LIBRARY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
920.077343
B521
I.H.S.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
OF
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS
CONTAINING
BIOGRAPHICAL and GENEALOGICAL SKETCHES of
MANY OF THE PROMINENT CITIZENS OF
TO-DAY AND ALSO OF THE PAST
"Biography is the only true history." EMERSON
CHICAGO
HOBART PUBLISHING COMPANY
1907
"The history of a nation is best told in the lives of
its people." MACAULAY.
PREFACE
The present age is happily awake to the duty of writing its own records,
setting down what is best worth remembering in the lives of the busy toilers of
today, noting, not in vain glory, but with an honest pride and a sense of fitness,
tilings worthy of emulation, that thus the good men do may live after them.
The accounts here rendered are not buried talents, but of used ability and op-
portunity. The conquests recited are of mind over matter, of cheerful labor
directed by thought, of honest, earnest endeavor which subdues the earth in the
divinely appointed way. "The great lesson of biography," it is said, "is to show
what man can be and do at his best." A noble life put fairly on record, acts like an
inspiration, and no more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an
intelligent public.
In this volume will be found the record of many whose lives are worthy the
imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty,
\by industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others with
limited advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and
women, with an influence extended throughout the length and breadth of the land.
It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as states-
n, and whose names have become famous. It tells of 'those in every
walk of life who have striven to succeed, and tells how success has usually
crowned their efforts. It tells also of those 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 a woman performing a deed of mercy, "They have done what
they could." It tells how many, in the pride and strength of young manhood,
left all, and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or to die," and how
through their efforts the Union was restored and peace once more reigned in the
land.
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 record, and which would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been
_ taken in the compilation of the work, and every opportunity possible given to
j those represented to insure correctness in what has been written ; and the pub-
r lishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with few errors
O^of consequence.
Yours Respectfully.
HOBART PUBLISHING COMPANY.
=> January, 190?.
.-
"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote
ancestors will not achieve anytliing worthy to be remembered
with pride bv remote generations." MACAULAY.
IONITII JO
3K1 JO
Auvuan
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
OF
HANCOCK COUNTY
CHARLES HAY, M. D.
For forty-three years Dr. Charles Hay
was a resident of Illinois and though
more than two decades have been added
to the cycle of the centuries since he
passed away, his name is revered and his
memory cherished by all who knew him.
It was not alone his skill in his profes-
sion, although he was an able medical
practitioner of his day, his scholarly at-
tainments nor the success he achieved,
which gained for him the place which he
occupied in the regard of his friends, but
rather his sterling traits of character, his
kindly spirit, his deference for the opinion
of others, his loyalty to all that was right
and just in man's relations with his fel-
lowmen and his fidelity to high ideals.
The life record of Dr. Hay began on
the 7th of February, 1801, in Fayette
county, Kentucky. In the paternal line
the family is of Scotch lineage, the ances-
try being traced back to John Hay, who
with his four sons emigrated from the
Rhenish Palatinate to America about the
middle of the eighteenth century. This
John Hay was the son of a Scotish soldier
who left his own country about fifty years
before and attached himself to the army
of the elector Palatine. Following the
arrival in the new world the brothers sep-
arated and John Hay, the eldest, became
a resident of York, Pennsylvania, where,
prospering in business affairs, he accumu-
lated considerable property. He was also
influential in public life and served as
one of the magistrates of Pennsylvania
during colonial days. Interested in the
grave questions which elicited public at-
tention prior to the Revolutionary war
and advocating the cause of liberty, he
filled several important offices in the or-
ganization of the patriot forces prepara-
tory to the Revolution and when war
was inaugurated he joined the military
forces and won promotion to the rank
of colonel. Following the establishment
of the republic he represented York
county in the assembly. Another brother,
Adam Hay, who, like his brother John,
had received military training in Europe,
became a resident of Berkeley county, Vir-
ginia, and also served with some distinc-
tion in the Revolutionary war. He was
a friend and associate of Washington and
12
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IElf
one of the earliest recollections of his son,
the late John Hay of Springfield, Illinois,
was of meeting General Washington on
a country road and hearing him greet
Adam Hay as an old comrade, at the
same time bestowing a friendly pat on
the head of the young lad.
It was this John Hay who became the
father of Dr. Charles Hay of Warsaw.
His birth occurred February 13, 1779.
His youth was passed in his parents'
home, but the discipline of the household
was somewhat stern and arbitrary, owing
perhaps to the military training, as a
German soldier, of the father. As he
approached manhood John Hay was un-
willing to endure the inflexible rules laid
down by the father and resolved to estab-
lish a home and seek a fortune for him-
self elsewhere. This plan he announced
to his father and although there was a
lack of sympathy to some extent between
them, that there was 110 positive breach
is indicated by the fact that he was pro-
vided with money sufficient to enable him
to take up a good piece of land in Fayette
county, Kentucky, to which place he made
his way. In early manhood he married
Jemima Coulter and they became the
parents of fourteen children, all of whom
reached maturity. Three of the sons,
Charles, Joseph and Theodore Hay, be-
came physicians, while another son, Mil-
ton Hay, for many years occupied a most
distinguished position at the Illinois bar.
In his business affairs in Fayette county.
John Hay, the father, met with gratify-
ing success and for thirty years continued
a resident of that locality, but feeling that
the influence of slavery was detrimental
he determined to take his family to a
region which was free from that objec-
tion and when fifty-five years of age re-
moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, ac-
companied by all his children save his
eldest son, Dr. Charles Hay, who had
already begun the practice of medicine in
Indiana.
It was the intention of John Hay to
engage in the manufacture of cotton
goods in Illinois and he brought with him
from Kentucky the machinery and appli-
ances necessary for the conduct of such
an industry, but the business proved un-
profitable and he soon concentrated his
efforts upon other interests. He dealt to
a greater or less extent in land and his
speculations and investments in this re-
gard brought to him a good financial re-
turn. He was the first man to sign a
in the public square of Springfield. In
promissory note to the state bank which
secured the erection of the old state house
matters relating to the general welfare
he was deeply interested and his co-opera-
tion could be counted upon to further
plans and measures for the public good.
His name became a synonym for integrity
and honor in business affairs as well as
in private life and his record was at all
times in harmony with his professions as
a member of the Baptist church, in the
work of which he took an active and help-
ful part. The contemporary biographer
has said, "His long white hair, his com-
pact and powerful form, were for many
years a noticeable sight in the streets of
the town. He was a devoted friend of
Lincoln and the death of the president
affected him profoundly. He was then
in failing health and for several days
after the assassination he could not dis-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
miss the subject from his thoughts. He
forgot his ninety years and often said,
'If I had been in the box with him, that
should not have happened.' He sat at
the window to watch the funeral cortege
which bore the martyred ruler 'to his
grave and then went to his own rest, May
20, 1865, in the ninety-first year of his
age."
Dr. Charles Hay, the eldest son of John
Hay, spent his childhood and youth in
Kentucky upon the old plantation which
his father there developed. He was pro-
vided with the best educational privileges
that the state afforded and his aptitude in
his studies was ever a marvel to his teach-
ers, who it is said could hardly be con-
vinced that he was not playing a practical
joke upon them when they saw him learn-
ing his alphabet one day and reading
with facility a fortnight later. He quick-
ly mastered the branches of learning
taught in the common schools, after
which he continued his studies in a clas-
sical school at Lexington, where he made
the same easy progress in Latin and
Greek. He never allowed his knowledge
of those tongues to lapse with the passing
of the years and the assistance which he
rendered to his children in the reading of
Homer and Virgil later made for them
an intellectual pastime of what otherwise
would perhaps have been a dreaded
school task. He , was always a man of
scholarly tastes and habits, his reading
covering a wide range and his assimila-
tion of knowledge being such as to render
him a pleasing and entertaining com-
panion of men of widest thought and
culture. His choice of the practice of
medicine as a life work was followed
by preliminary reading under the direc-
tion of Dr. William H. Richardson and
later of Dr. Dudley and others who were
prominent in the medical fraternity in
Kentucky at that day. His collegiate
training was received in the medical de-
partment of Transylvania University, the
most important institution of learning in
the west and when his graduation won
him the degree of M. D. he located for
practice in Salem, Indiana, where for ten
years he followed his profession with uni-
form success.
It was during his residence in Salem
that Dr. Hay was married in October,
1831 to Miss Helen Leonard. She was a
daughter of the Rev. David A. Leonard,
of Bristol, Rhode Island, whose erudition
and oratorical power won him wide fame
at the beginning of the nineteenth cen-
tury. He was a graduate of Brown Uni-
versity of the class of 1/93 and was class
poet. Entering upon the active work of
the ministry, he became pastor of the
First Baptist church in Gold street in
New York city and in 1817 removed to
the west, purchasing a large tract of land
on the Ohio river. His death occurred
two years later. He had wedded Mary
Pierce and to them had been born thirteen
children. Among this number was a
daughter, Evelyn, who became the wife
of John Hay Farnham, whose acquaint-
ance Dr. Hay formed during his resi-
dence in Salem and this brought to him
the acquaintance of Helen Leonard,
whom he afterward made his wife.
Other members of the Leonard family
were: Charlotte, who married William
P. Thomasson, who represented the
Louisville district of Kentucky in con-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
gress ; Sarah, the wife of Governor David
Meriwether, who was a prominent rival
of Mr. Thomasson as leaders in the whig
and democratic parties of Kentucky ; and
Cornelia, the wife of William N. Grover,
afterward United States district attorney
for Missouri.
Following their marriage Dr. and Mrs.
Ha}' established their home in Salem,
Indiana, and the young physician soon
won a large practice, his position in pub-
lic regard being fully established through
the energy and devotion with which he
combatted an epidemic of cholera in 1833,
which carried off both Mr. and Mrs.
Farnham. For weeks together Dr. Hay
took little time for either sleep or food,
but gave his attention untiringly to the
work of checking the ravages of the dread
disease. From that time forward he en-
joyed a large and lucrative practice in
Salem and became recognized moreover
as one of the local leaders in the whig
party and was induced to become the
editor of a weekly whig paper in Salem,
which he conducted for several years,
making it one of the strongest organs
of that political organization in Indiana.
His kindness of heart brought him into
financial ruin through securities which
he signed for friends and with the hope
of retrieving his lost possessions he re-
moved frorrv Salem to Warsaw, Illinois,
in 1841. Until death claimed him he
continued an honored resident of this
city, his life being actuated by honorable
and benevolent principles and filled with
good deeds. His professional capability
was soon recognized and brought him a
large and important practice. Warsaw
at that time was situated in what was
largely a pioneer district and the practice
of a physician was in consequence fraught
with many hardships incident to the long
rides which it was necessary to take
through the hot summer sun or the win-
ter's cold in order to administer to the
needs of patients far removed from his
home. He was engaged in practice here
during one of the most notable epochs in
the history of this city. From the east had
come a colony of people known as Mor-
mons. Their belief in and practice of po-
lygamy was so distasteful to the residents
. of Hancock county that they arose in their
wrath to drive the new sect out of the dis-
trict and a bitter warfare arose between
the Mormon people and their opponents.
The roads were infested with bands of
lawless persons on both sides, a large
number of houses were burned and many
persons shot from the ambush of the
woods. Dr. Hay's friends, fearing for
his life, urged him to give up his country
practice, but this he refused to do, merely
purchasing a faster horse and continuing
his work on either side of the hostile
lines. He was often stopped but never
otherwise molested, although he was
known to be inflexibly opposed to the
Mormon people and practices. However,
he stood for justice and right and was
ever found on the side of law and order
and protested vigorously but ineffectually
against the march to Nauvoo which re-
sulted in the death of Joseph and Hiram
Smith, brothers, who were prophet lead-
ers among the Mormons.
In his practice Dr. Hay met with suc-
cess. He was a student of any subject
or theory which seemed to bear upon his
professional work and eagerly embraced
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
every advanced idea that he helieved
would promote his efficiency and enable
him to give more capable service to his
fellowmen in checking the ravages of
disease and restoring health. A broad
humanitarian spirit was ever the basis of
his professional work and yet he was not
without that laudable ambition for achiev-
ing success, that he might provide well
for his family, and as his financial re-
sources increased he from time to time
made judicious investments in real estate
which added to his prosperity. His farms,
however, did not bring him the profit
which would have accrued to many men
who look upon the proposition only from
the business standpoint. It is said that
Dr. Hay regarded his tenants somewhat
as if they were his children or his wards
and he looked first to their interests rather
than to the financial benefits that he
might receive from their labors. How-
ever, the normal man always has appre-
ciation for nature and Dr. Hay greatly
enjoyed riding out to his farms and
watching the growth of the crops. His
was a well-rounded nature. He never
concentrated his energies and efforts so
closely upon one line of thought or ac-
tion as to become abnormally developed.
The study of nature, his professional ser-
vice, his deep interest in his fellowmen,
shared with his books in his attention.
He passed many of his most pleasant
hours in communion with the strong and
cultured minds of the past, the essay, his-
tory and natural science being the prin-
cipal themes which claimed his attention.
The welfare and progress of his adopted
city was ever a matter of deep and intense
interest to him and he was particularly
helpful along lines of intellectual prog-
ress and advancement. The public-
school system received his most earnest
endorsement and he co-operated to the
full extent of his powers in the work of
upholding the standard of education and
introducing improved methods of instruc-
tion. The school teachers recognized
that they had no stancher friend in all
Warsaw than Dr. Hay and a word of en-
couragement and appreciation was to
them often an inspiration that enabled
them to put forth further effective effort
for the public schools. He was instru-
mental in establishing a free public library
in Warsaw and was for many years pres-
ident of the library board. He held a
prominent place in all the associations for
the improvement of agriculture, horticul-
ture and other important interests of the
county and in local religious and chari-
table organizations. His endorsement of
such movements was not that of words
alone, for he was an active co-operant in
all plans for public progress and im-
provement and considered no task too
unimportant to claim his best efforts if it
proved a factor in the result for which
they were striving.
As the years passed there were added
to the family of Dr. and Mrs. Hay six
children, of whom the eldest, Edward
Leonard, died in infancy. Leonard Au-
gustus Hay, the second son, retired army
officer, died in Warsaw, November 12,
1904. Mary Pierce is the widow of
Major Austin Coleman Woolfolk, A. Q.
M., United States army and afterward
a circuit judge in Minnesota. John Hay
rose to national prominence, his last pub-
lic work being as secretary of state under
i6
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
President Roosevelt. Charles Edward,
captain of the Third Cavalry, United
States army, and afterward twice elected
mayor of Springfield, Illinois, it the only
surviving son. Helen became the wife
of Harwood Otis Whitney and died in
1873. The death of this daughter came
to Dr. and Mrs. Hay as their greatest
bereavement. "Her bright, .sunny tem-
per, her witty and original conversation,
her devotion to those she loved and her
absolute unselfishness, qualities which
she seemed to derive with her name from
her mother, made her the idol of her
home." The lives of Dr. and Mrs. Hay
were bound up in their children and. as
Dr. Hay expressed it, no personal dis-
tinction for himself could bring him the
joy that could come to him through the
intelligence, honor and thrift of his chil-
dren. No personal sacrifice on the part
of the parents was considered too great
if it would promote the welfare of their
sons and daughters. They felt that no
economy must be practiced for their edu-
cation and there was always means of
providing teachers and books of the best
within reach. They lived to see them at-
tain positions of honor and distinction
and the sons attributed to their early
parental training much of their success
in later life. In the spring of 1879. Mrs.
Hay met with a serious accident, so that
for many weeks it was thought that she
could not recover and she was unable to
walk afterward. During these days of
trial Dr. Hay waited upon her with un-
tiring patience and heroic endurance and
following her convalescence became more
than ever her inseparable companion.
They celebrated their golden wedding in
October, 1881, having terminated fifty
years of a marriage relation which in
every respect reached the ideal. It was
not long after this that Dr. Hay recog-
nized that because of heart disease his
own end was near. He never spoke of
the matter except to his physician, Dr.
Hunt, and he charged him strictly never
to mention it, for he did not wish to bring
one feeling of alarm or danger to his
wife, his children or his grandchildren,
in whom his life was wrapped up. He
passed peacefully away September 18,
1884. "He walked serenely down to the
gates of death with nothing of the in-
difference of the stoic but with the cheer-
ful resignation of a philosopher and the
loving self-sacrifice of a Christian hus-
band and father bearing the burdens of
others-." He had attained the age of
eighty-three years. Resolutions of re-
spect were passed by the library board
and by the cemetery board, of both of
which he was a member and perhaps no
better estimate of his life work and of
his character can be given than by quoting
fromthelocal papers of Warsaw, for in that
city where he had so long made his home
his life record was as an open book. "He
soon acquired a competency by judicious
investments and by his practice, from
which he retired several years ago, to
enjoy the leisure he had so well earned.
Even in his peaceful and honored age,
however, he was no idler. He preserved
to his latest days the studious and schol-
arly habits of his youth. He read with
avidity everything of interest which ap-
peared, especially in the line of science
and history. He took the greatest in-
terest in state and municipal affairs, and
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
was active in every enterprise which
promised to advance the cause of educa-
tion and enlightenment. As in his early
manhood he was never too busy to help
his own children in their Greek and Latin
lessons, so in his latest days he was never
so indolent as to refuse his assistance to
any scheme to extend to the people those
benefits of sound learning which had been
of so much advantage and pleasure to
himself." Another publication said,
"The Doctor was of the highest stamp of
manhood upright in all his dealings ; un-
swerving in the discharge of what he be-
lieved to be his duty ; kind, generous, and
charitable with all men; a lover of man-
kind, and ever thoughtful of their wel-
fare; strong in his convictions of the
right, and true to their teachings. He
was a nobleman in the true sense of the
word." "In his chosen profession of
medicine he was an acknowledged mas-
ter; and in his devotion to his profession
he had but few equals. He was courte-
ous, kind, and considerate in his inter-
course with those of like profession. In
his friendship he was ardent and faith-
ful. So long as a man was worthy, he
remained his friend." The funeral ser-
vices were conducted at his home by the
Rev. John G. Rankin, who in his remarks
said, "There has been much, especially
in his, latter years, to make life desirable.
Having, by his diligence and frugality
in the noonday of life, acquired a com-
petency, which enabled him to free his
mind from all anxiety; living among
friends and neighbors with whom he had
been associated for more than forty years ;
honored and loved by the entire commu-
nity in which he had so long lived (for
Dr. Hay had no enemies) ; permitted to
see all his children occupying honored
and useful positions in life; and, perhaps,
above all, receiving from his children, in
their frequent visits to the home of their
childhood, such love and honor and
thoughtful and tender care as but too few
parents receive ; surely there was much in
such surroundings to make life desirable,
yet, as he expressed it to a friend, he had
been living for years as a "minute man."
He had done life's work day by day, as
it was presented to his hand, and he
stood ready to answer the Master's call
any minute." A minute analization of
the life of Dr. Hay, however, would cer-
tainly bring forth the fact that with all
his love of learning, with all of his de-
votion to the public welfare, with all of
his scientific knowledge and medical skill,
his deepest interest centered in his family.
The ties of home were to him sacred.
He found his greatest happiness in the
companionship of his wife, who survived
him until the i8th of February, 1893,
when she, too, passed away.
CHARLES SAVAGE SHIPMAN.
Charles Savage Shipman, assistant
cashier of the First National Bank at
Dallas City, and well known in financial
circles in this part of the county, was born
August II, 1845, i n Yonkers, New York.
His parents were Ralph and Marilla
(Wells) Shipman, both natives of New
Britain, Connecticut. Colonel Lee, the
i8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
great-grandfather of Mr. Shipman, was a
soldier of the Revolutionary war, and
the family was represented by several sol-
diers in the Civil war, so that the military
record is a most creditable one. While
living in Connecticut Mr. Shipman was
owner of a brass foundry, and following
his removal to Yonkers, New York, he
there engaged in the conduct of a paper
box factory. Both he and his wife were
members of the Presbyterian church, and
he served as one of its deacons from early
manhood up to the time of his death. He
died in December, 1876. while his wife
passed away in 1879, and both were laid
to rest in the cemetery in Yonkers, New
York. In their family were five children,
of whom two died in early childhood.
Julius married Miss Mary Clark, made
his home in Yonkers, New York, and
died in 1875. His widow is still living
at the very venerable age of ninety years.
He was twenty years older than the sub-
ject of this review. He left four children :
Mrs. Fannie Wilson, of Brooklyn, New
York; Mrs. Isabella Williams, of Yonk-
ers, New York; and Walter and Albert
Shipman. Ann and Jane Shipman,
daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Ship-
man, died in childhood. Anna E., the
only surviving daughter of the family,
makes her home in New Britain, Connec-
icut.
Charles S. Shipman, the only surviv-
ing son, was educated in the public and
high schools of his native city and in a
military academy at Yonkers. New York.
His school life being over he assisted
his father in the box factory in that city
until his removal to the west in 1871. in
which vear he arrived in Hancock countv.
Illinois. He spent the succeeding two
years upon a farm, and in 1873 returned
to New York, where he conducted his fa-
ther's business until 1882, when he re-
moved to Dallas City, Illinois. Here he
became a clerk and a salesman in the lum-
beryard of his father-in-law, H. F. Black,
with whom he continued for five years,
when he embarked in business on his own
account, and was numbered among the
successful dry goods merchants of Dallas
City for eight years. In 1902 he became
bookkeeper and assistant cashier in the
First National Bank of Dallas City, and
is still acting in that capacity, being well
known in financial circles here, while
throughout the years of his residence here
he has made a most creditable record as
an enterprising business man.
On the 2gth of June, 1876, Mr. Ship-
man was married to Miss Catherine Farn-
waldt Black, a daughter of Henry Farn-
waldt Black, who for many years was a
prominent lumber merchant of Dallas
City but is now deceased. Mrs. Shipman
was born June 14, 1857, in Grand Rapids,
Wisconsin, was educated in Rockford
Seminary, at Rockford, Illinois, and was
married in Dallas City on the 29th of
June, 1876. By this union there have
been born three children. . Ralph Wells,
bom August 18, 1878, attended the pub-
lic schools of Dallas City, was graduated
from the high school and pursued a course
of study at Fort Madison, Iowa. He mar-
ried Miss Letitia Nelson, of Nauvoo, Illi-
nois, and now lives at Media. Illinois,
where he is superintendent of a. lumber-
yard for the firm of Black and Loomis.
Mary Black Shipman, born August 2,
1884, is a senior in Hardin College, in
MAX COCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Mexico, Missouri, and was graduated
from the musical conservatory in connec-
tion with that school in April. 1906.
Anna Celia, born October 15, 1887, at-
tended the same school with her sister for
three years, when she became ill with
typhoid fever. Her sister then brought
her home and she died in Fort Madison
Hospital, in December, 1905. She was
buried the same day as her uncle, B. F.
Black, from his late home, and was laid
to rest in Dallas City cemetery. She was
a beautiful, amiable and accomplished
young lady and was greatly beloved by
all. She held membership in the Congre-
gational church and took an active part
in church and Sunday-school work.
Mr. and Mrs. Shipman reside in the
old Black home at the corner of Fourth
and Oak streets, which was built by her
father forty-eight years ago, and Mr.
Shipman also has a farm at Pontoosuc.
Illinois, and pasture lands in Henderson
county, together with a house which he
rents in Dallas City. His political sup-
port is given to the republican party and
he is recognized as a prominent factor in
local political circles. In 1886 he was
elected mayor of Dallas City and is now
serving as alderman from the second
ward. He is a prominent and valued
member of the Masonic fraternity and of
the Woodman camp, and he and his wife
are devoted members of the Congrega-
toinal church, in which he is serving as
deacon, while since 1889 he has been su-
perintendent of the Sunday-school. His
wife has been president of the Ladies So-
ciety of the church and was organist and
choir leader for years but has recently
retired from this work. She belongs to
a chapter of the Daughters of the Amer-
ican Revolution, and is an intelligent, cul-
tured lady. Mr. Shipman is a capable
business man and a respected citizen, of
genial disposition and a fund of wit and
humor, and the home of this couple is
the center of many delightful social
gatherings.
PROF. WILLIAM K. HILL, A. M.
William K. Hill, professor of chemis-
try and biology at Carthage College, was
born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania,
December u, 1857, and is descended from
an ancestry that was established in east-
ern Pennsylvania at an early epoch in its
development, the progenitor of the fam-
ily in America having come from Eng-
land. John Hill, the grandfather, re-
moved to Armstrong county, Pennsylva-
nia, and built the first school-house in the
south half of the county. He employed
a man to teach his children and invited
the neighbors to send their children and
enjoy the benefits of instruction. In the
midst of the wilderness he carved out a
home and his labors were of a character
that contributed in marked degree to the
material improvement of the community.
He also built the first grist mill in his
part of the county and he co-operated
in many movements for the general wel-
fare. He married a Miss Ament and their
son, Salem Hill, father of our subject,
was born in Armstrong county, where
he was reared and educated. He followed
both milling and farming and spent his
20
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEU'
entire life in that locality. In early man-
hood he wedded Miss Esther Kuhns, also
a native of Armstrong county, where they
continued to reside until called to their
final rest. In their family were seven
children. The parents were devoted and
active members of the Lutheran church,
in which Mr. Hill served as an officer.
His wife was a granddaughter of Father
Michael Steck, the first Lutheran minis-
ter in Westmoreland county, Pennsyl-
vania, at which time the county boundaries
comprised nearly the entire western por-
tion of the state. His daughter Esther
married David Kuhns and they became
the parents of Mrs. Hill. Salem Hill de-
parted this life about ten years ago, but
Mrs. Hill is still living upon the old
homestead.
William K. Hill is the second in order
of birth in the family. After attending
the district schools he continued his stud-
ies in Pennsylvania College, at Gettys-
burg, and was there graduated in the class
of 1879 with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts, while later the Master of Arts de-
gree was conferred upon him by his alma
mater. Following his graduation he en-
tered upon a course of study in Gettys-
burg Theological Seminary of the Lu-
theran church, of which he is an alumnus
of the class of 1884.
In the fall of that year Professor Hill
came to Carthage to accept the chair of
science at Carthage College, with which
he was continuously identified until 1893,
when he resigned his position and for eight
years thereafter was superintendent of the
public schools of the city of Carthage.
During that period the work of the schools
were rapidly developed and improved,
Professor Hill maintaining a high stand-
ard of proficiency in all his work and in-
spiring his teachers and the pupils with
much of his own zeal and interest in the
work. The attendance at the high school
increased threefold during that period and
there was a marked improvement mani-
fested in all departments of public educa-
tion in this city. In 1901 Professor Hill
was re-elected to his old position in the
college and since that time has filled the
chair of chemistry and biology. His spe-
cial work has been along the line of and
study of biology of fresh water algae but
his life work has been that of teaching.
As an educator he has won high rank, im-
parting knowledge in clear, concise man-
ner, which fails not to make a strong im-
pression upon the minds of his pupils. He
has also become known in business cir-
cles in Carthage, where for a number of
years he has been director of the National
Bank.
Professor Hill was married December
21, 1887, to Miss Kate Griffith, a daugh-
ter of Dr. A. J. Griffith and a graduate of
Carthage College. To them have been
born ten children, nine of whom are yet
living, namely : Esther Margaret, Wil-
liam Griffith, Katharine, Robert Mc-
Claughry, Lewis Rowland, Ralph March-
and, Constance, Edward Llewellyn and
Imogen. Professor and Mrs. Hill are
members of the Lutheran church, in the
work of which they take a very active
and helpful part. Professor Hill has
served as elder for many years and has
done all in his power to advance the
work of the church and extend its in-
fluence. His political views are in ac-
cord with the republican principles but
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
21
he has never been an aspirant for office.
He has a beautiful home on Wabash ave-
nue, where his well filled library and
other attractive furnishings indicate the
wealth of refinement and culture to be
found there. Throughout his entire pro-
fessional career he has remained in Car-
thage and his strong intellectuality and
broad, scholarly . attainments have made
him a leader in its educational progress.
GEORGE WALKER BARR.
George Walker Barr, a retired farmer
of Dallas City, is one of the few residents
of America who can claim the distinction
of being the grandson of a Revolution-
ary hero. The ancestry of the family
can be traced back to the year 1607, when
a representative of the name settled at
Jamestown, Virginia, among the first per-
manent residents of the new world.
Adam Barr, grandfather of our subject,
was a native of the Old Dominion and
served throughout the Revolutionary war
as a teamster. He was with the immedi-
ate command of General Washington for
seven years and underwent the various
hardships and privations which were he-
roically borne by the soldiers who fought
for independence, marching at various
times when his footprints were marked
by blood. George W. Barr of this review
can well remember when at the age of
ten years he dropped corn after his grand-
father Barr, who was then ninety-five
years of age. Adam Barr was married
in Baltimore, Maryland, and subsequent-
ly removed to Kentucky, where he lived
for many years. In his family were thir-
teen children, of whom four sons fought
in the famous battle of New Orleans un-
der the command of General Andrew
Jackson and two of the number never re-
turned, giving their lives in defense of
their country in the second war with Eng-
land.
Elias Barr, son of Adam Barr, was
born in Breckinridge county, Kentucky,
December 8, 1807, and after arriving at
years of maturity was married to Sallie
A. Beauchamp, whose birth occurred in
Hardin county, Kentucky, December 4,
1808. She was a daughter of Jerry B.
Beauchamp, who was descended from the
French nobility. His parents went to
England at the time of the emigration of
the Huguenots because of the religious
persecution in their own country and
Jerry Beauchamp and his two brothers
were born in England. He was a lawyer,
scholar, statesman and aristocrat one of
the most distinguished residents of Ken-
tucky at an early day. He served for
eighteen years in the Kentucky senate,
leaving the impress of his individuality
upon the laws which were enacted at that
early period and aiding in shaping the pol-
icy of the state. He was a typical Ken-
tucky gentlemen, a man of fine presence,
standing six feet, four inches, in height.
At one time he owned over ten thousand
acres of land in Kentucky. He kept open
house and delighted in the sports which
were always enjoyed by the southern gen-
tlemen. He kept fine racing horses and
a pack of greyhounds and participated in
many of the big hunts of the time. He
22
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
also owned a large number of slaves and
on one day before the war he liberated
sixty-three of his bondspeople. Some-
thing of the prodigality of the hospitality
of his home may be indicated by the fact
that a whole ox was roasted at the wed-
ding of his daughter Sallie to Elias Barr.
He lived to a very advanced age and when
he passed away Kentucky lost one of its
distinguished, representative and typical
citizens a man of the old regime who
represented the aristocracy of the south.
The year 1859 witnessed the removal
of Mr. and Mrs. Elias Barr from Kentucy
to Hancock county, Illinois. The father
engaged in farming and stock raising on
section one. Rock Creek township, owning
over four hundred acres in Hancock
county, and there carried on general agri-
cultural pursuits up to the time of his
death, which occurred in 1875. He was a
democrat in his political views and both
he and his wife held membership in the
Methodist Episcopal church, in which he
also served as class leader. When he came
to Illinois he owned over one thousand
acres of good Kentucky land and also
some of the finest horses in the United
States. He was a man of enterprise, suc-
cessful in his undertakings, and his wife
was of great assistance to him, being-
trained to the work of the household as
was the custom in those days. She spun
and wove and capably managed the house-
hold affairs and there are several pieces
of table linen in the family of George W.
Barr which were woven by her. Elias Barr
passed away on the i8th of July, 1875,
his wife surviving for a number of years,
or until the ist of May, 1892, when she
also departed this life. In their family
were twelve children : Daniel Thomas,
who was born in 1831 and died in 1846;
Newell Robinson, who was born in 1834
and died in 1892; Elmira A., who was
born in 1836 and is the wife of John Hur-
dle, living near Disco, Illinois; Mary E.,
who was born in 1838 and is the widow
of Thomas L. Ray, of Dallas township;
Bluford B., who was born in 1840 and
died in 1898; Kitty Ann, who was born
March 5, 1842, married Sylvester T. Tur-
ney, and died in 1886; George Walker, of
this review; Sarah E., who was born in
1846 and is the widow of David Wright,
her home being near Disco ; John Adam,
who was born in 1848 and is a successful
physician of Fountain Green, Illinois;
Martha Jane, who was born in 1850 and
is the wife of M. Bross, of Prescott, Iowa ;
Franklin P., who was born in 1852 and
is living in Clarinda, Iowa; and Amanda
M., who was born in 1856 and is the
wife of Daniel Showers, of Fresno, Cali-
fornia.
George W. Barr was born in Breckin-
ridge county, Kentucky, February 25,
1844, and in his boyhood days accom-
panied his parents on their removal to
Hancock county. He pursued his edu-
cation in the district schools of this county
and in Mount Vernon, Illinois, and re-
mained with his father until twenty-five
years of age, assisting in the cultivation
and improvement of the home farm. Am-
bitious to have a farm of his own and
enter upon an independent business ca-
reer, in 1868 he purchased one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Dallas town-
ship. To this he afterward added as his
financial resources increased until he
owned two hundred and twenty-five acres
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
of good land in that township, on which
he made many modern improvements,
converting the place into a splendidly im-
proved property. There he lived for a
third of a century, or until 1902, when he
retired from fanning and purchased a
beautiful home and two lots on Third
street in Dallas City, where he is now liv-
ing, surrounded by many of life's com-
forts.
On the 2Oth of April, 1869, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Barr and Miss
Mary E. Dean, who was born in Clinton
county, Ohio, October 3, 1848, a daugh-
ter of William B. and Margaret A. (Ran-
kin) Dean. The mother was born in
Brown county, Ohio, in 1807 and the
father's birth occurred in Ireland in 1806.
Crossing the Atlantic, he arrived at New
York at the age of fifteen years after a
voyage of three months. He traveled for
some time and afterward became a farmer
of Henderson county, Illinois, where he
settled in 1853. In his family were seven
children : Bartley R., who died in Ar-
kansas in 1906; William L., living near
Disco, Illinois; Albert and Alfred, twins,
the former a resident of Chico, Califor-
nia, and the latter of Eldon, lewa ; Mary
E., now Mrs. Barr; Arthur, of Dallas
City ; and Charles Edward Franklin, who
died in May, 1869. The father was reared
in the Roman Catholic church and the
mother died in the same faith. Mrs. Barr
was educated in the South Hill school in
Burlington, Iowa. By her marriage she
became the mother of three children : Ettie
E., born January 25, 1870, was married
May 12, 1897, to Elmer V. Royse, of
Aledo, and they have two children, George
Frederick and Cleo Ray; Robert A., a
2
sketch of whom appears on another page
of this book, is the second of the family ;
and Mary Ottilia, born August 4, 1885,
is a graduate of the Dallas City high
school in the class of 1905. In 1901-2
she- attended St. Mary's Academy at
Xauvoo, Illinois, and is a skilled musician,
now at home with her parents.
Mr. Barr is a democrat in his political
faith, voting for the state and national
candidates of the party, but at local elec-
tions casts an independent ballot. He has
held some township offices, including that
of road commissioner, and he has been
school director, while his wife has also
acted in that capacity for three years.
They attend the services of the Christian
church, of which Mrs. Barr is a member.
She is a lady of very genial and cheerful
disposition and their friends in the com-
munity are almost co-extensive with the
circle of their acquaintances. Mr. Barr
is a man whose success is attributable to
his industry and business integrity and
through careful management in an active
career, through diligence and persever-
ance he has acquired a handsome compe-
tence that now enables him to enjoy life
without recourse to further labor. His
son is operating the home farm and the
family is one of which the parents have
every reason to be proud.
FRANKLIN C. LITTLE.
Franklin C. Little, starting out in life
with forty acres of land, is now the owner
of a valuable farming property of four
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
hundred acres and the increase in his
realty possessions is an indication of the
industry and enterprise which have char-
acterized his life and made him one of
the men of affluence in Pontoosuc town-
ship. His success enables him to enjoy
the comforts and some of the luxuries of
life in the evening of his days for Mr.
Little is now seventy-seven years of age.
He was born in Green county, Ohio, De-
cember 12, 1829. He had an uncle, Da-
vid Little, who served in the war of 1812,
serving as a guard at Sacketts Harbor.
His parents, Martin and Sarah (Ritnour)
Little, were both born in the vicinity of
Winchester, Virginia, the former in 1794
and the latter in 1 796. After some years'
residence in Ohio they came to Hancock
county, arriving on the 25th of April,
1847. They settled in Appanoose town-
ship but after a brief sojourn there the
father purchased land in Pontoosuc town-
ship from a Mormon elder of the name
of Fullmer and lived in a little log cabin
for a few years, when he made better im-
provements, owning four hundred acres,
having paid high for those times, paying
as high as $5.25 per acre, in order to get
good title. He aided in the pioneer de-
velopment and upbuilding of the county
and was identified with its farming inter-
ests until his death in 1854. His wife
long survived him and in 1882 was laid
by his side in Pontoosuc cemetery. They
had seven children : Lorenzo, who lives
in Pontoosuc township; D. A., of the
same township; Catherine, the widow of
Archibald Jackson, of Nauvoo; Sarah, the
wife of Charles Rogers, of Nebraska ; Mil-
lie, deceased ; F. C. ; and Jane, the wife
of Adam Coffman, of Pontoosuc.
Franklin C. Little largely acquired his
education in Ohio and for one term at-
tended school in this state, whither he
came with his parents when a youth of
seventeen. At the age of nineteen, in
1849, ne was married to Miss Nancy Mc-
Cauley, who was born in New York state
in 1829, a daughter of Major and Polly
McCauley, both New York people but
formerly of Ireland. Her father was
a distant relative of MacCauley, the Eng-
lish historian. Mr. and Mrs. McCauley
came to Illinois at a very early day, set-
tling in Hancock county in 1832, and he
participated in the Mormon war of 1844,
while with many other events of the
early days, which have become historic,
he was also associated. Of his family
of ten children six are now living : Elea-
nor, the wife of Isaac London, of Pay-
son, Illinois ; Lydia, the widow of Je-
rome Langdon, and a resident of Payson ;
Henry and Robert, both of Kansas; Su-
san, wife of John Schwartz, of Nebraska;
and John, also of Nebraska. Three sons,
William, Henry and Robert, all served
for three years in the Union army in
the Civil war.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Lit-
tle's father gave him forty acres of prai-
rie land in Pontoosuc township and, lo-
cating thereon in 1849, he built a house
and has made all the improvements of
every kind upon the farm, the boundary
of which he has also extended from time
to time. He owns altogether four hun-
dred acres in Pontoosuc township and
although well advanced in years is still
actively engaged in general farming and
stock raising. This has been his life
work. Ambitious to succeed he has put
HANCOCK- COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
forth earnest, unremitting effort, guided
by sound judgment, and his prosperity
has resulted.
In 1877 Mr. Little lost his wife, who
died on the I4th of June of that year and
was laid to rest in Pontoosuc cemetery.
She was a devoted member of the Meth-
odist church and a consistent Christian
woman. Of their ten children, six are
living: Martin, a resident of Pontoosuc
township, has four sons, Muriel, Franklin,
Lee and Harry; Melissa, the wife of
James Lamb, of Pontoosuc township, by
whom she has seven children Edith.
Delmer, George, John, Daisy, Millie and
William; Arthur, a resident farmer of
Pontoosuc township, who married Lizzie
Avis and has three children Jessie, Leola
and Gladys ; Mary, wife of Hiram Long-
shie. of Pontoosuc township, and the
mother of two children, Edward and Min-
nie; Samuel, of the same township, who
married Emma Cress and has three chil-
dren Claude, Nora and Nellie; Anna,
the wife of Henry Byler, of Durham
township, has one child and by a former
marriage has three children, Mabel, Otis
and Irene Hamilton (all Hamiltons) ;
Flora, wife of Robert Alston, of Hamil-
ton, Illinois, by whom she has three chil-
dren Flossie, Frankie and Grace; and
Frank G., who married Grace Mitchell, of
Dallas City, and has one child, Donald
Ray.
On the 23d of January, 1884, Mr. Lit-
tle was again married, his second union
being with Miss Emma A. North, who
was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1853.
a daughter of Alfred A. and America A.
(Miner) Xorth, both coming from Ohio
and settling in Sangamon county.' this
state, when the eldest sister of Mrs. Lit-
tle was only two years old. Mr. North
served for three years in the Civil war
as a member of Company A, Tenth Illi-
nois Cavalry, and was mustered out as
brevet major. Of his five children four
are living: Kate, the widow of Samuel
Lamb, of Pontoosuc township; Mrs. Lit-
tle; Milfred, of Galveston, Texas; and
Alfred A., living in Springfield.
Mr. Little is a stalwart republican who
has given unswerving support to the party
since its organization and has served as
supervisor, school director and assessor.
He belongs to the United Brethren church
and is a man worthy of the respect so
uniformly accorded him wherever he is
known. He has lived in this county for
almost sixty years and events which to
others are matters of history are to him
matters of personal observation and ex-
perience. Pioneer life in Hancock county
in all its phases was familiar to him and
he has taken justifiable pride in what has
been accomplished in the county in the
passing years.
JAMES BABCOCK.
James Babcock, a leading business man
of Durham township engaged in general
farming and also representing the finan-
cial interests of the community, as vice
president of the Farmers Exchange Bank
of Dallas City, was born Novmber 2,
1849, in the township where he still makes
his home. His father, Samuel Babcock,
26
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
was a native of New York, born in 1810,
and as a child of a few years he was taken
with his parents who settled on the Miami
Bottoms near Cincinnati and there he
grew to maturity being reared to the oc-
cupation of farming. In 1835 he became
a resident of Henderson county, Illinois.
There he lived in a log house in true pio-
neer style for a number of years, there
being but few settlers there. He learned
and followed the carpenter's trade and
he also operated a water mill there until
his removal to Hancock county, having
purchased a farm in Durham township.
He served as a soldier in the Mormon war
and was identified with many events
which now find place upon the historic
annals of this part of the state. He was
married in Henderson county in early
manhood to Miss Nancy Logan, a daugh-
ter of Samuel Logan. She was born in
Indiana in 1825, and as a child was
brought here. For many years they
traveled life's journey happily together.
The death of the father occurred Octo-
ber 7, 1886, while his wife survived until
January 18, 1902, and both were laid to
rest in a cemetery in Henderson county,
Illinois. Of their family of ten children
five are now living: Susan, the wife of
Arthur Gates, of Welkin, Minnesota;
Euphama,the wife of Lee Shaw, of Dallas
City ; James, of this review ; Anna, the
wife of Ami Huffman, of Clyde, Mis-
souri ; and Florence, the wife of James
Farren, of Durham township, living on
the old homestead of her parents.
James Babcock is indebted to the dis-
trict schools of Hancock county for the
early educational privileges he enjoyed.
He afterward spent two winters as a
student in Bryant & Stratton's Business
College at Burlington, Iowa, and he re-
mained upon the old homestead until
twenty-eight years of age, assisting in
the farm work in its various departments
and thus gaining thorough familiarity
with the best methods of cultivating the
fields.
On the nth of September, 1877, Mr.
Babcock was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Rice, who was born in Stark county,
Ohio, May 12, 1855, a daughter of
Henry and Elizabeth Rice, who are men-
tioned on another page of this work. For
three years following their marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Babcock lived upon the present
site of Stronghurst and subsequently
spent nine years upon the old homestead
farm of his father. In March. 1889, he
purchased one hundred and sixty acres
of good land on section n, Durham
township, and in 1896 he erected his
present modern residence, which is one
of the finest and most beautiful homes in
the township. All other improvements
upon the place are in keeping and alto-
gether his is a model farm property,
equipped with the various conveniences
and accessories that are known to modern
farming in the twentieth century. His
fields are under a high state of cultivation
and annually return to him good crops
and he likewise owns twenty acres of
timber land upon the old home place. On
the 5th of July, 1904, he was elected vice
president of the Farmers State Exchange
Bank of Dallas City and has since been
connected with the institution in that ca-
pacity. He was one of the organizers of
the bank and was elected one of the di-
rectors at its first meeting, and has been
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
27
the only vice president who has served.
His son Rolla has been cashier from the
first and in fact obtained the subscriptions
for stock.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Babcock
has been blessed with three children :
Frank, who was born in Stronghurst in
1878, died at the age of five years. Rolla,
born in this county in 1880, attended the
Gem City Business College at Quincy,
Illinois, and is now cashier in the Farm-
ers State Exchange Bank in Dallas City.
He married Nellie Quinton. Ina, born
in Durham township February 9, 1887,
attended the Nauvoo Academy for two
years and is now at home with her
parents.
Mr. Babcock votes with the democracy
but has never been an aspirant for office,
preferring to concentrate his energies
upon his business affairs, which, capably
controlled, are bringing to him a gratify-
ing measure of success, and investigation
into his history shows that the methods
he has ever followed are in strict con-
formity to a high standard of business
ethics.
DANIEL T. RAY.
Daniel T. Ray, living near Colusa, is
an extensive land owner and enterpris-
ing citizen and as one of the representa-
tive men of Hancock county well deserves
mention in this volume. He was born in
Breckinridge county, Kentucky, in 1859,
a son of Thomas L. and Mary (Barr)
Ray. John Barr, an uncle of Mrs. Mary
(Barr) Ray and her grandfather in the
maternal line were soldiers of the Revolu-
tionary war.
Thomas L. Ray was born in Breckin-
ridge county, Kentucky, in 1827 and was
a farmer by occupation. He was mar-
ried in his native state to Miss Mary Barr,
whose birth occurred in Breckinridge
county in 1838. They came to Hancock
county, Illinois, in 1865 and settled near
Dallas City, while subsequently they re-
moved to Pilot Grove township. In 1880
they took up their abode in Dallas town-
ship, where Mr. Ray purchased eighty
acres of land on section 36. This farm
was improved and as time passed he ex-
tended its boundaries and added other im-
provements, making this a well developed
property which returned to him a good
income for the care and labor which he
bestowed upon it. His study of the po-
litical issues and questions of the day led
him to give his support to the democracy
and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his
worth and ability, called him to various
local offices. He held membership in the
Baptist church, to which his widow also
belongs, and his life was characterized
by his religious faith. In the family were
six children, of whom four are now liv-
ing: Daniel T. ; Sarah E., who is at
home with her mother; Emma E., the
wife of George Boyer, of Fort Madison,
Iowa; and George W., also at home.
One daughter, Mary J., died at the age
of two years; and Anna F., the youngest
of the family, died in July, 1890, at the
age of fourteen years while visiting her
sister in Fort Madison, Iowa. That was
the year of the father's death. He was
28
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
well advanced in years and suffered from
paralysis, but the daughter was carried
away in the bloom of youth and died
when absent from her mother's home.
Her death came as an almost unbearable
blow to the family, who in one year were
bereft of husband and father, daughter
and sister.
Daniel Ray, whose name introduces
this record, was educated in the district
schools of Dallas township and to some
extent in Pilot Grove township. He re-
mained with his father upon the home
farm until the latter's death and then took
charge of the property for his mother.
He is still manager of the farm, which is
carefully conducted by him, his business
ability and enterprise enabling him to
make it a source of profit. In his youth
he became thoroughly familiar with the
best methods of carrying on farm work
and in later years he has not only superin-
tended his agricultural interests but has
also made judicious investments in land
and is now the owner of considerable
valuable farm property, owning one hun-
dred and sixty acres in Xorth Dakota.
He has followed in his father's political
footsteps and votes with the democracy.
He has served as road commissioner and
as a member of the school board and he
withplds his support from no movement
or measure that is calculated to prove
of general good. In his social relations
he is a Woodman. Almost his entire
life has been passed in this county, for in
early boyhood he was brought to Illinois
by his parents and in the intervening years
he has made a record which is most com-
mendable both in his business relations
and private life. He is an honest, up-
right, energetic man, who stands high
in the community and in his business life
he is making a creditable record and is
highly respected by all.
A. W. O'HARRA.
Apollos W. O'Harra needs no intro-
duction to the readers of this volume, for
few men have a wider acquaintance in
Hancock county, by reason of his pro-
fessional and business connections and his
activity in support of many plans and
movements for the public good. While
undoubtedly he is not without that honor-
able ambition which is so powerful and
useful an incentive to activity in public
affairs he has even regarded the pursuits
of private life as being in themselves
abundantly worthy of his best efforts and
by the faithful and conscientious per-
formance of each day's duty as it has
come to him he has found inspiration and
encouragement for the labors of the suc-
ceeding day. He has thus won public
confidence and his ability in the line of his
chosen profession has given him pres-
tige at a bar which has claimed many
notable members.
Mr. O'Harra was born on a farm near
Camp Point in Adams county, Illinois,
February 22, 1857, his parents being Jef-
ferson and Pauline (Robertson) O'Harra.
The father was a native of Indiana, born
June 4. 1833, and the mother's birth oc-
curred in Adams county, Illinois, May 9,
1838. Jefferson O'Harra devoted his at-
HANCOCK COUNTY. ILLINOIS.
29
tention to general agricultural pursuits
until 1866 and at the age of fifteen years
he went to Adams county, Illinois. In
1860 he removed to Hancock county,
where he engaged in the tilling of the soil
until 1866, when he moved to Bentley
and became proprietor of a general store
which he conducted for thirty-twci.years^
In 1899 he removed to Carthage, thinking . ;
to retire from active business life, but
indolence and idleness are utterly foreign
to his nature and he could not content
himself without some occupation, so that
for the past five years he has acted as
manager of the mortgage department in
the office of his son, A. W. O'Harra. He
votes with the democracy and has served
as township supervisor and as a member
of the school board, but is without polit-
ical ambitions. A member of the Odd
Fellows Society, he has passed all of the
chairs in the local lodge and has several
times been representative to the grand
lodge. Both he and his wife are mem-
bers of the Methodist church and he has
held most of the church offices. They re-
side in Carthage and are greatly esteemed
in the city which is their home. Unto
them were born five sons and four daugh-
ters, of whom six are now living, namely :
A. W., of this review: Dr. William G.
O'Harra, a practicing physician of Chi-
cago; Mary E., the wife of George E.
Burner, a farmer residing in Rock Creek
township ; Professor C. C. O'Harra, pro-
fessor of geology and mineralogy in the
state school of mines at Rapid City, South
Dakota ; Rev. M. L. O'Harra, a Methodist
minister, who is now pastor of the Col-
lege church at Abingdon, Illinois ; and
Ira J., a successful lawyer at Macomb.
A. W. O'Harra was a student in Car-
thage College and afterward engaged in
teaching for four years in the public
schools of Bentley, Illinois. He took up
the study of law in the office under the
direction of the firm of Draper & Sco-
field in Carthage and was admitted to the
bar January 5, 1880. He began the prac-
' tice of law alone with an office on the
\^est side of the public square and after
two years admitted Frank H. Graves, now
a' Reading attorney of Spokane, Wash-
ington, to a partnership. They were as-
sociated for two years, or until Mr.
Graves' removal from the city, when Mr.
O'Harra entered into partnership with C.
J. and T. J. Scofield, brothers, a rela-
tionship which was maintained for a few
months, when the former was elected cir-
cuit judge. T. J. Scofield and Mr
O'Harra continued in practice together
for seventeen years, the firm originally be-
ing Scofield, O'Harra & Scofield and later
O'Harra & Scofield. In 1891 they ad-
mitted William H. Hartzell to a partner-
ship and he continued with the firm until
1896. In 1890 O'Harra & Scofield
opened a law office in Quincy, Illinois, the
latter removing to that city to look after
the business there and after a year Colonel
W. W. Berry became a member of the
firm, the partnership thus continuing un-
til the death of Colonel Berry. All this
time Mr. O'Harra continued his residence
in Carthage, having charge of the office
here. On the ist of January, 1897, W.
