. lie was paid off and dis- 
 chargeil at Nashville. While in the service he was 
 near his brother for a month or two. In the first 
 fight that he took part he had a narrow escape 
 from death, as two bullets were shot through his 
 coat. 
 
 After the war Mr. Slone removed to Iowa, and 
 ill Warren County worked out by the mouth until 
 November, 18G5, when he returned to Illinois and 
 located in Trivoli Township. He farmed his fath- 
 er's place until his mother's ileath, and in 1885 
 bought the interests of the other heirs, and now 
 has the whole quarter section in bis possession. It 
 
 is under excellent imiM-ovement, is all tillable, and 
 watered by a branch of the Copperas, is a good 
 stock farm, and is devoted partly to that purpose, 
 and partly to raising grain. Mr. Slone used to 
 engage quite extensively in buying, feeding and 
 shipping stock, but does not now, as he does not 
 consider that it |)a}s. Ever since he was eighteen 
 years old he has acted as an auctioneer, and is still 
 conducting that business to quite an extent in this 
 vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Slone and Miss Lydia Graham were mar- 
 ried in Clinton Count}', Ohio, in 1850. She was a 
 native of that part of the country, and there died, 
 leaving one child, Catherine M.,who married Lean- 
 der Cramer,and died in Trivoli Township. The sec- 
 ond marriage of our subject was solemnized in 
 Warren County, Iowa, Sejiteinber 17, 18(15, when 
 he was wedded to Miss Margaret Battou. She 
 was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and when a girl was 
 taken to Iowa and there grew to womanhood. Her 
 marriage with our subject has been blessed to them 
 by the birth of six children, of whom two are liv- 
 ing: C<eorge, a resilient of Peoria; and Oscar H., at 
 home with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Slone is identified with the public and po- 
 litical life of his township, and never hesitates to 
 do what he can for its advancement. He has held 
 local olHces. and when he was constable, which po- 
 sition he filled twelve years, he was an alert guard- 
 ian of the public peace. He is one of our most 
 intelligent School I)ireclors,aud has been a member 
 of the School Board nearly ever since he came 
 here. His political sentiments are in accordance 
 with the principles of the Democratic party, and 
 he has taken part in its councils as a delegate to 
 count}' conventions. 
 
 ^z 
 
 |/__^ ENRY KNOX SIKES. A worthy scion of 
 1^ a noble family, the gentleman above named 
 
 is pursuing his coarse in life in a manner 
 that indicates his full concurrence in the 
 spirit of the motto "Noblesse oblige." In inherit- 
 ing sterling traits of character from his progenitors 
 and having had them strengthened by wise advice
 
 856 
 
 PORTRAIT AND r.U )( IKA I'HICAL ALI5UM. 
 
 and instruction, he is filled to act well liis part 
 in life and extend the family Lon^r and influence. 
 For some time he has been a resident of Peoria, 
 and during a few j'cars past engaged in the busi- 
 ness of an insurance agent and general solicitor at 
 No. 214 South Madison Avenue. 
 
 Mr. Sikes was born in Mercer, Me.,i\Iay 8, 1841, 
 being a son of Oren and Julia Knox (Thatcher) 
 Sikes. His mother was a daughter ot Judge Ebene- 
 zer Thatcher, sister of Rerir Admiral Ileiu v K. That- 
 cher, and granddaughter of Gen. Henr^- Knox, the 
 first Secretary of War of the United States, and 
 Chief of Artillery on Gen. W.ashington's Staff. 
 Our subject now has the bit that was in the mouth 
 of three different horses shot under Gen. Knox at 
 Trenton, December 26, 1776. Oreu Sikes was an 
 orthodox clergyman, of the body now called Con- 
 gregationalists. at Bedford, Mass., continuing min- 
 isterial labors until his death, which occurred when 
 our subject was quite small. 
 
 After the death of his father, young Sikes at- 
 tended school in Maine and also at Fall River, Mass., 
 whence he went to Now York and entered a business 
 house as clerk. AVhen the war first broke out he 
 was desirous of entering the armj', but being taken 
 with the smallpox he w.is unable to do so; his 
 health having been fully restored, in August, 1862, 
 he entered Troop G, First New York Mounted 
 Rifles, the regiment being under the command of 
 Col. C. C. Dodge, of the firm of Phelps, Dodge & 
 Co., of New York, and the troop led bj- Capt. 
 Oberteuffers. Mr. Sikes served in the same com- 
 pany and regiment until the close of the war, being 
 attached to the Army of East Virginia and mainly- 
 occupied in scouting and raiding with his comrades, 
 who were given this independent work of a nature 
 s()ecially adapted to their organization. They, 
 however, took part in" the engagements at Rich- 
 mond, Petersburg, and the closing of the battle of 
 Five Forks. Mr. Sikes received a severe Injury 
 from which he will never recover. 
 
 Mr. Sikes was mustered out of the service in 
 November, 1865, and. returning to the Bay State, 
 obtained an interest in a shoe business at Lynn. 
 Thence he removed to VIneland, N. J., remaining 
 there three and one-half years engaged in business 
 and going thence to Stanford, Dutchess County, 
 
 N. Y. In that city he sojourned ten years, work- 
 ing for the railroad company, and coming to 
 Peoria, with the Chicago, Burlington <fe Quincy 
 Railroad Company. He gave up the work at last 
 to enter the employ of the Western Union Tele- 
 graph Company, and three 3-ears later retired almost 
 entirely from business on account of the sickness 
 and death of his wife and daughter. Still later he 
 became interested in general soliciting and insur- 
 ance, to which be has in recent jears devoted his 
 attention. 
 
 Mr. Sikes was Sanitary Inspector of Peoria, and 
 has held oflices in various places, such as City Cltik 
 of Stanford, N. Y., etc. In the Union Veteran Club, 
 a large organization of old soldiers, he held the of- 
 fice of Secretary- three years. He has been Adju- 
 tant in the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a 
 member of the Society of the Cincinnati, his mem- 
 bership coming by inheritance through Admiral 
 Thatcher, and also b}' general vote on character. 
 Of the social fraternities, he holds membership in 
 the Masonic order, the Independent C>rder of Odd 
 Fellows, and the Improved Order of Red Men. 
 
 Besides the relic mentioned elsewhere in this 
 sketch, Mr. Sikes has a solid mahogany bureau and 
 secretary, eight and a half feet high and ri(^hly 
 carved, which was formerly owned and used by 
 Louis XVI of France and occupied a place in the 
 Tuilleries. After the sacking of the palace in 1 786 
 Gen. LaFayette secured the piece of furniture and 
 sent it to Gen. Knox, from whom it has been 
 handed down to our subject. Mr. Sikes also has a 
 portion of a set of French china dishes made for 
 Gen. Knox, ornamented with the coat-of-arms of 
 the Society of the Cincinnati and the initials 
 H. L. K., for Henry and Lucy Knox. The present 
 owner has a just appreciation of the value of tbese 
 remarkable relics and a due regard for his geneo- 
 logical tree. 
 
 At Brookl3'n,N. Y., August 7, 1865, by the Rev. 
 Dr. Inskip, Mr. .Sikes was married to Margaret A., 
 daughter of Joshua Terry. The bride was born 
 February 5, 1837, was well educated, and possessed 
 the noble traits of character which won and held 
 deep regard. Her father w.ts for many years a 
 shipsmith, owning^ and operating a large shop in 
 which all kinds of Iron work of vessels was done.
 
 //. cd . J/iim/^^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOCiRAPIIlCAL AL15UM. 
 
 859 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Sikes two children were born- 
 Lillian Tlialclier. who died in this city at the age of 
 eighteen years, when devcUipiiig into a charming 
 womanhood ; Waldo Henry K., who was l)orn on 
 tlie .'id of .lanuary, 1876, i.s still pursning his stud- 
 ies in school. BIrs. Sikes was called from time to 
 eternity in May, 1887, less than two years after the 
 death of iier daugiiter. Mr. Sikes is a member of 
 the First Congregational Churcli, his young son 
 also being identified with that religious society. 
 
 y^TLLIAlM S. TITRBI<:TT. Among the por- 
 traits and biographical records of promi- 
 nent and pioneer citizens of Peoria County 
 tliat of Mr. Turbett is presented. He belongs to 
 a pioneer family-, and is descended from worthy 
 ancestors. Tracing his lineage back a few genera- 
 tions, we find that John Turbett and Priscilla 
 Moore were married in the North of Ireland, 
 April 22, 1723, and had the following children: 
 Matthew, Esther, .lames, Nathan, Jonathan, John, 
 William, Thomas and Samuel. Thomas was born 
 January 20, 1741, and died June 12, 1820, aged 
 sevent^'-nine year.s. He was married to Jean 
 Wilson, who died June 15, 182G, when sixty-eight 
 years of age. 
 
 A native of the Emerald Isle, Thomas Turbett, 
 the paternal grandfather of William S., came to 
 America duiing Colonial days, settling £mong the 
 l)i()neers of Pennsylvania. When the AVar of the 
 Revolution broke out he entered the arm}', becom- 
 ing Colonel of his regiment. His wife, who was a 
 n.ative of Scotland, bore him eleven children, 
 named .as follows: John. Thomas, James, Samuel, 
 (ieorge, Stewart, William, Nancy, Mary, Esther 
 and Priscilla. Three of the sons were early set- 
 tlers of Ohio, one of Fairfield County and two 
 of Richland County. Col. Thomas Turbett and his 
 brother James were the only mouibers of tlie fam- 
 ily who came to America. 
 
 Concerning the grandfather of our subject, Ihe 
 follf)wing is quoted : "Col. Thomas Turbett was a 
 remarkable man in his day. Ills name ajipearcd on 
 
 the tax lists of Milford Township as early as 
 1774. He started the first tanyard in the present 
 Juniata County, and most probably the first west 
 of the Kittatinny Mountains. The tanyard is on 
 the lax list of 1778. He took an active part dur- 
 ing the RevoUitionary \\'ar anil rose to the rank of 
 Colonel of Militia. He alw.ays contended that the 
 service he rendered his country in that great day 
 of trial and distress was no more than the plain, 
 conimon duty of any and every citizen. It is 
 related that at the battle of Princeton, a British 
 ofneer ivas loudly calling u[)on the rebels with a 
 profusion of terril)le oaths to surrender. Col. 
 Turbett was not in that business at that time, so 
 he laid a rifio on the fence and killed the British 
 oflicer." 
 
 When a 3'onng man, John Turbett, the son of 
 this brave Revolutionary officer, left his native 
 Pennsylvania and became a pioneer of Fairfield 
 County, Ohio, where he married. In 18211 he re- 
 moved to Fayette County, that State, and during 
 the sojourn there our subject was born, Decem- 
 ber 25, 1831. The maiden name of his mother 
 was Nancy Beaty. In the fall of 1840 John Tur- 
 bett, accompanied by his family, came to Illinois 
 and purchased a large tract of land in Logan 
 Township, which his sons imi)roved while he car- 
 ried on his business as a tannei. He established 
 the first and only tannery in this township, and 
 was one of the substantial (ulizens of the place. His 
 death, which occurred January 23, 1847, at the 
 age of nearly sixty-four 3'ears, was a serious loss 
 to the industrial and material interests of his town- 
 ship. His wif(i survived him until December 7, 
 18G2, when she too was called hence. She was a 
 daughter of John Beaty, who came to this coun- 
 try* from Ireland, and was an early set'.ler of Ohio. 
 He was twice married, first to Jane Gray, who 
 left two sons and four daughters, and afterward to 
 Elizabeth Banker, who had seven children. Mrs. 
 Tnibclt was a woman of true Christian si)irit, and 
 was an esteemed mendier of the United Presby- 
 terian Church. She and her husband were the 
 parents of ten children, namely: Thomas, who died, 
 leaving a widow and one child; Jane, who ilicd in 
 Ohio; Priscilla, John B., Anna Eliza, Nancy E., 
 Mar^' B., Hannah M., William S. and James A.
 
 860 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Our subject grew up in the iiionecr home of 
 Iiis parents, and like every farmer's lad, was drilled 
 in all tliat jiertains to agricultural pursuits. He 
 was given the advantages of a common-school 
 education, and at the age of twenty years was well 
 cquipiied to start out in life on iiis own account, 
 and in ISf)? he and his youngest brother, James, 
 [)urcliased eighty acres of land, where he now re- 
 sides. He has worked hard, and his lal)ors have 
 been so guided l)y discretion, prudence and sound 
 judgment that he has done well in the prosecution 
 uf liis calling, and has here one of the finest im- 
 |)roved farms in this section of the country-. He 
 onus two liundred and seventy acres of land where 
 he lives, and has one hundred and twenty acres 
 (if land on tlie western part of the section. He is 
 very profitably engaged as a breeder of thorongh- 
 bnd Hambletonian and Norman horses, having a 
 line herd of them. When he commenced farming 
 operations on his own account he scarcely owned 
 a ly thing beside his team and wagon, and from that 
 small beginning has built up his present valuable 
 pi(.iporty. 
 
 Mr. Turbett's fellow-citizens find in him a man 
 whom they can trust, his credit being alwaj^s good 
 in financial circles, and his word never doubted. 
 No one is more interested than he in pushing for- 
 ward the i>rosperity of Logan Township, and the 
 liart that he has taken in its development will al- 
 ways be noted in any mention of the history of this 
 localit}'. In politics he has ever favored the policy 
 of the Democratic party, and he cast his first vote 
 for President, for PVanklin Pierce. 
 
 Vli ACOB LINCK, manufacturer of liarness and 
 horse collars at Trivoli, is known widely 
 throughout Uie county, and is liked by every 
 one for his good nature and his genialitj'. 
 He is still doing business in the old shop that he 
 established here many years ago and is now inde- 
 pendent and well-to-do. 
 
 Our suliject is of (Jorman biilli and antecedents. 
 He is a son of Jacob Linck, wlio was born in the 
 
 Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. The 
 father was orphaned at an early age, and wlien 
 quite young was set to learn the trade of a tailor 
 but could not endure the confinement and left that 
 to engage as a grain dealer in the village of Walil- 
 heim, and there Iiis death occurred in 1842 while 
 he was yet in life's prime, he being but forty-four 
 years of age. He was a devoted Christian and a 
 member of the Protestant Church. His wife, whose 
 maiden name was Ann M. Mack, was born in lelbe- 
 sheim, in a Rhine Province of r>avaria, and came 
 to America with our subject and spent the remain- 
 der of her life with her children, dying in the home 
 of the son of whom we write in 1868, at the age of 
 sixty-nine years. 
 
 To these worthy people were born six children 
 of whom the following is the record: Jacob, our 
 subject; Catherine, Mrs. Seltzer, died in Trivoli 
 Township; Philip died at Ft. Worth, Tex., in 
 1886; Frederick died in Trivoli; Pollen, Mrs. Nei- 
 derlander, lives in Pekin ; Henry died while in the 
 army. He was a member of the Third Illinois 
 Cavalry, enlisting in 1862, at Pekin, and lie died 
 of sickness contracted on the battle field. He was 
 in a hospital at Memphis, and was transferred to 
 St. Louis, Mo., but just as he got to the wharf ex- 
 pired. Philip was also a soldier, a member of the 
 Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry. He enlisted in 1863, 
 at Peoria, assisted in getting up a company of which 
 he was appointed Second Lieutenant, and served as 
 such until his resignation. 
 
 The subject of this biography was born in Wahl- 
 lieim, Germanj', June 24, 1830. He had excellent 
 school advantages and at the age of fourteen was 
 apprenticed for a term of three years to learn the 
 trade of a harness-maker in the city of Alzey. At 
 the expiration of that time he traveled as a journey- 
 man for five years through Hesse-Darmstadt, Nassau, 
 Baden, Bavaria, Prussia, Austria and Poland. In 
 1852 he opened a shop of his own in his native 
 place and conducted a successful business there for 
 four years. The remainder of his family had made 
 up their minds to come to America and though he 
 was doing so well, they prevailed upon him to ac- 
 company them, and in September, 1856, they left 
 Havre on the good ship "Caroline,"under Capt. Dow 
 and six weeks later landed in New York in Novem-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 8G1 
 
 ber. They made tlieir way to this county and to 
 Trivoli Township, wliere tliey remained over winter. 
 
 In tiie spring Mr. Linciv went to Peoria, and was 
 employed there as a journeyman for one year. 
 Ft'bruary 11, 1858, he oi)ened a shop and com- 
 menced the manufacture of harness and horse col- 
 lars in Trivoli. He did not intend to stay here, 
 but did not care to be idle wliile he was waiting- 
 for some other opening. Bui ho diil so well iiere 
 that lie finally decided to remain permanently and 
 he has since built up a large and lucrative business, 
 employing from one to three liands beside himself 
 and for three or four 3'ears lias manufactured col- 
 lais for the Peoria market. He is now the oldest 
 liusiness man in the place and has one of the pleas- 
 antest homes in the township. The residence which 
 he built himself is neat and commodious and he 
 has eiglit acres of land in the village. lie owns 
 besides three hundred and twenty acres of improved 
 land in Antelope Count}', Neb., and since 1885, has 
 owned a tract of one hundred acres in this town- 
 ship, which lie rents. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss Agnes 
 Haas took place in Trivoli October 7, 1862. She 
 was born in Baden in the village of Overbergen, 
 and is a daugiiterof Roman Haas, who came lo this 
 country iu 18C7. Her mother died in (lermany. 
 Her father made his home with his children, a part 
 of the time with her, and a part of the time with 
 a daughter in Woodford County, where he died. 
 Mrs. Linck came to America with an uncle wlu) lo- 
 cated in Woodford Count}-. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Linck have three children: Emma, 
 Henry C. and Otto B. Kmma is the wife of E. E. 
 IIar<ling, an attorney at Elmwood; Henry, who is 
 in the harness business with his father, is well edu- 
 cated, liaving been a student of the Western Busi- 
 ness College, at Cialesburg; Otto, though only 
 lifteen years of age, is one of the most advanced 
 scholars of the place and already holds a teacher's 
 certificate. 
 
 .Mr. Linck is a Master Mason at Farmington. He 
 is influential in township affairs, and has been 
 School Director. He was instrumental in getting 
 the old I'eoria and Farmington Railroad here, lend- 
 ing his Influence to the company, and subscribing 
 ^100 towards the project. He is a true-blue Re- 
 
 publican, is prominent in the councils of l;is part}', 
 and has been delegate to county and Congressional 
 conventions. He is a man of earnest religious na- 
 ture and holds to the faith of the Evangelical 
 Church. He also was Postm.aster for fifteen years, 
 until the office was removed f.o lower i'rivoli. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 -f— 
 
 \|7 OUIS PHILIP WOLF. This worth} 
 il (© dant of a cultured family has becc 
 jl^Vi known in Peoria and throughout 
 
 OUIS PHILIP WOLF. This worthy descen- 
 
 L'onie well 
 the sur- 
 rounding country by reason of his connection with 
 journalism. He is a man of deep and varied knowl- 
 edge, jiarticularly able as a linguist, and was for 
 some years connected with the educational work of 
 the State in a somewhat ]iromiiient manner. He 
 has done much toward enlightening the foreign- 
 born regarding their duties as citizens of a great 
 Republic, and were this the extent of his labors, 
 would well deserve recognition ami remembrance. 
 His other claims, however, are established, as will 
 be seen by a perusal of the panigraphs below. 
 
 Mr. Wolf was born in Nassau, ficrmaiiy, Decem- 
 ber 16, 1851, his parents being Carl and Katheritia 
 (Lorsbach) Wolf. For more than a century his 
 forefathers' were prominent teachers, honored by 
 the Government with decorations for their skill as 
 instructors, and likewise for their horticultural 
 tastes and actptirements. It is therefore not to be 
 wondered at that our subject was well fitted for 
 pedagogical labor, and that when he chose to em- 
 bark in tiiat calling, he excelled. He obtained a, 
 good education in the schools of his native land, 
 which he was led lo leave on account of his love of 
 independence. 
 
 Coming to America iu 1868, Mr. Wolf took up 
 the first oecup.ation which came to liaud. that being 
 labor on a raft on the Mississippi River. As soon 
 as [lossible he secured a position more in keeping 
 with his abilities, becoming interpreter and teacher 
 of modern languages in the German-American In- 
 stitute of Chicago, and subsequently filling a i)osi- 
 tion in the Acaderaie Francaise. After a time Mr. 
 Wolf organized a private school where he taught 
 Germans the English language, and their duties as
 
 862 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 American citizens, making a specialty' of tlie latter, 
 his lecUircs being iiiglily spoken of by all who 
 heard llieui. 
 
 Abandoning the profession for which he was so 
 eminently qualified, Mr. Wolf embarked as corres- 
 pondent for various papers,both American and Ger- 
 man, his first literary communications being pub- 
 lished in a Cincinnati journal. In 1875 he started 
 a [laper of his own at Lincoln. 111. — the Volkufreund 
 — it being the only German Republican paper in 
 the Slate. Two years later he came to Peoria, tak- 
 ing a [)Osition as editor on the Zeitang^ and in 1879 
 establishing tiie Sonne, which he is still managing. 
 This paper has met with remarkable success, win- 
 ning its position on its inherent merits, being 
 strictly independent in politics. It now has a daily, 
 weekly and Sunday edition, for each of whicli the 
 subscription list is highly gratifying. 
 
 The scholarship of Mr. Wolf, Ids understanding 
 of the needs and desires of those of his own nation- 
 ality, his tliorough sympathy with American insti- 
 tutions, each gives him a special fitness for editorial 
 work, as he can judge better than many to what 
 items of information, what discussions, and what 
 literary work to give a place in his publication. 
 His own pen is a trenchant weapon in behalf of all 
 that is elevating and civilizing, and is equally po- 
 tent in words of disapproval, cundemnation and 
 judgment. 
 
 In his personal views and his use of the right of 
 suffrage, Mr. Wolf is a pronounced Republican. 
 His name was once brought out by the German 
 press of the State, for Secretary' of State, but he 
 was averse to making a political race. He is very 
 popular among those of his own nationalit3' as is in- 
 dicated by an ovation given him on the occasion 
 of his last visit to his native land, which was such 
 as had perhaps never been extended to another resi- 
 dent of Peoria. He h.as made several trips to Ger- 
 many and the greater part of Europe, since lie be- 
 came an American citizen, each making him a more 
 (onfiimcd Republican than before. 
 
 Much of the success of the Sonne is due to the 
 wife of Mr. Wolf, who has proven herself an effi- 
 cient helpmate in his financial affairs as well as a 
 charming companion in home life. She is a native 
 of Germany, bore the maiden name of Augusta 
 
 Klifus, and for 3-ears was a resident of St. Peters- 
 burg, Russia. She is highlj' accomplished, is an 
 excellent writer, and a capable financier, as her 
 counsel in the man.agement of the Sonne has demon- 
 strated. 
 
 OL. JOHN WARNER. While Col. Warner 
 h.as many qualities which make him deserv- 
 ' ing of mention in a Biographical Album, 
 his chief claim to distinction is his eminent public 
 spirit. He has undoubtedly done more in behalf 
 of public works, street improvements, etc., than 
 any other citizen in Peoria, and it was well for the 
 raunicipalit3' that the (dtizens recognized his abil- 
 it}', and kept him in the Mayor's chair during quite 
 an extended period. 
 
 Mr. Warner was born in Perry Couutj', Ohio, 
 October 11, 1830, being one of the six sons and 
 two daughters comprising the family of Joim B. 
 and Esther (Gordon) Warner. His father was a 
 native of Maryland, and his mother of Pennsyl- 
 vania. The business of the former was that of an 
 hotel-keeper, and a general contractor for railroad 
 and canal work. Besides oui- subject the survivors 
 of the family circle are Bennett O., now in the liv- 
 ery business in Peoria; Henry, Government Ganger 
 in that city ; William G., also residing there; Eliza- 
 beth, wife of R. M. Cox; and Orlando. The father 
 I'emoved to Peoria with his family in 1846. dying 
 here in JLarch, 1863. He was host of the Clinton 
 House, and served in the public capacities of Asses- 
 sor. . Justice of the Peace, and Alderman. 
 
 After acquiring his education, .Tolm Warner be- 
 gan his career in life as a clerk, and during the 
 eight 3-ears of his labors in that c.ipacity became 
 well actpiainted with the details of business life and 
 management, lie then embarked in the sale of 
 clothing and gentlemen's furnishing goods which 
 he continued until after the breaking out of the 
 Civil War, when his lovalty led him to the front. 
 He entered the arm3' in August, 1862, as Colonel 
 of the One Hundred and Eighth Illinois Infantr3', 
 and until his discharge in March, 1864, did gallant 
 service at the head of his regiment. The most im- 
 portant battles in which he participated were Chick-
 
 ifli,K Juy i/^^ 
 
 ^L^i^&u 
 
 r

 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 8C7 
 
 asaw, Arkansas Post, and those of the siege of 
 Vicksburg. After his return to civil life, Col. 
 Warner was for a time engaged in the wholesale 
 liquor business with Spear it Co. 
 
 In 1874, Col. Warner was first elceted Mayor of 
 Peoria occupying the mayoralty ten years, a longer 
 time tiian any other incumbent. In 1883 he was 
 apiiointed Postmaster, but after a year resigned the 
 office. At jircsent he is General Inspector of the 
 Water Works, his constituents not being willing to 
 allow him to retire to private life. While Mayor 
 he organized the fire department into a metropoli- 
 tan body, uniformed the police force, and anthor- 
 ized the erection of the Library^, Work House, and 
 various public works of the city. The buildings 
 now stand as a monument to his intertst in Peoria 
 and her [jeople, and will perpetuate his memory as 
 long as the ravages of time allow them to remain. 
 Col. AVarner is a leading politician, giving his snf- 
 frage to the Democratic paity. He is a member 
 of the Masonic fraternity. 
 
 The lady who i)resides over Col. Warner's home 
 bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Simms, and be- 
 came his wife in 18,)t. They are the [larents of the 
 following children: .John A., who has been a mem- 
 ber of the fire department for the past eight years; 
 Cora: Ddllie, wife of Frank Buell, of Chicago; 
 Etta, wife of W. B. Miser, clerk for Pardee, Wilts 
 (fe (;o.; Harry, whose home is in Colorado; Molly, 
 wife of W. !•■. Bryant, a ckik; and Daisy, at home. 
 Col. Warner and his family have high rank in the 
 society of Peoria, displaying good breeding, intel- 
 ligence, and a genial spirit, which are not without 
 iheir due effect upon their associulis. 
 
 m 
 
 if' 
 
 OEL BLAKESLEY. Among the old settlers 
 of Peoria County none are more ileserving 
 of recognition in a Biographical Alhum 
 than Joel Blakesley', who for more tiian 
 half a century has been connected with the best 
 interests of this section. In early years he gave 
 of his uunlal and physical strength to aid in the 
 development of her material resources, ever mani- 
 festing a desire to assist also in all that would ad- 
 
 vance the growth of the connty in wealth and cul- 
 ture. A leisurely tour of the world in the pro- 
 gress of which he made detours as curiositj' 
 prompted or love of adventure dictated, h.as been 
 supi)lemented by numerous trips throughout his 
 native land, every State having been visited save 
 North and South Carolina. His extensive travels 
 have familiarized him with many people, whose 
 customs and peculiarities form tiie topic for most 
 enjoyable conversations. 
 
 In 1668 three brothers of the name Blakeslee, as 
 it was then spelled, came to Ameiicafrom England 
 where they had been workers in iron. From these 
 sprang all of the name now in this country. One 
 of their numl)er located in Plymouth Hollow, now 
 Thumasville, Conn,, and there it was that David, 
 the father of our subject, was born. He married 
 Sarah Bailey, to them being born nine children. 
 Of these Mrs. Wealthy Simmons and he of whom 
 we write arc the only survivors. Thinking to bet- 
 ter his condition David IM.akesley forsook the hdls 
 of Connecticut for those of Oneida County, N. Y., 
 and there his son .Tool was born May 20, 1814. 
 The lad found it tough work farming among the 
 stones of Oneida County and at the age of sixteen 
 years went to the home of his ancestors, there en- 
 gaging in labor in the Setli Thomas Clock Fac- 
 tory. 
 
 After laboring there for two years young Blakes- 
 ley took up the same employment in Winsted, 
 whence he departed to Dayton, Ohio, after a so- 
 journ of two years. He was still engaged in the 
 clock works and in the progress of his employment 
 lias aided in making thousands of clocks. In 1836 
 his love of sight seeing and somewhat adventurous 
 spirit led him to Peoria County, 111., where, finding 
 no clock-making, he contented himself with what- 
 soever his hands found to do. He worked at 
 wood chopping, rough cari)entering and farming, 
 for fifty cents a day, and at this figure he says he 
 put in many a faithful day without a thought of 
 striking. 
 
 In the prairie lands of this county Mr. Blakes- 
 ley learned the lesson of love and having wooed 
 and won Amy Deuel, of Elmwood.they were mar- 
 ried June 28, 1837, and lived happily together 
 until the death of Mrs. Blakesley February 20,
 
 868 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 1879. That lady was born in Delaware Conntj', 
 Ohio, Decemljer 9, 1813. Her father was a ph}'- 
 sician who died when she was but ten da3-s old, 
 leaving four sons and two daughters to the care 
 of the widowed mother. When twenty j'ears of 
 age Mrs. Blakesley came to the West with a 
 brother, making the distance by teams in three 
 weeks. Of quiet demeanor, a lover of order, 
 benevolent and hospitable, she was beloved by all 
 who knew her and her memory is respected bj' 
 many who mourn her loss. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Blakesley were born seven children, four of whom 
 are now living. These are Mrs. Mary Darby, a 
 widow whose home is at Elmwood; Sarah, wife of 
 J. B. Tompkins, a resident of Peoria; Henr3-, a far- 
 mer at Peabody, Ivan.; and Emil^-, wife of C. D. 
 Clark, a hardware merchant of Peoria. A portrait 
 of Mrs. Blakesley is shown on another |)age to- 
 gether with that of our subject. 
 
 The winter after his marriage Mr. Blakeslej' car- 
 ried a cliain during the preliminary survej' for the 
 Peoria & Oquawka Railroad, now the Central Iowa, 
 and the nest summer contracted for a mile of that 
 road. The succeeding fall hi; made some improve- 
 ments on an eighth-acre tract in Trivoli Town- 
 ship, i'nd in 1839 having disjiosed of it, moved to 
 Elmwood where he lived until coming to Peoria 
 in lb64. At the home of Mr. and Mrs. Blakes- 
 ley on the border of the settlement, numerous 
 travelers called, claiming hospitaliti' and lodging. 
 Although the facilities were limited, no one was 
 turned awa}', for in those days a visitor from the 
 great world without w^as welcomed as a bearer of 
 fresli news and good compau}', while he remained. 
 
 During liis active life Air. Blakesley- was exten- 
 sively eng.aged in farming, stock-raising and stock- 
 dealing. He lived on one farm in Elmwood for 
 twenty-five years. In all his business career he was 
 successful,and accumulated a com])etenC3^ for his de- 
 clining years. 
 
 In the winter of 1810-41 Mr. Blakesley felt it 
 his dut^' to visit his aged parents in New York, 
 which he did. making the trip on horseback. In 
 1868-69 he visited California, via the Isthmus, 
 merely to see the land of gold and satisfy his cu- 
 riosit3'. Returning overland he endured much hard- 
 ship, as the winter was a severe one and Sve hun- 
 
 dred miles of the distance had to be crossed by 
 stages. At Salt Lake City they were snowed in 
 eight da3-s and for three da3-5 after reaching the 
 railroad were unable tc make more than five miles 
 a da3' owing to the drifts. During this time pro- 
 visions became scarce and high prices consequentl3' 
 ruled. A cup of coffee, a piece of tough beef and 
 a biscuit cost one dollar. The next 3'ear Mr. 
 Blakesle3' made a trip to Europe, confining his 
 visit to England, France and Ireland. P]n route 
 he was in a terrific gale on the Atlantic which to- 
 tally wrecked a vessel attendant upon the one in 
 which he took passage, nothing being saved nor a 
 life spared on the attending boat. 
 
 In 1874-75 Mr. Blakesle3' made a circuit of the 
 globe, starting westward b3- way of .San Francisco. 
 His course was a irregular one as his curiosit3' 
 prompted him to deviate from the ordinar3' or di- 
 rect line of travel. He visited now the Japanese, 
 now the Chinese ports, thence to Singapore, and 
 from there to Penang, the great spice island, thence 
 to Burmah, and Allahabad, the stronghold of the 
 British forces, and continued from there to Bomba3-. 
 He crossed Hindostan from Calcutta to Benares, 
 touching the head waters of the Ganges amid the 
 ITiinala3as, and crossing again to Bombw, where he 
 took passage for Suez. Thence he traveled b3' 
 rail to Cairo and Alexandria, and from that place 
 to Joppa and the Hol3' Land, wherein he visited 
 Jerusalem and many points of interest hallowed 113' 
 recollections of the Savior's life. During the pro- 
 gress of his tour Mr. Blakesle3' touched at Naples 
 and Rome, and traversed much of the Italian in- 
 terior, looking upon the beauties of art and archi- 
 tecture at Florence, Milan and other points. Thence 
 he passed to the wonderful Alpine regions of 
 Switzerland, and after revisiting Paris, London 
 and Liverpool returned to America. The trip was 
 full of excitement and was well worth the cost of 
 making, which, in answer to a question often 
 asked, we ma3' state was about §1700. 
 
 January 1, 1880, Mr. Bl.akesley was united in mar- 
 riage with Mrs. John Babcock, an educated, cul- 
 tured and refined woman, well fitted to enio3' with 
 him the pleasures of travel and all the comforts, 
 and even luxHries,with which they are surrounded. 
 Thc3' occupy a pleasant home on a bluff overlook-
 
 PORTRAIT AJv^i) lilUUKAPlllCAL ALUUM. 
 
 8cy 
 
 injj muuli of Piori:). liaving the (-•(>iii|ianionship of 
 a large c-irclo of fiicn Is. Tlie suiiiuu'i- after their 
 niarriigu nas pnsse>l in Michigan and several since 
 iiave been spent in sight-seeing. 
 
 Polilicaliy, Mr. Blakesley was originally- a Whig, 
 but on the organization of the Republican part}' 
 became iilentilieil with its princijiles and is a stanch 
 sup()orter of its candidates and platform. During 
 the late war he was a strong Union man. He 
 voted for (ien. Harrison in 1836 and 1840, and also 
 was [)roud to cast his vote for the grandson of that 
 famous general, in 1888. Religiously, he is an 
 E()iscopalian, while his wife holds meinbersiiip in 
 the Baptist Church. 
 
 ENRY T. FAHNESTOCK. There is prob- 
 
 Ji) ably no farm in Trivoli Township which 
 
 '■^/iy presents a more attractive appearance than 
 
 sE^ that own^d and occupied b^- our subject. 
 It consists of eiglit3' acres on section 16, which 
 have been thoroughly improved, no waste land 
 bi ing found u[ion the estate, but every rod being 
 maile productive, or set apart for some proper pur- 
 |)Ose. It is fenced in convenient flelds, the parts 
 oorderingon the road being outlined by hedges, tiles 
 having been put in wherever drainage was nec- 
 «'ssary, and orchards, groves and small fruits made 
 use of as adornments and sources of remuneration. 
 The dwelling is more than ordinarily well built, 
 convenient and attractive, is accouii)anied hy good 
 outbuildings, and surrounded by a grove of hard 
 maiilo trca?. The latest improved machinery is 
 used in the work of the estate, and the two teams 
 are first-class English draft horses. 
 
 The Fahnestock family is traced through past 
 centuries to Rupert ^'on Fahnestock, who was 
 made a Baron of the Roman Empire by Robert of 
 JCormandy, who was in power about the middle of 
 the eleventh centur}-. Through some of the noble 
 families of Prussia the line has descended to 
 Laborius Fahnestock, of Prussia, whose son, 
 Diedricli, was boin in ^\'estllhalia, and emigrated 
 to America in 172(i, settling near Ephratali, Pa. 
 The next in tiie line was Casi)er, a native of the 
 
 Kej-stone State, and following him, Charles, who 
 was born in Chester County, February 1, 1761, 
 married Susan Smith .and reared fourteen chiUlren. 
 One of this large farail}- was anotlier Charles, also 
 born in Chester Count}', who took up the occupa- 
 tion of farming, becoming the owner of a large 
 tract of land. He also had two hotels on the turn- 
 pike between Philadel[)lna ami Lancaster, where he 
 entertained guests and changed the horses of the 
 stage route. One of the hotels was the Warren 
 Inn, spoken of in T. B. Read's great work, the 
 '•AVagoner of the Alleghanies;" the other was lo- 
 cated near the Paoli Monument. 
 
 The next in the dircK't line of descent was Will- 
 iam Fahnestock, born in Chester County, March 
 21, 1808. He carried on the Warren Inn for some 
 years, coming into [)osscssion of it on the death of 
 his father. Reared on a farm, when tin; building 
 of the railroad lessened his business on the stage 
 route, he sold the inn and located on a farm near 
 Faggs Manor. He operated one hundred acres or 
 more until 1854, when he brought his family to 
 Illinois, locating at Brunswick, this county, becom- 
 ing the possessor of one hundred and ninety-nine 
 acres of land, which he developed into a line farm. 
 He was one of five who bought the site of the 
 Brunswick church and cemetery, assisted in erect- 
 ing the building and deeded it to the Presbyterian 
 tieneral Assembly. He was a pillar in the church, 
 and Ruling Elder until his death. After the war 
 he voted the Republican ticket. His death took 
 place ill the spring of 1881, when he was sevent}'- 
 three years old. 
 
 The wife of William Falinestock was Ann Eliza- 
 beth Ernst, who was born in Potlsville, Pa., her 
 father being a merchant in that town and vicinity 
 until his deat'i. Her brother, William Ernst, now 
 a prominent banker of Covington, K3'., is one of 
 the Revision Committee of the Presbyterian Creed. 
 Mrs. Fahnestock was called hence in 1877, after a 
 life well spent. To this worthy couple ten children 
 were born — Charles, AVilliam, John, Amelia, Alfred, 
 Fred, Ileniy T., Lizzie, Walter and Edward. The 
 seventh member of the fraternal band is the subject 
 of this notice. 
 
 Charles Fahnestock, the oldest member of this 
 famil}-, was a professor of the High School at
 
 870 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Lewislown, a nicrcliant, and also carried on a book 
 store. He possessed strong literary tastes, and was 
 the author of many songs wliicli have been set to 
 music, among them being, ''Give the Boys a 
 Chance," "We'll Have to Mortgage the Farm," 
 " The Girls of Onr Town," " Starry Waves," etc. 
 He died in Lcwistown, III. William was a student 
 at Center College, and died at his home in Bruns- 
 wick; John is a retired merchant at Gnlesl)nrg; 
 Amelia is the wife of Park Love, of Orion Town- 
 ship, F'lilton County; Alfred, a graduate of Prince- 
 ton (N. J.) College, lias been Pastor of a Presbj-- 
 terian Church at Syracuse, N. Y.. for lifteen years; 
 Fred is general agent for the Singer Sewing Ma- 
 chine Company at Cohoes, N. Y. ; Lizzie died 
 when cjuite small, as did Walter and Fdwaid, who 
 were twins. 
 
 Our subject was bc>rn in Upper Oxford, Chester 
 County, Pa., March 2.5, 1H46, lived .at his birth- 
 place until seven years old, and then accoraiianied 
 his parents to the Prairie State, their journey being 
 made from Cincinnati to Peoria on a boat, and 
 from the latter place to Johnson's Corners in a 
 wagon. He attended the district schools, and a 
 pirochial school at Brunswick, which was under 
 the charge of the Rev. Blr. BIcFarland, and like 
 other farmers' sons was earl3' taught to bear a hand 
 m various home duties. AVhen twenty-one years 
 old he took charge of the home place, renting 
 and operating it until 1880, when he buugiit that 
 upon which ho now resides. His father had rented 
 his farm with the intention of moving with our 
 subject, and li.ad his goods packed, when he was 
 stricken with i)ar.alysis which caused his death. Our 
 subject was one of the three administrators of his 
 father's place. Taking possession of his place, he 
 continued the employment in which he had form- 
 erly been interested, and added to the value of his 
 new home bj' continued excellent improvements. 
 The Lady who presides over the pleasant home of 
 our subject became his wife December 18,1871, 
 their marriage rites being celebrated at her home 
 in this township. She was born in Westmoreland 
 County, Pa., bore the maiden name of Rebecca 
 Christy, and came West with her father, William 
 Christy, in 186r). Mr. Christy owns a fine farm of 
 one hundred and twenty acres, but has non' aban- 
 
 doned its operation, making his home with his son 
 James in Fulton County. Mr. and Mrs. Fahne- 
 stock are the happy parents of five children — Liz- 
 zie K., Tillie W., John C, William H. and Llewel- 
 l3'n — who receive every advantage jiossible in the 
 way of education and home training. 
 
 Mr. Fahnestock is a Republican, has been dele- 
 gate to county conventions, and is an ardent .advo- 
 cate of temperance. He has served on juries. He 
 is Ruling Elder in the Brunswick Presbyterian 
 Church, has been Sui)erintcndcnt of the Sund.ay- 
 school since he was twenty-five years old, and is 
 now teacher of the l)il>le cl.ass. He is also a Trus- 
 tee, and has been delegate to Presl)yteries and 
 Synods. He is a corisistent Christian, whose rule 
 in lite is to do as he would lie done by. One sel- 
 dom meets a more gen i.al, entertaining gentleman, 
 or one of more hospitable spirit, and it is indeed an 
 honor to know him. 
 
 OHN L. GRISWOLD. Among the earlier 
 residents of Peoria the name of John L. 
 Griswold is conspicuous as that of an excel- 
 lent financier and an active participant in 
 the improvement of the city, to which he came in 
 October, 1840. He was born in New York Citj- in 
 1800, being a scm of N. L. Griswold, of the firm of 
 N. L. & G. Griswold, East India merchants. He 
 resided in his native city until his remov.al to 
 Peoria, and upon coming here he engaged in a 
 general mercantile business with A. G. Curte- 
 nius. They occupied the site now used by the 
 Rock Island depot, selling their property- to the 
 railroad corporation after having occupied it a 
 number of years. 
 
 The death of Mr. Curtenius occurred in 1857. 
 Mr. Mathew Griswold becanie a partner in 1847 
 with our subject, and business was continued under 
 the firm name of Griswold & Co. until the latter 
 part of the '60s, when the firm was dissolved. The 
 death of our subject took place in the city of Peo- 
 ria, January 15, 1883. Mr. Griswold was married 
 in 1840. His widow survives him. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write w.as not espe-
 
 roUTKAll" AND ]ilUGKAl'IilCAL ALBUM. 
 
 873 
 
 eiiilly interested in political affairs, but was an ac- 
 tive i)artieip:int in tlie improveuicnts wliicli tooii 
 place in this city after lie became a resident here, 
 lie was one of the incorporators of the olil wagon 
 bridge which tuoU the |ilace of Col. May's ferry, 
 the company buying out the Colonel. Mr. Gris- 
 wood was one of the directors of the corporation, 
 and he was also an active agent in seeming t';ie 
 Hnrcan A'allcy Railroad, which was the first to en- 
 ter the city, lie made arrangements with iMr. 
 Farnhani of the Rock Island Raih-oad for its con- 
 struction. Mr. Griswold was also one of the 
 stockholders of the first gas company here, and 
 served as its President for some time. lie was 
 idcnlilied with the gas coni|iany until his dcatli. 
 The fine stores at the corner of Washington and 
 Iviberty Streets were erected by him and his brother 
 Matlhevv. For many years (uior to his death he 
 was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and his 
 Christian character was recognized by all with 
 whom lu^ came in contact. Politically he was orig- 
 inally a Whig, then a Re|nibllcan, and during the 
 war a stanch Union man. 
 
 
 If®' 
 
 l/OIIN I!. TURBKTT. To gain success even 
 under favorable circumstances bespeaks tal- 
 ent; to win it in s|nte of obstacles evinces 
 genius. 1 )illiculiies and trials have entered 
 the life of Mr. Turbett, but they have been 
 overcome by this indefatigable worker. l'Y)r more 
 than fifty years he has been a resiflent of Lo- 
 gan Township, where he is ranked among the en- 
 terpi'ising and successful farmers. His sturdy and 
 persistent pioneer labors have contributed to de- 
 velop the agricultural resources of this region, 
 and to such as he Peoria County owes the piond 
 station it occupies in the galaxy of the counties of 
 Illinois. 
 
 Among the pioneer settlers of Peoria County 
 were the Turliett family. The parents were John 
 and Nancy (Beatty) Turbett, natives of Juniata 
 County, Pa. About 1<S 14 the^' removed to Fair- 
 field County, Ohio, making the journcj' on horse- 
 
 back. During their residence in the last-named 
 county John B., our subject, was born January 18, 
 1820. However, not feeling satisfied with pros- 
 pects in the Buckeye State, in the fall of 183!) the 
 family came to this county and settled on sc^elion 
 "21, Logan Township; the two hundred anil forty 
 acres of land on which they located was purchased 
 by their two oldest sons with money procured 
 througii a brother. 
 
 In this home Mr. and Mrs. Turbi'tt passed their 
 remaining days, he dying in 1817. at the age of 
 sixty- three years, and she in l<s(i2, at the age of 
 scvent3'-thiee. The following are the names of 
 their ten children: Thomas, who died, leaving one 
 daughter; Jane, Mrs. Irvin, died in Ohio; Pris- 
 cilla, now Mrs. S. W. Brooks; John B. ; F^liza, 
 Mrs. Stewart; Elien, Mrs. Stewail; Mary; Han- 
 nah, Mi'S. Stewart; William S. and James A. Mr. 
 Turbett was a tanner in caidy life, and came of 
 Irish ancestry, his father having been born in Ire- 
 laud, and omigi'aling from that country t(j Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 John B. Turljett received but limit('d educational 
 advantages, but he had a fine ojiportunity to be- 
 come thoroughly' conversant with fairning in all its 
 branches. Ever since he came to this State, when 
 he was about eighteen 3'ears of age, he has fought 
 the battle of life unassisted. For many years he 
 has lived on the old homestead, which he owns. 
 He sold one hundred and si.\ acres of it, and now 
 has remaining one hundi'cd and twenty acres of 
 fine and well-improved land. He has forty acres 
 of valuable timber land. 1Iim-c his declining years 
 are passed in comfort and peace, and m the enjoy- 
 ment of that respect which is called forth liy an 
 uiJright, honorable life. He and his wife are stanch 
 members of the Presl)3teriau Church and are ever 
 true to the faith. 
 
 The most important event in the life of our sidi- 
 ject was his marriage, December 30,_18.")(), to Martha 
 Crovv, who has faithfully aided him in his labors, 
 and they have mutually comforted each other in 
 the sorrows that have falliMi to their lot. Mrs. 
 Turbett, who was born in Licking County, Ohio, 
 is a daughter of William and Margaret (Downing) 
 Crow, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and 
 Ohio. She was their only child, and her mother
 
 874 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 (lying when shti, was fifteen days old, she was 
 reared by her grandfather, William Downing. 
 
 Tlie following is a record of the children born 
 to oar subject and his wife: Thomas A., Sydney 
 M. ; Nancy L., vvife of J. W. Jacobs, of AVarren 
 County, Iowa; Priscilla J., George W. and James 
 B. In the mouth of March, 1885, a terrible grief 
 overshadowed the household of Mr. and Mrs. Tur- 
 bett as at that time three bright and promising 
 sons — Walter, Edwin and Orrin, aged respectively 
 seventeen, fourteen and eleven — were removed by 
 that dreadful scourge, dipiitheria. Their afflicted 
 parents do not grieve without hope, however, as 
 tlie3- are sustained by their firm religious faith and 
 believe that tlie\' will meet their children elsewhere 
 in a blighter and better world. They lost two 
 other children in infancy. 
 
 Elsewhere in this volume will be found a litho- 
 graphic portrait of Mr. Turbett. 
 
 <a, IVALTER TREASURE is doing an extensive 
 \,\// iind lucrative mining business, having a 
 ^'^ Isrge bank of coal of a fii;e grade in Bar- 
 tonville, Limestone Townshij). Here he has a 
 beautiful honie which is one of the finest residence 
 properties in the city, the liandsomc dwelling and 
 extensive grounds with its lovely trees and orchards 
 being an ornament to tiiis quarter. 
 
 Mr. Treasure is a Welshman by birth, though 
 born of Englisli parentage. May lij, 1829, was the 
 date of his birth, and his parents were Richard aiul 
 Ann (Hook) Treasure. They were reared and 
 married in England and moved from there to 
 Wales in the early period of their wedded life and 
 there they lived and died. 
 
 Our sul)ject grew to man's estate in AValis, and 
 eaily began to work in the coal mines, gaining a 
 llioroi'gh knowledge of his calling. He was am- 
 bitious to do more for himself and acquire a com- 
 petency and a comfortable home, and as he laboied 
 under disadvantages in his native land, he deter- 
 mined to emigrate to the United States of America. 
 In April, 1852, be landed in Philadelphia crossing 
 the Atlantic in the vessel '-Tani O'Shanler," that 
 
 made a good trip in eighteen days, which was then 
 considered fast time. The lady to whom Mr. 
 Treasure was afterwards married crossed the water 
 aljout the same time, the voyage consuming four- 
 teen weeks. Mr. Treasure had two sisters in Potts- 
 ville, Schuylkill County, Pa., and he sought and 
 found employment in the mines of that place, being 
 engage! as a miner there for a few years. After 
 that he traveled in many of tiie States of the Union, 
 including Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, and A'irginia, 
 and revisited -Maryland, thence he went to Ken- 
 tucky and finally returned to the Keystone State. 
 In 1855, he came from there to Peoria County, but 
 subsequently- retraced his steps as far as Ohio. He 
 staid in that State until the fall of tiie year and 
 then coming back to Peoria County, for thirty-five 
 years has been a continuous resident of this section 
 of the State. 
 
 Mr. Treasure commenced life here in the emploj' 
 of T. C. More, with whom he subsequently entered 
 into partnership. They were together for some time 
 and rented lirst from W. C. II. Barton, afterward 
 rented from Jlr. Darst, being financially very suc- 
 cessful. Our sul)ject now has a large bank in the 
 village of Bnrtonville. and mines a gond deal of 
 coal which is of an excellent quality, finding reidy 
 sale in the city upon which lie depends for his 
 trade. He kceiis several men at woik and in the 
 winter employs seven or eight hands all tlie lime. 
 
 In 185'.i, Mr. Treasure bought a tract of six acres 
 of land which is very pleasantly located in Barton- 
 ville, and upon it he built a siTiall house which he 
 aftervvard replaced by a commodious residence. Ho 
 has since addeil U> his real eslatc eight acris of fine 
 land, and has |)lanted it with for.'st trees, thus add- 
 ing greatly to the beauty of the place. On his first 
 purchase of si.x acres he set out an apple orchard 
 that now contains fine large trees in good bearing 
 condilic>n. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss JIargaret 
 Noaden, took place in 18G2, and theirs has been a 
 congenial and happy nnion. She is also a native 
 of Wales and came to this country in I85G. with hci- 
 parents, Richard and Mary Noaden. Mi-. Treasure 
 brought his bride to the little home that he first 
 established here, and she has actively aided him in 
 the upbuililing of their present commodious dwell-
 
 POK TRAIT AND 1!1( >( ; KAIMIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 iiig. 'I'lu'v have liad six childi-eii, tLree of wliom 
 (lied iiicliildlioud. The otlieis are Amelia, Olive 
 and Annie, tlie latter at lioan' with her [larents. 
 Amelia is tlie wife of F'ank Moffalt, son of Acjuila 
 Moffatt, an old i)ioneer of Peoria, of whom see 
 sketch on another pa.uc They have two ehihlren, 
 Walter and K-irl. Olive is the wife of .lames 
 Uiehards, a music teacher of Peoria. 
 
 Mr. Treasure, as we have seen, is eminently a 
 self-mad(! m.an and his career in life has heel, hon- 
 orable to himself, and has ijoen very useful to his 
 adopted township and county, lie is sat^acions and 
 far-sijjlited in his business operations, which arc 
 conducted promptly and methodically. He has a 
 well-balanced mind, and independent and original 
 views on all subjects and has his own ideas in regard 
 to religion. As a loyal citizen should, he has for 
 many years taken quite an interest in political mat- 
 ters, favoring the Republican party with his sup- 
 port, but he has never been a i)olitician and has 
 nev(U' sought for office. 
 
 * 4 ^^_ 
 
 ^^ HAULKS S. DUKE. Although tliisgentle- 
 [jf^ man has been in business for himself but a 
 ^^^J few years, his long experience and extensive 
 acquaintance so thoroughly fitted him for the en- 
 terprise in which he engaged that he is already 
 well established and numbered among the leading 
 dealers of Peoria. His stock consists of hats and 
 men's furnishing goods, the fine selection occupy- 
 ing an api)ropriate room at No. 319 Main Street, 
 where salesmen of affable and well-bred manners 
 assist the proprietor in his responsible charge. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write is the young- 
 est of three sons born to James and Elizabeth J. 
 (Mitchell) Duke, and opened his eyes to the light 
 in Indi.anapoli.s, Ind., August 30, 1860. In the 
 same city his father was born, while his mother's 
 birthplace was near Maysville, Ky. In 1807 the 
 parents removed to Peoria, where they have since 
 resided. The boyhood of our subject was passed 
 in attendance at the public schools where he com- 
 pleted the course of study. He began his mercan 
 tile experience .as an errand boy, advancing to the 
 
 position of clerk in the old store of Da}- Bros, it 
 Co., of Peoria, with whom he rernaituid three jears. 
 
 At the expiration of that time Mr. Duke ac- 
 cepted a clerkshi|) with Ottunheiiner Bros., and 
 still later with Wolgamot & Co., contin\iing with 
 the latter tirm five years. In August. I(i88. he 
 entered into trade on his own account, having from 
 the start a fair run of custom anu)Mg those to 
 whom his pleasing manners and thorough knowl- 
 edge of business methods had given him good re- 
 pute. He is a member of Peoria Lodge, No. 250, 
 K. of P., occupying the t-hair of Chancellor Com- 
 mander. In politics he is a strong Republican. 
 He and his wife are members in good standing of 
 the Congregational Church. The re|)utation of 
 Mr. Duke is that of a thoroughly honorable man, 
 whose business relations are trustworthy, social and 
 domestic life kindly, and character irreproach- 
 able. 
 
 The pleasantly located and attractive home of 
 Mr. Duke is under the careful oversight of an 
 amiable and cultured lady who became his wife 
 March 18, 1885. She was known in her girlhood 
 as Miss Anna Jaeckel. She was born in the city of 
 New York, but reared in Pekin, Tazewell County, 
 III., to which her parents, Franz and Jane Jaeckel, 
 removed during her infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Duke 
 have two children — Chester Clark and Leslie 
 Burton. 
 
 
 -m: 
 
 * I^ILLARD PUTNA.M. One of the most 
 \/iJI' flourishing business establishments of Peo- 
 VtW ria is the ''Great Five and Ten Cent and 
 Bargain Store" at Nos. 225 and 227 Main Street. 
 It occupies a commodious double store. (JOxDO feet, 
 with ground floor and basement, being the largest 
 five and ten cent store in the West and having 
 occupied the present location live years. The firm 
 of Pennock & Putnam, of which our subject is the 
 resident member in Peoria, also has stores in Ot- 
 tumwa, Iowa, Adrian, Mich., and Fostoria, Ohio. 
 Mr. Putnam has had sole charge and management 
 of the establishment in this city from its founda- 
 tion, and by his business ability and energy ha8
 
 876 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 built up from a moderate beginning a trade of over 
 ^50,000 per annum. 
 
 Mr. Putnam is still a young man. Iiaving been 
 born March 17, 1861, at Horse Heads, N. Y. He 
 pursued the ordinary- occupations of youth until 
 eighteen years old, when he went to Adrian, Mich., 
 and tliere engaged as dry-goods clerk. He re- 
 mained in tliat city until 1885. when the present 
 partnership was formed and he became a resident 
 of Peoria. He gives his entire attention to the 
 business, carefully ascertains the wants of the coui- 
 munit}', and as far as possible supplies them on his 
 bargain counters. His acumen in trade, his intel- 
 ligence on general topics, his manliness and square 
 dealing, find appreciative friends throughout the 
 cit}- in which he has taken up his abode. 
 
 The jiarents of our subject are Joseph and Mary 
 (Owen) Putnam, both now deceased. The father 
 was born in the green hills of Vermont, and was a 
 practical mechanic. He was lespected for his hon- 
 esty, skill and uprightness, while to the advice of 
 a good mother our subject owes much of liis pres- 
 ent honorable reputation. 
 
 RANK McINTYRE. Among the men now 
 cultivating a portion of the soil of Rose- 
 Deld Township with good results, and whose 
 financial prosperitj' has resulted from industrious 
 application to the work in hand, together with a 
 prudent control of expenditures, the subject of this 
 notice deserves mention. His fine farm of two 
 hundred and eighty acres is a standing monument 
 to his zeal and induslr3-, and we are |)leased to pre- 
 sent a view of it with its principal buildings on 
 another page. 
 
 The i)arents of our subject were Edward and 
 IVLary (Mclntyre) Mclntyre, natives of the Emer- 
 ald Isle, where the father breathed his last. Their 
 family consisted of nine children, one of whom, a 
 son. Ed ward, was drowned when eighteen years old. 
 The others came to America, as did the widowed 
 mother, the first earning money to send for the 
 next, and each in turn assisting to bring the re- 
 maining members of the family across the water. 
 
 Jlrs. IMcIntyre died in Elmwood, this county, and 
 was buried at Kickapoo. Our subj.-ct is the fifth 
 of the family wiio came to America. The others 
 are: Rose Ann, noiv Mrs. Doughert}-. of Yates City; 
 Thomas, wiio died in Grovelaud. Mass. : Patrick, 
 who after liviuL: s 'me lime in Maine, came to Illi- 
 nois; John, who died in this Stale; Mary, who 
 married Michael Braiinon and died in Knox County, 
 leaving one daughter; Barney, who enlisted in the 
 United States army, and was lost at sea. 
 
 The eldest son of the parental family came to 
 the United States in 18.il, the others following at 
 various times until 1857, when our subject, his 
 mother, two brothers and a sister made their way 
 to the New World. He of whom we write was then 
 about twenty-nine years old, having been born in 
 County D(megal, Ireland, in 1828. After lauding 
 on American soil he spent six months at Clover- 
 port, Ky., afterward coining to Peoria County, III., 
 working in a bricki'ard at Elmwood a season. He 
 then removed to Knox County, where he remained 
 until 1871, then returning to this county purchased 
 forty acres of land which he now operates. He 
 subsequently added forty acres, still later purchas- 
 ing a hundred more, all of which he has brought 
 to the condition common to the estates of progress- 
 ive farmers. 
 