H. Hartzell retired from the firm in this
city and during the fall of the same year
Judge C. J. Scofield, having retired from
the bench, again became a partner and
the old firm style of Scofield, O'Harra &
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Scofield was resumed, the connection be-
ing continued until the ist of March,
1899, when it was dissolved. Judge Sco-
field still practices in Carthage, while T.
J. Scofield is one of the prominent law-
yers of Chicago. Mr. O'Harra practices
in all of the courts and is now located in
an office on Main street, where he has one
of the finest law libraries of the city. It
is the theory of the law that the counsel
who practice are to aid the court in the
administration of justice and this Mr.
O'Harra has endeavored to do. He is
careful to conform his practice to a high
standard of professional ethics and never
seeks to lead the court astray in a mat-
ter of fact or law, nor does he endeavor
to withhold from it a knowledge of any
fact appearing in the record. He treats
the court with the studied courtesy which
is its due and indulges in no malicious
criticism because it arrives at a conclu-
sion, in the decision of a case, different
from that which he hoped to hear. Calm
dignified, self-controlled, free from pas-
sion or prejudice, he gives to his client
the service of great talent, unwearied in-
dustry and broad learning, but he never
forgets that there are certain things due
to the court, to his own self-respect and
above all to justice and a righteous ad-
ministration of the law which neither the
zeal of an advocate nor the pleasure of
success permits him to disregard. He has
achieved distinction as an able lawyer
of his district and he deserves it.
In connection with his law office Mr.
O'Harra maintains a money loaning de-
partment, making loans on farms and
thus placing about five hundred thousand
dollars per year. He is moreover a di-
rector in the Hancock County National
Bank, a director in the State Bank of Au-
gusta, and has been a director of the Car-
thage Building & Loan Association since
its organization in May, 1885. He is
likewise a director in the Carthage Elec-
tric Light & Power Company and a di-
rector in the Plumb Brothers Brick & Tile
Company and several other industrial cor-
porations. He has made judicious invest-
ments in real estate, owning some unim-
proved property in Carthage together witli
the Shoreham Hotel and his own resi-
dence. He likewise has farms in Hancock
county and has thus placed his money in
the safest of all investments real estate.
His strict integrity, business conservatism
and judgment have always been so uni-
versally recognized that he has enjoyed
public confidence to an enviable degree
and naturally this has brought him a lu-
crative clientage.
Aside from what he has done for the
city through the line of his business and
professional activity Mr. O'Harra has
given many hours to public service and
Carthage has benefited by his efforts in
her behalf. He has always been a stanch
democrat and for four years, from 1886
until 1890, served as mayor of the city,
giving a public spirited and businesslike
administration. He was also president of
the school board for a number of years
and for fifteen years has been a member
of the board of trustees of Carthage Col-
lege. His co-operation can be counted
upon for every measure and movement
that promises to advance the general wel-
fare and while working toward high
ideals he uses practical methods.
On the 1 4th of October, 1880, Mr.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
O'Harra was married to Miss Eliza J.
Burner, who was born in Hancock county,
October 25, 1856, and is a daughter of
Isaac S. and Jane A. (Lionberger) Bur-
ner, both of whom were natives of Page
county, Virginia, the former born March
21, 1817, and the latter April 21, 1820.
Mr. Burner was a farmer by occupation
and in 1837 came to Hancock' county,
traveling all the way on horseback. He
settled in Harmony township and rented
a log cabin, in which he lived for a few
years, when he purchased land and built
a log cabin, living in true pioneer style
upon the frontier of the ever receding
west and aiding in changing its pioneer
conditions into those of an advanced and
enlightened civilization. He voted with
the democracy and held several local of-
fices and was recognized as a local party
leader, his influence carrying weight in
the councils of the party. Both he and
his wife were consistent members of the
Baptist church, in which he served as dea-
con. He lived upon farms in Harmony
township for fifty years and died sudden-
ly November 3, 1886, at the home of Dr.
Carlton, to whom he had gone for med-
ical attendance. He was invited by Dr.
Carlton, an old-time friend, to remain to
dinner and passed away at the table. His
wife survived until October 31, 1890.
and both He buried in Harmony ceme-
tery. In their family were ten children,
of whom seven are yet living, as fol-
lows: Amanda E.. the widow of Samuel
F. Ramsey, of Harmony township; Am-
brose C.. and George S., of the same
township; Fannie A., the wife of Henry
Harter, of Sabetha. Kansas; Alice B., the
wife of Philip L. Dailey, living on the
old home place in Harmony township;
Eliza J., now Mrs. O'Harra; and Olive,
who resides with her sister, Mrs. O'Harra.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. O'Harra have been
bom five children, all born in Carthage,
but the eldest died in infancy. Clifton
Junius, born May 23, 1884, was gradu-
ated from the high school of Carthage in
1902, completed the course in Carthage
College in 1906 and intends to become a
member of the bar. Edith May, born
May 22, 1886, is a graduate of the acad-
emy, a preparatory department of Car-
thage College, and is now a senior in
the more advanced institution. Gladys
June, born June 8, 1890, is a junior in
the high school. Roswell Burner, born
March 30, 1892, is a student in the Car-
thage High Schools. In 1892, Mr.
O'Harra built an elegant residence at the
corner of Main and Washington streets.
He is a man of domestic tastes, devoted to
his family and finding his greatest hap-
piness at his own fireside. He has, more-
over, great reverence for aged people and
the most thorough respect for all things
which tend to uplift mankind and develop
an upright character. His home is noted
for its gracious and almost limitless hos-
pitaltiy, Mrs. O'Harra taking great pleas-
ure with him in the entertainment of their
many friends. Mr. O'Harra is an Odd
Fellow, has passed all of the chairs in
the local lodge and has several times
been representative to the grand lodge.
His wife has also filled all of the offices
in the Rebekah lodge and has for several
years been its representative to the Re-
bekah assembly. She is treasurer of the
Woman's Club of Carthage, president of
the Public Library Association and for
BIOGRAPHICAL REV I Ell'
several years was president of the Floral
Guild. Mr. O'Harra started in life with
limited means, teaching school in order
to provide the funds necessary to enable
him to study law and at the time of their
marriage he and his wife had but very
limited possessions. He purchased his
first law library with borrowed money and
he has inherited nothing, but has accu-
mulated all by his industry, supplemented
by ambition and the development of his
native powers and talents. It is true that
his chief life work has been that of a
remarkably successful lawyer but the
range of his activities and the scope of
his influence have reached far beyond this
special field. He belongs to that class
of men who wield a power which is all
the more potent from the fact that it is
moral rather than political and is exer-
cised for the public weal rather than for
personal ends.
EDWARD CHERRILL.
Edward Cherrill, president of the Ex-
change Bank at Carthage, was born in
London, England, June 17, 1838, a son
of Adolphus and Elizabeth (Wood)
Cherrill, who were likewise natives of
London, born in 1808 and 1813 respect-
ively. The father came to America in
1838, bringing with him his wife and
two children, first locating in Jackson-
ville, Illinois. They had spent six weeks
on the water as passengers on an old-time
sailing vessel. He had been brought up
in a silk warehouse, where were employed
fifty-two young men known as Bradbury's
Pack, and while living in England ac-
quired a classical education as a prepara-
tion for a profession. He moreover pos-
sessed considerable artistic skill and when
a young man and even later in life did
creditable work painting in water colors.
He was always a great reader and a man
of scholarly attainments, and he likewise
enjoyed outdoor life. He was married on
the 1 5th of December, 1835, in St.
George's church, in Hanover Square,
London, to Miss Elizabeth Wood, who
had spent her girlhood days in that city,
had acquired her education in the schools
there, and had been received into the
Episcopal church at an early age. Two
children were born unto them ere they
emigrated to America. On coming to
Hancock county in 1842 they built a house
on a farm near Augusta, where they lived
for several years in true pioneer style.
In 1847, they removed to Carthage,
Mr. Cherrill turning his attention to mer-
chandising, which he followed in partner-
ship with Mr. Sholl for many years.
He was thus closely associated with the
business development of the city. With
events that marked the history of the
city and county he was closely associated,
taking an active part in the Mormon war
and in other incidents of those early
times. His political allegiance was given
to the democracy and he served one term
as county treasurer of Hancock county.
His life was made up of good deeds and
he left to his family a record of which
his children and grandchildrn have every
reason to be proud. His character was
such as commanded the respect of the
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
33
entire community. He recognized and
called forth the good in others and in his
own life displayed those sterling traits
which work for good citizenship. He
passed away in 1877, and was laid to rest
in the Carthage cemetery. Mrs. Cherrill
is still living in Carthage, at the advanced
age of ninety-two and possesses her men-
tal and physical faculties to a remarkable
degree and has looked after her own
household and other affairs until the past
year. While devoted to her family she
has always found time to perform many
acts of kindness and charity and is great-
ly beloved by her own children and the
entire community. She is a most enter-
taining and companionable lady, relating
many interesting reminiscences of pioneer
life and of the early days in Hancock
county.
Mr. and Mrs. Cherrill were the parents
of six children. Emily became the wife
of Francis M. Corby, and for some time
they lived in Chicago but both are now
deceased. At one time Mr. Corby was
county clerk of Hancock county. Ed-
ward is the second of the family. Mary
became the wife of Dr. J. K. Bonde, of
Carthage, but both are now deceased, the
Doctor having passed away in Washing-
ton, D. C. Rose C. is the deceased wife
of H. E. Griswold, of Atlantic, Iowa,
Ellen married Colonel James B. Cahill,
who was lieutenant colonel of the Six-
teenth Illinois Infantry. They were at
one time residents of Carthage but both
are now deceased. The Colonel was in-
ternal revenue collector at Warsaw and
Ouincy, acting as collector for the district
in the latter place. A. N. Cherrill makes
his home in Carthage. Grace Amelia
died when a young lady, of malarial fever
which she contracted' on a camping trip
in Missouri.
Edward Cherrill was educated in the
subscription schools of Hancock county.
He lived in Carthage but owing to the
pioneer condition of the country and the
fact that the public-school system had
not yet been organized, he was sent to a
country school called Hickory Flat,
where, however, he was under the in-
struction of a very competent teacher.
Soon after leaving school he received the
appointment as deputy county clerk under
Claiborne Winston, and subsequently he
attended Illinois College and the State
University of Indiana. After leaving
college he went to St. Louis, Missouri,
where he was employed in the counting
house of Doan, King & Company and
afterwards with J. W. Booth & Sons
until 1864, when he returned to Carthage.
Here he became identified with banking
interests of the city as cashier of the
Hancock National Bank, which position
he occupied for ten years. The bank
was originally established by his brother-
in-law, Mr. Corby and Mr. Ferris. At
a later date Mr. Cherrill was cashier of
the Union Bank in Quincy for three
years but in 1876 returned to Carthage,
where, in connection with his father-in-
law, Jacob Sholl, he established the bank-
ing house of Cherrill, Sholl & Company,
known as the Exchange Bank of Carth-
age. The house remains virtually the
same although Mr. Sholl is now de-
ceased. A. N. Cherrill, a brother of our
subject, entered the institution soon after
it was established and is still connected
with it, Edward Cherrill being now presi-
34
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW'
dent of the institution. Throughout
periods of general financial stress or gen-
eral prosperity this bank has continued
on the even tenor of its way with an un-
assailable reputation, following a safe,
conservative policy which has inspired
public confidence and secured a liberal
patronage.
On the loth of June, 1869, Mr. Cherrill
was married to Miss Susan Agnes Sholl,
who was born in Winchester, Ohio. Her
father, Jacob Sholl, was a native of Penn-
sylvania, and her mother, Mrs. Maria
Sholl, of Ohio. In the year 1854 he
came to Carthage and was engaged in
merchandising before he became identi-
fied with the banking interests. His po-
litical allegiance was given to the repub-
lican party but he was without aspiration
for office. In the family were four chil-
dren, three of whom are now living:
Alexander, who was a captain in the One
Hundred and .Eighteenth Illinois Regi-
ment in the Civil war and is now residing
in Quincy, Illinois ; Jacob Mack, of Carth-
age, who is a National bank examiner;
Mrs. Cherrill. One brother, David
Sholl, who was the third of the family,
was killed in a skirmish at Thompson's
Hill during the Civil war. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Sholl have passed away and
their graves were made in Moss Ridge
cemetery.
In 1882 Mr. Cherrill built a pretty
home on Madison street and he also owns
other property in the city. Unto him
and his wife have been born six children.
Lawrence C, the eldest, is a resident of
Chicago. Ellen Maria is the wife of
Charles C. Merrill, formerly of Carthage,
who is now passenger agent of the New
York Central Lines, with headquarters
at Kansas City, Missouri. Edward K.,
living in New York city, is assistant cash-
ier of the Merchants Exchange National
Bank. He was graduated from the high
school and Carthage College, and during
the periods of vacation spent much of his
time in his father's bank, where he gained
the ground work of the business. Lucy
Sholl is the wife of Dr. Marsh, of War-
saw, and has two children, John and
Susan. Katherine has attended the pub-
lic schools of Carthage and also Carthage
College, and is now at home with her
parents. Elizabeth G. is yet in school.
The daughters of Mr. Cherrill are con-
nected with the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution, through William Mack,
great-grandfather of Mrs. Cherrill. De-
void of ostentation or display in his home
life or business affairs, Mr. Cherrill has
won his way to a position of prominence
in financial circles in this part of the state.
In politics a democrat he has never sought
public office but is content to remain a
private citizen.
FRANCIS ORREN PERSHING, M. D.
Although 'Dr. Pershing has resided in
Dallas City for only about a year he was
not a stranger in the town when he lo-
cated here, and he has already made a
creditable place for himself in profes-
sional circles. He was born in Durham
township, Hancock county, November 3,
1867, his parents being W r esley K. and
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
35
Ruth A. (Gather) Pershing. Both par-
ents were natives of Pennsylvania, the
father having been born in Westmore-
land county, and the mother in Greene
county. The paternal and maternal
grandparents of our subject settled in
Hancock county in the early '405, and
were identified with the pioneer develop-
ment and progress of this part of the
I state. Wesley K. Pershing is a farmer
by occupation, and for over a half cen-
tury lived in this county. He purchased
government land, cleared a portion of it
and built thereon a log cabin. As the
years advanced he. continued the work of
progress and improvement, his labors be-
ing interrupted, however, by the Civil
war, for at the time of the inauguration
of hostilities between the north and the
south he espoused the Union cause and
became a member of Company I, Six-
teenth Illinois infantry. He served for
four years, participated in the seige of
Vicksburg, went with Sherman on his
memorable march to the sea and also
took part in the grand review in Wash-
ington at the close of the war. While in
Georgia he was wounded, being shot
through the throat and for a time was
in the hospital. His political allegiance
has ever been given to the republican
party and its principles, and both he and
his wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. He served for many
years as superintendent in different Sun-
day-schools in various parts of the county,
filling that position for a period in Burn-
side. Both he and his wife now reside
in Oklahoma. In their family were four
children, three of whom are now living:
Dr. Pershing, of this review; Royal S.,
a dentist practicing in Canada ; and Stella
R., who has been a teacher of Marshall
county, Illinois, and is now with her par-
ents in Oklahoma, being engaged as a
teacher in an Oklahoma seminary.
Dr. Pershing attended the schools of
Durham township, of Dallas City and of.
Burnside, and later pursued a business
course in Hedding College, at Abingdon,
Illinois, from which institution he was
graduated. He prepared for his profes-
sion as a student in Keokuk Medical
College, from which he was graduated in
the class of 1893, and he later took post-
graduate work in the Chicago Polyclinic
College, in 1902. From 1893 until 1896
inclusive he practiced medicine at Hamill,
Iowa, and then located for practice in
Burnside, where he remained for a year.
On the expiration of that period he re-
moved to Whitefield, Illinois, where he
continued for six years and later spent
three years in active practice at Tiskilwa.
In January, 1906, he located in Dallas
City, and now has a nice suite of rooms
on Oak and Fifth streets, supplied with
all modern appliances that are of aid to
the physician in his effort to diagnose a
case, check the ravages of disease and re-
store health. He is a physician and sur-
geon in general practice and yet makes
somewhat of a specialty of diseases of the
nose and throat. He has all the latest im-
proved instruments needed in his profes-
sion and his well equipped office shows
that he is thoroughly familiar with
modern methods of practice.
On the 29th of March, 1893, Dr. Per-
shing was married to Miss Winifred L.
Bray, of La Harpe, who was born and
reared in that place, and is a daughter of
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Thomas and Emma (Leavitt) Bray.
Her father came from Wales and settled
first in Ohio but at an early day they re-
moved to La Harpe, where he located in
the '405. His wife is a native of Maine,
and her people arrived in Hancock county
. before the Bray family was established
here. Mr. Bray was a tinner and hard-
ware merchant for some years but at the
time of his death, in 1894, was engaged
in the undertaking business. He served
as a soldier of the Civil war for two
years. His widow still survives and
makes her home in La Harpe. She be-
longs to the Congregational church,
while Mr. Bray held membership in the
Episcopal church. They were the par-
ents of a son and two daughters : Edwin
M. Bray, proprietor of a general store
at Towne, Texas, a suburb of El Paso,
where he makes his home; Anna, the wife
of J. V. Place, of La Harpe; and
Mrs. Pershing. John and Joseph Bray,
two of the brothers of Thomas Bray,
were killed in the Civil war and some of
Mrs. Pershing's relatives on the Leavitt
side were in the Revolutionary war, so
that she is eligible to membership with
the Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion.
Unto Dr. and Mrs. Pershing has been
born one son, Francis Orville, who was
born in Hamill, Lee County, Iowa, May
14, 1895, and is attending the public
school of, Dallas City. They are tem-
porarily living on Oak street but Dr. Per-
shing expects soon to build or buy a resi-
dence here. He belongs to Dallas City
Lodge A. F. & A. M. No. 145 and Odd
Fellows lodges and to the Modern Wood-
men camp as well as the Knights of Pyth-
ias and he votes with the republican party
but does not care for office, preferring to
give his time and energies to his profes-
sional duties, and in the line of his chosen
calling he has won a reputation which
many an older practitioner might well
envy.
Dr. Pershing is a member of the Han-
cock County Medical Society, the Illinois
State Medical Society and the American
Medical Association.
JOHN I. HEISLER.
John I. Heisler, ex-postmaster of Dal-
las and now in general business, was
born in Hancock county, May 28, 1853,
a son of George and Mary (Housewert)
Heisler. The father was born in Ohio
in 1814, while the mother's birth occurred
in Pennsylvania in 1823. He was a farm-
er by occupation and in 1835 came to
Hancock county, settling in Dallas. His
brother, William Heisler, had come to
the county in 1832 the year of the Black
Hawk war. George Heisler was suc-
cessfully engaged in farming until his
death, clearing away the timber in or-
der to build a log cabin, in which he lived
in true pioneer style until he was able
to make modern improvements. He
served in the war against the Mormons
at Nauvoo in 1844, carrying the flag, and
was associated with other early historic
events. He now lies buried in a ceme-
tery in Durham township. His widow
still survives and is a member of the Chris-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
37
tian church. In their family were seven
children, of whom three are living: John
I.; George F., of Dallas City; and Me-
lissa, the wife of Edward Avis, living
near Colusa, Illinois.
John I. Heisler largely acquired his
education in the district schools but also
spent two years as a student in Carthage
College. He remained with his mother
upon the home farm until he had attained
his majority and then purchased land
in Dallas township upon which he en-
gaged in general farming and stock-rais-
ing for fifteen years, meeting with suc-
cess in his, undertakings. He then de-
voted ten years to the poultry business,
being one of the early fanciers of the
county, introducing the first thorough-
bred fowls of different varieties and win-
ning over 5,000 prizes at various fairs
during the time he was in the business.
He was then appointed by President Mc-
Kinley to the position of postmaster at
Dallas and after serving for three years
was reappointed, his incumbency in the
office covering altogether seven years and
three months and giving general satisfac-
tion to the public by reason of the prompt
and efficient manner in which he dis-
charged his duties. During this time the
first rural route was inaugurated and the
office became a presidential office. He
was city alderman for four years, tax
collector of Dallas township for two years
and township supervisor for two years,
and as a public official he bears an unas-
sailable record.
On Christmas clay of 1876 Mr. Heisler
was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca
Salsbury, a native of Kirksville, Missouri,
and a daughter of Christopher and Eliz-
abeth Salsbury. Mrs. Heisler was born
in Missouri and died in this county No-
vember 19, 1901, her remains being in-
terred in Durham township. She was a
member of the Christian church, was a
good wife, kind mother and friend to
all, and her many excellent traits of char-
acter won her the esteem of those with
whom she came in contact. She left one
daughter, Malinda, now the wife of Fred
J. Dickson, of Dallas City, by whom she
has two children, Leo and Ethel. On the
24th of January, 1906, Mr. Heisler was
married to Mrs. Ellen Elizabeth (Toof)
Dean, who was born in Durham town-
ship, Hancock county, July 9, 1852, a
daughter of B. L. and Mary A. (Ather-
ton) Toof. Her maternal grandfather
built the first log cabin in Dallas and it
is now a part of the residence of the late
B. F. Black on Oak and Front streets.
This place was his farm and there were
then still many Indians in the locality,
while wild deer and other kinds of wild
game could be had in abundance. In the
log house which he erected Mr. Atherton
died.
B. L. Toof, father of Mrs. Heisler, was
born in Vermont, February 29, 1820, and
died March 27, 1885. His wife, who
was born in Ohio, July 24. 1823, died
September 7, 1877, and both lie buried
in Dallas cemetery. He came to Hancock
county when a small boy and to Dallas
in 1850 and followed farming until his
death. He voted with the republican
party and held various township offices.
He was a charter member of the Masonic
fraternity, in which he passed all the
chairs, and he and his wife were mem-
bers of the Congregational church at Dal-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
las. They had seven children, all liv-
ing: Henry A., who was born Septem-
ber 15, 1843, an d was a soldier of the
Civil war, is- now living in Aurora, Ne-
braska; Daniel L., born March 22. 1850,
in Iowa, also resides in Aurora, Ne-
braska ; Ella E., born July 9, 1852, is now
Mrs. Heisler; John Wilson, born Decem-
ber 15, 1854, is a resident of Santa Cruz
county, California; M. Jane, born in Dal-
las City, October 20, 1859, is the wife of
William Ramsay; Mary Catherine, born
February 15, 1863, is the wife of William
Phipps, of Braham, Oklahoma.
By her former marriage Mrs. Heisler
had three children. William B. Dean,
born in Henderson county, November 24,
1869, when seventeen years of age be-
came connected with the Sierra Lumber
Company, of Chico, California, of which
he is now the manager. He is one of the
foremost business men of that place, well
known from New York to California, and
his weekly payroll amounts to two thou-
sand dollars. He married Miss Lulu Wa-
dams, of Chico, who died when her sec-
ond child, Vera A., was fourteen days
old, also leaving another daughter, Lolita
R. Mrs. Dean was buried in Chico cem-
etery and after living a widower for nine
years with his mother, who cared for his
two children, William B. Dean was mar-
ried, in June, 1903, to Bertha Fish, a
prominent teacher of California. Nellie
Dean, born in Durham township, April
25, 1873, is the wife of Harry Moir, as-
sistant cashier and head bookkeeper in
the Butte County Bank at Chico, Cali-
fornia. Dr. J. Wilson Dean, born in Dur-
ham township, Hancock county. May 10,
1875, was graduated from the St. Louis
Medical College and began practice when
twenty-one years of age. He is a suc-
cessful physician and surgeon now of
Pond, Missouri, frequently called in con-
sultation on important cases, and he makes
a specialty of diseases of the eye and ear.
He married Miss Viola Huttenman, who
was born August 7, 1879, and they live
in Pond, Missouri.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Heisler are descend-
ed from highly respected pioneer families
of Hancock county. They played together
when little children and later attended the
same school and social gatherings and
then each married. Miss Toof becoming
Mrs. Dean and later spending much time
in California. On a visit to her old home
and friends in Hancock county in 1905
she again renewed the acquaintance and
friendship with her former playmate and
in course of time they were married at the
home of her son in Pond, Missouri. It
was with delight that Mrs. Heisler's old
friends, neighbors and relatives of this
county welcomed her back. She is a
member of the Eastern Star, in which she
has been warden and chaplain and she
also belongs to the Woman's Relief Corps
and for many years was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church but is now a
member of the Christian church with her
husband.
Mr. Heisler built a pretty home in Dal-
las in 1906 and he also owns eighty acres
of improved land in Dallas township,
where he is again devoting considerable
time and energy to the poultry business,
in which he is well versed. He is mana-
ger and secretary of the Dallas Creamery
Company and is president of the Hancock
County Poultry Association. Outside of
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS:
39
the eighty acres of land which he inherit-
ed from his father, he is entirely a self-
made man, and his energy and honesty
constitute the basis of his success. He
stands high in the community, respected
by all, and both Mr. and Mrs. Heisler
number their friends by the score.
LUKE M. VAUGHN.
Luke M. Vaughn, who follows the oc-
cupation of farming in Durham township,
was torn in Carman, Illinois, October 15,
1870, a son of Mathew and Mary (Mars-
den) Vaughn, who were natives of Eng-
land and came to America in early life.
Mr. Vaughn first resided in Ohio and
subsequently removed to Henderson coun-
ty, Illinois, where he purchased a farm,
while his last years were spent as a re-
tired agriculturist in Burlington, Iowa,
where he died on the 22d of February,
1905. Mrs. Vaughn had departed this
life twenty-eight years before. They were
the parents of eleven children, of whom
nine are living, namely : Catherine, the
wife of Thomas Dickson, of Henderson
county, Illinois ; George, who is living in
Carman, this state ; Arthur, who is located
near Lomax; Alice, the wife of John
Johnson, of Osceola, Nebraska ; Miles, liv-
ing in Nebraska City ; James, of Lomax ;
Mark, of Lomax ; Luke, of this review,
who is a twin brother of Mark ; and
Manford, who is living in Carman.
In taking up the personal history of
Luke Vaughn we present to our readers
3
the record of one who is widely and fa-
vorably known in Durham township. He
was educated in the public schools and
was reared to agricultural life, remaining
upon his father's farm to the age of
twenty-four years, when he was married
and started out in life on his own ac-
count. It was on the 5th of December,
1894. that he wedded Miss Leona Git-
tings, who was born near Disco, Illinois,
in 1876, a daughter of- Austin and Ellen
(Inghram) Gittings, the former a native
of Texas and the latter of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Gittings was brought to Hancock
county by his parents when only six
years of age and is now a farmer of Mis-
souri. In his family were fifteen chil-
dren, namely: A. J. and Emmet, both
residents of Disco; Minnie, the wife of
Wesley Scott, of Dallas City ; Clyde, who
is living near Carman; Mrs. Vaughn;
Ena, the wife of Orville Pence, living near
Dallas; Hettie, the wife of Archibald
Vaughan, of Carman ; Weaver, of Disco ;
Robert, of Lomax ; Edward, also of
Disco ; Annie, deceased ; Luella, the wife
of John Hayden, of Disco ; Bertha, Ollie
and Jessie, at home; and one died in in-
fancy.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn
has been blessed with three children :
Clarence L., born in Henderson county,
Illinois, in 1895 ; Ferrill L., born March
3, 1897; and Floyd V., November 16,
1900. Following their marriage the par-
ents lived upon a farm near Lomax for
two years and subsequently spent three
years near Dallas. In 1900 Mr. Vaughn
purchased one hundred and ten acres of
land in Durham township, upon which he
has erected a beautiful residence, com-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
modious barns and other outbuildings and
has improved here a splendid farm,
equipped with all modern accessories and
conveniences. He also owns eighty acres
of good land in Durham township below
his home place. He carries on general
agricultural pursuits and in the cultiva-
tion of his fields employs practical and
progressive methods, resulting in annual
gatherings of good crops. He is a re-
publican but without aspiration for of-
fice. Fraternally he is connected with
the Woodmen, while his wife is a mem-
ber of the Christian church. He never
received any assistance through inherit-
ance or aid of influential friends but has
lived a life of industry and frugality and
through the united efforts of himself and
wife there are now many comforts to be
enjoyed in the Vaughn home. There hos-
pitality also reigns supreme and the fam-
ily have many friends in this community.
GEORGE M. CUMMINGS.
George M. Cummings, a well-to-do
farmer of Dallas township, was born in
Blooming Grove, Lycoming county,
Pennsylvania, September 8, 1853, a son
of George and Elizabeth (Keyport) Cum-
mings. The father's birth occurred in
New York in 1802. In early manhood he
learned and followed the trade of a black-
smith and tool maker. At the age of
eighteen years he went to Pennsylvania
and in that state was for a long period
engaged in general farming. In 1879 he
came to Hancock county, Illinois, where
he lived. retired until his death, which oc-
curred about a year later. His wife had
passed away in 1876, at the age of sixty-
four years. She was born near the cap-
ital of Switzerland and came to America
when only three years of age with her
parents. George Cummings, Sr., was a
republican in his political views and his
fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth
and ability, called him to fill various town-
ship offices. In the family were ten chil-
dren, of whom five are now living: Har-
riet C, the widow of William G. Edwards
and a resident of St. Louis, Missouri ;
Mrs. Sarah Porter, a widow living in
Erie, Pennsylvania ; Louisa, the wife of
Norman Strieby, of Burlington, Kansas;
George M., of this review; and W. W.,
who is living in Los Angeles, California.
George M. Cummings was educated in
the public schools of his native county
and gave assistance to his father in the
farm work until twenty-three years of
age. In the spring of 1878, when he came
to Illinois, he began working as a farm
hand by the month and was employed by
John Dietrick, of Pontoosuc township.
The next summer he rented a farm in Se-
nora township and started out in life on
his own account. He has always carried
on general agricultural pursuits and for
a number of years has been accounted one
of the representative agriculturists of Dal-
las township.
On the loth of February, 1880, Mr.
Cummings was united in marriage to
Miss Ellen M. Dietrich, who was born
in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, Jan-
uary i, 1857, a daughter of Joseph F. and
Sarah (Benner) Deitrich. The mother
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
died when Mrs. Cummings was a child
two years old. The father, who was a
farmer by occupation, long survived. He
came to Hancock county in 1863 and
passed away in Dallas township in 1901.
Both he and his wife were natives of
Pennsylvania and in this county they won
many friends. The political allegiance of
Mr. Deitrich was given to the democracy
and he held a number of important local
offices. Both he and his wife belonged to
the Lutheran church, in which he served
as a deacon. He was twice married and
by his first wife had five children, of
whom three are now living: Mary, the
wife qf L. H. Foresman, of Dallas City;
Mrs. Cummings ; and Hetty, the wife of
W. W. Cummings, of California. By his
second marriage Mr. Deitrich had thir-
teen children, of whom six are now liv-
ing: Etta P., the wife of James Paulus
and residing in Colusa, Illinois; ^Myra,
the wife of Warren Jacobs, of Missouri ;
\Yilliam M., of Dallas township; Su-
sanna, who is living with her mother on
the home place in Dallas township; and
Grover C. and John Wesley, also with
their mother.
Following his marriage Mr. Cummings
brought his young wife to a farm of
eighty acres on section 14, Dallas town-
ship, which she had inherited from her
mother. There was a little old house
upon the place and in this they began their
domestic life. From time to time as
his financial resources have increased Mr.
Cummings has added to the property and
now has a valuable tract of one hundred
and sixty acres on sections II and 14,
Dallas township. Here he has built a
beautiful modern residence, also good
barns and other substantial outbuildings
and added many modern equipments and
improvements. The farm is altogether a
valuable property and although he is now
leaving the more active work to his sons
he still gives supervision to his place.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cummings have
been born nine children, all born on the
farm where they now reside, and seven of
the number are living, as follows : Homer
D., who is a locomotive fireman and re-
sides in Chicago; Joseph M., at home;
Mark T., who is in the Farmers State
Exchange Bank at Dallas City, of which
Mr. Cummings is a director, and was one
of the original organizers of the bank,
which is now doing a successful business ;
Laura, Clara, Kate and Charles, all under
the parental roof.
Mr. Cummings gives his political al-
legiance to the republican party and has
served as supervisor for two years, while
for twenty consecutive years he has been
a school director. The cause of educa-
tion indeed finds in him a warm and help-
ful friend, his labors being very effective
in behalf of the schools. Fraternally he
is a member of Dallas City Lodge No.
235, A. F. & A. M., and has served as
worshipful master of his lodge and has
represented his lodge in the grand lodge.
He is also a member of Dallas chapter
No. in, R. A. M., and has filled the
office of high priest and attended the
grand chapter at a number of meetings,
Which fact indicates his high position
in the regard of the brethren of the craft.
He and his wife are members of the Chris-
tian church, in which he is an elder. His
ability, energy and economy, together
with the assistance of his estimable wife.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
who has indeed been a helpmate to him.
constitute the secret of his success. He
now owns an excellent farm in Dallas
township and enjoys the respect and es-
teem of the entire community.
. D. H. MILLER.
D. H. Miller, manager for the Alexan-
der Lumber Company of Carthage, is a
native son of Illinois, his birth having oc-
curred in Adams county in 1856, his par-
ents being Jacob and Nancy (Chandler)
Miller. The father was born in Ger-
many, October 12, 1828, and the mother
in Adams county, Illinois. She died dur-
ing the infancy of their son, D. H. Miller.
The father was only thirteen months old
when brought to the United States by his
parents, who settled in Pennsylvania. The
voyage was made in one of the old-time
sailing vessels and they landed at New
York. Jacob Miller was reared to the oc-
cupation of fanning, which he followed
as a life work and in 1845 he took up his
abode in Adams county, Illinois, where he
resided until 1864, when he removed to
Hancock county, Illinois, here carrying on
general agricultural pursuits until his
death, which occurred January 21, 1905.
He had therefore long survived his wife.
In their family were five children, of
whom two died in infancy, the others be-
ing: D. H., of this review; Melissa, the
wife of J. Cook, of Oberlin, Decatur coun-
ty, Kansas; and Alfred, who is living in
Seattle, Washington. The mother, Mrs.
Jacob Miller, had three brothers who were
soldiers of the Civil war, John, William
and George Chandler. The first named
was killed in the service and William re-
mained with the army for about four
years. The grandmother of our subject
in the maternal line was about ninety-two
years of age when she passed away and
the grandmother in the paternal line was
ninety-four years of age, while her hus-
band reached the age of ninety-two years.
D. H. Miller was educated at \Yest
Point, Illinois, and is a graduate of the
Gem City Business College at Ouincy.
After leaving school he followed farming
for five or six years in Hancock county
and for two years was engaged in teach-
ing school in this county. Eventually he
entered the employ of the firm of Dickin-
son & Bartlett at Hamilton, Illinois, whom
he represented as general manager for six
years. For several years he did a general
contracting business on his own account
and in 1898 he assumed charge of the
business of the Alexander Lumber Com-
pany of Carthage, which responsible po-
sition he yet occupies and under his guid-
ance the business has developed and is
being conducted along profitable lines.
On the ist of January, 1.878, occurred
the marriage of Mr. Miller and Miss Jane
I. Hart, who was born in Adams county
and is a daughter of William T. and Fan-
nie (Wigle) Hart, who came to Illinois
at an early day, the mother making her
way to this state from Pennsylvania. She
is now living at West Point, Illinois,
where Mr. Hart passed away in 1896. In
their family were eleven children, of
whom nine are yet living : Isaac, who re-
sides at Bowen, Illinois; Hattie H.. who
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
43
is the widow of Jake Shaffer and lives at
West Point, Iowa ; Margaret, the wife
of G. \Y. Wolfe, of West Point : Mark,
residing at Ellensburg, Washington ;
Clarence, of West Point ; Ollie. who is
with her mother ; Eva, the wife of Wil-
liam Nutt. of West Point; May E., the
widow of Mathew Finley, of West Point;
and Arch, who is also living at that place.
Mr. Hart, the father of this family, was
originally a Dunkard but afterward be-
came a member of the Christian church
and at his death his remains were in-
terred in the cemetery at West Point, Illi-
nois. His widow is a devoted member of
the Christian church.
Mrs. Miller and her daughter Ruby
are eligible to membership in the society
of the Daughters of the American Revo-
lution, as John Wigle, an uncle of her
mother, fought in the Revolutionary war.
Her father's brother, John Hart, was a
soldier of the Civil war. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Miller have been born three children :
Roy G., the eldest, born in Hancock coun-
ty, is a graduate of the Gem City Busi-
ness College of Quincy, Illinois, and now
lives in Orville, Ohio, where he is em-
ployed by the Robert Hixon Lumber
Company. Ruby B. is attending the city
schools of Carthage and is her father's
assistant in bookkeeping in the office.
Jake L. is employed in the office of the
Alexander Lumber Company. In his
fraternal relations Mr. Miller is a Mason
and also belongs to the Odd Fellows
Society, in which he has passed all of
the chairs. His political allegiance is
given to the republican party, but he has
never sought or desired office. Both he
and his wife are faithful and consistent
members of the Christian church and they
are now occupying a nice home on Cherry
street in the western part of the city,
which Mr. Miller erected in 1895. He
holds a responsible position of trust and
stands high in the community, in the
lodge, in his church, in business circles
and among his friends. He is a well in-
formed man and a typical American citi-
zen, rejoicing in the general progress and
keeping in touch with the trend of mod-
ern advancement and successful accom-
plishment.
JOHN S. SHIPTON.
Nature seems to have intended that
man in more advanced years should en-
joy a season of rest. In youth he possess-
es great zeal and energy which in manhood
becomes tempered by judgment and deter-
mination and if his qualities are well ex-
ercised they bring him success, so that
when evening of life comes he can put
aside the more arduous duties and rest in
enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil.
Such has been the life of Mr. Shipton,
who for many years was closely associ-
ated with agricultural interests in this
part of the state but is now living re-
tired in Carthage, occupying a pleasant
and attractive home supplied with many
of the comforts of life.
"How blessed is he who crowns in shades
like these
A youth of labor with an age of ease."
44
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEIl'
Mr. Shipton was born in Beavertown,
Pennsylvania, August 16, 1831, his par-
ents being John and Elizabeth (Swengel)
Shipton. His paternal grandparents
came from England to America during
the period of the Revolutionary war and,
deserting the British army, the grandfa-
ther became a defender of the cause of
American liberty. The parents of our
subject were born in Union county, now
Snyder county, Pennsylvania, as were the
grandmother's people in the maternal line,
some of the Swengel family being vic-
tims of the Wyoming massacre of 1778.
a monument to the victims having recent-
ly been erected at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl-
vania. Thomas Shipton, the grandfather
of our subject, was the first circuit judge
of Northumberland county, Pennsylva-
nia, which then embraced Union. Lycom-
ing and other counties in that section of
Pennsylvania. John Shipton, the father,
learned the blacksmith's trade in the Key-
stone state and during the latter part of
the war of 1812 he worked at the gun-
smith's trade at Carlysle Barracks, Penn-
sylvania, making guns and war accoutre-
ments, but after the close of the war re-
turned to his more peaceful occupation
and afterward engaged in farming there
to some extent. His last days, however,
were spent in honorable retirement from
labor and he died about thirty-four years
ago when seventy-nine years of age, while
his wife passed away about ten years ago.
He was independent in politics and was
always on the winning side at presidential
elections, never losing a vote by support-
ing a candidate who was unsuccessful
His wife held membership in the Lutheran
church. In their family were ten chil-
dren, of whom four are now living : Ma-
ria, the widow of Daniel Trester, of Over-
ton, Ohio ; John S. ; Henry, of Delavan,
Illinois; and Eliza, the wife of Charles
Rigle, residing at Beavertown, Pennsyl-
vania. The parents were both buried in
the cemetery at Beavertown, the mother
being eighty-eight years of age.
John S. Shipton was educated in the
common schools of Pennsylvania but his
attendance was of short duration. Schools
at that time were largely conducted on
the subscription plan. He afterward
learned the carpenter's trade in the Key-
stone state and followed that pursuit and
cabinet making until 1857, when he re-
moved westward to 'Kansas, where he con-
tinued in the same line of business until
1 86 1. He afterward devoted nineteen
years to farming in Tazewell county, Illi-
nois, and in the early spring of 1881 set-
tled on a farm in Hancock county, where
he carefully and successfully tilled the soil
and harvested good crops until the ist
of December, 1898, when he retired from
the farm and took up his abode in Car-
thage. He still owns the farm property,
consisting of two hundred and sixty acres,
together with a pretty residence on Adams
and Buchanan streets, Carthage, where
he is now living.
On the Qth of October, 1864, Mr. Ship-
ton was married to Miss Elizabeth Jane
Hummel, who was born in Miflin county,
Pennsylvania, in 1838, a daughter of John
and Hannah (Shawver) Hummel, also
natives of the Keystone state. Her pa-
ternal grandfather was a soldier of the
war of 1812 and held official rank, carry-
ing a sword which Mrs. Shipton has seen.
Her brother, George Hummel, was a sol-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
45
clier of the Civil war, enlisting from Illi-
nois and serving for three years. John
Hummel, father of Mrs. Shipton, was a
farmer and in 1854 became a resident of
Lewistown, Illinois, but was not long per-
mitted to enjoy his new home, his death
occurring about a month later. His wife
long survived him, passing away in
March, 1899, on ' v lacking a few months
of being one hundred years of age, her
birth having occurred in 1799. She passed
away in Webster county, Iowa, but her
grave was made in the cemetery at Lewis-
town, Illinois, where her husband had
been laid to rest many years before. They
had eight children, of whom four are liv-
ing : Lydia, the eldest, is the wife of
Thomas Ellsworth, of Table Grove, Illi-
nois, who came to Carthage with a com-
pany of volunteers from Fulton county,
Illinois, during the Mormon troubles and
camped near the city, being in camp there
when Joseph and Hiram Smith, the Mor-
mon prophets, were shot in the old jail.
Catherine, the second member of the
Hummel family, is the wife of David Dep-
ler, of Webster county. Iowa. George
is living in Webster City, Iowa. Mrs.
Shipton is the youngest member of the
family and by her marriage has become
the mother of five children, all of whom
were born in Tazewell county, Illinois,
while four are yet living. Luther H., the
eldest, educated in the public schools of
Carthage, in early manhood purchased a
grocery stock and is engaged in business
at the corner of Jackson and Main streets
as a dealer in staple and fancy groceries
and queensware. His father is interested
with him in the ownership of the store,
which is on' a most advantageous corner
of the business center of the city and their
trade is extensive and profitable. Luther
Shipton belongs to the Knights of Pythias
fraternity and is a republican, while his
religious faith is indicated by his mem-
bership in the Methodist church. He was
married February i, 1893, to Miss Sadie
Deitrick, a native of Pennsylvania and
a daughter of John and Harriet (Kime)
Deitrick, who were also natives of the
Keystone state, whence they removed to
a farm in Illinois. Both are deceased and
were laid to rest in a cemetery of Dal-
las City. Their daughter, Sadie, became
Mrs. Luther Shipton and passed away
February 10, 1900, at the age of thirty-
two years, her remains being interred in
Carthage cemetery. She was an estima-
ble lady, whose death was deeply deplored
by her many friends. She left two chil-
dren, Loveta and Lloyd, aged respect-
ively eleven and eight years. They are
now attending school and with their fa-
ther they reside with his parents at the
corner of Adams and Buchanan streets.
Aurelia, the second member of the family
of Mr. and Mrs. John S. Shipton, is the
wife of Jesse G. Waggoner, of Centralia,
Missouri, and they have four children :
George, Lizzie, Laone arid Ida, all of
whom are attending school, three being
students in Carthage College. Elizabeth
Shipton is the wife of E. S. Martin, of
Carthage, and has two children : Aurelia
S. and John Robert Martin. Carrie is
the wife of Samuel Wingert, of Prairie
township, Hancock county, and has three
children : Violet, John LeRoy and Sam-
uel Wingert.
Mr. Shipton is numbered among the
men whom fortune has favored not from
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
caprice but in reward for earnest, per-
sistent and honorable labor. In early life
he worked many days for sixty-two and
a half cents per day, later was paid a dol-
lar and a quarter. He paid a dollar and
a half for his board per week and pro-
vided for his other expenses. As the years
advanced he saved from his earnings until
he was enabled to purchase a farm and
he made all of the improvements upon
his Tazewell county property and added
many improvements to his farm in Han-
cock county. He is still a strong, sturdy
man, working in his garden and raising
bees and though he is practically retired
he yet manages to keep busy most of the
time. During the summer of 1906 he
made a beautifully carved and planned
Hymn board for the Lutheran church,
which contains upward of 150 different
kinds of wood gathered by himself. His
leisure is largely devoted to reading and
he is well informed on all the questions
and interests of the day. He has kept
a diary of the weather and also the date
of small fruit blossoming for many years
and it is now a valuable record. He pos-
sesses a remarkable memory and in spirit
and interest seems yet in his prime. Both
he and his wife still enjoy good health
and are among the most esteemed citizens
of Carthage, having many friends here.
His name is honored by reason of what
he has accomplished and the methods
which hav wrought his success. He is
interested in all that pertains to the mate-
rial, intellectual or moral progress of his
community and his support of beneficial
public measures is never of a lukewarm
character, but is of the kind that is strong
and steadfast.
THOMAS I. WALKER.
Thomas I. Walker, a retired farmer
who, left an orphan in his youth and thus
early thrown upon his own resources, has
gained the success which crowns persist-
ent and well directed effort, was born in
Todd county. Kentucky, August 20, 1843,
his parents being T. I. and Eliza (Wag-
goner) Walker. The parents died when
their son was but a young lad. They were
natives of Kentucky and the father fol-
lowed the occupation of farming. In their
family were eight children, of whom five
are now living : James, Garnett and Wil-
liam, all of Kentucky; T. I., of this re-
view ; and Luda, the wife of W. O. Clark,
of McDonough county, Illinois. Two of
the brothers were soldiers of the Con-
federate army in the Civil war, St. Clair
being killed in the first battle of Shiloh.
while James, the -eldest brother, served
for four years with the southern troops.
T. I. Walker was brought to Carthage
when about four years of age and lived
with relatives until nine years old, attend-
ing the public schools during that period.
He then went to live with his eldest sis-
ter, who had been married in the mean-
time and with her he remained until his
own marriage. It was in 1867 that he
wedded Miss Mary E. Atchison, who was
born in this county October 3, 1845, a
daughter of John and Margaret (Gallo-
way) Atchison. The father was born in
Ireland and came to America at an early
day and was here married to Miss Gallo-
way, whose birth occurred in Hancock
county. He was a blacksmith by trade
but followed fanning in this state and
both he and his wife passed away many
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
47
years ago. Mr. Atchison was a member
of the Christian church at the time of
his death and was an exceedingly quiet
man, of retiring nature, but he possessed
a kindly and generous spirit and was re-
spected by all. Unto him and his wife
was born but one child, Mrs. Walker.
At the time of their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Walker began their domestic life
on a farm in Harmony township, where
they lived for two years and then removed
to another farm in St. Marys township,
on which they resided for thirty-six years.
Both places were improved and were
brought under higher cultivation by the
enterprise and labors of Mr. Walker, who
for many years was accounted one of the
leading, practical and progressive agricul-
turists of this part of the state. He care-
fully tilled his fields and thereby annu-
ally harvested good crops. He also raised
good grades of stock and he placed sub-
stantial buildings upon his farm, together
with all of the modern improvements. He
added to his farm from time to time until
it now contains about four hundred acres.
In July, 1905, he removed to Carthage,
where he purchased a pretty new home on
North Adams street. He still retains pos-
session of his farm, however, and also
owns other land in the county.
At the time of the Civil war Mr. Wal-
ker, responding to the call of the Union
enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-
eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
was with his regiment for about a year
and participated in a few light skirmishes.
For many years he gave his political alle-
giance to the republican party, but is now
a strong prohibitionist. He has served as
school director and path master, but has
accepted no other offices, preferring to
leave office holding to others.
As the years passed by eight children
were added to the family circle, all yet
living and all natives of Hancock county.
Homer, born June 22, 1868. and now re-
siding on the farm on which his father
settled at an early day, married Nellie
White and has four children : Marian,
Wendell, James and Lucile. Stella, bom
October 3, 1870, on the anniversary of
her mother's birth, is now the wife of J.
B. Johnson, a stock feeder residing in
Carthage. Atchison, bom June 7, 1873,
and living on a farm in Hancock county,
married Alberta Cloud and has two chil-
dren : Aurelia and Harold. Gerald, born
May 24, 1876, is in Montana. Geraldine,
twin sister of Gerald, is the wife of J. E.
Garnett, of Oklahoma and has two chil-
dren. Pauline and Walker L. Maud, born
January 14, 1879, is the wife of Don
Cloud, a farmer of Nebraska and has one
child, Don Cleophas. T. Orville, born
May 24, 1882, married Josephine Engle
and lives on a farm in Hancock county.
Hilda, born May 8, 1885, acts as her
father's housekeeper and is attending
Carthage College. The children have all
been provided with excellent educational
privileges and have attended various col-
leges in the state of Illinois.
In 1904, Mr. and Mrs. Walker attended
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St.
Louis, Missouri, and had a most pleasant
trip there and in the winter of 1904-5,
with their youngest daughter, they went
to California and had just got comfort-
ably settled there when Mrs. Walker be-
came ill with a cancerous trouble which
had never been manifest before. After a
BIOGRAPHICAL RE J 'I Ell'
very brief illness of three weeks she passed
away February I, 1905. She was a lov-
ing wife, a fond mother, a dutiful daugh-
ter and a kind friend and her many ex-
cellent traits of character won her the con-
fidence and love of all who knew her.
Her remains were brought back to Han-
cock county for interment and she was
laid to rest February 7, 1905. Many
years will have passed, however, before
she is forgotten or before her influence
ceases to be felt by those who knew her.
She was a devoted member of the Meth-
odist church and her life exemplified her
Christian faith. Mr. Walker also belongs
to the same church, in which he has held
several offices.
Early denied the parental care which
most boys receive with its attendant priv-
ileges and careful guidance, Mr. Walker
has, though dependent upon his own re-
sources, not only worked his way upward
to success but has also developed a char-
acter which makes him one of the honored
and respected citizens of Carthage and his
example proves what may be accom-
plished when one has determination and
energy qualities which may be cultivated
by all.
ALEXANDER WELLINGTON BAS-
COW.
A. W. Boscow, one of the oldest gro-
cery merchants of Carthage whose busi-
ness integrity and activity stand as un-
questioned facts in his career and make
him a citizen of worth who is accorded
respect and honor, was born on the Isle
of Man off the coast of England in 1840.
His paternal grandfather, Nicholas Bos-
cow, served in the war against the French
in the early part of the nineteenth cen-
tury, being under command of the Duke
of Wellington in the engagements against
Napoleon Bonaparte. The gun which he
carried is now in possession of A. W.
Boscow and is very highly prized. Nich-
olas Boscow, Jr., father of our subject,
was born in England and was there mar-
ried to Miss Alice Newell, a native of the
same country. He was a merchant and
shipper of wheat, owning his own vessel
which made trips between Peel anl Liver-
pool. He came to America by way of
New Orleans in an old-time sailing vessel
in 1842; being about three months and
two weeks on the water. He bought land
near Warsaw, Illinois, having made his
way northward to Hancock county and
after remaining there for a year or more
went to Buffalo, New York, to investigate
property interests and business prospects
there. He soon became ill, however, and
died in that city. He held membership
in the Church of England, to which his
wife also belonged. She continued to live
for some years on a farm with her chil-
dren but spent her last days in the home
of her son, A. W. Boscow, from whom
she received a most devoted filial care,
attention and love. He also took great
pride in his mother, for she was a most
remarkable old lady and she died at his
home in the spring of 1894, her remains
being interred in Moss Ridge cemetery.
She was ninety-six years of age, her death
occurring very suddenly. Only once did
she complain of feeling a little dizzy.
H.iXCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
49
Early in the morning, however, she ex-
pressed a desire to see the Rev. Hyde, a
beloved preacher of Carthage, who came
and offered up a touching and befitting
prayer in behalf of this dear old lady and
in closing said : "May this dear soul have
an abundant and happy entrance into the
joy of her Lord," and as he said Amen,
the life of this good woman went out as
though her soul were carried onward
upon the spirit of prayer. She had been a
faithful friend, a kind neighbor and a
most devoted and loving mother and she
was a general favorite among her many
acquaintances. Her children who lived
were five in number, seven having died
before her death : George, a merchant liv-
ing at Oakland, California; John H., a
land dealer of Garnett, Kansas ; Peter, a
farmer of Hillsboro, Oregon ; Mrs. Alice
Deatley, living at Base Line, Missouri,
and A. W. of this review. The son John
was drafted twice for service in the Civil
war but both times sent substitutes, the
first time paying seven hundred and fifty
dollars and the last time nine hundred
dollars.
A. W. Boscow acquired his early edu-
cation in Breckenridge, Illinois, and
worked upon his mother's farm until he
had attained his majority. He then went
to the gold mines of California and Ore-
gon, spending much of his time for four-
teen years in the latter state in search of
the precious metal. Following his return
to Illinois he located in Warsaw, where he
conducted a general grocery store for sev-
en years and in 1886 removed to Carth-
age, where he was engaged in the grocery
business on Main street for twenty years.
He has a large trade and with one excep-
tion is the oldest grocery merchant in the
city in years of continuous connection
with the trade. His business methods are
unassailable, being characterized by
promptness and integrity and many of his
early patrons- have remained with him
throughout the passing years, showing
that he has their confidence and trust.
In 1874 Mr. Boscow was married to
Miss Clara Spillman, a native of Illinois
and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. D.
Spillman, natives of Virginia who came to
Illinois at an early day. Her father was a
carpenter and lived in Warsaw, Illinois,
Hancock county, for a number of years
but both he and his wife are now deceased
and their four children have now all
passed away. Mrs. Boscow died in 1887
and is buried in Moss Ridge cemetery.
She was a devoted Christion woman and
a member of the Episcopal church. By
this marriage there were three children,
but only one is now living, Anna R. Bos-
cow, who is now the wife of Frederick
Reynolds, of Seattle, Washington.
In 1890 A. W. Boscow was married to
Miss Louisa Scott, of Carthage, who was
born in Warsaw, Illinois, and was a
daughter of Major John and Louisa
(Frazier) Scott. Her father was born in
North Carolina in 1801 and her mother
in Kentucky, January 8, 1816. Mr.
Scott was a Mason and for some years
meetings of the lodge were held in his
home. For a long period he was a lead-
ing merchant of Warsaw, conducting a
successful business there until his death
on the 3Oth of April, 1865. His wife long
survived him, passing away in August,
1900, when she was laid to rest by his
side in Warsaw cemetery. Only two of
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
their children are now living: John F.
Scott, who is assistant county treasurer
and makes his home in Carthage; and
Mary, the wife of George Rogers, of
Warsaw, Illinois. Mrs. Louisa Boscow
died in 1897 and was buried in Moss
Ridge cemetery. In 1898 Mr. Boscow
was married to Mrs. Frances E. Dickey
Cherry, the widow of Edward Cherry.
She was born in Illinois and has one son
by her first marriage, Edward Cherry,
who is now living in Pecos valley, Mex-
ico. Mr. Boscow lives in a beautiful home
in the east part of the city on Main street,
having erected the residence about eight
years ago. His wife also owns some
property here. His has been a creditable
business record in which he has allowed
no obstacle to deter him in his advance
toward the goal of success. He has re-
garded every difficulty as a stimulus for
renewed effort and closer application 'and
in these ways he has achieved what he
has undertaken and is now one of the
leading merchants of the city who,
through his persistency and determina-
tion, has secured many of the comforts
of life. Matters of municipal and local
pride are of deep interest to him and he
co-operates in many measures which have
direct bearing upon the upbuilding and
welfare of the city. He is a man full
worthy of the respect of those with whom
he has come in contact and his friends
are almost as numerically strong as his
acquaintances. He and his worthy wife
full well merit all the good things of this
life and of the life to come, which should
be the reward of all those who live an
upright life. They are held in the highest
esteem bv their manv friends.
EZEKIEL RUCKER.
Ezekiel Rucker is a retired farmer liv-
ing at the corner of Scofield and Locust
streets in Carthage and although about
eighty years of age he keeps his home
place in a most neat and attractive condi-
tion. He was born in Crittenden, Grant
county, Kentucky, in 1827, his parents be-
ing Morning and Julia (Reese) Rucker,
both of whom were natives of Virginia.
The father dealt extensively in horses,
which he shipped to the New Orleans
market. At an early day he removed to
Kentucky, where he continued in active
business but both he and his wife passed
away many years ago, their remains being
interred in an Illinois cemetery. Mr.
Rucker was a democrat in his political
views, and his wife was a member of the
Methodist church. In their family were
seven children.
E. Rucker of this review is now the
only surviving member of the family, and
in the year 1837, when a youth of ten
summers, he accompanied his parents on
their removal from Kentucky to Schuyler
county, Illinois. There he acquired his
education in one of the old-time subscrip-
tion schools, the building being a little
log structure with puncheon floor, slab
seats and mud and stick chimney. There
were no nails used in its construction,
even in making the roof and the little
room was poorly lighted. The methods
of instruction were very primitive, too,
but he succeeded in learning the common
branches of learning and afterward took
up the cooper's trade in Schuyler county.
Later he engaged in farming there on his
own account until 1864, when he sold his
H AX COCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
property and removed to Hancock county,
settling in Cartilage township on a farm
of two hundred and twenty acres of arable
and productive land. He then carried on
general farming and stock-raising until
1884, when he retired from active busi-
ness life. Up to this time he had kept his
fields under a very high state of cultiva-
tion and added many modern improve-
ments to his property and had carried on
the work of development until his farm
was one of the best in this part of the
state. As the years passed, through the
sale of his crops he added annually to his
income and possessing a comfortable com-
petence, removed to the city of Carthage,
building a dwelling at the corner of Sco-
field and Locust streets.
As a companion and helpmate for life's
journey Mr. Rucker chose in early man-
hood Miss Pauline De Lashmutt, to
whom he was married February 29, 1849.
She was born in North Carolina in 1826,
a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John De
Lashmutt, who located in .Rushville,
Schuyler county, Illinois, prior to 1837,
being among the early settlers of that
county, where the father followed farm-
ing as a means of livelihood. When
called to their final rest he and his wife
were buried in Schuyler county. In their
family were seven children, the surviving
members being Ananias, Thomas, Wil-
liam and Frank, all of whom are residents
of Kansas; and Mrs. Rucker. Thomas
De Lashmutt was a soldier of the Six-
teenth Volunteer Infantry throughout the
Civil war and was under command of
General Sherman. Mr. and Mrs. Rucker
have never had any children of their own
but out of the goodness of their hearts
have reared two, Adaline and Brown. The
latter is the wife of George Elliott, a resi-
dent of Missouri, and has seven children.
The former became the wife of Thomas
Metcalf and is now in California. She
separated from her first husband and she
has since married Mr. Burlell. She has
three children, Willie, Arthur and Stella.
Mr. Rucker is a democrat and has
served as school director and as road su-
pervisor but has never been very active in
politics, preferring that others shall hold
office. He was one of the early members
of the Masonic lodge in Hancock county
and at all times has been true to the teach-
ings of the craft. Although nearly eighty
years of age he is very active. He is a
man of quiet disposition but has been a
great reader and is an intelligent gentle-
man, well informed on current events.
His success has been acquired entirely
through his own efforts and he is now
in comfortable circumstances. He and his
wife have been married for more than
fifty-seven years a remarkable fact
and they enjoy the respect of friends and
neighbors in large measure. Mr. Rucker
receives the veneration and esteem which
should always be accorded one advanced
in years, whose life has been worthily
spent.
JAMES E. MORRISON.
James E. Morrison, engaged in general
farming and stock-raising near Hamilton,
has been assistant state veterinary sur-
geon since 1890 and is widely known by
LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
4T IIDRAMA PU/IUOKinu
5 2
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
reason of his official service and his ac-
tivity in his private business affairs. He
was born in Madison county, Ohio, March
31, 1844, and represents one of the old
families of Pennsylvania, in which state
his grandfather, Ross Morrison, was
born. William R. Morrison, father of
our subject, was likewise a native of the
Keystone state and having arrived at
years of maturity was married at Plains
City, Union county, Ohio, to Miss Relief
C. Hager, a native of Vermont and a
daughter of Amos Hager, also of that
state. Mr. and Mrs. William R. Morri-
son began their domestic life upon a farm
near Plains City, Ohio, where they re-
sided until October, 1850, and then started
for Illinois, making the journey by
wagon. They were nearly four weeks
upon the road to Hamilton and they spent
the winter in a log cabin about two and
a half miles south of this city. In the
spring of 1851 they removed to a rented
place Hn Wythe township, where they
lived for four years, at the end of which
time Mr. Morrison bought one hundred
acres of land on section 34, Montebello
township. It was unimproved save that a
small shanty had been built thereon. It
was not fenced, however, and he fenced it,
dug wells, built barns and generally im-
proved the place, making it a good farm,
while the fields responded readily to the
care and labor he bestowed upon them.
His attention was devoted to general agri-
cultural pursuits up to the time of his
death, which occurred in August. 1889.
while his wife passed away in 1899. In
their family was a daughter, Mollie, who
is now the wife of John A. Price.
James E. Morrison, the elder of the two
children of his father's family, was a little
lad of six summers when the trip was
made across the country from Ohio to
Illinois. He attended the common
schools of Montebello township and in
the summer months worked in the fields,
sharing in all of the labors that fall to the
lot of the agriculturist. He was eighteen
years of age when on the i2th of Au-
gust, 1862. he responded to his country'?
call for aid, enlisting as a member of
Company C, One Hundred and Eight-
eenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The
regiment was assigned to the Army of
the Mississippi and he was in all of its
battles with the exception of that of
Thompson's Hill on the 1st of May, 1863.
He sustained several gun-shot wounds,
but would remain in the hospital only
long enough to have his wounds heal.
On the 2 ist of August, 1865, he received
an honorable discharge and with a cred-
itable military record returned to his
home. He then resumed farming upon
his father's place and having assisted the
veterinary surgeon of the army, he has
" since practiced the profession in connec-
tion with the occupation of farming and
since the year 1900 has been assistant
state veterinary surgeon. In 1874 he
bought fifty acres of the home farm,
whereon he erected a house and barn and
he has since added to the property until
he now has one hundred acres, while his
wife also owns one hundred acres. He
carries on general farming and stock-
raising, keeping horses, cattle and hogs,
and in the development of the fields he
uses the latest improved machinery and
annually harvests good crops.
On the 1 5th of April, 1875, Mr. Mor-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
53
rison was married to Miss Lydia Dar-
nell, who was born in Warsaw, Illinois,
February 26, 1856, and attended the com-
mon schools. Her parents were Caleb
and Mary (Tremble) Darnell, both of
whom were natives of Kentucky and at
an early day became residents of Warsaw.
Illinois. In the family were the following
children: Bertha, who died in infancy;
Mamie ; Nellie, the wife of Harry Den-
nis, of Hamilton and the mother of one
daughter; Arthur, Fred, William, Ray,
Elta and Gwendolyn, all at home. Mr.
Morrison casts his ballot for the men and
measures of the Republican party and has
filled a number of offices, serving twice
as collector and also in the positions of
constable and school director. He has at-
tained high rank in Masonry, belonging
to the blue lodge, chapter, council and
commandery, his affiliation being with
the commander}- at Keokuk. He is a
member of the Christian church and the
principles which have permeated his life
are those which work for good citizenship
and for intellectual and moral progress.
HON. O. F. BERRY.
Hon. O. F. Berry was born at Table
Grove, McDonough county, Illinois, Feb-
ruary 16, 1852. He is a son of Lee
Berry, a native of Virginia, who, com-
ing to Illinois, settled upon a farm in
McDonough county, where he resided un-
til his death. By his first marriage he
had two children, but the younger of
these, John Berry, was killed while serv-
ing in the navy in the Civil war. The
elder. Charles L. Berry, who served in
the One Hundred and Eighteenth Illi-
nois Mounted Infantry until the close of
the Civil war, is now a contractor of
Wichita, Kansas. After losing his first
wife he married Martha McConnell, a na-
tive of Pennsylvania. O. F. Berry is the
elder son of the second marriage and his
brother, M. P. Berry, is equally well
known in Carthage as a lawyer and bank-
er. The father died in 1858 and the
mother in 1860, their remains being in-
terred at Table Grove, Illinois.
O. F. Berry was educated in the com-
mon schools in Fountain Green town-
ship, Hancock county, and in early life
and until he was twenty-one years of age
he. worked by the month as a farm hand.
After his marriage he purchased a small
farm and lived upon it one year. In 1875
he came to Carthage and took up the
study of law in the office of Mack &
Baircl. attorneys of this city. Following
his admission to the bar he immediately
formed a partnership with Judge Thomas
C. Sharp, now deceased, and later the
firm became Sharp & Berry Brothers.
He has practiced continuously in all the
courts of Hancock county from that time
to the present and has conducted impor-
tant litigation in the federal and state
courts with gratifying success, winning
well earned fame and distinction. He
believes in the maxim, "There is no ex-
cellence without labor," and follows it
closely. About six years ago his brother,
M. P. Bern-, retired from the firm and O.
F. Berry is practicing as the senior mem-
ber of the firm of Berry, McCrary &
Kellv.
54
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
His attention, however, has not been
confined exclusively to his legal interests,
for in 1903 he joined his brother, M. P.
Berry, in establishing and opening the
Dime Savings Bank, of which he is presi-
dent and M. P. Bery is cashier. He is also
president and general manager of the
Mississippi Valley Telephone Companj*
and was a trustee and attorney for Car-
thage College for fifteen or sixteen years.
His political history has become a mat-
ter of state record. He was chairman of
the republican state convention in 1896
and 1906. He was the first mayor of
Carthage, serving for three terms, from
1888 until 1894, and is again the chief
executive of the city at this writing, in
1906. In 1888 he was elected to the
state senate, wherein he served continu-
ously until 1900 and then, after an in-
terval of two years, was elected to fill a
vacancy and re-elected in 1904. He is
president pro tem. of the senate, was act-
ing governor from August 27th to Sep-
tember 4, 1906, and isone of the recog-
nized political leaders of the state. It will
be observed that his turn of mind is emi-
nently judicial and free from the bias of
animosity. Strong and positive in his re-
publicanism, his party fealty is not
grounded on partisan prejudice and he
enjoys the respect and confidence of all
his associates, irrespective of party. Of
the great issues which divide the two po-
litical organizations, with their roots ex-
tending down to the very bed rock of the
foundations of the republic, he has the
true statesman's grasp. Well grounded
in the political maxims of the schools, he
has also studied the lessons of actual life,
arriving at his conclusions as a result of
what may be called his post-graduate
studies in the school of affairs. He was
general attorney for the insurance de-
partment of the state under Governor
Tanner's administration. He was special
attorney of the Lake Front cases in Chi-
cago for Attorney General Hamlin and
chairman of the special committee of the
senate in 1897 to investigate Chicago po-
lice management and justice courts. He
was likewise chairman of the senate com-
mittee to investigate the Globe Savings
Bank and the treasurer of the university
school fund under Governor Altgeld's ad-
ministration. At the present writing he
is receiver of the Peoria National Bank.
On the 5th of March, 1873, Senator
Berry was married to Miss Anna R. Barr,
of Fountain Green, who was born in
Pennsylvania in 1850, a daughter of Da-
vid and Jane (Barr) Barr. Her father
was a mechanic, who prior to the Civil
war removed to Iowa and about 18(35
came to Illinois. He enlisted in Iowa
as a member of the Union army and
served throughout the period of hostili-
ties. He followed his trade in Illinois
until his death in 1870 and his wife
passed away in Carthage in 1902. They
were faithful members of the United
Presbyterian church. They had five chil-
dren, of whom four daughters are living :
Elizabeth, who is the widow of John S.
Duffy and resides in Carthage; Mary A.,
who is the widow of William T. Camp-
bell and lives in this city; Nannie J., of
Carthage; and Laura, the wife of Wil-
liam T. Duffy, of Waverly, Kansas.
Mr. and Mrs. Berry became the par-
ents of five children, one born in Fountain
Green and four in Carthage. Of this
f/AXCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
55
number three died in infancy, while two
lived to be fourteen years of age and all
are buried in Moss Ridge cemetery. They
now have an adopted daughter, Lenore,
who at the age of twelve years is attend-
ing the high school of Carthage. In 1897
Mr. Berry built his beautiful modem res-
idence on Walnut street. He also owns
much other property in the city and
county. He himself built eleven of the
new houses that were erected in Carthage
in 1905 and he has built and sold alto-
gether thirty homes. In connection with
his other interests the firm of which he
is a member is conducting a real estate
business. Mr. Berry is a Royal Arch
Mason and is also connected with the
Knights of Pythias, Woodmen and the
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He
and his wife are members of the Presby-
terian church and he was chairman of
the building committee at the time of the
erection of the two new churches that
have been built in the last five years, the
former one having been destroyed by fire.
He has been again and again chosen trus-
tee of the church and has long served as
superintednent of the Sunday-school. He
takes a most active and helpful part in
church work, contributing generously of
his means to its support and giving free-
ly of bis time and attention to further its
development and extend the scope of its
activities. He is frequently called upon
to make addresses to the Men's League
and his labors have been of direct and im-
mediate serviceableness in the church
work. His wife has been treasurer of the
missionary society for many years. She
also belongs to the Woman's Club and
to the society of the Daughters of ihe
4
American Revolution. He has been pros-
perous in his business affairs, yet there
is no man in Carthage who respects
wealth for wealth's sake as little as he
does. His means, however, have enabled
him to be a generous contributor to many
charities and good works and he never
fails to lend a helping hand when solic-
ited to do so. He belongs to that public-
spirited, useful and helpful type of men
whose ambitions and desires are centered
and directed in those channels through
which flow the greatest and most perma-
nent good to the greatest number. He
is naturally of a quiet and retiring dis-
position and has not been an active seeker
for the glamor of publicity, but his rare
aptitude and ability in achieving results
make him constantly sought and often
bring him into a prominence from which
he would naturally shrink were less de-
sirable ends in view.
HENRY C. BYLER.
Henry C. Byler, a representative
farmer of Durham, his native township,
was born August 30, 1855, his parents
being David and Matilda Catherine (Cun-
ningham) Byler. The father, a native of
Tennessee, was a son of John and Sarah
(Hayworth) Byler and was born Novem-
ber 6, 1819. His life record covered more
than the psalmist's allotted span of three
score years and ten, as he passed away
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
on the 2d of April, 1894, when in the sev-
enty-fifth year of his age. He lived a suc-
cessful farmer in Adams county, Illinois,
from 1836 until 1851. In the spring of
1851 he purchased the homestead at Dur-
ham Centre now occupied by his widow
and removed to Hancock county, where
he resided until his demise. The place
comprises one hundred and sixty acres of
land on section 9, Durham township.
Prospering in his undertakings, so that
his financial resources increased, he
bought more land from time to time until
he became the owner of twelve hundred
acres of as fine land as can be fouqd in
Illinois. He thus won a place among the
substantial residents of the state and his
life record was indeed commendable, as
his success came as the legitimate result
of carefully directed effort and honorable
dealing. For over thirty-one years he
was a member in good standing of Dallas
City lodge No. 235, A. F. & A. M., and
filled nearly all of its offices. His early
political support was given the republican
party but he afterward joined the ranks
of the democracy. For more than a half
century he was a member of the old school
Baptist church, which he joined in Adams
county in 1840. He held all of the lead-
ing offices in the church and he donated a
part of his home farm as a church site and
erected thereon a 'nice frame structure to
be used as a house of worship by the Bap-
tist denomination. This was in 1881 and
the building is still put to its original use.
He was very liberal, the poor and needy
finding in him a warm friend, while in
many other ways he displayed his gen-
erosity. His fellow townsmen gave evi-
dence of their appreciation of his worth
and ability by electing him to many posi 1
tions of public trust. For over fourteen
years he served as county supervisor.
For the long period of thirty years he
held the office of justice of the peace and
for twenty-eight years was township
treasurer. He was ever faithful to the
trust reposed in him and his long contin-
uance in office indicated the implicit con-
fidence given him by those who knew him.
He was a man honored and respected by
all and was most highly esteemed where
he was best known. His wife, Matilda C.
Byler, died April 12, 1857, and was
buried in Durham cemetery, the subject
of this review being at that time only two
years of age. She was his second wife and
there were born to this union four chil-
dren, of whom Henry C., is the youngest.
The others are : Gracie Jane, who became
the wife of Calvin Stiles and died in La
Harpe in September, 1899; and Joseph
and George W., both deceased.
Henry C. Byler, the only surviving
member of this family, was educated in
the district schools of Durham township
and remained at home until twenty-one
years of age ; after which he engaged in
farming on his own account on his
father's land for nine years. He was mar-
ried at the age of twenty-one to Miss Em-
ma J. Toof, who was born in Durham
township, October 20, 1859, a daughter
of Benjamin and Mary (Atherton) Toof.
The father was born in Franklin county,
Vermont, February 29, 1820, and the
mother in Ohio, July 24, 1823. Her
death occurred in 1877. At an early day
they became residents of Hancock county,
settling on a farm, and in their family
were seven children : Henry, living in Ne-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
57
braska : Ella, the wife of John Heisler.
who is represented elsewhere in this
work ; Daniel, of Nebraska ; Emma J.,
now Mrs. Ramsay, of Dallas City; John
\Y.. of California; Kate, the wife of Wil-
liam Phipps, of Oklahoma; and Clara, the
wife of David Shain, of California.
After living in Durham Centre on his
father's farm for nine years Mr. Byler re-
ceived' as a gift from his father one hun-
dred and sixty acres of good land on sec-
tion 33, Durham township. There was a
house upon this place, which he has since
improved, making it a comfortable mod-
ern residence. He has also added many
other equipments and improvements to
the farm and he has now a valuable prop-
erty of one hundred and forty acres which
is under a high state of cultivation. At
one time, following his second marriage,
he engaged in the hardware business in
Dallas City for two years.
On the 1 3th day of July, 1899, Mr. By-
ler was married to Mrs. Anna E. Hamil-
ton, who was born in Pontoosuc town-
ship, June 16, 1867, and is a daughter of
F. C. and Nancy (McAuley) Little, the
former a native of Ohio and the latter of
New York. Both came to Illinois in 1829
and they were nineteen years of age at the
time of their marriage. Mr. Little was a
farmer by occupation, thus providing for
the support of his family. In his political
views he was an earnest republican and
held a number of township offices. His
wife died at the old home in Pontoosuc
township in 1877 and the father is still
living upon that place. In their family
were eleven children, of whom eight yet
survice. namely: Melissa, the wife of J.
A. Lamb, of Pontoosuc township ; Martin
L., living in the same township; Arthur
and Samuel I., who are resident farmers
of that township; Mary, the wife of H.
H. Longshie, of Pontoosuc township;
Mrs. Byler; Flora, the wife of Robert
Alston, living near Hamilton, Illinois;
and Frank G., of Dallas City. In early
womanhood Anna E. Little gave her hand
in marriage to Thomas B. Hamilton, who
was born in McDonough county, Illinois,
in 1864, a son 'of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
Hamilton, of Blandinsville, both of whom
are now deceased. Their only child was
Thomas B. Hamilton, a most respected
and .worthy citizen of Hancock county,
who died in 1897 and was buried in Pon-
toosuc township. He left three children
who are now living with Mr. and Mrs.
Byler, namely: Mabel G., born July 18.
1888; Otis F., born August 16, 1890;
and Anna Irene, March 7, 1894. Mr. and
Mrs. Byler are now the parents of one
child, Velna G., born July 7, 1903. By
his first marriage Mr. Byler had four
children. Frank L., the eldest, born Sep-
tember 24, 1878, and now living in Dur-
ham township, married Miss Georgiana
B. Lamb and they have three children.
Vera, Naysee and an infant son. Ressa
V. Byler, who attended the high school
of Dallas City and is a graduate of the
high school of Aurora, Nebraska, of the
class of 1902, makes her home in Ne-
braska but is now engaged in teaching in
the high school of Dallas City. Joseph
L, born September 30, 1887, died May
4, 1891. Versel, born July 5, 1894, is a
student in Dallas City high school. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Byler hold membership in
the Baptist church and he is a member of
Burnside Lodge 385, A. F. & A. M. of
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
Burnside. He also belongs to the Mod-
em Woodmen camp, while his political
allegiance is given to the democracy. He
has never been a politician in the sense of
office seeking, preferring to devote his
time and energies to his business affairs.
He is recognized in the community as a
good neighbor and as an enterprising in-
dustrious man, who has made a creditable
record in his business life and who en-
joys the respect and esteem of many
friends.
JACOB REISELT.
Jacob Reiselt, whose position in public
regard and affection is indicated by the
fact that to his many friends he is known
as Uncle Jake, resides on a farm in Dur
ham township near La Harpe and is
classed with the prominent and repre-
sentative residents of the community. He
was born in Germany, March i, 1829.
His parents, Jacob and Anna (Sponer)
Reiselt, were also natives of that coun-
try and in the year 1842 came to America,
landing at New York, after a voyage of
thirty-nine days made on the ship Oneida,
They settled in Franklin county, Ohio,
near Columbus, taking up their abode
upon a farm there in the month of August.
Six mofiths later the father purchased a
farm of forty-two acres in Hamilton
township, Franklin county, where he car-
ried on farming for many years or
throughout his remaining days, his death
occurring in October, 1885. His wife
survived until 1890 and was then laid to
rest by his side in Walnut Hill church
cemetery in Ohio. Mr. Reiselt had served
for six years in the German army in his
native country. Emigrating to America
he became a loyal son of his adopted coun-
try and as the years passed by his care-
fully conducted business interests brought
to him a gratifying measure of success.
Unto him and his wife were born seven
sons and five daughters and of their fam-
ily four sons and three daughters are yet
living, namely : Henry, living in Oakland,
Ohio; Waltham, of Columbus, Ohio;
Jacob, of this review; Lewis, of Nebras-
ka; Bina, the wife of Charles Kale, of
Columbus, Ohio; Elizabeth, the wife of
John Gates, also of Columbus ; and Mary,
the wife of John Claud, living near Ohio's
capital city.
Jacob Reiselt at the usual age entered
the public schools of his native country
and there pursued his studies until four-;
teen years of age, when he accompanied
his parents on their voyage to the new
world. He remained at home until seven-
teen years of age and then started out in
life on his own account, working by the
month as a farm hand for Jeremiah Clark,
near Columbus, Ohio, with whom he re-
mained for ten years a fact which is
indicative of his capable service and the
trust reposed in him by his employer.
He was married December 18, 1852, to
Miss Elizabeth Wetherington, who was
born near Columbus. Ohio, in 1824, a
daughter of William and Maggie (Hel-
scher) Wetherington, natives of Virginia
and Pennsylvania respectively. They
went to Ohio at an early day and there
Mr. Wetherington engaged in teaching
school and in farming. He served as a
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
59
ioldier of the war of 1812, holding the
ank of captain, and in the community
vhere he lived was recognized as a prom-
nent and influential citizen. In his fam-
ly were ten children but only two are
low living: Rebecca, the wife of Lewis
rlartzell, of La Harpe; and Sarah, who
esides with her sister. The parents died
ind were buried in Ohio.
Following his marriage Mr. Reiselt
nirchased one hundred acres of good
: ann land in Ohio, where he remained
until after the close of the war and then
:ame to Illinois, locating in Durham
ownship on the 5th of March, 1866. He
mrchased one hundred and twenty acres
>f improved land on section 23 and he
las since carried on farm work. He has
argely remodeled and improved the
louse, has built fences, planted orchards
ind has from time to time added to his
ilace until he now has one hundred and
-ixty acres, one of die best farms in the-
ownship. He has carried on general ag-
icultural pursuits and in his business af-
airs has prospered owing to his capable
nanagement and well-directed energy.
In 1899 Mr. Reiselt was called upon to
nourn the loss of his wife, who passed
ivvay on the ist of May of that year at
he age of seventy-four and was laid to
est in La Harpe cemetery. Both Mr.
ind Mrs. Reiselt as well as their parents
vere reared in the faith of the Lutheran
rhurch. to which they always adhered.
Mrs. Reiselt was a devoted wife and
nother and kind neighbor and possessed
nany excellent traits of heart and mind
vhich endeared her to all with whom she
.vas associated. She left five children.
:wo sons and three daughters, all born
in Franklin county, Ohio. Henry, the
eldest, born in 1853, married Rose Ketch-
am, of Elvaston, Hancock county, Illi-
nois, and they have seven children: Mel-
vin, Ivy, Sherman, Mabel, Myrtle, Hazel,
and an infant son. William, born in
1855, married Arrissa Smith and lives
near La Crosse. Effie. born in 1857, is
at home with her father. Mary, born in
1 86 1, is the wife of Sherman Broadfield.
of Durham township, and has two chil-
dren, Bonneth and Ogle. Margrettie.
born in 1865, is at home.
Mr. Reiselt has lived a life of diligence
and industry and has now a valuable farm
property as the result of his well-directed
labor. He has a natural spring upon his
farm better than any windmill, over
which he has built his milk house, and he
keeps from thirty to thirty-five good
milch cows, thus conducting quite an ex-
tensive dairy business. In Ohio his home
was a log cabin and for forty-two years
he has resided continuously upon his pres-
ent farm in Hancock county. Every-
thing about the place is kept in good con-
dition and indicates his careful super-
vision and capable management. In pol-
itics he is a democrat and has held a
number of township offices, the duties of
which he ever discharged with prompt-
ness and fidelity. He was road super-
visor for six years, school trustee for
t\venty-seven years and path master for
twelve years. Although he has now
passed the seventy-seventh milestone on
life's journey he is still very active and
possesses a wonderful memory, while in
the community no man stands higher in
the general regard than does Uncle Jake
Reiselt.
6o
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
LEWIS MARTIN MYERS.
Lewis M. Myers is a general stockman,
feeding and raising high bred horses and
cattle upon a farm in Pontoosuc township
and his business qualifications and un-
abating energy argue well for a success-
ful future. He was born in the township
where he still resides, May 16, 1872, and
is the ninth in order of birth in a family
of fifteen children whose parents are
Charles H. and Anna (Dustman) Myers,
both of whom are natives of Germany,
the father having been born July 2, 1836,
and the mother in October, 1844. C. H.
Myers was a lad of seven years when
brought to the United States and for
forty-two years has lived in Hancock
county, his home being continuously in or
near Pontoosuc township. He married
Anna Dustman 'near Burlington, Iowa,
who was a maiden of eleven summers when
she crossed the Atlantic. She is a daugh-
ter of Henry Dustman, who for many
years lived near Burlington as a farmer
and later in life was a fruit grower and
gardener south of the city. She is a sister
of Henry Dustman, whose family history
is in the Biographical Review of Des
Moines County, Iowa. Their children are :
Mary, the wife of J. S. Massie, of Pon-
toosuc township ; Harman, living at West
Point, Iowa; Emma, at Port Arthur,
Texas ; William, deceased ; Martha, the
wife of William Pomeroy, of Alveston,
Illinois; Elizabeth, at home; Lena, the
wife of George W. Jones, of Rock Creek
township ; Anna, the wife of Fred Smith,
a rice farmer of Port Arthur, Texas; L.
M., of this review; Henry, of Washing-
ton ; Charles, of Rock Creek township ;
Fredric, who is with our subject ; Virgie,
at home; Hugh, living in Dallas town-
ship; and Fay, who is with her parents.
Having attended the district school
near his father's farm Lewis M. Myers
afterward spent one term as a student in
Elliott Business College, at Burlington,
Iowa, in 1892, and following his return
home assisted in the work of the fields un-
til twenty-one years of age. Subsequently
he operated one of his father's farms for
several years, thus starting out in life on
his own account.
On the i6th of October, 1895, was cel-
ebrated the marriage of L. M. Myers and
Miss Nancy Rice, who was born in Fay-
ette county, Pennsylvania, December 23,
1868, a daughter of Samuel and Cather-
ine (Spears) Rice, likewise natives of the
Keystone state and now residents of Dur-
ham township, this county, aged respect-
ively seventy-four and sixty-three years.
Of their five children four are now living :
Alice, the wife of Grant Schultz. of Dur-
ham township; Mrs. Myers; Charles, a
farmer of Durham township; and Mrs.
Barbara Doss, of Durham township. One
daughter, Ada, died when five years of
age.
Mr. and Mrs. Myers now live on one
of his father's farms, and in December,
1904, he purchased eighty acres of land
across the road from his home on section
22, Pontoosuc township. He tills the soil
and also raises and feeds horses and cattle,
and his stock-raising interests are a most
important branch of his business. For
about nine years Mr. Myers has been one
of the leading horse breeders in this part
of the county, being particularly inter-
ested in Percheron horses, and now has
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
61
at the head of his stud, Caesar (No.
54038) his French Register Number,
his American Register Number being
. 40523. He was imported from France in
' 1904, at the age of two years, and has been
owned by Mr. Myers since November
i, 1904. Besides being highly bred he
is a fine individual, weighing over
2. too at four years. He also has a
large number of fine mares and raises
a high bred stock himself. He also
has had full blood Chester hogs and
Angus cattle but devotes his time now
to his horses and cattle feeding. He was
I one of the organizers of Camp Creek
Prospecting Co. that is locating the coal
in this section, Mr. Myers having gone
through a three-foot vein of good coal in
drilling his well. He is one of the di-
rectors of the company, which intend to
develop the mine. His success is entirely
attributable to his own efforts and the as-
sistance of his estimable wife. Careful of
expenditures, managing his property ably
. and with keen foresight, he has made con-
siderable progress on the high way of suc-
cess and will continue on that road until
he reaches the goal of prosperity.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Myers has
been blessed with three children and the
family circle yet remains unbroken by the
hand of death. Their thre sons are: Mil-
lard Rice, born October 30, 1896 ; Charles
Byard, February 16, 1899; and Paul
Lewis, August 28, 1900. Mrs. Myers
belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church
but for convenience Mr. and Mrs. Myers
attend the United Brethren church. He
is a democrat in his political views and
has been school director for six years and
has also filled the office of township col-
T
lector. At all times he manifests a public-
spirited interest in the general welfare and
upbuilding and is an intelligent an re-
spected citizen whose well-spent life is
indicated by the fact that many of his best
friends are those who have known him
longest.
COLONEL BENJAMIN F. MARSH.
By the consensus of public .opinion in
the state and nation in the death of Colo-
nel Benjamin Franklin Marsh, Illinois
lost one of her greatest sons. He was
nine times chosen to represent his district
in congress and his career at all times was
characterized by a steady progress in mil-
itary, political and professional circles.
The simplicity of his life, the breadth of
his vision, the loftiness of his purpose,
the extent of the work that he accom-
plished in legislative halls, all combined
to win for him the respect, honor and
gratitude of his fellowmen. The meas-
ure of his ability and personal worth is
perhaps best indicated by the fact that he
numbered his warmest friends among the
most distinguished statesmen of the
country.
JBenjamin Franklin Marsh was more-
over a native son of Illinois, his birth
having occurred in Wythe township,
Hancock county, November 19, 1835,
and the house in which he first opened
his eyes to the light of day is still stand-
ing. Moreover the portion of the farm
on which the building is located is still
owned by the family. His boyhood days
62
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
were fraught with the vicissitudes, ex-
periences and environments of pioneer
life and he early became familiar with
all of the labor incident to the develop-
ment and improvement of a farm. His
education was acquired in private
schools. He was for a brief period a
student in Palmyra, Missouri, and the
indignities which he there saw heaped
upon the colored youth fired his sense of
justice and left upon him an indelible
impression which bore fruit in the service
which he gave for the Union and for
liberty during the dark days of the Civil
War. He continued his education by
four years' study in Jubilee College un-
der Bishop Chase and there was awak-
ened in him that keen appreciation for
right and justice which was ever a dom-
inant element in his career. He com-
pleted the work of the junior year in
college and then took up the study of
law under the direction of his brother.
Judge J. W. Marsh (now deceased), with
whom he was subsequently associated in
the practice of his profession subsequent
to his admission to the bar in 1860. It
was a momentous period in the history of
Illinois and the nation, the country hav-
ing become aroused over the slavery
question and the threats of secession and
it may well be imagined that the young
man took a keen interest in nil of the
great events of that time. Political ques-
tions were, the dominant theme of inter-
est where men collected together and
Colonel Marsh entered heart and soul
into the political movements, taking a
firm stand in support of the new Repub-
lican party even at a time when it was
unpopular to do so. In the year of his
admission to the bar he accepted the Re-
publican nomination for state's attorney
in a district comprising Adams and Han-
cock counties, which was then strongly
democratic. He canvassed both coun-
ties, his successful opponent being the
late Calvin A. Warren, then a distin-
guished lawyer of Western Illinois. In
his home city. Warsaw. Colonel Marsh
was more fortunate in his candidacy and
served for a period as city clerk and
also represented Warsaw on the board of
supervisors from 1867 until 1869. In
the latter year he was nominated for
membership in the state constitutional
convention of 1870. but his republican
proclivities occasioned his defeat in a
strongly democratic district.
In the meantime Colonel Marsh had
devoted four years of his life to active
military service. He had watched with
keen interest the progress of events in
the south and all the patriotism of his
nature was aroused by the firing upon of
Fort Sumter and the attempt to disrupt
the Union. When war was proclaimed
he raised a company of cavalry and. go-
ing to Springfield, tendered its sen-ices to
Governor Yates, but as cavalry was not
included in President Lincoln's call the
company was not accepted. On his way
home from the state capital Colonel
Marsh found the Sixteenth Illinois Regi-
ment rendezvoused at Quincy and imme-
diately enlisted as a private, but was soon
afterward chosen quartermaster. When
with the regiment at Monroe Station.
Missouri, he received a telegram from
Governor Yates on the 4th of July, 1861.
saying that his cavalry company would
be accepted. Returning at once to War-
HANCOCK COUNTY. ILLINOIS.
sa\v. Colonel Marsh recruited the com-
pany and in August, with his men. pro-
ceeded to Springfield, where the command
was mustered in as Company G of the
Second Illinois Cavalry. Mr. Marsh was
chosen captain in August, 1861, and pro-
motions came to him from time to time
in recognition of gallant and meritorious
service. He was commissioned major
August 30, 1862. lieutenant colonel May
3. 1864, colonel August 29, 1865, and
served continuously until January, 1866,
having campaigned in every seceding
state except Virginia and the two Caro-
linas. Four times he was wounded by
gun shot and he carried some of the lead
to his grave. Those who served under
him tell that he was a fearless and bril-
liant officer, never faltering in the per-
formance of any duty and inspiring his
men by his own valor and loyalty. Per-
haps one of the most notable examples
of his innate personal courage was his
refusal to obey his superior officer at
Holly Springs when the latter surren-
dered. Colonel Marsh and his command
cutting their way through the rebel lines.
He never ceased to feel a deep interest
in the military organizations of the coun-
try and had a warm feeling of friendship
for his comrades in arms.
When the preservation of the Union
had become an assured fact and his aid
was no longer needed at the front Colonel
Marsh returned to Warsaw and resumed
the practice of law. continuing an active
and able member of the bar until his elec-
tion to congress in 1876. From that
time forward his attention was given al-
most exclusively to important public serv-
ice and he left the impress of his individ-
uality upon national legislation. He had
in 1866 been the nominee for the candi-
dacy of the Republican party in his dis-
trict for congress and again in 1872 and
the fatal illness of his wife terminated
in death on the day of the republican
convention in the latter year, so that
Colonel Marsh was unable to attend. In
1876, having secured the nomination.
Colonel Marsh entered into the campaign
with the same determination and loyal
spirit that ever characterized him in
everything that he undertook. In the
convention each county of the district
except Mercer had a candidate and
Colonel Marsh secured the nomination
on the twenty-fifth ballot. He was not
only elected in that year but again in 1878
and 1880. his services during his first
term being of such a beneficial nature that
the party rallied to his support as the
standard bearer in the two succeeding
elections. Then came a factional fight
in the party and he retired from office
on the close of his third term, March 3,
1883. He was in 1892 strongly recom-
mended by many of his friends for the
candidate for governor. In the same year,
however, others urged him to again be-
come a candidate for congress. He care-
fully studied the situation and was on the
eve of refusal, but the influence of rec-
ognized party leaders who knew his
strength prevailed upon him and he was
once more nominated and elected, at that
time serving, through re-election, for four
consecutive terms. In 1900 he was de-
feated, but in 1902 was again elected to
congress and once more in 1904, so that
he was serving as a member of the house
at the time of his death. In the latter
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
campaigns the state of his health pre-
vented him from active participation, but
each election showed good returns in sup-
port of Colonel Marsh, who was thus nine
times called to represent his district in the
council chambers of the nation. During
the interval of ten years he was out of
congress he served for four years on the
Illinois Railroad and Warehouse Commis-
sion through appointment in 1889 from
Governor Oglesby. His political service
is a matter of history. Congressional
records give indication of his support or
opposition to various measures which
came up, and it was a well-known fact
that he could never be coerced into any
political position, that neither fear nor
favor could win his allegiance to a meas-
ure that he believed would prove detri-
mental or cause him to oppose a move-
ment that he thought would prove bene-
ficial to his state or country at large. He
did important work in the committee
rooms, being closely connected with many
measures of constructive legislation, and
he made a number of notable addresses
on the floor of the house. As has been
said, "But, after all, the services of the
most valuable, most effective members of
congress is unwritten history. It can be
known only to him who has the open
sesame to the devious ways by which leg-
islation is shaped and enacted at Wash-
ington. That Colonel Marsh was here
a power is "now recognized, and that he
will be missed, especially by this portion
of the nation, is fully appreciated."
The home life of Colonel Marsh was
largely ideal. He was married August
6, 1861, to Miss Josephine Miller, who
died July 31, 1872. Of their five chil-
dren two are living : Miss Bertha Marsh,
of Warsaw, and C. Carroll Marsh, of
Warsaw. Two of the children, Cara P.
and Josephine, died in infancy, while
Arthur W. died a number of years ago
after reaching adult age. On the ist of
January, 1881, Colonel Marsh was mar-
ried to Miss Jane E. Coolbaugh, of Chi-
cago, who died on the i8th of March,
1905. There were also five children by
this marriage, of whom Robert Miller
and James C. died in infancy, while those
still living are William C., Richard O.
and Benjamin F. Marsh, , Jr. Colonel
Marsh was able to leave his family in
excellent financial circumstances, for in
his business undertakings he had pros-
pered. After his retirement from con-
gress in 1883 he devoted his attention
largely to his farm southeast of Warsaw,
and gradually added to his possessions
situated in Warsaw, Wilcox and Wythe
townshnps. The normal man always en-
joys nature and Colonel Marsh was of
this class. He found great delight in
superintending his agricultural interests,
in watching the growth of his crops and
in bringing his land up to a high state
of cultivation. Colonel Marsh passed
away June 2, 1905, at his home in War-
saw, after an illness which extended over
several 'months, although at times his
health was greatly improved. The fu-
neral was one of the most notable that
has ever been held in Illinois, special
trains being run over the different rail-
road and trolley lines in order to bring
the large concourse of people who gath-
ered to pay their last tribute of respect
to one whom they had known and hon-
ored. From congress came Senator
HAXCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Shelby M. Cullom and Representatives
George W. Prince, of Galesburg; Joseph
V. Graff, of Peoria; Philip .Knopf, of
Chicago; Henry T. Rainey, of Carroll-
ton; William W. Wilson, of Chicago;
Zeno J. Rives, of Litchfield; and Charles
McGavin, also of Chicago, who acted as
honorary pall-bearers, while the active
pall-bearers were the same that Colonel
Marsh had chosen to serve at his wife's
funeral just eleven weeks earlier.
It is. difficult to analyze the character of
such a man because of the variety of his
service and the extent of his influence
and work. He was a conservative man
and must be regarded as a statesman, al-
ways striving to build up for the benefit
of the people and to insure a continuous
national progress, believing that nations,
like men, cannot stand still but must go
forward or backward. He became con-
spicuous as a public officer who was al-
ways at his post of duty and always at
work. No man ever represented a dis-
trict in Illinois in congress who was more
faithful to the trust reposed in him by the
people. His mental characteristics were
of that solid and practical rather than of
the ostentatious and brilliant order. He
was essential!}' strong in intellect and ca-
pable of reaching safe, reasonable and
prudent conclusions. In the long and
crowded line of illustrious men of whom
Illinois is justly proud, the public life of
few others has extended over as long a
period as his, and certainly the life of
none has been more varied in service,
more constant in honor, more fearless in
conduct or more stainless in reputation.
Perhaps no better testimonial of his char-
acter and public service can be given than
in the words of one of his old-time
friends and associates, who said, "The
morning following the memorable Gar-
field memorial exercises in the house of
representatives, Alexander H. Stephens,
that pigmy in stature and giant in intel-
lect, moving in his wheeled chair over the
arena in front of the speaker's desk, while
indulging a musing, sparkling, laudatory
criticism of Elaine's eloquent address,
turned to the writer, with that peculiar
graciousness which won young men to
him, and said : "And yet, after all, while
the genius of the forum kindles enthusi-
asm and moves one to effort, we should
remember that in public affairs the well-
balanced, forceful, persistent worker,
with courageous determination and unas-
sailable integrity, is the master hand in
shaping the weal of a nation. Of such
material is your congressman, Colonel
Marsh."
"Had the distinguished ex- Vice-Presi-
dent of the southern confederacy known
his subject even more intimately he could
not have measured Colonel Marsh's
character more accurately nor have
weighed his abilities more correctly.
Through all his public service his in-
tegrity was never questioned for a mo-
ment, and his entire career, from youth
up, was marked by courageous determi-
nation. It was with him when only out
of his teens he braved a pistol's muzzle
and a mob's fury to sever the rope of
would-be lynchers; it was with him at
Holly Springs when he defied his cow-
ardly superior officer, refused to sur-
render, and with a remnant of the Sec-
ond Illinois Cavalry cut his way through
the enemy's lines. Further, it was with
66
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEll'
him in the capacity of a representative
of the people whenever and wherever
duty pointed the way. as it was with
him in private life. He had his sorrows,
he had his afflictions ; but he concealed
the bruise of the rod and the scar of the
scourge with the veil of his indomitable
will.
"His was a rugged character. Molded
amid the privations of pioneer life and
developed in the stirring scenes of the
past half century, it became well-rounded
as the shadows lengthened. There was
no pretense about him. no dissimulation
in his make-up. He was frank of
speech, unassuming in manner, hospita-
ble but unostentatious. He had a sym-
pathetic interest in his fellowman. but it
was a wholesome sympathy, not misled
by sickly sentiment on the one hand nor
awed by arrogance on the other. Loyal
in his friendship, he was not bitter in
his enmities, and never took advantage
of power to punish a foe. That he was
charitable there are many, many, to at-
test, but he never jingled the coin of
charity, being of those who hold that the
left hand should not know what the right
hand doeth. As a politician, Colonel
Marsh was keen, astute, far-sighted. He
was an adept in marshalling his forces.
But he eschewed the baser arts and never
resorted to trades or cabals or the de-
moralizing agencies only too common to
the field of politics.
"As a public man. he aspired to be a
worker, a doer: and the sequel proves
that he did not strive in vain. He did
not affect the ornate as a speaker nor did
he dawdle in debate, but when he spoke
it was briefly and to the point. He was
exceptionally familiar with all public
questions, and in close touch with the
powers that shape them, equipping him
well for his work, and with his strong
personality, making results possible. He
had the respect and admiration of his
colleagues and enjoyed in a peculiar de-
gree the confidence of the late President
McKinley and that of President Roose-
velt and stood close to the heads of the
departments. It was in council, in com-
mittee, he was strongest, and those who
are most familiar with his achievements
know that his impress is on national leg-
islation. But his life work is o'er. He
has passed to the unknown realm whither
man's pilgrimage tends. The good he
has done will not be interred with his
bones. It will live after him ; and while
his ashes sleep in Oakland, under the
silent watch of the 'untroubled sentries
of the shadowy night; his memory will
endure, long to be cherished as that of
one who served his day and generation
well and faithfully."
EDMOXD PARKER DEXTOX.
Edmond Parker Denton, who, since
1898 has made his home in Hamilton,
but for many years was extensively and
successfully engaged in stock-raising in
Hancock county, as proprietor of the
Catalpa Grove stock farm, was bom in
Bath county, Kentucky, April 2, 1832.
his parents being Reuben and Jane
(Perkins) Denton. the former born near
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
67
the Holstein river in Tennessee, and the
latter in Bath county, Kentucky. His
paternal grandparents, Abraham and
Sarah (Hunt) Denton, were natives of
Tennessee, while the maternal grand-
parents, Edmond and Elizabeth (Van
Landingham) Perkins, were natives of
Bath and Fleming counties, Kentucky,
respectively. The parents were married
in Fleming county, where the father died
in 1862, while the mother passed away in
1868. Their son, Edmond P. Denton,
was the third in order of birth in a fam-
ily of five children, of whom one daugh-
ter, Matilda, died at the age of four
years, while Abraham T., who was born
in 1830, died in Missouri, in February,
1904. The other brother, Oliver B., re-
sides in Fleming county, Kentucky, while
Allen H., born in 1840, died at the age of
thirteen years.
Edmond P. Denton spent the days of
his boyhood and youth in his native state,
being reared to the occupation of farm-
ing, and on the 8th of March, 1854,
when a young man of twenty-two years,
he left Kentucky and removed to Co-
lumbus, Illinois, where he spent the suc-
ceeding year. He then came to Hancock
county, settling in Wythe township,
where he secured a tract of land which
had been fenced and cultivated. He be-
gan the further improvement of the
place, which he called the Catalpa Grove
stock farm and here he was extensively
engaged in raising Wilkes horses, always
making a specialty of this breed. When
his son. Henry attained his majority he
was admitted to a partnership and the
business of raising and breeding fine
stock was conducted under the firm stvle
of Denton & Son. Mr. Denton became
known as one of the most prominent
stockmen in this part of the state, raising
some very fine animals upon his place,
which sold for high prices. He is an
excellent ' judge of horse flesh and has
owned some splendid specimens of the
noble steed. As a breeder and stock-
raiser he met with excellent success and
continued in active business until 1898,
when he retired from his farm and re-
moved to Hamilton, where he has since
made his home.
On the 1 5th of December, 1853, Mr.