 The marriage of our subject took place in Peo- 
 ria, January 26, 1863. His bride, Catherine Byrnes, 
 who was then living at Elmwood, is a native of 
 Countj' Maj'o, Ireland, whence she came to the 
 United States in 1857. at the age of fourteen years, 
 with a neighbor's family. She came at once to 
 Elmwood where she had friends, remaining in that 
 neighborhood until after her marriage. The happy 
 union has been blessed b}' the birth of nine chil- 
 dren, named respectively, Ellen, Thomas, John, 
 Francis, Patrick, Mar3', Catherine, James and Bar- 
 ney. The latter died when ten months old. The 
 eldest daughter is a successful school teacher. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mclntyre belong to the Catholic 
 Church, are held in excellent repute by their neigh- 
 bors, and enjoy the friendship of a large circle. 
 
 Mrs. Mclntyre is a daughter of Thomas and 
 Ellen (Byrnes) B3'rnes, her fatiier being an Irish 
 farmer, who was three times married. Of the four 
 children born of the first marriaije, one ditd when
 
 - ■-■.-- s^ 
 
 fc;...,il 
 
 
 Residence of Frank M? Intyre,5ec.8. Rosefi eld Tp. Peoria Co. III. 
 
 Residence of John Bridson, SecS^MillbrookTr Peoria Co.Ill.
 
 PORTRAIT AM) UIOGUArillCAL ALIU'M. 
 
 87!) 
 
 seven j'ears old; Mary is living in Knglaiul; l!:u- 
 ney came to tiie United Stales, liavini;' been sent 
 fc>r i)}' Mrs. Mclntyre. The second wife of Mr. 
 I5vrnes was Bridget .Sheridan, wlio reared two sons 
 anil two dangliters: Thomas is living in Kngland; 
 iSIarlin in Ireland .-md the daughters in Massachu- 
 setts. The third wife of l\Ir. Byrnes had two 
 daughter.s, vvho are now living in Lawrence, Mass. 
 
 m 
 
 OIIN 15RIDS0N. This gentleman and his 
 good wife are representative pioneer settlers 
 of Peoria County, and tlieir many friends 
 will lie pleased to see a reeord of their life 
 and a view of their pleasant home on these pages. 
 Mr. Hridson is, in the truest sense, a self-made man, 
 and since taking u]) his residence in <Jiis county- has 
 acquired by honest industry a valuable property 
 that makes liim one of the solid citizens of the 
 place, aiid iiere he is still extensively engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. 
 
 Our subject was born in the month of August, 
 1820, on the Isle of Man, his parents being John 
 and Catherine (.Sansbnry) Bridson, who were like- 
 wise natives of that little spot of earth in tlie Irish 
 Sea. His early years were passed in the home of 
 his birth on a farm, and the practical knowledge 
 that he thus acquired has been very advantageous 
 to him in his work later in life. He had |)ractieall3' 
 no opportunities for an education, but his keen, 
 quick intellect and sc^f-relianec have perhaps been 
 of more use to him than mere book knowledge. 
 
 Shortly after his first marriage Mr. Bridson de- 
 termined to try life in America, an<l took |)assage 
 for this country' on a sailing vessel from Liveri)Ool 
 and after a four weeks' voyage landed in New York 
 City and came from there directly to Illinois. For 
 a short time he rented a farm in Briinfield Town- 
 ship, and subsequently came from there to Mill- 
 brook Township, and farmed as a renter for four 
 years. He did well, laid u|) money and was ena- 
 bled to become more independent by purchasing 
 land for himself and bought eighty acres of the 
 farm he now owns on section 27, pa3-ing $10 an 
 acre for it. The land was not at all cultivated nor 
 
 had it any improvements when he selthid on it, and 
 was isolated and lonel} as there were no neighbois 
 near. He actively entered upon tiie work of its 
 development, broke the wild [irairie sod, and did 
 other necessary pioneer labors, and in tims placed 
 it under excellent cultivation, ami has now one of 
 the finest farms in all the township, consisting of 
 three hundred and thirty-five acres. His liomc here 
 is one of the best and most comfortable in the lo- 
 cality. The fine conilition of his farm, whose broad 
 acres j'ield abundant harvests, testifies t,o the hard 
 work he has done and to his [iractical aldlity as a 
 farmer. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married. He was 
 first married in his native isle, to Ann (ielling, who 
 bore him three children, namely: John, deceased ; 
 Albert, at home with his father; and Marilla, wife 
 of Truman J>yons, of llice County, Kan. He was 
 married a second time after coming to this country 
 to Marilla Kimler, vvho was born in Montgomery 
 County, Ind., July 2;i, 18;J1. Her [jfirents, I'^van 
 and Love (Walker) Kimler, were natives of \'ir- 
 ginia, and it is said that her father was a soldier in 
 the War of 1812. Mr. Bridson's marriage with his 
 second wife has brought him seven children as fol- 
 lows; Walker, a resident of Chicago; Ilattie, at 
 home with her parents; Kthel, wife of Frank Run- 
 yon, of Knox County; ,\llie, deceased; Minnie, 
 wife of Homer Collister of Brimfield Township; 
 Frank and Josephine with their parents. 
 
 Our subject has achieved suc'cess in life entirely 
 through his own elt'orts, as he stalled out in the 
 world with no other cajjital but stout muscles, a 
 clear head and a brave, honest heart, and vvhat he 
 has accomplished by years of toil, should be an en- 
 couragement to j'oung farmeis who are just begin- 
 ning where he began so many j'ears ago. He has 
 contributed his quota in bringing Millbrook Town- 
 ship to its present position as a rich agricidtuial 
 center, and holds an honorable place among its 
 most worthy pioneers. He is a man of earnest 
 character, possessing in a full degree those sturdy' 
 traits common to the men of his native isle and as 
 a citizen, neighbor, friend, husband and father, is 
 all that can be desired. A man of religious prin- 
 ciple he is identified with the Episcopal Church, 
 while Mrs. Bridson, who is a sincere Christian, is a
 
 880 
 
 POUTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 member of the rrcsbyteiian Cbuieh. She comes 
 of an old pioneer family of this county, her parents 
 having crossed the line from Indiana to this State, 
 in 1852. 
 
 ^;<^EORGE KUNTZ. Some men, though they 
 j/ __, excel in lillinj; the soil, yet lack the 
 ^iii^! judgment and business qualifications to 
 make of their labors a financial success. They de- 
 vote too great an acreage to a crop which proves 
 the surplus one of the season, or sell at the wrong 
 time and so fail to make the gains their industri- 
 ous labors merit. Such is not the case with the 
 gentleman above named, who combines with his 
 skill as a farmer the business ability and training 
 wliicli makes his calling renuraerative. 
 
 The birth of George Kuntz took place in Gars- 
 dorf, Alsace, France, April 11, 1843. His parents 
 were Jacob and Mary Ann (Breydenroacher) Kuntz. 
 The3- came to America in 1849, bringing with 
 Ihem a family of six children, of whom George 
 is next to the youngest. For two and one-half 
 years they made their home at Lyons, Wayne 
 County, N. Y., removing to Peoria in May, 1852. 
 Tliej- remained in the city until the following 
 spring wlien the falliei boughtland in Hollis Town- 
 ship and removed his family thither. There he 
 breathed his last Februar}' 3.1882, survived b\ all 
 his children, one of whom has since departed this 
 life. 
 
 The subject of this notice attended school in his 
 native province, learning the German langu.age, 
 which he writes re.adily. After coming to America 
 he attended English schools and being an apt [tuinl 
 soon became proficient in the various branches 
 taught. He became particularh' skillful with the pen 
 and has many fine specimens of this work to adorn his 
 home. Among these is a map of Hollis Township 
 which was drawn without the assistance of instru- 
 ments and which is considered so correct that it 
 was copied in making the count3- map in 1872. 
 Another is the drawing of a bridge, with plans, 
 made for the engineer who bad charge of the con- 
 struction of a bridge over the creek, a few miles 
 from the home of Mr. Kuntz. Still another fine 
 
 specimen of his handiwork is a picture copied from 
 a photogra[)h and enlarged to five times its orig- 
 inal size, preserving every line and feature. 
 
 Mr. Kuntz is now carrying on the farm former- 
 ly belonging to his father. His home is pre- 
 sided over by an estimable lad^- with whom he was 
 united in marriage February 5, 1879. She bore 
 the maiden name of Catherine Hessling. and is a 
 daughter of Beinhard and Agnes M. (Shoemaker) 
 Hessling, of Richwood Township, her father being 
 a large farmer. The family of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kuntz consists of four children, narael}': Bern- 
 hard M., George IL, Charles A. and Frank A. The 
 parents are members of the Catholic Church, as 
 were Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Kuntz. 
 
 The mental ability and culture, and financial 
 skill of Mr. Kuntz have been called forth in the 
 service of his fellow citizens, by whom he has 
 been elected to office j-ear after year. He is now 
 Township Clerk, having first been elected to that 
 olfiee in 1871. His books are kept in such a man- 
 ner as to show all the ch.anges made in the roads 
 and to give a good understanding of township af- 
 fairs at a glance. He has held the office since his 
 first election except for a few years, after he had 
 refused to be a candidate. This was in the spring 
 of 1879, but in 1883 his candidacy was insisted 
 upon and he has behl the office continuously since 
 tiiat time. In 1873 he was elected School Trustee 
 and after holding the office for thirteen years, 
 positively refused to serve longer. He belongs to 
 the Democratic party but his friends are not con- 
 fined to that political bod}'. 
 
 'I^AVID HORNBAKER is one of the old 
 I ]), soldiers and old settlers of Peoria Count}' 
 ^Mf^ where be enjoys the respect and esteem of 
 all who know him. He was born in Frank- 
 lin County, Ohio, nine miles west of Columbus, 
 March 27. 1829. His parents left that place when 
 hf; was very young and settled in Peoria, where 
 they remained about five j'ears then removed to 
 Hollis Township where the}' located. ' Our subject 
 accompanied his parents to Hollis and has made it
 
 I'OKTRAIT AM) BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 881 
 
 his liome from thai time foiwurd, except the lime 
 spent in the service of iiis country during the War 
 of the Rebellion. The boyhood of our subject 
 was mostly passed in and about Peoria. 1 1 is par- 
 ents were John and Margaret (Essex) Ilornbaker. 
 The father was a native of Pennsylvania, of (xcrman 
 extraction, but while yet a 3'oung man removed to 
 Ohio where he met and married his wife. 
 
 Our subject was married to iMiss Hannah Kenedy, 
 diuighter of Daniel and Ruth Keued}', of Ohio, 
 .September 6, 18r)5, in Illinois, and immediately 
 afterward came to this county where he located on 
 the place where' he still lives. Mrs. Hornbaker 
 died May 20, 1890, of canc'er of the tongue from 
 which she suffered three years previous to her final 
 taking off. The cancer started under her tongue 
 and ale through her throat killing its helpless vic;- 
 tim b3' inches, but although enduring such extreme 
 agony as only the martyrs to that disease know, she 
 never, during all her long illness, murmured or 
 complained, submitting to the trial of her patience 
 and fortitude with true Christian resignation and 
 cheerfulness. Instead of fretting and bemoaning 
 her fate she exerted herself to make all about her 
 pleasant and happj-, and when told by tlie physi- 
 cians in attendance that her case was hopeless, felic' 
 simply replievi that she would make the best of it, 
 and her after conduct gave ample proof that she had 
 not spoken in vain. Mrs. Ilornbaker was possessed 
 of a frail constitution and had always been in dtjlicate 
 health until a few years before the cancer made its 
 appearance, when she imjjroved and great hopes 
 were entertained by her family and friends that she 
 would live many years to bless and brighten her 
 home, but the Great Ruler willed otherwise and 
 her friends can only imitate her example and bow 
 in humble submission to the will of Ilim that doeth 
 all things well. 
 
 In ISfio our subject enlisted in Companj' K, 
 Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry, and went imme- 
 diately thereafter to Cairo, thence to New Orleans, 
 from there to Morgan Island, and some time later 
 to the siege of Spanish Fort. He next saw the en- 
 emy at Montgomery, Ala., then at Selma and his 
 last encounter with the foes of the starry flag of 
 our fathers, was at Demopilis, Ala. He was mus- 
 tered out after his short but brilliant record, at 
 
 Cawhaba, Ala., and reached home in 18G6. Iiis 
 wife at that time an invalid, had grieved sorely at 
 his absence and never fully recovered from the 
 effects of that trying time. 
 
 Six children cemented their union with cheerful 
 presence, as follows: Eliza J. remained a brief [icr- 
 iod in this lower world then winged her flight to 
 the ujjper and better one while yet an innocent 
 babe; Josephine, the second child grew into a 
 beautiful womanhood and married John S. Johnson 
 of Hollis, but alas, their earthly dream of happi- 
 ness was ended by her death ere a j-ear of wedded 
 bliss had passed; John A., a young man of slight 
 build and weak constitution is still at home; 
 Charley is married but has no children; Ida is at 
 liome; Myrtle died when about twelve years of 
 age after suffering three years with a sore throat. 
 
 Mr. Hornbaker has a fine farm of eighty acres 
 of well-tilled land and bestows much time and 
 thought upon its cultivation and improvement. 
 He and his family arc members of the La Rlarsh 
 Baptist Church. He has been connected with it 
 since 1849 and notwithstanding his severe altlic- 
 tions exhibits a cheerfulness and submission to tlic 
 Divine Will, only obtained by reliance upon the 
 wisdom and goodness of One who knows our needs 
 and has promised to overrule all things, even evil, 
 to our good. In politics he is a Republican and an 
 intelligent observer of events. 
 
 /OHN F. KING, a native of Peoria ami a 
 son of one of its most respected pioneer set- 
 tlers, DOW occupies an honoralile place in 
 the business circles of this city as a con- 
 tractor in stuccoing. He originates beautiful de- 
 signs for all manner of fine work, and many of the 
 finest buildings in Peoria have been embellished by 
 his rare skill in a calling that he has made an art. 
 Mr. King was born in this city April 27, 183G, 
 to Samuel D. and Josina (McComsey) Kin"-, na- 
 tives respectively of New Jersey and Ohio. They 
 came from I'rbana, Ohio, to Peoria in 1831, in 
 wagons drawn by oxen, and were six weeks on the 
 way. They found here a small settlement of
 
 882 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 twelve families, ami llie present situ of the city was 
 known as Ft. Clark. A part of the original primi- 
 tive fort or stockade that had been built in 1813 as 
 a defense against the Indians was still standing, 
 and on the outbreak of the Black Hawk War 
 measures were taken to rebuild the fort, a stockade 
 being placed around the old pickets of the Brst 
 fortification. Mr. King, who vvas a potter, having 
 learned his trade at Urbana, built a pottery where 
 the High School building now stands, in 1812, and 
 actively engaged in the manufacture of potter3' 
 four years, and then disposed of his business very 
 advantageous!}' to Cieorge Alton. He next became 
 a painter, and at first painted sign-boards, and then 
 steamboats, and then did gilding. In 1851 he 
 oi)oned a drug-store in this city, which he managed 
 l)rofitabl3' for about ten years. At the expiration 
 of that time he accepted a position as storekeeper 
 in the United Stiites service under Gen. Henderson, 
 in 1861. He acted in that capacity until 1871, 
 giving good satisfaction bj' the fidelity and hon- 
 esty that marked the discharge of his duties. No- 
 vember 4, 1887, at the age of eighty-two years, this 
 venerable pioneer of Peoria Count}", who had been 
 variously- identified with its industries for many 
 ^•ears, and was held in honor as one of its best citi- 
 zens, passed awaj', leaving behind him the blessed 
 memory of a life well spent. To him and his 
 good wife had been born fourteen children, four of 
 whom lived to maturit}', and three of them are .still 
 living: Samuel T., a resident of Los Angeles, Cal.; 
 Mrs. Martha J. Pattte, a resident of Birmingham, 
 Ala.; and our subject. 
 
 John F. King received his education in the pub- 
 lic schools of this his native city, and when old 
 enough to adopt a calling became a modeller in 
 stucco work, and b}" diligent attention to his work, 
 making a careful study of it in all its details, he 
 soon rose to be one of the most artistic and expert 
 stucco workers in the city, and to-day easily takes 
 the lead in his vocation. He is much sought after 
 to clecorate interiors, and he has built up a large 
 and prosperous business as a contractor for stucco- 
 ing. 
 
 The home of our subject in this city is an at- 
 tractive one, and to its presiding genius, formerly 
 Miss Pamclia (jodfrey, he was united in marriage 
 
 in 1865, the wedding ceremony being solemnized 
 in Toulon, Stark County. F'ive sons and daugh- 
 ters complete the pleasant household of our subject 
 and his estimable wife, namely: John F., Jr.; 
 .Maude, who inherits much of her father's artistic 
 talent, and is skilled in painting; Harry P., in 
 business with his father; Jamie and Walter. 
 
 Mr. King is a gentleman of talent and culture, 
 possessing a mind of a high order. He is a true 
 lover of nature, and is keenly interested in the 
 natural sciences, in which he is well versed, and he 
 has a fine cabinet, containing a valuable collection 
 of minerals, etc. In politics, he uses his influence 
 to advance the interests of the Republican part}'. 
 His father was one of the early members of that 
 party, and was a strong Abolitionist in the ante- 
 bellum days, and many a poor slave had cause to 
 bless him for the aid he gave him in obtaining 
 liberty. As a boy our subject assisted his father 
 in showing the negro fugitives the wa}' to safety 
 and freedom b}' conducting them from station to 
 station on the ••underground railroad" as occasion 
 offered. 
 
 zs^ 
 
 ^EORGE JOOS owns and occupies a pleas- 
 antly located and fertile estate on section 
 24, Kickapoo Township. It consists of 
 about one hundred and sixty acres of land on 
 which the present owner has i)Ut a full line of good 
 buildings suitable to the needs of his family and 
 to the work which he carries on, and has made the 
 other improvements which would be expected of 
 an enterprising man. The most casual observer 
 would have a fair idea of the chief characteristics 
 of Mr. Joos and his wife upon viewing the estate 
 and the surroundings of the dwelling. 
 
 In the far-famed land of .Switzerland Mr. Joos 
 was born May 21, 1826. There he acquired a 
 practical education and fitteil himself for a useful 
 and honorable career. In 1 849 he left his native 
 connlrj- and crossing the Atlantic landed in Xew 
 York, whence he came directly West to Milwaukee, 
 Wis. He remained in that city a few mouths, 
 then removed to Peoria where he was ena:aged in
 
 7/2^ -^Aa 
 
 ^.^y2^-;LyZ£Ay
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 885 
 
 earpontcr work until about 1873. lie tlien deter- 
 in incd to devote himself to the pursuit of agricul- 
 turoand therefore removed to Kickapoo Township 
 wliere he has since made his home. 
 
 Mr. Joos has been twico married, his first alli- 
 ance having been contracted in Peoria in Decem- 
 ber, 1852. His bride was Miss Elizabeth Leucn- 
 bcrger, a native of Switzerland, with whom he 
 lived happily until 1855, when she was called from 
 time to eternity. The present wife of INIr. Joos 
 was known in her maidenhood as Miss Elizal)cth 
 Brcidenstein and became his wife in Peoria, in 
 December, 186L She is a native of Germany 
 possessing all the domestic knowledge and moth- 
 erly' feeling characteristic of the race. This union 
 has been blessed by the liirth of five children, 
 named respectively, Anna, George T., Krailj-, Hen- 
 rietta and William. 
 
 In his political views and practices Mr. Joos is 
 an independent Republican. A law-abiding citi- 
 zen, an honorable man and an affectionate mem- 
 ber of the family circle, Mr. Joos is regarded with 
 due respect by those to whom he is known. 
 
 «;^®_ 
 ""^S^ 
 
 1=1^ 
 
 fcdLLIAM CRAMER. It gives us pleasure 
 to i)lacc on these pages the record of the 
 life and to present the portrait of this ven- 
 erable pioneer of Peoria County, who is numbered 
 among its wealthy and influential farmers and stock 
 dealers. He is one of the old settlers of Trivoli 
 Township, where his farming interests have been 
 centered for many years. 
 
 John Cramer, the father of our subject, was a 
 native of I'ennsylvania, a son of one of its farmers 
 who was a soldier in the War oi 1812. He was 
 reared to agricultural pursuits, and in early man- 
 hood went to Ohio on foot and settled ten miles 
 east of Columbus as one of the earlj- pioneers of 
 Franklin County. He cleared away the forest and 
 broke the soil of one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land on which he had a hewed log house for a 
 dwelling. There he tilled the soil and raised stock 
 until 1839, when he again took up the westward 
 march and, coming to Illinois, located in Farming- 
 
 ton, where he rented and farmed until he settled 
 permanently on ninety -five acres of land that he 
 bought on section 8, Trivoli Township. This was 
 partly developed and he continued its impi'ovemeut 
 until his premature death, at the age of sixty-two 
 years, in 1845. He was a Democrat iu his political 
 nlfiliations, and while a resident of Ohio was a mem- 
 ber of the United Brethren Church. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Catherine Cobell, who was born in Pennsylva- 
 nia, a daughter of Jacob Cobell, of that State, who 
 became an early settler and a farmer in Franklin 
 County, Ohio, vvherc he died. She resided on the 
 homestead for a few years after her husband died, 
 and then removed to Farmington where her death 
 occurred at the ripe old age of seventy-seven years. 
 Of the eleven boys born of her wedded life, eight 
 grew to maturity: Jacob, who died in Trivoli 
 Township; William; Daniel, a resident of Iowa; 
 Isaac, who lives in Livingston County; Sanuiel : 
 Keys, who died in Cambridge; Irving, a resident of 
 Cambridge, and Wesley, who lives at Nashville, 
 Tenn. 
 
 June 26, 1818, the subject of this biographical 
 review opened his eyes to the light of the world in 
 the primitive home of his parents, amid the prime- 
 val forests of Franklin County, Ohio. When he was 
 only a small boy his services were required in the 
 labors of the farm, and he was early tjiught to reap 
 with a cradle, and to carry on agriculture generall3- 
 after the primitive methods of 3'Ore. The school- 
 house in which he gained a knowledge of the con- 
 tents of the English reader and spelling book and 
 learned towield the goose-quill pen, was buflt of 
 logs, had slab benches and a puncheon floor, and 
 greased paper served instead of glass iu the open- 
 ing that was cut for a window, and the establish- 
 ment was heated by fire in a rude fireplace. His 
 great delight in his youth was in hunting foxes, 
 turkeys and other wild animals with hounds, and 
 he became an expert in the use of the rille, and is 
 still the champion shot here, and was never beaten 
 in a contest but once. 
 
 Mr. Cramer remained at home with bis mother 
 until twenty-six j'ears of .age. In October of 1839 
 he left Ohio with a six-horse team, covered wagon 
 and carriage, beginning his eventful journey to the
 
 886 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 new liome on the wild prairies of tliis State. He 
 was five weeks on the way, over the rough roads 
 and the rude pole bridges, crossed the Wabash at 
 Terre Haute, and came directly' to Farmington, 
 enjoying himself all the wa}' by hunting. He re- 
 mained some two years iu Farmington, and during 
 the second summer engaged in chopping wood for 
 one month, which was the only time he ever worked 
 out. He continued with his father until 1846, when 
 he became the possessor of eighty acres of raw 
 land, he having previously' rented land of his fa- 
 llicr. He located on his place, building a log house, 
 and for twelve months engaged in drawing logs. 
 lie ns'.'d two horses to break liis land, turning two 
 .icres of the prairie sod each da^-. He worked hard 
 and oblained money enough to buj' forty acres 
 adj.u'ning his first purchase, which he improved, 
 and flnall}', in 1860, replaced the log dwelling that 
 he had constructed himself, by his present com- 
 modious residence. He built a barn, iu 1848, of 
 hard wood, which was the largest in the township 
 at that lime. 
 
 Mr. Cramer made his monej- principally b}' rais- 
 ing corn, grain and hogs, and finally bought of his 
 brother ninety-five acres of tlie old homestead, for 
 which he paid $6,000. He kept it ten years and 
 then sold it. At one time he owned a lot in Peoria. 
 Ho bought an acre of land in Farmington and 
 liuili a house on it for his mother, which he still 
 owns. His farm is hedged, has a fine orchard and 
 is amply sni)|)lied with small fruits, and has pleas- 
 am groves upon it. He rents his land, but still 
 raises some full-blooded Poland-China hogs and 
 good cattle. He used to raise fine horses and has 
 a standard bred colt,'-Mattie IIatton,"and he used 
 to have stallion roadsters. 
 
 In 1881, when the Iowa Central Railroad was 
 being built, he was solicited to use his influence, 
 and was very active in securing its passage through 
 tills township. He was the first man that jnit down 
 ^200 on the subscription paper. The eomiiany 
 wanted |! 12,000 from Trivoli Township, and after 
 obtaining |!5,000 they called upon the people to 
 raise more, then wanted §1,000 before building the 
 road. He was one of three who raised the necessary 
 ^1,000 — John Larkin and Thomas Higgs being the 
 others. The company put a fiag station here and 
 
 the Division Superintendent named it Cramer in 
 honor of our subject, as it is located on his farm. 
 A few months later they secured the location of a 
 post-office here, thus making it a regular station. 
 
 About this lime Mr. Cramer built a store and 
 leased it, the building costing him 82,000. He 
 then put up another building, intending to rent it 
 to some one to go into the grain business. For 
 two jears Mr. Cramer managed the store himself, 
 but has since rented it. He has ever manifested a 
 marked interest in whatever enterprise would [iro- 
 mote Iho welfare of township and county. He gave 
 right of way to the railroad across his land, and 
 subscribed ^533. 33i^, which would amount to about 
 $2,000 in all. In polities he has alwa3'» been loyal 
 to the Democratic party and was at one time a del- 
 egate to a convention. He has served on the Petit 
 Jury but would never accept public oflfice. 
 
 August 17, 1843, was the date on which the 
 marriage of our subject to Miss Ann Rodgers was 
 solemnized. She was born near Belfast, Ireland, 
 October 24, 1824, and was a child when she (;ame 
 to Philadelphia with her father, John Rodgers, who 
 was a native of the same place as herself. His wife 
 died in Ireland and he came to this country in 
 1826, with his little daughter, and made his home 
 in Philadelphia where he engaged in weaving in a 
 factory until coming to Illinois in 1835. He lo- 
 cated at Harkness Grove, Trivoli Township, on 
 three acres of land and engaged in weaving. He 
 prospered at his trade until he lost his health and 
 died. He was a Presbyterian in his religious belief. 
 He was twice married, the maiden name of his first 
 wife, Mrs. Cramer's mother, being Mary A. Nich- 
 olson. His second wife was Eliza McMurdy, who 
 died in Trivoli Township in 1886. There were 
 two children born of the first marriage — Ann and 
 an infant. The following are the names of the 
 children of the second marriage — John, James, 
 Matliew William, Samuel George and Mar3'. Mrs. 
 Cramer lived in Philadelphia until she was more 
 than ten years old, and then came by boat to Peo- 
 ria County with her father and lived in Trivoli 
 Township until her marriage. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Cramer have had five children: 
 Arthur; Margery, who married Joseph Miller, a 
 farmer of Ulica, Neb.; Royal, who lives at home;
 
 PORTRAIT AND RIOGRArillCAL ALBUM. 
 
 887 
 
 Calvin, at home, a graduate of a college at Quincy, 
 111., and at one time Township Clerk for four years. 
 Arthur was only eighteen years old when he en- 
 listed, in August, 1862, in the Eighty sixth Illinois 
 Infantry, Company D, for a period of tin-ee months. 
 Soon after enlistment he was taken sick and died, 
 in December, 1862, in Nashville, Tenn., where he 
 lies sleeping his last sleeep, having sacrificed his 
 young life for his country. Silas pre-empted a 
 homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Kan- 
 sas. He was taken sick there and started for his old 
 home, but on his way to the station, thirty miles dis- 
 tant, he died on the Kansas [jrairies, being onlj 
 nineteen years old. 
 
 *^, OBERT M. IIANNA. Setting aside papers 
 published in Chicago, which of course bear 
 the palm, the Peoria Transcript is recog- 
 nized as the leading newspaper of Illinois. 
 The position of editor on this sheet h.as been held 
 with signal success by Mr. Hanna since 1883, a few 
 years prior to which he iiad been called to the city 
 by a former associate, who, with others, h.ad pur- 
 ciiased tiic Transcript ofHce and who, knowing his 
 ability, was satisfied to place the office under his 
 inechanical charge. In this position he continued 
 three years, after which he became editor of the 
 paper. Mr. Hanna is a practical [jrinter and has 
 also had much experience in the ollice work which 
 makes or mars a journal. 
 
 Mr. llanna is descended from old Virginia fam- 
 ilies and is himself a native of West Virginia, born 
 ill Biaxton County, Janu.iry 3, 1839. His parents, 
 David and Caroline (Cutlip) Hanna, removed to 
 Iowa in 1815, locating at Fairfield, Jefferson 
 County, where the father gave up his vocation of 
 a tanner to adopt that of a farmer. In 1850 he 
 went to the California gold fields; he died in Fair- 
 field, Iowa, about 1874. Mrs. llanna died in Peo- 
 ria, III., at the residence of her son, our subject, 
 .Tanuar^- 3, 1888, at the age of sixty-eight 3-ears. 
 
 Robert M. entered the office of the Fairfield 
 Sfititinpl at tlie age of fourteen years, and besides 
 learning the ordinary work of a printing office 
 
 served an apprenticeship on took and blank work. 
 A few years ago he was considered one of the most 
 rapid typesetters in the Mississippi Valley. He 
 was employed on the Gate City, at Keokuk and on 
 the Han^k Eye, at Burlington, being on the Latter at 
 the same time with Bob I5urdette. From Fairfield, in 
 1856, he went to Chariton, where on September 7, 
 1858, he was united in marriage witli Miss Sarah 
 Kneff. The parents of Mrs. llanna were Christo- 
 pher and Elizabeth Kneff, who resided in Hancock 
 County, III., where they died. 
 
 As falls to the usual lot of printers, Mr. Hanna 
 has at different times been employed in various 
 offices. During the war he worked in Burlington, 
 Iowa, afterwards spending fen years in Keokuk and 
 returning to Burlington for a sojourn of five years. 
 lie has also been employed at St. Joseph, Mo., and 
 Leavenworth, Kan. In Keokuk he had worked with 
 Alexander Stone, who in 1880 called him to Peoria 
 to take u position in the TranscrijU office. In a 
 few years his exceptional fitness for an editorial 
 position became manifest and he took his place at 
 the head of the office, where his work is being rec- 
 ognized as potent in advancing all movements in 
 which the Transcript is interested and molding to a 
 large degree the seniiments of the people among 
 whom it circulates. Mr. llanna is a l\eiiubli(;an, 
 true to his party in evei-y respect. 
 
 The family of Mr. llanna and his good wife con- 
 sists of six living children, and they have been 
 called upon to part v.'ith two. t)f the survivors the 
 j'oungest three — Kate, (^ race and Hattie are still 
 inmates of the parental hnme. David is a printer 
 at Olympia, Wash. ; Ivutli is the wife of George 
 Sylvester, and May the wife of James Phi[)ps, both 
 living in Peoria. 
 
 »S^HOMAS M. STEWART was born February 
 16, 1851, on section 4, Timber Townsliip, 
 on the old homestead that his father pur- 
 chased from the Government more than fifty years 
 ago, when it was a tr.act of forest-covered land, and 
 improved it into a valuable farm, which has always 
 been the home of our subject. He is now one of
 
 888 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 * I 
 
 the foremost citizens of his native township, is 
 prominent in public life, and is one of the leading 
 farmers and stock-raisers of this section of the 
 count J'. 
 
 George and Ann Eliza (Turbett) Stewart, parents 
 of our subject, were born in Oswego County, N. Y., 
 and Ohio, respectivel}'. Mr. .Stewart came to Illi- 
 nois and settled where our subject now resides, in 
 Timber Township, entering one hundred and sixty 
 acres of land, in 1835, and during his forty years 
 residence here he was one of the leading citizens of 
 the place, and became quite wealthy. When he 
 came here he had but §G iu money. His land was 
 heavily timbered, but in the course of years he 
 cleared it, put it under excellent cultivation and 
 erected fine buiklings, making it one of the most 
 valuable pieces of property in this loealilj'. He 
 was interested in the i)olitical and public life of the 
 township, was a devoted Democrat, and .at one 
 lime served as Tax Collector. He was one of the 
 foremost members of the United Presbyterian 
 Church, to which his wife also belonged, and he 
 was an elder in the church, of which he was one 
 of the organizers. May 6, 1875, at the .age of 
 more tlian sixty-five years, he departed this life, 
 this communitj' then losing one of its most useful 
 and greatly respected citizens. He was twice mar- 
 ried, taking for his first wife a Miss McFadden. 
 His second wife, the mother of our subje(;t, was a 
 sister of James and William 8. Turbett. Eight 
 children were horn of that marriage: Mary J.; 
 Thomas M. ; Nancj' A., wife of William A. Brooks; 
 James A.; Walter S. : Priscilla; Harriet I., wife of 
 Oran Stewart; and Esther A. 
 
 Our subject has spent his entire life on the farm 
 which was his birthplace. His education was con- 
 ducted in the public schools of Timber Township, 
 and under his father's tuition he gained a thorough 
 practical knowledge of agriculture iu all its 
 branches, and for some j'ears has been carrj'ing on 
 farming himself, keeping up his father's old farm 
 to the same high point of cultivation that it had 
 attained under the latter's care, and ever^-thing 
 about the place is neat and orderly, betokening the 
 presence of a master hand and mind. 
 
 Mr. Stewart possesses in an eminent degree those 
 faculties that lead a man to success in an3' w.alk of 
 
 life, make him wise in counsel, quick to perceive 
 the advantage iu an\' situation and prompt to act 
 thereon. His fellow citizens, recognizing the value 
 of these .attributes in a civic official, have repeat- 
 edl\- called him to responsible positions in public 
 life, and he has served two terms as Tax Collector, 
 and is now serving his fifth term as Supervisor of 
 the township, and has been a member of the Judi- 
 ciary Committee, his conduct iu each and every 
 office showing him to be guided b}' the purest 
 motive — a desire for the public good. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ACOB B. BARNES. The profession of 
 journalism is represented in Peoria bj- sev- 
 eral gentlemen of acknowledged abilit}' as 
 business managers, read^' writers and intelli- 
 gent advocates of party doctrines .and the public 
 good. Among these Jacob B. Barnes has an excel- 
 lent standing. He has had thorough schooling in 
 the printer's trade and in the various departments 
 of newspaper work, has traveled considerably in the 
 West and thus cultivated his powers of observa- 
 tion, added to his general intelligence and became 
 capable of discriminating accurately' regarding men 
 and motives. 
 
 The natal daj' of Mr. Barnes w^os Jul}- U, 1839, 
 his birthplace, Stephenson (bounty, 111., and his par- 
 ents, Joseph and Chloe (Everingham) Barnes. The 
 progenitors of our subject were natives of the Em- 
 pire State, whence they came to Illinois in 1834, 
 the father dying in Stephenson County in 1845. 
 The following year -the widow removed with her 
 family to Iowa, and in the office of the Dubuque 
 Tribune, our subject, at the earnest solicitation of 
 Charles Sumner, learned his trade. In 1856 the 
 young man went to Minnesota, several years there- 
 after being spent by him iu traveling throughout 
 the West. He was one of the first white men to 
 go into what is now Dakota. The party which he 
 was attending settled at Sioux Falls, while he went 
 on across the plains through Colorado and Utah. 
 
 Returning to Dubuque in 1865 Mr. Barnes re- 
 mained there three years, then came to Peoria 
 where for several yerns he was pressman in the
 
 J-^::^^^>nn^ ^'o^i:2^WW^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 891 
 
 Transcript ofRce. In 1876 he went into business 
 with E. F. Bakln in, two j-ears later establishing the 
 Daily Journal. Vov a number of 3-ears prior to 
 that time the sheet had been issued as a weekly. Mr. 
 Barnes is a sturdy Republican, a protectionist of the 
 most earnest kind and a In-mctnllist. The Journal 
 has frequently been quoted in Congress because of 
 its advocacy of those doctrines aiid its stirring ut- 
 terances regarding them. Mr. Barnes is a member 
 of the Masonic fraternity, geni.al and courteous, 
 thoroughly well informed and capable of advanc- 
 ing his opinions clearly, interesting!}' ;«id forcibl}'. 
 
 ^IJAMES RICHARDSON, whose portrait is 
 shown on the opposite p.igc, is an old set- 
 tler of Logan Township, where he is still 
 / actively i)ursuing his calling as a practical 
 farmer and stock-raiser. He was born in Highland 
 County, Ohio, August 8, 1819, and is a son of 
 Henry G. and Martha (McKibben) Richardson, the 
 former born in Campbell County, Va., June 25, 
 1785, and the latter in Pennsylvania, in July, 1795. 
 He was a scm of John Richardson, who was a far- 
 mer, and entered a quarter-section of land for each 
 member of his family. He was one of the earliest 
 settlers of Highland County, Ohio, was a leading 
 member of the church, and served iu the War for 
 Independence. He married Folly Terrell, and they 
 had three sons and four daughters, named .as fol- 
 lows: Nancj', Henry, P0II3', Samuel, Sallie, John, 
 and Mahalia. The Richardson family originated 
 iu England. The great-grandfather of our subject 
 ivas born in that count}', married, and iiad a fam- 
 ily of seven bo3's and one girl. 
 
 The father of our suliject was a soldier in the 
 War of 1812. In 1806, he settled in Highland 
 County, Ohio, on land which had been entered by 
 his father. He remained there until tiie fall of 
 1843, and then came to Peoria County, and made 
 his home in Elmwood Township until his demise, 
 August 16, 18G8. He was a faithful Christian, and 
 was almost a life-long member of the Methodist 
 lipiscopal Church, to which his wife also belonged. 
 
 Of their children the following is noted : Jane, 
 the widow of Emory Dunn, of Sioux City, Iowa, 
 has one son and five daughters; John died in Jas 
 per County, Iowa, leaving four sons and one daugh- 
 ter; Mary is the wife of James Mendenhall, of 
 Peoria, and they have two sons and one daughter ; 
 James is our subject; Martha married Benjamin 
 Smith, and both died, leaving two sons; Henry 
 lives in Selina County, Kan., and has a family of 
 two sons and two daughters; Vianna is the wife 
 of Jerry Kinisey, of Warren County, Iowa; and 
 George is a resident of Elmwood Township. 
 
 The father of our subject was prosperously en- 
 gaged in the nursery business for many years, be- 
 sides carrying on farming. He was prominent in 
 the councils of his church, and was Class-Leader. 
 His wife was a daughter of Joseph McKibben, who 
 was an early settler of Fulton County, Ohio; he 
 was a soldier of the Revolution, and also took part 
 in the War of 1812. He was the father of four sons 
 and two daughters. 
 
 His early life being passed on a farm, our sub- 
 ject acquired a good knowledge of farming in all 
 its branches. His education was conducted in the 
 public schools, although at a great disadvantage, 
 as he had to go a long distance, tiie lirst school that 
 he attended in Ohio being six miles away. His 
 older brothers and sisters had better oi)portunitie3 
 for securing an education. He remained with bis 
 father until his marriage, and subsequently in the 
 fall of 1842, came to this county with a team, and 
 with $57 in money, and made a settlement in Lo- 
 gan Township. In the following spring he bought 
 forty acres of land, later entered another fort3'-acre 
 tract, and continued buying land until he owned two 
 hundred and forty acres. He still has one hundred 
 and forty acres in his possession, and has sold one 
 hundred and fifteen acres. He has given all his chil- 
 dren money and a good start in life. Mr. Richardson 
 has sound, sensible views on the best ways of car- 
 rying on farming, and his farm is well conducted, 
 and as well ordered as an3' in the neighborhood. 
 He has not lived here these many years without 
 gaining warm friends, who recognized his intrinsic 
 worth, and respect him accordingly. In him the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church finds one of its most 
 loyal and consistent members, and the Democratic
 
 892 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 party has in him a sturdy sui)porter of its policy, 
 as he has been connected with tliat party ever since 
 he cast his maiden vote for Martin VanBuren. 
 
 Mr. Richardson has been wedded three times. 
 Feliruary 4, 1841, he was married to Mary Hart, a 
 native of Highland County, Ohio, and a daughter 
 of Andrew and Abigail (McDonald) Hart, natives 
 respectively of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and 
 early settlers of Highland County, Ohio. Her fa- 
 ther died in Indiana while on a visit there, and her 
 mother departed this life in Ohio. Mrs. Richard- 
 son died August 18, 1849. Of her marriage with 
 our subject, five children were born, namely: 
 Martha, who married John Taylor, of Warren 
 County, Iowa; both are now deceased, leaving three 
 sons and two daughters; William, a resident of War- 
 ren County, Iowa; Abigail, the wife of Alexander 
 Long, of Virginia; Matilda, the wife of Thomas 
 Taylor, of Warren County, Iowa; .lames F., who 
 lives near Portland, Ore. Mrs. Richardson was a 
 member of the Christian Church, and was in every 
 respect a pure, true, and upright woman. 
 
 Our subject's second marriage which took place 
 June 27, 1850, was with Nancy Parr, who was born 
 in Ireland, and was a daughter of Joseph and Mar- 
 garet Parr. They emigrated to this country, and 
 first made their home in New York, and later set- 
 tled among the pioneers of this county. By his sec- 
 ond marriage our subject had six children, nameh": 
 Carrie, wife of James Smith, of Linn County, Ore.; 
 Alice, wife of Ransom Kelly; Angeline, wife of 
 William Melvin, of Livingston County; Lucy E., 
 wife of A. Reubsom, of Peoria; John, a resident of 
 Missouri; and Myrtle, wife of Harry Cole, of Cass 
 Countj', Neb. The mother of these children died 
 May 17, 1871, and was greatly lamented. 
 
 The maiden name of our suliject's wife, to whom 
 he was married Januar}' 4, 1883, was Jane Strat- 
 ton. She was born in Logan Township, July 18, 
 1841, and is a daughter of AVilliam and Sarah 
 (Clayton) Stratton, the former born in Ireland, 
 March 25, 1788, and the latter in Brooklyn, N. Y., 
 December 2. 1805. He came to the United States 
 in 1816, landing on these shores October 15, and 
 for some years was engaged in the dair3' business 
 in New York. In 1837, he came to this county and 
 located on section 16, Logan Township, thus be- 
 
 coming one of its earl3' pioneers. At the time of 
 his death, February 26, 1880, he owned two hun- 
 dred and eighty acres of land. His wife was a 
 daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Clark) Clayton, 
 who were natives respectively of New Jersey and 
 Pennsylvania. They were Methodists in religion. 
 Their sons and daughters were named Cornelius, 
 Daniel, Joseph, William, and Mar^', the latter now 
 the wife of Charles Tripp, of New York City. None 
 of the sons ever married. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stratton reared a family of eleven 
 children, as follows: Mary A., wife of Joseph Brisco; 
 Eliza, wife of John McKinnie, of Peoria; William, 
 who died leaving a wife and three chiklren; James 
 died unmarried in California, in January, 1890; 
 Richard lives in Livingston Countj'; Thom.as, a 
 resident of Sumner County, Kan.; Sarah, the wife 
 of Charles Coker, of Gove County, Kan.; Jane; 
 Emeline, wife of James Norwood; Clara, wife of 
 James McMain, of Gove County, Kan.; Joseph is 
 married and living on the old homestead in Logan 
 Township, where he was born. The maiden name 
 of his wife was Jennie Delauder. 
 
 -V\>J— * 
 
 ■ « i ^»w * 
 
 ICHARD HANNY. It is sometimes a mat- 
 ter of conjecture as to what cause men owe 
 their success in business, and whj' one fails 
 ^"^ where another wins competence and fame. 
 In the case of the gentleman above named it is 
 comparatively easy to determine what qualities are 
 used to better his financial condition and give him 
 a good standing in business circles. Thorough and 
 reliable workmanship, straightforward dealing and 
 persevering industry win, and even such business 
 reverses as the best managers sometimes suffer from 
 are not irremediable. Mr. Hanny is now engaged 
 in the manufacture of carriages, buggies, farm 
 wagons and carts, also doing an extensive repair 
 business, and is becoming well known as the manu- 
 facturer of the ''Hann3- Road Cart," which has at- 
 tained a high reputation for excellence. 
 
 The parents of our subject were John and Bene- 
 dicta Hann^-, of Baden, German^-, the father being 
 a farmer. In that kingdom Richard Hanny opened
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 893 
 
 his eyes to the light of day July '2, 1830. He was 
 reared "to farm pursiiits'and until twenty years of 
 age made his home under the parental roof. Feel- 
 ino averse to the life of a soldier, he then came to 
 America to avoid the armj- service wiiich he would 
 have been compelled to undergo had he remained 
 in his native laud. Having crossed the briny deep 
 and landed at New York City, he went to Lancaster, 
 Pa., and at once set to work to learn llie trade of a 
 blacksmith. He worked under the direction of 
 Alexander Sanders two years, then removed to 
 Hamilton, Ohio, following his trade in that [ilace 
 some six months and then came to Peoria. 
 
 Mr. Hanny at once secured work as a journey- 
 man, continuing the same until 1867, when he 
 opened a shop in Kickapoo Township. In 1863 he 
 returned to Peoria, opened a shop on Bridge Street, 
 and for four years confined himself to ordinary 
 blacksmith's work. He then branched out as a manu- 
 facturer of plows upon so large a scale that the ac- 
 cumulations of previous years soon melted away in 
 the unfortunate venture. Being obliged to begin 
 anew at the bottom of the ladder, he opened a small 
 shop on Knoxville Street, changing his quarters 
 with the growth of the city and his trade. He finally 
 had constant employment for eleven men and is 
 now doing so well that he has frequently to hire 
 extra help. His own knowledge, acquired b}' years 
 of practical labor, is such that only skilled work- 
 men will satisfy him and no defective material is 
 likely to find place in his manufactured goods. In 
 the case of the Hanny Road Cart, any breakage 
 resulting from defective material or improper 
 workmanship will be remedied by him if the broken 
 l>art is returned within a year. This guarantee is 
 all that could be expected and gives dealers and 
 users confidence in the vehicle and its i)atentee. 
 
 While living in Kickappo Township, Mr. Hanny 
 was united in marriage February 5, 1861, with Miss^ 
 Francisca Guger. This lady was born in Vienna, 
 Austria, whence she came to America in 1851. 
 She is a capable, energetic woman, devoted to the 
 comfort of her family and finding her chief delight 
 within the bounds of her home, although by no 
 means averse to society or unused to neighborl}' 
 deeds of kindness. Two children have been born to 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hanny. one of whom, a son, Richard 
 
 Hanny, Jr., is now working with his father. The 
 daughter, Anna Marie, died at the age of twenty- 
 two years and seven months, her loss being a sore 
 bereavement to her parents. Mr. Hanny votes the 
 straight Democratic ticket. He is a communicant 
 of the Catholic Church. 
 
 — i^^»*-:5»S?> 
 
 <?«?■•'*«<?• 
 
 \T]ACOB HERR. The Prairie State has long 
 been acknowledged as one of the most fruit- 
 ful in the Mississippi Valley, and Peoria 
 County is known to possess soil of extreme 
 fertilit}'. Her farms are not only capable of pro- 
 ducing abundantly, but are almost universally 
 marked with good buildings, and present a neat 
 and attractive appearance to the passer-by. One of 
 the largest and finest of those in Hollis Township, 
 is owned by the subject of this sketch, and com- 
 prises six hundred and forty-eight acres on section 
 20, near the village of Mapleton. Lj-ing on the 
 Illinois River bottom, it has an inexhauslable soil 
 which has been placed in a fine state of cultivation 
 and improved with all which goes to make up a 
 well-furnished estate. It is devoted to stock-rais- 
 ing and general farming, for both of which pur- 
 poses its situation adapts it. 
 
 Mr. Herr is numbered among the self-made men 
 of the county, in which he has lived since he was 
 eleven years old. He was born in Germany, but 
 accompanied his parents to America when an in- 
 fant, his father, John Herr, dying shortly after 
 their arrival. Our subject was bound out in an 
 American family, and brought up without any 
 knowledge of his native tongue until he came to 
 this county. His mother owned a farm six miles 
 south of Peoria, on which she now lives with her 
 second husband, Philip Kirker. Joseph Fontenc, 
 the early benefactor of our subject, having died 
 while on a visit to California, the lad came to his 
 mother, and has since made Peoria County his home. 
 He is the eldest of three children, having two sis- 
 ters. Catherine is the wife of Louis Lighten, of 
 IloUis; Mary married Ben Ilarbright, and removed 
 to St. Louis, Mo., where she died. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married. His first
 
 894 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 wife bore him four children, of whom we uote the 
 following: Emma was finely educated, and became 
 the wife of Fred Johannus, a merchant, of Pekin ; 
 she died leaving two children, one of whom sur- 
 vives; Ellen married Harry Perej', and removed to 
 Nebraska; Lyda lives in Peoria, being the wife of 
 Henry Sunken; William E., now living in Lan- 
 caster. 
 
 The second wife of Mr. Herr was known in her 
 maidenhood as Miss Abbie Percy. She is a daugh- 
 ter of Charles and Catharine Percjs who are 
 numbered among the old settlers of the county, 
 their home being in Timber Township near Kings- 
 ton. Mrs. Abbie Herr possesses more than an ordi- 
 nary amount of domestic skill and noble qualities, 
 together with the manners of a true gentlewoman. 
 She is the mother of five children, viz: Florence, 
 Zulema, Ollie, Elmer E., and an infant unnamed at 
 this writing (Jul}% 1890). Elmer died during the 
 past winter at the age of six years, having been 
 stricken with the dread disease, diphtheria. 
 
 Mr. Herr votes the Republican ticket, but takes 
 no active part in political affairs. He belongs to 
 Phojnix Lodge No. 663, A. F. & A. M., in Maple- 
 ton. His religious faith coincides with that ex- 
 pressed bj' the creed of the United Brethren Church 
 with which he is identified. He is recognized as a 
 man of good intentions, energetic in the pursuit of 
 that to which he sets his hand, and pursuing his 
 course in a peaceable manner. In all his business 
 transactions he has avoided lawsuits, philosophi- 
 cally reasoning that it is better to bear the ills we 
 have, than fly to those we know not of. He has 
 therefore never sued a man, and has never been 
 swed. 
 
 "^/AMES G. KELLAR. No lad of active 
 mind could grow to maturity upon a farm 
 without becoming acquainted with more 
 JJ than the rudiments of agriculture, and if 
 his tastes led him to the same line of work, he 
 would push his investigations sufficiently to be able 
 to begin his career with a considerable degree of ac- 
 curate and practical knowledge. Such is the case 
 with the subject of this sketch, who owns and op- 
 
 erates land on sections 16 and 21, Richwood 
 Township, which has been his home, except during 
 a brief period, since his birth. It comprises one 
 hundred and eighty-five acres, on which he has 
 erected good buildings, and where he is pursuing 
 a successful career as a farmer and dairyman. 
 
 John Kellar, the father of our subject, was born 
 in Maryland, and married Esther Calvin Frye, 
 a native of Washington County, Pa. Immediately 
 after their marriage they settled in Peoria County, 
 111., their location being now occupied by their 
 only son. Here they spent the remaining years of 
 their lives, the husband dying in 1849 and the 
 widow surviving until 1881. They were the par- 
 ents of four children, our subject being the third 
 and born April 27, 1844. 
 
 Young Kellar received a good education in the 
 public schools, and amid the peaceful surround- 
 ings of rural life grew to manhood. He has always 
 been engaged in the pursuit he now follows and 
 lived upon the same farm, except when fighting 
 for his country on Southern battlefields and par- 
 taking of the other duties th.at devolved upon a sol- 
 dier. He enlisted in February, 1865, was enrolled 
 in Comi)any A, Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, and 
 served about eight months, when his strong right 
 arm was no longer needed and he was honorably 
 discharged. 
 
 Mr. Kellar chose for his companion in life Miss 
 Harriet C. Ilumason, with whom he was united in 
 marriage in Peoria Cit}', April 5, 1870. She is a 
 daughter of the late Henry S. and Abigail (Dewey) 
 Humason, who were old settlers in this county and 
 died here at a goodly age. She was born in this 
 county, September 11, 1846, received excellent 
 home training from worthy' parents, and a good 
 education in the public schools. She has borne 
 her husband four children — John G.. Norman H., 
 Aljigail and Charles. The last named died in in- 
 fancy. John G. is a graduate of the Peoria High 
 School, having been valedictorian of his class, and 
 is now continuing his studies at Dartmouth Col- 
 lege, which he entered in the fall of 1889. 
 
 Mr. Kellar has never sought ofl^ce but takes a 
 deep interest in the outcome of political affairs, 
 stanchly supporting the Republican partj^, whose 
 principles he thinks best suited to the needs of the
 
 
 
 J^.^. C£^:rj^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 897 
 
 nation. He manifests an abundance of public 
 spirit, is well informed on all topics of interest, 
 and displaj-8 great energy In tlie prosecution of 
 any matter to vvliicli he puts his hand. He and 
 his estimable wife belong to the Baptist Ciiurch, 
 in wiiose various good woriis they are ever ready 
 to bear a hand, and both take a deep interest in 
 educational matters. 
 
 -^^-B" 
 
 yl^^ON. DAVID B. STOOKEY, a member of 
 ~ the Thirty-sixth General Assembly of Illi- 
 nois, representing Peoria County, is a prom- 
 inent and influential citizen and is a 
 consi)icuous figure in the political life of this sec- 
 tion of tiie country. The son of a pioneer he has 
 long been associated with the agricultural interests 
 of the county, and has a fine and well-equipped 
 farm in Trivoli Township, his place of residence. 
 The fatiifer of our subject, bearing tlie same 
 name as himself, was a native of Elizabeth Cit3', 
 N. J. The grandfather was of German descent and 
 spent his last years in that State. David Stookey, 
 .Sr., was orphaned wlien eight 3ears old, and lie 
 was then bound out to a blacksmith. His master 
 whipped and abused Inm so much that he Snall3' 
 ran away from him. He acquired a knowledge of 
 the trade, but when a young man was shot in the 
 hand while out hunting and had to abandon his 
 calling and go back on to the farm, which he 
 rented. In 1839 lie made up his mind to try farm- 
 ing ou the soil of the Prairie State, and started 
 from his old home in New Jersey in a one horse 
 wagon, accompanied by his famil}'. Six weeks 
 were consumed in the journey, a part of the way 
 being over rough, muddy roads, and numerous 
 streams had to be forded or crossed on rude cordu- 
 roy bridges. 
 
 After his arrival here Mr. Stookey took up his 
 abode in Timber Township and engaged in lum- 
 bering. The next year he entered land in Trivoli 
 Township, comprising a tract of wild prairie on 
 section 27, and located on it, beginning its im- 
 provement, while his winters were employed in 
 chopping and managing a sawmill in Timber Town- 
 
 ship. He started out here without any means, but 
 by severe and continuous labor acquired a com- 
 fortable property, and at the time of his death, 
 March 25, 1878, owned two hundred and forty 
 acres of choice land in this count}', and forty acres 
 in Farmington. He was a strong, active man in 
 his (la3% and a famous hunter. His last years were 
 spent in retirement, his son. Squire A., managing 
 his farm. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Mary S. Rittenhouse. She was a native of New 
 Jersey, and a daughter of Josiah Rittenhouse, a 
 German by birth and a cooper by occupation. She 
 died in May, 1878, about a month after the death 
 of her husband, she having reached the age of 
 sixtj'-one years. She was a Presbyterian and a 
 truly religious woman. Of her happy wedded 
 life nine children were born, of whom we record 
 the following: Margaret lives in Arkansas; Sarah 
 died here; David B. is our subject; Maria is now 
 Mrs. Yerion, of Trivoli Township; Elias lives in 
 Guthrie County, Iowa; Charlotte, Mrs. Graham, 
 lives in Trivoli; Ida died here; Squire A. lives on 
 the old homestead; Isaac died in infMucy. 
 
 David B. Stookey, of this biography, was a mere 
 infant when his parents brought him to this county, 
 and he was sick the most of the time on the journey, 
 of which he knows nothing but by hearsay. The 
 country around here was in. the most primitive con- 
 dition, with settlements scattered and siiarsely pop- 
 ulated, and all the business done in Peoria at that 
 time was conducted in one store. He grew to man's 
 estate under pioneer influences, and early learned 
 to work on his father's farm. He drove five yoke 
 of oxen and a mould board plow to turn the prairie 
 sod, breaking up large tracts of land. He had 
 many an encounter with the dreaded rattlesnake, 
 often finding them on a load of hay or grain, and 
 while kicking one off one time was bitten in the 
 ■heel, and he has had them blow their breath in his 
 face, which would make him deathlj- sick. His edu- 
 cation was conducted in a rude log sclioolhousc, 
 where he had to sit on rough slab benches and the 
 scholars were taught on the subscription plan. The 
 boj's in pioneer families had to suffer many priva- 
 tions and hardships as well as their fathers and 
 I mothers, and it was not until he was eight years
 
 898 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 old tlial our subject was granted the liixur3' of a 
 pair of sboes even in winter. Wlien he was ten 
 years old he began to drive a breaking team, and 
 for seven seasons was thus engaged from April to 
 July. 
 
 Mr. Stookey remained an inmate of the paiental 
 household until lie was twent^'-seven jears old, and 
 after his marriage he bought an eighty-acre tract 
 of raw land, and lived on it seven j'ears. At the 
 expiration of that time he came into possession of 
 eighty acres of his present farm, which he im- 
 proved, and in March, 1873 he located here. The 
 farm comprises one hundred and twenty acres on 
 section 27, ail under high cultivation, with the ex- 
 ception of the pasturage, divided into convenient 
 fields by neat hedges, has a good bearing orchard, 
 and Tiber Creek running along the eastern bound- 
 ary line of the farm affords abundant facilities for 
 watering stock. He used to bu3' and feed cattle, 
 and has sold manj' a carload, and he also r.aised 
 full-blooded Poland-China hogs, and had a good 
 grade of horses, using two teams in the operation 
 of the place. For the last two 3'ears he has rented 
 his farm, and derives a comfortable income from 
 that source. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stookej' are verj- pleasant, cour- 
 teous, agreeable people, holding a warm place in 
 the hearts of all about them, and their home is the 
 center of a charming hospitality. Their wedded 
 life began December 29, 1864, and to them have 
 come five children, namelj': Eva B., deceased; 
 Olive and Amy E., both of whom are at home; and 
 Thurmau Hendricks and Wilbur E. Mrs. Stookey's 
 maiden name was Mary E. Scybert, and she w.is 
 born in Wytheville, Va., August 11, 1842, and came 
 herein 1849. She was given an excellent educa- 
 tion in Elmwood, and at eighteen began to teach 
 and was thus engaged two years before her mar- 
 riage. Her father was John Sc^-bert, and he was 
 born in W^'the County, Va. Her grandfather, also 
 Joini Scybert, was a German b}- birth, a very reli- 
 gious man and was a planter in A'irginia after ho 
 came to this country. Mrs. Stookey's father was 
 a farmer and a carpenter and builder. He came 
 to this State about 1849 and engaged in carpenter- 
 ing in this vicinity. He was a good mechanic and 
 could make anything. He finally moved to Orion 
 
 Township, Fulton County', and on the small farm 
 that he bought there his death occurred September 
 15, 1888. He was a Democrat in politics, and a 
 Presbyterian in religion. The maiden name of his 
 wife was Martha Warner, and she was horn in 
 Wytheville, Va., and still resides on the old place in 
 Orion Township. She is the mother of the following 
 children, all living: Mar^' E.. Mrs. Naucj' Roy, of 
 Canton; Henry, of Storm Lake, Iowa; Sarah, of 
 Trivoli Township; Susan, Mrs. McKeever, of P^lm- 
 wood; Carrie, Mrs. Diven, of Atlantic, Iowa; John, 
 of Atlantic Iowa; Alice, Mrs. Pierce, of Canton; 
 Ella, Mrs. Soper, of Canton; Charles at home with 
 his mother. 
 