Denton was united in marriage to Miss
Jemima Ellen Whitney, who was born in
Bath county, Kentucky, December 29,
1845, a daughter of Elijah K. and
Julanie (Jones) Whitney, the former a
native of Ohio and the latter of Bath
county, Kentucky. Mrs. Denton was
educated in Kentucky and spent her girl-
hood days in her parents' home. By her
marriage she became the mother of the
following named : Charles A., who is
circuit judge of Bates county, Missouri ;
Julania Jane, the wife of Charles Cole,
a liveryman of Omaha, Nebraska; Mar-
garet B., the wife of J. T. Guy, who is
proprietor of Hotel Hamilton, at Hamil-
ton, Illinois; Henry K., who is in the
livery business in Hamilton; Sarah E.,
the wife of R. R. Wallace, cashier of the
State Bank at Hamilton ; Edmond Grant,
a farmer, whose home is two miles north
of Hamilton; Albert C, a groceryman of
Hamilton, and is also a mail carrier on
the rural route ; and Jemima Ellen, the
wife of Harry Rentchler, employed as
salesman for Bolls Brothers, of Chicago,
Illinois. Mrs. Denton passed away July
68
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
10, 1889, and was buried in Oakwood
cemetery at Hamilton, Illinois. She was
an estimable lady, who had been a faith-
ful companion and helpmate to her hus-
band on life's journey. Her loss was
deeply regretted by many friends as well
as her immediate family. Mr. Denton
now boards with his daughter at Hotel
Hamilton. He is a republican in his
political views and served as supervisor
of Wythe township for three terms,
while for one term he was collector. He
was appointed postmaster of Hamilton
on the ist of June, 1899, anc l ' ias h a d
three appointments to that office, the last
coming from President Roosevelt on the
ist of March, 1905, so that the incum-
bency will continue until 1909. He is
a capable official, giving a public-spirited
administration in the affairs of the office.
Fraternally he is a Mason, and in his life
exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the
craft. In business, in political circles
and in social life he has always been
known as a man worthy of the public es-
teem and confidence and the circle of his
friends is a very extensive one.
LORENZO D. LITTLE.
Lorenzo D. Little is one of the most
venerable citizens of Hancock county,
yet the years rest lightly upon him and
he appears to be a much younger man
than the records state, for he is still ac-
tive in business life, managing his farm-
ing interests in Pontoosuc township and
maintaining a deep interest in current
events and matters of general progress.
His has been a useful and honorable ca-
reer. He was born in Hampshire county,
Virginia, in 1821, and is a representative
of an old family that was founded in
America in colonial days. His uncle,
David Little, was one of the Revolution-
ary heroes who won independence for the
nation and when the country again be-
came engaged in war with Great Britain,
in 1812, he once more fought for Amer-
ican rights. Martha and Sarah (Rit-
nour) Little, parents of our subject, were
likewise natives of the Old Dominion,
born near Winchester in 1794 and in
1796, respectively. In the '205 they
became residents of Greene county, Ohio,
and on the 25th of April, 1847, arrived'
in Hancock county, settling in Ap-
panoose township. Soon, however, the
father purchased land from a Mormon
elder, Fullmer, and the family were in-
stalled in a log cabin in Pontoosuc town-
ship, where they experienced the usual'
hardships, privations and pleasures of
pioneer life, the father following farm-
ing there until his death in 1854. He
was long survived by his wife, who died
in 1882.
L.D. Little, accompanied his parents on
their removal to Ohio in 1827, was educ-
cated in that state and there lived for
twenty years, and at the time of the re-
moval of the family to Illinois, in 1847,
he also came to Hancock county, taking
up his abode in Pontoosuc township,
where he purchased forty acres of land
and began the development of a new
farm, performing all the arduous labor
connected with such a task. In later
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
69
years he purchased another forty-acre
tract on section 20, and throughout his
residence here has carried on general
farming and stock-raising, his prosper-
ity coming as the legitimate and well-
merited result of his own labor.
Mr. Little was married July 15, 1849,
to Miss Hester A. Tull, who was born
in Maryland, February 25, i827,a daugh-
ter of John R. and Nancy (Langford)
Tull. The father, who was born in
Maryland, in March. 1807, died in 1898,
while the mother, whose -birth occurred
in the same state and in the same year,
died in August, 1882. They were mem-
bers of the Methodist church and many
good qualities endeared them to their
family and friends. Of their nine chil-
dren only three are now living: Mrs.
Little; Elizabeth, the wife of Daniel A.
Little, of Pontoosuc township; and
Sarah, the wife of Isaac Grove, of Pay-
son, Adams county, Illinois. Mr. and
Mrs. Little became parents of three chil-
dren who have passed away and three
who still survive. Naomi became the
wife of Marion Jacobs, who died in Ar-
kansas in 1904, leaving six children:
Rosa, the wife of Arthur Jacobs, of
Mena, Arkansas, by whom she has three
children, Evelyn, Lorenzo and Clara ;
Joseph Jacobs, who married Zelpha
Choate, of Arkansas; Ella, wife of John
McKinstry, of Texas ; Orley, living in
Arkansas ; and Lorenzo and Clarence
Jacobs, also of that state. John Little
married Flora Wilcox and resides in
Pontoosuc township. Joseph Little, of
Pontoosuc township, married Louisa
Cress, and has four children : Emma P.,
wife of Frank Perkins, of Pontocsuc
township; Lester, Guy and Walter. Ar-
melda Little is the wife of Benjamin Ri-
ter, of Pontoosuc township, and has
three children: Arthur L., Goldie M.,
and Lizzie E., Harry C. Riter died at the
age of ten months. One child of the fam-
ily died in early infancy. Elizabeth Lit-
tle, who was the first bom, died at the age
of four months and twenty-three days.
Mr. Little is a republican and has
served as road supervisor and as a mem-
ber of the school board. His wife is a
member of the Methodist church. They
have traveled life's journey together as
man and wife for fifty-seven years, and
are a much-esteemed couple of Pontoo-
suc township. They yet enjoy good
health and are active, bearing the burden
of the years lightly. While they have
had sorrows and hardships, they have
yet had many pleasures and successes.
HENRY RICE.
Henry Rice, whose well developed
farm is one of the attractive features in
the landscape in Durham township,
was born in Fayette county, Pennsylva-
nia, June 15, 1827, and the nearly eighty
years of his well-spent life have made
him a most respected and honored man.
His parents were Samuel and Fannie
(Strickler) Rice, likewise natives of Fay-
ette county, Pennsylvania, the former
born in 1804 and the latter in 1802.
Samuel Rice was also a farmer bv oc-
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEll'
cupation and was a local preacher in the
River Brethren denomination in Penn-
sylvania. He remained in the Keystone
state until his later years, when he came
to Illinois and lived with his children,
passing away in Henderson county, De-
cember 19. 1885. His wife died No-
vember 30, 1870, and was laid to rest in
Ohio, while his grave was made in Dur-
ham cemetery. They were the parents
of eleven children : Nancy and Christian,
deceased ; Henry, of this review ; John
and Fannie, who have passed away ;
Samuel, of Durham township; George,
deceased ; Lydia, the wife of John
Hershey, of Ohio ; Rebecca, who died in
April, 1906: and Mary and Cyrus, also
deceased.
Henry Rice was educated in the dis-
trict schools of Fayette county, Pennsyl-
vania, but his opportunities in that direc-
tion were somewhat limited. The little
"temple of learning" in which he pursued
his studies, ,was a log structure with
puncheon floor and slab seats. He re-
mained with his father until about the
time he attained his majority and was
then married, in 1848, to Miss Elizabeth
Stoner, who indeed proved a faithful
companion and helpmate to him on life's <
journey. She was born in Blair county,
Pennsylvania, in September, 1826, a
daughter of Jacob and Barbara (Bosler)
Stoner, natives of eastern Pennsylvania,
in which state the father followed farm-
ing. In the Stoner family were nine
children : Abraham, now living in Des
Moines, Iowa ; Mary, deceased ; Mrs.
Rice; Ann and David, who are residents
of Pennsylvania: Joseph and Rebecca,
who have passed away; Susan, living in
northern Illinois; and Sarah, deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Rice began their domes-
tic life in Fayette county, Pennsylvania,
where they lived for six years and then
removed to Stark county, Ohio, where
they spent four years on a farm. On the
expiration of that period they located in
Adams county, Illinois, and after a year
and a half came, in the fall of 1859, to
Hancock county, settling in Durham
township, where Mr. Rice purchased
one hundred and sixty acres of land on
section 10. Improvements had already
been made upon the place, and in 1871
he erected an elegant residence, whije in
1868 he built a commodious barn. He
also put up a windwill and built good
sheds and other outbuildings for the
shelter of grain and stock, together with
fences which divide the place into fields
of convenient size. It is today one of
the finest farms in Durham township,
and comprises one hundred and sixty
acres of land, Mr. Rice having sold two
hundred and forty acres. However, he
still owns three hundred and twenty
acres of farm land in Lee county, Iowa.
He has always raised stock and has car-
ried on general farming. Although now
well advanced in years he still gives per-
sonal supervision to the place, which,
under his capable management, is kept
under a high state of cultivation, the
rich and productive fields annually re-
turning to him gratifying harvests. Mr.
Rice is also a director of the Farmers
State Bank of Dallas.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Rice, as the years
went by, were born ten children, three
in Pennsylvania, two in Ohio and the
others upon the home farm, in this county.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
The family record is as follows : Fan-
nie Ann, deceased; Jacob, of Nebraska,
who married Miss Luella Lydic and has
five children, Nellie, Elizabeth, Laura,
Jay and Dean ; Samuel, also of Nebras-
ka, who married Miss Jennie Boyle, and
died leaving three children, Lena, Stew-
art and Harry; Mary, the wife of James
Babcock, of Durham township, by whom
she had three children, Frank, deceased,
Rolla and Ina; Le Roy, who has passed
away ; Clara, the wife of John Smith, of
Iowa, by whom she has nine children,
Bessie. Grace, Laura, Maggie, Lawrence,
Ina, Helen, Beulah and Ruth ; Laura,
who is with her father ; Jenora. deceased ;
Clark, of Pontoosuc township, who mar-
ried Miss Minnie Bradfield and had three
children/ Bertha, deceased, Charles, and
Eulah, who has also passed away; and
Etta, at home with her father. The
children have been provided with liberal
educational privileges, the sons all at-
tending city schools, some in Burlington,
in Denmark and in Keokuk, Iowa.
In the early days of their married
life Mr. and Mrs. Rice had to undergo
many hardships and privations, but as
the years passed prosperity attended
their labors and Mr. Rice is now in very
comfortable financial circumstances. In
addition to his farm property he is a
stockholder in the Farmers Exchange
Bank of Dallas City, as are his two
daughters who are at home. In 1902
they were called upon to mourn the loss
of wife and mother, who passed away
on the 7th of November of that year and
was laid to rest in Durham cemetery,
her death being deeply regretted by
many friends as well as her immediate
5
family. She was indeed a loving wife
and mother, her interests centering in
her own household. She did everything
in her power to promote the welfare and-
happiness of her family and she extended
a most gracious and cordial hospitality
to her many friends. Her many excel-
lent traits of character won her the es-
teem and love of all with whom she came
in contact. In his political affiliation
Mr. Rice is a democrat and at one time
served as school director but has never
sought or desired office. His success is
attributable entirely to his own labors.
He is of a modest and retiring disposi-
tion but the consensus of public opinion
is that he deserves prominent mention
among "the representative men of the
county. He is a representative of one
of the oldest families of the township
and is one whose life record is indeed
worthy of emulation and of admiration.
ZIMRI WHITE.
Zimri White is a retired farmer and
veteran of the Civil war, living in Ham-
ilton. He was born in Coatsburg, Adams
county, Illinois, September 22, 1839, and
is a son of John and Drusilla (Lasley)
White, natives of Virginia and South
Carolina respectively. His paternal
grandfather, William White, was a na-
tive of Scotland and the maternal grand-
father was John Lasley, of South Caro-
lina. In the year 1822 John White went
to Springfield, Illinois, with his mother.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
He was then a lad of ten years, his birth
having occurred in 1812. The father
had died in the south and the widowed
mother afterward removed to this state,
where John White learned the plasterer's
trade. He worked in Springfield for
some time, after which he removed to
Adams county, Illinois, where he was
married in 1838. He then rented land
for a few years, after which he removed
to Hancock county and purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of prairie land,
for which he paid three hundred and
fifty dollars and which is now worth six-
teen thousand dollars. He also bought
thirty acres of timber land. The prairie
tract was all wild and uncultivated, but
he built thereon good houses, barns and
other improvements. He also fenced
the land and broke the wild prairie, trans-
forming it into richly developed fields.
It was the period of pioneer progress in
Hancock county and it was no unusual
thing to see timber wolves, while deer
were quite numerous and turkeys and
other lesser game could he had in abund-
ance. In fact evidences of frontier life
were many, but they gave - way before
the inroads of an advancing civilization.
John White continued to reside upon the
farm which he purchased until 1897,
when he went to live with a son upon a
farm, and in 1899 he took up his abode
in the home of his son, Zimri, with whom
he continued until his death, which oc-
curred on the 22d of August, 1903. His
wife had passed away in 1891, when
seventy-one years of age. In the family
were ten sons, of whom six are yet
living.
Zimri White, the eldest of the father's
family, worked upon the home farm un-
til twenty-one years of age, during which
period he gained practical knowledge of
the best methods of tilling the soil, while
in the public schools he acquired his edu-
cation. Almost his entire life has been
passed in Hancock county. After at-
taining his majority he engaged in the
operation of rented land for a year, but
at the end of that time put aside all per-
sonal considerations in order to aid his
country, enlisting on the I3th of August,
1862, as a member of Company H, One
Hundred and Eighteenth Illinois Infan-
try. The regiment went to Camp But-
ler, remaining there for a few months
and afterward was attached to the Army
of the Mississippi. At the battle of Fort
Hudson Mr. White had a horse shot
from under him. He was with his regi-
ment during the entire period of the war
save for three months spent in the hos-
pital at Jefferson Barracks and at Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. Returning to the
home place, he bought eighty acres on
section 9. Wythe township, where he
built a house of five rooms but has since
made an addition thereto. He carried
on general farming and stock-raising un-
til 1894, when, on account of ill health,
he removed to the Oakwood addition to
Hamilton, where he bought six fine lots
in one tract, improved with a commodi-
ous and pleasant residence. He does
general gardening on his lots and his
place is one of the most sightly in all the
Oakwood addition. He finds it impossi-
ble to entirely put aside business cares
and thus his time and energies are given
to the cultivation of vegetables.
On the 25th of December, 1865, Mr.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
73
White was united in marriage to Miss
Hannah E. Daw, who was born in Bear
Creek township, Hancock county, a
daughter of Edward and Eliza (Gra-
ham) Daw, the former a native of Eng-
land. There was one son born of that
marriage, John Edward White, whose
birth occurred October 4, 1866. The
wife and mother died on the 2gth of the
same month and on the 2ist of Novem-
ber, 1867, Mr. White was again married,
his second union being with Harriet
Eliza Smith, who was born in Wythe
township. Hancock county, May 22,
1848, her parents being William A. and
Sarah (Smart) Smith, the former born
in Alabama in 1821 and the latter in
Macoupin county, Illinois. Her paternal
grandparents were James and Elizabeth
(Owens) Smith and the former was a
son of a Revolutionary soldier. In the
year 1831 William A. Smith came to
Hancock county, Illinois, and served as
a soldier at the time of the Mormon
war. He married near Plymouth, Illi-
nois, and lived upon a farm in Wythe
township up to the time of his death,
which occurred on the 29th of November,
1864. His wife long survived him, pass-
ing away on Christmas day of 1894. In
their family were two sons and five
: daughters, all of whom are yet living.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. White have been
born the following named : William
Smith, who was born April 24. 1869,
and is living on his father's farm in
Wythe township; Myrtle Jane, who was
born May n. 1872, and married Orville
French, of Quincy, Illinois; Ira Elmer,
who was born April 20, 1876, and re-
sides at Glenn's Ferry, Idaho ; Ida Alice,
twin sister of Ira and the wife of Burt
Barnaby, of Wythe township; Bertha
Drusilla, who was born February 14,
1879, and is the wife of Lester Barr, of
Downer's Grove, Illinois ; and Sarah
Helen, who was born November 18,
1889, and died March 12, 1891.
Mr. White of this review is a member
of the Baptist church, active and influ-
ential in its work, and for many years He
was superintendent of the Sunday-school.
Since 1881 he has served as deacon in the
church. In his political affiliation he is
a prohibitionist, the cause of temperance
having long found in him a stalwart
champion. He has served as highway
commissioner and as constable and school
director in Wythe township and the du-
ties of these various positions were dis-
charged with promptness and capability.
He likewise belongs to the Grand Army
of the Republic and thus maintains pleas-
ant relations with his old army com-
rades. An analyzation of his life record
will show that he has been faithful in
citizenship, straightforward in business,
trustworthy in friendship and devoted to
the ties of home and family, and thus
his many excellent characteristics make
him well worthy the regard in which he
is uniformly held.
JOSIAH RITCHEY.
Josiah Ritchey is a retired farmer re-
siding at the corner of Clark and Wash-
ington streets, Carthage. He is accorded
74
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
the respect and confidence of his fellow-
men not alone because of the success
which he has achieved, making him one
of the men of affluence in this -city but
also by reason of the honorable, straight-
forward business methods he has ever
followed and also owing to the princi-
ples of conduct which have shaped his
daily life. An analyza'tion of his career
shows that his religious faith has been
a strong motive influence in all that he
has done and he stands for that higher
type of manhood which not only repre-
sents justice but tempers justice with
mercy and which recognizes man's obli-
gation to his fellowman and his Maker.
A native of Tennessee he was born in
Monroe county, in 1830, his parents be-
ing John and Catherine (Dougherty)
Ritchey. Josiah Dougherty, the great-
grandfather of our subject, was a soldier
of the war of 1812, and his son, Henry
Dougherty, was a soldier of the Mexican
war. The parents were natives of Ten-
nessee, the former born in Hawkins
county January 19, 1801, and the latter
in Jefferson county on the 2ist of May,
1804. The father was a farmer by oc-
cupation, and after living for a number
of years in Tennessee came to Illinois in
1853, settling first in Adams county. The
following year he removed to a farm in
Hancock county, Illinois, and at first
lived -in -a log cabin, the family living
upon the old home property in Dallas
township. Later, however, he sold out
and bought an improved farm in Dur-
ham township, on which stood a com-
fortable brick residence and other equip-
ments. He devoted his time and ener-
gies to general farming and stock-raising
and yet found opportunity to promote
public progress through co-operation in
many movements for the general good
and by efficient service in public office.
He held a number of local political posi-
tions and was also a member of the
school board. He voted with the de-
mocracy, of which he was a stalwart
supporter and both he and his wife were
members of the Baptist church, while
living in Tennessee, but following the
removal to Illinois Mr. Ritchey joined
the United Brethren church. He died
in Durham township in 1876, at the age
of seventy-five years, while his wife
passed away in 1888, at the age of
eighty-four years and eight months, both
being buried in Durham township. Their
marriage had been celebrated on the I5th j
of March. 1822, and they became the :
parents of twelve children, all of whom
were born in Tennessee and have now
passed away, with the exception of Mar-
garet and Josiah. The former, born
March 15, 1825, is the widow of James
Kelley, and resides with a daughter in
Colusa, Illinois. Those who have passed
away are: Nancy J., who was born No-
vember 19, 1823 ; Alexander H., born
July i, 1826; Sarah M., May 7, 1828;
Samuel L., July 4, 1832 ; John, February
n, 1834; Martin B., January 7, 1837;
Isaac S., July 27, 1839; Elizabeth, Feb-
ruary 7, 1841; James K., November 12,
1842; and Louisa Catherine, January 28,
1845-
Josiah Ritchey largely acquired his
education in the schools of Tennessee,
but also continued his studies through
one winter in Hancock county, Illinois.
He spent the days of his boyhood and
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
75
youth in his parents' home and remained
with them until twenty-three years of
age. when, on the I2th of January, 1854.
he was married near Blandinsville, Illi-
nois, to Miss Amanda F. Knowles, who
was born in Delaware, January 27, 1835.
and is a daughter of Rev. Phillip and
Xancy (Hill) Knowles, who were also
natives of Delaware. The father was
a minister of the United Brethren church
and after coming to this state resided for
a time in Jacksonville, after which he
removed to McDonough county and sub-
sequently to Henderson county, while
later he had several charges in Hancock
county, Illinois. He was thus closely as-
sociated with the moral development of
this portion of the state, his influence be-
ing of no restricted order, as he labored
untiringly for the spread of the gospel.
He departed this life in Missouri in 1888,
while his wife had previously passed
away. In their family were eight chil-
dren, of whom four are now living:
Thomas, a resident of Oregon ; William,
in Florida; Elizabeth, the wife of Man-
love Dawson, of Peoria ; and Kinzie. of
Nebraska.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ritchey were
born nine children, all natives of Han-
cock county, and seven of the number
are still living. Hiram C., born Decem-
ber 15, 1854, married Belle Lamb and
had two children, Earl H. and Perle W..
twins, born August 10, 1877. Their
mother died when they were only eleven
months old and they were reared by
their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Josiah
Ritchey. Both are now married. Perle
wedded Pearle Callopy, lives in Canton,
Illinois, and has three children, Ursa.
Hiram Edward and Verne Lagrue.
Earl married Luella Brown, lives in Can-
ton and has two children, Lowell and
Grace. After losing his first wife Hiram
Ritchey wedded Mrs. Mary McClain, the
widow of Dr. McClain, and after her
death he married Mrs. Ella Ball, the
widow of Dr. Ball. The only child of
the third marriage is deceased. Hiram
Ritchey is now a resident of Canton, Illi-
nois. Philip W. Ritchey, the second
member of the father's family, was born
July 7, 1857, married Angeline Howard
and lives in Dallas City, Illinois. They
had two children, the living daughter,
Eva, being now at home with her parents.
John M. Ritchey, born March 22, 1859,
died in 1877. Sarah L., born April 30,
1861, is the wife of William Styles, of
Laurens, Iowa, and they had nine chil-
dren, of whom six are living: Bert, who
is married and lives in Fulton county,
Illinois, and has .four children ; James,
who is married and lives in Fulton
county, and has one child ; Josiah Goldie ;
and Fay and an infant. Margaret
Ritchey, the fifth member of the family
of Josiah Ritchey, was born September
14, 1863, is the wife of Henry W. Wal-
ter, of Dallas City, Illinois, by whom
she has one daughter. May, now Mrs.
Muller, of Dallas City, and the mother of
two children. Catherine M. Ritchey,
born August 14, 1865, is the wife of
Lucius Atwater, of Missouri, and, has
eight children living, Cleveland, Bertha,
Orilla, Amanda Belle, Lotus, Lecil,
Josiah Ritchey and Joseph. James H.
Ritchey, the seventh member of the fam-
ily, was born October 5, 1868, and lives
in Canton, Illinois. He married Mrs.
7 6
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Dora Gates and has four children, Elsie,
Charles, James and Edith. Lucinda M.,
born March 9, 1873, became the wife of
Frank O'Neil, and died in Graceville,
Minnesota', February 19, 1903, leaving
four children : Roy, of Durham town-
ship ; Josiah Royse, living with an aunt
in La Harpe; Ernest Ritchey and Edith
Elizabeth, twins, who are with their
grandparents; Dora B., born September
27, 1875, is the wife of Fred McKim, a
resident of Disco, Illinois.
At the time of their marriage Josiah
and Amanda (Knowles) Ritchey began
their domestic life in Dallas township,
where they resided for two years and
then removed to Durham township, set-
tling on a partially improved farm, on
which Mr. Ritchey made many modern
improvements, there carrying on general
farming and stock-raising with good suc-
cess. In 1883 he was called upon to
mourn the loss of his wife, who died
upon the old homestead farm in Dur-
ham township. She was a lady of many
excellent traits of character and was
held in warm regard by all who knew
her. Mr. Ritchey continued to reside
upon the farm until 1899, when he re-
moved to Carthage, purchasing a beau-
tiful home at No. 706 Washington street
at the extreme end of the street. He
was drafted for service in the Civil war
but sent a substitute, and throughout the
passing years carried on farm labor with
excellent results, the annual sale of his '
crops and stock bringing to him a good
income that eventually enabled him to
put aside further cares and live retired.
On the 20th of November, 1889, Mr.
Ritchey was again married, his second
union being with Miss Isabelle Curry,
who was born in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, November 20, 1838, a
daughter of Matthew and Jane (Curry)
Curry, who though of the same name
were not relatives, the former being a
native of Ireland, and the latter of Penn-
sylvania. Matthew Curry came to
America when fourteen years of age and
made his way to Hancock county, Illi-
nois, in 1852, settling upon a farm here.
He was a republican in his political
views and both he and his wife were
of the old Covenanter faith and became
members of the United Presbyterian
church, with which they were affiliated
at the time of their deaths. The father
passed away in 1874, and the mother
survived until 1891, when she was laid
by his side in the cemetery in Fountain
Green township. He had farmed in
Hancock township for a number of years
and was accounted one of the enterpris-
ing agriculturists and reliable business
men of the community. In their fam-
ily were six children, five of whom are
living, namely : Mrs. Isabelle Ritchey ;
Adam, who resides upon the old home
farm near Webster, Illinois; Eliza Jane,
the wife of James Marshall, who is living
in Carthage township, near Webster;
Margaret, the wife of Andrew Baxter, of
Atchison county, Kansas; and Samuel,
who is living in Hancock township, this
county. One brother, Adam Curry, en-
listed in the Tenth Missouri Infantry, and
afterward re-enlisted in the One Hundred
and Eighteenth Illinois Infantry, serving
throughout the war. He was with
Sherman on the celebrated march to the
sea and was shot at the battle of Corinth,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
77
still carrying the ball in his shoulder.
Thomas. Isaac, William and Jacob
Knowles, brothers of Mr. Ritchey's first
wife, were also soldiers of the One Hun-
dred and Eighteenth Illinois Infantry.
Mr. and Mrs. Ritchey have reared two
grandchildren, living to see them married
and comfortably situated in life, and are
now rearing two more grandchildren.
He and his first wife were members of
the United Brethren church but now he
is a member of the Presbyterian church,
to which his second wife belongs and in
which he has served as an elder for five
years. They take a very active and
earnest part in church work and are sin-
cere Christian people, doing everything
in their power to advance the cause of
Christianity. Mr. Ritchey was for many
years an advocate of the democracy but
now casts an independent ballot, sup-
porting the candidate whom he regards
as the best man. He has held a num-
ber of township offices and at all times
has been loyal in citizenship, doing what
he could for the welfare and progress of
the community. He is a self-made
man, conscientious and reliable. Start-
ing out in life empty-handed, his deter-
mination and energy have been the sali-
ent points in his career, enabling him to
acquire a good living and lay something
by for a rainy day. Both he and his wife
are held in the highest esteem, Mrs.
Ritchey being a lovely Christian char-
acter, and their interest and activity in
church work has done much for the cause
in this community. Now living retired
from business Mr. Ritchey is enjoying a
rest which is richly merited and he
stands high in public regard.
JONATHAN C. WILLEY.
Jonathan C. Willey, who became a
resident of Hancock county at an early
day, now resides upon his farm on sec-
tion 10, Carthage township, where he
owns and cultivates eighty acres. He
was born in Dickson county, Tennessee,
on the I4th of September, 1837, and be-
came a resident of Illinois when about
ten years of age, accompanying his
parents, John F, and Millie (Morrison)
Willey, on their removal to Bond county,
this state. The father was born in Hali-
fax county, North Carolina, while the
mother's birth occurred in Tennessee.
With his parents he went to the latter
state when about two years old and was
there reared to manhood and married.
All of the children of the family were
born in Tennessee and the parents re-
sided there until about 1847, when they
came to this state, settling in Bond
county, where they remained for five or
six years. They afterward went to
Menard county, Illinois, and thence to
Mason county, remaining for only a
brief period in each county. In 1854
they came to Hancock county and Mr.
Willey cast in his lot with the early set-
tlers who were depending upon agricul-
tural interests for a living. He subse-
quently conducted his farming interests
up to the time of his death, which oc-
curred in Carthage township upon the
place now owned by his son Jonathan,
when he was seventy-six years of age.
His political allegiance was given to the
democracy but he never sought or de-
sired office. He was a prosperous and
progressive man who owned large prop-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
erty interests in Tennessee. The place
of his interment is in Fountain Green
cemetery, where he was laid to rest fol-
lowing his death, on the i2th of March,
1887. His wife survived him for about
four years and died March 14, 1891. Of
their five children only three are now
living, as follows : Mary Catherine, the
wife of John Dennison, of Hamilton,
Illinois; Elizabeth, the wife of Elias
Lister, of Tulare, California ; and Jon-
athan C.
The fourth in order of birth in his
father's family, Jonathan C. Willey, was
reared under the parental roof, accom-
panying his parents on their removals
to various localities. He largely ob-
tained his education in Tennessee and
after coming to Hancock county he as-
sisted his father upon the home farm
as a young man. There he remained
to the age of twenty-three years, when
he started out in life on his own account,
renting a farm in Fountain Green town-
ship, where he remained for a number of
years. During that period he lived care-
fully and economically and thereby he
accumulated the capital sufficient to en-
able him to purchase his present farm,
whereon he has since resided. The place
was but partially improved but he has
continued its cultivation and develop-
ment until he now has a model farm, his
attention being given to general farm-
ing and - stock-raising. His business
methods are such as bear close investi-
gation and scrutiny and his enterprise
has been a salient feature in his success.
On the 2d of April, 1862, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Willey and
Miss Cynthia Wright, a daughter of
Hickerson and Cynthia (Donoho)
Wright. Mrs. Willey was born in Foun-
tain Green township, September 30, 1840,
and pursued her education in the schools
of Fountain Green, Pontoosuc and Web-
ster townships, remaining at home until
her marriage. She has become the
mother of five children, three sons and
two daughters. Sterling Price, born in
Fountain Green township, November 30,
1862, died at the age of three years and
one month, and was there laid to rest.
Linnie is now the wife of Charles E.
Griswold, a carpenter and contractor of
Chicago. Her first husband was Steph-
en D. Aldridge, who was a farmer of
Fountain Green township, and by their
marriage there was one son, Carroll D.,
who was born August 12, 1895, and now
makes his home with his grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. Willey. Jennie Florence
is the wife of Alfred B. Miller, of De-
Witt, Missouri, where he follows farm-
ing. They have had seven children :
Ethel, now the wife of George Seabold,
by whom she has one child ; Roy, Harry,
Bessie, Ross, and Dixie; and one, the
sixth in order of birth, who is deceased.
Patrick H., the fourth member of the
Willey family, is a farmer residing in
Peabody, Kansas, and married Margaret
Yetter, a daughter of Samuel R. Yetter.
They had four children, Alma May,
Bertha A., Frank and Mabel, but the
first named is deceased. Jesse W., a
railroad bridge builder living in Chicago,
married Miss Minnie Oglvie, a daughter
of James and Millie Oglvie, of Carthage
township, and they have two children.
Mabel and Helen. All of the children of
the Willey family were born in Hancock
county.
Mr. Willey gives evidence of his po-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
79
litical faith on election day by casting a
ballot for the men and measures of de-
mocracy. He has held the office of
school director for the past thirty years
and is interested in intellectual progress
and development in his community. Af-
fairs relating to general improvement
also claim his attention and co-operation
and he has done his full share in the work
of public improvement during the half
century or more in which he has lived in
Hancock county where he has been fully
appreciated.
ROBERT M. KIMBROUGH.
Death often removes a citizen whom a
community feels it can ill afford to lose.
The news of the death of Robert M.
Kimbrough was received with deep and
wide-spread regret in his township and
throughout Hancock county wherever he
was known, for he had lived a life of
uprightness and honor. He was no mere
negative factor in the community but a
citizen of exemplary rectitude of char-
acter, who was active and energetic in
his business life and loyal in his support
of all the measures and movements which
he deemed would prove of benefit in ad-
vancing public progress and upbuilding.
His life record began in Carthage town-
ship on the 2Oth of April, 1844, and he
continuously remained a resident of that
locality. His education was acquired in
the common schools near his father's
home and he assisted in the work of the
farm when not busy with his text-books.
He was a son of William and Martha
(Cauthorn) Kimbrough, both of whom
were natives of Kentucky, whence they
came to Illinois at an early day, settling
in Hancock county. The father pur-
chased land in Carthage township and
there made a home for himself and fam-
ily, devoting his time and energies to
general agricultural pursuits and stock-
raising. As the years passed he con-
verted his land into productive fields and
continued their cultivation until his
death. His wife had passed away
several years before.
Under the parental roof Robert M.
Kimgrough spent the days of his boy-
hood and continued to reside upon the
home farm as a young man, although to
some extent he worked upon neighboring
farms. He was about sixteen years of
age when he began earning his own liv-
ing in that way and was thus employed
up to the time of his marriage, which was
celebrated on the igth of January, 1871,
Miss Almeda A. Bryant becoming his
wife. The young couple began their
domestic life upon a farm which Mrs.
Kimbrough had inherited from her
father and it was situated on section i,
Harmony township. The place com-
prises one hundred and sixty acres of
land there together with thirty-seven
acres in Carthage township. As the years
passed by Mr. Kimbrough continued the
work of cultivating and improving the
fields and adding to the farm many
modern equipments in harmony with pro-
gressive ideas of agricultural develop-
ment. Upon the destruction of the old
8o
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
home by fire in 1902 he erected a large
two-story frame dwelling with all mod-
ern conveniences, which is one of the
attractive farm residences of this part of
the county. He cultivated his fields
successfully, annually harvesting large
crops, and he was also well known as a
capable and prosperous stock raiser,
keeping on hand high grades of cattle,
horses and hogs, making a specialty,
however, of Durham cattle. He used
the latest improved machinery to facili-
tate the work of the fields and as the
years passed by he converted the place
into one of the model farms of the
county.
It was upon this place that Mrs. Kim-
brough was born and reared, her natal
day being April 19, 1847. Her parents
were Ambrose and Susanna (Reed)
Bryant, both of whom were natives of
Virginia, whence they came to Illinois
at an early day, settling in Harmony
township, Hancock county, when it was
still a frontier region. Mr. Bryant pur-
chased one hundred and sixty acres of
land on section I and although the tract
was wild and unimproved when it came
into his possession, he soon converted it
into productive fields, continuing the cul-
tivation of the place until his death. He
was born March 5, 1810, and passed
away July 25, 1876, in the faith of the
Primitive Baptist church, of which he
had long been a devoted member. In his
political views he was a democrat. He
had for several years survived his wife,
who was born November 26, 1807, and
died February 23, 1864. Their remains
now rest side by side in Holland ceme-
tery in St. Mary's township.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Kim-
brough was blessed with three children,
two of whom are living: Dennis B.,
born January n, 1872, was educated in
Harmony township and now operates
the old home farm. Flora S.. born on
the home place December 19, 1874, is the
wife of Lawrence D. Lane, who was
born in Carthage township, Hancock ]
county, and is a son of Thomas Lane,
now a resident of the city of Carthage, i
Mr. and Mrs. Lane reside with her
mother, Mrs. Kimbrough, on the old
farm, and to them have been born three ]
children, of whom two are living : Hazel
Fern, born March 4. 1894; and Oliver, j
December 2, 1896. They lost their
younger daughter, Neva Pearl, who was ]
born May 31, 1904, and died June 9,
1905. These children were all born in
Carthage township. Leo R. Kimbrough,
the youngest member of the family, was
born November 13, 1880, and died Feb-
ruary I, 1905, after an operation for ap-
pendicitis. He was a young man of
genuine personal worth, much loved by
his family and a large circle of friends.
Mr. and Mrs. Kimbrough also reared a
niece, Emma Thompson, who was born
January 27, 1872, in Hancock county.
Her parents were Robert and Isabelle
Thompson, residents of Adams county,
the latter being a sister of Mr. Kim-
brough. They died when their daugh-
ter was about seven years of age, when
she became a member of the Kimbrough
household, in which she remained until
her marriage on the 2gth of November,
1893, to William Reuck, a resident
farmer of Hancock county. Two chil-
dren grace this union : William Clay,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
81
born September 28, 1894; and Edna
May, born November 29, 1899.
Throughout his entire life Robert M.
Kimbrough carried on general farming
and his death occurred upon the old
homestead March 8. 1905. when he was
sixty years of age. He had, however,
been in poor health for a number of
years. He was a supporter of the Bap-
tist church and was an ardent adherent
of the democratic party. He held the
office of assessor of Harmony township
for two terms and was also school di-
rector for some years. Although he
never united with any church he was a
firm believer in the Primitive Baptist doc-
trine and lived a Christian life. In his
last illness he suffered intensely but never
a murmur escaped his lips. He was a
good neighbor and a kind and indulgent
husband and father, and he 'was always
ready and willing to do his part. He
possessed an adaptable nature which en-
abled him to mingle freely and easily
with young and old and all enjoyed his
company. Hospitality reigned supreme
in his home and his friends were ever
cordially welcome. He possessed a
genial, kindly disposition and many ster-
ling traits of character, and all who knew
him esteemed him highly. His entire
life had been passed in Hancock county
and he was a most worthy pioneer settler,
taking a deep interest in what was ac-
complished in the line of improvement
and progress and doing all in his power
to further the public good, and through-
out his entire life he was actuated by hon-
orable principles and manly purposes, and
i? well worthy of representation in this
volume.
THADDEUS J. ELLEFRITZ.
Thaddeus J. Ellefritz, who carries on
general agricultural pursuits in Carth-
age township, is a native son of Hancock
county, having been born in Pilot Grove
township, on the igth of April. 1869.
His parents were Solomon A. and Mary
A. (Botts) Ellefritz. The father's
birth occurred in Virginia and there he
resided until he attained his majority,
after which he removed to Illinois, set-
tling in Pilot Grove township, Hancock
county. There he purchased a tract of
land of one hundred and sixty acres,
which he transformed into a good farm,
making a home for himself and family.
He lived there for a number of years,
after which he removed to another farm
of one hundred acres in the same town-
ship, residing thereon until about two
years prior to his death, when he pur-
chased a third farm property in the same
township, comprising one hundred and
eighty acres. He lived thereon until his
demise and as his financial resources in-
creased he added more and more largely
to his land holdings until at his death he
was the owner of eight hundred acres,
nearly all of which was improved land.
He died in 1893, at the age of sixty-four
years. Throughout his life he carried
on general farming and stock-raising
and was very prosperous, yet he did not
selfishly hoard his wealth but gave to the
support of the Methodist church and to
many movements for the general good.
In early manhood he wedded Mrs. Mary
A. Coak, nee Botts, who was the widow
of Henry Coak. She was born in St.
Mary's township, Henry county, and is
82
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
still living, her home being in Carthage.
She was the mother of seven children:
Eugenie, the wife of L. C. Miller, of
Carthage; Thaddeus J., of this review;
Howard, residing in Carthage; Carlos,
whose home is in Burnside, Illinois ;
Bristow; Mary, deceased; and Alma,
died in infancy.
Thaddeus J. Ellefritz acquired his edu-
cation in the common schools of his na-
tive township and as a young man
worked upon his father's farm. Later
he began farming on his own account on
one of the properties belonging to his
father, the place comprising one hundred
acres of land in Pilot Grove township.
The mother who received all of the prop-
erty at the time of her husband's death
deeded our subject the one hundred acres
near Burnside on which he had resided.
He remained thereon until five years ago,
when he sold that property and purchased
a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in
Missouri. He lived there for only ten
months, however, when he sold out and
returned to Hancock county, where he
purchased his present farm of one hun-
dred and thirty-six acres in Carthage
township. The entire tract is under a
high state of cultivation and he has made
additional improvements, including the
planting of a fine orchard. Here he car-
ries on general fanning and stock-rais-
ing in addition to .the cultivation of fruit
and he annually raises high grades of
cattle, horses and hogs. Everything
about his place is kept in excellent condi-
tion and the neat and thrifty appearance
of his farm is proof of his progressive
spirit and practical methods.
On April 6, 1892. Mr. Ellefritz w.-is
married to Miss Fannie M. Pearce, who
was born in Maryland, and came to Illi-
nois when five years of age with her
parents, Thomas and Sophia (Dailey)
Pearce. Both the father and mother
were natives of Maryland, and on com-
ing to Illinois settled in Bowen. The
father was a farmer by occupation and
followed that pursuit throughout his ac-
tive business life. He now resides in
Burnside but his wife passed away thir-
teen years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Ellefritz
have become the parents of three chil-
dren, Pernie M., Ray T. and Cleo C.
All of the children were born in Pilot
Grove township.
Mr. Ellefritz is a republican but with-
out aspiration for office, preferring to
leave the strife of office-holding to oth-
ers, yet doing all in his power to promote
general improvement and progress. The
family attend and support the Methodist
Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Elle-
fritz is a member. He is successful in
his farming operations and his carefully
directed labors have been the means of
securing a valuable property, which is
highly cultivated and constitutes one of
the fine farms of Carthage township.
HOMER DAVENPORT BROWN.
Homer Davenport Brown, who for
many years was the owner of Brown's
nursery at Hamilton, was born in
Quincy, Illinois, March 9, 1846, and is
a son of Homer Brown, who was born
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Lunenburg, Massachusetts, in 1811.
is father was overseer of the poor in
Massachusetts for many years and
Homer Brown, Sr., was reared upon the
county farm. He married Miss Hannah
Chandler Safford, who was born in New
Ipswich, New Hampshire, in 1811. The
maternal grandparents of our subject
started from the east to Quincy, Illi-
nois, and the grandfather died upon the
road. His wife, however, continued on
the way to Quincy with her family, where
she spent her remaining days. She had
three children. In the year 1832, Homer
Brown, Sr., went to Keokuk, Iowa,
where he engaged in business as a
painter and painted the first sign made
in Keokuk. He did work throughout
this vicinity of the country and was for
some time in Quincy, where h'e was mar-
ried. He lived at different times in
Hancock and Adams counties and located
permanently where Hamilton now is.
In fact he was one of the founders of
the town. He purchased in 1857 what
is now known as Wild Cat Springs,
which property he improved and owned
until his death. He was quite promi-
nent, leaving the impress of his individ-
uality upon public thought and action and
upon the development and substantial im-
provement of this part of the state. He
died September 29, 1876, while his wife
survived him for a number of years,
passing away in Quincy, May 14, 1890.
In the family were two sons, the elder
being Horace Safford, who was born in
Carthage in 1837. He was identified
with work on the rapids of the Missis-
sipppi river. He attended some of the
finest schools of the country and enlisted
in the United States navy, being engaged
in government work at Louisville, Ken-
tucky. He now resides in Quincy and
is a contractor for improvements made
by the government. He married Eliza
Brown, by whom there is one child,
Catherine H. Brown. His wife died
and he afterward married Jennie Elder,
by whom he had one child, who died at
the age of nine years. He makes his
home in Quincy and does important
government work.
Homer Davenport Brown, whose name
introduces this review, remained with his
parents until he attained his majority,
when he further improved the land
where the Wild Cat Springs are located
and where the Chautauqua assembly is
held, which he still owns.
On the 26th of October, 1869, Mr.
Brown was united in marriage to Miss
Alice Harvey, who was born in St. Cath-
erine's, Ontario, and attended the com-
mon schools and an academy there. She
is a daughter of Samuel and Lucy Sophia
(Parsons) Harvey and was their only
child who lived to mature years. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been born two
children: Nellie L., born June 16, 1871;
and Harvey Homer, born November 25,
1876. Mr. Brown is well known in
Hamilton as an enterprising business
man, alert and energetic, making the
most of his opportunities and conducting
a business along modern lines. He is
winning gratifying success and occupies
an enviable position in business circles
there. He casts an independent ballot,
having no strong political preferences but
voting for the man whom he thinks best
qualified to fill the offices. He has served
BIOGRAPHICAL REJ-'IEU'
fo,r two terms as alderman of the third
ward and proved a capable official, sup-
porting each measure that was intro-
duced that he believed would prove bene-
ficial to the town and at the same time
opposing as strongly those measures
which he believed might prove detri-
mental to the welfare of the city.
ISAAC N. HOBART.
Isaac N. Hobart, a native of Hancock
county, and a man of whom the county
may well be proud, resides on his large
and well-improved farm on section 6 of
Hancock township. Mr. Hobart is the
owner of three hundred acres of fine
farming land, part of which lies in Han-
cock township and part in Carthage
township.
Isaac N. Hobart was born in Foun-
tain Green township, Hancock county,
Illinois, on 'January 10, 1834. and was
the son of Norman and Ura Eaton (Hol-
liday) Hobart, the father being a native
of Essex, New York, his birth occurring
December 29, 1810. Norman Hobart
came to Illinois in 1833. locating in
Rushville, where he lived until his mar-
riage to Miss Holliday, after which he
came to Hancock county, where he lo-
cated in Fountain Green township, re-
maining but one year, and then removed
to Carthage township. Mr. Hobart
purchased a farm in Carthage township
on which he made his home part of the
time, and partly in Carthage, where he
owned a carding machine. Later he
bought the old grist mill on Crooked
creek, which he rebuilt, making a steam
flouring mill of it, also adding a saw mill
which he operated for a number of years.
He then moved the mill to Carthage, op-
erating it as a grist mill, then purchased
a farm of eighty acres, one mile from
Carthage, which he farmed until his
death, December 13, 1878. He was a
devoted member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, for many years being a
local preacher in that church.
He was a public-spirited man and
gave his support to the Republican party,
though he was never an aspirant for of-
fice. Norman Hobart was a prosperous
man of his day and was an important
factor in the building up of the com-
munity in which he lived. He assisted
in building the first wagon road from
Fountain Green to Carthage. His re-
mains were laid to rest in the Carthage
cemetery. His wife was a native of
Kentucky and came to Illinois at an early
day. She was the daughter of Moses
and Celia (Skirvin) Holliday, both na-
tives of Kentucky. Mr. Holliday was a
hatter by trade. Both parents were
buried in Hancock county.
This worthy couple were the parents
of fourteen children, only two of whom
are now living, our subject being the
oldest in point of birth.
Isaac N. Hobart was educated in the
common schools of the township in which
he lived, in the old log school houses of
that day, and also in a school that was
held in the old brick church in Carthage
township, near what is now Elm Tree
post-office. The school was taught by
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Squire R. Davis and was a subscription
school. When about sixteen years of
age he went to work in the grist and
saw mill of his father and continued at
this for eleven years.
On the 3 ist day of January, 1861, oc-
curred the marriage of Isaac N. Hobart
and Mary E. Duffy, of Hancock county,
which union was blessed with eleven
children, all of whom are now living.
This large family of children are all mar-
ried and have homes and interesting fam-
ilies of their own, of whom Mr. and Mrs.
Hobart are justly proud. Mary Emily,
widow of Joseph Kuntz, has four chil-
dren : Mary L., Leo, Harley, and
Garret H., and resides in Missouri :
Carrie Luella, wife of Samuel Sowers,
a farmer in Nebraska, has six children :
Jessie B., wife of Lee Julian, also a
farmer in Nebraska, and parents of two
children : Gladys and Clayton L. ; Mary
W., Blanche, Floyd, Buby C., and
Garret;
Joseph N., resides in Hancock town-
ship, farming part of the home farm,
married Eva Wright, and has one child,
Ray;
Dennis W., resides in Missouri on a
farm owned by his father, married Katie
Murtland, and has three children :
Glenn, Joseph, and Dennis W. ;
Eva Elizabeth, married John McCon-
nell, a farmer in Fountain Green town-
ship, and has six children: Beulah E.,
Evelyn H., Margaruite, Frances, Bernice
and Anna M. ; each of whom is a credit
to the parents.
Lillie Estella. wife of Morris Yutter,
a farmer of Fountain Green township,
and has seven children : Lewis N.,
Alma E., Jennings B., Harry, Ross M.,
Mabel and Fay Hobart;
Matilda E., wife of John Herron, a
farmer of Nebraska, and has four chil-
dren : John Newton, Erma G., Charles
and Joseph Bernard;
Ura Amanda, wife of Wayman Mills,
a farmer and saw-mill owner of Carth-
age township, and has three children :
Mary E., deceased, Dennis W., and
Myrtle ;
Isaac N., resides on part of the home
place, which he farms, married Mary
Hasten and has two children : Gladys
M., and Ivan ;
Ethel B., wife of William E. Koontz,
a farmer in Hancock township, has three
children : Forrest U., Franklin Clay,
and Fern ;
Mabel Grace, widow of Gerald Mos-
ley, who died in Colorado, where he had
gone for his health, his death occurring
September 20, 1905. Mrs. Mosley has
one child, Herman Harold, born June
7. 1904.
All of the children of Mr. and Mrs.
Hobart were born in Hancock township.
Hancock county. Mr. Hobart is a large
landowner, part of his property lying in
Hancock county, and part in Missouri.
He has made many improvements on his
farms, and keeps his buildings in the very
best of repair. For many years he has
engaged in general farming and stock-
raising. His wife was the daughter of
Anthony and Mary Matilda (Spangler)
Duffy, early residents 'of Hancock coun-
ty, the mother being called from earth
in July, 1872, and the father in Septem-
ber. 1884, after having mourned the death
of his companion about twelve years.
86
BIOGRAPHICAL REV IE}}'
Mr. and Mrs. Hobart have lasting
monuments in the well-kept properties
which they have accumulated, and are
surrounded by many happy families of
their children.
Mr. Hobart has used his progressive-
ness and good judgment to the better-
ment of the community in which he
makes his home, as well as for the ad-
vancement of his own welfare, and is a
man whose counsel is asked and heeded
by his contemporaries.
LEVERETT WELLINGTON BUELL.
Leverett W. Buell, formerly identified
with farming interests and later en-
gaged in the hotel business in Dallas, is
now living retired. Centuries ago the
Greek philosopher uttered the words of
wisdom, "Earn thy reward : the gods
give naught to sloth," and this truth has
been manifest in all the ages. Mr. Buell
is one who has justly earned all that he
possesses and a life of activity is now
crowned with an honorable rest. A na-
tive of Connecticut, he was born in
Killingsworth, Middlesex county, Febru-
ary 22, 1840, a son of William and
Louisa (Chatfield) Buell, who were like-
wise natives of that place. The father
was a farmer by occupation, and enlisted
in the war of .1812 but was not called
out for active service. He filled the of-
fices of justice of the peace and road com-
missioner and gave his political support
to the democracy. He held membership
in the Methodist church, while his wife
belonged to the Presbyterian church and
both died in the place of their nativity.
They had five children, of whom four
are now living: Leverett W., Cornelia, \
the wife of Joseph H. Beal, a Methodist
minister living in Portland, Maine ; Jen-
nie, now Mrs. Snow, of New Haven,
Connecticut; and Celestra, wife of Dar-
well Stone, of Guilford, Connecticut.
L. W. Buell was educated in Killings-
worth, Connecticut, and engaged in
farming with his father until 1864, when
he engaged in butchering and the meat
business for 'five years. His marriage
occurred in 1865, Miss Celestine E.
Parmelee becoming his wife. She was
bom in Killingsworth, a daughter of
Orin S. and Phoebe (Lynes) Parmelee,
both of whom died in Connecticut, the
mother being killed in a runaway acci-
dent. In their family were nine chil-
dren, of whom three are living. Mrs.
Buell died April 21, 1879, and was buried
in Durham township, Hancock county.
She had two children, one of whom died
in infancy, while Frank W. was killed
by a traction engine in Carthage town-
ship, March 24, 1905. He was a most
highly respected and worthy young man,
and his death came as a great blow to his
father. He had married Emma Heiler,
who still lives in Carthage township, and
they had three children -Ethel, Chesley
and El wood. On the 2ist of September,
1 88 1, Mr. Buell married Mrs. Mary J.