 As we have seen, Mr. Stookey has spent nearly 
 all of his life in this county and has borne an hon- 
 orable part in its upbuilding. He has a wide and 
 extensive acquaintance among the prominent men 
 of this and adjoining counties, and is popular with 
 all classes. This fact was well illustrated in the 
 campaign of the fall of 1886 when he was running 
 for the legislature and was elected to his present 
 position as Representative of Peoria County, hav- 
 ing the largest majority of anj' county- c:indidale 
 and running far ahead of his ticket. He is a poli- 
 tician of the best t^pc, and although ahva3's a 
 prominent figure in the political life of the count3- 
 and State, has never sought for ofHce, the office 
 always seeking him. He had frequentl3' been soli- 
 cited to allow the use of his name as candidate for 
 the legislature, but steadily refused, until finally he 
 was nominated without his consent, and accepted 
 the honor. His course as a legislator has shown 
 the wisdom of his selection 1)3' his fellow-citizens 
 for the important office of Representative, as he 
 has been active in promoting various enterprises 
 for the benefit of county and State, and has always 
 acted without regard to personal or part3- consid- 
 erations in conform it3' with the principles of the 
 strictest honor and integrity. 
 
 In the Thirty-sixth Assembly Mr. Stooke3' was a 
 member of the Committee on Drainage, of the Com- 
 mittee on Agriculture, and was one of the Execu- 
 tive Committee. He was very intluential in securing 
 the passage of the Drainage Bill, making a thorough 
 canvass of the house from desk lo desk. He is 
 at present, July, 1890, taking part in the delib-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL AL15UM. 
 
 899 
 
 erations of the Legislature in the extra session 
 called to consider the Colunihian Exhibition. 
 He is one of the leaders of the Demooracy, has 
 been a delegate to county conventions since he be- 
 came a voter, and has attended State conventions 
 in like capacity. He lias been a member of the 
 County Central Committee five3'ears. He has served 
 on the Grand and Petit Juries, and when a juryman 
 in tlie McKinney murder case was locked up witii 
 his fellow-jurors twelve days. Mr. Stookey is active 
 in the religious interests of tlie community as a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church at Brunswick, 
 of which be is Trustee. He was Supervisor of 
 Trivoli Townsliip one year, and has filled other 
 offices of trust. His portrait is presented elsewhere 
 in the Album. 
 
 'OHN VANARSDALE, one of the oldest 
 settlers of Logan Township, -vvas born in 
 Washington County, Md., near the town of 
 Hancock,. June 27, 1814. His parents, Isaac 
 and Nancy Ann (Young) A'anarsdale, came with 
 their familj- to Peoria County in tlie fall of 1835, 
 performing their journej' b^- teams. Tliej' settled 
 in Rosefield Township, entering about two hundred 
 acres of land wliicli the father cultivated until his 
 dentil, which occurred some three years after his 
 removal. The mother survived until 1848. Both 
 were devoted mi mbers of tlie Methodist Episcopal 
 Church and were classed among the best citizens 
 of the county. 
 
 The fatlier of our subject was born in Holland, 
 and Willi bis parents, Garret and Sarah (Foutch) 
 Vanarsdale, came to America many years ago set- 
 tling in New Jersey. They afterward removed to 
 Mar^dand and still later to Morgan County, Va., 
 where the grandparents of our subject died. Grand- 
 father Vanarsdale participated in the War of 1812 
 under the command of Gen. Jackson. His occu- 
 pation was farming. He and bis wife belonged to 
 the Baptist Cburcli. Their family consistsd of 
 Isaac, Cornelia, Jeremiah, Jacob, Peter, Ella, Ma- 
 linda and Garret, all of whom reared families ex- 
 cept Jeremiah and Jacob. The children of Isaac 
 
 Vanarsdale and his good wife were Isaac, John, 
 Dorcas, Sarah and James. All have children living 
 except Isaac, who, with his entire family, fivi- in 
 number, died of cholera within a few hours. 
 
 Tlie subject of these brief notes was reared on a 
 farm, receiving a limited education in the common 
 schools, which at the period of his childhood were 
 not kept in session but a few months during the 
 .year. The first real estate which he owned was one 
 hundred and sixty acres in Rosefield Township which 
 was secured from the Government, and to which 
 possession he added eighty acres in Kickapoo Town- 
 ship by purchase. He finally sold that property and 
 removed to Logan Township, in which he has now 
 resided thirty-four years. He owned a fine farm 
 of two hundred acres, which in March, 1 888, he 
 sold, removing to Ilanna Citj* and retiring from 
 active labor. He has a neat and tasty abode, where 
 cheered by the society of his good wife and many 
 friends and enjoying frequent visits from his chil- 
 dren, be is peacefully passing down the stream of 
 time. 
 
 For nearly fifty years Mr. Vanarsdale has been 
 blest !)}■ the companionship of a noble Christian 
 woman, who became his wife November 29, 1810. 
 Prior to that time she was known as Miss Elizabeth 
 Shepard. She w.as born in Greene County, Pa., 
 November 24, 1822, being the eldest daughter of 
 Ayliff and JLargaret (Carmicliael) Slie|)ard, who 
 were likewise natives of the Keystone State. Mr. 
 and Mrs She[)ard reared four sons and two daugh- 
 ters — Nelson, Pearson, Elizabeth, Edgar, Alfred 
 and Melissa. The last two named are now living 
 in Wichita, Kan. The family removed from Penn- 
 sylvania to Illinois in I8;!4, Mr. Shepard entering 
 three hundred and twenty acres of land on section 
 3, Log!in Township, this count}', which he improved 
 and operated for some years. He had left bis 
 former home March 20, and disembarked from a 
 steamer at Peoria April 10. In politics he was a 
 sturdy Whig. He p.nssed aw.ay in May, 1852, his 
 wife having gone before, the date of her demise 
 being September 20, 1851. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. \'anarsdale, of whom we write, 
 haTe had five children, and reared three. James 
 enlisted in Company C, Seventy-seventh Illiuois 
 Infantry, and gave his life for his country, dying
 
 900 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 at Memphis, Tenn.; Maiigie is tlie wife of Harrison 
 Reed, of Peoria; Mattie married Epliraim Yinger, 
 of Haniia City. Mr. and Mrs. Vanarsdale are mem- 
 bera in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 ^ OSEPII SHOFF, Sr. One's real success in life 
 is not measured by his land or bank stock, 
 but by the nobility of his character, the in- 
 (^^' fluence which he exerts, and the good deeds 
 which he accomplishes. The man who' pursues a 
 course of persistent industry and uprightness, con- 
 ducting himself as a law-abiding citizen, doing 
 kindly deeds, and making his home a place of hap- 
 piness and wise instruction for his offspring, is en- 
 titled to the respect and remembrance of all to 
 whom he is known. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born in the De- 
 partment of La Salle, France, October 25, 183.'), 
 and was nineteen years of age when he bade adion 
 to his parents, Joseph and Mary Shoff, and made 
 his way to America. He had learned the trade of 
 a blacksmith, and after reaching the New World, 
 followed the same at Philadelphia and Pittsburg, 
 Pa. He then turned his attention to farming near 
 Wheeling, AV. Va , but in 1857 came to Peoria, 111., 
 his first employment here being in the shop of Dick 
 Freeman, near the Washington House, and he la- 
 bored for others some three years. 
 
 After that period had elapsed, Mr. Shoff began 
 working for himself as a gardener, ere long turning 
 his attention to systematic farm labor and opera- 
 ting fou-r hundred acres of land in the neighbor- 
 hood for a few years during the 60's. He made 
 considerable money, which he used freely during 
 the war in aiding the Union cause, and raising 
 troops for the service. He has never regretted this 
 action, nor felt that his means were not well era- 
 ployed. About 1877 he built a fine large frame 
 house on this tract in Limestone Township, where 
 he has made his home, building also barns and 
 other necessary structures, and making of his estate 
 an attractive as well as a very remunerative piece 
 of property. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shoff have a beautiful home, a 
 view of which appears in connection with this 
 sketch. The farm is especiall3' adapted to stock- 
 raising, and the slock of our subject is famous 
 throughout not only the county, but in many por- 
 tions of this and other States. His horses rank 
 among the finest in Illinois. He owns four stal- 
 lions, one fine trotting stallion called Shoff's Italian 
 Boy, one Norman stallion called Shoff's Norman, 
 one English draft, Grant, and one young Norman, 
 two years old, called Napoleon IV. Every year 
 Mr. Shofif raises from six to ten colts, which are 
 sold as soon as they are three or four years old. 
 In the spring of 1889 he sold twenty-eight head. 
 All the best horses of the county are sired by his 
 horses. He devotes considerable attention to cat- 
 tle, and hogs, having some fine Jersey and Ilolstein 
 cattle, and fattening from fifty to seventy hogs 
 each year. He is cultivating and selling every sea- 
 son about three hundred thousand celery, with 
 which he supplies Peoria, Pekin, and other cities 
 during the winter months. 
 
 From five to ten men are kept at work by Mr. 
 Shoff, who, with the aid of his sons, cirrieson over 
 two hundred acres, about half of which is devoted 
 to truck fairaing. His own place comprises forty 
 acres, ten of which are given to fine fruits. His 
 dwelling is one of the largest in the township, and 
 under its roof a somewhat remarkable family re- 
 side. Mr. Shoff has thirteen living children, some 
 of whom are now grown, and he has taken part in 
 their games, sharing their pleasures with as much 
 interest as he has manifested in their intellectual 
 advancement and moral training. He has never 
 whipped one of them, believing that other means 
 are better adapted to the government of reasonable 
 beings. 
 
 In 1861, Mr. Shoff was united in marriage with 
 Miss Caroline Vandefelder, who bore him eight 
 children, five of whom are living: Joseph, the eld- 
 est, now lives in Peoria, following his father's oc- 
 eup.ation of gardener and farmer; he ism.arried and 
 has one son, Frank; John, who is married and has 
 four children, lives on the place with his father; 
 Albert, Louis, and Carrie, are- at home. 
 
 Subsequent to the death of his first wife, Mr. 
 Shoff married Mi.ss Minnie Alberts, daughter of
 
 
 
 i'i*f»tiaf^MiiSSSi^miS:lsmiS!^:e^SXl«Si^^^^ 
 
 ^--v?'-^^--;>.f^>>-ia 
 
 5tore=roo!71, Residence and Livery of B.F, Bowman, Main 5t.Peoria. 
 
 
 ..'■'-^.■. — '"^f - ;' ""■j'"- 
 
 ^,);Aiw^tJ^:'4?^i<f^i;^lU^^ 
 
 
 Garden <s<.5tock Farm of Joseph 5h o ff,Sec.12. Li mestoneTr Peoria Co. III.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 903 
 
 George and Maggie Alberts, who emigrated from 
 the northern part of Germany when slie was thir- 
 teen years of age. This union has resulted in the 
 birth of nine children, eight of whom are now liv- 
 ing, their names being Minnie, George, Frank, 
 Charles, Lillie, William, Gertie, and Bessie. Flor- 
 ence di(!d at the age of five months. In addition 
 to this family. Mr. and Mrs. Shoff have reared an 
 orphan girl, Miss Anna Kverhard, who remained 
 with them until she was eighteen years of age. All 
 of the children have been well educated, and some 
 are far advanced in music and the higher branches 
 of study. 
 
 The parents of Mr. Siioff belong to the Catholic 
 Church, to which he was dedicated in his infancj'. 
 He and his good wife receive from those about 
 them the esteem which their charactprs and lives 
 merit, while their children have also their own place 
 in the regard of the comnumity. 
 
 * 
 
 j^-jENJAMJN F. BOAVMAN. This gentleman 
 is the owner and manager of the best-equip- 
 |i ped liveryagtable in Central Illinois. It is 
 located on a favorable site in Peoria and is 
 represented by a view on another page. Supplied 
 witii a full line of equipages, carriage horses, ponies 
 and saddle horses, it is as complete in its fittings as 
 any establishment of the kind to be found outside 
 of our very largest cities. Victorias, landaus, sur- 
 reys, phaetons, and "T" carts, arc among the vehicles 
 which the stable contains and the three dozen car- 
 riage horses present an appearance in keeping with 
 the other appointments of the i)lace. The stable 
 is a strictly temperance one, Mr. Bowman employ- 
 ing no man who drinks and, going bej'oud this, 
 even refuses to let his vehicles to a drunken man. 
 Our subject is of excellent ancestry, both his 
 parents, Peter and Mary (Woodling) Bowman, be- 
 longing to good families in the Keystone State. In 
 the vicinity of Ilarrisburg that worthy couple were 
 living when the birth of our subject took place, his 
 natal day being October 27, 1843. He is the seventh 
 son in a family cons'sting of fourteen children. 
 Two of his brothers, Christopher and Daniel, vol- 
 
 unteered iluring the Civil War, were taken prison- 
 ers, and while Christopher was soon exchanged and 
 died from exposure, Daniel was literally starved to 
 death in Libby Prison. 
 
 When our subject was a babe his parents removed 
 to Logan County, Ohio, where the father followed 
 farming pursuits, with an excellent knowledge of 
 which young Bowman was reared. In the fall of 
 18G0 he began buying horses for AVilliam IMoran. of 
 Cincinnati, continuing to employ himself thus after 
 the breaking out of the Civil War, when Mr. Moran 
 furnished equines to the Government. Young 
 Bowman finally came West in order to escape the 
 draft and after stopping in Peoria a week or two, 
 went to the home of a brother in Fulton County. 
 He was there captured, taken back to the Buckeye 
 Capital and turned over to the army officers, but 
 escaping the next night made his way to Burling- 
 ton, Iowa, where he secured work in a livery stable 
 under his given name. Benjamin Franklin. 
 
 After a time Mr. Bowman opened a livery stable 
 in Lallarpe, Hancock County, 111., sojourning in 
 that place ten years. He then removed to Nauvoo, 
 a year later returned to Lallarpe, and in another 
 twelvemonth took up his abode in Astoria, still 
 following the same business. He built and man- 
 aged the Central House in connection with his liv- 
 ery four j'ears. In 1880 he came to Peoria, opened 
 a stable, soon bought his present premises, and as 
 before noted, is now the owner of one of the most 
 complete livery. outfits anywhere to be found. He 
 not only understands what makes up a thorough 
 establishment, but possesses the straightforward 
 and m.anly nature which leads him to treat with 
 honor and courtesy all with whom he has dealings 
 and to insist upon his employes showing an equal 
 consideration for the rights and wishes of others. 
 He is correspondingly respected by business men, 
 visitors to the city who may have occasion to pa- 
 tronize his establishment, and the many residents 
 who suppl}' him with custom. 
 
 The marriage rites of Mr. Bowman and Miss 
 Florence May Moon were celebrated at the residence 
 of the bride's father, Asa Moon, in Dallas City, III., 
 in 1875. Mrs. Bowman is a beautiful woman, 
 whose charming manners are the outward expres- 
 sion of the love and sympathy of her heart. To
 
 904 
 
 PORTRAIT AND HIOGRAFIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 her husband her price is f;u- alcove rubies, to their 
 only chilfl, Pearl, she is motlicr and companion in 
 one, and to nianj' friends she is a highly valued 
 counselor and associate. It is wortiiy of remark 
 that Mr. ]5owen votes exclusively for temperance 
 men. 
 
 GUIS M. SECRF.TAN. Among the former 
 residents of Kickaiioo Township, one who 
 :^ bore an excellent reputation as a citizen and 
 left as a heritage to his family the memorj' of a 
 kindly and considerate life, was the gentleman above 
 named, who passed from time to eternity in the fall 
 of 1865. His residence was on section 28, where his 
 widow is still living with her son, .Tohn P. The 
 estate of two hundred acres is carried on Ijy the 
 latter, under whose eflicient management it pro- 
 duces abundantly. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Switzer- 
 land M.ay 2, 1822, and resided in his native coun- 
 try until he was twenty six years old. For eight 
 years he was engaged as a surveyor and he also 
 held the office of Notary Public. Having made 
 up his mind that America afforded a belter field 
 for his energies and talents, Mr. Secretau embarked 
 for the land of promise in 1848, and landing in 
 New York came thence to Dayton, Ohio, lie re- 
 sided in that cit3' until his marriage, which occurred 
 July 2, 1850. 
 
 The lady whom Mr. .Secretan won for his wife 
 was Miss Charlotte DuToit, an estimable and in- 
 telligent young woman, who was born in Vev.ay, 
 Ind., February 18, 1829. Soon after their marriage 
 they removed to Peoria County, 111., settling in 
 Kicknpoo Township, where Mr. Secretan gave his 
 attention to farming. In July, 1865, he revisited 
 the scenes of his j^outh and early manhood, and a 
 few months later breathed his last. He was the 
 father of six children, viz: Charles E., who died 
 when eighteen years old; Francesca, the wife of A. 
 Mall; John P.; Julius M., who married Miss Mag- 
 gie Conway; Edward L., who married Miss Isa- 
 bella Doubet, and Lucy, who is the wife of Adolphus 
 Evans. 
 
 John P , oldest surviving son of Louis M. and 
 
 Charlott(; Secretan. was born in Kickapoo Town- 
 ship, January 31, 1854. He obtained a good edu- 
 cation in the public schools of the vicinity, and 
 choosing farming as his calling, has devoted him- 
 self to it in a painstaking and thorough way. He 
 has erected excellent buildings upon the estate, in- 
 cluding a tasteful residence and all the structures 
 that are necessary to shelter his stock and store his 
 grain. 
 
 John P. Secretan has taken an active part in the 
 political affairs of the townshii) and is a stanch 
 supporter of the Republican part3'. In the spring 
 of 1888 he was elected Township Supervisor and 
 served one year; he has also filled the office of 
 Collector one term. He is one of the most enter- 
 prising of the younger farmers of the township, 
 keeping abreast of llie times in all that pertains to 
 his occupation, and making use of the most ap- 
 proved methods of modern husbandry in all his 
 work. Possessing excellent principles, pleasing 
 social traits, and a kind heart, he makes friends, 
 and what is of far more imiwrtance, retains tliem. 
 
 n VESTER SMITH. Tlie farming community of 
 I Richwood Township has in this gentleman an 
 /1\ able representative. He has for many j'ears 
 been identified with the agricultural interests of 
 the countj^ and is one of its substantial reliable 
 citizens. lie is a Pennsylvanian by birth, born in 
 Allegheny County, F^ebruary 29, 1824, the fifth son 
 of William and Barbara (Fink) Smith. His father 
 and mother were both born in Pennsylvania, the 
 latter in Chester County, where she began her 
 wedded life. Mr. and Mrs. Smitli eventually took 
 up their residence in Alleghenj' County, of which 
 they were residents until death removed them from 
 the sphere of their usefulness. They had a family 
 of six sons and one daughter. 
 
 Our subject passed the eai-ly years of his life in 
 the home of his birth. When he became of age 
 he served an apprenticeship of three years learning 
 the trade of a shoemaker, and remained a resident 
 of Penn^^ylvaniH until 1849. During the last few 
 years of his stay in that city he was emploj-ed in
 
 PORTRAIT AND lUOGRArHlCAL ALBUM. 
 
 905 
 
 fanniiit:. The fall of thu year iiu'iilioned he eaiiie 
 tol'eoria, thinking tlial among its thi-ifly eiiter|)ris- 
 iiig pioneers he could lind employment and better 
 his financial condition. He worked in a cooper 
 shop for some three years and afterward was en- 
 gaged in a gristmill on the Kickapoo, for one year, 
 lie then returned to Peoria and. after remaining for 
 a while in that city, purchased his present farm, 
 which is finely located on section 30, Richwood 
 Township. By assiduous and well directed toil he 
 has placed a part of its one hundred acres under ex- 
 cellent cultivation, and has erected a substantial set 
 of farm buildings, and everything a'loul the place 
 wears a look of neatness and thrift, showing it to 
 l)e under the management of a |)ractical farmer. 
 
 Mr. Smith was married in Peoria Septendjer 14, 
 18C4, to Miss Virginia Stone. She was born in 
 Brownsville, Pa., in 1844. She has been to our 
 subject a helpful wife, cheerfully assisting him in 
 his labors of providing a comfortable home for 
 their family. They have had seven children, two 
 of whom died in infanc}', and the five living are: 
 Isabella, Mary K., Elizabeth, Ida L., and Cora. 
 
 Mr. Smith has evinced in his calling, intelligence 
 and skill, and his record shows him to |)ossess in a 
 full degree those characteristics without which suc- 
 cess in any walk in life is impossible. Strangers 
 find him a pleasant gentleman to meet and in his 
 attractive home are the reci|)ients of true hospital- 
 ity, while those who know him best have a high 
 opinion of his [lersonal character. Pul)lic life has 
 no attraction for him as he prefers the quiet com- 
 forts of his own fireside. He does, however, take 
 an interest in politics and favors the Republican 
 party. 
 
 <« IVILLIAM WRIGLEY. Among the residents 
 \/\/// '^^ Peoria who have been prospered in 
 ^/^J worldly affairs to such an extent that thej' 
 are enabled to spend their declining years without 
 undue exertion, and surrounded by comforts enjoy 
 the privileges afforded in a city for reasonable 
 recreation and personal culture, is the gentleman 
 above named. Although his name is associated 
 
 with that of a son-in«law in business, his part in the 
 firm is more that of a counselor than of an active 
 participant in the conduct of affairs. 
 
 Mr. Wrigley was born in Lancashire, England, 
 March 8, 1822, being one of eight children com- 
 prising the family of Thomas and Ann (Hartley) 
 Wrigley. The father was a storekeeiier and gro- 
 cer. Five of his children came to America, our 
 subject and his eldest brother, Robert, crossing the 
 Atlantic together in 1841. When they reached 
 New York the}' were undetermined where to lo- 
 cate, but having traveled as far as Cincinnati they 
 heard of Peoria and decided to visit the i)lace. 
 They therefore embarked on a boat, sailed down the 
 Ohio and up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to 
 the country in which they eventually made their 
 home. Durinii their progress thither the impres- 
 sions of Mr. Wrigley regarding America were well 
 calculated to make him homesick and ardently he 
 longed for the fair fields of his native land. After 
 having looked upon the vast far-stretching prairies, 
 however, he was satisfied to remain in the Missis- 
 sippi Valley, and buying land seventeen miles west 
 of Peoria, he became a farmer. 
 
 In the same English shire in which Mr. Wrigley 
 was born, Ann Greenough opened her eyes to the 
 light of day. Her parents, with the major part of 
 their famil^s came to Illinois in 1842, and here the 
 young lady first met our subject. They were mu- 
 tually attracted and having determined to unite 
 their lives and fortunes, they were wedded Novem- 
 ber 3, 1845. Mrs. Wrigley is one of nine children 
 and has one brotiier, a civil engineer, in England. 
 She has borne her husband three children, two 
 daughters and a son. The latter, James IL, is farm- 
 ing on the old homestead; Helen is the wife of 
 Stephen S. Barlow, and Jennie the wife of William 
 Cutter, both of Peoria. 
 
 After tilling the soil until 1872, Mr. Wrigley re- 
 moved to Peoria and engaged in the grocery trade 
 with Mr. Cutter. He occupies a pleasant home 
 which is a center tovvard which excellent society 
 gravitates and from which good infiuences extend. 
 Mr. Wrigley is ever ready to promote the interests 
 of the Republican party whose principles he be- 
 lieves best adapted for the needs of American citi- 
 zens. He is a member of Calvary Presb\'terian
 
 906 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Church and anlElder, having held that office for 
 about twelve j'ears. His wife is also a member of the 
 same church. She has shared his joj's and sorrows 
 for nearlj- a half centur}', and her genuine worth is 
 appreciated beyond the walls of her home. 
 
 -5-^^ 
 
 W. WALLACE occupies a prominent 
 \/"\/// pl"ce among Peoria's business men as the 
 "^p^' Manager of P. P. Mast «Se Co.'s extensive 
 business interests in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ken- 
 tuck}- and Tennessee. He has here under his con- 
 trol a large and handsomel}- fitted up establishment 
 and carries a half million dollars worth of stock 
 and has a very large trade. 
 
 Our subject comes of a fine old ancestry, as the 
 Wallaces are a large and prominent famil}' of West« 
 eru Pennsylvania. He is a native of that State, 
 the city of Pittsburg the place of his birth, and 
 April 6, 1839, the date thereof. He is a son of 
 Hugh and Elizabeth (Brown) Wallace, natives re- 
 spectively of Pennsylvania and Virginia. His. 
 father, a man of marlved abilitj', aud of some promi- 
 nence in the city of Pittsburg, and possessed of 
 more than ordinar\- enterprise, started the first 
 steam furniture factory that was ever operated in 
 that city. He now lives in retirement at Bloom- 
 ington, this State, at tiie venerable age of eightv- 
 five years. His wife is eighty-one years of age. 
 
 Our subject was given a liberal education, and 
 at the time of the outbreak of the war was a stu- 
 dent of medicine. At the first call for troops he 
 threw aside his studies, and was among the foremost 
 to spring to his country's defence. He enlisted April 
 11, 1861, raised a company and went promptly to 
 the field. His knowledge of medicine made his 
 services invaluable in tliat direction, and he was 
 transferred to the Surgeon-General's staflf as Hospi- 
 tal Steward in the regular army, and served .is 
 such in all the departments except that of the Mis- 
 sissippi and the Gulf. His business was the impor- 
 tant one of opening records for hospitals, and he 
 was called an Executive Steward. He was in 
 numerous engagements, although always a steward, 
 and he experienced many exciting things. He re- 
 
 mained in the service until after the close of the 
 war, aud was mustered out at Chattanooga, Tenn., 
 in the month of April, 1865, just four years after 
 he entered the armj-. thus closing a military career 
 that was a noble and useful one. 
 
 Mr. Wallace entered commercial life at Bloom- 
 ington. 111., and was actively engaged as a mer- 
 chant there until 1875. In that year he went on 
 the frontier in Southwestern Kansas, and for five 
 years was engaged in farming there. His experi- 
 ence of life iu Kansas was not such as to make 
 him desire to make a permanent residence there, 
 and at the ex|)iration of the time mentioned he re- 
 turned to Bloomington, and resumed his old busi- 
 ness. A short time after that he came to Peoria 
 to take charge of the business of P. P. Mast it Co., 
 as before mentioned. Read}' of resource, possess- 
 ing firmness and activity and an undeniable talent 
 for affairs, Mr. Wallace has won for himself a high 
 place in the financial circles of the city and county. 
 His pleasant conversational qualities and his ready 
 tact and courteous manner, have gained him social 
 prominence, and he aud his wife, who is a lad}' of 
 great worth, are numbered among our best citizens. 
 He is prominently identified with the Masonic 
 order, having taken the Thirty-second Degree, 
 and he is also connected with the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias 
 
 To the charming woman, the home maker, who 
 presides over his home, our subject was united in 
 in marriage in 1864. Mrs. Wallace was formerly 
 Miss Mary R. Sullivan, of Indianapolis, Ind. The 
 greatest grief of her wedded life has been in the 
 death of their only child — Ida B. — wife of Jolin 
 W. Sanders, who died May 11, 1890. 
 
 ^ 
 
 \f AMES H. SEDGWICK. Among the promi- 
 nent law firms of Peoria County, may be 
 properly mentioned that of Bailey & 6edg- 
 (^^ / wick. As Mr. Bailey is principally engaged 
 in banking and a large loan business, the legal 
 transactions of the firm are conducted by Mr. 
 Sedgwick, the subject of this sketch, who h.is been 
 practicing in the city of Peoria continuously for
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGlVVrillCAL ALBU:\I. 
 
 907 
 
 the past fifteen years. He is fifty years of age, 
 having been born September 4, 1840, and is a na- 
 tive of Coshocton County, Ohio, the son of Samuel 
 ami Rutiama (Knight) Sedgwick, of whom Ruhama, 
 tiie mother, is still living in Sandwicli, 111. Samuel 
 Sedgwick was a native of Connecticut, adescendant 
 of Robert Sedgwick, one of Oliver Cromwell's 
 generals, and at his death. Governor of Jamaica. It 
 is a family that has |)roduced lawj-ers, writers, 
 soldiers and statesmen. Among them were Judge 
 Theodore Sedgwick of Massachusetts, Catharine 
 Sedgwick, the authoress, IMaj.-Gen. Sedgwick on 
 whom Gen. Grant relied so implicitly, and Maj. 
 Sedgwick who was with Washington at Valley 
 Forge. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared to manhood 
 in his native State and was educated to the profes- 
 sion of a physician, which he followed first in 
 Oneida C()unt3',N. Y., where he married, and after- 
 ward in Coshocton Count}', Oliio. About 1844 he 
 came with his family* to Kendall County, this State, 
 but only lived three years thereafter, his death 
 taking place in 1847. Young Sedgwick was reared 
 by his mother, and after leaving the, common 
 schools, became a student in the famous Oberlin 
 College, Ohio, where he pursued his literary studies. 
 He was admitted to the bar in July, 1861, after a 
 course at the Chicago Law School under the di- 
 rection of Judge Booth. He commenced the prac- 
 tice of his profession in Sandwich, this State, but 
 after the outbreak of the Civil AVar, entered the 
 Union Army. He participated in several active 
 engagements, was captured by the rebels and taken 
 to Tyler. Texas, where he was confined two years 
 and then succeeded in making his escape. He 
 worked his way North to the Union Lines in Ar- 
 kansas, where he succeeded in due time in rejoin- 
 ing his regiment, and remained with it until the 
 expiration of his term of enlistment shortly after- 
 ward. He was honorably discharged as Sergeant, 
 Company B., Fifty-first Illinois Veteran Infantry, 
 and bears on his person the scars of a faithful and 
 exceedingl}' trying military experience. 
 
 Returning now to Sandwich, 111., Mr. Sedgwick 
 resumed his law practice, but subsequently removed 
 to Sycamore and in partnership witli Judge Lowell 
 followed his practice two 3-ears. We next find 
 
 him in the city of Chicago, where in 1873, he as- 
 sociated liimself in partnership with O. J. Bailey, 
 and two years later removed to Peoria, where thej- 
 successfully followed the profession in which thej^ 
 have attained a good reputation. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Sedgwick, although mingling 
 very little with public affairs, is a decided Prohibi- 
 tionist, being one of the organizers of the party in 
 this county and their nominee for congress in 188R. 
 But while believing the total prohibition of the 
 saloon is the true policy of the State, he is by no 
 means a fanatic. He is liberal and progressive in 
 his ideas, the friend of education and reform; he 
 is one of the early members of the Law Library 
 Association in which he has held all the offices, and 
 is now President, being elected in the spring of 
 1889. This library is a very complete one, com- 
 prising fift3'-five hundred volumes, furnishing an 
 invaluable store of information to those following 
 the legal profession. 
 
 Blr. Sedgwick is a valued member of the Peoria 
 ScientiBc Society, and his public addresses before 
 that society are highly appreciated. The calls on 
 him for addresses before other associations and on 
 other occasions are frequent. His hearers are wont 
 to remark that "Mr. Sedgwick has always some- 
 thing to say worth listening to." In the National 
 Bar Association he is for the third time Chairman 
 of the Committee on Legal Education and Admis- 
 sion to the Bar, and his annual reports on that sub- 
 ject are anticipated as an event of the session. 
 
 On the 10th of July, 1865, Mr. Sedgwick was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Maria B. Merritt, 
 daughter of William J. Merritt, a prominent pio- 
 neer of DeKalb County. Of this union there have 
 been born four children who are living. The eld- 
 est son, Howard, is a practicing physician of Peoria. 
 William C. is a hardware merchant of this city and 
 located on Main Street; Philip and Edna remain 
 with their parents, attending the city schools. The 
 family residence is pleasantly located on the East 
 Bluff portion of the city and is frequented by its 
 cultured and intelligent people. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Sedgwick have ever a hearty welcome for progres- 
 sive people, those who think and have definite, 
 original ideas, whether or not they agree with them. 
 
 Mr. Sedgwick held several public offices in the
 
 908 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 first part of his career, while retainers were scarce 
 and fees small. lie consented at one time 'to act as 
 !i Justice of the Peace, afterward for a short time, 
 to fill an interregnum, was Count)' Attorney of De 
 Kalb County. Then he was elected City Attorney 
 of Sandwich, but refused to qualify. He holds that 
 a man who has a good private business is not wise 
 to sacrifice Lis independence for a public office, and 
 that independence of thought and action is worth 
 more than any office. 
 
 
 |ICIIARI) T. MERCHANT, an honored resi- 
 Y dent of Trivoli Township, is an old soldier 
 
 \ \v wlio spent some of the best years of his life in 
 the struggle against rebel hands that sought 
 the Nation's destruction. The agricultural work to 
 niiich he has devoted himself during most of Ids 
 nuiture years, has resulted in securing liiui a fine 
 estate of two hundred and forty-five acres on sec- 
 tions 4 and 10, where he has made excellent improve- 
 ments, including the good fences and farm build- 
 ings usually seen on the land of an enterprising 
 man, together with tile drains, orchards, etc.^ that 
 indicate taste and prosperity. The entire acreage 
 is tillable, being watered by Clark's Creek, and is 
 well adapted to the raising of stock, in which Mr. 
 Merchant takes considerable interest. The place 
 is four miles from Farmingtou and one and a half 
 from Cramer's Corners. 
 
 The Rev. Isaac Merchant, father of our subject, 
 was born in lierkeley County, Va., to Abraham 
 and Surah (Bull) Merchant, natives of the same 
 State in which the father died, the mother living to 
 a venerable age in this county. Isaac Merchant 
 grew up on a farm, leaving his native State when 
 quite small to accompany a Mr. Brown to Highland 
 County, Ohio, where he began his own career by 
 working out on neighboring farms. After he mar- 
 ried lie removed to Fayette County, settling on a 
 farm of ninety-five acres, for which he paid $2.50 
 per acre. It was but partially improved and he 
 was obliged to grnb the balance, chopping by day 
 and burning brush by night. He built a small 
 frame house, and surrounded the home with such 
 
 comforts as were possil)le. He became a preacher 
 in the Friends Church, serving as sucli until he left 
 the section in 1854. 
 
 At tliat date Isaac Merchant came to Central 
 Illinois, spending the winter in Farminglon, and 
 in the spring buying a quarter-section of«parlly- 
 improved land in this county, now occupied by 
 the son, our subject. He cultivated it until 1866, 
 when he sold it to his son, returned to Ohio among 
 the Quakers, and occupied himself solely with 
 preaching until 1870. He then removed to Villisca, 
 Iowa, living in retirement until called to the better 
 land in 1888. His remains were brought to his 
 old home and deposited in the family burying 
 ground. His political adherence was to the Whig 
 party of the old time. He reached the advanced 
 age of eighty-eight years. His brother Jonah was 
 one of the first settlers in Fulton County. He en- 
 listed in the Black Hawk War, and rose to the rank 
 of Major General. He was a conductor on the 
 " Underground Railroad." 
 
 The wife of Isaac Merchant was Jane, daughter of 
 Richard and Jane Todhunter. Her father was an 
 p]nglishman who came to the United States in boy- 
 hood, became^ farmer, was an early settler in Fay- 
 ette County, Ohio, cleared land there and secured 
 much real estate. He died when eighty-eight years 
 old, cheered by the belief of the Society of P>iends. 
 His daughter Jane was born in that county, educated 
 in the State, and died after a well-spent life in 
 1862, at the home in the Prairie State. She was 
 the mother of twelve children who grew to matu- 
 rity. Whalen is a retired farmer, now dealing in 
 real estate in Washington, Iowa; Abraham is farm- 
 ing near Des Moines; Mrs. Sarah Littler lives in 
 that city ; our subject is the next in order of birtli ; 
 Mrs. Rebecca Arnold lives in Washington County, 
 Iowa; William was a member of the First Iowa 
 liattery from 18G1 until killed at Black River, 
 Miss.; Mrs. Harriet McMackin lives in Colorado; 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Hill died in Gage County, Neb. ; 
 Mrs. Lydia Hunter lives in Greenfield. Ohio; Mrs. 
 Matilda Thatcher lives in Elmwood, this county ; 
 Mrs. Clara Holmes lives at Washington Court- 
 House, Ohio; Mrs. Alwilda Keel lives in Trivoli 
 Township, this county. 
 
 Our subject was born in Fayette County, Ohio,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAFIIICAL ALBUM. 
 
 909 
 
 December 1, 1834, reared on tlie farm, attending 
 the subscription schools in the old-fnsbioncd log 
 schoolhouse, and when eighteen years old entering 
 New ISrartinsbiirg Academy, pursuing his studies 
 there two winters. He was early set to work, learn- 
 ing to drive oxen and in other ways aid in the 
 cultivation of the home acres, but having much 
 better opportunities for study than fell to the lot 
 of many of his contemporaries. lie came West 
 with their parents, their journey being made by 
 means of "prairie sclioouers," and their route cross- 
 ing the level lands of Indiana and Illinois to the 
 Illinois River, which they forded at Pekin. 
 . After land was bought by the father, our sub- 
 ject and his brother Abraham rented and operated 
 it until 1858, when the connection was dissolved 
 .and both went to Iowa, driving in a buggy to 
 Pilot Grove, Washington County. Our subject 
 bought a raw farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
 which he improved, stocking it with cattle, and in 
 connection with the labors thereon running a break- 
 ing plow with thirty-inch shire and drawn by six 
 yoke of oxen. His principal business until the 
 war broke out was the breaking of soil, but the 
 needs of the country drew him to the battlefield. 
 
 On August 16, 18G2, Mr. Merchant became a 
 member of Company K, Thirtieth Iowa Infantry, 
 was mustered in .it Keokuk as Corpor.al under Capt. 
 Gallagher, and going to the front siient much time 
 on boats moving up and down the Mississippi 
 River as need arose. He was at Haines Bluff, 
 Yazoo, Little Rock, Black River, Jackson (twice). 
 Champion Hill, at the siege of Vicksliirrg forty 
 days, returned to Jackson, then again to Vicks- 
 burg, and to Milliken's Bend and Grand Gulf. 
 After this round of engagements he was a partici- 
 pant in the battles of Chattanooga, Lookout Moun- 
 tain and Missionary Ridge, then having wintered 
 in Tennessee, joined Sherman as an integral part of 
 the Fifteenth Army Corps, commanded by the 
 gallant " Black Jack," whom this State loves to 
 honor. 
 
 Again Mr. Merchant bore a part in some of the 
 most noted battles of the war, among them being 
 Dallas, Resaca, Buzzard's Roost, Big Shanty and 
 Kenesaw Jlountain. At the siege of Atlanta he 
 acted the part of the brave patriot, and in the bat- 
 
 tle of Jonesliorough he continued liis courageous 
 conduct. After this he was with Hood in T'ennes- 
 see, then returning to Atlanta, made one of the 
 band that marched to the sea, then north through 
 the Carolinas, and after Lee's surrender and the 
 death of the martyred Lincoln, he went to Rich- 
 mond and on to Washington to take jiart in the 
 (irand Review, June 15, 1865. The next step .'n 
 his life was his discharge and return to his prop- 
 ert}- in Iowa. Several times his clothes were cut 
 by bullets, but he received no wounds. One fall 
 he suffered from typhoid fever, that being the only 
 period when he was off dut}'. 
 
 The land of Mr. Merchant being rented, he gave 
 his attention to buying, feeding and shipping cat- 
 tle, doing well at that business. While on a trip to 
 Chicago with stock in the f.all of 1866, he bought the 
 homestead from his father, and the next year located 
 upon it, again becoming a farmer. He finally sold 
 his Iowa land and bought an additional eighty here, 
 thus bringing u[) his estate to the comfortable 
 amount before mentioned. He raises hogs of good 
 breeds, also feeds several carloads of cattle each 
 year, finding this the most profitable way to use 
 the corn he raises. He likewise raises good draft 
 horses and roadsters, having twenty head at this 
 writing, at the head of the herd being two standard 
 bred Wilkes and Ilarabletoniau horses. 
 
 In Richmond, Iowa, November 18, 1866, Mr. 
 Merchant was united in marriage with ]\Iiss M.aggic 
 Gallagher, a native of Fredericktovvn, Bid. Her 
 brother James, a native of Maine and early settler 
 in Washington County, Iowa, was Captain of the 
 company in which our subject served, having joined 
 at the same time. He is now retired from active 
 life. Mrs. Merchant was educated in Maryland and 
 Iowa, was graduated from W.ashington Academy-, 
 and taught school from the age of sixteen years 
 until her marriage. She was of Irish ancestry, and 
 possessed the ready intelligence and aptness char- 
 acteristic of the better classes of that race, together 
 with excellent traits of character. She entered 
 into rest June 27, 1880, mourned by many beyond 
 the walls of the home in which she was sorely 
 missed. 
 
 The family of Mr. Merchant comprises six chil- 
 dren, whose record is as follows: Lorena married
 
 910 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 William Akiu, a blacksmith living in Trivoli Town- 
 ship; Jessie O. is the wife of Lewis Kerr, a farmer 
 at Oak Ilill; Walter L. and Grace M. are at home; 
 Daisy died when thirteen years old; William is 
 attending school in Farmiiigton. Grace attended 
 the High School at Washington. Iowa, then in 
 Peoria, being obliged to abandon her studies on 
 aecount of poor health ; she secured a teacher's 
 certificate when but fifteen years old. 
 
 Mr. Merchant has been School Director fifteen 
 years, and is now President of the Board. He 
 joined the Masonic fraternity after the war, and 
 now belongs to a lodge at Farmingtou; he also 
 holds his place among the members of the Grand 
 Army of tlie Republic at Elmwood. B3' birthright 
 he was a Quaker, but married without the pale of 
 tlie society, his wife having been a Baptist. In 
 politics he is a stanch Repuhlican, has been dele- 
 gale to count}' and State conventions, and a Central 
 Committee man. At stock shows he has acted as 
 judge, being competent to determine the respective 
 merits of various species and breeds. . 
 
 «o*o. ■s^v>"v®-<'♦«* 
 
 m 
 
 'AMES E. PILLSBURY. This cognomen is 
 one well known and highly honored through- 
 out Peoria County, he who bears it being 
 an efficient servant for the public, for whom 
 he acts in the capacity of Clerk. In this station 
 he lias served continuously since 1882, winning an 
 official record such as few men attain in these 
 days of bribery and corruption in public places. 
 His capability is unquestioned, as are his honor and 
 integrity, and he supports witli all his influence the 
 cause of education and otiier elevating enterprises. 
 Having previously acted as County Superintendent 
 of Schools, lie well understands the responsibilities 
 of that position and the needs of the schools, and 
 is better able to advance the cause than if he were 
 ignorant on these points. 
 
 Mr. Pillsbury is of English and Sc.otch ancestry 
 several generations back. On the fatlier's side he 
 traces his descent from William Pillsburj', wiio 
 came to America in 1 640, settling in the old Baj- 
 State. Thiii worthy man was the progenitor of all 
 
 the Pillsburys now in America. The immediate 
 progenitors of our subject were Thomas and Eliza- 
 beth (Dunbar) Pillsbury, natives of Maine, where 
 the father kept a country store. In Lincoln County, 
 that State, two children were born to the good 
 couple, they being our subject and a sister, Lizzie 
 S., now Mrs. Perkins, of that county. 
 
 The natal da}' of James Pillsbury was February 
 6, 1840, and In the State of his birth he received 
 his education, which included a partial course in 
 Colby University. Like many another Maine lad, 
 he went to sea "before the mast," but a sailor's life 
 did not prove sufficiently attractive to retain him 
 long. He adopted the profession of teaching, and 
 for years followed pedagogy. From 1862 to 1865 
 he was engaged in the lumber business in Cali- 
 fornia, and he then returned home, coming thence 
 to Peoria late in 1865. He was engaged as Princi- 
 pal of the §econd District (now the Lincoln) 
 School, of this city, retaining the position until 
 late in 1877, when he was elected County Super- 
 intendent of Schools. Taking up the duties of his 
 office January 1, 1878, so ably did he labor for the 
 improvement of the schools and so much did 
 the cause advance under his supervision that he 
 was retained in the position five years, leaving 
 the field only to assume other public duties to which 
 the suffrage of the people called him. 
 
 An interesting event transpired August 8, 1865, 
 when Miss Helen A., daughter of Horace Hall, be- 
 came the bride of our subject. Mrs. Pillsbury 
 shares with her husband in the good-will of a 
 large circle of acquaintances, by whom she is re- 
 garded as worthy of respect for her character and 
 acquirements. The famih' of Mr. and Mrs. Pills- 
 bury consists of six living children — Helena, Bes- 
 sie, Grace D., Irving J., Hester M. and Ella C. 
 Both parents belong to the Baptist Church. The 
 father is a Democrat, who has never departed 
 from his political faith. He belongs to the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity, having membership in the Blue 
 Lodge, Chapter and Commander}-, and in the Scot- 
 tish Rites Consistory. He also belongs to the An- 
 cient Order of United Workmen and to the Im- 
 proved Order of Red Men. His nature is an 
 extremely companionable one, and the ability 
 he displays in wliatever duty lies before bim is
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRArillCAL ALIU M. 
 
 911 
 
 acknowledged by all who know him. His record 
 in piihlie and private life is one to which he can 
 ))oint with justifiable pride, and no better heritage 
 (■an be left to his offspring than this. 
 
 THOMAS L. II. DOTY. No one stands higher 
 in the estimation of his fellow-citizens than 
 the gentleman whose portrait is shown on 
 the opposite page and whose occupation is that of a 
 railroad conductor, with a pleasant home in I'eoria. 
 He was born in Clermont Count}', Ohio, July 17, 
 1846, accompanying his parents to Peoria in 1852. 
 Here he attained to man's estate, securing a good 
 education and being peculiarl}' fortunate in his 
 home surroundings, by which his better qualities of 
 mind and character were strengthened and de- 
 veloped. In 18U4 he began life as a railroader by 
 securing the position of brakeman on the Toledo, 
 Peoria & Warsaw Road. After a brief service he 
 was employed by the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville 
 Railroad, and in 1867, began with the Chicago, 
 Rock Island & Pacific. 
 
 Mr. Doty was soon promoted from br.akeman 
 to regular freight conductor, a high tilliute to his 
 capacity' and ho'.iestj'. In 1885 he accepted a simi- 
 lar service with the Rock Island & Peoria Railroad 
 which he still occupies. lie has been singularly 
 free from accidents, the fact being largely due to 
 his own carefulness and sobriety. He is an honored 
 member of the Order of Railway Conductors, 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Modern 
 Woodmen. His religious belief is that of the 
 Presbj'terian Church, to which his wife belongs. 
 
 At the end of his trijjs on the road, Mr.' Doly 
 gladly returns to his cozy home where a charmin" 
 group composed of mother and four chililicn awaits 
 his arrival with loving anxietj*. ilis cherished 
 companion bore the maiden name of Flora N. 
 Mounts, was born in this cit}-, and becanu^ his wife 
 December 19, 1869. Their children have been 
 named respectivel.y, Frank A., Eva S., Orrin A. 
 and Charlotte. 
 
 The father of our subject was Orrin Doty, an 
 early pioneer of Ohio, to which State he went in 
 
 1820. Long before railroads had been built he was 
 engaged in staging, carrying i)assengers, freight and 
 Government mail outward from (Cincinnati. His 
 trip from New I'ork to Ohio by the Great Lakes 
 was one of the romantic experiences which many 
 pioneers enjoy. He closed his long and busy life in 
 March, 1876, in Peoria, where he had been living 
 nearly a quarter of a century. 
 
 The mother of our subject was known in her 
 girlhood as Miss Charlotte lleyl. She and the hus- 
 band to whom she had Ijeen a devoted companion 
 for many j-ears were not long divided, as she 
 joined him beyond the river of death in Decem- 
 ber, 1876. She was a woman of rare character and 
 Christian devotion, her reliance on the inspiration 
 of the Seriptures being a sacred legacy to her oliil- 
 dren. 
 
 ;. OBLE HOLTON, M. D. This gentleman is 
 now located at Harper's Corners to which 
 
 \,^ he removed from Peoria in 1888, and where 
 he has put up some fine buildings. He is well 
 versed in the princi|iles which underlie! his profes- 
 sion, proficient in .matoraical knowledge, and prac- 
 tical in his ai^plication of that which he learned 
 from books to the needs of suffering humanity. 
 Since he began his professional labors he has en- 
 deavored to keep up with the times in his under- 
 standing of the latest discoveries in medical science, 
 feeling that the responsibility of his position made 
 it incumbent upon him to take advantage of every 
 opportunity to become still more efficient and pro- 
 ficient. He is well posted on all the affairs of the 
 day, his fine library containing works by the best 
 writers ou the various topics which a scholai'ly 
 mind enjoys. 
 
 Di\ llolton traces his descent from Arad Holton, 
 a Revolutionary soldier. In the family of that 
 patriot was a son. Noble, who married lietsy Whit- 
 ne}'. This couple were living in Windham County, 
 Vt., when on the 22d of May, 182.'), the son was 
 born whose history it is our purpose to outline. The 
 parents removed to Western New York, when our 
 subject was fourteen years old, their new home be- 
 ing in Livingston County, where lu> finished his
 
 912 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 literary education at an academy. He then entered 
 the office of Dr. Merriam, of DeKalb County, III., 
 and after studying with that excellent practitioner a 
 sufficient length of time, entered Rush Medical 
 College in Chicago, from which he entered the Chi- 
 cago Medical College and was graduated in 1867. 
 
 In 1861 Dr. Holton passed the examination of 
 ihe State Army Medical Examining Board, and 
 was appointed surgeon of the Sixty-fourth Illinois 
 Infantry, April 22, 1862. The Examining Board 
 of Medicine was organized b3' Gov. Yates and, its 
 requirements being exacting, he who could pass its 
 examination must be competent in phj-sics and 
 surgerj'. He served with the regiment for a year 
 in the neighborhood of Cairo and New Madrid, 
 thence went to Corinth, Miss., where his health be- 
 came so poor it was necessary for him to leave the 
 service. On a surgeon's certificate he offered his 
 resignation, which was accepted, and returning to 
 the North he jourueyed westward in searcii of re- 
 newed vitality. 
 
 After the war Dr. Holton spent some time in Colo- 
 rado, Nebraska and Wyoming, practicing his profes- 
 sion when his health would permit in the latter, 
 where, with his wife, he sojourned four years. Not 
 content with the knowledge he had previousl3- gained 
 he entered the medical department of tiie Northwest- 
 ern University, from which he was graduated in 
 1867, beginning his practice in the Slates in the 
 village of Pekin. In 1878 he removed to Peoria 
 with his famil}-, making that tlie headquarters for 
 his professional labors, with which he has constantly 
 been occupied for many j-ears. For a time he was 
 located in Smithville, and during his residence in 
 Peoria was connected with other prominent physi- 
 cians in establishing a medical college. Dr. Ros- 
 cotton was the first President and Dr. Holton 
 Secretary, Dr. Boal afterward taking the presiding 
 office. The Association secured a charter .ind, rent- 
 ing a large room, started into business, but owing 
 to the lack of funds the College of Ph\'sicians and 
 Surgeons of Peoria was short-lived. 
 
 The wife of Dr. Holton bore the maiden name of 
 Rosina A. Greenman. She is a daughter of Martin 
 and Modena Greenman, of Tiskilwah. Buraiu 
 County, by whom she was carefully reared, growing 
 to womanhood in the possession of a charaetei- and 
 
 acquirements which fitted her for the companion- 
 ship of intelligent and cultured associates. She 
 and her husband have had five children, all of 
 whom died in infanc3', the parents therefore having 
 but one child living at a time. 
 
 Dr. Holton cast his first Republican ballot for 
 John Ch.arles Fremont, the "Pathfinder" of the 
 West, and has ever been stanch in his adherence to 
 the Republican party. He is well informed on and 
 much interested in the political outlook, and quite 
 active in the work of his section of country. AVhile 
 a resident of Kearney, Neb., he was elected Mayor 
 of that citv. 
 
 N. KEITH, M. D.. is the leading old school 
 physician of Chillicothe, having a large 
 li> pr.actice and meeting with abundant suc- 
 cess in his eflforts to mitigate the sufferings 
 of mankind. His office is located in the Thomas 
 Building on Second Street. Dr. Keith is i-ailroad 
 sui-geon for the Rock Island Companj- and devotes 
 his time energetically to physics and surgery, add- 
 ing to his alread}- good store of knowledge by the 
 perusal of medical journals and other professional 
 literature. 
 
 The grandparents of our subject, both in the pa- 
 ternal and maternal lines, were pioneers of Eastern 
 Indiana. In Switzerland County Dr. E. H. Keith, 
 the father of our subject, was born and grew to 
 maturity. He married Miss Rebecca J. Adkinson, 
 daughter of AVilliam and Malinda (Colvin) Adkin- 
 son.who left the Hoosier State about 1853 for Mar- 
 shall Countj^, III. After improving a farm there 
 the3'retired to the town of Henr3- where they subse- 
 quentl3' breathed their last when about three-score 
 years of age. 
 
 During the 3-ear 1853 Dr. E. H. Keith removed 
 to Peoria Township, Peoria Count3-, Hi., settling on 
 a farm which was his home for a few years, after 
 which he carried on a drug store in LeRo3', Mc- 
 Lean County, for four years. The war having 
 broken out he enlisted in Company I, Thirty-ninth 
 Illinois Infantry, going at once to the front. He 
 was a participant in several minor skirmishes be-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 913 
 
 fore lie was transferred to the medical department 
 and stationed on Johnson's Island near Sandusky, 
 Ohio, where a prison was locateil. He was con- 
 nected with the array three j^cars, during which he 
 was able to report for diitj' every day. He then 
 practiced his profession in Memphis, Teun., cue 
 year, his wife and children still remaining in 
 llenr^'. 111., where liiey made their home during his 
 arm}' experience. 
 
 In 1865, Dr. E. H. Keith was joined in Feoria by 
 his wife and children and in that city he gained a 
 prominent position among medical practitioners, 
 giving up a good practice when his health failed. 
 In May, 1888. he was compelled to la^' aside the 
 duties of liis practice from the effects of sickness, 
 from which he never recovered, djing in Chilli- 
 cothe, 111., at the residence of his son, April 15, 1 889. 
 His widow is now living on her own property in 
 Peoria and at the age of sixty-one years is still ac- 
 tive and useful. I^r. Keith was for some years 
 connected with the Peoria Board of Health. He was 
 a Republican and a member of the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 Dr. A. N. Keith of whom we write was born in 
 Switzerland County, Ind., June 8, 1853, but reared 
 in the Prairie State, whither he was brought in in- 
 fancy. He is the third in a family of three broth- 
 ers and four sisters, of whom he and his brother 
 Edward E. — the latter a merchant in Henrj-, this 
 State, are the only survivors. He was well reared, 
 educated in the Peoria High School, and prior to 
 entering upon the practice of his profession, labored 
 as a teacher, a book-keeper and drug clerk. His 
 medical studies were completed in the College of 
 Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago.from which he 
 was graduated in the class of '83. He began his 
 professional labors at Alta, this countj^ where he 
 continued to reside until the fall of 1887, then tak- 
 in<' up his abode in Chillicothe. 
 
 At the home of the bride at Chillicothe, March 20, 
 1878, the rites of wedlock were celebrated between 
 Dr. A. N. Keith and Miss Ella E. Turner. This 
 lady was born November 30, 1858, and was reared 
 and educated chiefly in this county to which her 
 parents removed during her girlhood. Her father, 
 Jack Turner, a cabinet-maker, died here some years 
 ao-o. Ilcr mother. Mrs. Martha (Southworth) Tur- 
 
 ner, still resides here and is now about three-score 
 }-ears of age. Doctor and Mrs. Keith have one child, 
 Cloyd E., born May 30, 1880. 
 
 In local politics Dr. Keith takes an active part, 
 supporting the Republican party with his voice and 
 vote. He is now at the head of the municipal govern- 
 ment of Chillicothe, having been elected Mayor 
 April 15, 1889. He belongs to Sampson Lodge, No. 
 188, K. of P., and to (Jeorge Washington (Blue) 
 Lodge, No. 222, A. F. & A. M. Possessing excellent 
 natural abilitiej, a fund of information regarding 
 general topics, and professional skill, he occupies a 
 foremost place among the members of the com- 
 munity and his good wife is also looked upon with 
 highest favor. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^p>)EORGE B. TEMPLE is extensively identi- 
 llj ^— -,fied with the mercantile interests of C'hilli- 
 ^\c^(jj cothe as one of its leading merchants. He 
 is a member of the firm of Temple & Colwell, 
 dealers in all kinds of dry goods, boots and shoes, 
 with a large and well fitted up store on Second 
 Street, where they are doing an extensive business. 
 
 Our subject was born in Lexington, Mo., Oc- 
 tober 20, 1850. His father. Dr. Peter Temple, 
 was a native of King William Count}-, \a.. He 
 came of one of the most prominent families of tne 
 Old Dominion, who had settled there in 1649, hav- 
 ing fled from their early English home during the 
 Revolution in England. They came from an an- 
 cient family in the old country which was titled and 
 had a coat of arras and large i)ossessions, which 
 were confiscated by the crown when they left Eng- 
 land. The coat of arms is still in the family and 
 many other relics, such as jeweled shoe and knee 
 buckles. The family rose to prominence in \\v- 
 ginia, acquired wealth there, were large slave own- 
 ers, and were well known throughout the State. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared ia the place 
 of his nativity and being of a wealth}^ family he 
 was given every advantage to secure a good edu- 
 cation. When deciding upon a career in life he 
 chose the medical profession, and became a student 
 in one of the first medical sciiools in the country,
 
 914 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia. After 
 leaving college he came to Illinois and established 
 himself as a physician in Chicago, and while there 
 acquired a large practice, and, being possessed of 
 a marked talent for business, accumulated a large 
 propertj', including many acres of Chicago city 
 property and also land in suburban towns, and in 
 several other counties of the State, the value of 
 which amounted to several million dollars, but the 
 titles being contested caused a great deal of litiga- 
 tion. 
 
 Dr. Temple moved from Chicago to Chillicothe, 
 and after some years to Missouri. He became an 
 active and leading citizen of that State and was 
 variously identified with its interests, and at his 
 death in Lexington, March 12, 1889, one of its 
 most prominent and public spirited-citizens was 
 removed. His had been a busy and useful career 
 which was rounded out at the ripe old age of sev- 
 ent^'-six j'ears. In early life he had married a Vir- 
 ginia lady, Miss Lucy W. Mathews, who was a 
 sister of P. T. Mathews, of whom see biography for 
 full history of the family, which was a prominent 
 one in the Old Dominion. Mrs. Temple was care- 
 fullj- reared and educated by good parents, and af- 
 ter her marriage came AVest with her husband, 
 her cheerful help and wise counsels being import- 
 ant factors in making his life a success. She died 
 June 4, 1890. aged sixty-eight years, of heart 
 failure, her death being instantaneous. 
 
 George B. Temple, of whom we write, is the 
 youngest of a family of seven children. He re- 
 ceived the basis of his education in Missouri, and 
 while he was still in school, a lad of fourteen 
 years, Price made his famous raid there, and became 
 to Chillicothe and attended school, and also clerked 
 in his uncle Thomas P. Mathews' store until he be- 
 came of age. He then went to Montana and in 
 Deer Lodge County was engaged in general mer- 
 chandising for five years. At the expiration of 
 that time he returned to this county, and since 
 March, 1890, has been carrying on business as be- 
 fore stated, with Mr. Col well. 
 
 Mr. Temple was married in Chillicothe City to 
 Miss Laura C. Mollitt, who was born here Febru- 
 ary 24, 185L She is a member of a well-known 
 family of this cit^-, and was reared to womanhood, 
 
 under the parental roof receiving a fine education, 
 and prior to her marriage was engaged as a teacher. 
 Siie is a woman of more than ordinary- intelligence 
 and refinement, and the home of herself and hus- 
 band is the center of true culture. Their pleasant 
 home circle is completed by the presence of their 
 one child — Mary L. 
 
 ]Mr. and Jlrs. Temple are prominent society 
 people. Mr. Temple is a Democrat in politics, 
 and his means and influence can alwaj'S be de- 
 pended upon to forward the interests of the party. 
 As a wide-awake, far-sighted business man he is a 
 potent factor in advancing the financial prosperity 
 of Chillicothe. and is regarded as one of the most 
 desirable citizens. 
 
 
 AXIEL KLINCK. Among the many 
 highly-improved farms of Princeville 
 Township none prove more attractive 
 than that of the gentleman above named, 
 whicli comprises about eight}- acres of land on sec- 
 tion 23, and which is represented elsewhere by a 
 view. It is a choice piece of land and under the 
 efficient control of its present owner has been sup- 
 plied with a cozj' residence, excellent barns and 
 other outbuildings.convenientlj- divided b}' hedges 
 and adorned with fruit and shade trees. The 
 Santa Fe Railroad runs along the north end of the 
 farm, where grain, cattle and hogs are the princi- 
 pal staples. 
 
 Mr. Klinck is descended in the second genera- 
 ation from Leonard and Elizabeth (Brown) Klinck, 
 the former of whom was born and educated in Al- 
 bany, N. Y., and in early life engaged in school 
 teaching. While still a young man he went to Can- 
 ada where he followed farming. He participated 
 in the Canadian Rebellion and finally came to Illi- 
 nois, dying in Princeville. His wife lived to 
 the extreme age of one hundred and five years. 
 
 The father of our subject was George Klinck, 
 who was born in Count}- York, Ontario, Canada, 
 adopted farming as his vocation and bought land 
 in Markham Township. Count}' York. He was 
 killed by tlie fall of a tree when forty-four years
 
 PORTRAIT AND BKH : UAPlllCAL ALBUM. 
 
 915 
 
 old. He was a member of the Wcslejaii Methodist 
 Church. His wife, Mnr3' Horner, was born in 
 Markham Township, being a daughter of Emanuel 
 Horner,a silcecssful and wealth}- farmei-. She died 
 in Canada in 1875. The parental faniil}' eoujprised 
 twelve children, eleven of whom grew to maturity. 
 John and George are now farming in Canada; 
 Abraham, the twin brother of our subject, lives in 
 Simcoe County, CanafJa; that county is also the 
 homo of .lames. Mrs. Martha Ditson and Mrs. Mary 
 Baker, (twins) and Elias; Mrs. Lizzie Baker lives 
 in Markham, County York; Joseph in Manitoba; 
 and Thomas in County York. 
 
 The birth of our subject took place on the family 
 acres in Canada, July 6, 1841. lie was reared on 
 the farm with good school advantages, and after 
 the death of his father, which occurred when he 
 was twelve years old, remained with his mother and 
 brothers. The bo.ys farmed together, continuing 
 the improvements begun b}' their father and gain- 
 ing quite an estate of which our subject sold his 
 share when twent3'-four j-ears old. He then, in 
 June, 1865, came to Princeville, 111., where for a 
 short time he worked for others. He then with his 
 twin brother bought one hundred and sixty acres 
 on section 35, Princeville Township, where the 
 two tilled the soil for some years. Our sub- 
 ject then traded for the land wliich ho now occu- 
 pies. 
 
 The lady whom Mr. Klinck won as his wife was 
 Miss Jane Martin, who was born in his native place, 
 June 27, 1841. and with whose qualities of mind 
 and heart he was thoroughly acquainted. She is a 
 daughter of Thomas Martin, a native of Lincoln- 
 shire, England, and Susannah (Sanderson) Martin, 
 who was born in Yorkshire. Her father came to Can- 
 ada when a young man, cleared a farm and became 
 a successful owner of land and stock. He took 
 part in the Canadian Rebellion in 1837, is yet liv- 
 ing, and is now seventy-nine j-ears old. He and 
 his wife are now living retired in Canada. He be- 
 longs to the Methodist Episcopal Church in which 
 he has been Class-Leader and served in various 
 official capacities. He is a son of William Martin 
 who spent his entire life in England, his occupa- 
 tion being that of a farmer. The maternal grand- 
 father of Mrs. Klinck was William Sanderson, a 
 
 Yorkshire farmer who spent the latter years of his 
 life in Canada where he carried on a dairy farm, 
 n is wife was Miss Elizabeth Gallowa3\ 
 , Mrs. Klinck is the first-born in a familj- of eleven 
 children, five of whom died in infancy .and one in 
 maturit}'. The surviving members of the family 
 are: Mrs. Ann Fry, of Peoria, 111. ; ^Villiam, of York, 
 Canada; Thomas, of Sault St. Marie. Canada; and 
 Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Granger of Simcoe, Canada. 
 The deceased are Elizabeth, Rachel, Rebecca, Sus- 
 annah, Martha E. and one daughter who died un- 
 named. 
 
 The marriage rites of Mr. and Mrs. Klinck were 
 celebrated in York County, Canada, February 18, 
 1869. Thej' have six bright, intelligent children 
 living, and lost a daughter, Edith A., when three 
 weeks old. The first-born, Susannah B.,an attend- 
 ant at the Princeville High School and Academy, 
 has devoted her talents to the work of pedagogy. 
 The other members of the household band are: 
 Thomas W. M., Alice L., Mary J.. Daniel E. and 
 George F. Mr. and Mrs. Klinck belong to the 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church in Princeville and 
 the husband is identified with the Prohibition 
 party. He has served as Patbmaster. He is a man 
 of much intelligence, courteous manners, and most 
 upright character, while his wife is reputed to be a 
 notable housewife and a most estimable lady. 
 
 si..*..^.rv 
 
 \i/ AWRENCE SHEIIAN. Among the many 
 I (^ valuable and well-managed farms in Ead- 
 j— ^^1 nor Township, that of our subject is especi- 
 alljf attractive on account of its neat, well-ordered 
 appearance and the number of beautiful shade and 
 fruit trees that adorn the grounds. Mr. Shehan 
 has been a resident here many j-ears, and in the 
 meantime has Improved this farm and bj' wise and 
 judicious conduct of his affairs has acquired an 
 ample competence. 
 
 County Wexford, Ireland, was the native place 
 of our subject, and he was there born in the year 
 1828. His parents were Abraham and Jlargavet 
 (Sunderland) Shehan, natives and life-long resi-
 
 916 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 dents of the same count}' as himself. The boyhood 
 and youth of our subject were passed in the land 
 of his l)ii-th. In 1856, in the opening years of man- 
 hood, stalwart and self-reliant, ambitious to better 
 his fortunes, he sought this promised land, and 
 after an ocean voj'age of several weeks disembarked 
 at New York and came from there directly to 
 this county and township. He had not sufficient 
 means to begin life as a farmer on liis own ac- 
 count, and for seven 3'ears he worked by the month 
 in Radnor and Medina Townsliips. He prudently 
 saved his earnings and at the expiration of that 
 time had money enough to buy eighty acres of 
 choice laud on section 14, still included in his 
 present farm, which he has made one of the most 
 desirable farms and pleasantest places of resi- 
 dence in all Radnor Township. He now owns 
 one hundred and fort3'-five acres of land, which is 
 under a high state of cultivation, its fertile soil 
 yielding large crops in repa\n)ent for the time and 
 care expended upon it. He has erected a neat and 
 substantial class of buildings, and everything about 
 the place betokens tlirift and excellent manage- 
 ment on the part of the owner. 
 
 February 1. 1S65, tiie marriage of our subject 
 was solemnized in Peoria, and on that date he had 
 the good fortune to secure as his wife and help- 
 male Miss Emily Gates. She is a daughter of 
 Benjamin and Mary (Pratt) Gates. The father 
 died in Radnor Township, and the mother is still 
 living in this township. They were among the 
 early pioneers of Peoria County, coming here 
 from their New England home in Massachusetts 
 in 1837. They first settled in Radnor Township, 
 and from there went to Hallock Township, and 
 thence to Peoria, where he was engaged in the 
 boot and shoe business until they made their final 
 home in Radnor Township. The}- had five chil- 
 dren, of whom Mrs. Sliehan was the second in 
 order of birth, and she was born in Rome, this 
 county, August 3, 1839. She is a woman of 
 marked intelligence, possessing a strong character 
 and the fine womanly attributes that make her 
 a valued counselor and a true friend. She takes 
 a lively interest in the affairs of the township, 
 where she has so long made her home, and is 
 especiall}' interested in educational matters, earn- 
 
 estly desiring that her children sliall have the bene- 
 fit of a liberal education. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shehan have had nine children, as 
 follows: John H.; Marj' L., wife of Grant Rogers; 
 Myra E., Maggie A., Bessie A., Charles L., Fan- 
 nie E., Stephen H.' and one who died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Sliehan has borne an honorable part in the 
 management of public affairs and has served with 
 ability as Highway Commissioner and School Di- 
 rector. In politics he takes liis stand amnng the 
 Democrats. He is well endowed v/ith firmness, 
 activity, shrewdness and discernment, and his place 
 in this community is among our most solid and re- 
 liable citizens. 
 
 
 JOHN C. WOELFLE occupies a prominent 
 place in the business circles of Peoria as the 
 leading jeweler in the city. He has here one 
 of the finest establishments of the kind in 
 the State which is elegantlj' fitted up, and carries 
 from $25,000 to §30,000 worth of stock. A native 
 of Baden, Germany, our subject was born January 
 16, 1843, a son of John Jacob and Agnes Woelflc. 
 John passed the earl}' j-ears of his life in the Fa- 
 therland, and acquired a substantial education in 
 its schools. He was ambitious to see something 
 more of the world, and to try life among other 
 scenes, and he left his old home and came to Amer- 
 ica in 1863. In 1871, he established himself in 
 business here as a jeweler, and has built up a fine 
 trade, having secured the patronage of Peoria's 
 wealthiest citizens. He has a beautiful assortment 
 of jewels, and the best silverware that is manufac- 
 tured, and in his stock there is as great a variety as 
 can be found in the leading stores of larger cities. 
 Mr. Woelfle was married to Emelia, daughter of 
 August Hessler, an old settler of Peoria, November 
 1, 1888. They have here a lovely home, tastefully 
 furnished and complete with all the modern com- 
 forts and conveniences, and its bountiful hospital- 
 ity is often extended to a large circle of friends. 
 
 Mr. Woelfle is a man of more tiian ordinary finan- 
 cial ability, and in his business and social relations 
 his energetic character and practical sagacity ren-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 917 
 
 der him a very useful citizen. He is materially 
 (-•oiitributiiii; to the wealth of the city b}' the able 
 niannev in wiiich lie is coniliicting liis extensive 
 business, and in pnblie spirit and tlie loyal inter- 
 est he nianifcsls in the welfare of liis adopted home 
 he is in no wliit behind his neitchbors. 
 
 (^^ QUIRE A. STOOKEY, a sturdy and sub- 
 ^^^^ stantial farmer of Trivoli Townshi[), has 
 (iV/_U) attained a very prominent position among 
 the members of iiis class in this vieinity. 
 His fine farm consists of one hundred acres on see- 
 tiini 27, all tillable except twenty acres, and hav- 
 ing a living spring in every field. It is [larticularly 
 well adapted for stock-raising and for the cultiva- 
 tion of hay and grass, to which the good judgment 
 of the owner has largely devoted it. The most of 
 the improvements npon the [ilace have been made 
 by him; they include orchards, groves, tile drains, 
 good fences, and a full line of farm buildings. 
 
 The ancestry of JMr. Stookey is detailed in the 
 sketch of his brother, the lion. D. B. Stookey, 
 which occupies an appropriate place in this volume. 
 The birth of our subject took place on the farm he 
 now occupies, February 24, 185.), and here he was 
 reared, liaving the advantage of attendance at good 
 common schools until about seventeen years old. 
 From the age of nine years he had been bearing 
 such a share as his strength would permit in the 
 labors of the estate, and when eighteen years old, 
 he took charge of the home farm, which at that 
 time consisted of one hundred and seventy acres. 
 It was devoted to general farming, our subject re- 
 maining with his father, working for him and tak- 
 ing charge of everything until the death of his 
 parent. He then rented the farm for two years, 
 after which he bought one hundred and forty acres 
 of it. Of this he subsequeutl}' sold forty acres to 
 his brother-in-law, Mark Graham. 
 
 As before stated, Mr. Stookey has given much 
 of his attention to the raising of stock, though 
 crops are not neglecte<1. The machinery used upon 
 the estate is of the latest and most approveil mod- 
 els, and every means is taken to insure large crops 
 
 of flne (juality. The cattle raised are a good grade 
 of Short-horns, and the swine are full-blooded Po- 
 land-Chinas. Two teams of draft horses are used 
 in the work of the estate. 
 
 For so young a man, Mv. Stooke}' has certainly 
 no reason to be dissatisfied with his financial suc- 
 cess or the standing which he has secured in the 
 community. The confidence of his fellow-citizens 
 has been shown b3- his election to the oflice of C!ol- 
 lector in 1885 and in 1889. He has also advanced 
 their interests as School Trustee one term. He is 
 a slur/^ly Democrat, whose ability has been made 
 use of by sending him as a delegate to county con- 
 ventions. Honorable in private life, peaceable and 
 law-abiding as a citizen, and displaying much en- 
 ergy in whatsoever he undertakes, Mr. Stookey is 
 looked upon with respect by all who know bim. 
 
 On September 16, 1880, in Logan Township, 
 Mr. Stookey was united in marriage with Miss Nel- 
 lie S. Wilson, who was born in Trivoli Township, 
 here received her education, and surrounded by 
 good home influences, grew to womanhood. She 
 is the daughter of Jolm and Jane Wilson, early sel- 
 lers, and occupants of a farm in this township. 
 She is a member of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Brunswick, possesses a consistent Christian char- 
 acter, and is an efficient helpmate and companion. 
 The union between j\Ir. and Mrs. Stookey has re- 
 sulted in the birth of four children — Edith L., Nel- 
 son A., Earl L. and an infant unnamed. lilarl L. 
 is the only one now living, the others having died 
 in early infancy. 
 
 ETEU HASSELBACHER, who is now 
 comfortablj- well off, and is the projirie- 
 tor of a substantial, well-cultivated farm, 
 pleasantly' located on section 7. Roselield 
 Township, landed in this country more than three 
 decades ago, with just Si in his pocket, and it is 
 only by courage, persistent and faithful labor that 
 he has attained his present position. 
 
 November 3, 1828, was the date of the birth of 
 our subject in Herzogaurach, Bavaria, Germany. 
 His parents were Leonard and Magdaline (Brittner)
 
 918 
 
 PORTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Hasselbaclier, who were also natives of llie same 
 place as their son. His father was a stonemason 
 bj' occupation, and he and Lis wife were both do- 
 voted members of the Lutheran Church. They 
 had four children, namely : John Pet-^r, Eva, now 
 Mrs. Lawrence Freehalld; Catherine, wife of John 
 Thaeler; and John Micliael. 
 
 Our subject was the first of the family to come 
 to the United States, and arrived here in the month 
 of November. 1857, coming directly to this county. 
 He lived one j-ear with a brother-in-law, and in 
 1858 began his career as an independent farmer, 
 purchasing in that year forty acres of timber land 
 on section 7. This he cleared, placed under excel- 
 lent cultivation, and greati}' improved, and has 
 since purchased forty acres, and now has a farm of 
 eighty acres of as fertile and productive land as 
 can be found in this neighborhood. 
 
 In his struggles in the pioneer life that he led 
 here the first few years after he came to this county, 
 Mr. Hasselbacher early won the assistance of a wife 
 who is active and capable, and did her full share in 
 bringing about their present comfortable circum- 
 stances. Their marriage was solemnized in the 
 month of September, 18.57. and to them have come 
 four children: Ludwick; Catherine D., wife of 
 William Awl; Mar3'; and Simon P., a resident of 
 Yates City. 
 
 Mrs. Hasselbacher's maiden name was Eva M. 
 Gundackcr, and she was born in Linden, Bavaria. 
 Gerni.an\'. She is a daughter of Casper and Eva 
 Magdaline (Steinmetz) Gundacker. They were the 
 parents of seven children as follows: Barbara, who 
 married and died, leaving a son and daughter; Mar- 
 garet married and died, leaving a son and daugh- 
 ter; Kundegunda, who died in Germany, leaving one 
 daughter who lives in New York City; Dorothea, 
 who died in Buffalo, N. Y., and was the wife of 
 I'red Brothers, and was the mother of three daugh- 
 ters: Elizabeth, now airs. Ilamarbecher; John S., 
 a resident of Germany; and Eva M. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are very w^orthy people, 
 possessing in a large degree those pleasant attri- 
 butes tliat make them desirable friends and neigh- 
 bors. Their daily lives are guided by true Chris- 
 tian principles, and in them the Methodist Epi.scopal 
 Church has two of its most efJicient working mem- 
 
 bers. Our subject is a sturdj- Ilepubliean in poli- 
 tics, and cast his first vote for Lincoln. He believes 
 thoroughly in a sound education, and his children 
 have received excellent school advautagos. 
 
 #-#- 
 
 -^r— 
 
 I^QljUSTlN H. GORDON, deceased, was form- 
 erly a well-known and influential farmer 
 and stock-raiser of Kickapoo Township. 
 He was a member of a pioneer family of this 
 county, and himself did much pioneer work in im- 
 proving one of the finest farms in the township 
 where he located. He was born in North Carolina, 
 April 22, 1812, a son of Samuel ami Nancy (Her- 
 ring) Gordon. His parents came to this county 
 in 1840, and were among the earl}' settlers of Rad- 
 nor Township, where the}- died. .Austin was one 
 of the older members of the parental family. He 
 was in the prime of a vigorous manhood when he 
 accompanied his i)areuts to this count}', and here it 
 was his good fortune to meet Miss Harriet Bouton, 
 whom he persuaded to share his life and fortunes, 
 and their marriage was duly solemnized in Jubilee 
 Township, .Alarch 20, 1851. 
 
 Mrs. Gordon was born in Wayne Township, 
 Knox County, Ohi(j, February 17, 1825, a daugh- 
 ter of Iliel and Maria (Peet) Bouton. Her father 
 was a native of New Vork, and her motiier of 
 Connecticut, and after their marriage they first 
 settled in the former Slate. They subsequently 
 became pioneers of Knox County, Ohio, and later 
 of Peoria County, this ,St:Tte, whither they had 
 come in 1837. They were among tlie original set- 
 tlers of Jubilee Township, where the remainder of 
 their lives were passed. They were the parents of 
 eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, 
 Mrs. Gordon being their sixth child in order of 
 birth. She was twelve years old when she came to 
 this county with her parents, and was reared to a 
 useful womanhood in Jubilee Township. 
 
 After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Gordon began 
 their wedded life in Radnor Township, and lived 
 there until 1858, when they settled on section 2, 
 Kickapoo Township. Here in the course of a busv 
 life he developed a valuable farm, which is amply
 
 /^-^^.^ Ua^u 
 
 ■^^^y?u^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUJI. 
 
 921 
 
 supplied with comfortable and well appointed 
 buildings, and its three hundred and seventy acres 
 of land of exceeding fertility is under admirable 
 tillage. Here in this pleasant home he passed 
 from the scene of his usefulness January 17, 1876, 
 leaying an honoralile record behind him of good 
 citizenship, of neighborly kindness, and of an up- 
 right private life, and the entire community 
 mourned with his bereaved family, feeling that his 
 death was a blow to the interests of the township. 
 Mr. Gordon was a member of the Republican party, 
 and took an active part in politics, and was always 
 prominent in promoting the advancement of Kick- 
 apoo in various wa^-s. 
 
 Since the demise of her husband Mrs. Gordon, 
 who is a woman of exceptional ciiaracter, and of 
 great energy and capability, is managing the farm 
 vcrj' ably, and is keeping it up to the same high 
 standaril that it liad attained during her husband's 
 lifetime. 
 
 Mrs. Gordon is the mother of the following 
 children: Jlary, who died in infanc}'; Ann M., who 
 is the wife of Christian Wiles; Samuel, who mar- 
 ried Hattie B. Vanarsdale; Jennie, a graduate of 
 the Stale Normal School and a school teacher; 
 Charles; Jessie, who is the wife of Charles K. Slough ; 
 Ileiuy C, who married Mary A. Frye; Mattie 
 is the widow of Cliarles Atwood, who died in 
 Dakota; and Austin. 
 
 \.//\\ R'HAEL KEJ.SU. Prol.ably no better 
 business man can be found in Richwood 
 Township than the gentleman above named 
 who is engaged in the manufacture of 
 brick, his yard having a capacity of about ten thou- 
 sand per day. The land upon which he lives has 
 been placed under good improvement and is sui)- 
 plied with a complete line of edifices so well liuiit 
 and designed as to be noticeable to the [lasser by. 
 Every detail of the business to which Mr. Kelsh de- 
 votes himself is carefully looked after, his dealings 
 are strictly honorable, and in his social relations no 
 more genial, pleasant gentleman can be met with 
 than he. Notwithstanding his busv life he finds 
 
 time to fulfill the duties which are reposed in him 
 by his fellow-men when occasion demands, having 
 acted as Highway Commissioner and being now 
 Chairman of the Street Committee of North Peoria. 
 He is an active worker in the ranks of the Demo- 
 cratic party. 
 
 l\Ir. Kelsh is the second of four children born to 
 Nicholas and Lena (Bonibach) Kelsii, and opened 
 his eyes to tiie light in Decatur County, Ind., May 
 8, 1847. He lived in tiie Hoosier State until he 
 was about eight years old when he came to this 
 count}' with his father, remaining with him near 
 Brim Held until he was sixteen years old. In the 
 meantime the lad had acquired a good practical 
 education and was already- manifesting some of the 
 qualities which have led to his success. Going to 
 the city of Peoria he found employment in driv- 
 ing a team for a while, afterward becoming porter 
 in the old Fulton House. He next found employ- 
 ment at brick-making, continuing to work in the 
 yards three years, after which he rented a farm for 
 an equal period, then returned to his former work 
 of brick-making. In the spring of 1876, he began 
 tiie manufacture of brick in Richwood Township 
 on his own account, and has since given his atten- 
 tion to the work with satisfactory results. 
 
 In Brimfleld, January 23, 1870, the interesting 
 ceremony took place which transformed Miss Anna 
 Lawless into Mrs. Michael Kelsh. The bride, who 
 was the third in a family of twelve children, was 
 born in Rosefield Township, Jlay 13, 1848. She is 
 an intelligent woman possessing many virtues of 
 mind and heart and devoted to her home and fam- 
 ily. Her parents, Thomas and Slargaret (0'l>riei:i) 
 Lawless, were born in the Emerald Isle, emigrated 
 to America at an early da}', and her father died in 
 Rosefield Township Jul}- 29, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kelsh are the happy parents of five children: 
 Thomas J., Lena, Mary R., Joseph II. and Jessie 
 M. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Germany 
 near the Rhine River and came to America about 
 the year 1840. He landed at New Orleans, thence 
 going to Indiana where he was employed on the old 
 farm then owned by Gen. William II. Harrison. 
 After his marriage he settled in Peoria, working at 
 different occupations some four years and then re-
 
 1)22 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 turned to the Hoosier State. After sojourning there 
 nine years he came again to Peoria, remaining in 
 that citj- until about 1883, w)ien he removed to 
 AVichita, Kan. The mother of our subject died in 
 the Hoosier State. She, like her husband, was a 
 native of the Fatherland. We invite the reader's 
 attention to a portrait of Mr. Kelsh, presented in 
 connection with this sketch. 
 
 ^AMES HINDLK. The Hindle homestead, 
 now operated by our subject, consists of two 
 hundred and forty acres on sections 17 and 
 ^^// 18, Jubilee Township. It is watered by 
 Hindle's Creek and well adapted for stock-raising, 
 as well as for the cultivation of hay and grains. 
 To these various purposes it is devoted, the stock 
 being of good breeds, the swiue full-blooded Po- 
 land-China. Mr. Hindle ships a cai--load of cattle 
 and hogs each per year, and about a dozen head of 
 horses are raised by him each season. There is a 
 good coal bank on the estate which he rents. The 
 estate is well fenced and supplied with a comforta- 
 ble and substantial set of buildings, including a 
 pleasant dwelling and the various structures need- 
 ful for sheltering and feeding the stock and hous- 
 ing the vegetable products of the place. 
 
 Our subject is a grandson of one Henry Hindle, 
 a cattle speculator in England, who drove his herds 
 from the northern to the southern extremit}- of his 
 native land in marketing them. He was a success- 
 ful drover but never got much ahead in life, on 
 account of his love for various kinds of what is 
 commonly called sport. His son John, the father 
 of our subject, was therefore obliged to shift for 
 himself from an earl}' age. He was born in Lan- 
 cashire, near Manchester, in 1818, and when nine 
 years old began working out on a farm. For a time 
 he was employed as a dairyman, also laboring for a 
 man who raised large numbers of cattle and sheep. 
 "When about twenty years old he came to America, 
 locating in Peoria Count}-, 111., where he finallj' be- 
 came prominent in agriculture, mining and religious 
 work. He was recognized as one of the best citi- 
 zens in the county, thoroughly reliable iu business 
 
 transactions, in his neighborly associations, and in 
 all that goes to make up true manhood. 
 
 After coming hither John Hindle worked in the 
 lime kiln of a ilr. Pennington several j'ears, then 
 going to the Riggs place, in Jubilee Township, he 
 spent a few j-ears in coal mining for the owner. 
 Having by this time accumulated some little means 
 he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of 
 land on section 17, and settling thereon began 
 farming and stock-raising. He was obliged to clear 
 and grub out a part of the land and to break the 
 sod, which had never yet been utilized for farm 
 products. He added to his land until he possessed 
 an estate of two hundred and forty acres and had 
 it in excellent condition. 
 
 Mr. Hindle also engaged in lime burning and 
 coalmining, being quite successful at those occupa- 
 tions. He opened different mines and continued 
 the lime business until the Alton mine was opened. 
 He was one of those enterprising men who were 
 read}' to turn their hands to an\- honorable em- 
 ployment, and beside the pursuits of which we have 
 spoken, he took contracts for building bridges, elc. 
 Although 103-al to the flag of the Union and will- 
 ing to enter the army if drafted, Mr. Hi]ulle felt 
 that his dutj- to his small familj- would otherwise 
 prevent his going to the front. It did not, however, 
 prevent his exerting his influence and giving of his 
 means toward the preservation of the Union. He 
 was on one occasion called out bj- the draft, re- 
 sponded at once, but as the call had been made for 
 a greater nuinber than were needed, his name was 
 thrown out. 
 
 For fifteen 3'ears Mr. Hindle served as Commis- 
 sioner of Highwaj's, and he also held school offices 
 more or less. During the period of the war he was 
 thrown from a mower by the horses jumping across 
 a ditch, receiving an injur}- to his side from which 
 he never fully recovered and which left him some- 
 what crippled. He closed his eyes in death Feb- 
 ruary 25, 1880, dying of starvation on account of 
 the closing of the passage leading into the stomach. 
 He voted the Republican ticket, belonged to the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he held the 
 offices of Class-Leader and Steward, and was active 
 in every movement made to advance the cause of 
 Christianity. For years he was Superintendent of
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 923 
 
 the Suiulay-scliool held in the schoolliouse near his 
 home. 
 
 The mother of our subject is still living, her 
 home being in tlie village of P>riniflul(l, and her .age 
 more than three-score. She was born near Iley- 
 wood, Lancashire, England, in 1823, and when 
 about nineteen years old came to Central Illinois 
 with her parents. She bore the maiden name of 
 Susannah Ilowarth, and is a daughter of Richard 
 Howarth, of whom a further notice will be found 
 elsewhere in this volume. Her marriage was cele- 
 brated in Kickapoo Township. She is a consistent 
 member of the Jlethodist Episcopal Church, re- 
 spected for her virtues and loved for her kindly, 
 nature. The Howarths were all coal miners in 
 England. 
 
 The family circle, of which our subject is the 
 fifth member, includes also Mrs. Martha Bower, of 
 Rosefield; Mrs. Alice Howarth, of Livingston 
 County ; Mary A., who lives with her mother in 
 Brimfield; David, of Edwards Station, this county; 
 Richard, a furniture dealer and undertaker in Brim- 
 field; Mrs. Elizabeth ll.ayes, of Jubilee Township; 
 Mrs. Arvesta J. Rook, of Edwards Station, and May 
 S.. with her mother. 
 
 James Hindle, the subject of this biographical 
 sketch, was born on the place he now occupies, 
 February 16, 1855. Ilis school privileges were 
 fair, comprising an attendance at the district 
 school during the winters of his early years. With 
 ready intelligence he has added to the foundation 
 thus acquired a creditable degree of knowledge on 
 general topics and current events. He early began 
 to assist in the summer work on the farm, ere long 
 learned to burn lime and made himself quite useful 
 in hauling coal. As he grew toward manhood he 
 likewise began to work in the mines in the winter 
 season. He remained at home until he was twenty- 
 three j'ears old, when he rented one hundred and 
 twenty acres on section 18, of his father, operating 
 it until his marriage. 
 
 That important event occurred in Brimfield 
 Township, March 1, 1882, the bride being Miss 
 Elizabeth J. Church. That j'oung lady was born 
 in Brimfield Township, and prior to her marriage 
 was successfully engaged as a school teacher, a po- 
 sition for which her mental acquirements, tact and 
 
 good judgment well qualified her. The j-ouno^ 
 couple settled upon a farm in Kickapoo Township 
 belonging to R. Howarth, where the husband oper- 
 ated over two hundred acres of land, devoting his 
 attention to the cultivation of grain and haj' and 
 to an extensive dairy business. 
 
 In 1887 Mr. Ilindlc's mother wished him to take 
 charge of the homestead, from the management of 
 which she desired to retire, and he therefore re- 
 turned with his famil3- to his early home. He has 
 gained a prominent place among the young farmers 
 of the township, being straightforward in his man- 
 ners and dealings, possessing an unusual amount of 
 energy, and being ambitious to excel in his occu- 
 pation as well as to bear his part in those thino-s 
 which pertain to to the public welfare. 
 
 Following the example set before him by his 
 worthy father, Mr. Hindle votes the Republican 
 ticket, and attends and supports the jNlethodist 
 Episcopal Church. He is now serving acceptably 
 as Township School Trustee, having previously 
 been Constable a year or two. He and his wife 
 find their home ple.asures enhanced b}- the presence 
 at their fireside of three interesting children — 
 Mary. Richard II. and Olive I. Their first-born, 
 J. Fred, has been removed from them by death. 
 
 mEORGE II. McILVAINE, Vice-President 
 of the Peoria National Bank, and President 
 of the Clearing House and Banker's Asso- 
 ciation, is also President of the Peoria Mercantile 
 Library Association, which he assisted in establish- 
 ing, and contributed liberally toward the erection 
 of the building. He is a man well educated, well 
 informed, liberal and progressive in his ideas, and 
 has been a member of the Board of Education 
 thirty years, serving as I'resident and Treasurer, 
 and assisting in the erection of every school-house 
 in the city. 
 
 Mr. Mcllvabie was born in Pittsburg, Pa., Au- 
 gust 10, 1834, and is a son of the Rev. W. B. and 
 Elizabeth (Breading) Mcllvaine, natives of Penn- 
 sylvania. The mother died in Pittsburg, in 1851, the 
 father is living in Peoria. He grew to mature years
 
 924 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 in his uative city, and completed his education in 
 Washington College, Pa., from which he was grad- 
 uated in 1853, with the degree of A. B. The de- 
 gree of A. M. was conferred recently. After leav- 
 ing college, Mr. Mcllvaine, in 1854, started for the 
 West, settling in Peoria, and engaging in the hard- 
 ware and iron business, purchasing the interest of 
 H. Lightner in the firm of Walker & Lightner. 
 The firm title was then changed to Walker <fe Mc- 
 llvaine, and they conducted an extensive wholesale 
 and retail business until 1872. Mr.' Mcllvaine then 
 disposed of his interests in the concern, and be- 
 came connected with the Second National Bank, of 
 which he was the Manager, Vice-President and 
 Cashier until the ex|)iration of its' charter in 1883. 
 He engineered the business during the panic of 
 1872-73, maintaining it upon a substantial basis, 
 and paid in liquidation of §175^ for §100 of stock. 
 In 1883 it was succeeded bj^ the Peoria National 
 Bank, and Mr. Mcllvaine continued as Cashier un- 
 til November 1, 1888. He then resigned the ac- 
 tive management of the bank, and has since simply 
 been the Vice-President of the Association, which 
 during a perioil of five years has accumulated 
 nearly §40,000 surplus. 
 
 Mr. Mcllvaine has been President of the Clear- 
 ing House since its organization. Indeed there are 
 few public enterprises where his sound judgment 
 and substantial aid have not been solicited and 
 given. He was one of the organizers of the Peoria 
 Library Association, and assisted in the erection 
 of its present fine and commodious building which 
 stands at the corner of Jefferson and Main Streets. 
 Although the library has been turned over to the 
 city, the association still owns the building and 
 ground. He has been for manj' years a Director 
 of the Chamber of Commerce, .ind for a time was 
 quite extensively engaged in real-estate transac- 
 tions, putting up a three-story building erected on 
 Adams Street, and which is now occupied by the 
 well-known firm of Pardee, Mills & Co. This was 
 the first really' good building put up in that locality. 
 Although keeping himself posted upon the polit- 
 ical movements of the day, Mr. Mcllvaine has never 
 sought oflSce, believing he could make himself 
 more useful elsewhere. During the progress of 
 the Civil War he was a member of the Christian 
 
 and Sanitary Commission instituted by the Young 
 Mens' Christian Association of Peoria, and con- 
 tributed freely of his time and means thereto. He 
 has for manj' j'ears been prominently connected 
 with the Presbyterian Church and Sunday-school, 
 officiating as Superintendent in the latter, and be- 
 ing particularly interested in the Fourth AVard Mis- 
 sion, which grew into Grace Church, and of which 
 he was Superintendent. He has had experience as 
 Sundaj'-school Superintendent for twenty-two j'ears 
 continuoush', maintaining the same warm interest 
 in the training of the j'oung, that he manifested in 
 his early manhood. It has been the habit of Mr. 
 Mcllvaine, to carry through whatever he under- 
 takes, and this rule has been followed in connection 
 with his religious work as perseveringlj- as in busi- 
 ness channels. It is said he never made a failure. 
 In his sanitary commission work he was greatly 
 aided and encouraged by I). L. Moody, the well- 
 known Evangelist. 
 
 The marriage of George H. Mcllvaine and Miss 
 Priscilla J. McClure, a resident of Peoria, was cele- 
 brated at the bride's home in this cit3\ on the 18lh 
 of August, 1857. Mrs. Mcllvaine was born in 
 Franklin County, Pa., in 1834, and is a daughter 
 of Josiah E. and Jane McClure. The former was 
 among the earlj' settlers of Peoria County, locating 
 in the city, where Mr. McClure employed himself 
 at pork packing. The well-known Col. J. D. Mc- 
 Clure is a brother of Mrs. INIcIlvaine. Of tliis union 
 there have been born six children, five of whom are 
 living, namely: William B., an attorney in Chi- 
 cago; Elizabeth B., the wife of Albert T. Johnson, 
 of the Peoria National Bank; Emma, Priscilla, and 
 George remain with their parents. 
 
 The Mcllvaine family residence is a beautiful 
 and commodious structure, occupying No. Ill 
 North Madison Avenue, and with its surroundings 
 forms one of the most attractive homes in the city. 
 The first part of the residence was being built when 
 Mr. Mcllvaine married, and the newly wedded pair 
 thus took up their abode in their own home. It 
 h.as since been enlarged and improved, and in every 
 way indicates the exercise of cultured tastes and 
 ample means. The grounds were originally occu- 
 pied by an apple orchard, and one of the veteran 
 trees is still standing on the front lawn, wiiere it
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 <)■>:, 
 
 has been stationed for a period of over tliirtj'_yeai-s. 
 It still bears its blossoms everj' season, and is cher- 
 ished with particular care, as one of the old relics 
 which it is hoped will withstand the storm of many 
 years to come. Mr. Mcllvaine is now retired from 
 active business, suffering from nervous prostration 
 brought on by mental labor and overwork. 
 
 ARRISON HARLAN. All acquainted with 
 the agricultural affairs of Radnor Township, 
 or with its political workings, will immedi- 
 ately recognize this name as that of a man 
 prominentlj' identified with both. Mr. Harlan is 
 now serving his second term as Township Super- 
 visor, having been first elected to the office in the 
 spring of 1889 and re-elected in 1890. He has 
 held the place of School Director, performing the 
 manifold duties of that position in a manner that 
 commended him to teachers and patrons. In the 
 work of his political party, the Republican, he is 
 active and useful, showing his faith by his works 
 and never failing to deposit a vote in the interests 
 of good government. As a man, intelligent, enter- 
 prising, genial and honest, lie gains respect and 
 makes many warm friends. 
 
 Our subject is a representative in the third gen- 
 eration of two pioneer families of this county, and 
 is a son of a gentleman and ladj' well known in 
 the township for a number of years. His father, 
 .lohn ll.'u-lan, was born in the Buckej'e State, and 
 iiis mother, Caroline ( riease) Harlan, in the Old 
 Dominion. After their marriage, which took place 
 in this county, they settled on section 22, Radnor 
 Townsliip, where tlic wife and mother died in 18.5.5. 
 The husband and father is now living in Harvey 
 County, Kan. They had five sons and one daugh- 
 ter, he of whom we write being the second son. 
 
 The natal da}- of Harrison Harlan was the 12th of 
 February, 1842. He grew to manhood in the town- 
 ship where he still makes his home, pursuing his 
 studies in the common schools and from his early 
 years devoting himself to farming as a life work. 
 He now owns the old homestead of two hundred 
 and eighty acres, upon which he has made many 
 
 substantial improvements, erecting a first-class set 
 of buildings and surrounding his famil}' with all 
 the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. He 
 has been abundantly prospered in the vocations of 
 general agricidture and stock-raising, to which he 
 gives his attention, ranking among the solid men 
 of the township. 
 
 Mr. Harlan was fortunate in winning as his wife 
 a lady of fine character, domestic skill and intelli- 
 gonce, who, as companion, mother and neighbor, 
 is worthy of regard. She was known in her girl- 
 hood as Miss Hannah L. Gordon, was born in this 
 township .January 10, 184 7, and married at her 
 home, November 6, 1863. Her parents, Samuel 
 and Hannah (Bush) (Jordon, were early settlers of 
 this county and departed this life in Radnor 
 Township. She was their onl}' child. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Harlan have had twelve children, tbree of 
 whom died in infancy, and Il.arr}^ in later years. 
 The living children are: Ida M., Frank E., Cora 
 A., Amy I., John, Laura E., Fred and Elsie C. 
 Two of these have left the parental home for their 
 own abodes, Ida, being the wife of Ch.arles T. 
 Harwood, and Cora having married A. J. Dunlap. 
 
 Our subject joined the Union army in 1864, was 
 assigned to Company A, Thirty-second Illinois 
 Veteran Infantry, and was in the service nine 
 months. During that time the only severe battle 
 in which he participated was that of Bentonville, 
 N. C. He was mustered out at "Washington, D. C, 
 and returning to his former place of abode I'e- 
 sumed his peaceful occupation of farming. Mr. 
 Harlan served the townshii) as Assessor one j'ear, 
 and was re-elected the second 3'ear, but not hav- 
 ing the time to sjiare, did not serve. 
 
 in connection with this biographical review, the 
 reader will notice on another page a view of the 
 home of our suliject with its surroundings. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 ,ROF. S. L. COULTER. The death of Prof. 
 Coulter, which occurred September 5, 1885, 
 removed from Peoria County a gentleman 
 of deep erudition, and model character both 
 in public and private life. During the years in
 
 926 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOCJKAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 which he had resided here he had become noted 
 for his scholarship, for his success as an instructor, 
 and for his scientific researclies. He was bom in 
 Washington Countj', Pa., in May, 1815, received 
 the advantage of excellent schooling, was gradu- 
 ated at Jefferson College and became the princi- 
 pal of the academy at Beaver, which position he 
 held twelve years. 
 
 In 1854 Prof. Coulter removed to the Missis- 
 sippi Valley, settling in Peoria, 111., and for a 
 number of j-ears conducted a select High School. 
 On account of failing health he finally retired to 
 a farm, without by anj' means abandoning his 
 scholarly pursuits, but finding lime to carry on his 
 researches in natural history, and continued the 
 study of the classics, in which he took great de- 
 light. He finall}' returned to the county seat, 
 where for a brief jieriod he was editor of the Peoria 
 Republican, and where he finally closed his e^'es 
 to earthly things. 
 
 Prof. Coulter was a life-long student of the Bible, 
 from which he drew the principles which animated 
 his life, making it a model worthy the emulation 
 of all with whom he came in contact. His mem- 
 bership was in the Second Presbyterian Church, 
 where he held a leading position. The estimable 
 lady who survives to mourn the loss of a most 
 considerate companion, is a native of Beaver, Pa., 
 and at the time of her marriage to our subject 
 was the widow of Stephen Stone. 
 
 ] LEXANDER STONE, Manager of the Pe- 
 oria Transa'ipt and Postmaster of that cxiy, 
 was appointed to this latter office April 14, 
 1889, during a recess of Congress and was re-ap- 
 pointed on the 21st of December following and 
 confirmed b}' the United States Senate. He is an 
 Ohio man, having been born in Licking County-, 
 that State, June 14, 1845, and is a son of James 
 and Lucina P. (Chapman) Stone, with whom he 
 remained in his native county until fourteen years 
 old. Then, in 1859, they removed to Iowa, and 
 during his sojourn there Mr. Stone entered the 
 
 army and served in the Quartermaster's and Com- 
 missary departments for about two years and until 
 the close of the war. 
 
 Soon after this event Mr. Stone located in Keo- 
 kuk, Iowa, becoming connected with the Gate City, 
 with which he remained in various capacities for 
 thirteen years. In the meantime he obtained quite 
 a reputation as a humorous writer, producing many 
 admirable little sketches and one poem especiallj', 
 entitled "The Patter of the Shingle," whose author- 
 ship has frequently been a question from time to 
 time, and which has been extensively copied in the 
 papers all over the United Stales, also set to music 
 and sung on the operatic stage. Its authorship 
 has been accredited to nearly every humorous 
 writer in the country, including Robert J. Bur- 
 dette, who a few j-ears since published an article 
 concerning it, giving the credit where it was due. 
 
 Mr. Stone during his connection with the Gate 
 City employed himself largely as City Editor, and 
 when withdrawing from the paper, in 1880, came 
 to Peoria and assumed the management of the 
 Transcript, with which he has since been connected. 
 He has taken an active part in politics, rendering 
 sign.al service to the Republican party, serving as 
 Chairman of the Congressional Committee for a 
 number of j'ears and as a delegate to nearly all 
 the State, Congressional and county conventions. 
 His energy, persistence and industry have con- 
 spiied to give him a leading position among the 
 newspaper men of the West. He is a good finan- 
 cier, a thorough business man and has the art of 
 making friends wherever he goes. 
 
 The subject of this notice was married May 3, 
 1870, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, to Miss Ella M. Knight. 
 Mrs. Stone was born December 14, 1846, in Wash- 
 ington Count}', Pa., and is a daughter of Oliver 
 and Rachel (Welch) Knight. The father of our 
 subject wart James Stone, likewise a native of 
 Licking Count}', Ohio, and born February 10, 1810. 
 In early manjiood he followed farming, but subse- 
 quently engaged in the mercantile business at New- 
 ark until his removal to Iowa; he is now living 
 retired from active business at a pleasant home in 
 Norwalk, one of the most beautiful little cities of 
 the Buckeye State. The mother of our subject is 
 also living, and is about ten years her husband's
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 927 
 
 junior. James Stone during the late Civil War 
 served as a Captain, and on account of efficient and 
 meritorious service was breveted a Major. For ten 
 years after the war he was a Government clerk in 
 the War Department at Washington. 
 
 '\f/OHN SCIIOF'IKLD. Justice of the Peace, oc- 
 cupies a centrally located otlice at No. 100 
 North Adams Street, having been called to 
 the duties of this position in 1889. After 
 j'ears of business activit}- he had retired, and was 
 enjoying the fruits of former industry when 
 called to serve the citizens of the place in which lie 
 has resided for more than twenty years. His 
 sense of right and justice is acute, and his knowl- 
 edge of that which devolves upon a citizen of this 
 great metropolis under the laws which govern it, 
 such as to add to his fitness for the office which he 
 is holding. 
 
 Born in England May 23, 1829, Mr. Schofield 
 was but eleven years old when he became a resi- 
 dent of the United States. In 1840 he accompa- 
 nied his father, Allen Scliofield, across the Atlantic 
 to lirooklyn, N. Y.,whencc the father afterward re- 
 moved to Worcester, Mass. In the latter city 
 young Schofield grew to maturity and completed 
 his schooling. At New Bedford he first engaged 
 as an emplo3'e in a cotton-mill, subsequently work- 
 ing in a woolen mill in Newark, N. J. For seven 
 years he was weaving boss for the Lonsdale Com- 
 pany in IJhode Island. Tiiere he married Miss 
 Marion McCiregor, the ceremony taking place 
 September 2, 1862. The bride was born in Ayre, 
 Scotland, and in girlhood came witli her parents 
 to Rhode Island also living for a time in New York. 
 She possesses all the tlirifty ways of iier race to- 
 gether with a disposition which qualifies her for the 
 duties of wife and mother. Mr. and Mrs. Schofield 
 iiave had but one child, which was removed from 
 them by dcatli. 
 
 From New I'^ngland Mr. Schofield removed to 
 Lawrenceburg, Ind., where lie resided until 1866, 
 working for a woolen-mill company. He tiien 
 took cliarge of the weaving dcpartnioiit of the 
 
 Rushville Woolen Manufacturing Company in 
 Rushville, 111., which position he held until 1869. 
 He next changed his residence to Peoria,abandoned 
 weaving and engaged in tiie cigar and news trade. 
 For twelve years he was thus occupied, during the 
 most of that time being city circulator for the 
 Democrat and Journal, finally selling out to the 
 Journal Company. He then, in 1881, in com- 
 pany with two others, established the Evening Post 
 subsequently buying out the Democrat from the 
 Central Cit}' Publishing Company. After being 
 connected with that enterprise two years Mr. 
 Schofield retired from active work until elected to 
 his present official station, in which he is satisfj'- 
 ing the people. 
 
 Mr. Schofield is a member of tlie Masonic order, 
 having taken thirty-two degrees. He belongs to 
 Temple Lodge, No. 46, of which he has been pre- 
 siding officer four or five years; Chapter No. 7, 
 Royal Arch degree, in which he was High Priest 
 for five years and one of the officers of the Grand 
 Lodge of Illinois; lie is a member of the Peoria 
 Consistory, and has been presiding officer of the 
 Lodge of Perfection in said Consistory. He is 
 thoroughly convinced that the principles of Ma- 
 sonry arc an excellent foundation upon which to 
 build a fine character,[and to the order he has given 
 the best years of his life. During the late Civil 
 War he enlisted in Company 1), Ninth Rhode Is- 
 land Infantry, serving until the expiration of his 
 term as a brave and spirited patriot. He is iden- 
 tified with the Democratic party. 
 
 a 
 
 '^RIAII J. STEWART is numbered among 
 the successful and well-to-do farmers and 
 stock-raisers of Logan Township, who are 
 actively carrying forward its extensive agricult- 
 ural interests. He is a son of John W. and Mary 
 (Stewart) Stewart, natives respectively of Allegha- 
 ney County, Pa., and Butler County, Ohio. They 
 came to Peoria Count}' about 1857, making the 
 journey from their old home in Ohio to tlie Prai- 
 rie Slate witli a wagon. Tliey took up their abode
 
 928 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ill Logan Towiislii J), ami before his death Mr. Stew- 
 art became prominent among its farmers anil stocl<- 
 raisers and accumulated a valuable property'. His 
 first purchase here comprised one hundred and 
 sixty acres of land on section 7,wliich he increased 
 from time to time until he became the proprietor 
 of three hundred and sixt\' acres of very fertile 
 land, constituting one of the clioice farms of the 
 township. He and his wife were in every way 
 worthy of the estimation in wliicli thej' were held 
 and as members of tlie United Presbyterian Cburcli 
 were sincere Christians. 
 
 Uriah Stewart was born in Rusli C(>unt3', Tnd., 
 March 15,18-12. and wlicn lie accompanied his par- 
 ents to their new home in the then sparselv settled 
 township of Logan, he was large enough to be of 
 great assistance to his father in conducting his ag- 
 ricultural interests. He thus earlj- acquired a 
 taste for farming, and has always been engaged in 
 it. After marriage he located ivhere he now lives 
 on a forty-acre tract of land in Logan Township, 
 and actively entered upon its improvement, and b}' 
 downright hard labor, has made it a very produc 
 tive and exceedinglj' valuable piece of propert3', 
 and has since increased its acreage by tlie purchase 
 of eightj' acres of fine farming land. His Iniildings 
 are neat and conveniently arranged and he has a 
 plentiful suppW of farming machinerj', and ever}'- 
 thing needful for carrying on agriculture. 
 
 In tiie month of March, 1871, Jlr. Stewart was 
 married to Miss Flora Patterson and to them have 
 come five children: Mary A.. M3'rta J.. Charles 
 P., Walter, who died at the age of three 3-ears; 
 and Oliver E. 
 
 Mrs. Stewart is a daughter of Robert and Mar3- 
 (Rankin) Patterson, wiio were born near Union- 
 town, F.a3'ette Connty. Pa. The3' were farmers 1)3' 
 occupation and removed to Ohio about 1840, and 
 there he died in 1846, and his wife in 1877 at 
 the age of eighty 3ears. The3' were stanch mem- 
 bers of the United Presbyterian Churcli. Tlie3- had 
 six children, two sous and four daughters: William 
 R., died when ten 3-ears old; Samuel, Jane; Hannah 
 died when fort3' 3-ears old; Mary and Flora E., 
 all of whom married and reared families. Mrs. 
 Stewart's paternal grandparents were Samuel and 
 Hannah Patterson, and tliey had the following- 
 
 children — Robert, Flora, Jane, Mary, William, 
 James, John and Elijah. They moved to Ohio 
 prior to or about 1835, and died in that State. 
 The3' were members of the United Presbyteri.an 
 Church. Mrs. Stewart's maternal grandparents 
 were William and Jane (McClanahan) Rankin, 
 of Fayette County, Pa. The names of their chil- 
 dren were Hugh, John, William, Samuel, Ann, Es- 
 ther and Mar3'. The3- were farmers and life-long 
 residents of Pennsylvania, and belonged to the 
 United Presb3-terian Church. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are people whose excellent 
 trails of character commend them to the confi- 
 dence and respect of their neiglibors. and the3- are 
 greatly liked b3- all in their community. Mr. 
 Stewart stands well as a farmer, possessing good 
 business qu.alifications, and his word is good where- 
 ever given. 
 
 ^^-j, ENRY S. SHOLL is a member of the firm 
 of A. Slioll <t Son, whose business is de- 
 ^ scribed at some length in the sketch of Jo- 
 )) seph Sholl. found elsewhere in this Ai.bdm. 
 He is a son of Adam and Charlotte (Monroe) 
 Sholl, and was born near the city of Peoria, 
 March 19, 1844. He was reared in and near the 
 count3' seat, w-here he finished his education in the 
 high school. From bo3-hood his interests have 
 been in the coal fields, and it was 113' his individ- 
 ual elforts that the No. 1 and 2 shafts, the great- 
 est of the Peoria group, were opened up. 
 
 One of the elegant residences in Peoria is at 
 No. 606 .Second Street, which was built and is 
 now occupied by Mr. Sholl. The ladv in charge 
 of the establishment was known some 3-ears-since 
 as Miss Mary L. Trac3-. but became the wife of 
 our subject in 1875. She is the daughter of a 
 very old settler in this county and was left alone 
 in childhood. Her liirthplace was Newark, N. J. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sholl are the parents of three daugh- 
 ters and two sons, named respectively: Mabel F., 
 Harry, Grace, Frank and Ethnol. 
 
 In his political ideas Mr. Sholl is liberal, and in 
 exercising the elective franchise his choice is de- 
 termined more b3' the character of the candidate
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 929 
 
 than by strict party affiliations. He, like other 
 members of his father's family, is numbered among 
 (lie law-abiding citizens and excellent business 
 men of the count}'. His wife is well fitted by na- 
 ture and education to occup}' a high posit-on in 
 society, and above all to be to her husband and 
 children all that a wise and affectionate wife and 
 mother may be. 
 
 ^£ 
 
 E^^- 
 
 ')&j 
 
 AMES F. ANDERSON. There are few 
 residents of Peoria who arc better acquainted 
 with its growth than J. F. Anderson, wiio 
 has lived here h.ilf a ccnlurj% and whose 
 portrait on the opposite page represents a pioneer 
 of the county. His parents came hither in 1831), 
 when he was but a child, their journey being ac- 
 complished in a prairie schooner from Murfrees- 
 l)oro, Ten M., which w^•ls the home of ( ifandfather 
 Anderson. Our subject remembers one incident 
 — thai of getting stuck in a slough in Illinois, and 
 having to go manj' miles to get oxen and ro[)es to 
 pull the horses and wagon out, and he also recalls 
 the fact that wolves came near eating the horses 
 while they camped at night. 
 
 The father of our subject was Charles M. Ander- 
 son, who was l)orn in Rome Count}', S. C., Febru- 
 ary 22, 1809, and married Miss Mary Youngblood, 
 of Niishville, Tenn. He was a blacksmith and an 
 edged-tool maker. His family comprised seven 
 chiltlren, all now deceased but our subject. When 
 he came to Peoria, Indians were still numerous 
 here, and the only houses were built of logs. He 
 purchased land at the corner of Fulton and Monroe 
 Streets, and there built what was at that ime the 
 finest liouse on Fulton Street. It is still standing, 
 the second door south of the Christian Church, the 
 ground of which Mr. Anderson sold to the society. 
 He first established a blacksmith-shop, but subse- 
 quently became interested with Grier, McClure & 
 Co., in lumber and packing house. He breathed 
 his last in 1880; his wife had died in 1856. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., May 22. 1834, and was but five years 
 old when the family removed to the Prairie State. 
 
 He grew to manhood in Peoria, and has seen the 
 town build up from almost nothing to a (condition 
 which is a just cause of pride to its residents. His 
 education was obtained in private schools, and his 
 first business enterprise was in the confectionery 
 business, which he learned and followed for a year 
 or two. Later he was engaged in various emplo}'- 
 ments until he secured work with Blessrs. Stone 
 & Boomer, of the American Bridge Comi)any, of 
 Chicago, who put up the first bridge across the 
 Illinois River at this point. He worked with them 
 on this bridge, and then at various points in Wis- 
 consin, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri, for over two 
 years. 
 
 We next find Mr. Anderson in the employ of a 
 house-mover in Chicago, for whom he worked but 
 six weeks ere becoming foreman. When the scheme 
 for raising brick buildings was promulgated, he was 
 under instruction for a year, and soon afterward 
 had a gang of men under him. It was not long 
 until he had worked up to such jiroficiency that he 
 was engaged by his employer for $3,000 per year, 
 remaining with him five j-ears, or until the break- 
 ing out of the Civil War. 
 
 Mr. Anderson was intensely loyal, and not many 
 weeks had elapsed after the fall of Sumter before 
 he had determined to enter the I'nion Arm}-. On 
 July 5, 1801, ho left Peoria as a member of Com- 
 pany I), First Illinois Cavalry, and was sworn into 
 the service at (iuincy. The regiment was sent into 
 Missouri, fought against Price at Lexington, where 
 Mr. Anderson was wounded in the ear, from which 
 he is still deaf. He was also taken prisoner there, 
 but with his comrades was soon released on parole 
 and sent to ( Juincy, whence they went to St. Louis 
 to help fortify the city. He was obliged to re|)oit 
 for one year to hisiloctor, and was then discharged. 
 In the regiment to which he belonged every sol- 
 dier owned his own horse. 
 
 When 'Sir. Anderson was able to work he began 
 house-moving, at which he has now been engaged 
 in Peoria for twenty-eigiit years. He also deals in 
 second-hand houses and rebuilds, and is now the 
 leading contractor in this line in the city. He has 
 put in many of the new fronts and moved man}' of 
 the prominent buildings. He employs from twelve 
 to twenty men, a number of whom have been with
 
 930 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 him many years. He also gives considerable at- 
 tention to the buying and sale of real estate, at 
 this writing having thirteen residences to rent in 
 different parts of the city, some of which are model 
 homes. 
 
 Mr. Anderson is and has been for twelve years a 
 Director in the People's Loan Association, of which 
 he is one of the original stockholders. He is also 
 one of the Directors of the Mechanics <fe Builders 
 Exchange. For three terms he served as County 
 Supervisor, but his business affairs have kept him 
 too busy for him to desire the office. He has never 
 aspired to political honors, the only attention which 
 he paj's to politics being to usuall}' cast his vote 
 with the Republican party. He is a member of 
 Bryner Post, G. A. R. His thorough knowledge 
 of the business in which he is engaged, the reliable 
 character which he possesses, and his personal at- 
 tributes insure for him the respect of the commu- 
 nitv at large, and the special regard of those who 
 are best acquainted with his good qualities. 
 