Potter, nee Robinson, whose parents live
on a farm in Kansas. They had seven
children : William and John, who are
residents of Colusa, , Illinois, and were
soldiers of the Civil war; Martha and
Elizabeth, both of Kansas; and Percival,
of Oklahoma, who served in the Philip-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
pine war. Mrs. Buell is the other mem-
ber of the family. She lost her first hus-
band in 1869. There were four children
by that marriage, the eldest of which died
in infancy, the others being: Louisa, the
eldest, is the wife of Lemuel Wells, of
Pontoosuc, Illinois, by whom she has five
children : Sarah, the wife of Cleo Price,
of Dallas, and the mother of one child,
and Jesse, Imogen, Mariette and Helen,
all at home; Charlotte Potter is the wife
of Albert Thai-inert, a traveling man for
a Burlington hardware store, now living
in Red Oak, Iowa. Warren Potter, who
is living in North Chillicothe, Illinois,
married Emma Snyder, of Burlington.
They have four children : Harry LeRoy,
Marie, Clifford and Allen.
Mr. Buell came west in 1869 in No-
vember, engaged in farming in Durham
township until 1886, when on account
of his health he retired to Dallas, pur-
chasing a home on Front street, after
spending two years as proprietor of the
Riverside Hotel, of Dallas, which was
destroyed by fire in 1890. He then
bought his present home and he also
owns a vacant lot in Kerby's first ad-
dition.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Buell has been
born a son, William Henry, who was
born in Senora township, July 30, 1885,
and is at home. For four years he has
worked as a painter in Burg's factory.
Mr. and Mrs. Buell are also rearing her
niece, Verda Robinson, whose mother
died when she was a little girl. She was
born in November, 1894. In his po-
litical views Mr. Buell is a democrat and
has served as town clerk and a commis-
sioner of highways of Durham township.
6
He is a member of Dallas City Lodge
No. 235 A. F. & A. M. of which he is
past master, also a member of Dallas
Chapter No. in, of which he has been
tyler for many years. A Methodist in
religious faith and -an active worker in
the church, he was Sunday-school super-
intendent and secretary for thirteen years
and sexton of the church for many years,
while for three years he was also sexton
of the Congregational church. His wife
is a member of the Christian church,
Mr. Buell is an intelligent man, of kind
and generous disposition and of quiet
manner. His wife, too, possesses many
sterling traits of character and in the
community where they reside they are
accorded the approval of public opinion.
BARZILLAI ROBINSON.
Barzillai Robinson, a retired farmer
living in Hamilton, was born in Mus-
kingum county, Ohio, June 23, 1830,
and is a representative of one of the
old southern families. His paternal
grandfather, Israel Robinson, was born
in Virginia and married a Miss Hedge.
They were early settlers of Ohio, remov-
ing to that state when the Indians were
more numerous than the white men.
They aided in reclaiming the region from
the domain of the savages and converting
it into uses of civilization and there they
resided until called to their final rest.
Their son, Silas Robinson, was born in
Wellsburg, West Virginia, in 1798, and
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
was a descendant of Sarah Pierce, who
came to America in the Mayflower, land-
ing at Plymouth. After arriving at years
of maturity, Silas Robinson was married
to Miss Polly Warne, who was born in
Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1802, and
was a daughter of Abram and Elizabeth
(Pierce) Warne, both of whom were
natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Polly
Robinson was a descendant of James
Pierce and the name Pierce was retained
in the family through many generations.
The maternal grandparents of our sub-
ject removed to Ohio about the same
time the Robinson family was founded
there and they, too, lived in that locality
until called to the home beyond. Silas
Robinson and Polly Warne were married
in Ohio, where he owned and operated
a quarter section of land and also con-
ducted a gristmill in connection with his
farm. In 1852 he started westward
with his family, consisting of wife, three
sons and one daughter, driving through
in a wagon. They were two weeks upon
the way from their Ohio home to Wythe
township, Hancock county. Here Mr.
Robinson purchased a farm of one hun-
dred and sixty acres of unimproved
prairie land. They lived in a little log
cabin until the following fall, when a
neighbor returned to his old Ohio home
and the Robinsons then occupied his two-
story frame house. A few months after-
ward, however, this house was destroyed
by fire, but as soon as possible Mr. Rob-
inson erected a frame house on his own
farm. He began the work of fencing the
fields and breaking the land and as the
years passed by he improved his farm
until he made it a splendidly developed
property. He was an energetic, enter-
prising man and was well known as one
of the leading farmers of his community.
His death occurred in 1894, while his
wife passed away in 1866.
Mr. Robinson of this review was the
third in order of birth in a family of
three sons and a daughter. The days of
his boyhood and youth were passed in the
usual manner of farm lads, no event of
special importance occurring to vary the
routine of that life in his boyhood days.
His father had accumulated considerable
land and afterward divided it among his
children, Mr. Robinson securing one
hundred and twenty acres of the old
home place. There was a log cabin upon
this tract, into which he removed after
his marriage, which event occurred on
the 3 ist of December, 1863, the lady of
his choice being Miss Priscilla Callison,
who was born in Illinois. She died in
1866 and in October, 1873, Mr. Robinson
was again married, his second union be-
ing with Mrs. Mollie E. (Chapman)
Hill, a widow, who was born in Ohio
and was a daughter of Nathaniel and
Mary (Frazee) Chapman. Unto this
marriage three children have been born :
Mary Chapman, who is now teaching
school in Hamilton; Wayland B., who
occupies the home farm; and Jessie M.
at home.
Following his first marriage Mr. Rob-
inson began general farming and also
raising and feeding horses, cattle and
hogs. He was thus actively engaged for
many years and kept adding to his land
until he was the owner of two hundred
acres, constituting a valuable property
on sections 7 and 8, Wythe township.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
89
He worked energetically and persistently
year after year, gathering good crops
and realizing good returns from his
stock. At length after many years of
active and successful connection with
farming and stock-raising interests he re-
tired to private life and in May, 1903,
removed to Hamilton, where he pur-
chased a residence which he now occupies
with his two daughters, his wife having
died in April, 1883. He has recently
sold his farm to his son Wayland. In
earh- manhood he engaged in teaching
schools for a year before leaving Ohio
and for three terms after coming to Han-
cock county, but otherwise he has always
made farming his life work and is now
enjoying a well-earned rest. He is
known as a man of thorough reliability
and enterprise and enjoys the respect of
those with whom he has corrte in contact.
He has lived in the county for more than
a half century and has therefore wit-
nessed much of its growth and develop-
ment. Without special advantages in his
youth, he has worked his way steadily
upward to success. He attended school
only during the winter months when a
boy, but has acquired through practical
experience and observation a good busi-
ness education. In his religious faith he
is a Presbyterian and in his political
views a republican. He has served as
school trustee and assessor of Wythe
township and at all times has been in-
terested in movements for the general
good. His services for the public have
always been rendered with a view to the
public good and from the standpoint of
a patriotic citizen, none too many of which
are to be found in this great country.
WILLIAM T. DYE.
The farming interests of Carthage
township find a worthy representative in
William T. Dye, who is living on section
9, where he owns one hundred and
twenty acres of good land. He is a na-
tive of Brown county, Ohio, born Sep-
tember 5, 1855, an d when only seven
months old was brought to Illinois by his
parents, who settled in Rock River town-
ship, Hancock county, where the father
purchased and improved a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres. He is a son of
Wilson and Anna (Wall) Dye. both of
whom were natives of Brown county,
Ohio. The father engaged in farming
there and followed the same pursuit sub-
sequent to his removal to this state. Pur-
chasing land in Rock River township he
continued to make his home thereon un-
til his death, which occurred when he
was thirty-eight years of age. He was
a member of the Presbyterian church and
a democrat in his political views, and
throughout an active life he manifested
sterling traits of character which won
him the respect and confidence of his fel-
lowmen. He was also one of the pros-
perous and progressive residents of his
community and in addition to his farm-
ing interests he engaged in business as
a bridge contractor and constructed sev-
eral bridges near Warsaw, Hancock
county. It was while building one of
these bridges that he caught cold and
pneumonia resulted, being terminated by
death when his son William was but four
years of age. His grave was made in the
Carthage cemetery. His widow survived
him for about six years and was married
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
to James Thompson. She died at or near
Bentley, this state. By the first marriage
there were four children, of whom Wil-
liam T. was the third in order of birth.
Only two are now living-, his sister being
Mrs. Elizabeth F. L. Harper, who re-
sides in Carthage, Hancock county,
Illinois.
William T. Dye was educated in the
common schools of Carthage, his mother
having sold the farm and removed to that
city in his boyhood days. He remained
with her until her death, and at the early
age of eleven years started out to fight
life's battles unaided. He engaged in
farm work by the month on various
farmstof the county, being thus employed
until his marriage, which occurred on the
5th of October, 1876, the wedding be-
ing celebrated in Carthage. The lady of
his choice was Miss Hortense Yetter, a
daughter of William and Mary (Long)
Yetter. Her father was one of the early
settlers of this county, coming here from
Ohio, his native state. He engaged in
farming throughout his active business
life with the exception of the period
spent in the Civil war, in which he served
for nearly four years. He is now living
a retired life, making his home in the
city of Carthage. Mrs. Dye was born
in Hancock county, Illinois, pursued her
education in the public schools and re-
mained at home until her marriage. This
union has been blessed with four children
and the family circle yet remains un-
broken by the hand of death. All were
born in Carthage. Joseph E., the eldest,
resides on the home place and assists his
father in its cultivation and improve-
ment. He married Miss Ollie Van Dyke,
and they have one child, William Fran-
cis. Frank L., the second son, residing
in Springfield. Illinois, is an employe of
one of the interurban railroads. He
married Esta Reed and they have two
children, Leland H. and Ruth I. Ro-
wena May is the wife of Frank G.
Wright, a resident farmer of Carthage
township, and has one child, Goldie
Mae. Homer W., a student in the Carth-
age high school is yet with his parents.
For sixteen years after his marriage
Mr. Dye operated rented land in Carth-
age township, and in 1888 purchased
his present farm, on which he has since
resided. He put all of the present im-
provements upon the place, supplanting
the old house with a good substantial
frame dwelling, also erecting commodi-
ous barns and other outbuildings. He
has the entire farm under cultivation and
annually gathers rich harvests. In addi-
tion to the tilling of the soil he also en-
gages in the raising of stock and his
business interests are capably managed
and bring to him a good return. His
life has been one of untiring activity,
crowned with a gratifying measure of
success, yet he has found time to devote
to public interests. In politics he is a
democrat and has held the office of high-
way commissioner for eight years and is
still filling the position. He, with his
wife, is a member of the Presbyterian
church ; he is also a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity of Carthage, the Modern
Woodmen camp and the Illinois Bank-
ers, a local fraternal and insurance or-
ganization of this state. Viewed in a
personal light Mr. Dye is a strong man,
strong in his honor and good name, in
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
9 1
his business capacity and in his accom-
plishments. Starting out when only
eleven years of age with no assistance
from influential friends or through in-
heritance, he owes all that he possesses
to his own labors and as the architect
of his fortunes has builded wisely and
well.
CAMILLE P. DADANT.
Camille P. Dadant, president of the
National Beekeepers Association and the
vice president of the State Bank of Ham-
ilton, is justly accorded a place among
the prominent and representative busi-
ness men of Hancock county. In fact
few residents of the county have such a
wide acquaintance as Mr. Dadant, who
is known by reason of his manufacturing
interests not only throughout America
but in foreign lands as well. It has been
said that the name of Dadant is a fa-
miliar one wherever bee culture is carried
on. The enterprise of which he is now
the head, has reached extensive propor-
tions and in its control he displays
splendid business ability, executive force,
keen foresight and capable management.
A native of Langres, France, he was
born on the 6th of April- 1851, and in
both the paternal and maternal lines rep-
resents old French families. His paternal
great-grandfather was a locksmith of
France. His grandfather. Dr. Francois
Dadant, engaged in the practice of med-
icine and surgery in his native country
throughout his entire life and was there
married to Justine Jayet. Their son.
Charles Dadant, was born amid the
golden hills of Burgundy at Vaux-Sous-
Aubigny, France, on the 22cl of May,
1817, and his education was completed
by a collegiate course at Langres.
While in his native country he wedded
Gabrielle Parisot in 1847, ner parents
being Pierre and Louise (Guillemot)
Parisot.
Charles Dadant was engaged in the
operation of a tannery in his native coun-
try, but devoted the greater part of his
attention to merchandising until the ven-
ture proved unprofitable, when, closing
out his affairs in France, he sought a
home in the new world, hoping to re-
trieve his fortunes in this country, nor
was he destined to meet disappointment
in this respect. On the contrary he en-
tered upon a business career that proved
eminently successful and gained him
world-wide reputation in connection with
his chosen line of endeavor. He came at
once to Illinois and settled on a farm
about two miles from Hamilton in Han-
cock county. He had planned to devote
his attention to the cultivation of grapes,
with which business he had become fa-
miliar in his youth in France, but at the
same time he began the raising of bees
and the latter proved so profitable that
he concentrated his energies more and
more largely upon this business, which
he also developed along ramifying lines
until he was recognized as one of the
most prominent and extensive bee cul-
turists not only in America but also in
the world. Perhaps there are others who
have produced as great an amount of
honey in a single season, but there was
no one who equalled him in the extent
BIOGRAPHICAL REV IE}}'
of his comb foundation manufacture or in
the importation of bees. The occupation
proved both genial and profitable and
yielded marvelous results. In 1873 he
made a trip to Italy to import bees from
that country to the United States on a
large scale. He made a close study of
the best methods of shipping bees, selling
the Italian queen bees at ten dollars each
or a colony for twenty dollars. In 1869,
his son. Camille P. Dadant, whose name
introduces this review, was admitted to
a partnership and from that time for-
ward until the father's death they were
closely associated in their business rela-
tions and interests and the account of the
father's work for the development of
their enterprise is also the account of the
son's labors. In 1878 they began the
manufacture of comb foundation, intend-
ing the product only for their own use,
as they were extensive .bee keepers. The
first year they manufactured five hun-
dred pounds. Others, however, sought
to become purchasers and this led them
to increase their output to two thousand
pounds the second year and six thousand
pounds the third year and the increase
has been continued at a proportionate or
even greater rate until in the year end-
ing July i, 1904, they had manufactured
one hundred and fifteen thousand
pounds, thus giving them leadership
among the manufacturers of comb foun-
dation not only in America but in the
world. A visit to the factory shows that
it is equipped with every device neces-
sary for the successful conduct of the
work, the greatest care is taken in every
department toward securing perfection
and the absolutely perfect comb founda-
tion secures a most extensive and profit-
able sale.
Mr. Dadant's business consisted not
only in the comb manufacture and the
production of honey, the latter reaching
way up into the thousands of pounds
annually, but he also did much for bee
culture throughout the world through
the articles contributed to the leading bee
journals of America and foreign lands
as well. It is a noticeable fact in his
history that when he came to the United
States at the age of forty-six years he
was unable to speak the English lan-
guage, but the strength of purpose and
will shown by him is indicated by the
fact that he at once subscribed to the
New York Tribune and denied himself
any French papers or books so that he
should be compelled to acquaint himself
with the English tongue, using freely a
dictionary for this purpose, Within
three years he had acquired a mastery
of English sufficient to enable him to'
write articles for the American Bee
Journal, then published in Washington,
D. C. He wielded a pen of still greater
power when writing in his native lan-
guage and it was due to his efforts
through his published articles that the
movable frame hive is today so much in
use among French-speaking people, the
Dadant and the Dadant-Blatt hives being
among the most common in France. In
1886 he revised and republished the book
of Langstroth on the Honey Bee, which
has been styled the "classic in bee cul-
ture." This work was published almost
simultaneously in America, France and
Russia. The three latest editions were
printed at Keokuk, Iowa, near his home.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
93
His teachings spread over the world and
there is not a civilized country where his
name is unknown to progressive bee
keepers. In 1874 he published a small
book, Petit Cours d'Apiculteur Pratique,
in the French language. His attention
was given to the business of raising bees,
producing honey and manufacturing
the comb foundation up to the time of
his death, which occurred in 1902, when
he was in his eighty-fifth year. His busi-
ness integrity was unassailable. He was
never known to take advantage of the
necessities of his fellowmen in any trade
transaction but was a soul of honor and
straightforward dealing in all business
affairs. He was moreover a man of
kindly purpose, of generous spirit and
genial disposition and made friends of
all with whom he came in contact. He
possessed a most cheerful disposition
and those who have had the pleasure of
an acquaintance with him in his own
home will testify to his genial and cordial
spirit. He possessed, too, much of the
spirit of the philanthropist, taking the
most kindly interest in those whom he
employed. He encouraged all of his
French workmen to have homes of their
own and allowed them certain times in
which to cultivate their vines and work
their ground. Ideal relations existed
in the home. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dadant
were born two daughters and a son :
Mary ; Mrs. E. J. Baxter, of Nauvoo ;
and C. P. Dadant, whose name intro-
duces this record.
The last named was a youth of twelve
years when he accompanied his parents
on their removal to America. From
this time forward his youth was passed
at the old homestead near Hamilton and
at the age of twenty-four years he was
admitted to a partnership by his father
and the firm style of Dadant & Son has
since been well known among the bee
culturists of America and foreign lands.
He now keeps about two hundred and fifty
hives of bees and sold one hundred thou-
sand pounds of foundation for honey comb
in the year 1905. One of his buildings,
constructed of iron and then painted, con-
tains only beeswax and holds something
like twenty thousand pounds. It is
usually kept full, for it is the purpose of
the firm to have on hand always a large
supply of the only suitable material for
making their excellent comb foundation.
The bulk of the foundation made by the
firm is the Weed process, which refers
to the method of sheeting the wax be-
fore milling it. The largest crop of
honey for one year was forty-five thou-
sand pounds, from which they realized
twenty-eight hundred dollars net of all
expenses. They use the Dadant hive,
which is of their own invention and
manufacture and they believe in having
large hives and big colonies and thus
have practically no swarms of bees.
After the death of his father Mr. Dadant
of this review admitted his sons, Louis
C. and Henry C., to a partnership and
thus the firm style of Dadant & Sons was
maintained. Mr. Dadant has also ex-
tended his business interests to other
lines, being one of the organizers of the
State Bank of Hamilton, of which he is
the vice president. He was also one of
the promoters of the water power of the
Mississippi river for building a dam
across the river from Keokuk to Hamil-
94
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
ton. The company formed for this pur-
pose is composed of twenty-five mem-
bers and Mr. Dadant became one of the
executive committee of three, his asso-
ciates being William Logan and A. E.
Johnstone, of Keokuk. A man of re-
sourceful business ability, keen enterprise
and sound judgment, he carries forward
to successful completion whatever he un-
dertakes and has developed a business at
Hamilton which has become one of the
important productive enterprises of his
county.
On the ist of November, 1875, Mr.
Dadant was married to Miss Mary Mari-
nelli, who was born in St. Louis, Mis-
souri. August 9, 1854, and was a daugh-
ter of Luigi Marinelli, a pioneer of the
French Icarian community that settled in
Nauvoo in 1848. His wife was Fran-
coise Marinelli and their daughter, Mrs.
Dadant, attended the common schools of
Saint Clair county, Illinois. She shares
with her husband in extending a warm-
hearted, attractive and gracious hospi-
tality to their many friends. They have
a beautiful riew home, a substantial brick
residence, which was completed in 1904.
From the rear is had a splendid view of
the Mississippi river as it flows south-
ward for nearly fourteen miles and across
the river stands the city of Keokuk. In
addition to this Mr. Dadant owns other
property interests in and about Hamil-
ton. Unto" him and his wife have been
born three sons and four daughters,
namely : Louisa, the wife of Leon
Saugier, of Hamilton : Valentine M.,
who attended the University of Illinois
and is president of the Hamilton library,
an organization which was formed sev-
eral years ago and of which the town is
justly proud, Louis C., who married
Eza Miller and lives near the main
factory of the firm, being associated with
his father in business; Henry C., who is
also a partner and resides at home ;
Maurice G., who is a student in the Illi-
nois State University at Champaign ;
Clemence and Harrietta, who are at
home.
In his political views Mr. Dadant is a
republican and has served as school trus-
tee of Montebelle township, but other-
wise has neither sought nor held public
office. Fraternally he is connected with
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Naturally, however, his attention is
chiefly directed to his business interests,
which are now of a varied and extensive
nature and are a source of gratifying
profit. The name of Dadant & Son has
ever been synonoymous with honorable
dealing and success has come as the mer-
ited reward of business integrity, enter-
prise and diligence. Uniformly courteous
and considerate of others, he at the same
time possesses a force of character that
everywhere commands respect and accom-
plishes results and is today accounted
one of the most honored and respected
citizens of Hancock county.
ROBERT A. BARR.
Robert A. Barr, a fanner living near
Colusa, whose success in life is attribut-
able entirely to his own efforts, was
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
95
born February 13, 1871, upon the old
family homestead in Dallas township,
his parents being George W. and Mary
E. (Dean) Barr. , The father was born
in Breckinridge county, Kentucky, near
Louisville, in 1844, while the mother's
birth occurred in Ohio in 1848. He be-
came a resident of Dallas township on
the 2d of April, 1859, and is still the
owner of the farm of one hundred and
sixty acres on which his son, Robert A.,
now resides. Unto him and his wife
were born three children: Etta E., now
the wife of Elmer Royse, of Aledo, Illi-
nois ; Robert A. ; and Mary Otellia, who
is living with her parents in Dallas City,
the father having retired from active
farm life to enjoy a rest which he has
truly earned and richly deserves.
Robert A. Barr began his education in
the district schools of Dallas township
and continued his studies in Carthage
College, where he remained for two
years. Through the period of his youth
and after attaining his majority he re-
mained with his parents on the old home-
stead, living with them until thirty-one
years of age and during the latter part of
that period practically carrying on the
work of the home farm. On the 26th
of February, 1902, he was united in mar-
riage to Miss Ethel Elizabeth Massie.
who was bom in Fountain Green town-
ship. Hancock county, August 13, 1882,
a daughter of John S. and Mary E.
(Myers) Massie. The father was born
in Rock Creek township, this county, Oc-
tober 24, 1855, and the mother's birth
occurred in Iowa, October 21, 1859. She
was four or five years of age when
brought by her parents to Hancock
county. Mr. and Mrs. Massie are well
krjown residents of Pontoosuc township
and in the control of his business inter-
ests the father has become well-to-do
and is accounted a representative agricul-
turist of his community. Unto him and
his wife have been born eight children :
Ethel E., Stuart M., living in Montana;
Goldy V., deceased ; Grover C. ; Fern
F. : Cheryl Beatrice ; Ralph Emerson ;
and Ruby Marie.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Ban-
rented his father's farm of one hundred
and sixty acres on section 36, Dallas
township, which is one of the best farms
in Hancock county, and he has since
given his time and energies to its further
cultivation and improvement. He has
brought the fields under a high state of
cultivation and is regarded as one of the
model fanners of the community. As the
years have passed the home has been
blessed with the presence of three chil-
dren : Homer Dysinger, born Decem-
ber 17, 1902; Emmet Cleophas, July 6,
1904; and Ada Cheryl, December 15,
1905. All were born in the house in
which their father's birth occurred and
they constitute a most interesting family.
In his political views Mr. Barr is a
democrat and has served as constable for
two terms but has never been a politician
in the sense of office-seeking, as he has
preferred to devote his time and energies
to his business interests. He had no
money when he was married and started
out in life on his own account, but
through his economy, energy and un-
faltering industry and the assistance of
his estimable wife, who has indeed been
a helpmate to him, he has accumulated
9 6
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
a considerable share of this world's goods
and is accounted one of the leading and
representative farmers of his community.
He is well read, keeping informed on all
matters of general interest as well as the
political questions of the day and is a
man of genial, jovial disposition, who
has many warm friends. He belongs to
the Modern Woodmen lodge of Colusa
and for three years has been clerk and
holds a certificate of efficiency from the
Court of Honor. Both he and his wife
are members of the Christian church and
Mr. Barr is a man of domestic taste,
thoroughly devoted to his family, their
welfare and happiness.
CHARLES E. CLARK.
Charles E. Clark, a retired farmer liv-
ing in Dallas City, was born March 10,
1868, in the city which is still his home,
and is a son of William J. and Abigail
(Ellis) Clark. The father was born in
Sangamon county, Illinois, October 16,
1837, and the mother in Vevay, Switzer-
land county, Indiana, May 25, 1836. She
became a resident of Hancock county in
1841, and William J. Clark was only
about six years of age when he accom-
panied his parents to this county, where
they were married February 27, 1859.
Both were representatives of honored old
pioneer families of this portion of the
state. The maternal and paternal grand-
parents settled here in an early day and
for some years lived in log cabins, spend-
ing their days in true pioneer style amid
the environments of frontier life. The
father of our subject cleared and devel-
oped several farms which he sold at a
good advance, and as the years passed by
he successfully carried on general agri-
cultural pursuits. He died October 10,
1870, his widow surviving until July 23,
1905, and both were laid to rest in Har-
ris cemetery, in Dallas township. Mr.
Clark was a soldier of the Civil war, en-
listing as a member of Company F, Fif-
tieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which
he joined near the close of hostilities.
He was with the company" that responded
to a call for the protection of Chicago
and thus served until mustered out. He
stanchly advocated republican principles
and was a faithful member of the Chris-
tian church. They had three children but
the two daughters died in early child-
hood.
Charles E. Clark, the only surviving
member of the family, was educated in
the common schools of Dallas City and
at the age of twelve years went to the
country with his mother, settling upon a
farm in Durham township where he lived
until 1899. He was then married to Mrs.
Martha Ackerson, widow of George Ack-
erson, who in her maidenhood bore the
name of Martha E. Howard. She was
born in Adams county, Illinois, in 1851,
a daughter of Henry and Mary Ann
Howard, the former born April 23, 1825,
and the latter February 18, 1827. Mr.
Howard was a native of Dayton, Ohio,
and his wife of Indiana. He devoted
his life to general agricultural pursuits
and when eighteen years of age became
a resident of Crawford countv, Illinois.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
97
where he resided for seven years, then re-
moving to Adams county where he re-
sided until about 1857 when he came to
Dallas township, where he made his home
for many years until the time of his death.
In politics he was a democrat and having
removed to Hancock county in 1857, he
served for nineteen years as township
treasurer here. His wife died May 7,
1885, and his death occurred on the 17*
of March, 1898, both being laid to rest in
Harris cemetery. They had ten chil-
dren, of whom four are now living: Mrs.
Martha E. Clark; Mary Ann, the wife of
William Robinson, of Dallas township;
Charlotte, the wife of Edward Gill, of
Dallas township; and Angelina, the wife
of Philip Ritchey, of Dallas township.
After a year's residence in the south
Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Clark located in
Dallas City, Hancock county, he owning
a farm of eighty acres in Durham town-
ship. Mrs. Clark also owns eighty acres
in Dallas township. He was a successful
farmer and stock-raiser. He and his wife
occupy a beautiful home at the corner of
Front and Pine streets which Mrs. Clark
purchased from her father's estate in
1899. Since then Mr. Clark has retired,
having rented the farm but he still over-
sees it.
In his political views Mr. Clark has al-
ways been a strong republican but with-
out aspiration for office. Both he and his
wife are devoted members of the Chris-
tian church, in which he has been a deacOn
for a number of years, and in the work
of the church they take an active and help-
ful interest. Of a studious nature, very
fond of books, he reads broadly, thinks
deeply and is an intelligent man. Both
he and his estimable wife have the warm
regard of many friends, she being a lady
of pleasing address, presiding with gra-
cious hospitality over her home. They
are now surrounded by all the comforts
that go to make life worth living, occu-
pying an attractive and pleasant home in
Dallas City.
S. E. HARNEST.
S. E. Harnest, a retired farmer living
in Carthage, was born in Champaign
county, Ohio, March 8, 1835, his parents
being John and Anna (Spitler) Harnest,
the former born September 20, 1797,
and the latter April 3, 1809, their birth-
place being Upshire county, Virginia.
The paternal grandfather was a soldier of
the Revolutionary war, valiantly aiding in
the struggle for independence. The an-
cestral history of the family was one of
which the descendants have every reason
to be proud, for the men have displayed
activity and honor in business and fidelity
in all life's relations, while the women
have been marked by the true womanly
traits of character which command the
highest respect. The paternal grand-
parents, John and Anna Harnest, were
charter members of the Myrtle Tree Bap-
tist church in Champaign county, Ohio.
This church was organized April 24,
1830, by Elder William Fuson, the first
meeting being held on the first Sunday
in April, 1830. It was estimated that one
thousand people were in attendance on
9 8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
this occasion, every section of the county
being represented. The name of the
church was chosen because of the follow-
ing circumstance. A short time before
the organization, the wife of Elder Fuson
had a dream that she had read the first
chapter on Zachariah before retiring for
the night and meditated on the beauty of
the myrtle tree, and in her dream she saw
the tree in the lovely valley, beholding it
in all its glory. The dream so impressed
her that at her request the church was
called the Myrtle Tree church. Its orig-
inal members were George Pine, Bryant
Moody, John Hamest, James Pine, Wil-
liam Fuson, Phebe Moody, Ann Harnest,
Sarah Pine, Sarah Pine, Sr., Deidamia
Fuson, Lucy Comer and Elizabeth Whit-
more. All of the above have entered into
the church triumphant. Eight of the
number received their letters of dismissal
from the Symm's Creek Baptist church in
Lawrence county, Ohio, in order to at-
tend the newly-organized Myrtle Tree
church, while the remaining five had for-
merly beep members of the Nettle Creek
church. John Harnest. the grandfather
of S. E. Harnest, was the first baptismal
candidate. He had served as a soldier
of the Revolutionary war in connection
with the father of Elder Fuson and he
was the first person buried in the ceme-
tery of the new church, his death occur-
ring on the roth of September, 1830. John
Harnest, Jr.. was elected clerk and John
Harnest, Sr., deacon of the church. A
house of worship was erected shortly after
the organization of the church on land
purchased of Samuel Kite, the consider-
ation for the property being a calico
dress for Mrs. Kite. Elder Fuson con-
tinued pastor there until September 25,
1841, when old age compelled him to
resign.
John Harnest, father of our subject,
was a native of Virginia, later moved to
Ohio and removed from that state to
Hancock county, Illinois, in 1838. He
found a pioneer district and at once be-
gan to clear the land and built a log cabin.
Every evidence of frontier life was here
to be seai, and he killed many deer, tur-
keys and wolves in those early days. The
homes of the settlers were widely scat-
tered and many of the now thriving towns
and villages had not yet been founded.
Through a long period he carried on ag-
ricultural pursuits and bore an active and
helpful part in the work of public prog-
ress, aiding in laying broad and deep the
foundation for the present upbuilding and
progress of the county. In politics he was
a democrat and for many years served as
school director. Both he and his wife
were members of the Missionary Baptist
church, taking an active and helpful part
in its work and for a number of years he
served as one of its deacons. In the fam-
ily were twelve children, three of whom
survive : Daniel S., who is living in Ar-
kansas; S. E., of this review; and Mary
J., the widow of Palestine Wright, of
Carthage. The father died November i,
1864, and his remains were interred in the
Ray graveyard. The mother long sur-
vived him, departing this life in June,
1896.
S. E. Harnest attended the district
schools of Carthage township and re-
mained upon his father's farm until twen-
ty-six years of age. assisting in the ardu-
ous task of developing new land and shar-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
99
ing with the family in the hardships and
privations incident to life on the frontier.
In the early days of the family's residence
here the winters were very severe. They
were visited by many blizzards and the
father had settled in the timber that it
might afford protection for the stock and
also furnish an abundant supply of fire-
wood. When the farmers commenced to
improve the prairie land for the first time
after it had been vacated by the red race
he fitted up a team of oxen with five or
six yoke and started his eldest son, D. S.
Harnest and his son Samuel E. of this
review to breaking prairie land with a
large plow, which would turn a 26-inch
furrow. They thus engaged in breaking
prairie for a number of years, sharpening
their plows at the blacksmith shop on
Saturdays, using a small anvil and heavy
hammer to draw out the shear with the
use of several sharp files would run a
week at a time. The anvil which was
then used is still in possession of S. E.
Harnest of this review, who has broken
hundreds of acres of land and while thus
engaged has encountered numerous large
rattlesnakes. The whip lashes were made
of buckskin, which were dressed by his
father and the stocks were of hickory or
ironwood. As it was necessary for them
to clear off this land the mother made the
sons buckskin trousers . as she thought
they were stronger and would better
stand the wear and tear of such a life.
The elder brother, D. S. Harnest, was in
the Mormon war, which resulted in the
shooting of Hiram and Joseph Smith in
1844. John A. Harnest, a second brother
who went through to California with ox
team, died in 1853.
On the 2 ist of February, 1861, S. E.
Harnest married Miss Matilda Ann Wal-
ton, who was born in St. Mary's town-
ship, Hancock county, April 6, 1841, a
daughter of Frederick M. and Emily
(Rice) Walton. The father was born in
Mason county, Kentucky, January n,
1809, and the mother's birth occurred in
Boone county, Kentucky, January 10.
1811. They were married January 31,
1831, and became very early settlers of
Hancock county, arriving in 1835, at
which time they took up their abode in
St. Mary's township, residing continu-
ously upon one farm until 1880, when
Mr. Walton died. His first home was a
little log cabin, in which he lived until
1840, when he employed John Harper,
who made mortar brick and was also a
bricklayer, to build him a house. Mrs.
Harnest was the first child in the county
born in a brick house. Mr. Walton was
a republican in his political views after the
organization of the party and served as
highway commissioner and was school
director for many years. He supported
every feasible plan for the benefit of the
community and co-operated in many
movements that were of direct benefit to
this part of the state. Both he and his
wife were members of the Missionary
Baptist church. In their family were
eight children but only three are now liv-
ing: John, a resident of Plymouth, Illi-
nois; Mrs. Harnest, of Carthage; and
Simon M., who lives upon the old home-
stead farm. The father passed away
April 10, 1880, and the mother on the
8th of November, 1904, their remains
being interred in Plymouth cemetery.
In his business affairs Mr. Walton pros-
100
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
pered and he gave to each of his children
about two hundred acres of good land.
His widow resided upon the old home-
stead from 1835 until 1902, covering a
period of sixty-seven years and there
spent her remaining days (except about
two years she spent in Carthage), with
her daughter, Mrs. Harnest. She was
one of the charter members of the Bap-
tist church of St. Mary's township, or-
ganized in 1837, and outlived all of the
other original members, exemplifying
each day her faith and Christian belief.
She was also the last survivor of the or-
ganizers of the Plymouth Baptist church
and she had many warm friends who ad-
mired her greatly for her Christian vir-
tues and good qualities of heart and mind.
For the first three years after their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Harnest lived on
a farm near Plymouth but their home
there was destroyed by fire and they after-
ward bought a farm in Carthage town-
ship, where they resided for twenty-seven
years. They had a comfortable home
which they improved with porches, etc.
He also built two new barns and out-
buildings for the shelter of grain and
stock. The farm lay on sections 24 and
25 and comprised two hundred and forty
acres of rich and productive land, which
is still in his possession. For many years
Mr. Harnest carefully cultivated the
fields, developed the property and won
success in, his undertakings as an agri-
culturist and feeding stock, but in 1891
moved to Carthage, building a pretty
home on No. 611 Main street, adjoining
the Baptist church. He has since lived
retired in the enjoyment of a well-earned
rest, his labor in former years having
brought to him a competence sufficient to
supply him with the necessities and com-
forts of life together with some of its
luxuries.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Harnest have been
born three children, of whom two are now
living, the oldest two having been born
near Plymouth and the other in Carthage
township. Mary Emily, born January
2, 1862, became the wife of F. M. Cutler,
who now lives in Carthage. She died
May 13, 1895, in the triumphs of a living
faith, leaving a son, Fred Francis, who
died April 22, 1900, at the age of sev-
enteen years. He was a good Christian
youth and was a great comfort to his
grandparents. John Walton Harnest,
born August 4, 1863, married Olive Rob-
ertson, and is a stock dealer living in
Carthage. He has one child, Forest I.
Frederick Eldridge Harnest, born March
19, 1869, lives in Quincy, where he con-
ducts a livery stable. He had the mis-
fortune to have his barn destroyed by fire
January 18, 1906, but has since purchased
another livery barn and is again in busi-
ness. He married Miss Bertie M. Wright
. and has three children, Pauline, Waldo
W. and Mary Marguerite.
Mr. Harnest is largely a self-made man
and owing to his economy and energy in
former years is now very comfortably
situated in his old age. He has always
been a very methodical man and since his
marriage has kept a daily diary of events
and incidents. Mrs. Harnest is a lady of
very retentive memory and intelligence
and her good qualities have won her many
friends with whom she spends many pleas-
ant hours in social conversation on sub-
jects which give enjoyment to all.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
101
OSCAR HUBBARD BURR.
Oscar Hubbard Burr, who is the owner
of valuable farming property in Dur-
ham township, consisting of two hundred
and forty acres in the home farm and also
twenty acres on another section, was born
in that township February 4, 1858, his
parents being Edward and Julia (Wil-
cox) Burr, both of whom were natives
of Connecticut. The father was born De-
cember 24, 1814, and the mother on the
1 3th of July, 1817. When he came to
Hancock county in 1839 from his native
state he traveled with a party of sixteen,
who made the journey with two small
wagons and were six weeks upon the way,
crossing the swamps and mountains and
suffering many privations and hardships,
as they journeyed on after the primitive
manner of travel of those . days. Here
Mr. Burr began life in true pioneer style,
living in a log house for some time. The
family had no table and scarcely any table
cutlery for a number of years. Various
wild animals roamed over his land and
many evidences of pioneer life were to be
seen. In 1852 he built the main part of
the house in which his son, O. H. Burr,
now resides, and from time to time he
added to his possessions until at his death
he was very comfortably situated and was
known as an enterprising and respected
citizen of his community. He died June
II, 1895, while his wife passed away July
18. 1862, their remains being interred in
Durham cemetery. Both were devoted
members of the Methodist Episcopal
church and his political views accorded
with the principles of the Republican party.
An old-fashioned teapot which he brought
to Illinois in 1839 is now in possession
of his son, O. H. Burr, and is a much
prized relic. In the family were seven
children : Jonathan E., who was born
August n, 1837, and lives in Cowley
county, Kansas ; Julia C., who was born
November n, 1838, and is the wife of
William H. Avis, of Des Moines, Iowa ;
Esther A., who was born June 3, 1841,
and is the wife of Harvey H. Pershin, of
Portland, Oregon; Orpha D., who was
born February 14, 1845, and is the wife
of S. E. Harkness, of southern Nebraska ;
Emily C., who was born April 15, 1850,
and is the wife of D. L. Toof, of Aurora,
Nebraska; Demmis V., who was born
December 14, 1854, and became the wife
of Edwin Burr, her death occurring in
Hancock county, Illinois, March 30, 1881,
while Mr. Burr resides in Nebraska ; and
O. H., who was born in Durham town-
ship, February 4, 1858.
The last named was educated in the
district schools of his native township
and remained with his parents until in
his twenty-first year, when he was mar-
ried and started out in life on his own
account. It was on the 2Oth of October,
1878, that he wedded Miss Mahala I.
Potter, who was born in Durham town-
ship, Hancock county, June 28, 1859,
one of the ten children of Warren and
Mahala (Collins) Potter. Her father,
who was born in Pennsylvania, August
9, 1813, followed the occupation of
farming as a life work and after living
for some time in Adams county, Illinois,
removed in 1858 to Hancock county and
took up his abode in a log cabin, living in
true pioneer style. As the years passed
he improved his farm and at a later date
102
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
added modern equipments. He died Jan-
nary 23, 1883, and his wife, who was
born in Indiana, October 3, 1821, passed
away March 2, 1899, at the age of sev-
enty-seven years and was laid to rest by
his side in Union cemetery. Six of their
children are yet living: Rebecca E., the
wife of James Potter, of Macomb, Illi-
nois; Cynthia J., the wife of R. T. H.
Bartlett. of Dallas City ; Mary Erne, the
wife of W. O. Stout, of Thayer, Oregon
county, Missouri; Olive E., the wife of
C. F. Bross, of Colusa; Mahala I., now
Mrs. Burr; and Josephine, the wife of
George Arnt, of Beatrice, Nebraska, while
Allen Potter was killed by a runaway in
California, and Weaver Potter died in
Missouri.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Burr began their domestic life in a house
on the place where he now lives. After
a year they removed to his father's house.
Throughout the intervening years Mr.
Burr has carried on general agricultural
pursuits and is now engaged in cultivat-
ing two hundred and forty acres of land
in Durham township. He has improved
the house, built barns and sheds, while
one of the barns upon the place was
erected by his father in 1861. He has
brought the fields under a high state of
cultivation and everything about the farm
indicates his careful supervision and pro-
gressive methods.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Burr has
been blessed twith four children, all born
in the house which was their father's
birthplace. Oscar H., Jr., the eldest, born
July 14, 1882, married Catherine Kloss-
ing, of Durham township, and they have
a son, Ralph Joseph Oscar Burr. Bessie
C., bom October 18, 1888, is at home;
Mamie, born July 8, 1891, died two days
later; Hazel C., born March 18, 1893, is
with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Burr are
members of the Free Methodist church
and take an active interest in its work,
living the lives of earnest Christian peo-
ple. He votes with the prohibition party,
which. indicates his views on the temper-
ance question, and he is a school director,
standing at all times for intellectual and
moral progress and giving his endorse-
ment to every measure which he believes
will uplift humanity.
JOHN A. FLETCHER.
John A. Fletcher, living retired in
Carthage, was born in Muskingum
county, Ohio, May 22, 1838, and his
parents, Elisha and Elizabeth (Lane)
Fletcher, were also natives of that county,
where the father lived and died, follow-
ing the occupation of- farming as a life
work. His political allegiance was given
to the Republican party and he served as
tax collector. Both he and his wife were
members of the Methodist church, but
both have passed away, their remains be-
ing interred in Ohio.
Of their family of five children John
A. Fletcher is the only one now living.
He was educated in the district schools
of Ohio, the little "temple of learning"
being a log building with puncheon floor,
and small windows, slab seats and an im-
mense fireplace. He remained upon the
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
103
home farm with his parents until his mar-
riage. It was on the I3th of January,
.1858, that he wedded Miss Elizabeth
Palmer, who was born June 9, 1840, in
Muskingum county, Ohio, a daughter of
Frederick and Sarah (Butler) Palmer,
the former a native of the state of New
York and the latter of Muskingum
county. Mr. Palmer was a farmer by
occupation . and was killed in Ohio in
April, 1844, by a log falling upon him.
He was at that time serving as road su-
pervisor. The mother was a member of
the old primitive Baptist church. In the
family were three children by the first
marriage, but only two are now living,
Mrs. Fletcher and Augusta, the latter the
widow of Mr. King, who is living in
Kansas City, Kansas. The mother later
married Abner Lane. They left two liv-
ing children.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Fletcher lived upon a farm in Muskingum
county, Ohio, until after the outbreak of
the Civil war, when Mr. Fletcher, in re-
sponse to his country's need, enlisted as
a member of Company D, Sixteenth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry. He was afterward
transferred to Company I of the invalid
corps and was promoted to the rank of
first sergeant. He served for three years
and one month and was honorably dis-
charged in October, 1864. At Camp
Dennison, Ohio, in the first year of the
war, he had an attack of typhoid fever,
being ill in the hospital there for a long
time and as a result his left side was
paralyzed and has always remained so.
He participated in the battles of Mills
Springs and Cumberland, where he was
wounded in the leg by the explosion of
7
a shell, which also cut off the stock of
his gun. He was likewise in the battles
of Tazewell, Tennessee, Cumberland Gap
and Vicksburg, where he was stripped of
his clothing by the rebels and lay for two
days and nights in the rain. He likewise
participated in the engagements at
Thompson's Hill and McKenzie Bend.
His regiment was the Sixteenth Ohio In-
fantry and Company D was commanded
by Captain Milton Mills, while the first
lieutenant was Thomas Hedge and the
second lieutenant William Dorsey. All
were from Dresden, Ohio. He was a
brave soldier and made a great sacrifice
for his country, but he did it cheerfully
and willingly and no one displays a more
patriotic spirit than does Mr. Fletcher,
who is always interested in the welfare
of his country and her progress. His
eldest and his youngest brothers, Spencer
and Joshua Fletcher respectively, were
also soldiers of the Civil war. Joshua
died from the effects of injury sustained
at Cumberland Gap and was buried there.
Spencer was wounded at Vicksburg and
died at Milliken's Bend. They, too, were
soldiers of the Sixteenth Ohio Regiment
and Henry Fletcher, a cousin, was with
the three brothers in this regiment, while
George Fletcher, an uncle, was in the
Seventy-eighth Ohio Regiment. Charles
and Henry Tatham, cousins of Mrs.
Fletcher, were likewise soldiers of the
Sixteenth Ohio and Charles H. Butler,
another cousin, was a soldier of Company
D, Twelfth Illinois Infantry and was hon-
orably discharged at Louisville, Kentucky,
in 1865.
After his return from the war Mr.
Fletcher located upon a farm in Licking
IO4
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
county. Ohio, and in 1869 came to Illi-
nois. About 1871 or 1872 he located
upon a farm of ninety acres in Carthage
township, and for many years thereafter
was devoted to general agricultural pur-
suits, conducting his business interests
with good ability. He has now been re-
tired for twelve years, has made his home
in the city of Carthage since February,
1903, and is in poor health. He possesses,
however, a cheerful nature and most
kindly disposition and bears his sufferings
uncomplainingly. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Fletcher have been born eight children,
four of whom were born in Ohio and the
others in Carthage township. Francis L..
the eldest, married Miranda J. Kim-
brough, has a son, Charles, and lives in
Carthage. Sarah L. died in infancy. Al-
feretta May is the wife of Willis Ervin,
a resident of Carthage township, and has
six children: Edward, Ethel. George.
Genevieve, Hazel and Harry. Of these
children Edward Ervin married Bernice
Reed, resides in West Point, Iowa, and
has a son, Frederick. Ethel Ervin is the
wife of Frank Briley, lives in Carthage
member of the family, married Miss Cora
township, and has a little son, Thomas
Briley. Joshua E. Fletcher, the fourth
Linn and resides at Carthage. Abner P.
Fletcher owns a farm near West Point,
Iowa, married Miss Martha Conn and
has five daughters: Ada, Georgie, Lena.
Alice and Blanche. Mina A., is the wife
of Perry D. Myers, of Pilot Grove town-
ship, and has f our ''children : Ray, Hurl,
Florence and Ernest. Knox B. Fletcher
wedded Miss Mary B. Connoughton, re-
sides in Carthage, and has a daughter,
Lola D. Winnifred is the wife of Fred
Craig, of Hannibal, Missouri. He en-
listed in the Twentieth Infantry of the
regular army and was transferred to the
Fifth Regiment, being stationed at San-
tiago during the Spanish-American war.
He was in Cuba for eight months, enlist-
ing at Keokuk, Iowa, in 1900. He was
absent for a year in active service but now
resides in Hannibal.
In politics Mr. Fletcher is a stalwart
republican, having given unfaltering alle-
giance to the party since attaining his
majority. He has been actively interested
in the cause of education and has done
effective service in behalf of the public
schools of Carthage during many years'
service on the school board, of which he
has acted as clerk, while for twelve years
he was its president. He is a charter
member of the Modern Woodmen of
America of Carthage, also belongs to the
Grand Army of the Republic and is a
member of the Presbyterian church, to
which his wife and some of his children
also belong. He owns the comfortable
home on Locust street where he has lived
since coming to the city. He has been an
enterprising, self-made man, whose suc-
cess is due entirely to his own labors and
efforts. Handicapped by ill health, he has
nevertheless worked resolutely and ear-
nestly year after year and has accumulated
a comfortable competence. In his family
he has been a devoted husband and father
and in his illness his wife and daughter.
Mrs. Craig, put forth every effort to as-
suage his suffering. His life has prac-
tically been a sacrifice to his country.
Wherever known he is held in high es-
teem, for he possesses those traits of
character which win friendship, confi-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
dence and regard and his many friends
will be glad to receive this record of his
life.
HENRY JENKINS.
Henry Jenkins is one of the early
settlers of Hancock county, who through
many years has been an interested wit-
ness of the changes that have occurred
and the progress that has been made as
the county has emerged from pioneer
conditions and taken on all of the evi-
dences and improvements of an advanced
civilization. He now makes his home in
Carthage, and owns a farm of one hun-
dred and sixty acres in Carthage town-
ship, that under his care and development
has been transformed into a highly im-
proved and productive property. He was
born in Roan county, Tennessee, on the
1 7th of September, 1838, and there re-
sided until twelve years of age. when he
came to Illinois in 1851 with his parents,
John and Sarah (Rayborn) Jenkins. The
father was born in Virginia, representing
one of the old southern families, and
throughout his active life he carried on
farming. Upon coming to Hancock
county he settled in Rock Creek township,
where he purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land, making his home thereon
until 1862. He then removed to Har-
mony township, trading his original farm
for a tract of land in Harmony township,
of two hundred and twenty acres which
was partially improved. He gave his time
and energies to its further development
for some years and then bought another
place in Harmony township, after which
he sold the other farm, residing upon the
last purchased property for many years.
Eventually, however, he went to Bentley,
where he lived with one of his daughters
until he was called to his final rest, passing
away at the very advanced age of ninety-
one years. He was a member of the
Primitive Baptist church and a man of
earnest Christian faith and character.
His political support was given to the de-
mocracy. In his business affairs he pros-
pered and though he only had seventy-
five dollars in money when he came to
Illinois, lie succeeded in rearing a large
family, providing for them a comfortable
living and acquiring a competency for his
last years. His remains were interred in
Harmony township cemetery. His wife,
who was born in Tennessee, grew to
womanhood there. She was also a mem-
ber of the Primitive Baptist church, and
died about six years prior to her husband's
demise, her grave being also made in
Harmony township cemetery. Unto this
worthy couple were born thirteen children,
seven of whom are living.
Henry Jenkins remained upon the
home farm until twenty-five years of age,
no event of special importance occurring
to vary the routine of farm life for him
in his youth, his attention being divided
between the work of the schoolroom, the
duties of the fields and the pleasures of
the playground. He was then married
but continued to reside upon a part of the
old homestead property for a few years,
after which he removed to Missouri,
where he resided for three years, engaged
in farming during that time. He then
io6
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
returned to Hancock county, Illinois,
where he remained for five years in Har-
mony township. On the expiration of
that period he took up his abode in Knox
county, Missouri, where he spent nine
years, when he again came to Hancock
county and purchased his present farm of
one hundred and sixty acres in Carthage
township. Here he has lived continuous-
ly, until recently. He bought the farm
sixteen years ago and has placed thereon
many improvements, securing the best ma-
chinery for the development of the fields,
adding many modern equipments and ac-
cessories. He has a good frame dwelling
and other buildings upon his place and
devoted his time and energies to general
farming and stock-raising, having good
grades of stock. In September, 1906, Mr.
Jenkins bought a residence on Scofield
street, Carthage, and in October moved
with his family to the city in order to
give his sons better educational advan-
tages.
At the age of twenty-five years Mr.
Jenkins was married to Miss Family V.