 The lady who for several years was a devoted 
 companion to our subject, became his wife in Peo- 
 ria November 14, 1864. She bore the maiden 
 name of Louisa Fox, was born in Ireland in 1840, 
 and being left an orphan in childhood, accompanied 
 an aunt to Boston. Thence she came to Peoria 
 County. 111., with an uncle, residing here from that 
 time until her death, September 9, 1878. She was 
 the mother of two children, one of w-hom is still 
 living and is now with his father in business. He 
 bears the name of .John W. 
 
 <« IMLLIAM P. GRAHAM is a well-to-do 
 \r\/// f^''™^!" i° Trivoli Township, where he has 
 ^^^ a finely improved place and is classed 
 among the best citizens. His father AVilliam Gra- 
 ham w.as born in Marion County. Ky., his father, 
 who was a native of Ireland, having located there in 
 the verj' early days of the settlement of that State. 
 The father of our subject was a farmer and had 
 a farm in Kentucky, and he also used to team .across 
 the mountains with a wagon. He was besides a 
 blacksmith and a shoemaker. In 1836, he came to 
 
 Illinois with his wife and four children with a four- 
 horse team, traveling a distance of four hundred 
 miles, crossing the Ohio at Louisville, and the Illi- 
 nois at Beardstown. and located in Trivoli Town- 
 ship. He rented land and worked at his various 
 callings. His health was not good after he came 
 here .as he had the ague nearly everj' fall, and in 
 1850, the township was deprived of a good citizen 
 b\- his death Of typhoid fever. He was an earnest 
 Democrat in his political views. The maiden name 
 of his wife was Elizabeth Jackson and she was born 
 in Hardin County, Ky.. coming of the old Jackson 
 stock. She resided with her children until her 
 death in 1 886, at the age of seventy-two years. She 
 was a Presbj'terian in her religious faith. 
 
 Those worthj^ people were the parents of ten 
 children named as follows: John D., who died in 
 Warren Count}-, Iowa ; Mark T., a farmer in Trivoli 
 Township; Martha J., a resident of Trivoli Town- 
 ship; William P.; Henry H., of McDonough 
 County; Susan, now Mrs. Carr of Elmwood; James 
 a resident of Guthrie Count}', Iowa; Sarah who 
 died at the home of our subject in Fulton County; 
 Andrew J., a physician in Peoria; Harriet, now 
 Mrs. Cramer of Trivoli Township. The Doctor is 
 a graduate of Keokuk Medical College of Iowa. 
 He was in an Illinois regiment during the late war 
 and served until its close. 
 
 William Graham was born near Lebanon in 
 Marion County, Ky., J.anuary 29, 1834. His first 
 recollections are of his father's pioneer home in 
 Trivoli Township. In 1838. the family removed 
 to Fulton County near Farmington and there he 
 was reared, receiving but limited educational ad- 
 vantages in the primitive log house in which the 
 district school was taught, which was three miles 
 distant from his home. Early in life he was em- 
 ployed in farming, his father died whsn he was six- 
 teen years old and he then went out to work as a 
 farm hand b}' the month and w.as thus encat^ed un- 
 til his marriage. 
 
 After that important event in his life Mr. Gra- 
 ham took up his residence in McDonough County, 
 and farmed near Prairie City two years, and after 
 that rented a farm in Fulton County, near Farm- 
 ington, and had a house and lot there. He finally 
 bought eighty acres of the old home, and actively
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 031 
 
 entered upon its further improvement. He engaged 
 in general farming and stocl<-raising and in time 
 began to make money, tbougb be found tbe first 
 thousand dollars tbe hardest to acquire of all bis 
 competenc}'. He now has two hundred acres of 
 land, having bought the old Chapman place in 1885, 
 where be has his home, eighty acres of his realty 
 lying on section 28, tovty acres on section 27, and 
 eighty acres on section 22. He has three different 
 sets of buildings on his farm, all neat and well-ar- 
 ranged, and be operates the whole farm, which is 
 well watered by Tiber Creek. He has draft and 
 road horses, feeds cattle to some extent, and has 
 about fifty two-year old steers and from seventy- 
 five to one hundred high graded Poland-China 
 hogs. He has witnessed the growth of tbe country 
 from pioneer times when deer and wolves were 
 l)lent3'. He used to team to Chicago in winters 
 when he was a boy. He also worked in a packing 
 house and slaughter house on the river at Reed's 
 Landing, and engaged in logging and other kinds 
 of labor. 
 
 Mr. Graham and jNIiss Caroline McCo}' united 
 their lives and fortunes February 13, 1864. She 
 was born in Christiana, Del., on tbe 26tb of De- 
 cember, 1838, a daughter of James McCoy, who 
 was born in Delaware near New Castle, August 6, 
 1807. His father Nathaniel McCoy, a Scotchman 
 by birth came to America and settled in Delaware 
 in early Colonial days. He subsequent!}' emigrated 
 to the Little ^liami River in Ohio, where he and bis 
 wife died soon after settling there, leaving six chil- 
 dren orphaned. Mrs. Graham's father was ap- 
 prenticed to learn the trade of a blacksmith in Del- 
 aware County, and he became a practical blacksmith 
 and manufacturer of edged tools. In 1842, he re- 
 moved to St. Louis with his family and carried on 
 the manufacture of edge tools, and spears for tbe 
 Government during the Mexican War. He made 
 improvenients on the cotton gin, which was exhib- 
 ited at the St. Louis fair in 1845. He made the first 
 mower ever manufactured in St. Louis, but the pat- 
 ent was stolen from him. In 1852 he came to this 
 State and located in OrionTownship, Fulton County, 
 where be bought one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land which be improved, and erected a blacksmith 
 sboii and was very successful in business. He now 
 
 lives retired, the infirmities of age having come 
 over him, he being now eighty-three years old and 
 nearly blind and quite deaf. He has alwaj's been a 
 sturdy follower of the Democratic party. He was 
 married at EUicotts Mills, to Miss Cassandcr, 
 daughter of William Ward a native of England. 
 She is now seventj-four years old. She is a Baptist 
 in religion. Her grandfather was an English Tory 
 and came to this country. Her father served in 
 the War of 1812, when a young man, and was at 
 the battle of New Orleans. He was well educated, 
 and was an attornej', and inherited wealth. He 
 was accidentally drowned in the Delaware River 
 when but thirty-two years of age. 
 
 Mrs. Graham's parents bad nine children, who 
 were named as follows: Catherine, Mrs. Bates, of 
 St. Louis; Sarah J., Mrs. Bledsoe,of Warren County, 
 Iowa; Caroline; Amanda, Mrs. McCloud,of Christian 
 County; Almira, Mrs. Daugherty, of Ft. Scott, 
 Kan.; Mary, who died in infancy; Robert, who 
 died when young; Josephine, Mrs. Tyler, of Kan- 
 sas; James a resident of Orion Township, Fulton 
 County. Mrs. Graham is the mother of two chil- 
 dren, James A. and William Allen, both of whom 
 are at home. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Graham are people of great per- 
 sonal worth and high social standing in this com- 
 munity', and tbe Presbyterian Church at Brunswick 
 has in them two of its leading members. He has 
 been School Director and Commissioner of High- 
 ways for one term. In politics, in which he is much 
 interested, he stands stanchly by the Democratic 
 party. 
 
 (i^^HOMAS S. MARSHALL, senior member of 
 l/4^^. the firm of Marshall & Co., dealers in dr}-- 
 ^Vi^' goods and millinery at No. 106 South 
 Adams Street, has already gained a prominent 
 place among the leading business men of Peoria, 
 though be has been a resident of tbe city only a 
 few jcars. 
 
 Mr. Marshall is of Scottish birth and antece- 
 dents, born May 24, 1852. He was educated in the 
 land of bis nativity, and learned his business in 
 (ilasirow, where he remained until he emiijrated to
 
 932 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the United Stales in 1872. After coming to (his 
 country, he first located iu Hartford, Conn., and 
 was with Brown & Co., of tliat city, the ensuing 
 nine j'oars. From there lie went to Wheeling, 
 W. Va., and engaged in business for a time. He 
 came to Peoria in 1885, 'and estalilished himself in 
 his present business, opening a new store and 
 building up his own trade. He has a large store, 
 one hundred and eighty feet deep, occupying two 
 stories, and complete in all its appointments. He 
 eraploj's a force of twenty-one hands and does a 
 retail business, with the exception of jobbing in 
 millinery. The firm was known as Marshall, Mur- 
 ray & Co. until January 1. 1890, when our sub- 
 ject bought Mr. Murray's interest in this estab- 
 ment, he taking the branch store wliich they had 
 previously opened in Streator. Under Mr. Mar- 
 shall's vigorous and enterprising management the 
 business is constantly increasing, and lie has a very 
 satisfactory trade, amounting to more than §100,- 
 000 a year. 
 
 Mr. Marshall and Miss Isabella Jamieson, of 
 Middletown, Conn., have united their lives and 
 fortunes and have established in this citj' one of 
 its coziest and most attractive homes. The}' have 
 two children: William and Jamieson. 
 
 Mr. Marshall is a wide-awake, progressive man 
 of business, and his standing in financial circles is 
 of the highest order, as lie conducts his business 
 on]}' by the most honorable methods, is carrying 
 it on with marked success, and to-day is one of 
 our moneyed men, who has contributed much 
 toward raising the financial standing of Pefuia. He 
 is a man of social prominence and is President of 
 the Caledonian Club. 
 
 ^ SAAC C. EDWARDS, one of the well-known 
 I and able attorneys of Peoria, was born in .Stark 
 /li Countjr, 111., January 19, 1851. He is a son of 
 Benjamin F. and Catherine (Eckley) Edwards, the 
 former of whom came from Virginia to the Prairig 
 State as early as 18-44. The Edwards family is of 
 Welsh extraction and has been rei)resented in \'ir- 
 ginia for two centuries, numerous members of the 
 
 respected family being now to be found in Grayson 
 and Carroll Counties. The Eckle^'S were early set- 
 tlers, first of Ohio and then of Illinois, and were of 
 Irish origin. 
 
 Benjamin Edwards was engaged for man}' years 
 in the peaceful [)ursuit of farming, but later in life 
 embarked in the livery business. He came to 
 Peoria in 1861, and was well known as one of the 
 leading liverymen in the citj' for many years. He 
 died in January, 1882. Mrs. Edwards survives 
 and still continues to make her residence in Peoria. 
 To them was born a family of six children, five of 
 whom are still living. 
 
 The gentleman with whose name this notice is 
 introduced remained in Toulon, Stark County, after 
 his father's family came to Peoria, attending school 
 and making his home with J. A. Cooley. He com- 
 pleted the course of study in Toulon Seminar}', then 
 came to Peoria and began working in the livery 
 stable. Finding the business uncongenial, in 1869 
 he entered a boiler shop where he worked about a 
 year. He was still dissatisfied, being ambitious to 
 climb higher and having a decided inclination for 
 a line of life in which he would exert more mental 
 ability. An opportunity having offered he entered 
 tlie law office of McCoy & Stevens as a student, re- 
 maining with them until the dissolution of the firm 
 by reason of Mr. McCoy going to Chicago. 
 
 Young Edwards was faithful and studious and 
 although he found the road to success in his chosen 
 field not an easy one, he had the mental ability and 
 pluck necessary to complete his course of study with 
 ciedit. He finisiied his reading with McCuUough 
 & Stevens, working for the firm eighteen months 
 for the penurious salary of $10 per month. Even 
 this did not discourage him, and the di'y soon 
 dawned when he was able to put out his own 
 "shingle," being admitted to the bar in 1871. 
 
 Mr. Edwards first opened up in business as junior 
 member of the law firm of Voigt & Edwards, re- 
 maining thus associated until July 20, 1874, when 
 Mr. Voigt retired and he continued the business 
 alone for several years. In 1878 he formed a part- 
 nership with Isaac E. Lonsbert, but the firm was 
 dissolved in about a year, Mr. Lonsbert removing to 
 Emporia, Kan., where he was appointed Postmaster 
 by President Harrison, leaving our subject again
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 933 
 
 .'ilone. For one year he was associated with Frank 
 Ives, under the lirm name of Edwards ct Ives, and 
 in 1885 he formed a partnership with Isaac M. 
 I I(irn backer, which continued for about eighteen 
 niontlis, since wliich time Mr. Edwards lias been 
 unassisted in his legal efforts. He is engaged in 
 general hiw practice, although he has greater suc- 
 cess in criminal cases. In that department of his 
 profession he has won an envialile rejjutation. 
 
 Mr. Edwards is one of the many enthusiastic work- 
 ers in tlio liuilding n|i of Peoria in whose future he 
 has always had great fait'.i. He began dealing in 
 real estate about 1883 and within the last three 
 j'cars h.as handled over tliree luindreil pieces of 
 property within the city limits, besides doing con- 
 siderable business in outside property. In the 
 latter part of 188i)-'<)0 lie laid out and platted 
 nearly thirty-live acres in town lots, the same being 
 known as Table Grove Addition to the city of 
 Peoria and Tabic Grove Extended. While thus 
 adding to the attractions and aiding in the further 
 extension of the cit}' of his choice, Mr. Edwards 
 is adding to his own reputation as a young man of 
 unbounded energ}' and shrewdness. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Edwards is ver3- active, but while 
 working earnesti}' for the success of the princi[)les 
 in which he believes, he has declined all political 
 honors although the nominations for Mayor and 
 Slate Senator liave been tendered him. He is a 
 working member of the State Republican League, 
 of which he was one of the founders, is Vice-Presi- 
 dent for the Congressional district and presided 
 over the deliberations of the body during its last 
 meeting held at Si)ringfield and a member of the 
 Rei)ublican State Central Committee. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Masonic order and ona of the few in this 
 country who have received the thirty-third degree. 
 This lie did at Boston, Mass., September 18, 1888. 
 From this it will be inferred that he lias ever been 
 a prominent worker in the fraternity and has held 
 many positions. He is a charter member of Calan- 
 tlia Lodge, No. 17, Knights of Pythias, has served 
 as Past Chancellor and was the first Viee-Chancellor 
 of the lodge. He is also connected with the An- 
 cient Order of ITnited Druids, having been one 
 of the founders of Merlin Grove, No. 71, which is 
 pronounced to be the finest grove in Illinois. He 
 
 was its first Noble Arch, which position he held for 
 two years. He is now Deputy Grand Arch of the 
 State of Illinois. 
 
 It will be seen from this brief outline that Mr. 
 Edward.s possesses the social qualities which render 
 a iiinii |x)pulra', that he is benevolent, energetic, 
 possessed of business tact of a high order, and ever 
 ready to bear a hand in the progressive movements 
 of the age. He is thoroughly versed in the prin- 
 ciples laid down by Coke, Blackstone, and other 
 eminent writers on jurisprudence, (juick to perceive 
 the salient points in attack or defence, and an adept 
 in i)rcsenting the case he has in hand to judge and 
 jury. Being still quite a young man, the proba- 
 bilities are that he will become a prominent figure 
 throughout the St;'.te, as he already is in the county. 
 
 /p^ EORGE T. GILLIAM. This young gentle- 
 •II j^—. man has a good standing among the busi- 
 ^^5) ness men of Peoria, where he is engaged in 
 insurance, loan and real-estate business, and that 
 of an attorney- al-law. His office is in the ISIercan- 
 tile Library luiilding, which he entered upon its 
 completion aiul where he has since remained. He 
 possesses a fine education, the manners of a well- 
 bred gentleman .and a character which wins friends. 
 
 The natal day of Mr. Gilliam was March 4, 
 1854, and his birth took place near Pittsburg, Pa. 
 He is a son of the late Dr. (i. T. Gilliam, who 
 moved West, and finally located in St. Louis, Mo., 
 to educate his family. Our subject was graduated 
 from the High School of that city in 1875, and 
 three years later obtained the degree of LL.B. 
 from the Law Department of Washington Univer- 
 sity. He was admitted to the State Courts of Illi- 
 nois and Missouri that year, and also to the United 
 States Courts. After i)racticing in St. Louis a year 
 he came to Peoria, in 1879, with the Intention of 
 continuing his professional labors here. It was 
 not long, however, before he gave his attention to 
 the office work in which he is now engaged and of 
 which he has made a success. 
 
 Mr. Gilliam is Clerk of North Peoria, the most 
 enterprising suburb of the city. He is not a politi-
 
 •J34 
 
 PORTKAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 cal aspirant, preferring to devote his time to his 
 personal affairs. He votes the Republican ticket, 
 as did his father before him, the latter having been 
 a prominent Abolitionist when it required courage 
 to become linown as a member of that party. 
 
 The virtues and graces of Miss Clara Semelrotli, 
 of this city, so deeply impressed Mr. Gilliam, that 
 he desired her presence in his home, and winning 
 her consent, they became man and wife, April 30, 
 1882. Their happy union has been blessed by the 
 birth of five children, named respective!}': Jessie, 
 LiUie, Alice, George and Josie. Mr. Gilliam be- 
 longs to the Congregational Church. 
 
 \|i)OHN RADLKY, whose home is pleasantly 
 situated on section 36, is one of the oldest 
 settlers of Jubilee Township, and lias suc- 
 ceeded during a life spent in tlie practice of 
 the virtues of industr}' and economy, in amassing a 
 considerable amount of this world's goods and is 
 now living in the enjoyment of all the comforts 
 and many of tlie luxuries of life. He is of Flnglish 
 birth and very quiet in his liabits having no desire 
 to meddle with the concerns of any one. He 
 malies no enemies as he attends to his own business 
 and lets other people do the same by theirs. Never 
 having met his '-soul's affinity" he has remained 
 unmarried. To the friends who know him well he is 
 social and genial but does not care for large gather- 
 ings or crowds of people. 
 
 The father of our subject, George Radley, was 
 born in Devonshire. England. The grandfather, 
 also George, was an Englishman who owned and 
 operated a farm in Swimbridge, and was highly 
 esteemed by llie people of that parish. The fa- 
 ttier was also a farmer and passed his entire life in 
 his native country dying in 1842, when sixty years 
 of ace. He was, as were his forefathers and famil}', a 
 devout member and regular attendant upon the 
 services of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The 
 mother of our subject was Elizabeth Jones, a na- 
 tive of Devonshire and daughter of John Jones, a 
 farmer of that parish. She accompanied her chil- 
 dren to the United States and died at the home of 
 
 our subject in 1854. at the age of seventy-seven 
 years. The parental family consisted of nine chil- 
 dren named respectively : George, who resides in 
 Brimtield, in his eightieth year; John, the subject 
 of tliis brief liiograph}-; Betse}-, now a resident of 
 Woodford County, 111.; Richard, lives in Kickapoo 
 Township; William also lives in Kickapoo Town- 
 ship; Mary departed this life while a resident of 
 this township, in 1845; Susannah makes her home 
 with our subject; James resides in Jubilee Town- 
 ship, and Maria W., lives in Woodford County. Hi, 
 
 Mr. Radley of whom we write was liorn in the 
 parish of Swimbridge, Devonshire. England, in July 
 1812, and was reared in his native place where he 
 resided until he was twenty-seven j-ears of age. He 
 received a fair education in the free schools of his 
 native parish but was earl}' obliged to commence 
 working to help in the task of earning a living. In 
 1839, he emigrated to America in company with 
 his brother George. They chose the spring of the 
 year for their venture and the vessel in which they 
 sailed was five weeks making the trip. The voyage 
 was lather tedious but ivas enlivened by the hope 
 that they cherished of carving out their fortunes in 
 the "New World" to which they were bound. From 
 New York Harbor where they landed they went to 
 Genesee County, N. Y., near Batavia, where he en- 
 gaged on his uncle's farm and remained for a time, 
 afterward coming to Illinois. 
 
 Our subject made the trip from Chicago to Peoria 
 with a team over corduroy roads, the best method of 
 traveling in vogue at that time. He had a cousin 
 living in Jubilee Township at the time who was a 
 minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and 
 our subject worked on his farm when he first settled 
 in the place. Later he bought a farm of eighty 
 acres in Jubilee Township going in partnershii) 
 with his brother George. 
 
 Mr. Radley at one time returned to England 
 on a visit, embarking at New York on the ves- 
 sel "Virginia." He remained abroad some two 
 years then came back to America accompanied bv 
 his mother and most of the familj'. They sold their 
 property in their native land and took up their 
 abode with our subject on his farm in Peoria 
 County. In addition to the mother, there were 
 eight children in the group who boarded the staunch
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 935 
 
 craft "Rozolin" at Plymouth to brave the terrors of 
 llie vastj- (iccp. Owing to severe storms thoy wimo 
 eight weeks on llie way and wore truly thankful 
 when the good ship at length enteii'd liarlnir. The 
 services of a team was called into requisition to 
 transport them to the city of Chicago and anotlier 
 one took them the rest of the way to their home 
 witli (lursuljject as above stated. 
 
 Some 3'ears later, our subject sold his eighty 
 acre farm and, in company with two of his broth- 
 ers, bought the southeast quarter of section 
 30, one-fourth of it lying in Roselield Township. 
 lie erected a house and moved on to the place and 
 has made it his home from that time to the pres- 
 ent. He and his lirothers labored faitiifullj' and in 
 a reasonable time had the satisfaction of knowing 
 they had as nice a place and as well imi)roved as 
 could be seen anywhere around. The brothers 
 added to their original purcliase as o))i)ortnnity of- 
 fered, and when they dissolved partnershi|) our sub- 
 ject's share was one hundred and twenty acres of land 
 under good cultivation, linely improved and well 
 stocked. His farm is well watered, having good 
 springs and is underlaid with coal, some of the 
 mines being five feet thick and eighteen feet from 
 the surface to the top of the coal strata. JMr. Rad- 
 ley has worked the mines in question for years and 
 lias found them profital)le, his farm being situated 
 only some three-fourths of a mile from K'ckapoo 
 where he finds a ready market for all his farm |iro- 
 duce as well as for the coal. 
 
 In addition to the usual products of a farm our 
 subject raises large quantities of grain and deals 
 extensively in fine stock. His cattle and hogs are 
 of the best and his horses are fine, large, strong 
 draft ones which are best suited to the needs of a 
 farm. When our subject first settled in this county- 
 it was in a wild state, deer were plentiful and wolves 
 ran past the door uuterrifled by the sight of man 
 who, however, w.as soon to prove his right to do- 
 minion by driving them from the State. Our .sub- 
 ject has himself shot deer and wolves also, the large 
 and fierce graj' wolves from tlie door of his first 
 cabin home. 
 
 Our subject is a strong Republican in politics 
 and has been honored 1)y his party with some im- 
 portant offices. He is now serving his township as 
 
 Road Commissioner and as Director of Schools. 
 His cousin, Rev. Richard Radley, to whom allusion 
 is made above, was a minister of the Protestant 
 Episcopal Church and was induced to come to 
 America and take cliarge of the .lubllce congrega- 
 tion, by the Bishop of the Diocese, who knew his 
 worth in England am) wished to secure his talent 
 and executive ability in this new field of Inlior. He 
 was mainly instrumental in building up the Protes- 
 tant Episcopal Church in this county. He removed 
 to Jubilee Township in 1829, and entered very 
 much of the land in that section of the country. 
 
 :ai5= 
 
 ^^^^ 
 
 ^p^ILMAN W. AVERY, a member of the firm 
 ill ,— - of Comstock, Avery & Co., dealers in fur- 
 ^^Jl niture, has been doing business in Peoria 
 since 1863. They now occupy one of tiie finest 
 buildings in the city, comprising Nos. 210 and 212 
 South Adams Street, where they have elegant sales- 
 rooms on three floors, with warerooms in the base- 
 ment and the fourth story. They conduct the 
 largest and finest furniture house in the city. The 
 present building was put up in 1889, tbey removing 
 into it in September. The former store building, 
 built in 18(53, had been destroyed by fire in Jlarch 
 previously. 
 
 This firm manufactures parlor goods of all de- 
 scriptions from costly to medium price, besides 
 doing a general jobbing business in conuei^tion 
 with the retail trade. The several members of the 
 firm are energetic and experienced business men 
 who have made for themselves a good record and 
 in whom the community have entire confidence. 
 Mr. Avery is a New Englaniier, having been born 
 in Greenfield, N. H., March 11, 1835. He comes 
 of excellent stock, being the son of Amos and 
 Lj'dia (Evans) Avery, who were also natives of the 
 Granite State and are now deceased. 
 
 Young Avery remained in his n.ative place until 
 reaching manhood and then striking out on his own 
 account, emigrated across the Mississippi to Greene 
 County, Mo., where he engaged in teaching, and 
 had charge of tlie Ebenezer High School. After 
 a few years he began merchandising in Lebanon,
 
 936 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Mo., but during the troublous times which followed 
 lost his goods and property. He remained there 
 until his pronounced Union sentiments made him 
 obnoxious to the rebel element and deeming dis- 
 cretion the better part of valor, he left that seciion 
 and located next in Gridlej', 111., where lie resumed 
 merchandising for a short time, then in 1862, came 
 to Peoria and was variously occupied during the 
 first year. He then entered into a partnership with 
 F. J. Comstock and they established a store on 
 Main, between Water and Washington Streets, 
 where they did business until about 1883. 
 
 The firm was then obliged to increase its facili- 
 ties and the)- put up the first fine building in the 
 block which they now occupj'. Business has grown 
 up around them until they are now centrally lo- 
 cated among the retail trade. The first building 
 was destroyed by fire in 1883, but was soon replaced 
 by the larger and more complete struclure. Mr. 
 Averj' forms the responsible part of the firm and 
 has the chief management, his partner doing busi- 
 in St. Louis. 
 
 Our subject was married in 1858 to ^liss Ellen 
 Haywood, also a native of New H.impshire aud 
 born in East Jafifrey, in the year 1838. Of the four 
 children born of this union only two ate living: 
 Frank E., who is the assistant of his father, and 
 Fred H., who is attending school. Mrs. Avery de- 
 parted this life April 19, 1890, at the .age of fifty- 
 two years. She was a member in good standing of 
 the First Baptist Church, to which Mr. Avery also 
 lielongs and in which he is a Trustee. He votes 
 the straight Republican ticket and has represented 
 the Third Ward in the Citv Council. 
 
 ^ ENRY VICARY. Cornwall is one of the 
 fairest .and richest counties of "merrie 
 *>^ England" and has given many of her sons 
 i^j to aid in the development of the vast 
 treasures contained in the soil or found in the mines 
 of tlie New World. One of her l)rave sons who 
 valiantly set out to try his fortunes in the New 
 Country across the sea, is the one of whom we write 
 in this brief biography. He was born in Cornwell, 
 
 England, Maj' 23, 1832, and left home when eight- 
 een to see what he could do in America. For 
 twelve years after reaching this country he lived in 
 Delaware Cftuntj-, Pa., where he was eraploj^ed in 
 a woolen mill. 
 
 Upon leaving Pennsylvania Mr. Vicary came to 
 Peoria County and settled in Kickapoo Township, 
 where he has since resided engaged in coal mining 
 and farming. He has given his attention chieflj^ 
 to the former occupation, carrjing on operations in 
 Peoria County. His farm comprises about two hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of good land upon which he has 
 erected a comfortable house and other good build- 
 ings. His land lies close to Pottstown, on section 
 36, where he and his family live in comfortable in- 
 dependence surrounded by all the conveniences 
 and manj- of the luxuries of modern civilized life. 
 A view of their fine estate is presented elsewhere 
 in this volume. 
 
 The father of our subject was also named Henry 
 Vicary and was a native of England, where he 
 spent a large portion of his life. The mother was 
 Ann (Gipps) Viearj-, also a native of England. 
 Henr)- Vicaiy, Sr., came to America in 1862, and 
 after remaining three 3'ears returned to England, 
 and died soon afterward. The mother came to 
 Kickapoo Township, Peoria County, where she 
 made her home with lier son. our subject, until her 
 death in 1871. 
 
 Henry Vicary, of whom we write, was united in 
 the bonds of matrimony July 3, 1857, in Phil.a- 
 delphia, Pa., to Miss Elizabeth Lonsdale. Mrs. 
 Vicary is a native of Lancashire. England, where 
 she was born in 1839. She is a daughter of John 
 and Alice Lonsdale, and is an intelligent aud pleas- 
 ant lady, making friends everywhere. Of the chil- 
 dren born to her and her husband seven are living, 
 as follows: John, George AV.. Alice A., wife of 
 Jacob Waite: Mary, wife of Edward Pepard; El- 
 len, wife of V. Wolstienhole: Henry and William. 
 Those deceased are: Jennie, who died when about 
 two years of age; and four who died in infancy. 
 
 Our subject takes an active part in all matters 
 connected with the well-being of the township aud 
 is favorably disposed tx)ward all plans calculated 
 to advance the prosperity of the members of the 
 community in which he lives. In politics he is a
 
 PORTRAIT ANH BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 939 
 
 Republican and stands higli in the esteem of liis 
 fellow citizens of all political creeds; he has been 
 iionored with the office of Highway Commissioner, 
 ill which position he sjave unqualified satisfaction. 
 Mr. A'icary is a genial, good-hearted man, ever 
 ready to respond to the call of the needy and ij 
 beloved by not only the members of his own fam- 
 il}', but also by the people vvitli whom he is more 
 or less intimately associated. 
 
 I AMES II. FL.VNEGAN. is prominently iden- 
 tified with the industrial interests of this 
 county, as a skillful farmer, and as a pros- 
 perous manufacturer of brick. He carries 
 on his farming and manufacturing operations in 
 Richwood Townshii), and is an important factor 
 in the advancement of its growth and financial 
 standing. 
 
 James Flanegan, the father of our subject, was 
 born in New .Terse}', and his mother, whose maiden 
 name was Rachael Wells, was also a native of that 
 State. She is now deceased. His father is a pros- 
 perous farmer. Twelve children were born of liis 
 marriage, of whom our subject was the second in 
 order of birth. The paternal grandfather of our 
 subject was James Flanegan, and he was a farmer 
 and mechanic in New Jerse}', his native State. He 
 spent the most of his life in Salem County, and 
 died there about 1865. Jlr. Flanegan "s maternal 
 grandfather was John AVells, who was also a native 
 of New Jersey, of which lie was a resident until his 
 death. He gave his attention entirely- to farming 
 and was quite an extensive landowner. He was a 
 devout Christian, and was a prominent member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Our subject was born in Salem County, N. J., 
 on the 26th of January, 1839, and grew to man's 
 estate in the place of his birth, living there until he 
 was twenty-two j'ears old. He continued to be a 
 resident of New Jersej- until 1865, being engaged 
 in farming. In that year he came to Peoria, and 
 resided three years in that city, engaging in differ- 
 ent occupations. He then bought a farm in Rich- 
 wood Township, and gave his attention exclusively 
 
 to farming, for some years. In 1 878 he began the 
 manufacture of brick, and turns off eleven hundred 
 thousand annually, the bricks being of a fine qual- 
 ity, commanding a read}' market. He has a good 
 and highly productive little farm of thirty acres on 
 section 32, which he is constantly improving. He 
 has provided it with an excellent set of commodious 
 buildings, and has the land under excellent tillage, 
 and from its rich harvests derives a good income. 
 
 Since coming to Richwood Mr. Flanegan has 
 taken unto himself a wife in the person of Miss 
 Sarah Jane McKinney, daughter of John McKinney, 
 of this township, of which Mrs. Flanegan is a na- 
 tive. They have tliree children, Rachael M., Maude 
 E. and James B. 
 
 Mr. Flanegan is a man of character himself, and 
 has a good understanding of human nature in gen- 
 eral, and is gifted with the tact to deal with it, so 
 as to gain his ends without infringing on the rights > 
 of others. His decision, power of discrimination 
 and clear practical judgment have led him to pros- 
 perity and these traits, guided by his public spirit, 
 have made him a most desirable citizen, as he be- 
 stirs himself to forward all plans that will cnhruice 
 the welfare of township and county. He has held 
 the office of School Director, and has been an in- 
 fluence in securing good educational facilities for 
 the children of the townshi|). In his political views 
 he is independent, being bound by no party ties. 
 Religiously, he and his wife and children are active 
 members of the Methodist I'ipiscopal Church. 
 
 "^Z AMES S. COE. We take pleasure in repre- 
 senting this enterprising, intelligent and suc- 
 cessful farmer and stock-raiser of Brimfield 
 Township, in this Biograimucal Album. He 
 is a veteran of the late Civil AVar, and as a faith- 
 ful and capable soldier won a honorable military 
 record, of which he is justly proud. 
 
 Mr. Coe is a native of Monroe County, Ohio, 
 and was born August 15. 1841. He is a son of 
 David G. and Lucinda (Baldwin) Coe, with whom, 
 in 1858, he came to Illinois. His father cast in 
 his lot at first with the pioneers of this township,
 
 940 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 locating in llie nortliprn part, where he lived a 
 short time. He then removed with his famiij- to 
 Knox County, and resided there some three j-ears. 
 He flnalh" went to Iowa, and there the closing 
 years of his useful and honorable life were passed. 
 Of his large family of children but four survive, 
 viz : William S. and James S., of Peoria County ; 
 fSarah J., wife of W. M. Lucas, of Hutchinson, 
 Kan., and David G., of Mercer County, 111. 
 
 James Coe was carefull}' tr.iined bj- worthy par- 
 ents to an upright, sturdy manhood. He was edu- 
 cated in the public schools and adopted the calling 
 of a farmer, to which lie had been bred. August 
 22, 1862, our subject patrioticallj' threw aside his 
 work and all his personal ambitions, to take part in 
 the great war that was then waging between the 
 North and South. He became a member of Com- 
 pany A, Seventj'-Seventh Illinois Infantr3-, and 
 from that time took part in various skirmishes, 
 campaigns and battles, until the war was brought 
 to a close. He was present in the first attack on 
 Vicksburg, and subsequently fought at Arkansas 
 Post. He then returned to take further i)art in the 
 siege of Vicksburg, and remained at the spot until 
 its fall. From there his regiment was sent to New 
 ( uleans, and for a time was under Gen. Banks, and 
 accompanied him upon the Red River Expedition, 
 At Sabine Cross Roads, in Louisiana, our sub- 
 ject was captured b}' the Confederates and suffered 
 imprisonment for over thirteen mouths at T\der, 
 Tex. At the expiration of that time he was es- 
 ciianged, and June 3. 1865, was honorably dis- 
 charged. 
 
 After his hard experience of life on Southern 
 battlefields and in Confederate prisons, our sub- 
 ject returned to the Prairie State, and quiellj^ re- 
 sumed farming, and has ever since been a useful 
 citizen of Peoria County. He owns a farm of 
 eight}' acres on section 30, ISrimfield Township, on 
 which he located in the spring of 1877, and by as- 
 siduous toil he has brought it to a fine state of 
 cultivation, and has provided it with all the nec- 
 essary buildings and with good machinery, every- 
 thing about the place betokening care and thrifty 
 management on the part of the owner. 
 
 Mr. Coe and Miss Sarah J. Reifl united their lives 
 and fortunes February 16. 1870, and the marriage 
 
 then solemnized has proved of mutual benefit. Mrs. 
 Coe is a daughter of George and Gatry M. Reid, 
 highly respected residents of Peoria. Five chil- 
 dren have born to Mr. and JMrs. Coe, namely: 
 Herman, deceased; Frank PI, Fred L., Hollis B. and 
 James R. Our subject started out in life with no 
 other capital than a clear brain, a willingness to 
 work, and strong muscles, but tiiey liave sufficed 
 to make him what he is to-day, and to bring* to 
 him a comfortable competence. His square deal- 
 ings in all his transactions, his probit}- and gen- 
 uine worth, have won for him the reputation of 
 which he is justly proud, and placed him among 
 the most desirable citizens of the township. He 
 favors all things that will in any way elevate the 
 community, socially, morallj^ or materially, and is 
 one of the valued members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, as is also his wife. He is active 
 in educational matters, being one of the School Di- 
 rectors of his district. Politically, he is a firm ad. 
 vocate of the principles of the Republican party. 
 
 AMUEL SEABUEV, proprietor of the 
 Peoria Shirt Manufactory located in the 
 Masonic Temple, is conducting an excel- 
 lent business that he established here a 
 quarter of a century ago, and by his shrewd man- 
 agement has made it one of the stable industries of 
 the cit}', and has placed himself among its sub- 
 stantial citizens. 
 
 Mr. Seabury is a native of Illinois, born at Tre- 
 mont, December 9, 1842. He is descended from 
 an old English familj' that traces its lineage back 
 to Edward I. He is a son of R. F. and Catherine 
 (Russell) Seabury. His father was born in London, 
 Conn., in the same house that was the birthplace of 
 Bishop Seabury, from whom he is descended. 
 When a j-oung man he went to New York, and was 
 there married, and in 1836 came to Treraont, 111., 
 and was one of the pioneer settlers of that town. 
 He engaged in a commercial business there and 
 subsequently opened a store in Kickapoo, and was 
 afterward the first Postmaster of that town. He
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUJI. 
 
 941 
 
 lulil tbat position for eighteen years, and at the 
 end of that time received a voluminous report 
 from the Government, covering tiic wliole i)eriod 
 of tlie incumbency of that ollice, showing tliut tlie 
 Government owed him two cents, which was re- 
 mitted to him. He was very prominent in tlie 
 public life of Kickapoo, and was Supervisor for 
 many years. He is a member of the Episcopal 
 Cluircli. He came to Peoria several years ago, and 
 he and iiis good wife are honored residents of this 
 city. He has a family of eight children, four of 
 whom are living in this city. The family circle has 
 never been broken by death. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was four jears old 
 when his parents came to this county and located 
 in Kickapoo, and the remainder of his life has been 
 passed in this part of Illinois. He received his 
 education in the public schools of this county, and 
 at the age of sixteen began life for himself, leaving 
 the parental home, and vrorked one year on a farm. 
 His seventeenth year was spent in a store in South- 
 port, this county ; after this he worked for three 
 years ai the carpenter's trade, then clerked one year 
 in a store in this city, and then, in 1864, engaged 
 in business with his brother in the sale of Yankee 
 notions, running wagons through the country, con- 
 tinuing in that line until 1868. Between the time 
 be worked at the carpenter's trade and clerking he 
 was for one year in the sutler's department of the 
 Fourteenth CavaUy. In 1869 our subject opened 
 a ladies" and gentlemen's furnishing goods store 
 at No. 309 Main Street, opposite the Court House, 
 carrying on that business there successfully for 
 many j-ears. This was the first laige store of this 
 kind in the city, and our subject had many things 
 in stock that had not previously been kept in such 
 a store. Having been unfortunate in selecting 
 clerks he failed in 1873. About twenty-live years 
 ago Mr. Seabury started a shirt manufactory and 
 gradually abandoned other branches of business 
 and finally gave his entire attention to manufact- 
 uring shirts. He has greatly increased the capacity 
 of his manufactory, which is the only one in the 
 city, to meet the demands of a large patronage, 
 having shipped shirts to seventeen States this last 
 year. 
 
 The maiden name of the wife of our subject was 
 
 Isabella F.Woodward. She is a native of Ohio, but 
 at the time of her marriage was living in Normal. 
 She is a descendant of English and Irish families, the 
 former of Norman extraction that claims William 
 the Conqueror as one of its ancestors. Mrs. Sea- 
 bury is a daughter of W. E. Woodward, who was 
 an early settler of Peoria, coming to this county 
 from Southern Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Seabury have 
 six children— Edward F., William S., Charlotte I., 
 Fannie M., Catherine E. and Bertha M. All have 
 attained manhood and womanhood and have been 
 given fine educational advantages. 
 
 By strictly honorable methods, j\lr. Seabury has 
 conducted bis business to a successful issue, and his 
 name stands high in the financial circles of the city. 
 He is a man of prominence in social and religious 
 affairs; is connected with the Masonic order, of 
 which he has been a member twenty-eight years 
 and is a member of the F^piscopal Church. 
 
 
 WILLIAM II. MEEKER, one of the most 
 prominent men in Trivoli Township, has 
 passed through a varied experience, his 
 life including a trip across the country in the days 
 when travel to the Pacific Coast was beset with 
 danger and privation, an experience of some years 
 in the California mines, and the usual incidents of 
 farm life in the Mississippi \'aliey. Through all 
 his experience he has preserved the sterling (piali- 
 ties of honesty, temperance and true manliness, 
 together with the agreeable manners and pleasing 
 conversational powers which prepossess strangers 
 in his favor, and, standing the test of closer com- 
 panionship, secure many warm friends. He is now 
 located on an excellent estate, comprising one 
 hundred and twenty acres on section 16, where 
 many first-class improvements will be found, in- 
 cluding good buildings, neat fences, orchards and 
 groves. 
 
 The Meeker family is of English descent, belong- 
 ing to that class which, having settled in America 
 during Colonial days, took up arms against British 
 tyranny. The grandfather of our subject was a 
 Revolutionary soldier, and his son, David, took up
 
 942 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 arras in the second struggle for release from British 
 eiieroathiuent. The latter patriot was born in New 
 Jersej', and learned the trades of a brickmaker and 
 mason. In the early days of settlement along the 
 Oliio River he removed to Cincinnati bj- teams, 
 and after living a short time near Springdale made 
 Dayton his place of abode. After having worked 
 at the mason's trade for a time he bought one hun- 
 dred and sixtj- acres of land in Darke Count}-, and 
 engaged in farming and brickmaking, adding to 
 his real-est«te until he owned over two hundred 
 acres, which he cleared with the aid of his sons. 
 'Inhere he died in 1852, at the age of sixt3'-two 
 years. He w.as a member of the Democrat part}-, 
 and of the Universalist Church. 
 
 David Meeker married Nancy Ann Jliller. a na- 
 tive of tiie Kei'Stone State and daughter of Matliew 
 JMiiler, who was of German descent. Mrs. Meeker 
 died in Greenville, Ohio, cheered by the faith of 
 the I'nited Brethren Church. She was the mother 
 of tliirteeu children, of whom the subject of this 
 notice is the seventh in order of birth. The rec- 
 ord of the others is as follows: Cyrus died in 18S9 : 
 Nathaniel and Aliller ,J. are deceased; Carlotta is 
 living in Indiana; Talitha died in this county: 
 Emeline lives in Greenville, Ohio; David is Conn I}' 
 Judge in Darke County, Ohio; Michael died in 
 Iowa; Francis was killed b}- a horse near St. Louis, 
 Ml). ; Rufus is deceased ; James, who was a Probate 
 Judge in Ohio, died ontlic same da}- that President 
 Garfield breathed his last; John is living in Green- 
 ville. Rufus belonged to an Ohio regiment dur- 
 ing liie Civil AVar, and died soon after his return 
 from the front, having been in ill health for a pe- 
 riod prior to his discharge. 
 
 Our subject was born near Springdale, Ohio, 
 June 4, 1825, and taken to Dayton in his baby- 
 hood, remaining there until he was seven years 
 old. He then accompanied his parents to the vicin- 
 ity of New Madison, Darke County, vrhere he was 
 early set to work on a farm in the elm swamps, 
 helping to clear the land and taking advantage of 
 what educational privileges the district schools 
 afforded. The temple of learning in which he pur- 
 sued his studies was built of logs, with puncheon 
 floor, slab benches, a long writing bench and a 
 fireplace; the instruction therein was obtained 
 
 under the subscription method. When twent3--one 
 years old young Meeker left his home and engaged 
 in teaching as a temporary expedient a year, after 
 which he entered Froman's Select School at Jlid- 
 dleton, leaving it at harvest time to swing a cradle 
 and bind sheaves through harvest. 
 
 We next find Mr. Meeker engaged in brickmak- 
 ing and bricklaying in Castine, learning the trades 
 with his brother. In the fall of 1847 he came to 
 Illinois, journeying by sUage to Cincinnati, thence 
 by boat to St. Louis, and on the steamer to Coppe- 
 ras Lauding. Fulton County, near Pekin. Coming 
 I thence to Trivoli Township, be remained until 
 : spring, when he made a kiln of brick at Farming- 
 , ton,- laying a part of them in buildings at various 
 I points. The next year he made a kiln for a Mr. 
 Rude in Trivoli Townshi|), and then built several 
 brick houses. 
 
 5Iarch 14. 1850. Mr. Meeker, with two compan- 
 ions, started for California, their outfit consisting 
 of five yoke of oxen, a yoke of cows and one cov- 
 ered wagon. They crossed the Mississippi at 
 I Qnincy, the Missouri at Council Bluffs, forded the 
 [ Platte and Laramie at Ft. Laramie, struck acmss to 
 I the Black Hills country, crossed the Sweet Water 
 and Green Rivers, and t.aking Sublet's Cutoff, left 
 Ft. Hall to the right. They entered California on 
 i the Humboldt River, crossed fifty-two miles of 
 desert, and reaching Kit Carson River, sold their 
 outfits and continued their travels on foot. They 
 had been unmolested by Indians. 
 
 After selling their teams they crossed the Sierras 
 to Placerville, prospected there for a few days, 
 then went to Sacramento City, whence they sailed 
 twenty miles up the river, consuming tw-o days in 
 the voyage. Leaving tlie boat they again proceeded 
 on foot to Marysville, thence to Park's Bar, where 
 Mr. Sleeker engaged in mining. He remained 
 there until the spring of 1851, when, after the San 
 Francisco fire, he went to that city and engaged in 
 brickmaking, buying a half-interest in a yard which 
 on a contract made §20 per day for each partner. 
 He next hired out to a company to mold brick, 
 molding six thousand a day until fall. 
 I Mr. Sleeker then returned to the mines until 
 ' spring, when he went to Marysville during the 
 I high water, working at brickmaking. He then
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ;)43 
 
 went to his claim on the Yuba River, again engaged 
 in prospecting and mining, making some ^40 per 
 day about two months, vvlien he was unable to work 
 his lead longer on account of the water. The next 
 winter he spent at Owsley's Bar and a point three 
 miles below, where he continued to prospect until 
 June 16, 1853. He then started home via Panama 
 iind New York City, with the intention of return- 
 ing to the coast after visiting his friends. His 
 brother, however, had bought some land for him 
 in this county', and he finally decided to locate 
 upon it. He therefore turned his attention to 
 agricultural work, operating the one hundred and 
 twenty acres on section 14, Trivoli Township, 
 until 1857. when he rented it and engaged in brick- 
 making in Farmington, also laying brick there 
 about three years. 
 
 At the expiration of that time Mr. Meeker re- 
 turned to his farm, his business having been ser- 
 iously affected In- the linancial depressions and the 
 "wild eat" money which flooded this section. He 
 had a half-million of brick on hand, for which 
 there was no sale. He worked his estate until 
 1869. when he sold it and bought the improved 
 farm upon which he is now living. He has worked 
 at his trade off and on, but has never abandoned 
 .igriculture. The principal products of his estate 
 are corn and hogs, the latter being full-blooded 
 Poland-Chinas, but he also raises goodgrales of 
 cattle and horses suitable for general purposes, to- 
 gether with some other crops. A fine spring of 
 living water adds to the value of his land, all of 
 wiiich is tillable and which formerh' held a fine 
 maple grove, the timber from which has been sold. 
 During the war Mr. Meeker haule>.l grain to Peoria, 
 receiving seventy-six cents per bushel for oats, 
 $1.50 for rye and -§2.50 for wheat. 
 
 The marri.age of Mr. Meeker and ^liss Rebecca 
 A. Dunn w.as celebrated in Trivoli Township, Feb- 
 ruary 16, 1854. Mrs. Meeker was born in High- 
 land County, Ohio, but came hither with her par- 
 ents when quite small, they settling near Farming- 
 ton. She is intelligent and capable, and prior to 
 her marriage was engaged in schooT-teaching. The 
 happy union has been blessed by the birth of eight 
 children, of whom we note the following: George, 
 a graduate of Knox College, is now Principal of 
 
 Petersburg High School; Cena A., a graduate of 
 the Farmington High School, is the wife of .T. H. 
 Rockwell, their home being in Brookfield, Afo.; 
 Everett is now living in Elniwood engaged in busi- 
 ness, but formerly taught school; Lucy is the wife 
 of G. W. Yerion, a prominent young farmer of the 
 township, whose sketch appears in this ALurjr; 
 Ruby, formerly engaged in school-teaching." mar- 
 ried John Steck, a farmer in this township; Frank 
 is engaged in .agriculture here; Annie and William 
 still remain at home. 
 
 Mr. Meeker served as Township Clerk three 
 years. Assessor two years, School Trustee and 
 Director for a long period, and was elected Justice 
 of the Pe.ace, but did not qualify for that oflice. 
 In politics he is a Prohibitionist; He is a Trus- 
 tee in the Methodist Episcoi)al Church at Concord, 
 and was at one time Class-Leader; he helped much 
 in the erection of the church edifice. 
 
 -^ 
 
 iLI.TAH STARTS. Thi.'^ gentleman is one 
 1^, of the old settlers of Peoria County having 
 removed thither from Guernsey County, 
 Ohio, in 1848. He was born in Delaware, Decem- 
 ber 16, 1818, to Elisha and Hester A. Starts, 
 natives of Delaware and Ohio. When our sub- 
 ject was quite young, his parents removed to 
 Coshocton, Guernsey County, Ohio, where he was 
 reared to manhood. He received his education in 
 the public schools of his district and m.ide good 
 use of the opportunities there afforded to acquire a 
 fair English education. The knowledge olitained in 
 the little, low building devoted to the purposes of 
 a school, supplemented by close observation and 
 subsequent reading has been of great value to him 
 in his career in life. 
 
 When our subject reached the age of twenty-one 
 he started out in life for himself and worked at odd 
 jobs until the death of his parents, his father dying 
 in 1841 and his mother in 1840. Soon afterward 
 his home was l)roken up by the ravages of death. 
 Mr. Starts was married to a lady in the neighbor- 
 hood, but'his wedded bliss was brief, as she died 
 not long afterward leaving one child to the care of
 
 941 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the SOI rowing father. Although left motherless at 
 such a tender age, the little girl, Hester Aun, 
 blossomed into noble womauhoorl, and is now the 
 wife of Nathan Fuller, of this township. After 
 the wife's death our subject removed to Hollis.and 
 worked for Mr. Powell and others for two years, 
 after which he returned to the Bucke^-e State. 
 There he married Miss Ellen Addj', a sister of 
 his first wife and a daughter of William Ad<ly. In 
 1850 he once more took up his residence in Hollis 
 and settled on the eighty acres of land which is 
 now a portion of his present home. 
 
 The liapiiy home was again invaded bj- death, 
 and in 18G3 the beloved wife died, leaving three 
 children tocomfort,as best they might, the stricken 
 fatlier, left to gloom and loneliness. Tiieir names 
 are as follows: Sarah, the wife of John Stewart, of 
 Hollis Township, who died leaving three children, 
 Lydia, Stella and Bell, one of whom is now de- 
 ceased: ^Iar\\ the second daughter, is the wife of 
 John Johnson, formerly- a resident of Hollis, but 
 now living in Pottawatamie County, Iowa. The 
 youngest. Miss Violet, is still a member of her 
 father's household and an ornament to the com- 
 munity. 
 
 In 186G Mr. Starts again visited his former home 
 and won a bride there in the person of Miss Eliza- 
 beth Bach, and was married November 1.5, 1866. 
 She is a daughter of William and M,ary (ilurlattie) 
 Bach, natives of America, of P^nglisb and Welsh 
 stock. William Bach was a son of William and Mar}- 
 (Llo3d) Bach, and still lives in Guernse}' County,, 
 Ohio, where he is highly respected for his man\' 
 sterling virtues. He was born May 22, 1812. Mrs. 
 B.ach, wife of William Bach, and mother of Mrs. 
 Starts, departed tliis life in 1854 at the age of for- 
 tj'-three years. She w.os a good Christian woman 
 and her death was deeply lamented. William 
 Bach, Sr., was born December 9, 178C, and lived 
 to the ripe old age of eighty -seven, falling asleep 
 June 29, 1873. His wife. Mary (Lloyd) Bach, was 
 born May 25, 1789, and survived the storms of 
 life until September 2, 1868, when she too entered 
 upon eternal life, and there enjoys that rest which 
 remains for the people of God. 
 
 B}- his third marriage Mr. Starts has had five 
 children added to his family, as follows: Elijah 
 
 Lloj'd died when twelve years of age; Nora J., a 
 young lad}' still at home: two children died in in- 
 fancy, and the youngest, a son, James A., aged 
 eight 3'ears, Is a bright bo3',who gives much prom- 
 ise for future usefulness. 
 
 Mr. Starts bj' energy and industry accumulated 
 much valuable proiierty. His farm comprises four 
 hundred .acres of good land, most of which he 
 cleared from the timber and brush which covered 
 it in its original wildness. He now operates 
 about two hundred acres himself with the aid of 
 hired help, and the fine condition of everything 
 pertaining to it proclaims the care and thougiitful- 
 ness of the owner. In addition to his farm work 
 he followed carpentering for some twenty 3-ears. 
 but has recently abandoned that business and now 
 devotes his entire time to his home v.-ork. He 
 learned the carpenter trade while a resident of 
 Ohio under Albert Powell, a sketch of whom ap- 
 pears elsewhere. The beautiful estate of our sub- 
 ject is situated about twelve miles from the city of 
 Peoria. Harkers Corners being the nearest post- 
 office. 
 
 Politicall3-, Mr. .Starts affiliates with the Demo- 
 crat party on national issues, but is independent 
 in matters of local importance. He and his fam- 
 ily are devoted and active members of the La 
 Marsh Baptist Church, and he takes a deeper in- 
 terest in its welfare than in almost anything else. 
 He and his family live beautiful Christian lives, 
 and are higM3- esteemed for their many good qual- 
 ities 1)3' the people among whom their lot is cast. 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 NDREW W. PINCKNEY, Jr. There are 
 those who think the life of a farmer is but 
 Is a wearv round of drudger3' uncheered by 
 1^' intellectual or social enjoyments or un- 
 
 marked b}' the exhibition of any high mental cul- 
 ture or spiritual aspirations. A visit to the home 
 of A. W. Pinckne3- on section 12, Kickapoo Town- 
 ship, would prove this to be erroneous. The re- 
 finement of the home and surroundings indicates 
 that the inmates possess intelligence, culture and 
 a taste for all that is beautiful and ennobling.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 945 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write is the young- 
 est in a family of three sons and four (laughters, 
 whose parental history maj' be founil in the sketch 
 of Andrew AV. Pinclinej', Sr., whicli occui)ios an- 
 other page in this volume. He was born in Kieka- 
 poo Township, October 12, 1856, but was reared to 
 manhood in the count}' seat to whieli Ins fatlier re- 
 moved during his infanc}'. Me was educated in the 
 city schools where he disphiyed aptness in study 
 and a keen comprehension of the practical use of 
 knowledge. He remained with liis parents until his 
 marriage, after which he set ui) his own home. 
 
 Going to Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Piuckney 
 made their home in Denver for a year, thence re- 
 moving to Boulder City.and after sojourning there 
 an equal length of time, returned to the Prairie 
 State. They abode in Peoria until the spring of 
 1887, Mr. Pinckney being engaged in the real es- 
 tate business until that time, when he located on 
 land entered by his grandfather from the Govern- 
 ment. He now owns three hundred and twenty 
 acres on which he makes a specialty of breeding 
 trotting and draft horses. The location is a fav- 
 orable one for both stock-raising and farming and 
 is pleasant for the family, as it commands a good 
 view of tiie landscape diversified by iiiil and 
 plain, forest and stream. 
 
 In Kansas City, Mo., October 7, 1879,the interesting 
 ceremony took place which transformed Miss Lena 
 Miedroth into Mrs. A. W. Pinckney. Mrs. Pinck- 
 ney was born in Peoria February 22, 1863, being 
 the fifth child of William and Caroline (Little) 
 Meidroth, both natives of Wurtemburg, Germany. 
 They were early settlers in Peoria, where the father 
 died about 1872. Mrs. Pinckney was the recipi- 
 ent of excellent advant.ages in the way of schooling 
 and maternal advice and instruction, and grew to 
 womanhood, |)0ssessing a noble nature and a 
 cultured mind. Mr. and Mrs. Pinckney are the par- 
 ents of one son. who also bears the name of An- 
 drew W., a brilliant lad, who bids fair to extend 
 the usefulness and repute of the famil}' name even 
 more rapidly than his progenitors have done. 
 
 Mr. Pinckney is a believer in and supporter of 
 the principles of the Republican party. A |)ublic 
 siilrited and energetic laborer in worldly affairs, 
 and a genial, hospitable, upright man, he is re- 
 
 l,Vig 
 
 garded with great respect by those who know him 
 while his good wife shares in the regard of their 
 associates. Both are members of Orange Grange, 
 to the work of which tiiey devote considerable 
 time. 
 
 jOSEPH DALTON is closely identified with 
 the building interests of Peoria County as 
 one of its leading brick manufacturers. He 
 carries on his business in K'ichwood Town- 
 ship, where he has all the best machinery for the 
 manufacture of l)rick, of which he turns out a large 
 quantity of Uie best and most durable make, which 
 command a ready sale. Hero he has built up a 
 beautiful home on section 32, replete with every 
 desirable comfort and has acquired other valuable 
 property. 
 
 Mr. Dalton was born in County Kilkenny, Ire- 
 land, December 2(', 1826. He was reared to man- 
 hood in the place of his nativity, being bred to 
 farming pursuits. He loft his old home in 1849, 
 and in 1850 came to America with his mother, two 
 brothers and a sister. They Landed at New Orleans 
 and from there came to Peoria, arriving in that 
 city Ma}- 6. His mother, whose maiden name was 
 Mar}' Cody, died in Peoria. Our subject worked 
 at different occui)ations in that city for several 
 weeks and was then employed in the "Peoria House" 
 for thirteen mouths. After that he found work in 
 a brick-yard, on what is now Taylor Street. He 
 continued working for oliiers at the same employ- 
 ment from 1852 to 1859, when he invested his 
 money and established himself as a brick manu- 
 facturer, having as a partner John IJutler. They 
 were together for four years, and then our subject 
 bought a tract of land of fifteen acres, and en- 
 gaged in making brick exclusively for himself, and 
 has since continued in business alone. He manu- 
 factures a large quantity of brick, turning off about 
 one million and two hundred thousand annually. 
 He owns one hundred and fifty five .acres on sec- 
 tion 32, of Richwood Township, and owns and oc- 
 cupies a handsome, well-appointed residence. 
 
 To the lady who presides' over his charming 
 home and so graciously aids him in extending its
 
 946 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 , well-kuowu hospitalities to their many friends, Mr. 
 Daltou was married in Peoria. Mrs. Dalton's 
 maiden name was Catherine Nail, and she is, like 
 himself, of Irish birth. 'Uhey have eight children 
 living, as follows: James, Mary. Richard, Elizabeth, 
 Patrick, Catherine, Joseph and Margaret. 
 