Mauk, who was born in Virginia and re-
moved to Hancock county, Illinois, with
her parents when a small child. Her
father, Abram Mauk, came to this county
in 1851, and followed the occupation of
farming in Harmony township, where he
lived until his death, which occurred when
he was about fifty-five years of age. His
wife died in Virginia. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Jenkins have been born thirteen chil-
dren, nine of whom are living : Robert, a
farmer residing at home ; Ada, the wife of
Robert E. Granger, a resident farmer of
Hancock township, by whom she had
seven children : Charles, May, Sarah,
Clara and Roy, who are living, and two
who died in infancy; John, a teamster of
La Harpe, Kansas, who married Cora
Willis; Sarah, the wife of Homer Rig-
gens, a farmer residing in Hancock town-
ship, by whom she has one daughter,
Anna; Ollie, at home; Anna, married
Jesse Ruddle, of Oak Grove, and has
two sons, Leland H. and Roy T. ; Lu-
cinda Belle, who died at the age of twen-
ty-four years; Harvey, Edward and
Thomas, all at home; one who died at
the age of eight years, while three died in
infancy.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins are mem-
bers of the Primitive Baptist church, and
he votes with the democracy, but has
never cared for public office, his time and
attention being fully occupied with his
business interests, which have been care-
full}' managed, and though his life has
not been exempt from the difficulties and
obstacles which usually come to all in a
business career, he has overcome all these
by determination and energy and is now
the possessor of a valuable farm prop-
erty which yields him a good income. He
has also seen many improvements made
in Hancock county during the long years
of his residence here, and has done his
full share in the work of citizenship,
standing for progress and improvements
along all those lines which are of direct
and immediate serviceableness in the pro-
motion of material, intellectual, social
and moral progress.
Mr. Jenkins and his family richly de-
serve the high esteem in which they are
held by their many friends in the com-
munity where "they have so long resided.
and they are well worthy of representation
in the Biographical Review of Hancock
County.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
107
VERRIEUS R. FAUGHT.
Verrieus R. Faught, for many years
identified with general agricultural pur-
suits and now doing business as a gar-
dener at Hamilton, was born in New
Madrid, Missouri, April i, 1843. His
parents were Sanford and Caroline
(Seavers) Faught, the former a native
of Frankfort, Kentucky, and the latter of
Baden, Germany. The mother was
brought from Germany to Pennsylvania
during her infancy. Her mother died
when the daughter was quite young and
she afterward lived with her father until
her marriage, which was celebrated in
Evansville, Indiana. Sanford Faught
had been reared in Kentucky and in early
manhood was married there. Two sons
were born of the first marriage, but his
wife and children all died in Kentucky.
Following his marriage to Caroline
Seavers he lived in New Madrid, Mis-
souri, for a few months and afterward re-
moved to Evansville, Indiana, -and then
to Keokuk, Iowa, where he worked at
his trade of house building, making his
home there from 1849 until 1853. In the
latter year, with his family, he took up
his abode in what is now the western part
of Hamilton, and purchased forty acres
of land, which at that time was covered
with a dense growth of timber. He
cleared a portion of this and built a
frame house, bringing the lumber across
the river in a skiff. From the door of
his house he could frequently see deer
and wild turkeys. As the town of Ham-
ilton grew he subdivided his land and sold
it off in town lots. He was one of the
promoters of the movements to secure the
first ferry to Keokuk and one of the in-
fluential men of the town, a fact which is
indicated in that the early name of the
town was Faughtsburg, but after a few
years it was changed to Hamilton. He
measured off the first town lot in Hamil-
ton with a tape line and from the earliest
inception of the village until his death
was closely identified with its growth and
progress. He died March 24, 1856, and
his wife, long surviving him, remained
an esteemed resident of Hamilton until
called to her final home on the 2/th of
June, 1903. The name of Sanford
Faught, however, is inseparably inter-
woven with the history of Hamilton and
he will always be honored as one of its
founders.
Verrieus R. Faught, the eldest in a
family of two sons and four daughters,
of whom two of the daughters and the
brother of our subject are now deceased,
spent his boyhood days in Hamilton, his
parents removing to Hancock county
when he was but a young lad. He pur-
sued his education in the public schools
and also attended a commercial college
at Davenport, Iowa. He has watched the
growth and development of Hamilton
from a wilderness to a thriving city and
has been a co-operant factor in many pro-
gressive public movements. He assisted
his parents on the home farm until the
ist of September; 1862, when he enlisted
for active service in the Civil war as a
member of Company D, Seventy-eighth
Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was in
the Fourteenth Army Corps in the Army
of the Cumberland and participated in
the Atlanta campiagn, the battle of Chick-
amauga and many other important en-
io8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
gagements and in the celebrated march to
the sea under General Sherman. He
fought in the battles of Jonesboro,
Georgia, September i, 1864; Kingston,
Tennessee; Chattanooga, November 25,
1863; Lookout Mountain; Atlanta. Sep-
tember i, 1864; Savannah, Georgia;
Evansboro, North Carolina ; Rome and
Resaca, Georgia ; Kennesaw Mountain,
June 27, 1864; and Bentonville, North
Carolina, March 19, 1865. He was mus-
tered out of service at Washington, D.
C., on the 2d of June, 1865, after almost
three years of active duty in the south,
and he proved his loyalty and bravery on
various battlefields and under many of
the arduous conditions which war brings.
Returning to Hamilton, Mr. Faught
turned his attention to general agricul-
tural pursuits after spending a few months
at St. Joseph, Missouri. He has followed
farming throughout his entire life and for
many years was a prosperous agricultur-
ist but has now put aside the more ardu-
ous duties of the farm and has given his
attention to gardening, in which he is
doing a big business. He bought six
lots in the Oakwood addition to Ham-
ilton, where he has his residence and in
the fall of 1904 he added three more lots.
He has a good trade in garden products,
placing upon the market many of the
finest vegetables produced in this section
of the country.
On the 2d of March, 1881, Mr. Faught
was united in marriage to Miss Sarah
Frances Nelson, who was born in Peoria,
Illinois, November 8, 1859, and was edu-
cated in the public schools of Ouincy, Illi-
nois, and of Keokuk, Iowa. She also
studied to be a nurse in the training
school in connection with the College of
Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk.
Her father, John S. Nelson, was born in
Beardstown, Illinois, and married Phebe
J. Turner, whose birth occurred in Cler-
mont county, Ohio, October 21, 1841,
while his natal day was January 22, 1829.
In their family were nine children, four
sons and five daughters. Mrs. Nelson,
removing to the middle west, made the
journey over the Ohio, Mississippi and
Illinois rivers to Peoria in 1844 and since
that time has made her home in Peoria
and Hamilton, living in the latter city
since 1870. She now makes her home
with Mr. and Mrs. Faught. By this mar-
riage have been born a son and daugh-
ter: Emmett Sanford. born April 9,
1882, is now living in Peoria, Illinois.
Almeda May, born June 16, 1885', is the
wife of John Seavers residing in San
Francisco, California, a machinist on the
battleships in the navy yard.
Since his return from the war Mr.
Faught has resided continuously in Ham-
ilton and is one of the oldest citizens here,
having been brought to the county in pio-
neer times when a young lad. He is a
member of the Freewill Baptist church,
gives his political allegiance to the Repub-
lican party and is a valued representative
of the Grand Army Post.
JUDGE THOMAS COKE SHARP.
Judge Thomas Coke Sharp, deceased,
left the impress of his individuality upon
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
109
Hancock county as journalist, lawyer,
county judge, a member of the state con-
stitutional convention of 1848, a leader
in the movement against the Mormons
and as advocate of railroad projects. Any
one of these things would entitle him to
mention among the representative citizens
of this part of the state, while his com-
bined labor made him a distinguished
man, recognized as a leader of public
thought and action.
Judge Sharp was born September 25,
1818. at Mount Holly, Xew Jersey. His
father, Rev. Solomon Sharp, was born
on the eastern shore of Maryland and was
a noted pioneer Methodist minister of the
Philadelphia conference. His mother was
a member of the well known and promi-
nent Budd family, of Pemberton, Burling-
ton county, New Jersey. In his pastoral
work Rev. Sharp was stationed at differ-
ent times at Trenton, Xew Jersey, Phila-
delphia, Wilmington, Delaware, and was
also connected with the Salem circuit of
'New Jersey, the Christiana circuit of Del-
aware, the Smyrna and the Dover circuits,
after which he entered upon superannu-
ated relations .with the church, his death
occurring within a short time.
Thomas Coke Sharp, after attending
the common schools, entered Dickinson
College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1835.
and in 1837 became a student in the law
school conducted by Judge Reed, of Car-
lisle. He supported himself during the
last eighteen months of his law course by
teaching in the male high school, of which
he took charge when twenty years of age.
He was also teacher of mathematics for
six months in Dickinson College in the ab-
sence of one of the professors. Following
his graduation from Judge Reed's school
he was in April, 1840, matriculated in the
Cumberland Law School. In September
of the same year he came west and opened
a law office in Warsaw, Illinois, which he
successfully maintained until 1865, when
he located in Carthage, where he resided
until his death.
While in Warsaw, Judge Sharp's hear-
ing became impaired, so that he gave up
the practice of law for a few years or un-
til 1858. He practiced for but a year in
Warsaw, after which he became one of
the proprietors of the Western World, his
partner in the enterprise being James
Gamble. The paper was published as
a whig organ, but Mr. Sharp soon placed
it upon a neutral political basis, for he
was an advocate of Jacksonian democ-
racy. In 1841 the name of the paper
was changed to the Warsaw Signal. Al-
though the two partners worked hard and
faithfully they realized in 1842 that they
could not raise the debt on the establish-
ment and the paper passed again into the
hands of its first proprietor, D. N. White.
It was in the same year, on the 6th of
September, 1842, that Judge Sharp was
married to Mrs. Hannah G. \Vilcox, the
widow of John R. Wilcox, one of the
original proprietors of the town site of
Warsaw. She was a most highly es-
teemed lady, enjoying the warm regard
of all who knew her. She had six chil-
dren, one born of her first marriage and
five of her marriage to Judge Sharp, but
only two of the number are now living :
Charles G., who resides in Shadron, Mis-
souri ; and W. O. Sharp, who is repre-
sented elsewhere in this work. The wife
and mother passed away October 3, 1879.
110
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
About the time the Warsaw Signal
suspended Judge Sharp decided to try
farming, but soon realized that nature
had never intended him for a tiller of the
soil and he made arrangements to again
resume the publication of the Warsaw-
Signal in 1844. He soon became widely
known as a journalist whose articles of
attack against the Mormons awakened
wide-spread attention and aroused public
opinion. The sect turned out upon him
its vengeance and wrath and called him
"Old Tom Sharp." His editorials in the
Signal were extensively copied into other
papers throughout the country. He was
a forceful writer, earnest and fluent, and
was unsparing in his attacks of the prin-
ciples upon which the Mormon church
was founded. Many reading these ar-
ticles formed the opinion that Judge
Sharp was a most aggre3sive man, full of
the fighting spirit, but on the contrary
he was most mild-mannered, of kindly
nature and rather inclined to the conserva-
tive in his opinions and judgments. It
was only when he was aroused by some-
thing that he believed to be wrong that
he assumed the attitude of the antagonist
and then he was unfaltering in support
of whatever cause or course he believed
to be right. In 1844, Joseph and Hiram
Smith, the two prophets and leaders of the
Mormon church, were killed and Judge
Sharp, through the Signal, vindicated the
anti-Mormons. Several attempts were
made to indict him as one of the leaders
in the assassination, but to no avail. He
continued at the head of the Warsaw
Signal until the fall of 1846 and in the
Mormon war which followed the trouble
between the orthodox Christians and the
followers of Smith he acted as an aide to
General Singleton, who first had com-
mand of the anti-Mormon troops, and
after his retirement Judge Sharp occupied
the same position on the staff of General
Brockman. In the battle of Nauvoo he
was sent with others to make a feint on
the Mormon battery on the right, while
the general at the head of the main force
made a flank movement on the left. The
feint executed, Judge Sharp, with his
command, joined the main force and con-
veyed the orders that brought the first
regiment into the fight, and in person led
the second regiment up to the support of
the exposed artillery, during which move-
ment several of the men were wounded.
After the Mormons had been driven
from the country Judge Sharp turned the
Signal over to Thomas Gregg, and as his
health had become impaired through the
strain and hard work in the office he
sought recuperation in outdoor interests.
In the spring of 1847 he was elected a
member of the constitutional convention
with four others from Hancock county
and assisted in framing the organic law
of the state, which was adopted as the
state constitution by a vote of the people
in 1848. In 1851 he was elected justice
of the peace of Warsaw and in 1853 was
chosen the first mayor of that city, which
office he occupied for three consecutive
terms and was again elected in 1858 and
1859, giving to the city a public-spirited
administration, characterized by the ut-
most devotion to the public welfare along
lines of material improvement and intel-
lectual, legal and political progress. For
fifteen months during the early '503 he
also published a paper, neutral in politics,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
in
for the advancement of railroad projects
and in this way contributed much to the
upbuilding of the state. It has been said
that railroads are the means of draining a
new country of savagery and all acknowl-
edge that rapid transportation is one of
the chief elements in opening up a new
district to commercialism and industrial-
ism.
During the Mormon war Judge Sharp
ceased to be a partisan democrat and in
1854, upon its organization, joined the
Republican party, which he ardently and
zealously supported from that time until
his death. In 1856 he was nominated by
the republicans of the then fifth district
as a candidate for congress. He knew
this to be an empty honor because of the
strength of the democracy in his section
of the state, but nevertheless made a
strong canvass through the district, de-
livering speeches in every county in sup-
port of the principles which he upheld.
In 1864 he began the publication of the
Warsaw New Era at the request of the
Union League of Hancock county, and
conducted it for a year at that place, when
leaders in public opinion desired that the
paper be moved to Carthage because of
more central location. In 1865 therefore
the Carthage Gazette was established by
F. E. Fowler. In the fall of the same
year Judge Sharp was nominated by the
republicans for the position of county
judge and on being elected removed his
family to the county seat. He held the
office for four years and the court records
show him to have been one of the ablest
judges that have sat upon the bench. He
was repeatedly renominated but the dem-
ocrats had regained their ascendency and
republican victories have since been few
in Hancock county. On retiring from the
bench he formed a partnership with H.
W. Draper, with whom he continued in
the practice of law for three years, and
in December, 1869, when Mr. Fowler re-
ceived a government appointment, Judge
Sharp was urged to assume editorial con-
trol of the Carthage Gazette, which he
did, expecting, however, to remain con-
nected with that paper for only a brief
period. His old interest in journalistic
work, however, being revived, he pur-
chased the office in 1870 and continued
as proprietor of the Carthage Gazette
until he turned it over to his son, W. O.
Sharp, the present editor. In this period
he had also continued in the practice of
law and for many years was at the head
of the law firm of Sharp & Berry
Brothers. He remained in active life for
many years and was widely known
throughout the state as a journalist and
as a leader in political circles. He also
attained high rank at the bar and in citi-
zenship stood for all that is progressive,
for all that is opposed to misrule and for
all that looks to the welfare of the coun-
try before the aggrandizement of self.
His efforts were again and again of direct
and immediate serviceableness to the
county. He continued active in the news-
paper field and at the bar until 1891, when
he was stricken with paralysis. He lived
for three years thereafter, passing away
April 9, 1894, at the advanced age of sev-
enty-five years, his remains being interred
in Moss Ridge cemetery. It is an impor-
tant public duty to honor and perpetuate
as far as is possible the memory of an
eminent citizen, one who by his blame-
I 12
BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEU'
less and honorable life and distinguished
career reflected credit upon his city and
his state. No man in Hancock county
was ever more respected, more fully en-
joyed the confidence of the people or de-
served in larger measure such respect and
confidence. In his lifetime the people of
his city and county, recognizing his merit,
rejoiced in his advancement and in the
honors to which he attained and since his
death they have cherished his memory.
MARTIN CONRAD ECHBOHM.
The financial and commercial history
of Hancock county would be very incom-
plete and very unsatisfactory without a
personal and somewhat extended mention
of those whose lives are interwoven so
closely with its industrial and manufac-
turing development and with its public
interests. When a man or a select number
of men have set in motion the machinery
of business which materializes into a thou-
sand forms of practical utility, or where
they have carved out a fortune or a name
from the common possibilities, open for
competition to all, there is a public desire
to know the results and the circumstances
by which such results have been achieved.
The subject of this sketch finds a
proper place in the history of those men
of business and enterprise in Hancock
county, whose force of character, whose
sterling integrity, whose fortitude amid
discouragements, whose good sense in
the management of complicated affairs
and marked success in establishing and
controlling industrial and commercial in-
terests have contributed in an eminent
degree to the development of the re-
sources of this part of the state. His
career has not been helped by accident,
or luck, or wealth, or family, or power-
ful friends. He is in the broadest sense
of the term a self-made man, being both
the architect and builder of his own for-
tunes.
Mr. Echbohm was born in Leebeck,
Germany, March 13, 1851, and there at-
tended a public school until thirteen years
of age, when he came to America on an
old sailing vessel, which, after a voyage
of thirteen weeks, dropped anchor in the
harbor of New Orleans. He made the
trip in company with his parents and
from that city the family proceeded north-
ward to Warsaw, Illinois, where Mr.
Echbohm has since lived. His father was
a ship carpenter in the old country and
after coming to the United States em-
barked in the grain business, in which he
continued until his death, passing away
in 1876, when sixty-two years of age.
He was married in his native country to
Miss Mary Woldebrand, who survived
him until 1891, and died at the age of
seventy-two years, when she was laid to
rest by his side in Warsaw cemetery.
They were the parents of three children :
A'lartin C. ; Charles, who died at the age
of twenty-one years ; and Rickey, the wife
of Captain Frank Meyers, of Warsaw.
Mr. Echbohm well remembers the in-
cidents of the voyage to the United
States and the condition of things that
confronted the family upon their arrival
in Hancock county in 1864. His educa-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
tion completed, he entered upon a com-
mercial career in the hay and grain busi-
ness in connection with his father. This
partnership was maintained until the
father's death, and Mr. Echbohm was
then alone in business for fifteen years
thereafter. On the expiration of that
period he retired from the hay and grain
trade and became a merchant of Warsaw,
since which time he has conducted a hard-
ware and implement business. The en-
terprise, of which he is now proprietor,
was established by Fred and Henry Dross
in Warsaw, about 1881, and was contin-
ued by that firm until 1898, when the
partnership was dissolved and the busi-
ness divided. In the meantime Mr. Ech-
bohm had become interested in the busi-
ness and upon the dissolution of the part-
nership he purchased a new stock of im-
plements and groceries and has since car-
ried on business alone under his own
name, dealing in hardware, implements
and groceries. He carries a large and
carefully selected stock suited to the
varied tastes and needs of the general
public and has a liberal patronage, which
has been given him in recognition of his
honorable business methods and reason-
able prices. He is a man of resourceful
ability and has not confined his attention
alone to one line but has extended his
efforts into other fields of activity and
commercial progress and prosperity have
been stimulated by his energy and keen
discrimination. In 1886 he organized
the Warsaw Pickle Company, capitalized
for twenty-five thousand dollars and still
in successful operation. At the beginning
he became general manager and has since
acted in that office. The plant has a ca-
pacity of sixty thousand bushels a year.
In 1901 a.tomato canning- plant was added
and the annual output of canned tomatoes
is about twenty thousand cases. The
works are situated in the village of War-
saw and the company is officered by the
following gentlemen : William Ballenger,
president ; F. C. Haslup, secretary and
treasurer; and Mr. Echbohm, general
manager. The last named was also or-
ganizer of a cold storage business, which
is conducted in connection with the pickle
works and which has a capacity of two
hundred thousand cases of eggs. This
enterprise is one of the leading business
concerns of the village, furnishing an ex-
cellent market for local products and the
quality of its output finds a ready sale on
-the market.
Had Mr. Echbohm done nothing for
his city outside of business interests he
would be entitled to representation among
its leading men. He has, however, la-
bored untiringly and effectively toward
promoting its welfare in other ways and
his fellow townsmen, recognizing his
worth and devotion to the public good
have frequently honored him with office.
He has served as alderman of Warsaw
for several terms and in 1901 was elected
mayor, giving a practical and business-
like administration that led to his re-elec-
tion in 1902, again in 1904, and once
more in 1905, so that he is now serving
for the fourth term in that capacity.
On the 1 4th of October, 1873, Martin
C. Echbohm was married to Miss Mary
Schafer, a daugther of John and Eliza-
beth Schafer. They have become the
parents of a son and daughter. The for-
mer, Henry, died at the age of twenty-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
one years. Clara is now the wife of
Charles Lockart, a resident of St. Paul,
Minnesota. The parents are members of
the Lutheran church, and Mr. Echbohm
became a member of the Odd Fellows
society in Warsaw, in which he has passed
all of the chairs. Mr. and Mrs. Echbohm
are prominent socially and the hospitality
of their own home is greatly enjoyed by
their many friends. In the prosperity of
the city of his residence he has been an
invaluable factor, no man having done
more toward upbuilding the city of War-
saw than he, while his public spirit and
his progressive ideas have been of ines-
timable worth to the community, while
to public enterprises and other efforts look-
ing toward the advancement of his fellow
citizens he contributes with an open hand
and is the prime mover in most of them.
PARKHURST WARD CUTLER.
Parkhurst Ward Cutler resides on sec-
tion 14, Carthage township, where he has
a farm of four hundred acres - of well
improved land. He is a native of Fulton
county, Illinois, born February 27, 1848.
and came to Hancock county in 1853
with his parents, Nathan and Hannah
Ward Cutler. His early education was
acquired in the common schools of Han-
cock county beginning in the old sub-
scription school. The father, a native of
New York, was born at Holland, Erie
county, near Buffalo, and there resided
until nineteen years of age, when he re-
moved to Fulton county, Illinois, where
he lived with his parents until after his
marriage. He continued to reside in that
county until 1853, the year of his arrival
in Hancock county, where he engaged in
general farming. He also purchased a
tract of land in Fulton county, which he
sold upon locating in Pilot Grove town-
ship, where he also bought a farm of one
hundred and fifty acres. A year later,
however, he disposed of that property and
removed to Carthage township, purchas-
ing one hundred and seventy-three acres
of good land on section 28. This he at
once began to cultivate and improve, mak-
ing it his home until his death and suc-
cessfully carrying on general farming
and stock-raising. He kept high grades
of cattle, hogs and horses and both
branches of his business proved profitable.
His life was in harmony with his pro-
fessions as a member of the Baptist
church. He took a most active and help-
ful interest in its work and served as
deacon for many years, acting in that
capacity at the time of his death, which
occurred December 26, 1897, when he
was seventy-eight years of age, his birth
having occurred on the loth of August,
1819. He was laid to rest in Moss Ridge
cemetery at Carthage, and thus passed
away a citizen whom to know was to re-
spect and honor. His early political alle-
giance was given to the democracy, but
a few years prior to his death he joined
the ranks of the Prohibition party and
was an active worked for its principles,
believing firmly in the cause of temper-
ance. Upon the democratic ticket he
was elected to the office of supervisor for
two terms and he was a member of the
PARKHURST W. CUTLER
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
school board for a number of years. In-
tellectual and moral progress and all
those interests which tend to uplift man-
kind elicited his attention, approval and
active support. His wife was born in
Pennsylvania, and in her childhood days
\vas taken to Fulton county, Illinois, by
hei parents. Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Ward.
There she was reared and educated, living
at home until her marriage. She passed
away May, 1886, some years prior to the
death of her husband and her interment
was also in Moss Ridge cemetery, at
Carthage. Of the seven children of that
union three are yet living. Francis M.,
having died August I, 1906. The others
in childhood.
Parkhurst W. Cutler, whose name in-
troduces this review, attended school in
Carthage township and assisted in the
work of the home farm through the period
of his boyhood and youth, remaining at
home until his marriage, save for the time
which- he spent as a student in Central
College, at Pella, Iowa. His education
completed, he started out in life for him-
self, working in partnership with his
father for one year and then purchasing
one hundred and twenty acres of land on
section 28, Carthage township. This was
improved when it came into his possession
and he made his home thereon for about
a quarter of a century, carrying on gen-
eral farming and stock-raising. He then
purchased his present farm in Carthage
township, where he has lived for the past
ten years. He has erected all of the build-
ings here and has a model farm property,
his land being divided into fields of con-
venient size by well kept fences and cul-
tivated with the aid of the latest improved
machinery. Mr. Cutler is probably the
most extensive stock feeder in Carthage
township, usually shipping two hundred
fat cattle per year. He also was the first
man in Carthage township to introduce
thoroughbred Hereford cattle which he
has handled extensively since 1886. He
now has about one hundred head of reg-
istered cattle, and has at the head of his
herd a fine registered bull. He also has
had imported animals. He was the owner
of Britton, a son of Ancient Britton, the
Chicago World's fair champion, while he
was also a brother of the champion cow
at the St. Louis exposition. He weighed
2,600 pounds. The majority of his herd
now being descended from him. It is the
largest herd in this county. He has been
a successful exhibitor at different fairs.
On the 27111 of February, 1871, Mr.
Cutler was married to Miss Fannie G.
Barker, a daughter of Judge Francis A.
and Catherine (Barker) Barker. The
father's birth occurred near Poughkeepsi'e,
in Dutchess county, New York, April 2,
1798, and in his nineteenth year he went
to West Virginia, where he engaged in
he removed to Morgan county, Ohio,
teachmg for about two years. In 1820
where he was married in 1827, and in Oc-
tober, 1844, he went to Iowa, settling on
section 14, Gold township, Marion county,
where he took up land from the govern-
ment. Not a furrow had been turned nor
an improvement made thereon but he at
once began its cultivation. In 1846 he
was elected probate judge of Marion
county and was re-elected to the same of-
fice in 1847, proving a capable officer. In
1863, owing, to his advanced age and fail-
ing health, he disposed of the estate he had
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
,-iccumulated through years of toil and
hardship and spent his remaining days in
the city of Knoxville, dying at his resi-
dence there, January 17, 1871, at the age
of seventy-three years. He was the first
probate judge of Marion county and also
held at one time the position of clerk of
the house of representatives of Iowa,
while for two terms he was warden of
the Iowa state prison. At an early epoch
in the development of that state he was
one of its most prominent, influential and
best known citizens and his influence in
behalf of public progress was far-reach-
ing and beneficial.
Mrs. Cutler was educated in the com-
mon schools of Clay township, Marion
county, Iowa, and in Central University,
at Pella, Iowa, from which institution
she was graduated, while at the present
time she is a member of its board of
directors. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cutler
have been born two sons, Nathan B. and
Ward A., both born in Carthage town-
ship. The elder now resides on section
28, Carthage township, which was the
farm on which his grandfather first set-
tled on coming to this county. He mar-
ried Daisy Corbin, and they haVe one
daughter. Veta.
Mr. Cutler exercised his right of
franchise in support of the men and
measures of democracy until 1884, when
he became a prohibitionist and has ever
since voted~ that ticket, for he is a stal-
wart champion of the cause of temperance
and believes it to be one of the dominant
issues of the country. He was nominated
by his party for the office of member of
the State Board of Equalization and has
been nominated for various county offices.
He is chairman of the county committee
and a member of the senatorial commit-
tee. He has also been a director of the
Harmony Mutual Fire Insurance Com-
pany for fifteen years. He holds mem-
bership in the Baptist church and has lived
an upright, honorable life characterized
by devotion to all that tends to uplift
humanity and promote moral progress.
ROBERT P. STEWART.
Robert P. Stewart, who during the long
years of his residence in Elvaston, be-
came known as an honored man of gen-
uine, personal worth, was born March 4.
1830, in Butler county, Ohio. His parents
were James T. and Susanna (Finney)
Stewart. The father, a native of Harri-
son county, Pennsylvania, was born in
1793, while the mother's birth occurred
near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 3.
1792. When a youth of eleven years
James T. Stewart accompanied his par-
ents on their removal to Illinois, settling
in Montebello township, Hancock county,
where he engaged in fanning until his
death, which occurred September 17,
1864. His wife survived him until the
3d of May, 1870. Both were members
of the United Presbyterian church. In
their family were nine children, three of
whom are now living : Sarah and Mary
Jane, who are residing with their sister-
in-law. Mrs. Stewart; and John F., who
resides in Boulder, Colorado.
Robert P. Stewart spent the days of his
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
117
boyhood and youth in his native county.
No event of special importance occurred
to vary the routine of farm life for him
in his youth. When a young man of
about twenty-seven years he came west
witli his parents and as stated, the family
home was established in Montebello town-
ship, where the father purchased a farm,
the family living in Oakwood while a
dwelling was being built on the farm.
Soon after the home was completed Rob-
ert Stewart returned to Ohio and on the
evening of March 9, 1859, he was married
to Miss Martha Holmes, a daughter of.
John and Hannah (Bigger) Holmes, of
whom her father was a native of Penn-
sylvania, and her mother of Kentucky.
Following their marriage they removed to
Ohio, settling near Dayton, where the
father followed the occupation of farm-
ing. He died in his eighty-sixth year,
while his wife passed away in the seventy-
first year of her age. In their family were
eight children. Mr. Stewart brought his
bride back to Hancock county and began
housekeeping on the farm a few miles
southwest of Elvaston, where they lived
continuously until 1901, when they built
their home in the village and retired from
the farm, planning to enjoy life in ease
during their remaining days. His parents
lived for only a brief period after they
came to Illinois and from that time on
Mr. Stewart was owner of the farm which
he carefully cultivated and improved,
adding to it modern equipments and
placing his fields under a high state of
cultivation. While living upon the farm
one son came to bless their union but was
spared to them for a little less than two
years. The kindness of their hearts, how-
ever, prompted them to care for three
children, to whom they gave a parent's
love and devotion. These were Ernest
and Georgia Allison (the latter now de-
ceased), and Nelson Wells, who lived to
young manhood and for the benefit of his
health afterward went to the western
country. The anticipated improvement
did not follow, however, and about 1902
he returned to the home of his foster
parents, living but a few days after his
arrival, thus in early manhood passed
away a life which gave so much promise
for the future.
While Mr. Stewart was a farmer by oc-
cupation he also possessed milch mechan-
ical ingenuity and to a greater or less ex-
tent followed the carpenter's trade. His
ability in this direction enabled him to
keep everything about his place in excel-
lent condition and the buildings and fences
were always in a state of good repair. In
matters of citizenship he was loyal and
progressive. During the latter part of the
Civil war he responded to the country's
call for aid and enlisted in the Union
Army but after a few months the war
ended and he was engaged in no battle.
Every movement for the benefit of his
township and county received his en-
dorsement and to a large measure his co-
operation and he always stood as an ad-
vocate of all that is right, true and just.
In his youth he became a member of the
Presbyterian church, and he and his wife
and his two sisters were charter mem-
bers of the Elvaston Presbyterian church,
in which Mr. Stewart served as an elder
for many years, while in the various
church activities he took a helpful part.
His life was permeated by his Christian
n8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
faith and he made it his daily endeavor
to follow closely the teachings of his
church, so that he lived an exemplary
Christian life. He was considerate in his
judgments of men, kindly in action and
generous in disposition and was de-
voted to his family, doing everything in
his power for the welfare and happiness
of his wife and the two sisters residing
with them. He was last seen in public
in attendance at Sunday services of his
church on the 8th of January, 1905. He
had always been a rugged man, enjoying
excellent health and that morning seemed
in his usual good health, but soon after
his return 'home he became ill and in a
half hour had passed away. The news of
his death was a shock in Elvaston, Ham-
ilton and throughout the county wher-
ever he was known. He had lived a life
of usefulness and activity, in which there
were no sensational chapters but the
record was that of a man who had always
done his duty to himself, his family and
his country.
LEWIS L. NEWTON.
Lewis L. Newton, engaged in general
farming in Pontoosuc township, was
born in Vinton county, Ohio, July 24,
1860, a son of Hiram H. and Hannah
(Harper) Newton, who were likewise
natives of that county, the former born
February 10, 1836, and the latter De-
cember 15, 1839. They are now resi-
dents of Pontoosuc township. Their fam-
ily numbers seven children, who survive,
the first born son having died in infancy.
Lewis L., Mrs. Laura A. Alston, D. L.,
Mrs. Ella S. Deewall, Mrs. Anna F.
Kidson, Mrs. C. Blanche Booz and R.
H. Newton.
After acquiring his preliminary educa-
tion in the district schools of Pontoosuc i
township, Lewis L. Newton became a
student in Carthage College and, return-
ing to the home farm, he remained until
twenty-one years of age, when he started
out upon an independent business career.
He has always followed the occupation
of farming and now has a good place,
which he has tiled and placed under a
high state of cultivation. He uses the
latest improved agricultural implements
to facilitate the work of the farm.
On the loth of May, 1882, Mr. New-
ton was united in marriage to Miss Laura
B. Lamb, who was born in Pontoosuc
township, May 10, 1861, a daughter of
Samuel and Sarah (Baker) Lamb. Her
father was born. in Virginia, March 10,
1824, and her mother was a native of
Adams county, Illinois, her birth occur-
ring about 1840. He was a farmer by
occupation and in 1855 settled upon a
farm in Pontoosuc township, Hancock
county, where he lived until his death,
March 17, 1893. For some years he had
survived hie wife who died in 1878 and
their remains rest side by side in Pleasant
Hill cemetery, Pontoosuc township. They
were the parents of nine children, of
whom seven are living: Delilah M., the
wife of George Carlisle, of Rock Creek
township; Charles R., living in Clements,
Minnesota; Mrs. Newton; Mary E., the
wife of Samuel Wright, of Lamar, Colo-
rado; Addie M., the wife of Orville Pit-
tarn, of Pilot Grove township; Frank B..
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
119
a resident farmer of Pontoosuc township,
and Hugh L., who is also a farmer of the
same township. Air. Lamb married for
his second wife Kate C. North, and to
them was born one child, George, who
now resides on the home place with his
mother.
Mr. and Mrs. Newton have continu-
ously resided in the township in which
they began their domestic life and their
home has been blessed with four children :
Minnie R., Leslie M., who was graduated
from a military school at Booneville, Mis-
souri, May 30, 1906; Madge E., and
Hiram F. They attend and support the
Methodist Episcopal church, of which the
wife and daughters are members.
HENRY CLAY HANSON.
Henry Clay Hanson, a prosperous and
enterprising farmer of Montebello town-
ship, was born in this county on Novem-
ber 4, 1849, and is the son of David and
Anna Maria (Sullivan) Hanson, both
natives of Ohio, the father being the
son of Daniel and Barbara (Broombach)
Hanson, also natives of the Buckeye state.
The parents of our sketch were married
in Ohio, and drove with a team to the new
west, and settled in Montebello township
in 1847, renting a farm for a few years
and then buying the N. \Y. quarter of
section 3 of this township, which at that
time was unimproved prairie land. He
first built a frame house, and then broke
up what land he could and as rapidly as
he could with the few facilities at his dis-
posal. Progress was very slow as the
country was very new and his means lim-
ited. He moved on this place in 1854,
where he made his home until 1890, when
he retired and moved to Hamilton, Illi-
nois, remaining there until called to his
final resting place on May 22, 1901.
His wife preceded him to her long
home, passing away from her earthly
home on January 18, 1888. To this union
were born four children : Daniel, of
Cloud county, Kansas ; Sullivan, of Ham-
ilton, Illinois; Sarah, wife of Owen
Dickerhoof, of Belleville, Kansas; and
Henry, the subject of this sketch.
Henry received his education in the
school of district No. 132, and remained
with his parents until his twenty-fifth
year, when, on the first day of October,
1874, he was united in marriage to Miss
Georgiana Benner, of Sonora township.
Miss Benner was born on October 7,
1853, the daughter of George and Emily
(Bradley) Benner, natives of Ohio.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Hanson made their home on a portion of
the home place, renting the land until the
father's death, when the estate was di-
vided among the children, Henry being
given the home place of one hundred and
sixty acres. The farm was well im-
proved with hedge fences and buildings,
there being two residences, the main house
being a story and a half high, with seven
rooms, and supplied with water piped
from a deep well. He has one windmill
and four wells, one being one hundred
and ninety-eight feet in depth. His horse-
barn is twenty-four by thirty feet with a
shed ten by thirty feet. The land lays
120
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
in such a way that tiling is not necessary.
Mr. Hanson carries on general farm-
ing, and the well kept farm and general
conditions bear silent testimony to his
ability in this his chosen occcupation.
To his marriage with Miss Benner,
were born six children, five of whom are
still living : Edna B., born May 24, 1877,
at home; Leslie, August 23, 1879, died
October 22, 1903; Adella G., born April
8, 1 88 1, at home; Winnie M., born May
21, 1883, resides at Hamilton, Illinois;
Jesse Ray, born February 23, 1886;
and Archie Clay, born April 17, 1888.
Mrs. Hanson was called from this life on
April 21, 1888, and her remains were laid
to rest in the Oak Grove cemetery, in
Sonora township.
On May 24, 1892, Mr. Hanson was
united in marriage to Miss Ella Clemen-
tine Black, who was born in Sonora
township and was the daughter of George
and Helen (Bumpus) Black. To this
union were born three children, only one
of whom is now living. Vina Gertrude,
born October 29, 1893; Barbara Helen,
born September 22, 1896, died August 3,
1897; Celia Rachel, born April 18, 1900,
died July 23, 1900.
Mrs. Hanson has been dead for several
years, being taken away July 7, 1900, and
her remains lie in the Oak Grove ceme-
tery.
Mr. Hanson has gone through many
trials, the hand of death bringing grief
and sorrow to his home many times, but
he goes bravely on, and with the help of
his children he has made a comfortable
and happy home. He is a member of the
Democratic party, but does not have any
political aspirations, being content to use
his vote in the way that he judges bene-
ficial to the people and his party. He is
a member of the Christian church of
Golden Point, and is an honest, industri-
ous man, gaining and keeping the respect
of his friends and neighbors.
RALPH ELLISON.
Ralph Ellison, one of the prosperous
and enterprising farmers of Prairie town-
ship, owns and operates one hundred and
seventy-four acres of rich land upon
which he has placed many improvements,
transforming it into a model farm prop-
erty. He was one of the early settlers
of Hancock county and has been contin-
ously connected with its agricultural in-
terests, giving his time and energies at
the present time to the development of
his farm, which is conveniently and
pleasantly located, adjoining the village
limits of Elvaston. A native of England,
he was born in Yorkshire on the 23d of
December, 1840, and when' only a year
old was brought to the United States by
his parents, Matthew and Jane (Willson)
Ellison, both of whom were natives of
Yorkshire. The father worked in a
factory during his residence in England,
and upon coming to the United States
settled in Hancock county, Illinois, where
he purchased a quarter section of land in
Rock Creek township. There he made a
home for himself and family, and resided
until his death, which occurred at the age
of seventv-six years. The mother also
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
121
died there and was seventy-eight years of
age at the time of her demise. They were
faithful members of the Presbyterian
church and enjoyed the unqualified esteem
of those with whom they came in con-
tact. The father engaged in general
farming throughout the period of his res-
idence in this county, or until his life's
labors were ended in death and both he
and his wife were laid to rest in Rock
Creek township. In their family were
eight children, of whom Ralph is the
youngest child. He has two surviving
sisters, Margaret, the wife of John Stev-
enson, a resident fanner of Rock Creek
township, and Mary, the widow of
Dwight Whitcomb, who is living in
Adrian.
Mr. Ellison of this review was reared
upon the old homestead farm in Rock
Creek township, and acquired his educa-
tion in the common schools, while during
the periods of vacation he assisted in the
work of the fields, and after putting aside
his text-books gave his entire attention to
work upon his father's farm until twenty-
three years of age, save that for a brief
period he devoted his energies to the
blacksmith's trade, which he learned and
followed for a short time and then aban-
doned it. Leaving home at the age of
twenty-three, he purchased a quarter sec-
tion of raw land on section 17. Rock
Creek township, and with characteristic
energy began to cultivate and improve
this tract, on which he erected good build-
ings. He here engaged in general fann-
ing and stock-raising for twenty-seven
years and then sold the property, at which
time he purchased a farm of eighty acres
in Prairie township, where he resided for
a year. He then sold that place to his
son, George, and invested in one hundred
and seventy-four acres of land, consti-
tuting his present farm in Prairie town-
ship. Here he has resided continously
since and the many excellent improve-
ments he has placed upon the property
have made it a model farm. He has mod-
ern farm machinery, good buildings, high
grades of stock and richly cultivated
fields, and altogether the property is a
valuable one. He likewise owns a farm
of one hundred and sixty acres at Edna,
Labette county, Kansas.
Mr. Ellison was married December 31,
1862, to Miss Edith Evans, who was born
in Adams county, Illinois, a daughter of
Bales and Elizabeth (Pevehouse) Evans,
both of whom are now deceased. The
father was a farmer and became one of
the early settlers of Adams county, Illi-
nois. Mrs. Ellison died at their home
in Prairie township, February 4, 1904.
She was a consistent member of the Pres-
byterian church, a devoted wife, a kind
and loving mother and a faithful friend,
and her death was deeply regretted by all
who knew her. Her remains were in-
terred in Carthage cemetery. By her mar-
riage she had become the mother of four
children, all of whom are yet living, and
all were born in Hancock county. Jennie
is the wife of Albert Schenk, a resident
farmer of Labette county, Kansas, and
has four children. Clifford and Emory,
born in Hancock county ; Myrtle and Grace
were born in Labette county, Kansas.
Emma married Milton Karr, October 1 1 .
1906, a resident farmer of Elvaston.
George is a farmer of Prairie township,
where he owns eighty acres of land, which
122
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
he purchased from his father. He wedded
Mary J. Davis, a daughter of Amos
Davis, of Appanoose township. They
have two sons, Earl and Ray. Lillian
is the wife of Jean McGinnes, proprietor
of a grocery store and meat market at
Elvaston, Illinois.
Mr. Ellison votes with the Republican
party and has held several township of-
fices. He has seen many improvements
made in Hancock county, and in fact has
witnessed almost its entire development
from a wil'd prairie section to one of high
cultivation, the farms of this locality be-
ing among- the best to be found in this
great agricultural state. He has done his
full share toward making the county
what it is today and has ever stood for
good citizenship, for progress and for
advancement, and in his private business
interests he has displayed sterling purpose
and close application which have resulted
in the acquirement of valuable property.
CYRUS MANLEY HEWITT.
Cyrus M. Hewitt is engaged in general
farming and stock-raising on section 9,
Pontoosuc township, where he has resided
since 1885 and where he owns one hun-
dred and ten acres of land that, owing to
the care and labor bestowed upon it, is
now rich and productive. It was in this
township, September 6, 1851, that he first
opened his eyes to the light of day, his
parents being Charles W. and Ann (Alex-
ander) Hewitt. The father was a native
of Vermont and the mother of New York
and the latter was 'a daughter of one of
the heroes of the Revolutionary war.
Charles W. Hewitt followed the occupa-
tion of farming as a life work and came
to Hancock county, Illinois, in 1839, set-
tling in Pontoosuc township, where he
entered land from the government and
amid pioneer conditions began the devel-
opment of a farm. Subsequently he re-
moved to La Harpe township and con-
tinued actively in farming until his life's
labors were terminated by death in 1894.
His wife survived him until 1898. They
were the parents of eight children, of
whom five are now living : Viola, the wife
of W. B. Kirkpatrick, of Macomb, Illi-
nois ; Louisa, the wife of Rufus Bennett,
of La Harpe; C. M. ; Ellen and lola, also
of La Harpe. *
In the schools of La Harpe township
Cyrus M. Hewitt acquired his education
and upon the home farm remained to the
age of twenty years, when he began
working by the month and so continued
until his marriage, March 21, 1883, to
Miss Eary Ettny Cranshaw, who was born
in Henderson county, Illinois, in 1839, a
daughter of Isaac and Mary (Coffman)
Cranshaw, natives of Georgia and Ken-
tucky respectively. Coming to Illinois at
a very early day, her father settled in the
southwestern part of the state. He took
part in the Mormon war in 1844, whereby
the Mormons were driven from the state
and he was connected with other early
events which left their impress upon the
historic annals of the state. His political
support was given the democracy. Both
he and his wife died in McDonough
county, Illinois. In their family were
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
123
eleven children, five yet living: Mrs.
Elizabeth Wise, a widow, living in Ore-
gon ; Mrs. Hewitt ; Isaac, a resident of
Kansas ; Mary, the widow of James Dun-
can, and a resident of Kansas City, Mis-
souri ; Franklin, of Stronghurst. Illinois.
One son, Boone Cranshaw, was a soldier
of the Civil war and died in the hospital
from the effects of the hardships of mili-
tary life.
Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt began their do-
mestic life in Henderson county, Illinois,
where they lived for two years, and then
removed to the Alexander place in Pon-
toosuc township. In 1885 he purchased
his present farm of one hundred and ten
acres on section 9, erected a house, built
a barn and other outbuildings and has
generally improved the farm. Here he
tills the soil and raises stock, leading a
busy and useful life. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Hewitt has been born a daughter, Lola,
whose birth occurred in Pontoosuc town-
ship in 1885, and who is still with her
parents. At the time of her marriage to
our subject Mrs. Hewitt was the widow
of John Duncan, of McDonough county,
Illinois. He was born in that county in
1841, a son of Joseph and Catherine
(Wasson) Duncan, both deceased. In
their family were four children, all living
with the exception of John, the others be-
ing: Mrs. Elizabeth Hunt, a widow, liv-
ing in Kansas ; Lydia, the wife of John
M. Huston, of McDonough county ; and
Caroline, the wife of Henry Curry, of
Henderson county. John Duncan died in
1882, his remains being interred in Mc-
Donough county. He left five children :
Dora, the eldest, is the wife of W. T.
Kirkpatrick, of Oklahoma, and has six
children : George, John, Robert, Law-
rence, Lulu and Olive ; Addie is the wife of
Luther Van Osdale, of Henderson county,
Illinois, and has four children : Ethel,
John, Roy and Gladys; Lawrence, living
in Kansas, married Maude Kidson and
has three children : Vallie, Dewey and
Opal ; Vema is the wife of William Koll,
of Dallas City, Illinois, and has a daugh-
ter, Maxine ; and Royce, of Blandinsville,
Illinois, married Florence Sullivan and
has a daughter, Edna May.
Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt are devoted mem-
bers of the Christian church, of which he
is one of the trustees, and upon the demo-
cratic ticket, of which he is a supporter,
he has been elected commissioner. Mrs.
Hewitt, a lady of natural culture and re-
finement and of most gracious manner,
possesses superior literary taste and has
written many poems of much more than
ordinary merit. In 1905 she had a volume
of her best poems published and sold to
aid the missionary cause of her church.
They had a ready sale and the volume is
much prized by all who possess a copy.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Hewitt stand high in
public regard. It has been due to his
business enterprise and sound judgment
that he has won a place among the sub-
stantial residents of his county, for he
started out in. life empty-handed and his
possessions are the visible proof of his
enterprise and keen discernment in all
matters relating to the management and
improvement of the farm. Mr. and Mrs.
Hewitt both stand high in the estimation
of all who have had the pleasure of mak-
ing their acquaintance, and with whom
they have been associated in the walks
of life.
124
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
EDWIN P. ROWE.
Edwin P. Rowe, one of the oldest
salesmen in the city of Carthage, was
bom in 1851, at Dallas City, Hancock
county. His paternal grandfather, Mor-
ris Rowe, was a soldier of the war of
1812 and of the Mexican war. His
parents were Miles and Eliza Jane (Bean)
Rowe, the former born in New York, in
1821, and the latter in Virginia, in 1826.
Miles Rowe came to Illinois at an early
period in its settlement and for a num-
ber of years when a young man drove a
stage between Carthage and Warsaw,
while for many years afterward he was
proprietor of the Hit or Miss Hotel, in
Dallas City. Then for fifteen or twenty
years he was employed in the lumber of-
fice of H. F. Black, and is now gatekeeper
on the Santa Fe road at Dallas City, oc-
cupying this position although eighty-five
years of age. In politics he is a demo-
crat. His wife, who was a member of
the Methodist church, died in 1902, and
is buried in Dallas City, Illinois. They
had six children, of whom five are now
living: William H., a resident of St.
Louis; Oscar E., deceased; Edwin P.;
Stella, the wife of John Roth, of Dallas
City. Illinois : Mary, the wife of Fred
Grippe, living in Joliet, Illinois ; and
Morris, of Dallas City.
Edwin P. Rowe was educated in the
public schools of his native place "and
afterward was employed for a number of
years in a grocery store there. Later he
had charge as manager of a dry goods
store in Dallas City, and in 1885 he re-
moved to Carthage, where he has been
head salesman of the Quinby Clothing
Store since that time, covering a period of
more than twenty years.
On the 23d of April, 1876, Mr. Rowe
was married to Miss Minnie P. Graff,
who was born in Burlington. Iowa, in
September. 1855, a daughter of Ferdi-
nand and Louisa M. (Becker) Graff. Her
father was born in Berlin, Germany, and
at the age of twenty years emigrated to
America, settling in Iowa but now lives
in Hancock county, Illinois, where he fol-
lows farming. His wife, who was born
in Berlin, came to the L'nited States when
only five years of age. Both were mem-
bers of the Lutheran church. In the fam-
ily were ten children, nine of whom still
survive: John H., a resident of Musca-
tine, Iowa: Minnie P., now the wife of
Mr. Rowe; Clara M., the wife of C. R.
Thull, of Dallas City ; Eda, who died in
infancy; Emma, the wife of F. A. Scrip-
fer, of Sigourney, Iowa; George F., who
lives on the old home farm near Dallas
City ; John, a druggist, of Des Moines,
Iowa : Bertha, the wife of H. Hagebeack,
of Davenport, Iowa : Etta, the wife of
Hershall Trenthart, of Niota, Hancock
county : and Flora, at home. These chil-
dren were born of two marriages, for the
mother of Mrs. Rowe died when the
(laughter was only six years of age. and
for his second wife the father chose Miss
Anna Mayer, there being six children
born of the second marriage. Both he
and his second wife are living, their home
being in Pontoosuc township.
Mr. and Mrs. Rowe had four children,
two born in Dallas City and two in Car-
thage, namely : Walter E., who was born
in February, 1877, and is at home; Wil-
ford F.. who was born in 1879, married
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
125
Miss Lenore Kelley and lives in Chicago,
where he is employed in the Live Stock
National Bank. He was in the Philippine
war, enlisting in 1899 in the Thirtieth
Regiment under Colonel Gardner. He
was a member of the Thirtieth Regimental
Band, was first corporal, was afterward
promoted to the rank of sergeant and re-
ceived an honorable discharge in 1901.
He was in early youth employed in sev-
eral stores in Carthage and afterward be-
came messenger at the Drovers Bank in
Chicago, while later he was employed in
the money department of the Adams Ex-
press Company in that city. Later he was
promoted to bookkeeper at a salary of
fifty-five dollars a month in the Live Stock
Bank, of Chicago, and he has a fine record
for a young man of his years, when
viewed from both a military and business
standpoint. Since entering the bank he
has won promotion and he is in a position
where he handles millions of dollars a
day. Mabel Grace, the third member of
the family, was a graduate of the high
school and became a fine piano and violin
player as well as vocalist. She died in
1888. Irma Pauline died in 1900.
In his political views Mr. Rowe is an
earnest democrat and fraternally is con-
nected with the Modern Woodmen and
with the Court of Honor, while his wife
belongs to the' latter and also to the Order
of the Eastern Star, in which she is a past
matron. Both are faithful members of
the Presbyterian church and Mr. Rowe
was a member of the building committee
at the time of the erection of the present
house of worship. He built his present
home at the corner of Marion and Davis
streets and has erected several houses in
Carthage but has sold them all. He
owns, however, one or two vacant lots in
the city. He is a man whose indefatigable
enterprise and indomitable purpose have
constituted the basis of his success and
though he started out in life on his own
responsibility at an early age he has
through his energy, ambition and deter-
mination accumulated the means whereby
he has given his children good educa-
tional advantages and provided them with
many of the comforts of life. Mrs. Rowe
presides with pleasing hospitality over
their home and their friends in Carthage
are numbered by the score.