 Joseph Dalton possesses more than ordinary force 
 of character, guided by right principles and sec- 
 onded b\^ clear discernment, wise caution and ex- 
 cellent business capacity, and these make him an 
 influence in the work of improving and further 
 developing the township which he has made his 
 home. He possesses true public spirit, 3'et be has 
 never sought ottice, as he has to devote himself to 
 his business in order to carry it on successfully. 
 In liis political views Mr. Daltou is conservative, 
 but favors the Democratic party with his support. 
 Religioush', he and his estimable wife are of the 
 Catholic faith, and are respected members of the 
 church of that denomination. 
 
 -»^#i 
 
 k^'- 
 
 i, ORTIMER M. MILLER. One of the 
 large landowners in Kickapoo Township 
 is the gentleman above named, whose 
 pleasant residence is located on section 
 25, and whose landed estate comprises five hun- 
 dred and twenty acres, mostly in this township. 
 It is marked with good improvements, and presents 
 a beautiful appearance wheu the fine crops are wav- 
 ing under a gentle breeze or drooping their heavy 
 heads in readiness for the sickle. 
 
 Mr. Miller was born in Newport, Ky., Jul}- 3, 
 1837, and was seventeen years old when he left the 
 city and engaged in farming about three miles from 
 his birthplace. .Three 3-ears later he removed to 
 Pekin, 111, his means of transportation being a 
 wagon, and soon afterward came into Peoria 
 County, settling in Richwood Township. There 
 he pursued his former vocation until early in the 
 '60s, when he moved into Peoria, making that city 
 his home about two j'ears, and busying himself at 
 different occupations. Returning to the farm in 
 Richwood ToW'Uship, he cultivated it about two 
 
 3ears, then rented land in Kickapoo Township for 
 about the same length of time. 
 
 We next find Mr. Miller purchasing land on sec- 
 tion 25, Kickapoo Township, which he has since 
 made his home and upon which he has made good 
 improvements. The fertile estate is divided into 
 fields of convenient size, and under the intelligent 
 tillage of the owner proves a ver}- valuable piece 
 of property'. The jears which Mr. Miller has 
 spent in farming have made him a master of the 
 art, and his crops are not onh- proportionate to the 
 large amount of land which he owns, but are unex- 
 celled in quality. 
 
 The wife of Mr. Miller bore the maiden name of 
 Elizabeth II. Crook, and is the youngest child of 
 George A. and Elizabeth (Ilolbrook) Crook. Her 
 parents were born in Baltimore, Md.. and there the 
 mother breathed hor last. Mr. Crook afterward 
 married Miss Martha Spurck, removed to Peoria 
 in 1846, and after several years spent in mercantile 
 pursuits engaged in farming in Kickapoo Town- 
 ship. There the marriage rites of his daughtec 
 and Mr. Miller were celebrated September 13, 
 1859. Mr. Crook is now living in Brookl^'u, 
 N. Y. 
 
 Tiie birth of Mrs. Miller occurred in Perry 
 Count}', Ohio, September 12, 1839. She is well 
 informed, has been devoted to her husband and 
 children, and is kindly in her relations with those 
 about her. She has borne her husband twelve 
 children, viz.: Frederick, Ida, Eva, Lottie, Will- 
 iam, Carrie, Kate, Sarah, Marion, Charles, Wilbur, 
 and Pearl. Eva and William are deceased. Ida 
 is the wife of William Blackwell, and Lottie the 
 wife of Fred Matthews. Mr. Miller has not sought 
 for office, preferring the quiet of home life to the 
 turmoil of the political arena. He casts his vote 
 with the Democratic party. He is regarded with 
 the esteem which his personal character merits, 
 and is numbered among the progressive farmers of 
 this section. 
 
 The f.ather of our subject was Frederick A. Miller, 
 a native of Harrisburg, Pa., and his mother, Sarah 
 A. Clifton, who was born in Paris, Kj-. After 
 their marriage this worth}' couple settled in the 
 Blue Grass State, and from Newport came to Peo- 
 ria Countv. 111., about 1857. Thev settled in Rich-
 
 ^.U^CuwxaJU^ Jij2Mj2^A^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BlOGRAl'mCAL ALBUM. 
 
 949 
 
 wood Towiisliii), where Mr. Miller died tliree years 
 later. The widowed mother still survives. The 
 family consists of eleven thildren. of whom Morti- 
 mer INI. is the (iftli in order of birth. 
 
 -^^§^^^^^ 
 
 1 MANUEL KELLER. In this gentleman 
 Princevilie has not onlj- one of its most 
 /t' — '-^ practical and successful farmers, but also 
 one of its most desirable eitizeus, who is a conspic- 
 uous figure in the social, religious and political life 
 of this part of the count\'. As a veteran of the 
 late war, in wliich he fought long and well, and as 
 an enter|nising citizen of Peoria County, we arc 
 pleased to uresent his biographical sketch and por- 
 trait on these pages. 
 
 The father of our subject, Flory Keller, was 
 born in (lermany, and when three j'ears of age 
 accom[)anied his father to tliis country, his mother 
 having died in their native land. They settled in 
 Pennsylvania, and Flory was put out to strangers, 
 being reared on a farm and early becoming self- 
 supporting, lie lived in Little York. York County, 
 Pa., and was there occupied in agricultural pur- 
 suits until he removed to Ohio, and was engaged in 
 the same occupation among the pioneers of Rich- 
 land and Stark Counties. He remained there until 
 1841, and tlien coming to this State, located in the 
 timber in Essex Township, Stark County. He 
 made his living by working for others there until 
 1853, and then coming to Princevilie Township, 
 rented land for some years. In 1850 he bought 
 eighty acres, comi)rising tiie western part of the 
 northeastern (juarter of section 10, which he im- 
 jjroved from wild prairie into a well cultivated 
 farm. 
 
 In the fall of 18U8JIr. Keller sold that iduce, 
 and going to Doniphan County, Kan., purchased 
 two hundred and forty acres of land, where he lo- 
 cated and was engaged in its improvement several 
 years. lie subse(piontly removed to Phillips 
 Count}' and bought a claim, and made his title 
 clear; he finally disposed of it at an advance, 
 and returned to Highland, Kan., and now lives 
 retired with a son. he having reached the venerable 
 
 age of eighty-five years. He is in every way a 
 worthy man, and has won the esteem of all about 
 him. He has alw,a3's been a sturdy supporter of 
 the Republican party. The maiden name of the 
 mother of our subject was Catherine Coleman, and 
 she was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of Chris- 
 topher Coleman, a farmer and likewise a native of 
 the Kej'stone State. He was a pioneer of Ohio, 
 and in 1841 removed to Illinois, dying at a ripe 
 old age. The mother of our subject is still living 
 at the age of seventy-five j-ears. She belongs to 
 the Methodist Episcopal Cluirch, and is firm in the 
 faith. 
 
 The following is recorded of the twelve chil- 
 dren born to the parents of our subject: Eli was a 
 member of the One Hundred and First Illinois In- 
 fantry, enlisting in 18C2, and serving faithful!}' 
 until he gave up his life for his country, in 1863, 
 at. Mission Creek; Andrew was a soldier in the 
 Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, enlisting in 18G2, 
 and sacrificed his life in the cause, having been 
 mortally wounded at Kenesaw ]\Iountain, and 
 d3Mng two da3S afterward; Emanuel is the next in 
 order of birth; Elizabetli. now Mrs. Lake, resides 
 in I'hillips Count}', Kan.; Edmond, a resident of 
 Abilene, Kan., and County Coroner, enlisted in 
 the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry in 1862, and 
 served until honorably discharged on account of 
 physical disability ; he subsecpiently re-enlisted in 
 the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth, one hundred 
 day regiment, and was afterward in Battery A. 
 Second Illinois Light Artillery, until tlie close of 
 the war; W. H., a resident of Highland, Kan., en- 
 listed in 18G2, in the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, 
 and served until the close of the war; Levi resides 
 in Highland, Kan.; Alfred is a farmer in Phillips 
 County, Kan.; Ezra A. resides in Highland, 
 Charles in Phillips County, and Samuel and David 
 also in Highland, that State. 
 
 The subject of this notice was liorn in Richland 
 County, Ohio, October 25, 1838, and was less than 
 three years old when he accompanied his parents to 
 Illinois, coming by boat to Peoria. His first recol- 
 lections are of a pioneer home in Stark County, 
 this State, where he lived until he was twelve 
 years old. His school advantages were limited, as 
 he attended school but a few months in his early
 
 950 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 bo^'liood. He remained at home with his parents 
 until he was twenty-one, and tlien engaget] in work- 
 ing out by the month until lie entered the army. 
 He watched the course of the war with patriotic 
 ardor, and in August, 1802, volunteered for the 
 defense of his country, enlisting in Company K, 
 Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry, which was mustered 
 in at Peoria, and dispatched to [^ouisviUe, Ky.. ar- 
 riving there October 8. Mr. Keller took part in 
 the battle of Perrysville, K}^, and was in the var- 
 ious s^<irmishes around Nashville, the battles of 
 Franklin and Brentwood, and with his regiment in 
 its various encounters with the enemy in and 
 around Murfreesboro. He engaged in the battle 
 of Chickamauga, and was at Mission Ridge. From 
 there he and his comrades went toKnoxville, thence 
 returned to Chattanooga, and in the siiring of 1864 
 accompanied Sherman on his Georgia campaign. 
 
 Our subject was wounded l\y a minie ball at the 
 battle of Buzzard's Roost, the ball lodging in the 
 right arm above the elbow, and on J\Iay 10 he was 
 sent to the field hospital, and thence to .leffersou- 
 ville, Ind., where he remained until July. In that 
 month he joined his regiment at the front, and 
 fought well in the battles of Atlanta and Jonesboro, 
 and then followed Forrest to Florence, Ala., and 
 did good service in the Florence expedition. Re- 
 turning to Atlanta the nest day, he started on the 
 famous march to the sea, and from Savannah went 
 northward through the Carolinas. and at the battle 
 of Averysboro his brave conduct won him deserved 
 promotion to the i)osition of Coiporal. He fought 
 in the battle of Bentonville, and marched on to 
 Raleigh with his regiment, proceeded to Washing- 
 ton by the way of Richmond, and took part in the 
 Grand Review. He was mustered out as Corporal, 
 and discharged at Chicago, June 27, 1865, having 
 proved throughout his whole course in camp and 
 on the field that he possessed true soldierly quali- 
 ties. In the fight at Buzzard's Roost a spent ball 
 bit him on the right shoulder, and another grazed 
 his cheek and drew blood. In the second battle of 
 Buzzard's Roost he was wounded badly in the arm. 
 After his long and hard ex|)erience of a military 
 life our subject returned to Princeville, and quietly 
 resumed the life of a civilian, and was engaged in 
 working out until the spring of 1866. He then 
 
 rented a farm in Princeville, then in Akron Town- 
 ship, for three years, and subsequently farmed 
 near Duncan for two years. In 1872 he located on 
 his present place, and in 1885 purchased eighty 
 acres on section 10, placing that tract under sub- 
 stantial improvement. He raises and sells cattle of 
 fine grades, and has full-blooded Poland-China 
 hogs, and good horses, using three teams to operate 
 his farm. 
 
 Mr. Keller was first married in Princeville, March 
 21, 1866, to Miss Eunice A.Perkins, who was born 
 in Connecticut and came here with her ))arents. 
 Their wedded life was a happy one, and was 
 brought to a close by her death in 1875. She was 
 the mother of three children: Forest E., a touso- 
 rial artist in Princeville; Morris W., at home with 
 his father; and a child who died in infancy. Mr. 
 Keller was married to his present estimable wife, 
 formerly Miss Marian Fallow, in January, 1878, 
 the wedding ceremonj' taking place in Manchester, 
 Conn. Mrs. Keller was born in Scotland, and 
 came to America when a child with her father, 
 John Fallow. She was reared in Connecticut, and 
 when a young lady learned the manufacture of silk 
 in the factories. She was married in Manchester 
 to Addison Dart, and had one child by that mar- 
 riage, Addison A. Dart, who lives with her and 
 our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Keller have four chil- 
 dren living: Wilder II., Geneva, Riley and an in- 
 fant named Jennie. Their son John died at the 
 age of three years. 
 
 Mr. Keller is in every way worthy of the high 
 estimation set upon his value by the community, 
 as a noble, true-hearted, loyal Christian gentleman, 
 in whom his fellow-citizens may place implicit 
 trust. Forethought, sagacity' and clear discern- 
 ment, combined with a due sense of honor and 
 honesty, are prominent traits of his character, and 
 by these he has placed himself on a sound financial 
 basis among the substantial citizens of the town- 
 ship and county. He is a member of the Prince- 
 ville Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is 
 at present Trustee, and the sincerity of his faith 
 is betokened by his work. He is prominent in 
 local i)olitics, a stalwart among the Republicans, 
 and has been Delegate to county conventions. He 
 was School Director for three terms, and is at pres-
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 951 
 
 eat Commissioner of Highways, serving his fourth 
 tcy-in in this otlice. He is identified with tlic 
 Princeville I. O. O. F. as Past Noble. He is an 
 ini|)(jrtant memljer of the Frenche Post, G. A. R., 
 of wiiich he is Past Commander, and he was present 
 at tlie St. Louis and Columbus encampments. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 OBERT H. AVEKY. The Avery Planter 
 Company succeeded the firm of R. H. & 
 C. M. Avery, wh,) began the present busi- 
 ness at Galesburg, 111., al)out 1872. They 
 then engaged in the manufacture of the stalk cut- 
 ter, which was invented by R. H. Avery, but after 
 two years turned over the manufacture of this to 
 other parties on a roj'alty. The stalk cutter was 
 thus manufactured for a period of five years when, 
 in 1S78, the two brothers resumed its manufacture 
 themselves, and aditeil thereto the corn planter 
 which was also invented by Mr. Avery, of whom 
 we write. In 1879 they added the check rower, 
 whicli was the invention of Mr. Berrien at the 
 suggestion of iSIr. Avery, and a part of wiiich was 
 patented by the latter. 
 
 About this time Mi'. Berrien was taken into tlie 
 employ of the Avery Bro.s., remaining with them 
 until the summer of 1889. Tlie factoi'y olso 
 turned out the [livotal wheel- cultivator. T'his was 
 tlie first firm to put the tongueless plow on the 
 market, but not finding it entirely i)ractieal, they 
 tlien withdrew it until about 1885, then improved 
 the same, making an implement that has been a 
 great success, both for the labor required of it and 
 as a salable article. The manufactory was contin- 
 ued at (ialesburg until 1882, when the firm of R. II. 
 ife C. M. Avery put up the buildings and estab- 
 lished tlie plant at Peoria, it being located at No. 
 2300-2;310 North Adams Street. 
 
 The main oflice, warerooms and factory have a 
 frontage of over one hundred and fifty feet, with 
 a depth of one hundred and sixty feet, builtaround 
 a court forty feet square. The center of the front 
 on Cedar Street is devoted to the offices, and di- 
 rectly over these is a sample room. The building 
 is a three story and basement under the whole. 
 
 with the exception of the north side, which is three 
 stories and no basement. 'J'lie building is equipped 
 with automatic sprinklers for the purpose of extin- 
 guishing fires. In faetevery precaution has been 
 taken against fire, each room being separated from 
 the next by double doors, and each door covered 
 with metal on both sides. The whole is illumi- 
 minated by electric light. There are throe elevators 
 in the building. 
 
 The east side of the main building is on the 
 switch of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- 
 road, and the arrangements are such that none of 
 the material employed in mainifacture, such as 
 iron, lumber, fuel and sand, requires to be loaded 
 on to a wagon, but instead is taken directly from 
 the cars into the building, and such are the facili- 
 ties for loading that si.x cars ma^' be sent out at a 
 time. The building is of brick, with walls more 
 than ordinarilj' heavy and substantial, fifteen 
 thousand brick being employed to complete one 
 course. There is also a tunnel running under tlie 
 railroad tracks from the basement of the building 
 to the level of those adjacent and in the rear. The 
 establishment occupies five acres of land on either 
 side of the track, upon a part of which is built a 
 foundrj', 70x288 feet in dimensions, with two 
 cuiiolas and a flrc^ proof pattern vault separate 
 from it, these being f>f frame, brick lined and with 
 metal roof. 
 
 The blacksmith-shop is 44x108 feet in dimen- 
 sions, and^ there is a grinding and engine room of 
 the same size, but separated by a fire wall. The 
 wheel room and dipping room is 44x50, and there 
 is a cleaning and tumbling room, 28x40. The 
 buildings of the factory were all erected by R. H. 
 cfe C. M. Avery, who carried on the factory one 
 year, and then the business was incorporated under 
 the name of the Avery Planter Company, with a 
 capital stock of $200,000. R. H. Aveiy was made 
 I'residcnt, W. S. Coe, Secretary, and C. M. Avery, 
 Treasurer. They give employment to three hun- 
 dred men at the factory, besides numbers on the 
 road. They have branch houses .at Kansas City, 
 Omaha and Des Moines, and their goods are also 
 represented by B. F. Avery & Sons, at Louisville, 
 Ky., who operate the Southern trade. 
 
 Twenty-five different styles of cullivators arc
 
 952 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 manufacturer] by this company, and the present 
 season (1890) a new check rower has been intro- 
 duced, iiitewise a new variety of corn planter, to- 
 gether with the manufacture of traction engines 
 and separators. For this purpose it has been nec- 
 essary to jiut in a line of new and heavy machin- 
 ery- and additional buildings; and the firm has just 
 completed a large boiler room, 44x120 feet in di- 
 mensions. The tongneless cultivator is constantly 
 undergoing improvement, so that it now works 
 almost automatically. Besides this the company 
 manufactures the riding and walking plow, the 
 wheels of which may bo thrown forward when re- 
 quired in walking, and backward when riding, 
 enabling the plow to be in balance at all times. 
 
 The subject of this notice was born at (Jalesbnrg, 
 HI., ■Ianuar3' 17, 1840, and was a son of George 
 Avery, a native of New York, and now deceased. 
 The mother bore the maiden name of S. P. M. 
 Phelps, and is living in Galesburg, 111. Robert H. 
 spent his boyhood and youth in his native city, 
 acquiring his education under a well-conducted 
 school system, and at an early period in life began 
 farming and handling live-stock. He was thus 
 occupied until after the outbreak of the Civil War, 
 then, in 1862, enlisted in Company A, Seventy- 
 seventh Illinois Infantry, soon after which he was 
 promoted to be a Sergeant. His regiment was as- 
 signed to the Arm}- of the Mississippi, and assisted 
 in the siege and capture of Vicksburg, Arkansas 
 Post, Jacksonville, and Schreveport. jSIr. Avery 
 was himself ea|)tured in August. 1864, and thrown 
 into Andersonville Prison. Later he was sent to 
 Savannah, and subsequentl}- w;is at different places 
 in Southern Georgia, under the guard of troops, 
 but was finally returned to Andersonville, where 
 he w,a3 confined until the close of the war, thus 
 being a prisoner for a term of eight and a half 
 months, five and a half months being spent in 
 Andersonville. 
 
 After being relegated to the ranks of civil life, 
 Mr. Avery resumed farming in the vicinity of 
 Galesburg, and was thus occupied until becoming 
 interested in his present enterprise. Although a 
 sound Republican, politically, he has held aloof 
 from the responsibilities of office with the excep- 
 tion of being connected with the School Board, of 
 
 which he is now President. He is at present serv- 
 ing as Mayor of the village of Avery. He was 
 married .January 17, 1867, at Galesburg, III., to 
 Miss Sarah P., daughter of F. M. and Sarah (Pay- 
 son) Ay res. This union has resulted in the birth 
 of six children, all of whom are living, namel}^ : 
 Minnie E., Frederick R.. Sa<]ie P., Cornelia, Ellen 
 and Elizabeth P. 
 
 AMUEL WOOLNER. In the life of this 
 gentleman, who is now one of the leading 
 citizens of Peoria, is ijrovided an ex- 
 cellent exami)le of what may be accom- 
 plished by a determined will from an humble 
 beginning. Once a penniless foreigner, now an 
 lK)nored and influential citizen; once a i)eddler, 
 now a cai)italist; thus in a few words may be 
 summed u() a history in which it is our purpose to 
 mention the chief events. 
 
 Samuel Woolner was born in Hungary on the 1 1th 
 of March, 1846, to Solomon and Sallie AVoolner. 
 The Woolner brothers came to America in 1863, 
 locating first in New York and then in Louisville. 
 Ky. For some time Mr. Woolner followed the 
 roads, peddling merchandise, and after having ac- 
 cumulated some means, he, in connection with his 
 brothers, built a distillery in Louisville. In 1871 
 the\- came to Peoria, following the same business, 
 and a little later building the sugar works. The 
 firm is now comprised of Adol|)h and Samuel 
 Woolner, J.acob Woolner and Morris II. Woolner. 
 They have erected a number of buildings in Peoria, 
 some of them very fine ones, and are now con- 
 structing a block, which is the largest and best 
 adapted for its purposes in the cit^'. owned by 
 Adolpli and Samuel Woolner. 
 
 In New York. March 20, 1869, Mr. Woolner 
 led to the hymeneal altar Miss Johann Levy, who 
 died in the winter of 1872, leaving an infant 
 daughter. Jliss Ilanuah .'^. Woolner is now a 
 beautiful and accomplished yojng lady, well fitted 
 to grace the society in which she moves and at- 
 tract to her home a cultured circle. 
 
 Samuel Woolner belongs to the Masonic frater-
 
 ^x*Si 
 
 k*V. 
 
 ^.-*— «— ^
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 953 
 
 nit}', having taken the thirty-second degree, and 
 also a number of Jewish orders. He is a Di 
 rector in the German-American Banic and a member 
 of the Whiskj- and Cattle Dealers' Trust. In poli- 
 tics he is a stanch Republican. He is now doing 
 good service for the citizens of the Fifth Ward as 
 a member of the Common Council, having served 
 two terms. Ho lias also represented the Fourth 
 Ward for one term, being the first Republican who 
 has ever represented that ward, lie is the Presi- 
 dent for the Home for the Aged and Infirm Is- 
 raelites, at Cleveland, also a Director of the Cleve- 
 land Orphan Asylum, at Cleveland, Ohio, which 
 cares for five hundred c)rphan children. He has 
 held several high positions in the Jewish orders, 
 having been Grand Master of the order called the 
 Independent Order of the Sons of Covenant ; and 
 alsi) has been, and is now, a -Director of the Peoria 
 Board of Trade. He iuis Uvea President of the 
 Woolner Bros. Distillery since the organization of 
 that firm up to the time he entered the Distillers' 
 Cattle Feeding Company. He has been Treasurer 
 of the Peoria Grape Sugar Company since its or- 
 ganization. While siirewd in business transactions, 
 he is iionorable in his dealings, interested in the 
 uijbuilding of the cit}' and its advancement as an 
 educational center, and he, therefore, enjoys an ex- 
 cellent reputation and has many warm personal 
 friends. 
 
 
 i=rr;=j 
 
 <;i'OHN LARKIN. As tiic largest landowner 
 in Trivoli Township and cne of its leading 
 farmers antl stock-raisers, Mr. Larkin occu- 
 (^g/' pies an important (jlacc in the citizenship of 
 Peoria County, and this l>ioGKAriiic.\L Album 
 would be incomplete without a sketch of his life 
 and work. 
 
 Hazard Larkin. the father of our subject, was 
 born in Schoharie County, N. Y., April 8, 1800. 
 His father, whose given name was John, was born 
 in Rhode Island, near the Sound, anil there followed 
 farming. Some time after marriage he went with 
 his wife and three children to settle among the pio- 
 neers of Scoharie County, where he cleared a good 
 
 farm from the wilderness and became well-to-do. 
 His home was near Carlisle. He was a gallant 
 soldier in the War of 1812, and the gun tliat he 
 carried in thnt war is in the possession of our 
 subject. 
 
 The father of our subject after his marriage in 
 182.5, bought a farm of one hundicd acres near 
 Scoharie, which was his home until May 7, 1839, 
 when he came to this county with his wife and four 
 cliildren in a covered wagcn. The roads were 
 very mudd}' and when he arrived here Juueo, 1839, 
 he had driven so hard that his horses were ucaily 
 killed. He had bought land in 1838 on section 22, 
 Trivoli Township, comprising one hundred and 
 sixty acres with some improvements on it. He 
 gave §1,000 and .1 pair of horses for the place, and 
 his family moved into the rude log house that 
 stood there. This house w.as of the mo: t i>rimitive 
 construction. []ut together without nails, with a 
 puncheon floor, a rude fireplace, and a door with a 
 wooden latch and hinges. 
 
 In early days Hazard Larkin used to have the 
 land plowed around the house so that the (H-airie 
 (ires might not destroy it. He lived in that i)io- 
 neer home seven years and then re|)laced it with a 
 frame house of hard wood. He added to his origi- 
 nal purchase until he had two hundred and forty 
 acres of land there. In 1855 he bought of Philip 
 Johnson the farm now owned and occupied by our 
 subject, com|)rising two hundred acres of land on 
 section 10, and here he engaged in farming and 
 stock-raising until his death in 1881 on the anni- 
 versary of his birth. He was one of the wealthy 
 men of the county, having at one time eight hun- 
 dred acres of improved land. To each of his chil- 
 dren he gave a good start in life, and was one of the 
 most generous and ojien-lianded of men, giving 
 liberally to tlie poor. He was a Universalist in his 
 religious faith, and a Democrat in politics. 
 
 The mother of our subject resides with him. The 
 following are the names of her seven children: 
 Almira, (Mrs. Cramer) of Livingston County; 
 Joseph, who died in Newton, Iowa; Mary, (Mrs. 
 .lohnson) who died here; Asenath, (Mrs. Mar- 
 quette) of Lincoln, Neb.; John; Daniel, who died 
 here at the age of twenty-six years; Adelia, who 
 died at the age of fourteen months.
 
 954 
 
 rORTRAIT AND r>I( )0KA1M1KA L ALBUM. 
 
 Nancy Larkin, the niollier of our subject, was 
 born in Scoliarie County, N. Y., t)ctobcr 4, 1809, 
 and was the second child in a family of eight chil- 
 dren belonging- to. I oseiih iJorst, a native of Scoliarie 
 County. He was a fanner and stockman, clearing 
 a farm from the primeval forests; he also built and 
 managed a hotel on the main turnpike to Buffalo. 
 He died at the age of thirty-nine years, of typhoid 
 fever. His father, Martin Borst, was born in Ger- 
 many and came to America when a boy with his 
 parents, settling in .Scoliarie County. He was a 
 Revolutionary soldier. The maiden name of his 
 wife was Betsey Lamb; she was born in Delaware 
 County, and reared in Scoliarie County among the 
 Indians; while the men were out in the Indian war 
 the women and children were obliged to take refuge 
 in the old stone fort at Scoharie, where some three 
 hundred of them were attacked by the British and 
 Indians and would have been killed bad it not been 
 for brave old TimMurph_y, who stood and shot the 
 Indians as they came. Grandfather Lamb was a 
 Revolutionary soldier and a farmer in Scoharie 
 Count}'. One spring while he was making sugar 
 ia his orchard he and liis son, William, weie taken 
 prisoners by the Indians and taken to Canada, the 
 savages compelling them to w.alk and carry sugar 
 on their backs. After they arrived at their desti- 
 nation the old man was permitted to go home but 
 the son was retained and became the properly of an 
 old squaw. She treated him verj' kindly and at 
 the end of three years managed his escape. 
 
 John Larkin, of whom we write, received his 
 education in the pioneer district schools of this 
 township, where he was born July 10, 1839. He 
 was very young when he commenced work on the 
 farm, driving an ox-team in breaking prairie; when 
 he was only eleven years old, he and his brother Dan- 
 iel, broke some one hundred acres in one season. 
 When he was but thirteen years old he drove horses, 
 hogs and cattle to Pekin to be sold. He remained 
 at home with his father and when twent3'-one j'ears 
 old engaged in running the home farm himself, and 
 after his father's deatii he came into possession of 
 some of the homestead by inheritance and by buy- 
 ing out the interest of the other heirs. His home 
 farm comprises three hundred and sixty acres on 
 section 10, where he has a line large bouse, two 
 
 commodious barns and other buildings, windmill 
 and tank, good wells and springs; the land is all 
 tillable, well tiled and fenced with hedge and wire, 
 and upon it are fine groves of walnut and other 
 trees, and an orchard. 
 
 Mr. Larkin is the owner of two hundred and 
 forty acres of the old homestead on section 22, two 
 hundred and twenty acres of which are under the 
 plow; it is supplied with a good set of buildings, 
 and has fine springs of water, being considered the 
 best stock farm in the county. He owns in all six 
 hundred and twenty acres in this township, and his 
 wife has a well-improved farm of two hundred acres 
 in Logan Township on the Peoria road, one-half 
 mile from Eaton. Jlr. Larkin has all of his land 
 rented but two hundred acres which he devotes to 
 pasture, and to raising grain and corn. He makes 
 a specialty of raising Poland-China hogs, having 
 from one to two hundred all tlie time, and sliiiiping 
 five or six carloads twice a year. During tlie war 
 he raised sheep. He is engaged in breeding line 
 horses, of which he has thirty head, keeping good 
 roadsters and using two or three teams on the farm. 
 
 Mr. Larkin's well-known ijublic spirit has been 
 of great benefit to bis native township. He was 
 very iiilluential in securing the passage of the Iowa 
 Central Railroad through the township, as we have 
 seen, giving it the right of way for half a mile and 
 he was one of the three men who subscribed 110(10 
 towards it. In 1886 he was elected Supervisor of 
 the township, holding the office two terms and has 
 been School Director and otherwise prominently 
 connected with the management of public affairs. 
 He is a member of the Farmington Lodge A. F. &. 
 A. M. He attends and is a liberal supporter of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, although he is a be- 
 liever in the LTniversalist faith. He has served on 
 the Grand and Petit Juries, and is one of the prom- 
 inent Democrats of the county, frequently serving 
 as a delegate to county conventions. 
 
 Our subject was wedded to Miss Lottie C. Wiley, 
 June 30, 1864. She is a native of Elrawood Town- 
 ship, and a daughter of Andrew M., and Mary 
 (Ewalt) Wiley, natives respectively of Greene 
 County, Pa., and Oliio, and early settlers of Elm- 
 wood Township. Jlr. Wiley by energetic and 
 well directed labor became wealthy and owned
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 955 
 
 some twelve hundred acres of land in Klmwood 
 'I\)\\iishi|), wlicie lie wa.s engaged as a stockman 
 luilil liis (lealli. Mr. and Mrs. Larkin liave liad 
 four cliildrc'ii, namely: Nellie A., who died at the 
 age of nine years; May Susan, a graduate of the 
 Karniington High School when she was seventeen 
 years old; Daniel Hazard and Nannie Josepluue. 
 
 !»1LLIAM STKAESSER is a representative 
 ^KrJ/i of one of the ol<l |)ionccr families of this 
 *^\j/ part of Illinois, and is in evei'y way a 
 worthy citizen of this his native counl^'. He now 
 owns and is snccessfnily managing the homestead 
 on section 5, Limestone Township, whii-li was his 
 birtlii)lace and which his father developed from 
 its original wildness. He is keeping it up to the 
 same high state of cultivation that it li;id attained 
 prior to the time it came into his [jossession, and 
 with its substantial improvements, it makes one of 
 the most desirable estates to be found in this part 
 of the country-. 
 
 Our subject is the sou of the late Christian 
 and Catherine (Haller) Slraesser, formerly well- 
 known residents of this township. His father was 
 born in ^Viltenburg, Germany, and when a young 
 man, came to this country and settled in Martins- 
 burg, Pa. He there met Catherine Haller, also a 
 native of Germany, and they being mutually 
 pleased with each other, were united in marriage 
 in the Keystone State and lived there several 
 years. They subsequently came to this county to 
 build up a new home on its wild prairies. They 
 selected a tract of land on section 35, that com- 
 prises the farm on which our subject is located. 
 Mr. Straesser first imrchased one hundred and 
 eighty acres of land and afterwards added eighty 
 acres. Busy years of hard laljor, sacrifice and 
 some privation, such as is common in pioneer life 
 followed, and through them all In; worked ener- 
 getically to [)lace his land under tillage, and make 
 of it a highly improved farm, and his success was 
 com|)lete. In the home which had thus been m.ade 
 by the work of his own hands, with the active co- 
 operation of his capable wife, he rounded out a 
 
 long and useful liie of eighty-six ye:iis. May 13, 
 1888. His widow now makes her iionie in the 
 city, where she enjo3's fair health for one of her 
 age, her years numltering seventy-one. Mr. Straes- 
 ser was a member of the Lutheran Church for 
 many 3'ears, but after coming to Peoria, joined the 
 Evanglieal Church of that city and was identitied 
 with it until the time of his ileath. I'olilicnlly he 
 w.as a stanch Democrat. 
 
 Our subject vvas born on the [larenlal homestead, 
 in ]May,18r)(),and here the years of his boyhood and 
 youth were p,as.sed, and he is s|)cnding his man- 
 hood amid the scenes of his early associations. He 
 received a sound educati<jn in the district school, 
 iind from his father a good practical training in 
 agriculture in all its brandies, and having a natu- 
 ral tsiste for such pursuits, has made- farming and 
 stock-raising his life work, and is doing well in his 
 vocation. 
 
 Mr. Straes.ser brought to this home of his birtli 
 liis bride, Miss Elizabeth F. Powell, December 21, 
 1878. IMrs. Straesser is a daughter of M. M. Pow- 
 ell of the city of Peoria, who was formerly a resi- 
 dent of Limestone Towushii), of which he was 
 one of the original settlers. The [ileasant iiorae 
 circle of our sulijeet and his wife i.s comiileted by 
 the three children born to them — Jlilton E., Elmer 
 M. and Harold C. 
 
 ^Ir. Straesser dis|)la3-s in his work, a keen, 
 thoughtful, practical mind and excellent business 
 lialiits, combined with wise thrift and a good ca- 
 pacity for prudent management, that insures suc- 
 cess in any calling. He and his wife are well 
 regarded by all in their neighborhood as the}- are 
 pleasant and considerate in their dealings with 
 others. Politically our sulijeet follows in the foot- 
 steps of his father, and upholds the Democratic 
 party. 
 
 - — -im^i — 
 
 sIIOMAS GILES. Among the residents in 
 Uichwood Township, who have spent years 
 in assisting in its development, have met 
 with a deserved success in their efforts to accumu- 
 late a competence, and have retired from .active 
 labor, is T'homas Giles, He was but little past his
 
 956 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 majority when he came hither with his father, and 
 from that time until he liaii passed his three-scoie 
 years and ten, he was activeh' identified with the 
 work of the township, farming being the business 
 to which he chiefly devoted liimself. He is the 
 fortunate jwssessor of an estate of three hundred 
 and thirty-three acres which has been thoroughly 
 cultivated, marked with excellent improvements, 
 and is in all respects a well-regulated estate. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Thomas and 
 Ann (Picken) Giles, natives of Gloucestershire and 
 Huntingdonshire, England, respectively. They were 
 married in the island of St. Helena, where tiiey 
 lived several j-ears. Thence thej' went to Glouces- 
 tershire, from there to South Wales, finally emi- 
 gi-ating to America during the jear John Quincj- 
 Adams was President. They settled in Utica, N, 
 Y.. but after a time removed to Richland. Oswego 
 County, remaining there until 1836, when thej- came 
 to Peoria County, 111. They settled on section 33, 
 Richwood Townslii(i. where the husband died in 
 1838, the widow surviving several j-ears. Mr. 
 Giles was a stonemason bj' trade, and also preached, 
 being of the Baptist faith. He and liis good wife 
 had a family of seven children, of wliom our sub- 
 ject is the eldest. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write, was born on 
 the island of St. Helena, February 28, 1814, and 
 •accompanied his parents in their various removals 
 (lui-ing his youth, uulil they finally- located in this 
 county. He was first married to Margaret Poplett, 
 a sister of Wyiie Poplett, in whose sketch the his- 
 torj- of her parents will_ be found. The marriage 
 resulted in the birth of seven children — Nathan T., 
 James, Joseph, AVilliam, Henry, George, and Mar}- 
 H. The first two named are deceaseil, and Mary is 
 the wife of George Yates. The devoted mother 
 and faithful companion died in Richwood Town- 
 sliii). which had been the scene of her marriage and 
 wedded life. 
 
 A second matrimonial alliance was contracted liy 
 Mr. Giles, in Peoria. October II, 1877. His bride 
 on this occasion was Mrs. Lucinda (Foster) Long, 
 daughter of Samuel and Martha (Wheeler) Foster, 
 and widow of John H. Long. She had one child 
 by her first marriage, Martha A., who is the vvife 
 of Isaac Keller, of Richwood. Mrs. Lucinda Giles 
 
 m 
 
 was born in Harrison County, Ohio, May 1, 1824. 
 She is a woman of ripe intelligence, notable skill as 
 a housewife and noble Christian character, and as 
 such.possesses the esteem of a large circle of friends. 
 She is a member of the Baptist Church. 
 
 Mr. Giles was formerly a Democrat, but since the 
 outbreak of the Civil War h.as acted with the Repub- 
 lican part}'. In March. 1888, he retired from active 
 farm labor, feeling that his long efforts in tilling the 
 soil entitled him to a rest, and the prosperity- attend- 
 ing him gave freedom from anxiety regarding the 
 future. He is identified with the Methodist Church, 
 and endeavors to make his life correspond with his 
 religious faith. It is needless to remark that he is 
 held in high repute throughout the neighborhood, 
 
 V AMES WALKER. Situated about one-quar- 
 ter of a mile west of the village of Mapleton, 
 is a tract of land owned and occupied by 
 the gentleman above named. The commo- 
 dious and pleasant dwelling and large barn are 
 built on the face of the bluff, protected from the 
 north winds by the hills which rise in the rear, and 
 overlooking the Illinois River for miles. Just be- 
 low the house runs the wagon road and the Toledo, 
 Peoria & Western Railroad, and bej-ond stretches 
 a fertile expanse of bottom land comprising two 
 hundred and fift3--eight acres. This tine property, 
 and the other possessions of Mr. Walker, have been 
 gained by perseverance and the energetic pursuit 
 of bis purpose. He began his career in life in early 
 youth with a capital of ^2 in money and a pon}- 
 worth about 810. 
 
 Mr. Walker was born in Tennessee, November 
 14, 1848, and removed in his childhood to Johnson 
 Count}', Tex. His father, Henry Walker, died in 
 Arkansas while on a trip in that State, and his 
 mother, Hannah (Shaw) Walker, was killed in a 
 cyclone when our subject was but five years old. 
 He remained with his grandparents, Gilbert and 
 Mary Shaw, until about sixteen 3'ears, when the 
 strict rules under which he was held, led to his 
 leaving his home. His sisters still reside in Texas, 
 but his grandparents are long since deceased.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 95!) 
 
 Securing a pony, \'oiing Walker began his life 
 
 biliiirs ;is a cowboy, coming willi a drove of cattle 
 through the Indian Territory to llnxler Springs, 
 Kan., ivliere the iierd was sold to a Mr. Maple, of 
 this county, for wlioin tlie town of Mapleton was 
 narntMl. Hiring out to that gentleman, 3'onng 
 Waliicr came to thi.s section two years before the 
 village was Inid out. He next engagetl witli a Jlr. 
 (lilfoy in a coal bank, taking charge of all the out- 
 side work, and saving his earnings for six years, 
 tlicn purchased a piece of land and opened up a 
 bank of his own. Not having sufficient means to 
 develop his coal mine, he secured as a partner, Mr. 
 Thomas Lindsey, a mercliant and [iroperty owner 
 in tiie village of Mapleton, and business was begun 
 under the lirm name of Lindsey & Co. 
 
 After a few years Mr. Lindsey sold all his inter- 
 est, including his store, to our subject, who con- 
 tinued the mercantile business and carried on the 
 mines until about tliree years since. He then sold 
 tlie store and his town residence, erected a pleasant 
 dwelling for his then good-sized fainil}-, and took 
 up his abode upon his faini. He also leased his 
 mines, which have a fine output of coal. The 
 property upon wliicli they are situated comprises 
 one liundred and eleven acres, and the vein of 
 "ijlack diamonds" is four and one-half feet thick. 
 
 At the home of the bride's parents, James and 
 Maj' (Buchanan) Watrous, November 5, 1874, the 
 marriage rites were celebrated between our subject 
 and Miss Juliette Watrous. Tlie Christian char- 
 acter and womanly attainments of Mrs. Walker, 
 well fit her for her duties as wife, mother, and mem- 
 ber of society. She has borne her husband three 
 sons and one daughter, named respectively: Frank, 
 Mary I^ydia, Edward, and Otto. All are acquir- 
 ing good educations, and in tlie intervals of studj-, 
 the boys are assisting their father on the farm as 
 their strength will permit. The mother of Mrs. 
 Walker is a native of the Buckeye State, and her 
 father is a son of Samuel and Julia A. Watrous. 
 
 Mr. Walker is interested in tiie social and benevo- 
 lent orders, holding membership in the Odd Fel- 
 lows lodge at Pekin, and the Masonic lodge in 
 Mai)leton ; he has passed tlirougli tlie various Chairs 
 of Odd Fellowship. In his political views he favors 
 Democracy. Both he and his wife belong to the 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Church of Mapleton. This 
 brief outline of the lifework of our subject is sufli- 
 cient to impress u[)oii those who read it, a worthy 
 example, and prove that the character and worldly 
 success of a poor and homeless boy are made or 
 marred by his own efforts. 
 
 A view of the pleasant and commodious resi- 
 dence of Mr. Walker, with its farm surroundings, 
 is presented on another page of this work. 
 
 K. PAHM ENTER, a member of the firm 
 >)] of Crofoot, Parmenter & IJerger, wholesale 
 l\ "~ boot and shoe dealers at No. 123 South 
 W.'ishington Street, is one of our most successful 
 and enterprising business men, who is doing his 
 l)art toward sustaining the financial ))rosperity of 
 Peoria. 
 
 Mr. I'armenter is a native of this State, Knox- 
 ville being the place of his birth aiul September 8, 
 1840, the date thereof. His father was eng.aged 
 in the retail boot and shoe business, and after our 
 subject had completed his education he became a 
 member of the firm of Parmenter & Son, of Knox- 
 ville. Their partnership continued until 1884, 
 when our subject went on the road as a traveling 
 salesman, being employed by Crofoot, Steele & 
 Co., of Chicago, boot and shoe dealers. He re- 
 mained with them a year and then started in busi- 
 ness for himself with his brother, in this citj', 
 in April, 1885, at No. 205 South Washington 
 Street, conducting a wholesale boot and shoe busi- 
 ness under the firm name of Parmenter Bros. 
 They carried on business in that way for eighteen 
 months, and then continued as Parmenter & Berger, 
 and December 1, 1889, admitted A. D. Crofoot 
 into the firm, changing the firm name to Crofoot, 
 I'armenter & Berger. The}' moved to their pres- 
 ent number, where they do a general wholesale 
 boot and shoe trade, devoting three floors and 
 a basement to their business, their establishment 
 being well fitted up and amply stocked with the 
 best of goods in their line to be found in the mar- 
 ket. Besides the clerks they employ they .send out
 
 ',)G0 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 two men on the road and do a business of $125,- 
 000 a year, wLich is constanllj' increasing, selling 
 principally in Illinois. 
 
 Mr. Parnieuter and Miss Racbael Iloriihaker, of 
 Peoria, daughter of John Hornbaker, were united 
 in marriage December ft, 1«G8. They have two 
 sons, Fred and Herbert, who are still attending 
 school. 
 
 Mr. Parmenter is a vigorous, wide-awake man, 
 with a tine talent for business, and by his sagacious 
 and al)le management has placed himself among 
 the moneyed men of Peoria, and has made himself 
 a factor in its commercial ijrosperity. He is well 
 known in this conimunilj- though he has not re- 
 sided here many years, and is well liked for his 
 geniality, courtesy and liberality. 
 
 /^EN. JOHN HOUGH. The task of the bio- 
 'II ,-— , grai)hical writer becomes very pleasant when 
 ^^^i^l the subject of his pen is one whose unvary- 
 inginlegrity, manliness, and devotion to duty fills the 
 heart with admiring respect. Such is the case in 
 noting the career of Gen. Hough, whose military 
 record is well known and appreciated by all lovers 
 of patriotism. He spent several of his best years, 
 hazarding strength, liberty- and even life, in the 
 service of his countrj', displa3'ing gallantry which 
 won the recognition of those above him in authority 
 and led to his honorable promotion. In the field of 
 diplomacy he was an acceptable representative of 
 the United States as the Vice Consul to Panama. 
 As a lawj'er, he was especially adapted for the du- 
 ties of counsel and office lawyer. 
 
 The Hough family was of English extraction, the 
 first of the name having come to America in 1665, 
 and three generations of ancestors of our subject 
 having lived in New Hampshire. In that State, 
 John Hough, Sr., his father, was a Lieutenant in 
 the War of 1812, and his grandfather, a Colonel in 
 the Revolutionar}^ War. John Hough, Sr., carried 
 on the occupation of tilling the soil. His wife, 
 Nancy Stickney, belonged to a fainilN' which had 
 been known in America for seven generations. This 
 
 worthy couple had nine children two of whom died 
 ill childhootl. Others now deceased are: Daniel S., 
 at one time a wholesale furniture dealer in New 
 York City, who spent the greater part of his life in 
 the Adirondacks; Lydia, wife of William Emeiy, of 
 Springfield, Mass.; and Emily, furmerly wife of 
 Judge 11. B. Hopkins, of Peoria. The living mem- 
 bers of the family circle are Sarah M., widow of H. 
 W. Holbrook in DuBois, this Slate; Nancj' S., wife 
 of Charles T. EUes, of Belleville; Charlotte S., wife 
 of Baxter E. Perry, an attorney in Boston, Mass.; 
 and our subject. The father died in his native 
 State in 1863, and the mother passed away in 1872. 
 
 John Hough, of whom we write, was born in 
 Dorchester, N. II., March 23, 1835, and passed his 
 Qtxvly days on the New England farm. After hav- 
 ing attended school in Norwich, Vt., he went to 
 New York, where he engaged in the furniture busi- 
 ness with his brother. After a time he entered an 
 academj' at Chester, Vt., solely for the purpose of 
 learning surveying and civil engineering. In mathe- 
 matics he is an expert, with a decided bent toward 
 its practical application to the branches al)ove men- 
 tioned. He taught school at Belleville, 111., and in 
 Peoria, filling a temporary vacancy in this city 
 while engaged in the stud3' of law with Hopkins i 
 Powell. This was soon after his arrival here in 
 1857. He had come to the State during the pre- 
 ceding year, but was engaged in the southern part 
 and on the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad from St. 
 Louis to Rolla, Mo., along the line of which he 
 bought about tiiirty thousand acres of land for 
 Eastern parties. 
 
 In the prosecution of the study of law Mr. 
 Hough had in view as a specialty, land litigation, 
 not caring to enter the criminal courts. In April, 
 1860, he was admitted to the bar and at once en- 
 gaged in active practice, which continued until after 
 the breaking out of the Civil War when his lo3-alty 
 led him to a different field of work. Immediately 
 after the outbreak of hostilities he began raising a 
 company, and when a call was made for seventy-five 
 thousand troops he went to Springfield to tender 
 the services of the compau}^ to the Governor. Re- 
 turning to Peoria he enlisted .as a private in Com- 
 pany A, Seventeenth Illinois Infantry, but on Ma}' 
 26, 1861, was transferred to the non-commissioned
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 961 
 
 staff as Sergeant-Major. On August 26 he was 
 promoted to be P'irst Lieutenant of Company B. 
 On tl)e 7th of November, while on route to Belmont 
 he was wounded and on April 16. 1862, resigned 
 from the service. 
 
 In a short time Mr. Hough re-enlisted, on August 
 28, being mustered into Company B, Seventy-scv- 
 entli Illinois Infantry, but receiving the promotion 
 to First Lieutenant and Adjutant, September 6th of 
 the same year. On July 2, 1863, he became Cap- 
 tain and Acting Adjutant-General of Volunteers, 
 and a \ear later was again promoted, becoming 
 Major and Acting Adjutant-General. In February, 
 1865, he was assigned to duty with the rank and 
 pay of Lieutenant-Colonel and Acting Adjutant- 
 General (jf the Sixteenth Army Corps, and a few 
 weeks later, March 13, was promoted to the rank of 
 Brigadier-General which he held when mustered out 
 of the service, November 25, 1865. His record is 
 an honorable one as is evidenced by his various 
 promotions. Even when unfit for service he in- 
 sisted upon remaining at his post. The battles in 
 which lie took part were Fredericktown, Belmont, 
 Ft. Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Shiloh, Chicka- 
 saw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Champion Hills, Vicks- 
 burg. Pleasant Hill. Yellow Bayou, Tupelo, Nash- 
 ville, Ft. Gibson, Black River Bridge, Ft. DeRussey, 
 Lake Chicot, Old Tom Creek, Spanish Fort and Ft. 
 Blakely. From December, 1862, until the close of 
 the war he was with Gen. A. J. Smith, Commander 
 of the Sixteenth Army Corps. 
 
 The following recommendation spe.aks for itself: 
 
 •'Headquarters, Sixteenth Army Corps, 
 
 Montgomery. Ala., June 23, 1865. 
 Brigadier-General E. D. Townsend, A. A. G. 
 
 General : 
 
 I have the honor to respectfully and urgently 
 recommend Col. John Hough, A. A. G., now on 
 duty at these headquarters as Colonel and Acting 
 Adjutant-General, for promotion to the rank of 
 Brevet Brigadier-General for meritorious conduct 
 in the field and for efficiencj' in his present duties 
 .as Acting Adjutant-General. Col. Hough has been 
 in the service of his countr}' since the beginning of 
 the war. He has taken part in the following men- 
 tioned engagements," (here follows the list of bat- 
 
 tles) '• and h.as honorably conducted himself on all 
 occasions, and to his [nomptness and elliciency I 
 am indebted in a me.asure for llie results and suc- 
 cesses which have attended my command in these 
 engagements. He is worthy of the promotion to 
 the position asked for him and in consideration of 
 his services I trust his Excellency will see proper 
 and just to grant my request. 
 I have the honor to Ijc. 
 
 A'ery respcctfulli', 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 A. J. Smith, Major-General." 
 
 To this is added the recommendation of Gen. 
 Canby, as follows: 
 
 •'Respectfully forwarded. The promotion rec- 
 ommended is well deserved. I know^ Col. Hough 
 to be an officer of great merit and hope that his 
 gallant, efficient and long-continued service may be 
 acknowledged. 
 
 Ed. R. S. Canuy, 
 
 Major-General Commanding. 
 Headquarters New Orleans, June 30, 1865." 
 " Approved, U. S. Guaxt, Lieutenant-General, 
 Headquarters, July 22, 1865. 
 
 Gen. Hough married Mrs. Caroline Pegues.witlow 
 of Col. Pegues of tlie Fifth Alabama (Confederate) 
 Regiment who was killed at the battle of Malvern 
 Hill. Mrs. Hough was introduced to the General 
 by Gen. A. J. Smith at the latter's headquarters 
 while stationed in Alabama. They were married 
 in New York City January 6, 1866, and resided in 
 the South, Gen. Hough being occu|iied with work 
 on cotton claims at New Orleans, until the follow- 
 ing August when they came North. Soon after- 
 ward the General was appointed Vice Consul to 
 Panam.a. He remained at his tliplomatic post three 
 years, then spent a short time in Boston, next lo- 
 cating in New York, which was his place of abode 
 four years. 
 
 In 1873 Gen. Hough came to Peoria, engaged in 
 the practice of his profession, and has long been 
 numbered among the best citizens of the thriving 
 municipality. His wife possesses the charming 
 hospitable manners so characteristic of the Southern 
 ladies and is well fitted to stand by his side in the 
 high circles which they frequent. Gen. Hough wtis
 
 962 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ai>i)oinle(I to a' position in' the Revenue Depart- 
 ment under President Cleveland, holding it until a 
 change in the administration caused his removal. 
 It ib needless to say that he belongs to the Demo- 
 cratic party. He is a member of the Masonic fra- 
 ternity and of the Grand Armj- of the Republic. 
 
 7/ NTIIOXY U. POTTER is one of the young- 
 est business men of this his native count}-, 
 1 1 aud he has already achieved marked suc- 
 [Q^J cess in his mercantile pursuits. He has a 
 
 general store in the village of Edelstein that is 
 neatl}- fitted up, well stocked, and of ample pro- 
 portions, being 22x50 feet in dimensions, with a 
 i-£sidcnt department adjoining. Mr. Potter was 
 born in Ilallock Township, this county, March 20, 
 1 86K, and is the son of the well-known J. A. Potter, 
 whf) has long been prominent!}' identified with the 
 interests of this part of the State. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Allegany 
 Couniy, X. v.. and there passed the earlj- }'ears of 
 his life. Before he attained his majority, he had 
 come to Peoria Count}', shrewdly thinking that in 
 this newly settled country, young men of brain and 
 action ivould be in demand to assist in its develop- 
 ment. He settled in Hallock Towushi[), and learned 
 the blacksmith's trade of Riley Potter, and in a few 
 years establishetl a smithy of his own at what is 
 known as South Hampton, in whicii he couducted 
 a good business for some years. He subsequently 
 opened a shop at West Hallock, and in 1878 estab- 
 lished a general store in this part of the township, 
 in connection with Mr. Crossley, a kinsman of his. 
 A few years later he abandoned the blacksmith 
 trade altogether, and gave his entire time to the 
 management of the store until he sold out in April, 
 188'J, to Ills son, our subject, he retiring to his 
 farm in Akron Township. 
 
 J. A. Potter was married in Hallock Town- 
 ship, to Miss Mary S. ILakes. She was born 
 reared and educated in this township and county, 
 and is now enjoying with her husband, the fruits 
 of their united labors in their cozy home in Akron 
 Township. They are substantial, highly respected 
 
 people of earnest Christian characters, and are sin- 
 cere mi mbers of the Seventh-Day Baptist Church, 
 of which Mr. Potter is an officer. He is very i)rom- 
 inent in public affairs, his sagacious business quali- 
 fications eminently fitting him to hold offices of 
 trust; he has served his township for some years as 
 Supervisor, and has held other local offices, being 
 numbered among the stanch supporters of the Re- 
 publican party. He and his wife have had three 
 children: Mary Alice is deceased, and Edna is still 
 with her parents. 
 
 Anthony U. Potter is the eldest child and only 
 son of his parents. He grew up in a home sur- 
 rounded by good influences, and was carefully 
 trained and educated. He obtained the prelimina- 
 ries of his education in the local schools, and was 
 then sent to Alfred University, at Alfred Center, X. 
 Y., to complete it. He there pursued a thorough 
 course of study, that welj fitted him for his career 
 in life, and since leaving college has been actively 
 engaged in business. He was engaged with his fa- 
 ther as a merchant at West Hallock, until April, 
 1889, when he became sole proprietor of the busi- 
 ness, and in August of the same year moved it to 
 Edelstein, >vhere he foresaw there would be a fine 
 opening for any young man of enterprise and busi- 
 ness tact. He has done well since he came here, 
 and has already secured a good trade among the 
 best class of people. He carries a good stock of 
 goods, and conducts his business promptly, sys- 
 tematically, and by the most honorable methods. 
 He and his wife are botli people of agreeable social 
 qualities, and stand well in the community, and 
 they are active in every good work for promoting 
 its moral, religious or educational status. They 
 are among the prominent members of the Seventh- 
 Day Baptist Church, and Mr. Potter is Superin- 
 tendent of the Sunday-school. He takes an intelli- 
 gent view of the political situation of the d.ay, and 
 gives his allegiance to the Republican party. 
 
 Mr. Potter was married in the town of Wirt, Al- 
 legany County, N. Y., to Miss Mabel E. Witter. 
 She was a native of AYirt Township, in the same 
 county, born July 22, 1866. Her parents, Orson M. 
 and Eliza (Allen) Witter, were likewise natives of 
 that county, and began their wedded life on a farm 
 in Alfred Township. They subsequently bought
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 963 
 
 lanri in Wirt Township, niiere they still make their 
 home. Mrs. Potter was given an excellent educa- 
 tion at Alfred Universitj-, and lived at home until 
 her marriage, and was prior to that lime engaged 
 in teaching. 
 
 A view of the homestead Is shown on another 
 page. 
 
 ^ HARLES C. ELLIOTT is Superintendent of 
 
 the Peoria County Poor Farm, and is dis- 
 'i' charging the onerous duties thus devolving 
 upon him in a faithful, able and business-like man- 
 ner, clearlj' showing himself to be the right man 
 for this responsible position. On the opposite page 
 is ijresented a portrait of this gentleman, who is a 
 man of influence and honor. He is a native of 
 Ohio, born in Butler Coantv, April 7, 1852. His 
 parents, William and Rebecca (Ligg) Elliott, ca.ne 
 from there to Illinois, and made their home in 
 Adams County, until their death. 
 
 Our subject received a substantial education in 
 the public schools of La Prairie, and in the course 
 of years attained a vigorous and stalwart maniiood. 
 L'pon starting out in life for himself, he came to 
 Peoria in 1876. He had previously been assistant in 
 llie Adams County Poor Farm for two j'ears, and 
 had learned the details of the business under As- 
 l)ury Elliott, who was then in charge of that insti- 
 tution. After coming liere he located at Monica, 
 in Princeville Townsliip, and was a resident tliere 
 for some years, becoming one of its prominent citi- 
 zens. At one time he was foreman of a large tile 
 factory. When Berry became Sheriff of the county, 
 our subject was appointed Deputy Sheriff, as he had 
 previously had some experience as Constable, and 
 before that had been C'it3- Marshal of Princeville. 
 He did good service as Deputy Sheriff, and was a 
 popular and capable official. 
 
 In 1887. Mr. Elliott was a|)pointed to his present 
 position as Superintendent of the Peoria County 
 Poor Farm, and entered upon the duties of his 
 office the 1st of .lanuar3'. It requires an active 
 man, of more than ordinary- capacity, firmness, and 
 t.act to fill this position pro|)erly, and our subject is 
 found to possess all these qualifications in a high 
 
 degree, and under his able management the affairs 
 of the institution are in a flourishing condition. 
 The house contains one hundred rooms, is well 
 fitted up, and there aie at present about one hun- 
 dred and sixty-five inmates enjoying the privileges 
 of a good home at the county's expense. There is 
 a fine farm connected with it, comprising three hun- 
 dred and twenty acres of very fertile land, which 
 is kept under excellent cultivation, and is worked 
 by the help of the inmates, witli the exception of 
 two hired men, and the inmates also assist in the 
 household affairs, with the aid of one hired woman. 
 