GEORGE W. PAYNE.
George W. Payne, an architect of
Carthage, whose business extends into
various other counties and states, is a
son of Alfred F. and Elizabeth (Wil-
liams) Payne, and was born near St.
Charles, Missouri, November 4, 1845.
His father was a native of Fauquier
county, Virginia, while the mother's birth
occurred near St. Louis, Missouri. She
was a daughter of Thomas Williams, a
- -
soldier of the war of 1812. Alfred F.
Payne was a civil engineer, who pursued
his education in the college in St. Louis.
He afterward turned his attention to
harness-making, later followed the occu-
pation of farming and subsequently en-
gaged in the lumber business, thus follow-
ing various pursuits. He died in 1869
and his remains were interred in Bowen
126
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
cemetery in Hancock county, while his
wife, who survived him for a number of
years, was laid to rest in Carthage cem-
etery. In their family were ten children,
of whom five are living.
George \V. Payne was largely educated
in the schools of Brown county, Illinois.
When a young lad he ran away from
home to go to the war but his army life
was very brief, lasting for only a few
weeks, at the end of which time his
parents learned of his whereabouts and
he was returned home, for he was too
youthful for military service. In early
life he learned the carpenter's trade, which
he followed from 1868 until 1887 in
Hancock county. He became a resident
of Carthage in 1870 and was actively
identified with its building operations for
seventeen years thereafter, since which
time he has given his attention to his pres-
ent profession that of an architect. In
this he is associated with his son, Edgar
A., and they are the only architects in the
county. They have done some publishing
and they send plans to almost every state
in the union. Their office is on Main
street and their business is now extensive
and of an important character, their plans
being equal to any sent out by the various
architects in this part of the state. They
have made plans for churches, oppra
houses, business blocks, residences and
schools and have planned all of the
churches in Carthage. In fact many of
the fine structures of this city stand as
monuments to their skill and ability in the
line of their chosen profession.
Mr. Payne was married in 1871 to Miss
Emma Carsey, of Hancock county, Illi-
nois, who was born in Missouri. Her
father was a shoemaker and removed
from Missouri to this city but is now re-
siding in Texas. In his family were
eight or nine children. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Payne have been born two children,
both of whom are natives of Carthage.
The elder, Edgar A., married Miss Kittie
Linn and is connected with his father in
business. He pursued a course of study
in Carthage College. The daughter,
Bertha A., is now the wife of C. A.
Garard, of Carthage, and has two chil-
dren, Earl A. and Ruth A. The parents
are devoted members of the Lutheran
Evangelical church and reside on Wash-
ington street, near Main, where Mr.
Payne erected a fine residence. In his
political views he is a democrat.
He stands high among all classes of
men and is an energetic, progressive and
upright citizen, who well merits the con-
fidence and esteem which are uniformly
extended to him. His residence in
Carthage covers a period of thirty-six
years and through his entire life he has
been actuated by honorable principles and
manly purposes.
LYMAN W. WATT.
Lyman W. Watt, an influential busi-
ness man of the village of Elvaston,
where he is engaged in the coal trade,
was here born on the I2th of May, 1868.
His father, Alexander Watt, was a native
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, born Feb-
ruary 4, 1821, and in that city he resided
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
127
until twenty-eight years of age, when he
came to Illinois, settling first in Durham
township, Hancock county, where he en-
gaged in farming. He rented a farm
there for some years, after which he went
to Wythe township, where he owned and
operated a farm of eighty acres, making
his home thereon until 1863. That year
witnessed his removal to Dallas and he
filled a position as clerk in one of the
stores at that place. In 1866 he came to
Elvaston and with the capital he had ac-
quired through his own labor, economy
and careful management he established
himself in a general mercantile business
and was for years a prominent factor in
commercial circles here, continuing in the
store until 1900, when he sold out and
retired to private life. He was also
largely engaged in the coal trade and his
son, Lyman, subsequently became his suc-
cessor in this business. The father like-
wise shipped and handled large quantities
of grain and hay and his business inter-
ests were extensive, making him one of
the leading representatives of commercial
life in Elvaston. He realized that "There
is no excellence without labor" and his
unfaltering diligence and determined pur-
pose proved the basis of a very gratifying
success. He married for his first wife
Miss Sarah McDonald, who died in 1863.
His second wife bore the maiden name
of Fannie C. Wilcox and was a native
of Connecticut, born in the town of Had-
dam, March II, 1836. This marriage
was celebrated November 29, 1866. Mrs.
Watt is still living and resides with her
son, Lyman W. Six children were born
of the second marriage, two of whom are
now living, the younger son being Her-
man, who resides in Burlington, Iowa,
and is connected with the Prudential In-
surance Company.
Alexander Watt was a member of the
Masonic fraternity, who exemplified in his
life the beneficent spirit of the craft.
He voted with the Republican party and
as even- true American citizen should
do, felt a deep interest in political ques-
tions and issues. He was supervisor of
Prairie township for several terms and
whether in office or out of it was thor-
oughly trustworthy and commanded the
esteem of all who knew him. His death
occurred at his home in Elvaston on the
27th of July, 1901, when he had reached
the age of eighty years, five months and
twenty-three days. He was a prosperous
and progressive man of his day and had
the confidence of all who knew him. His
circle of friends was extensive, a result
that was attributable to his genial disposi-
tion, kindly manner and deference to the
opinions of others. He erected a home
which is now occupied by his widow and
son a large and substantial frame dwell-
ing and was also the owner of several
other buildings in the village.
Mrs. Alexander Watt was a daughter
of Lyman and Emily (Hubbard) Wilcox,
both of whom were natives of Middlesex,
Connecticut, whence they came to Illinois
in 1839, when their daughter was but
three years of age. They settled in Han-
cock county, where Mr. Wilcox followed
farming on North prairie but after a short
time he removed to Durham township.
He was one of the committee appointed
to name that township and gave to it the
name of Durham. He purchased a farm
there and carried on the work of cultiva-
128
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW'
tion and improvement up to the time of
his death, which occurred when he was
about seventy-nine years of age, for lie
was born in 1795 and he passed away in
1874. He held membership in the Meth-
odist church and his entire life was
guided by honorable principles and lofty
motives. He was one of the worthy,
pioneer residents of the county, traveling
westward in true pioneer style. The party
consisted of sixteen people, all of whom
located in Hancock county. They were
six weeks upon the way from Connecticut
to Illinois, making the journey in wagons.
Mrs. Wilcox died in 1868. In the family
were eight children, fpur of whom are
now living, namely : Mrs. Emily Pershin
and Mrs. Clara Spencer, both of Durham
township ; Wilbur, who is living in Peoria,
Illinois; and Mrs. Watt, who makes her
home with her son in Elvaston.
In the public schools of the village Ly-
man W. Watt acquired his education and
after putting aside his text-books entered
his father's store in 1887. He was ad-
mitted to a partnership under the firm
name of A. Watt & Son and continued
in the store until March, 1900, when they
sold the business, having up to that time
carried a large line of general merchan-
dise and enjoyed an extensive patronage.
At that date the father retired from ac-
tive business, while Lyman W. Watt con-
centrated his energies upon the coal trade,
with which he has since been connected.
He has a large business in this line and
is numbered among the leading represen-
tatives of trade interests in his native
town.
In his political views Mr. Watt is an
earnest republican but without aspiration
for office. He belongs to the Modern
Woodmen camp, No. 3155, of Elvaston,
in which he has held a number of offices.
His entire life has here been passed, so
that his life history is well known to his
fellow townsmen and that he enjoys the
good will and confidence of all is an in-'
dication that his has been an honorable
and straightforward career. In the man-
agement of his business interests he dis-
plays keen discernment and arrives quickly
at correct conclusions.
SAMUEL GORDON.
Samuel Gordon, deceased, was actively
connected with agricultural pursuits in
Hancock county for many years and the
place which he occupied in public regard
well entitles him to representation in this
volume. He was born in Peterboro, New
Hampshire, May 3, 1825, a son of John
and Elizabeth (Smith) Gordon, who were
also natives of Peterboro. The paternal
grandparents were Samuel and Eleanor
(Mitchell) Gordon, natives of Scotland.
John and Elizabeth (Smith) Gordon,
leaving New Hampshire, traveled by
stage to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, thence
down the Ohio and up the Mississippi
river, landing just opposite Montebello in
1831. They were accompanied by their
two sons, Samuel being the younger. The
father died soon afterward, but in the
meantime had in 1839 purchased land
which he secured under a tax title where
Hamilton is now located. His wife sur-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLIXOIS.
129
vivecl him, passing away about 1845. The
land which they owned covered nearly the
entire site of Hamilton as it is today and
Air. Gordon assisted in laying out the
city.
Samuel Gordon of this review spent the
days of his boyhood and youth in his
parents' home and acquired a fair com-
mon school education. He remained with
his parents until they were called from
this life and being the only heir came
I into possession of the old home property.
On the 3d of April, 1851, he married Miss
IVrmelia A. Alvord, who was born in
Warren county, Pennsylvania, August 3,
1832. a daughter of Rev. Samuel and
Ursula (Smith) Alvord. She was only
thirteen years of age when brought to
Hancock county, where she was reared
by her parents, remaining at home until
her marriage, when she went to a home of
her own. She came to this county in
1845. Mr. Gordon had one hundred and
sixty acres of land on which a log cabin
had been built. In later years he erected
the finest brick residence in this part of
the country, containing twelve rooms with
a large cellar under one half of the house.
In this home, surrounded by the comforts
and many of the luxuries of life, he spent
his remaining days, passing away on the
6th of October, 1901. He had for more
than a decade survived his wife, whose
death occurred September 25, 1890. This
worthy couple were the parents of the
following named : Eleanor Elizabeth
Gordon, living in Des Moines. Iowa, is a
minister of the Unitarian church. John
A. Gordon is engaged in the book busi-
ness in Hamilton. Alice and Agnes are
living at the old home in Hamilton.
Robert Smith Gordon is station agent on
the Wabash and on the Toledo, Peoria
& Warsaw railroads at Hamilton. Mabel
has been a teacher in the schools of Ham-
ilton since 1894. In August, 1862, Mr.
Gordon responded to his country's call
for troops, enlisting as a member of
Company C, One Hundred and Eight-
eenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
was on continuous duty for three years
and eight months and participated in the
battles of Chickasaw Bluffs, Arkansas
Post, Thompson's Hill, Champion Hills,
Black River, the siege of Vicksburg,
Grand Coteau Bayou and Port Hudson.
He was a brave and loyal soldier, always
found at his duty whether on the firing
line or the lonely picket line. He became
a member of Black Hawk lodge, No. 238,
A. F. & A. M., on the ist of September,
1857, and served as senior warden for
one year and as junior warden for two
years. He was also secretary for six
years and treasurer for twenty-two years.
His political allegiance was given to the
Republican party and he held the office
of town and city clerk and police magis-
trate, city treasurer and councilman. No
public trust reposed in him was ever be-
trayed in the slightest degree, for he was
a brave and loyal soldier, always faith-
ful to his duty and prompt in the dis-
charge of any task that devolved upon
him, bringing to. his work in civic life
the same loyalty and fidelity that char-
acterized his military service. Mr. Gor-
don was a representative of one of the
oldest pioneer families of the county and
was a resident of this part of the state
for more than .the allotted psalmist's span
of three score years and ten. He watched
130
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
its growth and development from the
time when it was reclaimed from a fron-
tier district until his eyes were closed in
death and was a co-operant factor in many
measures for the general good.
SAMUEL R. YETTER.
Samuel R. Yetter, one of the early
settlers of Hancock county, Illinois, now
residing on his farm in Carthage town-
ship, has watched the development of the
county as it has emerged from pioneer
conditions, when the land was unculti-
vated, the timber uncut and the streams
unbridged to the present era of progress
and development when none of the ad-
vantages and improvements known to the
older east are lacking. Mr. Yetter has
now reached the eighty-second milestone
on life's journey, having been born in
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on the
4th of August, 1824. He is a son of Wil-
liam and Lydia (Rock) Yetter. The
father, also a native of Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, was of German parentage
and was reared to manhood in his native
state. He became a mechanic, learning
and following the locksmith's trade, his
attention being devoted thereto during the
period of his residence in Pennsylvania.
He was married in that state to Miss .
Lydia Rock, and thinking to enjoy better
business opportunities in the new but
growing west, came to Illinois in 1837.
his destination being Hancock county. He
settled in Carthage township, then moved
to Fountain Green township, but after two
years returned to Carthage township.
Here William Yetter turned his attention
to the occupation of farming, in which he
continued throughout the remainder of
his active business life. In his political
views he was a democrat and held various
township offices, including that of county
treasurer and assessor, the duties of the
two offices being combined in one at that
time. On the expiration of his term he
was elected to the office of justice of the
peace, in which capacity he served con-
tinuously until his death, his decisions be-
ing strictly fair and impartial. He was a
member of the Methodist church, to which
his wife also belonged, and he took an
active, earnest and helpful part in the
church work for many years, serving as
superintendent of the Sunday-school, and
doing all in his power to promote the
cause of Christianity here. He is a mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity and was the
first representative of the order to pass
away in Hancock county, his remains be-
ing laid to rest with Masonic honors. He
died in 1853, at the a R e f fifty-three years
and was buried in Franklin cemetery in
Carthage township. His widow long
survived him and died in 1892, at the very
venerable age of ninety-two years. She
was also a native of Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, and there lived until after
her marriage, or until the removal of the
family to Illinois. She was likewise a
devoted member of the Methodist church
and at her death was laid to rest by the
side of her husband in Franklin cemetery.
In the family of this worthy couple were
eight children, four of whom are now
living.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Samuel R. Yetter spent the first thir-
teen years of his life in the place of his
nativity, and in 1837 came with his
parents to Hancock county, Illinois, living
in Fountain Green township for two years
and since that time in Carthage township.
He remained upon the home place until
about twenty-four years of age. His edu-
cation was acquired at Columbia, Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania, and when
he permanently left the parental roof he
rented a farm which he cultivated for a
number of years, or until he purchased
his present place, then about two hundred
acres. This he has improved, making it
his home continuously through many
years. He set out many of the trees here
and a large number of them have now
been growing here for more than a half
century. Through a long period he tilled
the soil, carefully sowing the seed and"
harvesting the crops as the years went by.
He usually had a good return for his
labor in the shape of bounteous harvests
and he continued actively in farm work
until a number of years ago, when he sold
a part of his land and is now living re-
tired in the enjoyment of a rest which he
has truly earned and richly deserves.
Mr. Yetter has been married twice. In
1848 he wedded Miss Marilla Goodrich,
a daughter of Messech and Rebecca Good-
rich, who were early settlers of Hancock
county, Illinois, where they lived and died.
By this marriage there were three chil-
dren, of whom William and Marilla died
in infancy, while Laura is now the widow
of Lewis R. Tull, and a resident of
Berkeley, California. She has one daugh-
ter, Etta. Mrs. Yetter died at the com-
paratively early age of twenty-five years,
and was laid to rest in Franklin ceme-
tery in Carthage township. For his sec-
ond wife Mr. Yetter chose Miss Hester
A. Halbert, who was born in Lewis
county, Kentucky, and came to Illinois
with her widowed mother in 1850. She
is a daughter of Stephen and Priscilla
(Watkins) Halbert, both of whom were
natives of Maryland, whence they re-
moved to Kentucky at an early day. The
father died in that state in 1848 and was
there buried, and the mother afterward
came to Hancock county, Illinois, where
she passed away at the age of eighty-one
years, her remains being interred in
Franklin cemetery in Carthage township.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Yetter have been
born ten children, four sons and six
daughters, of whom six are now living.
Mary is the wife of Richard White, sex-
ton of Moss Ridge cemetery in Carthage,
and they have three children, Florence,
Ruth and Myrtle. Clara is the deceased
wife of William Sowers, a farmer resid-
ing in Kansas. She died while on a visit
at the home of her parents, leaving three
children, Mabel, Hester and Charles.
The elder daughter, Mabel, is now the
wife of Walter Moot and resides near
Lucas, Kansas, and they have one son,
William. John Yetter, the third member
of the father's family, resides in Carthage,
Illinois, where he is a teamster. He
wedded Mary B. Swain, and they have
two living sons, Frank and Ferris, and
lost one son, David, who died at the age
of two months. Charles S. Yetter, a rail-
road conductor of the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy road, residing at Beards-
town, Illinois, married Pearl Johnson, and
has two living children, Howard and
132
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
George, and two deceased, Pearl and
Guy. Alice Yetter became the wife of
Alfred M. McKee. a grocer of Carthage,
and they have three children, Earl, Ray
and Helen. Alaggie is the wife of P. H.
Willey, a farmer of Peabody, Kansas, and
they have three living children. Bertha,
Frank and Mabel, and lost one, who died
unnamed in infancy. Frank Yetter, who
was in the United States Navy and served
in the Philippine war, died at Wilbur,
Washington, when twenty-four years of
age. Ralph is at home. Fidelia died at
the age of six years. Nora died at the
age of one year and sixteen days. All
of the children were born in Carthage
township and were educated here, and
Alice, Clara and Laura all taught school
prior to their marriage.
Mr. Yetter is a member of the Carthage
Methodist church and belongs to Han-
cock lodge. No. 20, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons. He votes with the Re-
publican party and has held some of the
township offices, serving as justice of the
peace, highway commissioner and con-
stable. He has seen many of the changes
that have occurred and the improvements
that have been made in Hancock county.
Almost seventy years have come and gone
since he arrived here, at which time al-
most the entire district was a wild prairie,
which he has seen converted into richly
cultivated farms with here and there thriv.-
ing towns and villages and progressive
cities. Deer and other wild game were
killed in this part of the state and only a
few settlements had been made, the trav-
eler finding it possible to ride for miles
over the country in almost any direction
without coming to a fence or habitation
to impede his progress. The work of
transforming the wild district into one
of rich fertility and improvement has been
an arduous task. Mr. Yetter, however,
bore his full share in this work and has
performed an important part in making
the county what it is today one of the
richest farming districts of western Illi-
nois. He certainly deserves extended
and prominent mention in this volume as
a leading and honored agriculturist, and
one whose life has at all times been
worthy of emulation, being charterized
by fidelity to principle and by unfaltering
allegiance to the rules of honorable and
manly conduct. Now in the evening of
life he receives the veneration and respect
which should ever be accorded those who
have advanced far on life's journey and
who are able to look back over the past
without regret and forward to the future
without fear.
FRANK W. WALKER.
Frank W. Walker is the owner of the
finest farm home and stock barns in Han-
cock county and is one of the most exten-
sive landholders of this part of the state,
having fourteen thousand acres under
fence. In the control of his business in-
terests he displays excellent ability and
keen discrimination, and his prosperity
has resulted from judicious management
as well as carefully directed industry.
One of Hancock county's native sons he
was born in \Yalker township, on the 28th
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
133
of March, 1858, and now resides on sec-
tion 32, Prairie township, where his home
farm comprises one hundred and sixty
acres of very rich and productive land.
His parents were Henry M. and Sophronia
(Rankin) Walker, hoth of whom were
natives of Kentucky, whence they came
to Illinois at an early day, settling in
\Ya1ker township, Hancock county, which
was named in honor of his grandfather,
George Walker, who was one of the
earliest pioneers of the township. After
working on the farm during the week he
would preach Sundays, being the first
Baptist minister in the vicinity. The
father purchased land and made a home,
residing upon his farm for twenty-five
years, during which period his attention
was given to the tilling of the soil and to
the raising of stock. He owned one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land in that town-
ship and he afterward removed to Prairie
township, purchasing a farm upon sec-
tion 27. This farm contained three hun-
dred and twenty acres, which was then
unimproved, and on which he made all the
improvements. It continued to be his
home place until his death, which occurred
when he had reached the advanced age of
seventy-nine years. In addition to this
property he owned enough to make his
landed possessions ten hundred and sixty
acres in Hancock county, all of which is
now improved. He brought a large part
of this property under cultivation during
his life time and was a man of marked
energy and diligence, whose life activity
resulted in the acquirement of a measure
of prosperity, making him one of the lead-
ing citizens of his county. He was one
of the first men in the county to give
thought to better stock, having had regis-
tered shorthorn cattle, not only bringing
his own stock up to a fine grade but being
the means of improving the stock in the
whole community. His political views ac-
corded with the principles of democracy
and he was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church. His wife passed away
about two years prior to his demise, when
she was seventy years of age. Of their
family of seven children four are still liv-
ing. Both parents lie buried in the El-
vaston cemetery and when they were
called from this life many friends
mourned their loss. Mr. Walker was one
of the argonauts who went to California
in search of the golden fleece in 1849.
He there engaged in mining and was quite
successful in his operations, accumulating
a comfortable fortune during his residence
of three years on the Pacific coast. He
died while visiting in California, on the
1 4th of February, 1906.
At the usual age Frank W. Walker
began his education in the common
schools and afterward attended Carthage
College. He assisted upon the home place
as a young man and has always remained
upon the farm. When twenty-two years
old he purchased the one hundred and
sixty acres on which he now resides, and
has erected here all of the modern build-
ings, including an attractive and pleas-
ant frame residence, which is one of the
largest and finest country homes in the
county. He also has commodious and
substantial barns, one barn sixty by sixty-
four with twenty-four foot ports'is one of
the finest, if not the finest, barn in the
county, it being elegantly and attractively
planned and finished and is a model barn
134
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
both for conveiience and beauty, and
altogether his is a model place, in which
none of the accessories of a modern farm
are lacking. It is known as the Shadow
Brook stock farm and Mr. Walker de-
votes his attention to the raising of high-
bred stock, making a specialty of short-
horn cattle and Hambletonian horses, hav-
ing a large number of each upon his place.
He raises for sale purposes and has been
engaged in this business for twenty-six
years. He now owns a fine Hambletonian
stallion, Elcho, and he is also the owner
of the bull, Duke of Iron Hill, a regis-
tered shorthorn, both of which are used
for breeding purposes. In addition to his
home farm Mr. Walker has always con-
ducted the old homestead farm compris-
ing three hundred and twenty acres and
located one mile east. He is an extensive
feeder, shipping about one hundred and
fifty head of fat stock per year of his own
production and in addition to this Mr.
Walker buys and ships many carloads of
stock annually to the Chicago market. He
is also the owner of about fourteen thou-
sand acres of land in Colorado, all under
fence, which he has used for stock-raising
and the growing of wheat. Everything
about his home place is kept in most per-
fect order and repair, showing his pro-
gressive spirit and his careful supervision.
Mr. Walker was married on the loth of
November, 1881, to Miss Helen M. Jack-
son, a daughter of Peter Jackson, of
Prairie township, who was an early set-
tler of Hancock county. He followed
farming for a number of years but is now
living retired. Mrs. Walker, like her hus-
band, obtained her early education in the
district schools and was afterward a
student in Carthage College. This mar-
riage has been blessed with six children,
of whom five are living: Claude C., of
Prairie township, residing upon the old
homestead of his grandfather, married
Yetta Thomas, a daughter of Henry
Thomas. Clyde H. assists in the oper-
ation of the home farm. Flossie M.,
Blossom J. and Ruth, are all at home ; and
Onlin died at the age of eight years. All
were born upon the home property and
have been provided with excellent educa-
tional privileges.
Mr. Walker is a democrat without po-
litical aspiration and he keeps well in-
formed on the questions and issues of the
day. Mr. and Mrs. Walker are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church and he
is interested in those measures and move-
ments which tend to advance the material,
intellectual and moral progress of the
community. The number of his friends
is almost co-extensive with the circle of
his acquaintance, for he has always lived
in Hancock county and his history has
been such as would bear close investiga-
tion and scrutiny, for at all times he has
lived honorable with due regard to his
obligations to his fellowmen and with
conscientious regard for his duties of
citizenship.
JAMES HENRY CLARK.
James Henry Clark, who is engaged in
farming and also carries on stock-raising
extensively in Dallas township, was born
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
135
in Brown county, Illinois, May 30, 1863,
a son of Nathaniel H. and Jane (Wells)
Clark. The father's birth occurred in the
state of New York in 1835 and the mother
was born in Ohio in the same year. He
was a farmer by occupation and at an
early day came to Illinois, settling in
Brown county, while subsequently he be-
came a resident of Schuyler county. He
was killed on the railroad- near Clayton,
October 7, 1902, and his widow still re-
sides in that county. In their family were
eight children : George, living in Brown
county, Illinois ; Maggie, the wife of
George Laughlin, who resides in Black-
bird, Missouri; James H., of this review;
Lydia, the wife of Henry Lawson, of
Fountain Green ; Fannie, the wife of Al-
lan Groscloud; Dora, the wife of James
Younglove, of Schuyler county ; Charles,
who is living upon the home farm in
Schuyler county; and Jesse, of Dallas
City.
James Henry Clark attended the public
schools of Schuyler county but his educa-
tional privileges were somewhat limited,
as his aid was needed in the operation of
the home farm. He remained with his
parents until nineteen years of age and
was afterward employed for one season by
the month as a farm hand. In January,
1884, he was united in marriage to Miss
Minnie Bowker, who was born in Schuy-
ler county, Illinois, in 1865, a daughter
of Catherine and Frank Bowker, natives
of New York, and of Scotland county,
Missouri, respectively. The father be-
came a farmer, first of Schuyler county
and afterward of Hancock county, Illi-
nois, and subsequently removed to Mis-
souri and thence to Kansas, but is now liv-
9
ing retired in Dallas City. He owned
land in each place in which he lived and
is now in comfortable circumstances.
L'nto him and his wife were born eight
children and the family circle yet remains
unbroken by the hand of death. The
record is as follows : Minnie, now Mrs.
Clark ; Nettie, who in early life engaged in
teaching school and is now the wife of
Sydney Callison, of Boston, Missouri;
Roger, of Hancock county ; Kittie, the
wife of Ernest Rose worn, of Barton
county, Missouri ; Maud, the wife of Wal-
ter Lionberger, of Scotland county, Mis-
souri; Inez Bowker, who is a successful
teacher; George, who is living in Dallas
City ; and Mabel, who is a graduate of the
high school of Dallas City and lives with
her parents.
At the time of their marriage Mr. Clark
and his young wife began their domestic
life upon a rented farm in Schuyler
county, where they lived for one year. In
1 885 they came to Hancock county, where
they have since resided, making their home
in Dallas and Durham townships. Mr.
Clark has been extensively engaged in the
live stock business and this is still a fruit-
ful source of income to him. In 1904 he
purchased ninety-seven acres of good land
on section 14, Dallas township, and has
since made extensive improvements in the
home. He has also erected two good
barns, one thirty-two by forty feet and the
other fifty- four by sixty-six feet. He now
has one of the best improved farms of the
township, equipped with modern conveni-
ences and accessories, and he has been one
of the heavy stock feeders of the county.
His business interests are carefully con-
ducted and his labors are bringing to him
136
BIOGRAPHICAL REV IE}]'
a gratifying measure of success, while his
straightforward dealings in all of his
transactions have gained for him the trust
of his fellowmen.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Clark has
been blessed with four children, all born
in Hancock county : Ethel and Ray,
aged respectively twenty and eighteen
years : Katherine and Annice, both in
school. In his political views Mr. Clark
is an inflexible democrat and has held
various township offices, including that
of assessor of Durham township. Fra-
ternally he is a Mason and a Woodman
and both he and his wife are connected
witli the Royal Neighbors. Without pe-
cuniary assistance at the outset of his
career he has made steady progress and
in his home is surrounded by many of
the comforts of life. He and his wife
occupy an enviable position in the re-
gard of friends and neighbors and are
accounted worthy and leading citizens of
Dallas township.
SAMUEL S. CHAPMAN.
Samuel S. Chapman, owning and op-
erating a valuable farm in Prairie town-
ship, is a native of Scott county, Illinois,
born May 11, 1851. He has, however,
resided in Hancock county since 1857.
when, at the age of six years, he came
to this part of the state with his parents,
Wesley and Elizabeth (Haynie) Chap-
man. The father was born in Maryland,
near Cumberland, March 24, 1825, and
lived in his native state until ten years
of age, when, in 1835, he came to Illi-
nois and for many years thereafter was
a resident of Scott county. After attain-
ing his majority he engaged in farming
on his own account and followed that
occupation throughout his active business
career. Upon his removal from Scott
county to Hancock county in 1857, he
purchased a farm of eighty acres in
Prairie township, to which he afterward
added from time to time as his financial
resources increased until within its bound-
aries were comprised two hundred and
eighty acres. He had in all four hun-
dred and twenty acres of land, all in
Prairie township. It is upon this tract
that Samuel S. Chapman now resides."
The father placed many modern improve-
ments upon the .property, including the
erection of a large brick residence in 1869.
He also built a good barn and other out-
buildings for the shelter of grain and
stock. It was in 1862 that he took up
his abode upon this place, where he en-
gaged in general farming and stock-rais-
ing with signal success until 1890, when
he sold the farm to his son, Samuel S.,
and removed to Carthage, where he lived
for ten years, or until the death of his
wife, since which time he has made his
home with his children. He is a mem-
ber of the Christian church at Carthage,
and his life has been permeated by his
religious faith. In his political affilia-
tions he is a republican and has held some
of the minor offices of the township. His
wife, who was born in Kentucky, came
to Illinois in 1829, when two years of
age. She was a member of the Christian
church, took a very active part in its work
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
137
and did all in her power for the exten-
sion of its influence and the promotion
of the cause. On the I4th of November,
1900, she was called to her final rest and
her remains were interred in Carthage
cemetery. By her marriage she became
the mother of eleven children, eight of
whom are still living.
Samuel S. Chapman of this review re-
mained upon the old home farm until
1876, and during that period acquired a
good common school education which
was supplemented by a three years' course
at the Agricultural College of the State
University at Urbana, while in the sum-
mer months he was trained to the work
'of the fields, becoming familiar with all
departments of farm labor and thus gain-
ing that practical experience which en-
abled him to carefully and successfully
conduct his own business affairs when he
started out in life for himself. On the
7th of September, 1876, he was united
in marriage to Miss Nancy C. Jackson,
a daughter of Peter Jackson, one of the
early settlers of Hancock county, who
arrive here in 1852, and has now been
a resident of the locality for fifty-four
years. He made his home in Carthage
until the death of his wife about two
years ago and is now living with his
children.
Following his marriage Mr. Chapman
purchased eighty acres of land in Prairie
township north of Elvaston. This was
improved and he continued the further
cultivation of the fields until about eight-
een years ago, when he purchased the old
home place of his father and has resided
upon it continuously since. He has one
hundred and fifty acres of the old home-
stead and the farm is well cultivated, giv-
ing every evidence in its neat and thrifty
appearance of the careful supervision and
practical methods of the owner, whose
labors have been attended with a gratify-
ing measure of success. As the years
have gone by the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Chapman has been blessed with four chil-
dren but the oldest died in infancy. The
others are John Hurst, who was educated
in Carthage and is now a Junior at Hed-
ding College, in Abingdon, Illinois, and
now resides upon the home farm ; Irene,
a senior in Hedding College; and Myrna
May, who is now attending the high
school in Carthage. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Chapman are faithful members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, in which
they take an active and helpful interest.
He has served as one of the trustees and-
also steward o.f the church, and for many
years he has been a stanch prohibitionist,
a fact which indicates his attitude on the
temperance question. Indeed his life has
been guided by honorable principles and
has exemplified manly conduct such as
commands respect and esteem everywhere.
He has stood for temperance, for justice,
for truth and uprightness, and he favors
every movement that tends to promote
progressive citizenship or uplift his
fellowmen.
PETER JACKSON.
Peter Jackson was born in Ross county,
Ohio, on August 27, 1826, and lived there
133
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
until 1852, when he came to Hancock
county, Illinois, in November, coming by
wagon, and located in Wythe township, in
the spring of 1852, and there he pur-
chased land and lived till 1866, engaged
in fanning and stock-raising. In 1866 he
bought a farm in Prairie township and
there he lived as a farmer and stock-raiser
'until 1895, when he rented his farm and
moved to Carthage, where he led a retired
life until 1904, when his wife died and
since then he has lived with his children.
He married Angeline Hanson who was
born in Pickaway county, Ohio, May 12,
1828, and lived there until her marriage
in 1847. 1 J^Si sne came west with her
husband. She was educated in Pickaway
county, Ohio. She died April 5, 1904. She
was the mother of seven children, all
daughters, six of whom are living : Sarah
R.,wife of Francis W. McClellan, of Win-
field, Kansas; Barbara H., widow of
George B. Comstock, of Omaha, Nebras-
ka; Mary M., widow of John G. Harris.
She resides in Oak Park, Cook county, Il-
linois. She has three children who were
born in Hancock county. Nancy C., wife
of Samuel S. Chapman (see sketch of Mr.
Chapman) ; Matilda J., wife of Lot B.
Clark (see sketch) ; Annie E. died in in-
fancy; Helen M., wife of Frank W.
Walker (see sketch of Frank W.
Walker).
The wife -of Mr. Jackson is buried at
Carthage cemetery. They were a very
worthy couple, who were always held in
the highest esteem by all who knew them.
Mr. Jackson, who is still living, has at the
present writing passed the eightieth mile-
stone of life's journey and still possesses
a very retentive memory.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CONNOR.
Benjamin Franklin Connor was born in
Rome, Perry county, Indiana, in 1832,
a son of John and Annie (Maine) Con-
nor. The father was born in New Lynch-
burg. Virginia, and removed to Bullitt
county, Kentucky, in his boyhood days.
In 1813, when a young man he became
a resident of Rome, Indiana, and there he
spent his remaining days and reared his
family. He was a man worthy all trust
and esteem, for he lived an upright,
honorable life. Unto him and his wife
were born ten children, all born within
a quarter of a mile of the place where he
built his first cabin upon taking up his
abode in Perry county when it was a
pioneer district. His death occurred in
1862, and his wife passed away about
1847 or 1848. She was a faithful and
devoted wife and mother, and put forth
every effort in her power to promote the
welfare and happiness of her family.
Benjamin F. Connor is now the only
surviving member of the family. He was
fifteen or sixteen years of age at the time
of his mother's demise, and for some time
thereafter he remained with a sister. He
learned the trade of a tanner and currier
at Rome, Indiana, where he worked for
eight years, and in 1857 he removed to
Clark county, Missouri, where he resided
until August, 1 86 1. At that date he came
to Warsaw. He had engaged in mer-
chandising in Missouri, and following his
removal to this city he continued business
as a cooper for some years. Subsequently
he traveled for eighteen years as represen-
tative of a portrait house of Chicago, tak-
ing orders for the enlargement of por-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
139
traits. In this he was very successful and
wherever he went he made many warm
friends by reason of his genial manner,
his unfailing courtesy and the many ster-
ling traits of his character which are
easily recognized, for such qualities al-
ways leave their impress upon the indi-
vidual. For twelve years, however, he
has lived retired in the enjoyment of a
well earned rest.
Mr. Connor enlisted for service in the
Civil war and was in the battle of Athens,
Missouri. He remained in the service for
five months, engaged in drilling most of
that time. It was subsequent to his return
from the war that he brought his family
to Warsaw in August, 1861. His po-
litical allegiance has always been given to
the democracy but he has never aspired
to office. He is one of the oldest Masons
in the state and is an exemplary represen-
tative of the craft.
On the 1 6th of April, 1855, Mr. Con-
nor was married to Miss Eliza Lamb,
who was also a native of Perry county,
Indiana, born February 18, 1830, and a
daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth
(Shepherd) Lamb. Her parents were
married May 26, 1811. Her father was
born in New York, July 21, 1780, while
his wife's birth occurred in the south,
January 13, 1791. He was a farmer by
occupation and for twenty-seven years
resided in Perry county, Indiana, where
he took an active and influential part in
pubjic affairs. He was chosen the first
circuit clerk of the county, and for twen-
ty-six years held that office. No higher
testimonial of his capability and fidelity
could be given than the fact that he was
so long retained as the incumbent in that
office. He was faithful to every trust
reposed in him and his life was always
guided by manly principles and character-
ized by honorable conduct. He died Feb-
ruary 5, 1848, and his wife on the 28th
of October, 1855, both being laid to rest
on the old homestead farm in Indiana, on
which he settled about 1810. This was a
valuable farming property, situated on the
bank of the Ohio river. At the time of
his demise he was serving as one of the
commissioners of the county and he
passed away in the faith of the Baptist
church, of which he was a most consistent
and devoted member. In the family were
eight children but all have passed away.
Mr. and Mrs. Connor traveled life's
journey together as man and wife for
about twenty-three years and were then
separated by the death of Mrs. Connor,
who passed away January 28, 1878, and
Was laid to rest in the Warsaw cemetery.
She was a member of the Methodist
church and a lady whose many good traits
of heart and mind endeared her to all who
knew her. To her family she was a most
devoted and faithful wife and mother and
she was equally loyal in her friendships.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Connor were born
four children. Ella was born in Rome,
Perry county, Indiana, January 12, 1856.
She was graduated from the Warsaw
public schools and taught several years.
December 31, 1878, she was married to
Dr. C. L. Ferris, of Fountain Green, Illi-
nois, the oldest son of Dr. L. T. and
Helen Ferris, who are old residents of
the county. Dr. and Mrs. C. L. Ferris
have two daughters, Helen and Ruth, and
are living in Carthage, Illinois. Helen
is a graduate of Carthage College, a
140
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'lEU'
teacher, and is principal of the High
School at Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Ruth is a
senior in Carthage College. Isabella
Sacket, the second daughter, was born
at Luray, Clark county, Missouri, July
29, 1857, was graduated from the public
schools of Warsaw, and afterward en-
gaged in teaching in this city up to the
time of her marriage to John B. Worthen,
who was born in Warsaw, February 4,
1855. He is the youngest son of Prof.
A. H. and Sarah B. Worthen. Both of
his parents were old settlers of Warsaw,
while the father was state geologist for
twenty years. Mr. Worthen is an en-
terprising grocer and business man of
Warsaw, where he has always lived. Mr.
and Mrs. Worthen were married August
21, 1882, and to them six children were
born, as follows : Ella Eugenia, born
October 26, 1883. She graduated from
the Warsaw public school and the State
University at Urbana, Illinois, was prin-
cipal of the high school at Arcola, Illi-
nois, and is an instructor in mathematics
at the State University at Lincoln, Ne-
braska. James C- Worthen, who was
born October 16, 1885, died February i,
1887; Jeannette Lamb, who was born
July 13, 1887, and is now a senior in
the State University at Urbana, from
which she will graduate in 1907; Evelyn
Marie, who was born August 18, 1890,
and is a sophomore in the Warsaw high
school ; Helen Eunice, who was born Oc-
tober n, 1892, and is in her second year
in the high school ; and John Connor, born
February 13, 1899. J. T. M. Connor, the
third member of the family of Benjamin
F. Connor, is now living in Chicago,
where he is auditor for the Clay-Robinson
Company, live stock commission mer-
chants. He was married in Kansas City,
Missouri, December 13, 1885, to Eunice
Mason, and they have one child, Ella
Belle, who was born November 13, 1886,
and is a graduate of the Denver (Colo-
rado) school. Frank H. Connor, born
Mary 27, 1865, is a live stock commis-
sion merchant of Chicago, being a mem-
ber of the firm of Clay, Robinson &
Co. He was married June 20, 1894, to
Evelyn L. Hill, and has had three children.
The twin boys, born June 16, 1897, both
died at the age of fifteen months, Ron-
noc Hill was born August 8, 1903. Both
of Mr. Connor's sons were graduates of
the Warsaw public schools.
Wlien Mrs. Connor died the children
were all single and remained with their
father until they were married and had
homes of their own. Mrs. Worthen was
the second one married and Mr. Connor
has since made his home with her and
her husband. Mr. Worthen has built a
beautiful modern residence on the river
bluff, situated on Van Buren and First
streets in the part of Warsaw called Fort
Edward. This is a beautiful home known
as Nehtrow. Here Mr. Connor is most
pleasantly situated. He is largely a self-
made man, having had few advantages
in his youth but his business enterprise
and diligence enabled him to make steady
advancement in his business career.
Wherever he went he made friends by
reason of his genial and kindly disposi-
tion. He is a man of good judgment and
warm impulses and wherever he is known
he is held in highest esteem, while the cir-
cle of his friends is almost co-extensive
With the circle of his acquaintance.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS:
141
WILLIAM JACKSON ASH.
William Jackson Ash is one of the ven-
erable citizens of Hamilton, receiving the
respect and honor which should be ac-
corded to one of his years and whose life
has been worthily spent. He is now
eighty-one years of age, having been born
in McMinn county, Tennessee, on the 6th
of June, 1825, his parents being Hugh
Brown Ash and Nancy (Jones) Ash,
natives of South Carolina and Tennessee
respectively. His paternal grandparents
were Robert and Esther Ash, the former
a native of South Carolina and the latter
of Ireland. The maternal grandfather,
Thomas Jones, was a native of Tennessee,
and in that state married Miss Beckham.
Robert Ash, leaving his native country,
crossed the Atlantic and became a resi-
dent of South Carolina, whe'fe he followed
the occupation of farming for a number
of years and then removed to eastern Ten-
nessee, where he and his wife spent their
remaining days. It was in that state that
Hugh Brown Ash and Nancy Jones were
united in marriage and there they lived
for a number of years upon a farm. He
was injured one day while stacking fodder
and soon afterward died. His wife mar-
ried again nine years later, her second
union being with Edwin Pedegrew, who
at one time owned famous gold mines in
Georgia. They were married in Alabama,
to which state the mother of our subject
removed and about ten years later they
went to Dent county, Missouri, where
they spent their remaining days.
William Jackson was the eldest of three
sons and three daughters, all of whom
are now deceased with the exception of
one brother who is residing in Carrollton,
Carroll county, Arkansas. By the second
marriage there were two daughters and
two sons, of whom one son is now living
in Dent county, Missouri.
William J. Ash was twelve years of age
when he went with his mother to Chero-
kee county, Alabama. She there took up
one hundred and sixty acres of land and
in 1839 was married a second time. It
was then that the subject of this review
started out in life to make his own way in
the world. He began learning the trade
of a tanner and leather finisher. He was
also the owner of three colts, two cows
and several hogs, which he gave to his
mother in exchange for homespun cloth-
ing. He continued to work at his trade
until 1846, in which year Benjamin
White, who ten years before had removed
to Adams county, Illinois, returned to
Tennessee on a visit and about a month
later took three Tennessee lads with him
to Adams county. He paid their fare and
they worked for him two years for ten
dollars a month. Mr. Ash had an uncle
living in Adams county and after leaving
Mr. White's employ he began operating
his uncle's farm on shares, being thus en-
gaged for a year. In 1848 he returned to
Tennessee and Alabama in company with
his uncle, driving across the country with
teams. The uncle soon again came to
Illinois, but Mr. Ash remained in his na-
tive state until after his marriage, which
important event in his life was celebrated
on the 2/th of February, 1 849, the lady of
his choice being Miss Eliza Ann Culpep-
per, who was born in McMinn county,
Tennessee, August 14, 1828, a daughter
of Joel and Ann Elizabeth (Tyler) Cul-
142
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
pepper, both of whom were natives of
South Carolina. The former was a son
of John Culpepper and the latter a daugh-
ter of John Tyler.
On the 28th of March, 1849, Mr - Ash
with his bride started by wagon for
Adams county, where they arrived on the
22d of April, after spending almost a
month upon the road. They remained in
that county for one season and Mr. Ash
engaged in the cultivation of a tract of
land. He tried to raise a crop of corn but
the worms took it and he sowed his land
to buckwheat, raising an enormous crop,
furnishing large supplies to the city of
Quincy of buckwheat flour, which he had
ground at Fletcher's Mills in Hancock
county. In the fall of 1849 he and his
wife removed to Wythe township, this
county, where they lived in a log house
with puncheon floor and fireplace with
stick and clay chimney. There was but
one room in the cabin. The following
season he purchased forty acres of
prairie about a mile north of where he
lived, fenced his land with rails and
raised corn, which was planted on the
newly broken sod. The following year
he broke more land and also purchased
forty acres additional. He also cultivated
the eighty acres and rented some land,
adding to his place from time to time un-
til he was the owner of three hundred
and forty acres in Wythe township, which
had been improved as well as any place
in the township at that time. As the
years passed he added further improve-
ments to his property and made it a
splendidly developed farm. He had two
large barns, one thirty by eighty feet,
which he afterward used for sheltering
his cattle. He kept from twenty to thirty
cows and conducted a dairy for ten years.
Thus year by year he continued active
in business, winning success by his close
application and strong determination. He
was never idle and indolence is utterly
foreign to his nature. He has led a busy
and useful life and as the years have
gone by has won the success which al-
ways crowns earnest effort.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ash have been born
the following named : Sarah Mulvina,
the wife of W. H. King, who is acting
as janitor of the public schools at Hamil-
ton ; Mary Adeline, the wife of Frederick
Shrifer, a mail-carrier at Hamilton ; Joel
Brown, of Hamilton; Louisa Ann;
Amanda Jane, the wife of J. E. Ernst,
who owns the old homestead farm ; Alice
Alma, the wife of Charles F. Binderwald,
of Montrosej Iowa; and Narcissa Eliza-
beth, the wife of D. William Wolfe, a
resident of Hamilton.
On the 8th of March, 1897, Mr. and
Mrs. Ash removed from the home farm
to Hamilton, where he purchased a fine
residence on Broadway. Since that time
he has lived retired. He rented his land
for three years and then sold it. He is
one of the organizers and stockholders of
the Peoples State Bank, of Hamilton, and
also of the West Point State Bank, and
thus his money has been placed in insti-
tutions where it is bringing a good finan-
cial return. He has justly earned the rest
which he is now enjoying, for his life has
been characterized by unflagging dili-
gence and also by unfaltering honesty in
all business transactions. Wherever
known he has won high esteem and more-
over he is one of the honored pioneer set-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
143
tiers of the county, whose efforts have
been a potent element in promoting prog-
ress and improvement in this section of
the state as the county has emerged from
its pioneer conditions.
AHIMAAZ PUNTENNEY.
Ahimaaz Puntenney, the owner of a
well improved and valuable farm in Mon-
tebello township, where he is engaged in
general agricultural pursuits and m rais-
ing high grade horses, cattle and hogs,
is a native son of Adams county, Ohio,
where he was bom February 10, 1833.
He is a son of John and Arminta
(Wright) Puntenney, both of whom were
natives of Adams county, Ohio. The
paternal grandparents were George Hol-
linsworth and Margaret (Hamilton)
Puntenney, the former a native of New
England and the latter of Ireland. The
grandfather was a soldier of the Revolu-
tionary war. In order to join the army
in the manner he wished he had to be an
immune from small pox. He had never
suffered from the disease, but his uncle
and aunt, with whom he was living, were
attending a case of small pox and he
thought this his opportunity to become
afflicted with the disease. His relatives
wished to prevent it and they put the
clothing which they had worn while at-
tending the small pox case into a hollow
tree. There George Puntenney found
them, took them out, wore them and be-
came ill with small pox. Thereby he was
permitted to join the army and he fought
valiently for American liberty. Later he
was granted a pension, but he would not
accept it, having given his aid freely for
the cause which he espoused. Subse-
quently he became a resident of Adams
county, Ohio, where he died in 1852, at
the very venerable age of ninety-six years.
The maternal grandfather of our subject
was a native of Virginia, while his wife
was bom in Ireland, whence she came to
America when about seven years of age.
They were married in Adams county,
Ohio, the family having located there at
a very early day.
The marriage of John Puntenney and
Arminta Wright was celebrated in Adams
county, Ohio, where he settled upon a
farm, there following general agricultural
pursuits until his death, which occurred
in April, 1864, when he was sixty-nine
years of age.
When Ahimaaz Puntenney was only
two years old he went to live with his
maternal grandfather in the northern part
of Adams county and in 1846 all the fam-
ily removed to Lee county, Iowa. In
company with an uncle and J. W. Dry-
den, Mr. Puntenney of this review drove
across the country from the Buckeye state
to their destination, being upon the road
from the i8th of September until the 2Oth
of October. His grandfather settled on a
farm in Lee county, where he died in
1848. Following his death Mr. Pun-
tenney continued to make his home there
with his uncle until about 1855, when he
bought forty acres of land on the east
line of Montebello township and in 1861
sold that property, subsequently investing
in eighty acres on section 23, constituting
144
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'lE}}'
the east half of the southeast quarter. He
had about fifteen acres broken, but there
were no fences or buildings on the place.
In 1862 he built a frame house of three
rooms and built a half mile of fence on
the west side of the farm. He continued
the further development and improvement
of the place until February, 1864, when
he enlisted in the One Hundred and Fifty-
sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
left his wife and two small children, who
went to Lee county, Iowa, to her mother's
home, while Mr. Puntenney went to the
front to aid in the defense of the Union.
His regiment was consolidated with New
York and Indiana troops and did guard
duty near Chattanooga on the Chicka-
mauga river. They were in different
places in the south doing guard duty, and
Mr. Puntenney continued at the front
until honorably discharged on the I5th of
September, 1865. He had remained with
his command for a year and a half and
had always been loyal to his duty, faith-
fully discharging every task that was as-
signed him in connection with his military
service.
Following his return home. Mr. Pun-
tenney began making further improve-
ments upon his place and in 1880 he pur-
chased the east half of the southeast quar-
ter, so that he was owner of the entire
quarter section. In 1878 he built a large
hay barn, which he remodeled in 1905.
He also erected an addition to the house
in 1890 and now has a good farm prop-
erty which is enclosed largely with wire
fence. He has as fine a prairie farm as
can be found in the township and in
connection with the tilling of the soil he
is engaged in raising Shire draft horses,
good cattle and Poland China hogs. His
business interests are carefully directed
and his labors have brought to him a
very gratifying measure of success.
On the 26th of February, 1861, Mr.
Puntenney was united in marriage to
Miss Isabelle Kerr, who was born in
Pennsylania and during her infancy was
brought to Illinois by her parents, Alex-
ander Kerr and Isabelle Dunham, who
located at Peoria. Both her father and
mother were natives of Scotland and
after a brief residence in Peoria they re-
moved to Lee county, Iowa. Unto Mr.
and Mrs. Puntenney have been born two
sons and two daughters : John Alex-
ander, who owns a ranch near Moscow,
Idaho; Iowa B., who is the widow of
Samuel Marshall and resides with her
father; Nettie K., the wife of James Mc-
Gaw, of Prairie township, this county;
and William L., who conducts the home
place.
In his religious views Mr. Puntenney
is a Presbyterian and since 1880 has been
elder of the church of that denomination
at Elvaston. He exercises his right of
franchise in support of the men and meas-
ures of the Republican party and he be-
longs to Russell post, Grand Army of the
Republic, of Hamilton, of which he is
senior vice commander. In all duties of
citizenship he is as loyal to his country
as when he followed the old flag upon
battlefields of the south. In his business
affairs he is reliable, working earnestly
and persistently for the achievement of
success and is now the owner of one of
the excellent farm properties of Monte-
bello township, where he is pleasantly sit-
uated and has a comfortable home.