 Mr. Elliott was married to Miss Robina, daugh- 
 ter of John and Elizabeth Walkington, of Prince- 
 ville Township, this county, and of Scotch origin. 
 Mrs. Elliott ablj' assists her husband in the dis- 
 charge of his duties, and is all that a helpmate ar.d 
 true wife can be. Her marriage with our subject 
 has been blessed to them by the birth of one boy, 
 Ralph, a lad of seven years. 
 
 Mr. Elliott is a man of fine physique, and is also 
 dowered with a vigorous, well balanced mind, and, 
 as we have seen, possesses qualifications that emi- 
 nently fit him for the oHice of trust that he holds, 
 and gains him the confidence of all with whom he 
 comes in contact. He is a Democrat in politics, 
 and has always taken a verj' active part in sui-h 
 affairs. 
 
 coo 
 
 J?_^ ON. LAWRENCE W. .lAMES. It is a 
 )j) worthy pride tliat leads us to regard with 
 admiration an ancestral lineage in wliicli a 
 v^) name has been borne by generations of brave 
 and honorable men and women, who are remembered 
 b}' what they have done for humanity in uplifting 
 the standards of liberty, truth and justice. A de- 
 scendant of such ancestors can scarcely fail to real- 
 ize his owui responsibility as the heir of a noble 
 name and labor earnestly' to preserve its lustre un- 
 dimmed and if possible add to its brilliancy. That 
 these feelings animate the mind of our subject, all 
 acquainted with his life and character will be ready 
 to confess. He has a double incentive in recalling 
 his family history, as he is descended in the mater- 
 nal line from the Washington family of Virginia,
 
 964 
 
 PORTRAIT A^•D BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 and in tlie paternal from a grandfather who served 
 as a Government official much of his life, having 
 accompanied the seat of the Government from 
 Philadelphia to "Washington. 
 
 Our subject is a son of William and Mar3-(Wash- 
 ington) James, and was born in the national capital 
 August 29, 1846. A portion of his boyhood was 
 spent in Virginia, but his literary education and 
 legal studies were completed at his birthplace. His 
 preceptor in the study of the law was Walter D. 
 Davage, one of the most eminent legal lights of 
 Washington, recognized as a leader of the bar in 
 that city. When but nineteen years old Mr. James 
 was admitted to practice and immediately left 
 Washington for a Western location. Coming to 
 the Prairie .State he became a partner with his 
 brother-in-law, S. Corning Judd, ex-Postmaster of 
 Cliicago, at Lewistown, continuing his connection 
 with that eminent jurist until 1868. 
 
 Mr. James was then elected District Attorne}' for 
 the Fifth Judicial District, which important office 
 he filled most creditably until the year before the 
 completion of his term, when he resigned and re- 
 moved to Peoria. Here he opened a law office, 
 giving assiduous attention to the large practice 
 which he secured, for nearly a decade. He was 
 then elected Probate Judge for the county and de- 
 voted himself entirely to his official duties until 
 near the expiration of his second term. His repu- 
 tation had so extended that in April, 1890, he was 
 elected Judge of Ihe Eighth Judicial Circuit Court 
 and resigned his former position to accept thehigher 
 honor which had been bestowed upon him. He is 
 recognized by his brethren of the bar as one whose 
 legal lore is accurate and extensive, who sees clearly, 
 decides judiciously, and uses the eloquence and 
 knowledge which he has at command on the side of 
 probity, and moral as well as legal right. 
 
 The lady with whom Judge Lawrence James was 
 united in marriage, is an educated and refined 
 woman, whose character fits her to make of his 
 home the place of rest which he desires, and to 
 stand side by side with her husband in the high 
 social circles which they frequent. She is a daugh- 
 ter of Judge William Kellogg, one of the most able 
 jurists of the State, who for many years served as a 
 Member of Congress. She made many- friends as ! 
 
 Miss Paulina Kellogg, and since her marriage has 
 but added to the circle. She is the mother of two 
 children, William Kellogg and Laura Boyd. 
 
 The political affiliation of the Hon. Lawrence W. 
 James has been with the Democratic partj'. He is 
 identified with the lower Masonic bodies and the 
 Knights Templar, as well as with the Royal Ar- 
 canum, in which he has served as Grand Orator and 
 Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. The fain- 
 il}' attend the Episcopal Cburch. 
 
 f/_^ ENRY C. YOUNG, M. D., of Kickapoo 
 j! Village, has gained a wide reputation as a 
 successful and skillful physician, and stands 
 among the leading members of liis profes- 
 sion in this part of the State. The Doctor is also 
 connected with the mining interests of Illinois, he 
 and W. T. AVhitney having formed the Edwards 
 Coal Company for the purpose of working the rich 
 deposit of that substance found three miles from 
 Edwards, where their office is located. 
 
 Our subject is a descendant of sterling New Eng- 
 land ancestiy. His father, George Young, and iiis 
 mother, whose maiden name was Ann R. Perkins, 
 were born in Dover, N. H. The latter departed 
 this life in Brooklyn, N. Y., February 21, 1890. 
 The father of our subject is still living. He was a 
 machinist bj- trade, but subsequently entered into 
 the mercantile business, and has now retired on an 
 ample competency. 
 
 The subject of this biographical review was the 
 eldest of a family of four children, three sons and 
 one daughter, and he was born in Dover' N. IL, 
 May 19, 1846. He was reared to the age of four- 
 teen in his native city, and laid the foundation of 
 a liberal education in the public schools. At that 
 age he went to Lawrence, Mass., where he made his 
 home until 1867. Full of life and energy, this 
 spirited young man determined to try his fortunes 
 in this great Western State, as Illinois was then con- 
 sidered. He Ijegan life in his new home in Peoria 
 County, by teaching school, and was thus engaged 
 veiy successfully until 1874. In the meantime he 
 had taken up the study of medicine with Dr. J. H.
 
 POKTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 965 
 
 AVilkinson, formerly of Kiekapoo, now of Peoria. 
 He subsequently attended the Cliicago Medical Col- 
 lege for one year, and in 1874-75 vvas a student in 
 the university of the city of New York, from which 
 he was graduated with honor in the spiing of 1875. 
 He immediately returned to his adopted State, and 
 established himself at Kiokapoo as a successor of 
 liis old iustructor, Dr. \A"ilkinson. 
 
 Tiie Doctor is well read in all the modern medi- 
 cal works, keeping pace with all the valuable medi- 
 cal discoveries of the day, and b}' devotion to his 
 professional duties, and the success that has fol- 
 lowed his treatment of difficult diseases, he has 
 built up a large and lucrative practice. And, what 
 is better, he has made many fast friends among those 
 whom he first approached as a physician, and is 
 sure of a warm welcome in many a household where 
 his healing presence has staj^ed the hand of death, 
 or his tender, considerate sympathy has softened a 
 bereavement. 
 
 Tlie Doctor possesses a decided talent for busi- 
 ness, and outside his professional duties is also en- 
 gaged, as before mentioned, in coal mining, in 
 company with W. T. Whitney, and from this enter- 
 prise he derives a handsome income. 
 
 November 2. 1875, Dr. Young was united in 
 marriage with Miss Eliza Turner, and to them have 
 (^ome three f^iiildren: Anne E., who died at the age 
 of six months; Clarence W., and Etta M. Mrs. 
 Young is liie daughter of James and Elizabetli 
 (Rowe) Turner, and was born in Devonshire, Eng- 
 land, August 21, 1850. Her mother died in Kick- 
 apoo, but her father is still living. Our subject is 
 a member of the I'eoria City Medical Society, and 
 holds the office of Pension Surgeon by. appoint- 
 ment. 
 
 ,«^ lEBELD REENTS, came from the German 
 Eatherland less than a quarter of a century 
 ago, arriving in this county with no capi- 
 tal other than his clear brain, steady nerve 
 and brawny muscle, and is now one of llie sub- 
 stantial meinl)ers of the farming community that 
 cora[)rises the enterprising township of Kosofleld. 
 
 Mr. Reents was born August 27, 1842, in Esens, in 
 tlie Province of Hanover, Germany. His parents 
 .lohn and Alsta (Rickelfrentz) Reents, were also of 
 German origin and liis fallier was a farmer and the 
 proprietor of a saloon. They had eleven ciiildren, 
 of whom the following is recorded: Rickelfrentz 
 died leaving a familj' ; George died leaving a fam- 
 ily; Teite died in Peoria leaving one daughter, anr) 
 her husband is also deceased; Wubke died in Ger- 
 many, leaving a husband and three children; her 
 S(ms are living in the United States; Gesche is mar- 
 ried and lives in this county', and has a family of 
 four daughters; Henry, a resident of Peoria, has one 
 daughter and two sons; Siebeld is the subject of 
 this writing. 
 
 He, of whom we write, came to this country with 
 his brother Henry in June, 1867, and located in 
 Peoria, where he worked at the trade of a carpenter. 
 His boyhood and j'outh were passed on a farm and 
 he had a natural liking for agricultural pursuits; in 
 1870 we find him adopting the calling to which he 
 had been bred. He then purchased one hundred and 
 ninety-six acres of his present farm, which he im- 
 proved into one of the finest estates in its vicinity. 
 He has since added eighty acres, mostly' valuable 
 coal land. His farm is finejy stocked with cattle, 
 horses and hogs of a high grade, as he makes a 
 specialty of stock-raising to which his land is well 
 adai)ted. A view of his well-improved homestead 
 is an .additional feature of interest to this volume. 
 On September 19, 1868, Mr. Reents was united in 
 marriage to Anna Elizabeth Menssen, a native of 
 the town of Ordorf . Hanover, Germany, where she 
 was born August 28, 1846. She is a daughter of 
 Jurgen and Anna S. (Ails) Menssen, who were 
 also of German birth and antecedents. They were 
 the parents of nine children, of whom, five are living, 
 George, Anna E., Johanna, and two girls in Ger- 
 many, Mary and Maggie — both of whom are mar- 
 ried and have families. (Tcorge was a soldier and 
 took p.art in the German War. In the month of 
 June, 1867, Mrs. Reents and her sister came to the 
 United States and settled in Peoria, the^- being the 
 first of the family to come to this country. Her 
 happy marriage with our subject has been blessed 
 to them by the birth of eight children as follows: 
 George, John, Henry, Anna S., August, Anton ami
 
 966 
 
 PORTRAIT AKD BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Sibert. John died when one year old and one died 
 unnamed. 
 
 Mr. Reents and his good wife are members in 
 high standing of the Evangelical Lutlieran Church 
 and the conduct of their everj' day lives shows 
 them to be sincere and devoted Christians. Their 
 neighbors find in them kind, true and steadfast 
 friends, who are never appealed to in vain for 
 sympathy or lielp in the hour of trial, and all lienor 
 and respect is .iccorded to them. Mr. Reeut? pos- 
 sesses those excellent characteristics that commend 
 a man to the confidence of his fellow-citizens, he 
 being truthful, honest and fair-minded, and con- 
 ducts his affairs with the strictest regard for the 
 rights of others. His public spirit is creditable, and 
 as Road Commissioner, which position he has held 
 for four terms, he has done good work for the 
 township. 
 
 /^ILBERT HATHAWAY. No name is more 
 III ^— , honored or more worthj- of reverence among 
 ^^5j those of the noble pioneers of Peoria 
 County, b)- whose labors it was established on a 
 firm foundation of enduring prosperity, than that 
 of this gentleman, who has played an important 
 part in the agricultural, political and religious de- 
 velopment of Jubilee Township, and so of the 
 count}'. In his work he was much prospei'ed, ac- 
 cumulating a goodl}' amount of property-, and is 
 now living retired in Farmington, Fulton County, 
 where he is quietl}' and pleasantly passing the de- 
 clining 3'ears of a life well spent in all that goes 
 to make a true man and a good citizen. 
 
 Our subject was born July 27, 1818, about sixty 
 miles from the Canada line in the wilds of Somer- 
 set (now Franklin) County, Me., the place of his 
 birth Kingsfield Township, which was named in 
 honor of Maine's first Governor, King, who bought 
 a very large tract of land in the northern part of 
 the State, which was divided up into three towns — 
 Concord, Lexington and Kingsfield. The Ilatha- 
 ways came from England, and Deacon Hathaway 
 is a direct descendant of one Col. Ebenezer Hatha- 
 way, who w.as sent to this countr}' b}' the English 
 
 Government in charge of one of the English troops 
 in one of the Colonial wars. He settled at Assonet. 
 Mass., and there reared a family. He did good 
 service as an officer in the French and Indian War. 
 His son Gilbert was born at Assonet, and as a 
 middle-aged man removed to Oxford County, Me., 
 ami was among the pioneer settlers of Livermore. 
 He was accompanied hither by his wife and thirteen 
 children, of whom our subject's father is the eighth 
 in order of biith. 
 
 Luther Hathaway, the father of our subject, 
 married, in Oxford County, Miss Clarissa AV. Hinds, 
 a native of Massachusetts, who was taken to Maine 
 by her parents, who were of Scotch descent. The 
 father of our subject followed farming in Maine for 
 several j-ears. but finall}- removed to Peoria Count}' 
 with his family and was a pioneer settler of Brim- 
 field Township. In after years he and his wife 
 lived retired in Brimfield VilLage, where she died in 
 187l\ at the age of eighty years. She had always 
 been a consistent Christian, as bad her husband. 
 After her death he lived at times with our subject 
 and at times with the twin sister of our subject. 
 Mrs. Preston, of Fulton County, in whose home he 
 died August 14, 1876, rounding out a long life of 
 eighty-six years, seven months and fourteen days. 
 
 Deacon Hathawa}- was reared in the woods of 
 Maine, amid pleasant scenes, and one of his first 
 recollections is of the beautiful golden sunsets over 
 Mt. Abram. He was one of a family of eight chil- 
 dren, named as follows: Boadicea, Edwin B., Gil- 
 bert and Tryphena (twins) Christopher Columbus, 
 Hannah, Salome E., and George W. He was edu- 
 cated in the common schools of his native St.ate 
 aud was brought up to habits of industr}- on a farm 
 by his worthy parents. In his youth he was greatly 
 interested in reading an account of the Black Hawk 
 War. and from its description obtained a good idea 
 of the State of Illinois and was fired with the am- 
 bitious desire to try life on its wild prairies. His 
 mother did not wish him to leave home, thinking 
 him too 3'oung, and then, too. his eldest brother, 
 Edwin, had gone from them, sailing away on the 
 ocean, and iiad settled in South Carolina some years 
 before, and his family had lost all trace of him. 
 Gilbert's parents seeing that he was still verv de- 
 sirous to go westward, decided that his father should
 
 PORTRAIT AND lUOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 9G7 
 
 visit Illinois to see the country and find out whether 
 the Indians had left the Stale and whether it was 
 habitable. Conscqueiitl}- he started for the Far 
 West in 1837, and after his arrival iu Illinois wrote 
 to his family stating^ that everything was all right. 
 
 Mr. Hathaway savs, with reference lo his father's 
 coming- liere, -We were poor as poverty-, and father 
 had to go to Massachusetts to borrow money to 
 come out with." Our subject started for his des- 
 tination May 10, 1838. with but $11 in his pocket. 
 He traveled with two families, who were going to 
 Jackson County, Mich., and he drove one team to 
 help pay his way. When he arrived in Jackson 
 County, Mich., his money was all gone and he was 
 in debt besides. With characteristic honesty he 
 stayed there until he had earned raone}* to repay 
 his indebtedness, working on a farm for three 
 months, it taking two months to obtain the re- 
 quired sum. He then started on his way and went 
 as far as his money would carry him, which was 
 not a great distance, as in his ignorance he had ac- 
 cepted in payment for his work paper money which 
 was called in local parlance, ''shinplasters," which 
 was not lawful currency only in the immediate 
 neighborhood of where it was mauufactured. So 
 when he had traveled some distance he found his 
 mone}' was useless, and when he arrived at St. Jo- 
 seph he was obliged to go to work again. For ten 
 days he was emplo}'ed in a stable as hostler. A 
 boat was just then being repaired at St. Joseph, 
 which plied between that place and Chicago, and 
 Mr. Hathaway engaged as fireman on board to save 
 the expense of his passage, and received besides 
 sixt3'-two and one-half cents per day for his work. 
 Arriving at Chicago he found a dirty village built 
 among the sloughs and swamps, with no indication 
 of its present size and importance as the second 
 city in population in this country. He paid for 
 having his trunk or chest taken to Peoria from 
 there, and he started on foot for this county. He 
 subsequenth' took passage on a river boat to Peo- 
 ria, and when he landed there had just eighteen and 
 tiiree-fourth cents in his pocket. From there he 
 walked out to a friend who lived in Trivoli Town- 
 ship, Peoria County. 
 
 Mr. Hathaway and his father worked hard, earning 
 money enough to send home for the mother and the 
 
 rest of the children the next year. Our subject 
 began work at §10 a inonlh to l)uy a farm for his 
 father and mother. He performed much pioneer 
 labor, and by unceasing industry finally established 
 a home of his own and became well-to-do. For 
 many 3-ears he owned a valuable and highly im- 
 proved farm of one Inindrefi and forty acres in 
 Jubilee Township. He was an able and practical 
 business man ami dealt a good deal in real estate, 
 and in that wa}- became quite wealth}'. In the 
 month of September, 1883, he gave up active busi- 
 ness as a farmer and removed to his present com- 
 fortable, commodious home in Farniingtou, of which 
 he is still a highly respected citizen. 
 
 In 1850 Deacon Hathaway was married to Mrs. 
 Maria Willard, daughter of Levi and Barbara 
 (Stearns) Sabin, natives of Vermont. At the time 
 of her marriage with our subject she was the 
 widow of Alpheus Willard, to whom she had been 
 married in Vermont in 1825. They were pioneer 
 settlers of Brimfield, Peoria County, coming here 
 in 1838. By that marriage she became the mother 
 of the following children: Isaac, who died in in- 
 fancy; William A., Frances M., Cynthia A., Henry 
 C, Lot S., and Abbie R. William died in 1865, 
 leaving a wife and two children — Frank A. and 
 Mar)' B.; Frances is the wife of George P. Burt, a 
 retired carpenter of Galva, and they have four 
 children — Frank H., Theresa W.. Flora M., Sophia 
 S.; Cynthia died at the age of fifteen years; Henry, 
 a prominent citizen and merchant of Pittsburg, 
 Kan., married Miss Ellen Moore, and they hare two 
 children — Lavon and Alice; Lot, a real-estate dealer 
 at Seattle, Wash., married Ellen Davidson, and they 
 have two children — May G. and Lee A, Lot S. 
 Willard was a Major on McPherson's staff during 
 the Civil War. Abbi<! is the wife of Albert Mar- 
 shall, a well-to-do' farmer of Jubilee Township, and 
 they have eight children — Birdie A., Cora, Ernest 
 W., William A. Harry E., Janie M., Nellie M. and 
 Stella R. 
 
 Deacon Hathawaj-'s life career has been directed 
 by energj', perseverance, stability of character and 
 good business habits, combined with honorable and 
 conscientious dealings, and his course furnishes an 
 excellent example to the young men who are just 
 starting out in the world to seek fortune's favors.
 
 968 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 He enjo3'sa high personal standing throughout the 
 cuunty, where the most busy years of his life were 
 passed, and is held in consideration wherever 
 knonn. While a resident of Jubilee Township he 
 was very prominent in its public affairs and was 
 for a long time one of its most valued officials. He 
 represented the township as a memljer of the 
 County Board of Supervisors two 3- ears. He was 
 Assessor five years. Collector four j'cars, and School 
 Treasurer for twenty-seven consecutive jears. No 
 oian has done more to forward the religious inter- 
 ests of liiscomuuinity tlian the Deacon. He helped 
 liuild every church in Brimfield, except the Catho- 
 lic, and officiated as Deacon in the Baptist Church 
 of that place several years. He has also acted in 
 that capacity in the church of that denomination 
 in Farmingtou. He has a creditable record as a 
 Republican, he being a firm all3- of that party. Be- 
 fore its organization he was a Whig, and he has 
 voted for the following Presidents: Gen. W. H. 
 Harrison in 1840, well remembering the log-cabin 
 craze; Fremont, in 1856; Lincoln, in 1860 and 
 1864; Grant, in 1868 and 1872; Hayes, in 1876: 
 Garfield, in 1880; Blaine, in 1884; Harrison, in 
 1888. Though Mr. Hathaway is strongly in favor 
 of temperance he is not a third party man. 
 
 I^^RANKLIN GRIGGS. Connected promi- 
 |^fe^ neutty with the pioneer history of Illinois, 
 X ^^ is the name of George Griggs, our subject's 
 father, and also thai of James Harker, his grand- 
 father on the maternal side, who emigrated from 
 New York, r.ud coming West, settled in tlie State 
 of Illinois, where Mapleton now stands. After two 
 3'cars they removed to Jones' Prairie (it should 
 have been called Griggs' Prairie since they were 
 the first settlers there). The father, after reaching 
 his fift3'-sixth year, died in 1850. He was well 
 adapted to the pioneer's life, being a tall muscular 
 man with a powerful frame, and considered b3' 
 many to be the strongest man in Peoria County. 
 He was born in Cayuga County. N. Y..and wasen- 
 gaijed at one time in towing canal boats on North 
 River, and the Erie Can.al. 
 
 Our subject's mother, who previous to her mar- 
 riage, was Miss Sarah Harker, was a native of New 
 Jersey, and her father, James Harker, was also 
 born in New Jerse3-, and there Sarah grew to wo- 
 manhood. The3- moved to Cav-uga County by 
 wagon. At that time Chicago was onh- an Indian 
 camp, and the3- persuaded the Indians to take them 
 across some of the rivers in a canoe. The Indians 
 were quite plentiful at that time, but after the 
 Black Hawk War were seen no more. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Ca3'uga 
 County, August 5, 1826, and he retains a vivid 
 remembrance of all that transpired in the eventful 
 journey above mentioned. His father was one of 
 the early settlers wiio employed a teacher for his 
 children, and the subject of our sketch received a 
 fairl3- good education. The country was very 
 wild, deer were found in abundance, wild turkeys 
 were plentiful, and different kinds of snakes were 
 a common sight. The prairie grass was very thick, 
 and the wild prairie flowers grew in abundance. 
 
 The subject of our sketch when nineteen 3-ears 
 of age, went to Wisconsin, and there engaged in 
 working in a l)rick-3'ard. and for several years con- 
 tinued to make his home in that State, though he 
 changed to several different points, and engaged in 
 several occupations. But tired of his wanderings, 
 he returned home, and in the spring of 1848, was 
 married to Miss Deborah Largent, daughter of 
 James Largent. who was born in the State of Vir- 
 ginia. Her mother, who previous to her marriage 
 was Miss Sarah Boxwell, was also a Virginian, and 
 her grandfather. Robert Boxwell. was in the Revo- 
 lutionar3' War. Her parents came to Illinois about 
 1837, and settled in Peoria Count\-. The3' had ten 
 children. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Griggs after their marriage settled 
 in Timber Township, Peoria Count3-, and there con- 
 tinued to reside until 1883, at which date they re- 
 moved to Farmington. To them have been born 
 seven children, viz. : Lizzie, widow of Harvey 
 Hand; Sarah, the wife of Martin Frank; Wallace; 
 Amanda, wife of Charles Fahnestock; Rachael, wife 
 of John Mattox; Susan, the wife of Charles Boul- 
 ton ; and Douglas, who died when only four years 
 of age. 
 
 Mr. Griggs suffered from ill-health, and at one
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 969 
 
 time made a trip through California and Nebraska, 
 hoping to receive great benclit from the .same. His 
 wife merits uiilimited praise for the active [lart she 
 lias taken in the management of their affairs, and 
 for the constant devotion with wiiich she has cared 
 for lier family. Both Mr. and Mrs. Griggs are ex- 
 tremely popular in their neighborhood, and much 
 respected. 
 
 — ""^oCSo^" ■ 
 
 ■ICHARD F. SEABURY, one of the old set- 
 tlers of Peoria, is now living retired from 
 di \\\ active labors, surroun(ied h3- ilie comforts 
 of life, and blessed with the loving care of 
 various members of his family and the esteem of 
 many friends. He was born at New London, Conn., 
 July 21, 180U, and is descended from rei)utable an- 
 cestors. His grandfather, Bishop Samuel Seabury, 
 was the first Bishop in America of the Protestant 
 Ei)isco|)al Cliurcli, being obliged to go to .Scotland 
 for ordination. 
 
 The father of our subject was also a minister of 
 the Gospel, he being the Rev. diaries Seabur}', 
 wliose name is well known in the East, and who was 
 born at Westchester, N. Y., and educated in New 
 York City. During the latter part of his life he 
 lived on Long Island, where he was gathered to his 
 fathers. I'he mother of our subject bOre the maiden 
 name of Ann Saltaiistoll. and was a Connecticut 
 lady. 
 
 Our subject was educated in New York City and 
 was then employed as clerk in a general store in 
 Brookhaven, L. I. After acquiring a knowledge of 
 commercial affairs, he began business for himself 
 in New York, remaining there for some time. He 
 removed to Peorhn, thence to Fremont, where 
 for some years he was engaged in mercantile pur- 
 suits. In 1844 he changed his place of residence 
 to Kiekapoo, where he continued his former occu- 
 pation, and receiving the appointment of Postmas- 
 ter estaoiished the first ottice there. In 1866 he 
 came to Peoria and for a time was associated with 
 his son Clmrles in business, but soon retired. 
 
 Mr. Seabury was Supervisor in Kiekapoo for 
 many years and served one term in the same office 
 after coming to Peoria. He is a man of intelli- 
 
 gence, well read and well informed. He and his 
 
 wife belong to the Episcopal Church, in whieii he 
 served as Vestryman or Warden during a long per- 
 iod of years. 
 
 The chosen companion of our subject was Miss 
 Catherine Eliza Russell, with whom he was united 
 in marriage in ilonticello, N. Y., June 15, 1836. 
 Mrs. Seabury was born November 22, 1815, in the 
 town in which her marriage took place, and is a 
 daughter of John U. and Ann (Ilardinbrook) Rus- 
 sell. Her father was born in Connecticut and her 
 mother in New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Seabury 
 have eight children, named respectively, Lydia M., 
 Charles, Samuel, Richard F., Jr., Mary A., Janelte 
 R., Catherine E., and Frances S. Charles and Ricii- 
 ard reside in Chicago; Catherine is tiie wife of Carl 
 Stevens, her home being in Winona, Minn.; Samuel 
 lives in Peoria and is the subject of a biographical 
 sketch included in tliis volume. 
 
 -jlj ACOB W. SLOUGH. This worthy member 
 of the agricultural class owns and occupies a 
 well-improved and well-regulated estate in 
 Kiekapoo Township, consisting of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres. He is the eldest son of Jacob 
 and Ann E. (Saip) Slough and was born in Harris- 
 burg, Pa., April 22, 1829. His mother was a native 
 of the kingdom of Saxony and his father was born 
 in Lancaster Cit}', Pa., where the marriage of the 
 two took place. They settled in tlie capital city 
 soon after the War of 1812, during which Mr. 
 Slough had been a member of the volunteer force 
 of the State and had taken part in the battle of 
 Baltimore. In the fall of 1834, while our subject 
 was still but a child, his parents came to this 
 county and for many years thereafter made their 
 home in Peoria. They spent the latter part of their 
 lives in Richwood Township, where the mother died 
 August 4, 1878, and the father, November 25. 1882. 
 They had been engaged in hotel-keeping. 
 
 Our subject grew to maidiood in Peoria and w.is 
 educated in her public schools. He remained with 
 his father until he was twenty-two years old when 
 he started for California, overland. He first went
 
 970 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 to Oregon, then down into the Golden State, where 
 he was engaged in mining more than four 3ears. 
 Returning to Peoria Count}', he hjcated in Kicka- 
 poo Township and gave his attention to tilling the 
 soil. In 1858 he made another trip to California 
 this time for the benefit of his health, and was ab- 
 sent eight months. On his relurn he resumed farm- 
 ing, living in Richwood Township until 18G6. when 
 he settled where he now resides. 
 
 October 1, 1857, Mr. Slough was married to 
 Miss Elizabeth Fulton, daughter of Josiali F'ulton, 
 whose sketch apjiears elsewhere in this volume. 
 Slie was born in Richwood Township, April 13, 
 1836. ]\Ir. and Mr. Slougti are the parents of six 
 cliildren — William, George, Ma}-, Joseph, Emily. 
 and Nellie. Maj- is the wife of Elmer Peck and 
 Emily married Chester Keach. 
 
 Mr. Slough has held the offices of Township 
 Clerk and Collector in Richwood Township and 
 was Assessor in Kickapoo Township four j'ears. 
 He has also been a School Director. He is a strong 
 Republican and an active worker in political affairs. 
 At present he is an Alternate on the Townsliip 
 Republican Committee. In 1880 and 1890 he was 
 appointed census enumerator. 
 
 - "I ' ^I ' ^I" *" ■ 
 
 ^ OHN W. FRANKS is at the liead of the well- 
 known firm of J. "\V. Franks & Sons, the 
 I leading lithographers, printers and electro- 
 typers in this countj-. having their establish- 
 ment at No. 206 to 210 South Jefferson Avenue, 
 Peoria. Tiie Company was incorporated in 1888, 
 with J. W. Franks as President and manager; his 
 son Frank S. as Superintendent; his son Tliomas 
 G., Vice President ; and his son Gerald B., Secre- 
 tary and Treasurer. Tlio capital stock of tliecom- 
 panj' is $30,000, and the present officers are practi- 
 cally the same as when tlie compan v was inaugurated, 
 with the exception that Gerald B. is now manager 
 of the concern. The firm was established in 1872, 
 as John Franks cfe Sons, and first did job printing, 
 being then located at No. 213 Main Street. They 
 increased tiieir business every 3'ear, and now have 
 the finest printing establishment in Central Illinois, 
 
 having been in their new offices since July, 1887. 
 The}" have twelve thousand square feet of space, 
 and have finely finished, commodious offices in 
 front. These gentleman have been engaged in the 
 directory business for five years, liaving first begun 
 tiiat in 1855, and published under the name of J. 
 W. Franks & Sons, each year with the exception of 
 1889. The past year they have put out by far the 
 finest directory ever issued in this city. 
 
 J. W. Franks was born in England, and when a 
 young man, came to the L'nited .States. He learned 
 his trade in Chicago, and in 1864 came to Peoria, 
 where he followed his calling until he established 
 himself as we have just noted. He married Miss 
 Hanuo Barrett, a native of Ireland, who was a resi- 
 dent of Detroit at the time of their marriage. They 
 have four sons — Fred. Frank, Thomas and Gerald 
 — all of whom arc~associated with their father in 
 business, and are intelligent, enterprising j'oung 
 men. 
 
 WTLLIAM HOfSTON,one of the prosperous 
 farmers of Akron Township, has a remun- 
 „ „ erative estate of two hundred and forty 
 acres, upon which all needed improvements have 
 been placed, thus making it a home of comfort and 
 attractiveness. Mr. Houston is of New England 
 birth and parentage, being a son of John and Anna 
 (Moore) Houston, wlio were born in Bedford, N. 
 H.. and there began their wedded life. They made 
 their home in different places, and Mr. Houston 
 spent his last years in Orange, Grafton County. 
 The widowed mother of our subject died at his 
 home in Akron Township, she having been an in- 
 mate of his household for ten years. 
 
 Our subject is the ninth in order of birth in a 
 famil}' of ten children. His birthplace was Tem- 
 ple, N. H., and his natal d.ay Februarj' 24, 18.15. 
 He resided in his native State until he was twent}'- 
 seven years old, being chiefly engaged in farming 
 after he was of sufficient age. In Concord. Sep- 
 tember 25. 1842, he was married to Sarah E. W. 
 Ch"se. a daughter of Peter and Martha (Stevens) 
 Chase. The parents of Mrs. Houston were natives 
 respectively of Cornish and Plainfield, N. IL. and
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 971 
 
 both died in Merrimac County. They had five 
 children, of whom Mrs. Houston was the fourtii. 
 her birth having tal-cen phice in Cornish, Febrn.Try 
 3, 1819. 
 
 Soon after their marriage, our subject and his 
 wife came to Uiis State, traveling with horses and 
 a wagon. They settled in Pike County in 1846, 
 taking possession of the farm which is now their 
 home. Thp\' are the parents of three cliildren, all 
 happily married and settled in homes of their own: 
 Henry C. married Anna Peters; William A. married 
 Maggie McLarren; and Charles S., Martha Mc- 
 Larren. 
 
 Mr. Houston has held some of the minor offices 
 in the township, and has been Postmaster of Akron 
 continuously since liis appointment by President 
 Grant, during that famous man's first term. Since 
 the organization of the Republican party he has 
 been one of its stanchest supporters. He and his 
 wife are liberal in their religious views, and ready 
 to bear a hand in various worthy enterprises, irre- 
 spective of creed. 
 
 ■^Z ACOB HO AG is the owner and occupant of 
 a good farm on section 29, Akron Town, 
 ship. It consists of one hundred and fifty- 
 six acres, on which the present owner has 
 erected substantial buildinirs of various kinds, such 
 as are needed in carrjing on the occupation of 
 farming, to which he gives his principal attention. 
 Mr. Ho.ag is a native of Otsego County, N. Y., 
 where his birth occurred October 10,1814. His 
 father was a carpenter and also a farmer, and to 
 the latter occupation he gave the most of liis time. 
 During the childhood of our subject the family- re- 
 moved to Niagara County, where the father died 
 when the sou was fourteen years old. 
 
 Our subject continued to make his home with 
 his mother until he became of age. and about a 
 year after that event came to Peoria Count}-. This 
 was in the spring of 1837, and, with the exception 
 of one year, his home has since that time been in 
 the township where lie now resides. His marriage 
 was solemnized in this township about a year after 
 
 bis arrival in the county. His bride, Abigail Hill, 
 was born in the Emi)ire State, anc was a most 
 estimable woman, a respected member of the Meth- 
 odist Church. She was called from time to eter- 
 nity in August. 1888. The family of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Iloag include the following-named children: Albert 
 S., Edwin R., Amelia M.. Alma P.,Antinali, Stephen 
 and John F. All are living except Antinah. 
 
 In addition to his real estate in this county, Mr. 
 Iloag owns one hundred and sixty acres of excel- 
 lent land in Kansas. He is numbered among the 
 enterprising farmers and worthy citizens of this 
 section of country. Politicall}% he acts with the 
 Republican parly, although he is not an office- 
 seeker. He belongs to the Methodist Church, in 
 which he has held official jjositions. 
 
 '^ C. HANSEL. Peoria County numbers as 
 one of its progressive citizens, the gentle- 
 man whose name introduces this persoual 
 sketch. He was born in Newark, Licking 
 County, Ohio, July 20, 1840, and is the son of 
 John W. and Mary A. (Little) Hansel, also natives 
 of Ohio. In 1844 the Hansel family came West to 
 St. Louis, Mo., and in 1851, located in Peoria, 
 where they have since principally resided. 
 
 When the Civil War began to arouse all patriotic 
 citizens in defense of the Union, our subject en- 
 listed April 17, 18C1, and was the first to enlist 
 from Peoria under the general call for troops. He 
 w.as subsequently assigned to tiie Peoria Battery. 
 From files of the Peoria Daily Transcript. April 
 17, 1861, we learn that a citizens' meeting was 
 called in the interests of the Union, and at this 
 meeting, George C. Bestor made a patriotic and elo- 
 quent speech. He was followed by John Bryner, 
 and a form of enrollment was presented I)}' J. C. 
 Hansel, whose name headed the list, making him 
 the first enrolled man from Peoria. On May 12, 
 1861, bis mother, one of the many patriotic women 
 who aided so largely in the war, presented the com- 
 pany to which her son belonged, with a beautiful 
 silk flag, worth S30. 
 
 The call of duty led Mr. Hansel chiefly west of
 
 97-2 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 the Mississippi, and lie participated in the battle of 
 Pea Ridge, Ark., after which he was promoted to 
 the position of First Lieutenant. He commanded 
 the batter}- during the la-t nine mouths of his ser- 
 vice, and was mustered out April 15, 1863, under 
 general orders, reducing the number of officers. He 
 then entered the Provost Marshal's office at Peoria, 
 wliere he served until the close of the war. Tlie 
 various jiositious he was offered in the meantime lie 
 did not accept. Iioping to get back as an artillery 
 man. 
 
 Ou October 4, 1865, Mr. Hansel was united in 
 marriage with Agnes M. Johnson, of Winona, 
 Minn. Mrs. Hansel is the daughter of the Hon. H. 
 H. Johnson, who is still living at the advanced age 
 of eightj-llu-ee .years. In 1867 our subject began 
 to operate as a real estate dealer, and is now inter- 
 ested in that direction, as well as in loans and in- 
 surance. In 1890 he organized the Guarantee 
 Abstract & Trust Companj-, of which he is Presi- 
 dent. He is also President of the Peoria Transfer 
 <fe Storage Company, which he organized in 1885. 
 
 Politicall}-, Mr. Hansel is, and always has been, 
 an ardent Rejiublican. and in boyhood was known 
 for his adherence to the cause of the party, whose 
 principles be believed to be correct. During the 
 campaign of 1860, he took an active part, making 
 his maiden political speech, ^hich is yet remem- 
 bered because of the bold utterances it contained. 
 .Socially, he keeps alive his interest in war da3-s b^- 
 an active membership in the Grand Army of the 
 Republic, and in religion, is a member of the Con- 
 gregational Church. 
 
 s^F H. B-A.RNEWOLT. Among the prominent 
 business men of Peoria is this gentleman, 
 \J\\ who, although a native of Germany, is yet 
 a devoted citizen of his adopted country. He is 
 identified in many ways with the social and politi- 
 cal life of Peoria, and h.as been Alderman of the 
 Sixth AVard, also Supervisor four j-ears. For two 
 years he was Chairman of the Board of Supervist^rs, 
 being the first German who ever held that position. 
 He now lives on his pleasant homestead in Lime- 
 
 stone Township, retaining the active management 
 of the farm of two hundred and fifty acres. He 
 casts his ballot with the Democratic party, and is a 
 member of the Druids. Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows and Knights of Honor. 
 
 Mr. Baruewolt was born August 1. 1843, in 
 Hanover, Germany. His parents were Heur^- and 
 Geske Barnewolt, the former a painter by occupa- 
 tion, who came with his family to America in 1856, 
 proceeding directly to Peoria. At that time the 
 family comprised four children, namely : Gerhardt, 
 a painter in Peoria; .Johanna, wife of Anton Rie- 
 gel, of Peoria: Ulrich. also a painter by occupation 
 and a resident of Peoria, and our subject. The 
 father died in Peoria in 1859. 
 
 Adolph H., our subject, learned the trade of a 
 painter in Germany, and after coming to the United 
 States, worked for a time in the Peoria House, then 
 became a clerk for Ballenberg in '-Yankee Notion." 
 He also for awhile was engaged in butchering, in 
 the einplo}' of John Smith. This occupation he 
 followed a number of vears. Later he was a run- 
 ner for McFarland's old hotel, on the corner of 
 Bridge and Adams Streets. He was offered *10 a 
 month and board to work in a brick^-ard, but after 
 working a h.alf-day concluded that the occupation 
 was not congenial to his tastes, and accordingly 
 ran awaj-. 
 
 After following for a time his trade of a painter 
 and engaging in hauling coal, Mr. Barnewolt en- 
 tered into partnership with Mr. Rose in a restaur- 
 ant on Fulton Street. After working at this for 
 eight or nine months, he pureliased another team 
 and hauled coal, also operated as a painter. Finally 
 he turned his attention to the grocerj- business and 
 again forming a partnership with Mr. Rose opened a 
 grocery store, which the}' managed together one 
 year. In ) 87 1 he opened a grocery store on the cor- 
 ner of Lincoln and Webster Streets, which he oper- 
 ated very successfully until 1889. He is at present, 
 as above stated, operating his fine estate in Lime- 
 stone Township. 
 
 Mrs. Barnewolt bore the maiden name of Mary 
 E. Mitchell, and was united in marriage with our 
 subject in 1864. Of this union ten children were 
 born, nine of whom are now living and one de- 
 ceased. They are named respective!}-, Henry,
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 973 
 
 Elizabeth, Catherine, Maggie and Myron (twins), 
 Sarah, Leonora, George and Valentine. The fam- 
 ily' raiiks high among the residents of Peoria County 
 and its members are universally esteemed for their 
 worth and intesritv. 
 
 ^= 
 
 E^^- 
 
 /^ APT. B. AVARREN. Few men now living 
 [| in this county-or indeed in the State-have 
 
 "^^r^ had a more eventful career tiian Capt- 
 Warren, who resides in Chillicothe and is doing a 
 large business in insurance. He is a representative 
 citizen, wielding an intliience that is widely felt in 
 behalf of all that pertains to the well being of the 
 community, and in his own life presenting an ex- 
 ample of loyal devotion, unswerving integrity, and 
 true piety that may well be emulated by the rising- 
 generation. 
 
 The Warrens, Nuttings and Vallette were among 
 those early New England families whose history is 
 linked with that of the struggle for Ameiican In- 
 dependence, three great-grandfathers of our subject 
 having fought in the Patriot Army. and it is worthy 
 of record that while the latter of those was braving 
 the dangers of the war. his wife, the great-grand- 
 mother, Mrs. Abigail Vallette, rendered important 
 service to John Hancock and Paul Revere, who be- 
 set by British scouts, sought guidance during a 
 storm}' night to a place of safety. The heroic 
 woman, though a cripple, led them to the house of 
 a patriot farmer, being carried over a swollen 
 stream iu the arms of Mr. Hancock. 
 
 Grandfather Warren served in the navj' and 
 died at sea about tlie close of the war when in the 
 prime of life. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Abigail Vallette, daughter of the above-named 
 patriotic woman, was of French ancestry, and died 
 in the Bay State when quite aged. To this good 
 couple two children were born, the father of our 
 subject being the only son. He was christened 
 Benjamin, a name that was borne by four genera- 
 tions, and was reared in Massachusetts, which was 
 his native State. He learned those mechanical arts 
 which fitted him to transact the bu^uess of a 
 builder and contractor and was followinsjr it when 
 
 called from time to eternity, his death taking place 
 in Georgetown, I). C. when he was not yet thirty 
 years of age. His wife is yet living, making her 
 home with lier d.aughter, Mary J., the wife of Rev. 
 Mighill Dustin, D. D., now of D.ayton. Ohio. Mrs. 
 Warren is quite smart and active, nlihough she has 
 reached the advanced age of eighty-six years. Her 
 maiden name was Marj' JMonroe and her native 
 State, Massachusetts. She is the mother of thres 
 children — our subject, wlio is tlie first-born; Heiirj' 
 Vallette, who is a Presbyterian minister at Prince- 
 ton, 111., and the daughter before mentioned. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was born in 
 Groton, Middlesex County, Mass., April 28, 1825, 
 and spent the first ten years of his life in his na- 
 tive State. He was left fatherless when but five 
 years old and aljout five years later accompanied 
 his mother to Nashua, N. II., where he continued 
 his education in the public schools. When eigh- 
 teen years of age he entered the I'nited Stales navy 
 as an apprentice, serving for more than three years, 
 which covered the period of the Mexican War. The 
 shij) of the line "Columbus" in charge of Commo- 
 dore James Bitldle, made a vo^'age around the wctrld 
 during wiiicli it entered Yeddo Ba\'. Japan, with 
 a view of opening treaty relations witli the Jap- 
 anese who were then maintaining their ancient pol- 
 icy of non-intercourse. While lying tlicre the 
 Commodore had occnsion to visit a war junk for 
 the purpose of communicating with a Japanese 
 official, and as he w.as ascending the gangplank he 
 was violently thrust back by the soldier in charge. 
 The timely .assistance of Capt. Warren, who was 
 in the boat, alone [jrevented serious injury to the 
 Commodore from the fall. 
 
 While homeward bound from China the '-Colum- 
 bus" put in to Valparaiso, S. A., where the Com- 
 modore received dispatches from Washington, 
 advising him of the existing war with Mexico and 
 ordering him to proceed to the Pacific Coast and 
 occupy the ports of San Francisco and Mon- 
 terey. Upon his arrival he found the American 
 flag fl^'ing at l)oth places, wliich he guarded five 
 months, capturing one prize. At the close of the 
 war the "Columbus" sailed for the United States, 
 via Cape Horn, arrriving at Norfolk, "\'a., in the 
 spring of 1848, where she was put out of commis-
 
 974 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAl'HICAL ALBUM. 
 
 sion. The noble old sliip shoulrl have beea spared 
 • as a monument of the past, but was destroyed by 
 the confederates during the Rebellion. Besides 
 our subject, but few of that ship's compfin\r are 
 now living:. 
 
 Not desiring to continue in tlie service with no 
 prospect of higher otBce tlian was at that time pos- 
 sible to an apprentice, Mr. W.i.rren left the navy 
 and found occupation in Lowell, Mass. In 1849, 
 he was one of one hundred and fifty men who 
 organized the Bay State and California Trading & 
 Mining Company, of which he was a Director. A 
 vessel, the •■Areatus." was purchased, officered, and 
 equipped with a year's provisions and set out 
 around Cape Horn, anchoring in the Golden Gate 
 after a five months' voyage. Finding their scheme 
 was not feasible the members of the company sold 
 their vessel, dividing the proceeds, and each man 
 set out for hims?lf. Capt. ^A'arren relates that im- 
 mediately upon landing his attention was called to 
 a man standing upon a pile of lumber, offering ^\ 
 an hour for hands to unload a lighter, and further 
 states that he went no farther until that lighter was 
 unloaded and he had received the first mone}' he 
 earned in California. The most interesting part of 
 the incident was that the man for whom he worked 
 proved to he a former shipmate. After the "Area- 
 lus" was sold, Capt. AVarren and two others built a 
 hotel in San Francisco which the}' carried on for 
 six months, when it was destroj'cd b}' fire and they 
 lost their all. 
 
 We next find Capt. Warren striking out for the 
 mining regions as a passenger on board the '-R. M. 
 Rversou," whose destination was the new gold dig- 
 gings on the Trinity River. The vessel sailed up 
 the coast in search of the mouth of Trinity River, 
 and upon arriving off Fel River, this was declared 
 to be the place sought. When the boat was tied np 
 to the bank the real object of the expedition was 
 made manifest, the leading spirits being after a 
 town site which was soon surve3ed near the mouth 
 of the river. ^Most of the passengers hat) taken 
 passage hoping to find a shorter and easier route 
 to the Trinity than the known route up the Sacra- 
 mento and over rugged mountains. These were 
 not satisfied so went prospecting, and upon one of 
 these expeditions Capt. Warren had his first sight 
 
 ofHumbolt Bay. From a hilltop he obtained a 
 fine view which determined him to remain no longer 
 on Eel River. 
 
 Others joined him in moving, a small creek fav- 
 oring them a portion of the way. Then b}' a la- 
 borious portage Lhey reached the bay, launched 
 their boats, and proceeding to what they termed 
 the "head of navigation," disembarked and drove 
 their stakes. The monotonj' of waiting for a town 
 to grow could not be borne by some of the adven- 
 turous spirits and a party of eleven set out for the 
 mines on the Trinity. Among these were Capt. 
 Vi'arren, who thus describes the outcome of the ad- 
 venture in a letter to the San Francisco Bulletin: 
 'T shall never forget that journey through the wil- 
 derness without track or guide. The seventh day 
 we came to a stream swollen by the melting snow. 
 A raft was constructed upon which iviO of us with 
 considerable difficidty made the opposite bank. Be- 
 fore crossing some of the party endeavored to per- 
 suade us not to altemi/t it and prepared a return to 
 t'le co.ast.and now to our disgust they were all of the 
 same mind, positively refusing to attempt to cross. 
 The reader of to day must remember that none of 
 us were -'moiiiitain men," and obstacles that to our 
 experience seems unsurraountable, two years later 
 were of no hindrance whatever. But the stream 
 was not the oulj- obstacle. Our provisions were 
 nearlj' exhausted. We knew not where we were, 
 or what was before us. .Some were foot-sore, others 
 sick, and when I look back to those da3-s I am only 
 surprised that they did not succeed in i)ersuading 
 us to re-cross and return to the coast witli them. 
 We separated to go in opposite directions, and with. 
 two exceptions have never since met. The next 
 day it was our good fortune to fall in with a small 
 party of prospectors, who informed us that we 
 had "found the Trinity River," or more coirectly 
 speaking, they had found us. In August I made 
 a tri|) to the coast for supplies, and found the pre- 
 eraptors patiently waiting for the town to grow, 
 and I most sincerely hope they have been amply 
 rewarded. It is now more than thirt3--nine years 
 since I rode out of that embryo town on my little 
 gray mustang. Mv life has been something of an 
 eventful one, having circumnavigated the globe 
 previous to 1849 and partfcipatcd in the varied
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 975 
 
 experiences of a soldier during tiie late war, but 
 among all these experiences there is no spot or 
 place which would afford me more genuine satis- 
 faction to visit tlian the localities I have here 
 hastily and briefly sketched." 
 
 After spending one season in mining and mak- 
 ing a"good stake, "Capt. Warren went into Oregon, 
 purchased cattle and supplied the California min- 
 ing camps witli beef for a j-ear. He then returned 
 via the Isthmus and Atlantic Ocean to New Hamp- 
 shire, remaining in Nashua until 185-1, then inter- 
 esting himself in manufactures in Lowell, making 
 clothing and having at times five hundred persons 
 in his employ. Like hundreds of other Mexican 
 veterans, he was one of the first to enter the army 
 when the Civil War began. He was a Lieutenant 
 in the .Sixth ^Massachusetts Militia, which was called 
 out for three months' service and was the first reg- 
 iment to arrive in Baltimore, where the terrible 
 riot occurred and two of the regiment, Messrs. Ladd 
 and Whitney, were killed. After serving the three 
 months, the bo.ys were mastered out in August, and 
 in November, following, our subject was mustered 
 into Company D, Twenty-sixth Massachusetts In- 
 fantrj' and elected to the Captaincy, ile took part 
 in Gen. Butlci''s expedition to New Orleans and in 
 the brilliant victories of the Shenandoah Valley 
 under Gen. Sheridan. At the capture of the New 
 Oilcans forts his regiment effected a landing in 
 the rear — a feat supposed to be impossible at that 
 season. When the Confederates discovered the 
 long line of Yankees emerging from the oozy, 
 slimy morass of Back Baj^ all discipline in the 
 forts was at an end, and while the Confederate 
 commander formall3' surrendered to the nav3% the 
 garrison abandoned their position and surrendered 
 to the land force at quarantine. 
 
 A Battalion of the Twenty-sixth Massachusetts 
 with Capt. Warren in command, garrisoned Ft. 
 Jackson, remaining there until July, 1862, when 
 nearly the entire command was prostrated with in- 
 termittent and malignant fevers and the Captain 
 was ordered to New Orleans end placed on detached 
 service. He took charge of the headquarter guard 
 to Gen. Butler, holding the position until Gen. 
 Banks took command of the department. He filled 
 the same position under the new commander for 
 
 some months and was then placed in charge of the 
 military prisons of the department. The position 
 called for great discretion, its duties being arduous 
 and complex, such as are weU calculateil to develop 
 manly and soldierly qualities. Hundreds of Con- 
 federate soldiers still remember with gratitude the 
 Captain who visited them daily, not to establish 
 '•dead lines," but to look after their comfort as well 
 as to provide against the possibility of their 
 escape. Upon his arrival scores of the friends 
 of the prisoners would be waiting to ask the 
 privilege of visitiug or doing something for their 
 captive relatives, to all of whom he h.ad a court- 
 eous reply, none being refused a reasonable re- 
 quest. 
 
 In the summer of 1864, Capt. Warren was re- 
 leased from the tr3'ing position and sent with the 
 Nineteenth Corps to Washington, D. C, and thence 
 to join the famous cavalry leader in the Shenan- 
 doah. There he was placed in command of two 
 companies to act on special duty as an infantry es- 
 cort, being present at the battles of Winchester, 
 Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. The last named 
 was fought October 19, on which daj' the term of 
 service of Company D, expired. The regiment 
 was sent to Massachusetts and mustered out of the 
 service at Lowell, when our subject prepared to 
 resume a peaceful occupation such .as had been in- 
 terrupted by the breaking out of the war. In a 
 short time he removed to this State, spending the 
 first four 3'ears of his residence in Tonica, La Salle 
 County. He then became a dweller in Varna, 
 Marshall County, sojourning there eighteen years 
 and leaving behind him many friends when he re- 
 moved to Peoria Count}'. He established an in- 
 surance office in Chillieothein June, 1887, and has 
 built up an extensive connection, having reprcien- 
 tatives in the life insurance department in the ad- 
 joining counties. He carries many of the old lines, 
 including the Phojnix, of Brooklyn and the Hart- 
 ford, of Connecticut, together with other leading 
 companies in fire and accident insurance, and the 
 Tl'^tna of Hartford in life insurance. 
 
 In 1819 Mr. Warren wasunlled in marriage with 
 Miss Susan Clapp. of Nashua, N. II. She was an 
 exemplary Christian woman and a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Cliurch. She died at Nashua
 
 976 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 soon idiev bis return from Californin. In 1854 Mr. 
 Warren fl-as united in m.arriage with Miss jNTaicia 
 B. Mosmer, wlio was born in Lowell and roared in 
 Nashua, N. H., where her marriage rites were cele- 
 brated and who died in Marshall County, Hi., 
 November 2,1876. She exemplified the virtues and 
 eapabilities of the New England woman and was 
 a consistent member of the Methodist Church. In 
 1882 Capt. Warren married Miss Mary F. Ilosmer, 
 a sister of his second companion, who was born in 
 Massachusetts and reared at Nashua, N. H., where 
 iier marriage was solemnized. She also is possessed 
 of sterling qualities and with her husband bears a 
 part in the good work carried on under tlie auspices 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which they 
 belong. She is educated and accomplished, hav- 
 ing been fitted for the profession of a music teacher 
 whicli slie has followed for a number of years. Her 
 otherwise happy union has been childless, as was 
 that of Capt. Warren and his first wife.' 
 
 While a resilient of Varna, Marshall County, 
 Capt. Warren served as President of the Village 
 Bi.ard and was police magistrate some ten years, 
 lie held tlie [xisition of Postmaster there twelve 
 years, his first appointment having been made by 
 President Grant. He belongs to the social order 
 of Masonrj', being now a member of George Wash- 
 ington Lodge,No. 222, of Chillicothe. In politics he 
 is an uncompromising Republican,ever ready to de- 
 posit his vote in what he is persuaded is the inter- 
 est of good government. While Massachusetts 
 lost a good soldier soon after the close of the Civil 
 War. Illinois gained a good citizen in whom she 
 can take a just pride for his exceptionally fine char- 
 acter, personal attainments, and irreproachable and 
 nscful record. 
 
 
 "S)^""" 
 
 <S^LI A. MIT( 
 lU Chillicothe, 
 
 ;'|, — -^ the present 
 
 <^f^LI A. MITCHELL, now Postmaster of 
 received his appointment under 
 present administration and is discharg- 
 ing the duties of the office in a manner satisfactory 
 to the general public. He was born near Halifax, 
 Yorkshire, England, October 22, 1855, and was not 
 yet three years old when his parents, Eli and 
 
 Marj- (Ashworth) Mitchell, emigrated to America. 
 (The parental history will be found on another 
 page in this volume.) He secured a good educa- 
 tion in the schools of Chillicothe where he grew to 
 maturity, and he also gave some attention to the 
 trade of a jeweler, which he learned under his 
 father. 
 
 The tastes of Mr. Mitchell, however, led him in 
 another direction, and he entered upon a mercantile 
 life as a grocer, in which business he remained 
 until poor health compelled his retirement. In 
 March, 1887, he entered the employ of the Chi- 
 cago, Ft. Madison & California Railway as a 
 draughtsman, making the plans for the founda- 
 tions and masonry of the Illinois, Des Moines, 
 Spoon & Grand River Bridges. 
 
 At the close of the construction department of 
 this road, he entered the employ of the Arkansas 
 Central as toi)0grapher. When that railroad cor- 
 poration broke up. Mr. Mitchell was prevailed upon 
 to take the Postmastership in Chillicothe and re- 
 ceived the appointment for four years. He is a 
 skillful draughtsman and should he again turn his 
 attention to that species of labor, would undoubt- 
 edly reach a high standing. 
 
 The home of Mr. Mitchell is presided over by 
 an intelligent and capable woman who bore the 
 maiden name of Miss Ellen Fisher. She was born 
 in this place August 6, 1860, being a daughter of 
 John and Agnes (Ewing) Fisher, the former of 
 whom died in November, 1881, at the age of forty- 
 nine years. He was born in Sheffield, England, and 
 when a young man came to America ivith an uncle. 
 In Peoria County he met, wooed and married 
 Agnes Ewing, who was born near Glasgow, Scot- 
 land, and having lost her father, had accompanied 
 her mother to America. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher lived 
 on a farm in this county some years, then moved 
 into Chillicothe, where the husband established a 
 meat market, carrying it on until his death. His 
 widow is still living here, novv fifty-six 3-ears of 
 age. She is a member of the Episcopal Chui-ch 
 and a woman of fine character, who carefully 
 reared her daughter, Mrs. Mitchell. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was for sis years a 
 member of the Board of Elducation, being the 
 youngest man who has ever sat in that body. He
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 !)77 
 
 l.as bt'en City C'lerU t\niryoars and in social onlers 
 he has also been i)rominent. He has held all the 
 Chairs in Calumet Lodge. No. 106, 1. O. O. P., 
 holding the principal one three years. He has 
 also been an olfiter in the Grand Lodge of the 
 State for some time. He is an active local politi- 
 cian, working with the Republican part3',anr', occu- 
 pies .1 prominent position in musical circles. He 
 and his good wife attend tlie Episcopal Church in 
 which he has been ii member of the choir for five 
 yc!irs. 
 
 -^ 
 
 \EORGE A. ROGERS was born in Mamar- 
 ,., !__, oneck, Westchester County, N.Y, October 8, 
 ^:^( 1831. His father, John S. Rogers, was also a 
 native of that county ,and w.as there married to Mary 
 Ann Sutton, who was a native of Manchester, 
 iMigland. In 1843 they started from their old 
 hiinie in New^ York to take up their residence in 
 Peoria County, this State, and while en route, on 
 the Mississippi River, the father was drowned, 
 but the circumstances are not known. The mother 
 was thus left with eight children, and they sadly 
 proceeded on their journ.y to Peoria County, and 
 on their arrival settled in .hibilee Township, where 
 the children were reared. The good mother con- 
 tinued to live there until about a year prior to her 
 death, which occurred at the residence of her 
 daughter, Mrs. iLargaret Davis, in Radnor Town- 
 ship, March 12, 1879, when she was seventy-six 
 years old. She retained much of her physical 
 vigor till the last, but lost her eyesight about a 
 year before she died. She was the mother of seven 
 sons and one daughter, our subject being the third 
 of the famil}'. He was a lad of about twelve years 
 wlicn they came toPeoriaCountj-.where they arrived 
 in .lulj' of that 3'ear. He remained with his 
 mother in Jubile.e Township until he was twenty- 
 one years old, and soon after married and settled 
 in Radnor Township, of which he has since been 
 a resident. He owns here a good farm of one 
 hundred and twenty acres of fine land, and has 
 placed upon it many substantial improvements. 
 
 Our subject is a veteran of the late war. He 
 enlisted in the month of March, 1865, in Com- 
 
 pany H, Fourieenth Illinois I iifantry, and served 
 until the mont'n of September. He was then mus- 
 tered out of the army at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., 
 and returning home, quietly resumed his occupa- 
 tion as a farmer. He is one of the prominent 
 citizens of the township. He has represented Rad- 
 nor as a member- of the County Board of Super- 
 visors, holding that otiice one year, and he has 
 been Justice of the Peace for fourteen years. He 
 formerly took an active part in politics, and was 
 one of the leading Republicans in this section. 
 
 Mr. Rogers was wedded, January 1, 1857, to 
 Maria C. Wakefield, the ceremony that made them 
 one being performed at the residence of the late 
 John L. Wakefield, in Radnor Township. Mrs. 
 Rogers is a daughter of said John L. Wakefield, 
 and a history of her parents appears in the sketch 
 of William Wakefield, on another page of this Bio- 
 GRArmcAL Album. She was born in Radnor Town- 
 ship, June 15, 1839. She is a conscientious Christian 
 and a member in high standing of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. The pleasant wedded life of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rogers has been blessed to them by 
 the birth of five children,who are named: Adolplius 
 J., May J., Grant S., Olive B. and Grotta I. 
 Adolphus S. married Jliss Emma Newkirk; May 
 is the wife of M.adison Harrison; Grant S. married 
 Miss Louisa Shehau. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 NDREW NELSON, was born in the town 
 of Roe, Franklin County, Mass., Septem- 
 ber 6, 1833. He is a .son of Osmund L. 
 Nelson, a pioneer of this county, who was 
 born in Boston, Mass. He married Sarah Houston, 
 a native of Amherst, Mass., and they spent their 
 early wedded life in Franklin County, that State. 
 In 1838 they migrated to this State and became 
 early settlers of Hallock Townshi(), wdiere they 
 lived a good many years. The mother died there, 
 and the father at the residence of our subject in 
 Richwood Township. 
 
 He of whom we write was the eldest of five chil- 
 dren, and he was quite small when his parents took 
 up their residrncu in the wildj of Hallock Town-
 
 978 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 ship, where he grew to a stalwart manhood. He 
 remainod an inmate of his parents' liome until he 
 was married, with the exception of the throe j'ears 
 tiiat he spent in California, operating a wagon and 
 blacksmitli shop the most of the time while there. 
 
 He began his wedded life in Akron Township, 
 where he purchased a farm on which he continued 
 to live two years. After that he lived one year in 
 Peoria, and then bought his present farm on section 
 20, Richwood Township, of wliieh he has since 
 been a valued resident. He owns two hundred and 
 forty acres of land on which he has erected a fine 
 barn, and has made man^- other substantial im- 
 provements. 
 
 Mr. Nelson was married in this township, April 
 19, 1866, to Miss Josephine A. Kellar, daugh- 
 ter of John and Hester Kellar. who died in Rich- 
 wood Township. Mrs. Nelson is a native of this 
 township, and was born December 28, 1842. Her 
 man iage with our subject has been productive to 
 them of eight children, namely' : Osmund K., Sarah 
 P>.. Andrew. William I,., Alva, Mabel E., Eva K., 
 and Ralph L. Osmund married Miss Agatha Purt- 
 fclux. and lives in Rosefleld Township. 
 
 Mr. Nelson is an important citizen of this com- 
 nninity. He has filled the office of Supervisor of 
 Richwood Township for four years, has been Town- 
 sliip Collector for several years, and School Director 
 for nearly twenty j'ears. In politics, he has long 
 been closely identified with the Democratic part}-. 
 Mrs. Nelson is a -member in high standing of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 -# 
 
 i EV. HENIiY APPLE, a retired minister and 
 business man. is a well-known resident of 
 Kickapoo Township. He was the sixth child 
 of Henry and Mary (Bonser) Apple, and 
 was born in Clermont County, Ohio, August 27, 
 1835. His father was a native of Hamilton County, 
 that State, and his mother of Union County, Pa. 
 After coarriage they located in Clermont County, 
 Ohio, and were among its earliest settlers, living 
 there until 1837, when they came to Illinois, and 
 were pioneers of this State. They first settled in 
 
 Lewistown, Fulton County, where the father died 
 in 1867, the mother d^ing at the residence of her 
 daughter, in Marysville. Mo. He had learned the 
 hatter's trade when a young man, but did not fol- 
 low it long, giving his attention to farming instead. 
 He was the father of ten children, six sons and 
 four daughters. 
 
 Our subject was in his second year when his 
 parents brought him to Illinois, and he was reared 
 to man's estate in Fulton County, remaining at 
 home until he was twenty- five years old. He was 
 given an excellent education, laying its basis in 
 the common schools, and subsequent!}- in the Ful- 
 ton .Seminary, at Lewistown. which institution of 
 learning is not now in existence. After leaving 
 home, Mr. Apple engaged in preaching as an itin- 
 erant nainister in tlie Methodist Church, he having 
 joined the Central Illinois Conference in -1860. 
 He was first connected with the Mount Hedding 
 Circuit, and was with that a year ami a half, when 
 he was transferred to what is now the Madison 
 'Street Church, in Peoria, but was then known as 
 the Second Charge of the Methodist Jlpiscopal 
 Church. He presided over that about seven months, 
 when he was appointed to the French Creek Cir- 
 cuit, in Knox County. 
 
 A year later Mr. Apple was again sent to Peoria 
 Circuit for a term of two years, 'and then to 
 Brim field Station for one j'ear, and from there to 
 Coleville Mission, which was locate<l in what is 
 now Hilton, Tazewell County. He was there three 
 years, and at the expiration of that time resumed 
 the pastorate of the Madison Street Church. 'I'he 
 following j'ear he was assigned to Groveland. 
 He located in Peoria in the fall of 1871. and the 
 following winter in Bloomington. After residing 
 there about a year and a half, he returned to Peoria 
 and entered into the mercantile business in 1874. He 
 continued his residence in Peoria until 1878, when 
 he -removed to his farm in Kickapoo Township. 
 Four years later w-e again find him in Peoria, 
 where he was engaged in the grocer}' business the 
 next three years. Since then he has m.ade his 
 home on the farm. In September, 1887, he es- 
 tablished himself in the hardware business, and 
 carried it on quite profitably until February, 1890. 
 when he sold out and retired from active business.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 979 
 
 Mr. Apple was married in Cliicago, April 23, 
 1863, to Mrs. Jeannette Bone, widow of the late 
 Henry Bone, who died in Kiokapoo Township Sep- 
 tember 4, 1858. Mrs. Apple was a danghter of ! 
 John and Mary (.lamie-ion) Borland, natives of 
 Beith, .Scotland. They emigrated to America in 
 1843, and first settled in Scott Count}-, this State, : 
 then in Peoria, and afterward located in Limestone ; 
 Township, where the mother died. The father sub- 
 sequently removed to Peoria, where he died at the 
 age of eighty- nine and one-half years. They were 
 the parents of ten children, three sons and seven 
 daughters. Mrs. Apple was the seventh child, and 
 was horn in Scotland February 1, 1831. The fol- 
 lowing is the record of the three children born 
 to her and her first husliand : Mar}- J. i5 the 
 wife of John G. McHugh; .lohn Q. married Miss 
 Lizzie Armstrong; and Maggie E. is the wife of 
 Walter Booth, Jr. By her marriage with our sub- 
 ject Mrs. Apple h.TS three children : Henry S., Frank 
 H., who married Minnie Krumpe, and Chloe. 
 
 Mr. Apple has an honorable record as a minister 
 of the Gospel, is of high standing as a business man, 
 and is thought highly of as a citizen, and ,as one who 
 has been active in public affairs. Du ring his residence 
 in North Peoria he was Vill.age JIagistrate for three 
 years and Clerk of the town one year, and has been 
 School Director. He was prominent in the Grange 
 movement and has been Chaplain of Orange 
 Grange, No. 843. 
 
 AMU EL A. L. LAW, Deputy Collector of 
 Revenue, Peoria.was born in Boone County 
 Ky., May 21, 1836. His parents were 
 Mathew and .Al.artha (Clark) Law, the 
 former a native of Ireland, of Scotch descent. His 
 family belonged to the old Scotch Covenantors, 
 who were driven out of Scotland and found homes 
 in Northern Ireland. The old coat of arms and 
 crest, which is an uplifted mailed fist, with the in- 
 scription '-Bide your time," is still in possession 
 of the Law family. Mr. Law received a liberal 
 education and was a graduate of the Royal Irish 
 College of Surgeons, and also of the University 
 
 of Edinburgh. In 1820 he came to America, re- 
 siding in New York for a time, and then locat- 
 ing in Kentucky, whence he came to Illinois in 
 1843. He died April IS, 185G. He was a man of 
 large enterprise, possessing foresight and sagac- 
 ity in a marked degree. 
 
 Our subject was one of eight sons born to his 
 parents. At the age of seven years he accom- 
 ]iauieil his parents to Illinois, and when thir- 
 teen years of age enlisted for the Mexican War 
 in the First Dragoons. His regiment proceeded 
 as far as New Orleans, when, finding the war had 
 closed, they went no further. Mr. Law had en- 
 listed as a drummer in Gen. Dick Taylor's command. 
 He subsequently went to steamboating, and after- 
 ward w-orked on a sugar plantation near New 
 Orleans, and then for awhile tried a seafaring 
 life. Finall}-, he settled down to railroading, and 
 most of his time in tlie South was employed as a 
 railroad engineer. In 18.57. in Indianapolis, Ind., 
 he received a fall, which caused jiartial paralysis, 
 and from which he never recovered. 
 
 In July, 18G1, our subject enlisted in Company 
 C, Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry, and was mus- 
 tered iu August 10. 1861. Soon after his enlist- 
 ment he was liiade First Sergeant, later was com- 
 missioned Second Lieutenant,then First Lieutenant, 
 and as such commanded his comi)any through the 
 Vicksburg campaign. In the fall of 1862 he was 
 appointed Quartermaster of his regiment. Before 
 this, however, he acted as recruiting officer and 
 secured a number of enlistments around Peoria. 
 He arose from the position of Company (Quarter- 
 master to Regiment and Brigade Quartermaster, 
 and belonged to what is known as the "Eagle Brig- 
 ade,"' the one which the famous War Eagle, known 
 as "Old Abe," accompanied on all its campaigns. 
 For meritorious service our subject was commis- 
 sioned Major of his regiment, and later was made 
 Lieutenant-Colonel. He was in the last battle 
 fought in the war, and his experiences were excit- 
 ing and varied. 
 
 On September 6, 1865, Mr. Law was united in 
 marriage with Miss Victoria Church, who belongs 
 to an ancient English family. Of this union two 
 children survive — Harry Victor and Edith Victo- 
 toria. For eighteen vears Mr. Law- was in the
 
 980 
 
 , PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 Postal Service, four of those years being passed as 
 Assistant Postmaster at Peoria. In August, 1889, 
 he vvas made Deputy Collector of Revenue, and is, 
 politi('all\', a strong Republican. He belongs to 
 the Masonic fraternity and the Grand Army of 
 the Republic, and holds membership with the Sec- 
 ond Presbyterian Church, of Peoria. 
 
 ANIEL L. AMERMAN. It often happens 
 jlj that in searching for convicting proof 
 against outlaws, an oflieer must penetrate 
 into [ilaees where tlie movement of a muscle would 
 insure detection of his assumed disguise and lead 
 to liis death at the hands of reckless men who 
 value no human life but their own. The man who 
 tluis lakes his life in his hands, entering upon a 
 career that loads him into scenes scarcely to be 
 imagined by those unacquainted with the history 
 of crime, displays a degree of moral r.nd physical 
 bravery of which few are capable.and must likewise 
 possess acute perception, keen judgment and apt- 
 ness in device. The past decade has been therefore 
 a most eventful period in the life of the subject of 
 this sketch who,as a United Stat-^s Deputy Marshal, 
 has traversed the Pacific Slope and Rocky Mount- 
 ain region from Puget Sound to tiie city of Mex- 
 ico, in search of counterfeiters, and has met with 
 some thrilling experiences. 
 
 Tiie surname of our subject is thought to be de- 
 rived from America Man. His father, Henry 
 Amerman, a native of New York State was mar- 
 ried in Auburn, N. Y., to Miss Hannah A. Taylor. 
 They had four sons and one daughter, tiie latter 
 of whom died in infancy. Our .subject was tlie 
 youngest of the family and is now the only sur- 
 vivor of the fraternal circle. His fatlier died when 
 he was two years of age and his motlier subse- 
 quently', married William Blandin of Illinois. 
 
 The oldest son, John A. T., who was a photog- 
 rapher, died from disease cbntracted while in tiie 
 United States service during the late war; Irwin, 
 also a member of Company A, Twent3'-third 
 
 Michigan Infantry, after suffering the horrors of 
 captivity several montiis, died in Andersonville 
 Prison; David Austin, after having served as con- 
 ductor on the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad 
 fifteen 3'ears, lost his life in an accident at Cruger, 
 while in the line of dut^'. Tlie last named left a 
 wife and two little daughters in the city of Peoria. 
 The only male representative of the family in the 
 third generation is the son of our subject, a bright 
 little lad bearing the name of Harry Lee. 
 
 The town of Hollis is now the home of our .sub- 
 ject who married Miss Anna Dickey, oT Kansas 
 City, in which place he lived for some years, en- 
 gaged at his trade of a carpenter and also following 
 contr.acting. He finally returned to the Prairie 
 State- in which eighteen 3'cars of his life had licen 
 passed, but in 1870 went to the Pacific Coast. In 
 1881 he again visited the Slope in the employ of 
 the Government and witliin two years captured 
 sixty counterfeiters, performing the journeys nee 
 essaiy in various ways and assuming various dis 
 guises. 
 
 On one occasion Mr. Amerman left Kansas City 
 b^' rail and having reached Cheyenne, Wyo., started 
 for Deadwood, S. Dak., on horseback. Thence 
 he followed the trail of the criminals to Virginia 
 City, Nev., thence to Portland, Ore., from there to 
 Et. Smith, Idaho, whence he returned to Virginia 
 City. There he again became a railroad passenger 
 and having reached Salt Lake City went to Wap- 
 pan, Ariz., by stage, crossing the Colorado Can- 
 yon. Here he again mounted a horse and with 
 thirty prisoners in charge rode to San Erancisco, 
 picking up two more criminals on his way across 
 the continent. 
 
 Mr. Amerman reached Et. Leavenworth, Kan., 
 after an absence of about two months, during 
 which time he had received three (lesh wounds from 
 t.he shots of those whom he was seeking to capture. 
 Having undertaken to secure five men at one time, 
 he "got the drop on them" and all sui rendered ex- 
 cept one. He pulled his revolver and fired on the 
 Marshal, who in return shot him through the 
 left shoulder. The criminal, however, managed to 
 get away at that time, but was caught bj' Mr. 
 Amerman a few weeks later. Nearly every State 
 in the union has been visited bv Mr. Amerman
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 981 
 
 whose rtuties have also led him into Canad.-i. Dur- 
 ing the winter of 1889-90, he returned to his iiome, 
 whose pleasures he is enjoying with a keen relish af- 
 ter his dangerous experiences. 
 
 '^'OIIN McDOUGAL. This'name" will at once 
 be recognized bj' all familiar ."with the busi- 
 ness affairs of Peoria, as that of a man long 
 and prominently connected with the trade 
 and upbuilding of the municii)ality. Its possessor 
 is still actively attending to the business of a real- 
 estate dealer, operating in both city and country 
 property, as he has been doing for many years past. 
 He is one of those energetic, shrewd, l)ut honest 
 men, with whom it is a pleasure to deal, and his 
 judgment regarding the value of lands, is unques- 
 tioned. The ]ilacc that he occupies in the reputa- 
 tion of his aciiuaintances, is a worth}' one, as busi- 
 ness man, citizen, antl private individual. 
 
 In the city of New York the eyes of our subject 
 opened to the light of day March ■!, 1822. When 
 he w.as quite small, his parents, James and Elizabeth 
 (Barton) McDougal, removed to Cayuga County-, 
 where the lad grow to his seventeenth yeai-. lie 
 then left home to seek his fortunes in his native 
 city, for whose business men he labored in various 
 capacities as opportunities arose for advancement, 
 until several years had passed. In 184.5 he was 
 given an unsolicited vacation of two months, and 
 made a trip "out West." So well was he pleased 
 with the counliy. that he was never satisfied until he 
 could make his home in the great Mississipj)! A' alley. 
 In 1847 the desire of Mr. McDougal became 
 feasible, and he liecame a resident of the little city 
 of Peoria. He engaged in the grocery trade, first 
 as a retailer, and subsequently as a wholesaler, the 
 latter branch of the busino.ss being continued until 
 the building of railroads around the cit}- cut otT his 
 trade. The business was conducted originally as a 
 partnership affair under the firm name of McDou- 
 gal & Smith, but ere long the senior member of the 
 firm had bought out the junior, and was carrying- 
 on the business alone. 
 
 In 1857. finding the wholesale trade no longer pro- 
 <luctive of a good income, Mr. McDougal closed 
 out and entered into the real-estate business, in 
 which he thought the pros|)ect more favorable. It 
 proved a piosjierous enterprise, and has been con- 
 tinued unintermittingly from that time. Although 
 this has been his chief pursuit,Mr. McDougal has also 
 done a good deal of building in connection with 
 Messrs. Walker & Kellogg, of Chicago. In 1848 
 the}' built what was at that time the largest ware- 
 house on the Illinois River, and which stood as a 
 landmark at the foot of Harrison Street. An enor- 
 mous trade for the time was done there, a line of 
 boats running daily to the city on the lake that has 
 become the great center of Western trade. 
 
 The residence of Mr. McDougal is a commodious 
 brick edifice, with double walls, standing on a large 
 lot on North Monroe Street. It was built by him 
 in 1854, and is still considered one of the finest 
 houses in the city. The spacious grounds arc well 
 kept and tastefully adorned, the dwelling is fur- 
 nished in keeping, and the most charming hospital- 
 ity rules within the walls of the model home. The 
 lad}' who has held the place of honor therein dur- 
 ing all these 3'ears. was formerly Miss Mary A. 
 Gra}', but became Mrs. I\IcDougal April 14, 18.')2. 
 She was born in Wheeling, W. Va., and came to 
 Peoria with her parents in 1834. The name of her 
 father, Andrew Gra}', is remembered as that of a 
 very early settler. 
 
 The family of Mr. and Mrs. McDougal numbers 
 nine cliildren, of whom .seven are now living. All 
 of tlie survivors except the daughter, Marj' Eliza- 
 beth, remain in the same city as their parents. She 
 is now the wife of H. M. Clark, of Chicago. The 
 sons are Edward D., William G., James 15., Robert, 
 Walter, and Alfred; the last two named arestill in- 
 mates of the parental home, but the others have 
 set up their own households. The entire family 
 attend and support the Second Presbyterian Church 
 to which all belong except the father. Mrs. Mc- 
 Dougal has been all that a wise and affectionate 
 mother can be to her cliildren, and to her the}' owe 
 much for her counsel and instruction in usefulness. 
 To her companion she has proved a most faithful 
 and sympathizing helpmate, whom he delights to 
 honor.
 
 982 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 \T/ AMES E. AUSTIN. Among the large land- 
 owners of Brimfield Township, the gentle- 
 man above named is deserving of mention, 
 as his fine estate lias been gained chiefly liy 
 his personal industry and good management. It 
 consists of four hundred acres of land, upon which 
 but little improvement had been made when it was 
 taken possession of b}' our subject, but which now 
 is one of the most valuable tracts in the vicinity. 
 It is supplied with various farm buildings and 
 other improvements that are expected of an ener- 
 getic and prosperous man, and affords a most com- 
 fortable home for the family. 
 
 The natal day of Mr. Austin was May 7, 182.5, 
 and his birthplace Preble County, Ohio. His par- 
 ents, James and Buelah (Jennings) Austin, were 
 natives of New Jersey, both being of English 
 origin. They raa'le their home in the Buckeye 
 State at an early period in the history of Preble 
 County, when the section to which they removed 
 was practically a wilderness. There our subject 
 was reared amid the scenes of pioneer life, bearing 
 such a part as his strength would [lermit, in the 
 labors vvhich resulted in the thorough development 
 of the region, and obtaining as good an education 
 as the limited school privileges afforded. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. Austin came to this countj', where 
 for a short time he worked by the month as a farm 
 hand. He next si)ent a year in cultivating rented 
 land, after which he settled on section 19, Brim- 
 field Township, buying a part of the estate which 
 
 he now occupies. The country in this locality was 
 largely unbroken prairie when he began his labors 
 here, and he has been an eyewitness to its gradual 
 change into a thickly settled and highly improved 
 expanse. From time to time, as he was prospered, 
 he added to bis landed estate and to the various 
 improvements which marked his increasing pros- 
 perity. 
 
 September 7, 1853, Mr. Austin was married to 
 j Sarah Tomlinson, a capable. Christian woman who 
 was born in England and has ever been a faithful 
 companion and devoted mother. The union has 
 been blessed by the birth of five children, one of 
 whom, a daughter. Alma, is deceased. Ida is the 
 wife of Augustus Van Petten and Florence married 
 Frederick Van Petten. The other survivors in the 
 household band are two sons — Albert and William. 
 
 Mr. Austin and his wife are identified with the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church and he is now serv- 
 ing as Steward and Superintendent of the Sunday- 
 School. He believes it to be Ids duty to promote 
 the welfare of his fellow-men, and considering the 
 curse of the liquor traffic the great detriment to so- 
 ciety-, wars against it in the ranks of the Prohibi- 
 tion party. By means of a judicious use of i)apers 
 and journals he keeps himself well informed re- 
 garding the world's history and the events which 
 are transpiring, particularly such as have a bearing 
 upon his ( hosen vocation. He is respected as he 
 deserves and his wife likewise enjoys the esteem of 
 their associates.
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 983 
 
 m 
 
 'if? AMES A. WATP:RH0USE, President and 
 Treasurer of llie Cliillicotlie Paper Company, 
 of {'liillieothe, resides in Peoria, and is one 
 of iier well-iinown business men. He traces 
 liis linefffe to John Waterhouso, who was Iiorn in 
 Saddlcworlh, England, and still further back, to 
 Saxon ancestors who emigrated from Iheir native 
 land to Yorkshire, England, about 1400. They es- 
 tablished the manufacture of cloth which some of 
 the descendants still continue. The family were in 
 good circumstances, pro|)ertv owners, and many of 
 them held positions of public trust in their shire. 
 .John Waterhouse had seven children, the eldest 
 of whom was James, born in .Saddlevvorth in 1782. 
 He James, abandoned cloth manufacturing, and de- 
 voted his time to parish business, being elected 
 Constable, Overseer of the Poor, etc. At the time 
 of his death he was the Governor or Relieving Offi- 
 cer of Glossop Parish. At one time during his life 
 he traced the family genealogy back to the period 
 of removal from Saxony, lacking only the legal re- 
 cords in one or two particulars to secure certain 
 moneys in Chancery. 
 
 James Waterhouse had ten children, the ninth be- 
 ing George F., father of our subject. That gentle- 
 man was born at Saddleworth, England, Monday, 
 the ■22d of March, 1824, and died June 9, 1857. 
 He was reared in his native place, and became a 
 patternmaker, gaining the reputation of lieiiig the 
 most skillful workman in that part of the country. 
 When his father died, he temporarily held the posi- 
 tion thus left vacant, but on tin; advice of his phy- 
 sician started for America, hoping that the voyage 
 would be beneficial to his failing health. He, how- 
 ever, died the ninth day after his arrival in New 
 York, at the residence of his brother, Wright, leav- 
 ing a widow and three sons— William T,, James A., 
 and Frederick A. For a number of years he had 
 been a local preacher of the Methodist Church, and 
 a very active worker in the Sunday-school. 
 
 The wife of George F. Waterhouse bore the 
 maiden name of Mary Ann Thorpe. Their mar- 
 riage was solemnized in Glossop, Derbyshire, Eng- 
 land, on Thursday, April 6, 1848, in the Wesloyan 
 Methodist C'hai)el, being the first couple to be mar- 
 ried in a Dissenting Chapel In that part of the coun- 
 try. Mrs. Waterhouse is of pure English stock, her 
 
 parents having been William and Elizabeth (Boden) 
 Thorpe. 
 
 Mr. Thorpe when a .young man, changed his resi- 
 dence from Yorkshire to Derby.shire, and after his 
 marriage sojourned in Glossop until he w.as forty- 
 two years of age, when he was accidentally shot 
 dead by the gamekeeper of the Duke of Norfolk. 
 He had learned the trade of a carpenter, and worked 
 as a general mechanic during his early manhood, 
 later becoming a contractor and builder of consid- 
 eralile importance, and employing a large force of 
 men. He also carried on quite an extensive gro- 
 cery store or "grocer's shop" as then called. After 
 his melancholy death, his widow, with the assistance 
 of her husband's father, prosecuted the business 
 successfully for a number of years. She died at 
 the age of seventy-five, at the home of her son 
 John, in ]\Ianchester, England, with whom she had 
 been living for a few years. 
 
 The eldest son of Mrs. George F. Waterhouse 
 lives in Chillicothe, III., and is Cashier of the Chil- 
 licothe I'aper Company; he is married but has no 
 children. The youngest son, Frederick A., lives in 
 Albany, N. Y., is married and has two children; he 
 is Manager of Thepure Baking Powder Company. 
 The gentleman whose name introduces this 
 sketch was born at Glossop, Derbyshire, England, 
 May 21, 1852. lie was scarcely more than an in- 
 fant when his parents crossed the Atlantic and his 
 father died. His widowed mother came on to 
 Peoria, where the little lad grew toward manhood, 
 pursuing his studies in the common schools and 
 early beginning to take some part in the labors of 
 life. He first obtained a position as errand boy in 
 the drj'-goods store of Clarke & Co., before he had 
 entered his teens. He next became a clerk in De- 
 wein's wholes.ale leather store, where he remained 
 three years, after which he took a position in the 
 local freight office of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw 
 Railroad. 
 
 Mr. AV'aterhouse left the railroad to accept a 
 position with M. W. Goss, General Agent of the 
 Star Union Line, .and Mr. Goss, accepting a i)Osition 
 as General Freight Agent of the C'hesa|)eake ife 
 Ohio Railroad, at Richraonii, \'a., in 1876, accom- 
 panied his employer thither. He returned to Peo- 
 ria the same year because his mother could not
 
 984 
 
 PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. 
 
 leave here. He then assumed charge of the Claims 
 Department of the Toledo. Peoria & Warsaw Road, 
 from which he was appointed local freight agent. 
 He held that position until 1885, when he was urged 
 to become General Manager of the Peoria Transfer 
 and Storage Companj', which he had assisted in or- 
 ganizing. Yielding to the solicitations of friends, , 
 he transferred his attention to the new company, 
 with wliich he remained until August, 1889, when 
 he sold his stock and with others organized the 
 Chillicothe Paper Companj', at Chillieotlie, 111. A 
 mill was erected, and, as before noted, Mr. Water- 
 house is President and Treasurer of the compan3', 
 which has already built up a good trade and bids 
 fair to become a still more important factor in the 
 business life of this county and State. Mr. Water- 
 
 house is also President of the Kearney Paper Com- 
 pany at Kearne3% Neb. 
 
 In Peoria, on Thursday, October 17, 1877, he 
 was united in marriage to Miss Jennie, the only 
 daughter of John C. and Sarah Neff, of Columbus, 
 Ohio. The event took place in the Calvary Mis- 
 , sion Presbyterian Church, on Walnut Street, the 
 pastor, the Rev. John Weston officiating. Mrs. Wa- 
 terhouse was born at Alton, Ohio, Februarj' 7, 
 1856. No children have blessed their union. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Waterhouse are active members of Cal- 
 vary Presbyterian Church and Sunday-school, he 
 having been one of the charter members, serving 
 for a number of years as one of the Elders, and 
 is at present a member of the Board of Trustees, 
 and one of the Assistant Superintendents of the 
 .Sundaj^-School.
 
 
 Aby, Elder 7(!0 
 
 Ailauis, John -'5 
 
 Adams, John Q 33 
 
 Adams, J. H fiS" 
 
 Adams, S. E., M. D «4 
 
 Aiken, Mark M iM 
 
 Allen, Edward liSl 
 
 Allen, John C 3:» 
 
 Allen, J. M 4Si 
 
 Amerman, D. 1. S80 
 
 Anderson, Hon. II. G 267 
 
 Anderson. J. F S2n 
 
 Andrew William 31B 
 
 Anteliir,A.T .i:« 
 
 Apple, Rev. H 'J"8 
 
 Armstronpc, Joseph 355 
 
 Armstrong, Robert 278 
 
 iVi-nold, ■\Villiain A Si6 
 
 Artliur, Chester A 99 
 
 Atwood, William W 787 
 
 Austin, James E 
 
 Avery, Q. W »:» 
 
 Avery, R. H 951 
 
 B 
 
 Baldwin, E. F 221 
 
 Bailey, Ralph N 819 
 
 Baker, Eddy fill 
 
 Baker, Robert W., M. U 399 
 
 Ball, Edward 682 
 
 Ballance, Hon . Charles 217 
 
 Barnewolt, A. H 972 
 
 Barnes,J.B SS* 
 
 Barnum,J.S 280 
 
 Barrett, G. W 440 
 
 Bartholomew A. Y 200 
 
 B.arton. H. S 017 
 
 Barton. L. T •■)71 
 
 Barton, William C. 11 835 
 
 Bassett, 51.51 "96 
 
 BealI,F.M .584 
 
 Beeeher, 11. S <»9 
 
 Bell,Hon. A. J 814 
 
 Bennett, A. J 307 
 
 Bennett, C.J 600 
 
 Bennett, .James 479 
 
 Bennett, Willard H 414 
 
 Bennett, W. B 7.52 
 
 Bergner, P. A 820 
 
 Berry, C.L .5i;9 
 
 Beveridge, John L 171 
 
 Biederbeck, R. J 314 
 
 Biederbeck, William 470 
 
 Bills, Roswell 716 
 
 Bird. Noah 771 
 
 Birket, Arthur T 208 
 
 Birket, John 277 
 
 Birket, John C 277 
 
 Bishop, Henry 350 
 
 Bissell, William H. . . '. 151 
 
 Black, G. R 842 
 
 Blakesley, Joel 867 
 
 Blanchard, F. B 495 
 
 Boal, Robert, 51. D 805 
 
 Bghanan, John G. S 800 
 
 Bond, Shadrach Ill 
 
 Bontz, Conrad 666 
 
 Bontz, Conrad. Jr 519 
 
 Bowers, C.L 310 
 
 Bowman, B. F 903 
 
 Boylan, John 443 
 
 Bradley, Joseph 789 
 
 Bradley, T. S 193 
 
 Bradley, R. D., 51. D 717 
 
 Bradley, W. H 577 
 
 Brayshaw, A 449 
 
 Breier, Charles & Sons 732 
 
 Briiison, John 879 
 
 Brodinan, Joseph 230 
 
 Brooks, W. A 7()9 
 
 Brotherson, Hon. 1'. R. K :M9 
 
 Briis, Wilham J 741 
 
 Bryner, Col. John 749 
 
 Buchanan, A 239 
 
 Buchanan, James 75 
 
 Buchanan, James H 220 
 
 Bull.W.G 224 
 
 Bnrdick, E. W 442 
 
 Bm-t,R. W 569 
 
 Bushnell, A. W 593 
 
 Butcher, Rev. W. R 617 
 
 Butts, George W (WO 
 
 Cahill, Peter .326 
 
 Calhoun, Wilham 40li 
 
 Callender, Eliot 777 
 
 Campbell, R. E 483 
 
 Carlin, Thomas 135 
 
 Cary,HiramS 7U 
 
 Carter, L. W., 31. D 753 
 
 Case, I. W .582 
 
 Catton. Thomas 853 
 
 Catton, William 424 
 
 Challacombe, J 576 
 
 Chamberlain, Kev. J. S 352 
 
 Chamberlin, Horton 477 
 
 Chase, P. H .527 
 
 Clark, James 522 
 
 Clark, James 199 
 
 Clark, John L 257 
 
 Cleveland, Grover S 103 
 
 Coe, James S 939 
 
 Colburn, Dr. E. 51 329 
 
 Cole, William F 715 
 
 Coles, Edward 115 
 
 Collier, Joseph 793 
 
 Conklin,G. F 520 
 
 Conklin, 51. V. B 736 
 
 Cooper, J. K 06 
 
 Cornelius, Gustav 529 
 
 Cornwell. S. S 586 
 
 Cotton, William 424 
 
 Coulter, Prof. S. L »S 
 
 Cowley, William -T-lfi 
 
 Coyner, J. W., M. D mi 
 
 Cramer, William 885 
 
 Crandell,\V. H ...788 
 
 Cremer, Hon. Bernard 6-82 
 
 Cullom, Shelby 31 175 
 
 Cutter, William 4,54 
 
 Darst, Jacob 364 
 
 Davis, I. W 775 
 
 Dawson, C. W 314 
 
 Dawson, Theodore 632 
 
 Deal, James 257 
 
 DeLoss, Sarah, 31. D 603 
 
 Detweiller, Ca])t. Henry 384 
 
 Dewein. Valentine 447 
 
 Doty, Thom.asL. II Oil 
 
 Doubet.E 843 
 
 Doubet, Joseph 363 
 
 Dougherty, Dan 434 
 
 Dougherty, N. C 211 
 
 Duke, Cliarles S 875 
 
 Du5Iars, George W.. Jr 20!) 
 
 Du51ars, E. A., 51. D Ill 
 
 Duncan, Joseph 131 
 
 Dunlap, Alva 437 
 
 Duulap, Napoleon 222 
 
 Uunlap, W. K 437 
 
 E 
 
 Easton, AVilliam 261 
 
 Edwards, A. D 433 
 
 Edwards, E. D 642 
 
 Edwards, Isaac C 932 
 
 Eilwards, Ninian 119 
 
 Eli wards, Thomas J 596 
 
 Edwards, W. C 819 
 
 Elliott, C.C 91)3 
 
 Emerson, George F 222 
 
 English, John R 737 
 
 Erler.M.E 230 
 
 Ernst, Albert 790 
 
 Evans, D.G 448 
 
 Ewalt, W. Jasper .578 
 
 Ewing, William L. D 127 
 
 D 
 
 Dalton, A 
 
 Dalton , Joseph 
 
 Dammann, Gustave . . 
 
 .710 
 .045 
 .638 
 
 Fahnestock, H. T. . 
 Fahnestock, H. II.. 
 Fash, Charley 
 
 .8(19 
 .371 
 ...50t
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Fifer, Joseph W 183 
 
 Fillmore, Millard 67 
 
 Finch, D.I &»7 
 
 Finley, R. M 401 
 
 Fisher, Isaac '2S1 
 
 Flaglore, D. H.. M. D 212 
 
 FUmegan , J. H 93!) 
 
 Foril, John (KW 
 
 Ford, Thomas 1:59 
 
 Forney, Jesse Y 231 
 
 Francis, John H 196 
 
 Franks, J. W 970 
 
 French, Angustus C 113 
 
 Fritz, Godfrey 829 
 
 Fry, Tliomas 744 
 
 Frye, Abraham -^U 
 
 Fulton, Josiah 207 
 
 G 
 
 Gale, Jacob 68,5 
 
 Gales, W. R S6S 
 
 Gallup, Chauncey 650 
 
 Gantt, Thomas D 738 
 
 Garfield, James A 9.5 
 
 Garrison , Robert 631 
 
 Gauss, Eugene 33.5 
 
 Gauss, William P. : 483 
 
 Geiger,G.G 2« 
 
 Gelling, James 621 
 
 Gerdes, Henry R 325 
 
 Gilbert, G. W. H 725 
 
 Giles, Nathan 3.55 
 
 Giles, Thomas 955 
 
 Gillett, John, M. D 550 
 
 GiUillan, H SC'S 
 
 GillfiUian, William 271 
 
 Gilliam, G. T 933 
 
 Gipps, John M 728 
 
 Gordon, A. H .918 
 
 Graham, A. J., M. D 782 
 
 Graham,R 300 
 
 Graham, W. P 930 
 
 Grant, Kenneth 1-50 
 
 Grant, Ulysses S 87 
 
 Graze, Paul F 727 
 
 Green, Robert A 514 
 
 Green, Santord M 508 
 
 Griggs. Franklin 9I>8 
 
 GriswoId.M 201 
 
 Griswold, JohnL 870 
 
 H 
 
 Hagcrty, Saul 521 
 
 Hakes, A 429 
 
 Hakes, Rev. Anthony 427 
 
 Hall, Capt. J. H 625 
 
 Haller, John 819 
 
 Haller, Mrs. C. M 72S 
 
 Hamilton, John M 179 
 
 Hamilton. William R 237 
 
 Hamlin. Hon. John 361 
 
 Hammett, A. W .531 
 
 Hanly, Edward \V 721 
 
 Hanna, R. M 887 
 
 Hanny, R 892 
 
 Hansel, J, C 971 
 
 Hansel, J. "VV 604 
 
 Harding, John J 291 
 
 Hardy, John 672 
 
 Harkness, Edson 324 
 
 Harkness, Edwn 303 
 
 Harkness, H. S 675 
 
 Harlan, Harrison 925 
 
 Harmon, P. F 6:U 
 
 Harrison, Benjamin F 107 
 
 Harrison, Lovell 393 
 
 Hai-rison, J. R .500 
 
 Harrison, R. W 562 
 
 Harrison , William Henry 51 
 
 Hart, Felix 405 
 
 Hasselbacher, Peter 917 
 
 Hathaway, Gilbert 966 
 
 Hawley, Jerome C 637 
 
 Hawley.P. W 304 
 
 Hawver, W. P ;U1 
 
 Hayes, Charles. . . . ; 298 
 
 Hayes, Rutherford B 91 
 
 Heneberry . M 402 
 
 Hensel, John 540 
 
 Ilepperly, Jacob .507 
 
 Herr, Jacob 893 
 
 Herschberger, John 251 
 
 Hicks, L.C 475 
 
 Higgins, Daniel 1185 
 
 Higgs, C, R 202 
 
 Higgs,J.D 742 
 
 Hill, Robert 386 
 
 Hindle, James 925 
 
 Hines, John 775 
 
 Hinklcy, Mrs. Phoebe 561 
 
 Hinman, J 273 
 
 Hitchcock, D 421 
 
 Hoag, Jacob 
 
 Hoffman, Charles B 621 
 
 Hoffman, Jacob 496 
 
 Hogan , Xicholas 807 
 
 HoU, John V06 
 
 Holmes, George 502 
 
 Holton, Noble, M. D 911 
 
 Hopkins, Hon. H. B 612 
 
 Hornbaker, D 880 
 
 Hough, Gen. John 960 
 
 Houston, "VVilliam 970 
 
 Hovenden, William A 703 
 
 Howarth, Richard 763 
 
 Howe, Rev. E. F Xi'.) 
 
 Huber, AquiUa 732 
 
 Jack, William 700 
 
 Jackson, Andrew 43 
 
 Jackson, John 223 
 
 Jackson, Hiram 665 
 
 Jacobs, F.D 748 
 
 James, Hon. L. W 963 
 
 Jaques, Josiah 518 
 
 Jefl'ei-sou, Thomas 27 
 
 Johnson , Andrew S3 
 
 Johnson, B 62S 
 
 Johnson, James T 284 
 
 Jones, Henry W 198 
 
 Joos, George 882 
 
 Jordan, James 735 
 
 K 
 
 Karr, A. E 597 
 
 Keach, Cliarles H 812 
 
 Keith, A. N., M. D 912 
 
 Kellar, James G 894 
 
 Keller, Emanuel S)19 
 
 Kelley , James M 315 
 
 Kelsh,M 921 
 
 Kemp, Rev. Samuel S 649 
 
 Kemp, Squire D 533 
 
 Kendall, Jolm G 581 
 
 Kenyon, Belle, M. D 383 
 
 Kershaw, James 412 
 
 Ketchum, Rev. Smith 655 
 
 King, Charles P 227 
 
 King, John F 881 
 
 Kingman, Martin 490 
 
 Kinnah, John S 462 
 
 Kieffman , John 705 
 
 Klinck, Daniel 914 
 
 Kreuter, Jacob 330 
 
 Krumpe, Charles A 195 
 
 Kimtz, George 880 
 
 Kyle, Thomas F 849 
 
 Lambert, S.H.,M. D 741 
 
 Lane, George 372 
 
 Lane, George J 517 
 
 Lane, Thomas S 194 
 
 Larkin, John 953 
 
 Law, Samuel A. L 979 
 
 Lawrence, E. M 469 
 
 Letterman, Henry 802 
 
 Lietz, Paul S 811 
 
 Linck, Jacob 869 
 
 Lmcoln, Abraham 79 
 
 Lind, Matthew 427 
 
 Lonsdale, Richard 378 
 
 Look, L. B 765 
 
 Lyon, S. A 698 
 
 M 
 
 M.acy, M. C 826 
 
 Madison, James 31 
 
 Mahler, Frank C 356 
 
 Mallen, Henry .343 
 
 Mansfield, Edward , .5.54 
 
 Mansfield, H 333 
 
 Marsh, Is-aac J 2,52 
 
 Marshall, A. A. M 322 
 
 Marshall, Samuel 610 
 
 Marshall, T.S 931 
 
 Martin, L. B., M. D 200 
 
 Mathers, Thomas .'121 
 
 Mattesou, Joel A 147 
 
 Matthews, P. T 449 
 
 Mc Aii,ster, James 671 
 
 McCormick, William 248 
 
 McCoy, John A 808 
 
 McCullough, W. S B92 
 
 McDermott, J. E 784 
 
 McDonnell, Matthew 274 
 
 McDojmell, Alexander T 654 
 
 McDougal, John 981 
 
 McFadden, L. A., M. D 390 
 
 McFadden, T. B 598 
 
 McGair, Rev. P. A :!51 
 
 McGoguey, Rev. A. Z ti^ 
 
 Mcllree, Alexander 806 
 
 McHvaine, G. H 923 
 
 Mclntire, Rufus 729 
 
 Mclntyre, Frank 876 
 
 McKinney, John E 373 
 
 McLean, William 228 
 
 McNeill, J. T ,....417 
 
 Meals, B 396 
 
 Meeker, William H 941 
 
 Merchant, R.T 908 
 
 Meyer, John C. E 643 
 
 Mihigan, C.N 2.50 
 
 Miles, A. G 633 
 
 Miller,H.L 413 
 
 Miller.J.M 764 
 
 Miller.M.M 946 
 
 Miller,O.M 334 
 
 Mitchell, E. A 976 
 
 Mitchell, E 229 
 
 Mitchell, Rodney 697 
 
 Moffatt , A 238 
 
 Moffitt, Jeremiah 331 
 
 Momtt, William 48f 
 
 Molchin, Fritz 844 
 
 Monroe, James 488 
 
 Monroe, James 35 
 
 Moody , M. DeTal ly rand 600 
 
 Moonejs James ;109 
 
 Morrow, Hugh 553 
 
 Morrow, Josiah 545 
 
 Moss, John 647 
 
 Mott, W. W 269 
 
 Moul, Blair K 642 
 
 3Iuller, Jacob 374 
 
 Muller, Rev. John 615 
 
 Muller, Joseph 441 
 
 Muller, T.J 691 
 
 Mnrphy, John, M. D 197 
 
 Murphy, Joseph F 343 
 
 N 
 
 Neal.M. L 459 
 
 Nelson, Andrew 977 
 
 Newsam, Fi-ank 688 
 
 Niehaus, J. M 700 
 
 Nightingale, D. D 552 
 
 Noel, Warren 769 
 
 Norvell, T. B., M. D 297 
 
 o 
 
 Oakford.A. S 377 
 
 Oaktord & Fahnestock 371
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Oertley, Henry 560 
 
 Off, Charles J 823 
 
 Oglesby, Richard KB 
 
 Oswalt, John L KiS 
 
 Pacey, Rev. Thomas ■2»2 
 
 Page, George T iVi 
 
 Paluior. John M 1B7 
 
 Parmcnter, F. K 939 
 
 Parr.A.P flS 
 
 Patterson, C Bf'O 
 
 Pattei-son , John M 588 
 
 Payson, H. S 765 
 
 Peirce, H. H 799 
 
 Perkins, S. P -t-VJ 
 
 Perkins, S. R., M. D 824 
 
 Pfaniter. Fred 772 
 
 Pfeifer.M (HI 
 
 Phares, John D 527 
 
 Pierce, E. B ....091 
 
 Pierce, Franklin 71 
 
 Pillsbnry, James E 910 
 
 Pinckney , A. W., Jr 9H 
 
 Pnikney, A. W., Sr 4<i8 
 
 Pitney. L. B 242 
 
 Pi 1 1 , Xorris 6S6 
 
 Plack. George 272 
 
 Polk, James K 59 
 
 I'oplett, Wyley B92 
 
 Porter, John GIO 
 
 Potter, A. U 902 
 
 Potter, H. W 712 
 
 Potter, John S 320 
 
 Potts, Mre. Ann mi 
 
 I'owell, A. G 83S 
 
 Pratz, William \V 599 
 
 Pnrsfll, George S 480 
 
 Putnam, P. T 4B2 
 
 Putnam, W. ( : .875 
 
 Q 
 
 Qu:i!in:in. Maj. Charles 4'2*2 
 
 R 
 
 Radlcy , John 934 
 
 Randall. Henry 512 
 
 Randall, C. C : 817 
 
 Randle, Abraham 543 
 
 Rauni, Daniel F 234 
 
 Reed, Harrison 519 
 
 Reed. Hiram iM 
 
 Reed, Morrow P 319 
 
 Reed, Mcrritt .530 
 
 Heed, William 759 
 
 Reents. S 96!, 
 
 Reynolds, John 123 
 
 Rice, Hon. James M 38ti 
 
 Richard, James H 794 
 
 Richardson, James 891 
 
 Rincr, John W 093 
 
 Roberts, J. C, 51. D .i.iO 
 
 Robbins, J. W (i.i9 
 
 Robison, Leslie (ifl5 
 
 Roelfs, Fred E .431 
 
 Rogers, George A 977 
 
 Roszell, J.I) 808 
 
 Rowclitte, Hon. William .509 
 
 Ryer, Elijah R :i87 
 
 Sanger, William M 439 
 
 Bch.anb, N 485 
 
 Seheeller, Aman 622 
 
 Schenck, H 489 
 
 Schlmptf , Hon. A. L 718 
 
 Schlink, V. L 428 
 
 Sehlots, Frederick 620 
 
 Bchnebly, George W., Jr. , . . .(i37 
 
 Schnebly, Joseph S 726 
 
 Schofield, John 927 
 
 Scholes, Richard 2.53 
 
 Bchroeder, William 656 
 
 Scott , John 399 
 
 Scovil, John 747 
 
 Scovill, Linus 493 
 
 Seabury , R. F 969 
 
 Beabury, Samuel 940 
 
 Secretan, L. 31 904 
 
 Sedgwick, James H . . .906 
 
 Seelye, Lj-man .524 
 
 Seelye, Danford 720 
 
 Seltzer, J .561 
 
 Seymour, Harvey 565 
 
 Shade, Henry 514 
 
 Shehan , Lawrence . ". 915 
 
 Shepard, F. E 619 
 
 Shepard, E. F 572 
 
 Shotr, Joseph, Sr 900 
 
 ShoU, Henry S 928 
 
 ShoU, Joseph 244 
 
 Shurtleff, F 754 
 
 Siegel, J. G 376 
 
 Sikes.H. K 855 
 
 SiUiman, N. H 467 
 
 Singer, Henry 766 
 
 Slane. B. F -igi 
 
 Slayton, CM 290 
 
 Sloan, Enoch P 661 
 
 Slone, A. F 854 
 
 Slough, J. W "169 
 
 Slygh, George D 476 
 
 Smith. A. H 288 
 
 Smith, David 494 
 
 Smith, David 250 
 
 Smith, Ivester 904 
 
 Smith, John 474 
 
 Smith, John \V &i0 
 
 Smith, Ira 270 
 
 Smith. Philip 683 
 
 Smith, W. P 802 
 
 Spurck, P. E 668 
 
 Starr, Hon. J. S 753 
 
 Starts, E 943 
 
 Stegens, Frederick 330 
 
 Stewart, James H ;JS0 
 
 Stewart, R. A 263 
 
 Stewart, Thomas M 887 
 
 Stewart, G. W 407 
 
 Stewart, U. J 927 
 
 Stevens, John S 400 
 
 Stevens, O.S 218 
 
 Stevens, Z. P 362 
 
 Stone, Alexander 926 
 
 Stookey, Hon. D. B 897 
 
 Stookey.S. A 917 
 
 Stowell, Augustus 268 
 
 Stowell, Hon. Calvin .556 
 
 Stowell, O. B 338 
 
 Stowell, Solomon 432 
 
 Straesser, William 955 
 
 Streitmatter, William F 4:i8 
 
 Sturm. Albert 700 
 
 Sturm. George 451 
 
 Sturm, John 499 
 
 Switzer, F. A .501 
 
 Tallyn. Thomas 209 
 
 Taylor. Col. Isaac (i73 
 
 Taylor, John 676 
 
 Taylor, Zachai-y 63 
 
 Temple, George B 913 
 
 Thomas, John A 704 
 
 Thomas, L. H 460 
 
 Thomas, O. F., M. D 430 
 
 Thompson, George A 7.58 
 
 Thompso!). Benjamin W (i87 
 
 Todd, William H 302 
 
 Traub, Rev. Gottlieb 697 
 
 Treasure, Walter 874 
 
 Truitt, Henry 678 
 
 Tucker, Cyrus 473 
 
 Tucker, Homer C 294 
 
 Tucker, John S 781 
 
 Turbett, J. A 575 
 
 Turbett, J. B 873 
 
 Turbett, W S 859 
 
 Turner, James 419 
 
 T^'ler, John 55 
 
 Van.irsdale, John 899 
 
 Vanansdale, J. H 818 
 
 Van Buren, Martin 47 
 
 Van Petten, F. B 388 
 
 Van Tassel. William Vv' .552 
 
 Vars, Thomas 312 
 
 Varnes. E.I) 200 
 
 Vicary, Henry 936 
 
 Voorhees, Joseph 757 
 
 w 
 
 Wachenheimer. .1 AV2 
 
 Waketield, William W 719 
 
 Walker, James 9,56 
 
 Wallace, W. W 906 
 
 Warner, Col. John 862 
 
 Warren, Benjamin, Jr 825 
 
 Warren , Capt . Benjamin 973 
 
 Washington, George 19 
 
 Wasson, John .528 
 
 Watrous, Joseph P 683 
 
 Weatherwax, Andrew 736 
 
 Weatherwa.x, George L 512 
 
 Weaver, John, M. D 233 
 
 AVeber, Valentine 297 
 
 Weiennett, F. D 287 
 
 Wenker. Fred ,^:J9 
 
 "White, Oliver 560 
 
 Whiting, J. G 722 
 
 Wiiting, Marcus, M. D 368 
 
 Whiting, William 801 
 
 Whitne.v, Stedmond 313 
 
 Whittaker. Robert 751 
 
 Whittaker, William S 418 
 
 Whitteniore, Caleb 395 
 
 Whitten, William 731 
 
 Wickwire, James .830 
 
 Wilder, E. F G39 
 
 Wilder, Loren (i44 
 
 Wiley, John P 837 
 
 Wiley, Mrs. H. 1 437 
 
 Wilkinson, J. H.. M. D 247 
 
 Will, Robert 585 
 
 Wilson, George A 232 
 
 Wilson. John 213 
 
 Wing, E. C 559 
 
 Winkelme.ver, Frederick 627 
 
 Woelfle, J. C 918 
 
 Wolf.L. P 861 
 
 Wolland, E. S 616 
 
 Wonder, James A 212 
 
 Wood, .John 155 
 
 Woodruff, N. L : 817 
 
 Wookey, Benjamin 776 
 
 Woollier, Samuel 9,52 
 
 Worthington, N. E 743 
 
 Wriglc.v, Joseph :H5 
 
 Wrigley, William 905 
 
 -WAkoir. William. ., . . .^. . .^.241 
 Waterhouse, James A .983 
 
 Yates, George V 251 
 
 Yates, Richard 159 
 
 Yerion,Bros 214 
 
 Yerion, John M 769 
 
 Young, Henry C, M.D 96t
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Adams, John 22 
 
 Ailams. John Q 3S 
 
 Allen, Edward (SO 
 
 Anderson, H. G 2B6 
 
 Arthur, Chester A 98 
 
 Atwood, William W TSf! 
 
 Baker,Dr.R.W :»? 
 
 Ballance, Hon. Charles ilH 
 
 Carton, W. C. H SSt 
 
 Beecher, M. S COS 
 
 Berry, Cyrus L oOS 
 
 Beveridge. joiiu L 170 
 
 Birket, John 27G 
 
 Bissell, \V. H 150 
 
 Blakesley, Joel 865 
 
 Blakesley , JIi-s. Amy 861 
 
 Bond. Shadrach 110 
 
 Bradley, T.S 190 
 
 Bradley, Mi-s. Lydia Wl 
 
 Brooks, William A 703 
 
 Brothei-son, P. R. K »18 
 
 Buchanan, James 74 
 
 Bushnell, A. \V 590 
 
 Bushnell, Mrs. Jennette 591 
 
 Carlin, Thomas 134 
 
 Chase, P. H. 526 
 
 Cleveland, S. Grover 102 
 
 Colburn, E. M., M. D 328 
 
 Cole, William F 714 
 
 Coles, Edward 114 
 
 Collier, Joseph 792 
 
 Cramer, William 8^ 
 
 Cunom,S.M 174 
 
 Deal, James 25G 
 
 DeLoss, Dr. Sarah 602 
 
 Dcwein, Valentine 44(i 
 
 DuMars, Dr. R. A 410 
 
 Duncan, Joseph -.130 
 
 Dunlap, Alva — -:;6 
 
 Edwards, Ninian ! IS 
 
 Ewing, W. L. D 126 
 
 Fahnestock, H. H. :!70 
 
 Fifer.J.W 182 
 
 Fillmore, Millard 66 
 
 Flaglore, Dr. D. H 212 
 
 Ford, Thomas 138 
 
 French, A. C 142 
 
 Frye, Abraham ... ^10 
 
 Fulton, Josiah -'IS 
 
 Garfield, J. A '4 
 
 Garrison , Robert — ' iJO 
 
 Gauss, WiUiam P 4S2 
 
 Gilbert, G. W. H 724 
 
 Grant, C.S 86 
 
 HamUton, Dr. W. R 236 
 
 HamUton.J. M 178 
 
 Hamlin,J<>hn iSS 
 
 Hamlin, Mrs. C. A S9 
 
 Harrison, Benjamin 106 
 
 Han-ison, Mrs. L 392 
 
 Harrison, W. H 50 
 
 Hart, Felix 404 
 
 Hayes. R.B 90 
 
 Hepperly, Jacob 504 
 
 Hepperly, Mrs. J 5(6 
 
 Hines, John 774 
 
 Hovendeu, William 702 
 
 Howarth, Richard 762 
 
 Howe, Rer. E. F 338 
 
 Jackson, Andrew 42 
 
 Jackson, Hiram 661 
 
 Jefferson, Thomas 26 
 
 Johnson, Andrew 8"2 
 
 Jordan. James 734 
 
 Keller, Emauuel 948 
 
 Kelsh, Michael 920 
 
 KendaU, J. G 580 
 
 Kenyon, Dr. Belle 382 
 
 King, Charles P 226 
 
 Lane, George J 516 
 
 Lambert, Dr. S. H 740 
 
 Larkin, John 953 
 
 Lincoln , Abraham 78 
 
 Lind, Mathew 426 
 
 Madison, James 30 
 
 Matteson, Joel A 146 
 
 Mc Alister, James 670 
 
 McNeill, Capt. J. T .416 
 
 Mitchell, Rodney 696 
 
 Monroe, James 34 
 
 Mooney, James 307 
 
 Mooney , Mrs. James 306 
 
 Moss, John 616 
 
 Muller, Rer. John 614 
 
 Neal, John P 464 
 
 Neal.Mrs. Sally 4K 
 
 Xeal, Moses L 456 
 
 Xeal, Moses L 457 
 
 Noel, Warren 763 
 
 Xorvell, Dr. T. B 296 
 
 Oakford, Aaron S 376 
 
 Off, Charles J 822 
 
 Oglesby , R. J 16'2 
 
 Oswalt, J. L 652 
 
 Falmer.JM 166 
 
 Peirce, H. H 798 
 
 Pierce, Franklin 70 
 
 Polk, J K 5,8 
 
 Potts, Mrs. A .536 
 
 Randle, A 542 
 
 Reed. Harrison 548 
 
 Reed, M. P 318 
 
 RejTiolds, John 122 
 
 Richardson, James 890 
 
 Robbins, John W 658 
 
 Schnebly , G. W., Jr 636 
 
 Scovill, Linus 492 
 
 Scovlll, Mrs. Juliet A 4!t2 
 
 ScoTil, John 746 
 
 Scovil, Mrs. Mary A 746 
 
 Stewart, Walter 263 
 
 Stookey , Hon. D. B 896 
 
 Taylor, Zachary 62 
 
 Tucker, C3TUS 472 
 
 Tucker, John S 780 
 
 Turbett , J. A .574 
 
 Turbett, J. B 872 
 
 Turbett, W. S 8.58 
 
 Tjler, John 54 
 
 Tan Bureu, Martin 46 
 
 Voorhees, Joseph 756 
 
 Washington, George 18 
 
 Weienuett , Frederick D 286 
 
 Wilkinson, Dr. J. H 246 
 
 Wilkinson, Mrs. I. E 246 
 
 Wing, Ezra C .5.58 
 
 Wood, John 1.54 
 
 Woodruff, X. L 816 
 
 Yates, Richard 158 
 
 Bowman, B.F 901 
 
 Bridson,,John 877 
 
 Cat ton, Thomas S51 
 
 Fritz, Godfrey 827 
 
 Harlan, Harrison 815 
 
 Klinck, Daniel 845 
 
 Letterman, Henry 803^ 
 
 Maey, M. C ! 827 
 
 Mclntyre. Frank 877 
 
 Newsam, Frank fi89 
 
 Potter, A. U. 497 
 
 Reents, Siebeld 497 
 
 Scheeller, Amaii 623 
 
 Shoff, Joseph 901 
 
 Smith, John W 851 
 
 Smith, W. P 803 
 
 Vicary, Henry 937 
 
 Walker, James 957
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOISURBANA 
 
 977 352P83 C001 
 
 PORTRAIT i BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM OF PEORIA 
 
 3 01 
 
 2 025392694