HAXCOCK COUXTY, ILLINOIS.
145
JACOB C. BALSLEY.
Jacob C. Balsley, filling the position of
township assessor, his home being in
Dallas City, was born in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, November 28, 1839, his
parents being William and Elizabeth
(Longenecker) Balsley. who were like-
wise natives of the Keystone state, the
former having been born in Dauphin
county, and the latter in Cumberland
county. The father engaged in the coal
trade and milling on the Monongahela
in Pennsylvania for a number of years,
and was a member of the state militia
in Pennsylvania. In 1854 he came to
Illinois, devoting his attention to general
agricultural pursuits and merchandising
in Scott county. In 1869, however, he
removed to Dallas township, Hancock
county, where he engaged in horticultural
business, being one of the early men to
raise berries and small fruits here until
his death, which occurred May 17, 1898,
his remains being interred in Dallas City
cemetery. At the time of his demise he
was a member of the Christian church,
and at one time was an Odd Fellow. The
mother of our subject still survives him
and is a hale and hearty lady of eighty-
nine years, now living in Scott county.
In their family were nine children, of
whom seven are yet living, namely :
Jacob C. ; George W., a department clerk-
in Washington, D. C. ; Theodosia, the
widow of George W. Ebey, living at
Winchester, Illinois; Miriam, the widow
of A. C. Dean and a resident of Gales -
burg, this state; John W., also living in
Winchester; Frances, the wife of James
A. Warren, a prominent lawyer of Win-
chester ; and Sarah, the widow of John
Kirkpatrick, living in Winchester. Of
this number John W. Balsley was a mem-
ber of the Sixty-first Illinois Volunteer
Infantry and took part in several engage-
ments, including the battle of Shiloh. He
served three years and then veteraned or
re-enlisted, after which he was captured
and sent to Andersonville prison, where
he was held until paroled at the close of
the war. George W. Balsley, another
brother, was also a member of the Sixty-
eighth Illinois Infantry, serving for three
months.
Jacob C. Balsley was a youth of fifteen
years when in company with his parents
he removed from Pennsylvania to Illinois.
He continued his studies in the schools of
Winchester. In 1861 he responded to the
country's call for .aid but because he was
under size his services were rejected, and
he turned his attention to the teacher's
profession, teaching in the country district
schools for several terms and also one
term in the city school. During this time
he also read law for a time in the office
of Knapp & Case. In 1863 he left home
to enter the government service on the
Mississippi river and went upon a govern-
ment transport for three months, but re-
turning home in September on account of
physical disability.
Subsequently Mr. Balsley entered the
postoffice at Winchester in 1863 and acted
as deputy postmaster there for three
years, and in 1866 and 1867 he was em-
ployed as a clerk in a drug store. . He
spent the succeeding seven years in the
office of G. W. Martin, then county clerk
at Winchester, as his deputy. He after-
ward entered the postoffice again for two
146
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
years and he was the first to receive the
news of President Lincoln's assassination
and was in the postoffice at the time of
President Garfield's death. Later he
again engaged in teaching school in the
county of Scott and in 1891 he came to
Hancock county, settling in Dallas City,
being engaged with his father in the hor-
ticultural business until the time of the
latter's death.
On the 24th of July, 1898, Mr. Balsley
was married to Mrs. Elizabeth P. Price,
who was born in Adams county, Illinois.
Her father was of Gentian birth, while
her mother was a native of Covington,
Kentucky. The mother is still living in
Dallas City but the father, A. Padburg,
who was a cooper by trade, has departed
this life. In the family of Mr. and Mrs.
Padburg were nine children, seven of
whom are yet living, as follows : Mrs.
Balsley of this review; May, the wife of
Alston Giddings, near La Harpe, Illinois :
Ella, the widow of William Giddings and
who lives on a farm near Burnside, Illi-
nois ; John, who is engaged in the practice
of medicine at Francis, Indian Territory;
Charles, living in Dallas City; Alfred, a
student of medicine of Dallas City; and
Leah, the wife of Charles Hinckley, of
Dallas City. Mrs. Padburg is a member
of the Methodist church and Mr. Pad-
burg was a pioneer Mason. He came to
Hancock county in early life, being but
ten years 6f age when he crossed the At-
lantic to America. His eldest daughter,
Elizabeth, was married in 1878 to Frank
Frice, a native of Galena, Illinois, who
was a brick molder by trade and spent
much of his time in Nauvoo, Illinois. He
died August n, 1894, and was buried in
Dallas City, Illinois. In the family were
two children, of whom one is now living,
Frankie Myrtle, born in Dallas City, July
17, 1880, died April 4, 1895, and was
buried by the side of her father. Cleo A.
Frice, born in Dallas City March 3, 1886,
married Miss Sarah Wells, and is a clerk
in a grocery store in Dallas City. They
have one child, Genevieve, who was born
in Dallas City June 30, 1905. Cleo Frice
and his family live with Mr. and Mrs.
Balsley.
Following his father's death Mr. Bals-
ley remained upon the old home place,
which he inherited, from 1898 until 1902.
In the latter year he entered the postoffice
at Dallas City as assistant, there contin-
uing until 1905 and since that time he has
been employed as clerk in the Black &
Loomis lumber office. He is now serving
as assessor of his township. He has al-
ways been a republican and has firm faith
in the principles of the party and their
ultimate supremacy. His wife is a mem-
ber of the Christian church and with her
he attends its services. They reside in a
pretty home on Oak street and Mrs. Bals-
ley takes a very active part in church
work, serving as one of the teachers of
the Sunday-school and doing all in her
power to advance the various church ac-
tivities. Mr. Balsley is regarded as a
trustworthy citizen who discharges every
duty devolving upon him in prompt and
conscientious manner. He is a careful
and painstaking man and both he and his
wife stand high in the community where
they have made many friends and are
held in the highest esteem by all with
whom they come in contact, either in s >-
cial or business relations.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
WILLIAM L. KIMBROUGH.
William L. Kimbrough was born in
I Carthage township, where lie is now en-
gaged in farming. His natal day was
[ October 27. 1853, and his birthplace was
four miles east of the city of Carthage
I and about a quarter of a mile north.
: His parents were William R. and Eliza-
beth (Dale) Kimbrough, extended men-
I tion of whom is made elsewhere in this
volume. In the common schools of his
township the subject of this review ac-
quired his education. In the summer
months he aided in the work of the fields,
early becoming familiar with the task
i of plowing, planting and harvesting. He
remained upon the home place until
twenty-two years of age and then, leaving
the parental roof, started out in life on
his own account by working as a farm
hand at a salary of twenty dollars per
month. He was thus employed for some
time in the vicinity of La Harpe and on
his -marriage, December 28, 1874, he
rented a farm in Carthage township,
which he cultivated for a year. He after-
ward spent a year upon a rented farm in
Henderson county, Illinois, after which
he returned to Carthage township. An-
other year passed and he then went to
Nevada, working in the silver mines at
Austin and later at Leadville, Colorado,
for two years. When he again came to
Illinois he was employed at farm labor
by the month in Henderson county for
four years and with the capital he ac-
quired through his economy and industry
he then purchased eighty acres of land
on section 33, Carthage township, for
which he paid twenty-five hundred dol-
lars. Taking up his abode thereon he
made it his home for ten years and he
still owns the place, which, however, is
now being operated by his son. When
a decade had passed he rented a farm
from F.' M. Cutler, which he operated
for five years and then purchased the
present home farm of eighty acres on sec-
tion 22, Carthage township, which was
well improved. He also ow r ns forty
acres which he purchased from his father
on section 1 1 of the same township and all
of his land is under a high state of culti-
vation. His home is on section 22, where
he has a fine modern residence and other
good buildings in keeping with the model
farm of the twentieth century. His time
is devoted to the cultivation of the cereals
best adapted to soil and climate and also
to stock raising and both branches of his
business are proving profitable.
On the 28th of December, 1874, Mr.
Kimbrough was- married to Miss Mary
A. Butler, who was born in Monroe,
Green county, Wisconsin, April 26, 1857.
Her parents were Jesse and Elizabeth
(Tatham) Butler. Her father was born
in Zanesville, Ohio, April 13, 1826, a son
of Henry and Charity Butler, who re-
moved to the Buckeye state from Mary-
land. Jesse Butler was reared in Ohio
and on the nth of March, 1847, he
married Elizabeth Tatham, also a native
of Zanesville. About 1856 they removed
to Wisconsin, settling at Monroe, Green
county, where they lived upon a farm
until the autumn of 1864, Mr. Butler de-
voting his time and .energies to general
agricultural pursuits and sheep raising.
When eight years had passed he removed
with his family to a farm near La Harpe,
148
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEIl"
Illinois, where he lived for about thirty
years, becoming one of the best known
and most enterprising agriculturists of
that locality. On selling his property he
took up his abode near Blencoe, Iowa,
where he lived for two years, when on
account of failing health he returned to
Illinois, making his home with his daugh-
ter, Mrs. Kimbrough, until his death,
which occurred on the 3Oth of October,
1896, when he had reached the age of sev-
enty years, six months and seventeen days.
His widow still survives him and is now
living in Ellsworth, Iowa, with her
youngest daughter at the age of seventy-
seven years. Mr. Butler was a man of
genuine personal worth. While residing
in Wisconsin he announced his faith in
the Christian religion and ever lived a
life in harmony with his professions. He
was honest at all times, reliable in his busi-
ness transactions and faithful in his
friendships. Unto him and his wife were
born eight children, five of whom are
living, namely : Sylvester, of Holton,
Kansas; William L., of Stronghurst, Illi-
nois; Arthur V., of Monmouth, Illinois;
Mrs. Clara Van Zandt, of Roseville, Illi-
nois; Mrs. Charity Mesecher. of Blencoe,
Iowa ; and Mrs. Kimbrough.
The last named was the fourth in order
of birth in the family and was educated
in the schools of La Harpe, the academy
at that place and in the Normal course at
Carthage Cbllege. She engaged in teach-
ing for seven years in the schools of Han-
cock and Henderson counties and was
widely recognized as a capable educator.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kimbrough have been
born three children, of whom one, Jesse,
died in infancy. Clarence, born July 9,
1 8/6, resides upon his father's home farm
one section 33, Carthage township. He
was educated in Carthage and married
Miss Leah Coultas, who was born at
Winchester, Scott county, Illinois. They
have one child, Lottie.' The youngest
member of the Kimbrough family is
Arno, who was born December 17, 1891.
Mr. Kimbrough exercises his right of
franchise in support of the men and meas-
ures of the Republican party but has never
been a politician in the sense of office
seeking. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kimbrough
are members of the Baptist church and
are interested in all that pertains to the
material, intellectual and moral progress
of their community. Mr. Kimbrough has
passed almost his entire life in Hancock
county, so that his record is well known
to his fellow citizens and in his life his-
tory there is much that is commendable
and worthy of emulation.
WILLIAM R. KIMBROUGH.
William R. Kimbrough. one of the
early settlers of Hancock county, residing
on his farm of eighty acres on section 1 1 ,
Carthage township, is a native of Ken-
tucky, born in Todd county, January 24.
1830. He is a son of William and Susan
(Wyatt) Kimbrough, natives of Virginia,
whence they removed to Kentucky at an
early day. The father engaged in farm-
ing in Todd county until 1834. when he
brought his family to Hancock count}'.
Illinois, settling in Carthage township,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
where he purchased a farm of forty acres
east of the city of Carthage. He built
there a log cabin and began the develop-
ment of the property. He lived there
for some years and afterward sold the
farm, removing to a larger farm which
he rented. A number of years later he
took up his abode in Carthage, where he
lived retired, his death occurring there
when he was eighty-six years of age. He
was a member of the Baptist church and
a democrat in political views. A public
spirited man, he was an advocate of all
that tended to improve and advance the
community interests. He was also a
prosperous and progressive resident of the
county in his day and he was uniformly
respected. At the time of the war of
1812 he espoused the cause of his country
and served throughout the period of hos-
tilities. His widow, who was also a con-
sistent member of the Baptist church, sur-
vived him for a number of years and in
their family were fourteen children, who
grew to maturity, but William R. is the
only one now living. Both parents lie
buried in Seckman cemetery in Carthage
township.
William R. Kimbrough obtained his
education in a log schoolhouse, walking
six miles over the prairie to school. As a
young man he assisted his father upon the
home farm, remaining there until about
sixteen years of age, when he began work-
ing by the month as a farm hand in Carth-
age township. In 1853 he crossed the
plains to California, attracted by the gold
excitement there, journeying with horses
and ox teams, the party numbering six
men who had three teams. They were
about five and a half months in making
the trip and Mr. Kimbrough remained
in California for two years, his wife and
two children spending that time in Han-
cock county. As he was in limited finan-
cial circumstances upon his arrival he be-
gan operating a threshing machine at five
dollars per day. He was thus employed
during the fall, after which he drove cattle
across the country to the market and was
thus engaged until he returned to Illinois.
He had made his way to California with
the idea of mining but he did not spend
a day in the mines, being well satisfied
with the work which came to him and the
money which he obtained thereby. Fol-
lowing his return to Illinois in 1855 he
bought a farm southeast of Carthage in
Carthage township, comprising sixty
acres. Upon this he made his home for
twelve years, tilling the soil and raising
stock, after which he sold the place and
purchased his present farm on section n,
Carthage township. He has made his
home in this county for seventy-three
years and is one of its honored pioneer
residents. He put all of the improve-
ments upon his present farm, erecting a
large and substantial two-story frame
dwelling and also good barns and other
outbuildings, so that he now has a model
farm property.
In July, 1847, Mr. Kimbrough was
married to Miss Elizabeth Dale, who was
born in Woodfor.d county, Kentucky, a
daughter of Lunsford and Fanny (Bos-
ton) Dale, natives of Woodford county,
whence they came to Illinois, settling in
Morgan county. After some time they
came to Hancock county in 1846 and
located in Carthage township, where Mr.
Dale engaged in farming until his death.
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
He and his wife and one daughter died
the same week of fever. They were sup-
porters of the Baptist church. Mrs.
Kimbrough was fourteen years of age at
the time she was left an orphan, after
which she lived with an uncle until her
marriage in 1847. She was born June
27, 1830, and is now seventy-six years of
age. She holds membership in the Meth-
odist Episcopal church and is a most
estimable lady.
Nine children have been born unto Mr.
and Mrs. Kimbrough. James, who for
many years has been a railroad conductor
and resides in Denver, Colorado, married
Nora White and their children are James,
Frank and Corene. William L. is repr
resented elsewhere in this work. Sarah
Frances is the wife of Jefferson Koontz. a
son of John and Malinda (Smart)
Koontz, who were early settlers of this
county. Mr. and Mrs. Koontz own ninety
acres adjoining her father's farm. She
was first married to James Briley. who
after farming several years in Henderson
county removed to this county and fol-
lowed farming in Carthage township.
He died about seven years after their mar-
riage, leaving two sons and two daugh-
ters : Frank, a farmer of Carthage town-
ship, who married Ethel Ervin and has
one child, Thomas; Thomas, a resident
farmer of Iowa, who wedded Nellie Clay-
worth and has a daughter, Beulah : Esta,
the deceased" wife of Ralph Sowers : and
Elizabeth, the wife of Luther Earls, of
Carthage, by whom she has two chil-
dren. Joy and Blossom. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Koontz have been born five chil-
dren, three of whom are living : Fannie,
the wife of Wadsworth Earls, by whom
she has two daughters, Helen and Lois
Frances; Ross, at school; and Abba M.
Marinda Kimbrough. the fourth of the
family, is the wife of Roy Fletcher, of
Carthage, and had two children,
Charles and Blanche, the latter deceased.
Julia Kimbrough is the widow of
Thomas Ervin, who was a farmer
and stock buyer of Carthage town-
ship, and she has four children, Bruce,
Irene, Tressler and Thomas. George, a
railroad fireman on Colorado & South-
ern, of Denver, Colorado, married Clara
Swadley. Nellie Ann is the wife of
Henry Fleshman, proprietor of a restau-
rant at Hannibal, Missouri. By her
former marriage to John Rucker, who
was a farmer of Carthage township, she
had two children, Chloris and Rollin.
Thomas married Birdie Pennock and died
at the age of thirty-one years, leaving
three children, Velna, Shirley and Harlev,
who are living with their mother in
Carthage.
Mr. Kimbrough is a democrat in poli-
tics but has never cared for office. He
has seen many changes and improvements
made in the county which in his boyhood
days was a vast wild prairie, over which
roamed herds of deer and other wild
animals. He has seen the raw and un-
broken prairie land transformed into rich
fertile farms and has done his full share
to make the county what it is today one
of the richest and most productive farm-
ing districts of this great state. His life
has been a busy one, yet he has found
time to travel extensively throughout the
country and acquaint himself with his na-
tive land. He has just returned from a
visit to his old Kentucky home which
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
he left in childhood. Through persistent
effort and industry he has won" success
and has carefully reared his family, so
that they have become prominent and
influential members of society.
J. E. LOOP.
J. E. Loop, proprietor of a meat market
and also identified with the control of
municipal affairs as a member of the
board of city aldermen in Carthage, was
born in Hancock county, in 1858. his
parents being Simon and Rebecca
(Schenck) Loop. The father was born
in Virginia and the mother in Ohio. In
the year 1851, or 1852 Simon Loop, who
was a butcher by trade, removed to Han-
cock county and spent his remaining days
in Carthage, where he resided for thirty
years or more, passing away in March,
1882, while his wife died in 1896 and was
laid by his side in Carthage cemetery.
He voted with the Republican party but
had no desire for office. His religious
faith was that of the Methodist church,
while his wife belonged to the Presby-
terian church. In their family were seven
children, of "whom four are now living:
Mary, the wife of Samuel Camp, who re-
sides in Carthage ; Jennie, the wife of Wil-
liam Ward, of Adrian, Illinois; J. E., of
this review ; and James M., of this county.
Joseph, John and William Loop, uncles
of our subject, were soldiers of the Civil
war, enlisting from Ohio as defenders of
the L'nion.
10
Reared under the parental roof J. E.
Loop acquired his education in the public
schools of Carthage and then entered his
father's meat market, where he worked
for three years, acquiring a good, prac-
tical knowledge of the business. He was
afterward employed by other butchers
until 1895, when, ambitious to engage in
business on his own account he opened a
meat market, which he is still conducting
on Jefferson street. For a year or more
he was a partner of John Bertschi but is
now alone in business and has a well
equipped market well supplied with the
latest improved machinery for the care of
the meats. He keeps a high grade of
goods, for his patronage is constantly
growing. He also owns a small pasture
and a slaughter house.
In 1893 Mr. Loop was united in mar-
riage to Miss Sarah J. Van Winkle, who
was born in Denver. Hancock county,
Illinois, a daughter of John and Catherine
(Shupman) Van Winkle. The parents
reside at West Point, Hancock county,
Illinois, and Mr. Van W r inkle is a farmer.
Of their family of five children four sur-
vive, as follows: Patience, the wife of
H. L. Price, of Carthage: Mrs. Loop;
Alice, the wife of Marion Mathews, living
in Augusta, Hancock county ; and Frank,
who lives in Hamilton, this county. Mr.
and Mrs. Loop have four children, all
born in Carthage township: Lloyd F.,
Lola B., Lionel, James and Mary P., all
attending school. The parents hold mem-
bership in the Presbyterian church and
take an active and helpful part in its
work. Their home is in the northwest
part of the city. Mr. Loop is a repub-
lican and for the past two years has
152
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
efficiently served as alderman. Frater-
nally, he is connected with the Knights of
Pythias and Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He is entirely a self-made man,
who without family or pecuniary advan-
tages to aid him at the outset of his ca-
reer has battled earnestly and energetical-
ly. Modest in demeanor and in his de-
mands for public office, his friends, how-
ever, recognize his genuine worth and he
has a wide and favorable acquaintance
throughout the city and county and a
good trade in Carthage.
CHARLES B. LOFTON.
The students of history cannot carry
his investigations far into the annals of
Hancock county without learning of the
close, honorable and extended connection
of the Lofton family with the movements,
measures and business interests which
have promoted the growth and develop-
ment of this part of the state. The
grandparents of Charles B. Lofton
arrived in the '403 and Franklin Lofton,
an uncle of our subject, participated in the
Mormon war of 1844. He afterward
went to California at the time of the gold
excitement in that state, taking with him
ten or twelve men and a number of ox
teams. The grandfather was an active
factor in the early development of this
county, aiding in reclaiming the wild land
for the uses of civilization. He died
many years ago and was long survived
bv his wife, who bore the maiden name
of Elizabeth Seals. After her husband's
death she went to live with her son, Jef-
ferson Lofton, in whose home she died at
the very advanced age of one hundred and
two years and fourteen days, being the
oldest woman in the county at that time.
Jefferson Lofton, father of our subject,
was born in Washington county, Indiana,
in 1821 and was thus reared upon the
frontier, early becoming familiar with all
the hardships and experiences incident to
pioneer life. He removed to Hancock
county in 1848, settling upon a tract of
land of one hundred and sixty acres on
section 26, Dallas township. There was
only one house between his home and
Carthage at that time and only three
dwellings in Dallas City. The work of
improvement and progress seemed scarce-
ly begun and the most far sighted could
not have dreamed of the rapid changes
which were soon to take place and make
this district one of the leading counties
of a great commonwealth in which are
found all of the evidences of an advanced
civilization, together with the varied busi-
ness interests that denote material
progress and prosperity. Settling upon
his farm, he cleared the land for the erec-
tion of a home and then continued in the
work of improvement until he had de-
veloped a splendid property. His political
allegiance was given to the democracy and
he was prominent and influential in com-
munity affairs, holding a number of local
offices. He married Miss Elizabeth
Richardson for his first wife. They be-
came the parents of ten children, of whom
six are now living: Lavina, the wife of
Ferdinand Victor, of Kansas City, Mis-
souri ; Paulina, the wife of Jonah Gather,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
153
of Dallas City; Amanda, the wife of
Joseph Marshall, of Kansas City, Mis-
souri ; John, of Dallas City ; Franklin,
who came to Hancock county in 1840;
and Henry, who is living in Missouri.
After losing his first wife in 1855 Mr.
Lofton was married in 1861 to Miss
Sarah Merrill, who was born in Adams
county, Illinois, in 1841 and whose father
was a farmer of Hancock county. There
were twelve children in the Merrill family
but only two are now living, namely:
Mrs. Lofton ; and Mrs. Julia Hibbard,
who resides in Adams county, this state.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lofton were born
seven children, of whom three yet survive :
Rose is the wife of Fred Lavine, of Dallas
township, by whom she has two children,
Laveta and Lawrence; Manford, who
lives in Dallas township, and has two
children, Eldon and Beulah ; and Charles
B., of this review. Iva Lofton, the eldest
child of the second marriage, became the
wife of Mark Bailey and died May 23,
1905, in Chase county, Nebraska, leaving
seven children : Clara, Alta, Edna, Rose,
Velma, Gladys, Lafayette and George
Harlan. The father died April 6, 1901,
and was buried in the family cemetery on
his own farm but the mother is still living.
Charles B. Lofton has always lived
upon the old homestead farm where he
was born and now manages the place for
his mother. He was reared to the occu-
pation of farming and his practical ex-
perience in youth enabled him to carry on
the work with success when he assumed
the management of the property. He has
his fields under a high state of cultivation
and everything about the place is kept in
excellent condition. By his own efforts,
energy and honesty he has added many
comforts to the home place and has made
it a valuable farm property. He is a
well read man, keeping in touch with the
general interests of the clay and in manner
he is genial and jovial, having many
warm friends. His political allegiance
is given to the democracy and he has
served as supervisor of his township.
July 31, 1906, Mr. Lofton married Lola
G. High, of Fergusville, West Virginia.
She was born February 6, 1885, a daugh-
ter of John and Sarah (Hoffman) High.
The father was a merchant at Fergusville,
West Virginia, where he still lives. The
grandfather, Warner P. High, was one
of the oldest residents of Fergusville and
was a farmer by occupation, a republican
in politics as is also the father. Miss
High was reared at Fergusville and edu-
cated in the schools and continued to re-
side in that place until the time of her
marriage.
JACOB G. LUNG.
Jacob G. Lung is numbered among the
self-made men of Hancock county, who,
starting out in life without any special
family or pecuniary advantages, has
worked his way steadily upward, battling
earnestly and energetically and coming
off victor in the strife. He was born in
Germany April 6, 1859, a son of Got-
lieb and Kate (Say) Lung. The parents
were also natives of the fatherland and
were married there October 10, 1858.
They came to America when the subject
154
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
of this review was only about a year old,
landing at New York, whence they made
their way to Ohio, where for some time
the father was employed as a day laborer.
He was born June 9, 1831, and passed
away in Ohio, while his wife, who was
born October 25, 1832, still survives him
and is now living in Dallas City. In their
family were three children : Christina
D., the wife of Fred Maurer, of Dallas
City ; Jacob G. ; and George, who died
at the age of eight months.
Jacob G. Lung was educated in the
public schools of Dallas City, having been
brought by his parents to this county
when a young lad. He remained with
his mother until after he had attained his
majority and as a companion and help-
mate for life's journey he chose Miss
Louisa Meunzenmeier. to whom he was
married on the 5th of April, 1885. She
was born in Eslingen, Germany, in 1862,
a daughter of Gotlieb and Margaret
Maurer Muenzenmeier. who were like-
wise natives of Germany, the former born
September 4, 1820, and the latter July
17, 1817. They came to America in 1882
and settled in Dallas, where Mr. Meunzen-
meier engaged in business as a gardener.
His wife died in 1897 and he passed away
in March, 1903, their graves being made
in Dallas cemetery. They were members
of the German Methodist Episcopal
church, to which the parents of Mr. Lung
also belonged. In the Meunzenmeier
family were four children : William,
now living in Germany ; Gotlieb, of Dallas
City ; Christian, who resides in Burling-
ton, Iowa ; and Mrs. Lung.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Lung lived for several years upon a rented
farm in Durham township and in 1888 he
purchased seventy-eight acres of land in
the same township, upon which he erected
a house, making that farm his home for
nineteen years. He carried on general
agricultural pursuits and stock raising
and he brought his fields under a high
state of cultivation. In November, 1902,
be bought two hundred and ten acres of
land on section i, Dallas township, where
he now resides, and he has here a pretty
two-story frame residence. He has since
built a granary, a hen house and fences
and has added other modern improve-
ments to his farm. He still owns his
first farm, a part of which he now rents.
In his business life he has displayed un-
faltering energy and laudable ambition
and has thus worked his way upward to
success.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lung have been
born five children, four in Durham town-
ship and one in Dallas township. These
are: Laura, who was born August 17,
1886; Walter, May 17, 1888; Mark, May
25, 1890; Edith, February 29, 1896: and
Victor, February 6, 1902. The parents
are members of the German Methodist
Episcopal church, in the work of which
they take a very active and helpful part,
Mr. Lung serving as one of the church
trustees and also as a teacher in the Sun-
day-school. He votes with the Republi-
can party and has filled the office of
school director, the cause of education
finding in him a warm and stalwart friend.
Starting out in life empty handed, he has
through his perseverance and diligence
made steady progress toward the goal of
prosperity and today he is surrounded
by many of the comforts of life, secured
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
155
entirely through his own efforts. Both
he and his wife command and enjoy the
respect and esteem of the entire com-
munity. He bears an unassailable repu-
tation for straightforward dealing in his
business affairs and that he has been most
diligent is indicated by his present valu-
able farming possessions.
LEWIS SACK.
Lewis Sack, deceased, was a veteran of
the Civil war and a well known agri-
culturist of Rocky Run township. When
one has passed from the scene of earthly
activities it is common to review the life
record, note its salient characteristics and
draw lessons therefrom recording the fail-
ures or successes. In the record of Lewis
Sack there is found much that is com-
mendable and worthy of emulation, and
to his family he left not only a comfort-
able competence but also an untarnished
name, which comes to them as a priceless
heritage. A native of St. Charles county.
Missouri, he was born in 1840, and ac-
companied his parents on their removal
to Hancock county, the family home
being established in Rocky Run township,
where for some years the father followed
the occupation of farming. Both he and
his wife are now deceased. In their
family were eight children, six of whom
are living : Jacob, a resident of Warsaw ;
John, of California ; Charles, who resides
in Missouri ; William, of Rocky Run :
Louisa, the wife of Jacob Bradshaw, of
Burlington, Iowa ; and Delia, the widow
of Henry Herzog, late of Tioga, Illinois.
Lewis Sack is the second in order of
birth in this family and he began his
education in the public schools of St.
Louis, Missouri, while later he continued
his studies in Rocky Run township. To
his father he gave the benefit of his ser-
vices upon the home farm until after the
inauguration of the Civil war, when his
patriotic spirit was aroused and with loyal
impulse he responded to the country's
call, joining the boys in blue of Company
H, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regi-
ment of Illinois Infantry. He was in
the army for four years, during which
time he endured all the hardships, ex-
periences and privations meted out to the
soldier, and participated in many impor-
tant engagements which led up to the
final results of the war.
When hostilities had ceased and the
country no longer needed his aid Mr.
Sack returned to his home and resumed
farming. In 1869 he was married to
Miss Anna Eliza Weston, a native of Illi-
nois. They traveled life's journey to-
gether for about seventeen years, and
Mrs. Sack then passed away in 1886. Of
their five children four are still living:
Lillian, the wife of John Brenner, of
Iowa: Bertha, the wife of John Snyder,
of Quincy : Bertram, a twin of Bertha,
and Pearl, the wife of Harry Keith, of
Missouri, and Rhoda, now deceased.
In March, 1888. Mr. Sack was again
married, his second union being with Mrs.
Elizabeth Shaffner, who was born in Ger-
many in 1851, a daughter of George and
Louisa (Trautvetter) Mathes. Her par-
ents were natives of Germany and in her
156
BIOGRAPHICAL REV I EH'
childhood came to America. They were
residents of Kentucky in early life and
thence removed to Warsaw, Illinois,
where Mrs. Mathes died twenty-nine
years ago. Mr. Mathes, however, is still
living in Rocky Run township at the age
of eighty years. In his family were eight
children, six of whom survive : George,
who is living with Mrs. Sack; Fred, of
Warsaw; Rudolph, who resides in Rocky
Run township ; Mrs. Sack ; Henry, who is
with his father in Rocky Run township;
and Minnie, the wife of Frank Shair, also
on the old homestead with the father.
Mrs. Sack was fir'st married in 1871, be-
coming the wife of Jacob Shafrner, who
was born in Switzerland. His parents
both died in Germany. Coming to the
new world he was known for some years
as a thrifty farmer of Wilcox township
and he died there in 1886, leaving one
son. George J., of Rocky Run township
who married Miss Cora Gillham and has
two children. By her second marriage
Mrs. Sack had two children, twins, Bessie
May and Jessie Pay. The former is at
home but the latter died January 25.
1904, at the age of fourteen years, and
was buried in W r arsaw cemetery. She
died suddenly although she had long been
an invalid and during her illness had dis-
played a most sweet and lovable disposi-
tion, being a most patient sufferer, greatly
missed by all.
Mr. Sack was the owner of one hundred
and twenty acres of land in Rocky Run
township, whereon he built a comfortable
residence and one of the best barns in that
part of the county. He also put up other
good outbuildings and developed an ex-
cellent farm property, which is now in
possession of his widow. He was a re-
publican in politics and always stood
loyally by the party which was the de-
fense of the union at the time of the Civil
war and which has always been a party
of reform, progress and improvement.
An industrious man, frugal and careful,
he thus made a start in life and in later
years was enabled to enjoy more of life's
comforts and luxuries. In his business
affairs he was thoroughly reliable and
was never known to take advantage of
the necessities of his fellowmen in any
trade transaction. He was regarded as a
kind friend, a good neighbor and loyal
citizen, and thus his death was the occa-
sion of deep and wide spread regret, when,
on the 27th of November, 1900, he was
called to his final rest, his remains being
interred in Rocky Run township. Mrs.
Sack still survives her husband and re-
sides upon the farm but rents the land,
from which she derives a good income,
and she is comfortably situated in life.
R. E. GILLHAM.
R. E. Gillham, one of the substantial
farmers of Wilcox township, and a native
son of the county, was born in Rocky Run
township, January 13, 1855, and is a son
of John and Ann (Woodworth) Gillham.
The father was born in Kentucky in 1832,
and the mother was a native of Missouri.
When a young boy he came to Hancock
county, settling in Walker township, and
throughout the greater part of his life he
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
157
followed the occupation of farming. He
spent six years in California, where he en-
gaged in general agricultural pursuits and
also worked in the gold mines. He then
returned to his old home in Hancock
county and was identified with its agri-
cultural interests up to the time of his
demise which occurred in June, 1888. His
wife passed away in January, 1890, and
both were laid to rest in \Yarsaw ceme-
tery. Of their five children four yet sur-
vive, namely: R. E., of this review;
James, of Texas ; Lemuel, also in Texas ;
and Dr. Charles W. Gillham, of Warsaw,
Illinois.
The early educational privileges of R.
E. Gillham were obtained in the district
schools of Rocky Run township, and were
supplemented by a course of study in the
Warsaw high school. Nothing occurred
to vary for him the routine of farm life in
his boyhood days, and the practical train-
ing which he received in the work of the
fields proved of the utmost value when he
started out in life on his own account.
He was married January 14, 1875, to
Miss Anna M. Pell, who was born in
Michigan, August. 13, 1855, an d is a
daughter of John and Sarah Ann ( South-
well) Pell, both of whom were natives
of England. The mother, born Septem-
ber 21, 1835, was educated in London,
and when eighteen years of age crossed
the Atlantic to the new world. Mr. Pell,
who chose farming as a life work, fol-
lowed that pursuit for many years in
Lewis county, Missouri, where he passed
away, after which his widow became the
wife of Jacob Sack, who is still living in
Warsaw. Mrs. Sack, however, departed
this life. February 23, 1902. By her first
marriage she had three children, two of
whom survive, namely: Mrs. Gillham;
Halsey Pell, of Warsaw ; by second mar-
riage there are W,illiam Sack, also
of Warsaw; and Emma, the wife
of Thomas Daugherty, of Warsaw.
Robert Southwell, an uncle of Mrs.
Gillham on the maternal side, was a
soldier of the Civil war, enlisting from
Canton, Missouri, when he was eighteen
years of age to drive a team. He was
advanced to the position of clerk and
served throughout the war.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Gillham has
been blessed with three children, all of
whom were born on the homestead farm
and the family circle yet remains un-
broken by the hand of death. Cora E.,
the eldest, born November i, 1875, is the
wife of George Schaffner living in Rocky
Run township; and they have two chil-
dren, Carl Merle and Mary Jeannette.
Mary A., born May 24, 1882, is with her
sister. Herschel Edwin, born July 2,
1892, is now a student in the Warsaw
high school.
Mr. and Mrs. Gillham began their do-
mestic life upon his father's farm, where
they resided until about fourteen years
ago, when the father died and Mr. Gill-
ham then purchased his present place on
section 28, Wilcox township, comprising
one hundred and eighty acres of rich and
productive land, on which he is still living.
He carries on the work of tilling the soil
after most progressive modern methods
and each step in his business career has
been a forward one. He likewise raises
stock and good grades of horses ; cattle
and hogs will be seen in his feed lots
and pastures. In the midst of a busy
158
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
life he has found time and opportunity
to keep well informed on political ques-
tions and issues of the day, and he gives
his allegiance to the democracy. He has
served as school director, as highway
commissioner and as trustee of the
schools. In his business career he has
made a record such as any man might
be proud to flessess. for it is characterized
by sterling horie'sty and unfaltering fidelity
to a high s'taivefard of btisiness ethics. He
started at the bottom round of the ladder
of life and has steadily climbed upward.
Personally he is a large hearted man,
genial in disposition and kindly in manner
and both he and his wife are esteemed by
many friends throughout the township.
SAMUEL R. JONES.
Samuel R. Jones, whose home is pleas-
antly and conveniently located on sections
23 and 24, Carthage township, has one
hundred and sixty acres of land that is
well improved and in its conduct he dis-
plays thorough and practical knowledge
of the best methods of tilling the soil. A
native of Indiana, he was born in Putnam
county, January i, 1840. and there spent
the days of his boyhood and youth, living
upon the home farm of his parents. Carter
T. and Eliza (Roberts) Jones. Both
were natives of Kentucky and in early
life became residents of Indiana. Sub-
sequent to their marriage they resided in
Putnam county, where Carter T. Jones
engaged in farming for a number of years.
Later he returned to Kentucky, locating
in Shelby county, where he remained for
four years, when he came to Illinois, tak-
ing up his abode in Sonora township,
Hancock county, where the father pur-
chased a farm of one hundred and sixty
acres. This he improved, making it his
home until his death, which occurred
when he had reached the age of seventy-
two years. He was a member of the
Methodist church and was actuated by
high and lofty purposes and manly prin-
ciples. His political support was given
to the democracy but he had no aspira-
tion for office. His wife died in Indiana
at the age of forty-five years and he later
married Miss Mary Gilmore in Putnam
county, Indiana. She died in Chicago at
the home of her daughter in 1904. Of
the six children by the first marriage only
two are living, Samuel R. and William
R., of Oklahoma. By the second mar-
riage four are living, one son having died
in childhood. Those living are James
A., of Oakwood, Robert, of Washington,
Myra, now Mrs. Jeolidon, of Chicago,
and Frank, of Kansas.
Samuel R. Jones obtained his education
in the common schools of Putnam county
and as a young man assisted in the work
of the home farm, remaining under the
parental roof until 1863, which year wit-
nessed his arrival in Illinois. He first
settled in Fulton county, where he pur-
chased a small farm, residing there for
four years. He then removed to Cham-
paign county. Illinois, where he lived for
two years, and in 1869 he came to Han-
cock county, purchasing eighty acres of
land in Sonora township, which he farmed
for some time. He sold this and bought
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
159
a farm in Montebello township, compris-
ing one hundred acres, on which he lived
for five years. When he had again dis-
posed of his property he purchased his
present farm and has since lived thereon.
It was only partially improved when it
came into his possession and he has added
many modern equipments and accessories.
The fields are now well tilled and bring
him bounteous harvests, while the build-
ings are kept in an excellent state of re-
pair. He has engaged in general farming
and stock-raising all of his life and con-
centrated his energies upon his business
interests to the exclusion of active partici-
pation in politics although he gives the
support of his ballot to the men and meas-
ures of democracy.
Happy is his home life. Mr. Jones was
married September /, 1861, to Miss Sarah
Sublett, who was born in Putnam county.
Indiana, and is a daughter of David and
Mary (Marshall) Sublett. The father
was born in Kentucky and at an early
clay went to Indiana, taking up his abode
in Putnam county, where he followed
farming. That pursuit was his life work
and through his devotion thereto he pro-
vided a comfortable living for his family.
He died in Indiana at the age of seventy
years, while his wife passed away dur-
ing the early girlhood of Mrs. Tones, who
was one of a family of nine children.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Jones were born
seven children. Ida May. the eldest, is
the wife of William Crosby, a resident
farmer of Sonora township. Hancock
county, and they have . one daughter,
Hattie, who is the wife of Joseph
Shell, a farmer of Sonora township.
Carter T.. the second in order of birth.
follows farming in Spink county.
South Dakota, wedded May Smith, and
has three children, Robert, Floyd and
Ethel. Sophia is the wife of John
Sheets, also an agriculturist of Spink
county. South Dakota, and they have
one daughter, Madaline. Edward, who
is engaged in farming in Spink
county. South Dakota, wedded Amanda
Maginn, and has two children, Paul Alex-
ander and Opal. Albert is operating the
home farm. Jennie is the wife of Harvey
Goodrich, a resident farmer of Carthage
township and they have a daughter,
Helen. William died at the age of
twenty-one years. AH of the children
were born in Hancock county with the
exception of Ida and Carter, who are na-
tives of Fulton county. Mr. Jones has
seen many improvements made in Han-
cock county, which was just emerging
from pioneer conditions when he took
up his abode here. He has done his full
share in making the county what it is
today and though he has not sought to
figure in public life he has made a record
for good citizenship and for honesty in
business that is indicative of sterling prin-
ciples which are the motive power of his
actions.
HON. JOHN HAY.
It is given to few men to so fully realize
their ambitions as it was to Dr. Charles
Hay, father of John Hay, the nobility
of whose character is indicated in his
words, when in writing to one of his sons
i6o
BIOGRAPHICAL REV I EH'
upon his seventy-fifth birthday, he said,
"I have never been conscious of but one
ambition and that I have had all my days.
I have always wished to found a family;
I mean this of course not in any aristo-
cratic, still less in any plutocratic sense,
but I have hoped to leave behind me chil-
dren and children's children and the
greater the number the better I would be
pleased with whom intelligence, honor
and thrift would be matters of instinct
and tradition. I would prefer a certainty
of this in the future to any amount of
personal distinction for myself, if the
choice were left to me."
From such a stock sprang John Hay,
author, journalist and diplomat, and cer-
tainly the father's ambition found reali-
zation in the life of this honored son.
The other members of the family, too,
were a credit and honor to his name, but
in this review we have to deal more en-
tirely with the history of John Hay, who
rose to distinction through the inherent
force of character through the recog-
nition of opportunity and to a greater
extent, through the unfaltering de-
votion to duty and to high ideals
of citizenship which were ever recog-
nized as among his most salient char-
acteristics. He was born in Salem,
Indiana, October 8, 1838, and was fortu-
nate in that his youth and boyhood were
passed amid the environments of a home
of culture and refinement, his parents typi-
fying the very best in manhood and
womanhood. They realized the value of
education and spared no effort or expense
on their part to provide their sons and
daughters with every advantage in this
direction. He was but three years of age
at the time of the removal of the family
from Salem to Warsaw, Illinois, and he
began his education in the "little brick"
schoolhouse which still stands on Fourth
street in Warsaw and until within recent
years was yet in use for educational pur-
poses. During his early school clays he
was a diligent and studious boy, with a
taste for languages and composition and
versifying, and his sister. Mrs. Mary
Woolfolk, who still lives in Warsaw said,
"In his boyhood he had the habit of
stringing words together into rhymes."
He attended the little brick schoolhouse
until he reached the age of thirteen, learn-
ing literally all there was to learn from
Mr. Holmes and his successors. He sup-
plemented his studies in lessons of Greek
and Latin from his father. At the age
of thirteen he was sent to Pittsfield, Illi-
nois, to attend a private school for a year
and a half as a preparation for entrance
at Brown University, and when fifteen
years of age he became a student in that
institution, where he passed his examina-
tion in Greek and Latin so creditably that
his examiner made special inquiry as to
where he had received his preparation.
He answered with great pride that his
tutelage in ancient languages was from his
father. His education, however, was not
one continuous round of study but for
various reasons suffered interruptions.
Viewed from a financial standpoint per-
haps John Hay might be termed a self-
made man, for in his early youth his
father was in somewhat limited financial
circumstances, owning to the pecuniary
assistance which he had given to his
friends and which left him in a somewhat
crippled financial condition. In his youth.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
161
therefore, John Hay accepted a position as
newspaper carrier for the Warsaw Sig-
nal and his first literary productions,
written when a boy, appeared in that
paper, he being encouraged to do the
work by its editor, the late Thomas Gray.
Later, as before stated, he had the advan-
tages of a course of study in Brown Uni-
versity, .from which he was graduated
in 1858, and there he was a general fa-
vorite with class-mates and instructors,
promising, studious, quiet and reserved,
yet exceedingly loyal and steadfast in
friendship.
It was during his student days that he
produced certain poems and writings
which in later years made him a world-
famed author, although it was not until
several decades later that his innate mod-
esty permitted him to give these writings
to the public in published form. Mr. Hay
was graduated from the university in
1858 with high rank in scholarship. Dur-
ing the period between his return from
college and his .entrance into public life
his friends perceived in him an undercur-
rent of seriousness and religious enthu-
siasm. He had been reared in the Baptist
church but had leanings toward the Pres-
byterian faith and he appeared to have
entertained the idea of entering the minis-
try. At the time when his family wished
him to become a student of law he said
to one of his intimates "They would spoil
a second class preacher to make a third
class lawyer out of me." However, he
fell in with the plan of studying law but
before beginning his studies he passed
sometime at Pittsfield, Illinois, where
John Nicolay had a newspaper office. At
this time he made the acquaintance of
General Clark E. Carr, who afterward
served as minister to Denmark, and Gen-
eral Carr gives an account of their first
meeting in his recently published book,
The Illini. Describing a visit to Pitts-
field and his meeting with Mr. Hay, Gen-
eral Carr writes : ''A bright, rose- faced
young man arose and greeted us. I had
never seen a young man or boy who
charmed me as he did when he looked at
me with his mischievous hazel eyes from
under a wealth of dark brown hair." He
had just completed writing something at
the time the party entered the newspaper
office." Mr. Carr continues, "We all
joined in urging him to read what he
had written and he did so. I can give
only the substance of the editorial from
memory but I doubt whether its author
ever wrote a better one when editing the
New York Tribune.
John Hay took up the study of law in
the office of his uncle. Milton Hay, one of
the most distinguished attorneys that ever
practiced at the bar of Illinois, and a law
partner of Abraham Lincoln in his office
at Springfield. Becoming a student in
that office, Mr. Hay thus formed the ac-
quaintance of the martyred president.
The story of friendship has become a mat-
ter of history. The young man was in-
vited to continue his law studies in Mr.
Lincoln's office and he entered heartily
into the work of supporting the Illinois
presidential candidate during the cam-
paign of 1860. That his effective ser-
vice was appreciated by Mr. Lincoln is
shown by the fact that on going to
Washington the president invited Mr.
Hay to become assistant secretary to John
G. Nicolay, and from that time forward
1 62
BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEU'
he was the able assistant of Mr. Lincoln
in important work having direct bearing
upon the administration and the nation.
He was entrusted with the bearing of
messages too momentous to commit to
paper. Although a warm admirer of
President Lincoln, it was with a certain
reluctance and regret that he had turned
from law to enter politics, but the great
leader of the Republican -party had
recognized his discernment, his judg-
ment, his tact and discretion, and realized
that his services might prove of utmost
value to him in Washington. He was
constantly with Mr. Lincoln in close con-
ference throughout the four years of his
administration save for the brief period
when he served, more as the president's
personal representative, on the staffs of
Generals Hunter and Gilmore and was
brevetted lieutenant colonel therefor.
Speaking of this period in the life of
Mr. Hay, Grandon Nevins has written
"No man in the president's official house-
hold was more overworked than the
young major. He slept when he could
and ate when he had the chance, and
when he was not at the front he lived at
the White House always at the call of
the president."
Mr. Hay was but twenty-six years of
age at the time of Mr. Lincoln's death
but so thoroughly had he proved his
worth that it was decided to retain him
in the employ of the government and
he was sent abroad first as secretary of the
legation at Paris under Minister Bige-
low, in which capacity he served from
1865 until 1867, while during the suc-
ceeding year he was charge d' affaires in
Vienna and later secretary of legation
at Madrid under Minister Sickles, where
he served until 1870.
About this time Mr. Hay gave proof
of public-spirited citizenship and lofty
patriotism in refusing a very advanta-
geous offer from Horace Greeley then
editor of the New York Tribune, saying
that he did not think it proper to turn
his work over to other hands until it was
completed. When he again found him-
self in his native country free to accept
the proffered position extended by Mr.
Greely he became editorial writer for the
New York Tribune. In the meantime,
however, he was for a few months con-
nected with the Springfield ( Illinois)
Journal, after which he succeeded Charles
Dana as editor of the Republican at Chi-
cago. For five years he was connected
with the New York Tribune, where he
demonstrated his right to rank with the
leading journalists of the country and also
as an author of considerable literary
merits and ability. It was at this period
in his career that he published the well
known poems, Jim Bludso and Little
Breeches, together with other verses
which were given to the public under the
title Pike County Ballads. His retire-
ment from the Tribune was followed by
his removal to Cleveland. Ohio, where he
remained for some years, and he declined
a most remunerative position offered him
as editor in chief of the New York
Herald, then published by James Gordon
Bennett. He was again for a brief period,
however, actively connected with journal-
ism, having charge of the New York
Tribune in 1881, during a brief absence
of Whitelaw Reid in Europe. Much of
his time during fifteen years was devoted
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
163
to the compilation and writing, in collabo-
ration with John G. Nicolay, of the vol-
ume entitled. Abraham Lincoln, A His-
tory, which is undoubtedly the most ex-
haustive, most accurate and authentic bi-
ography of the martyred president. As
a financial venture it was a. brilliant suc-
cess and moreover, it will always remain
the one authoritative work of the life of
Abraham Lincoln. The writings of Mr.
Hay have embraced a wide field, as he
was the author of various works, political
and otherwise, and many attribute to him
the authorship of a novel which appeared
anonymously in 1893 under the title of
The Bread Winners. His influence as
a journalist is immeasurable. In this
field of labor, however, he became recog-
nized as one of the master minds of the
nation, a man of great erudition and
learning, of broad investigation and origi-
nal thought. He never looked at great
questions effecting national and interna-
tional relations from a narrow, contracted
or partisan standpoint. He viewed the
whole subject broadly and the correctness
of his conclusions, time has demonstrated
and wisdom has acknowledged.
From his retirement in Cleveland, Mr.
Hay was called in 1879 to serve as as-
sistant secretary of state under Evarts
and continued in this office to the end of
the administration. It was sixteen years
later that lie was again in political office,
having, in March, 1897. been appointed
by President McKinley ambassador to
England. His diplomatic service is a
matter of history. Perhaps one secret
of his success lay in the fact that he recog-
nized while handling the affairs of in-
ternational importance he had to treat
with the individual and he displayed
a courtesy and a deference for the
opinions of others, while rigidly uphold-
ing his own honest convictions and views,
that won for him the warmest personal
regard and esteem. He managed inter-
national affairs during the Spanish-Amer-
ican war with a delicacy and tact com-
bined with force and discretion that
gained for the United States the support
of England, while England held in check
the other powers of the world. The then
Prince of Wales, now reigning sovereign
in England, recognized his great ability
and power and accorded him not only ad-
miration but strong personal friendship.
Near the close of the Spanish-American
war he returned to this country and be-
came secretary of state in the cabinet of
President McKinley, in which position he
was continued by President Roosevelt,
thus serving when stricken by death. Al-
though he secured the abrogation of the
Clayton-Bulwer treaty brought about by
reference of the most far-reaching ques-
tion in the recent Venezuela dispute
(priority in payment for a belligerent
claimant) to the international court of
The Hague and arranged for the peace-
able adjustment of the Alaskan boundary
question, he is known throughout the
world principally for the breadth and
foresight of his policy in Asia. His long
experience in the diplomatic service
coupled with his native abilities, his su-
perior attainments and his wholesome hu-
manity, of which he always possessed an
abundant store, made him not only a val-
uable man to the nation but to all the
world. He achieved much for his coun-
trv but more for all mankind and raised
164
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
diplomacy out of the slough of deceit and
hypocrisy, placing it upon the high plane
of sincerity, integrity and plain dealing
and relegating to things obsolete and de-
testable and precepts and maxims of Tal-
leyrand, so long accepted as the essentials
of the successful diplomat.
There were other phases in the life
record of John Hay that perhaps were
not so well known. While in Europe in
the early days of his legation service he
mastered the French language, which he
spoke with fluency, and he became a lin-
guist of such superiority that one of the
leading educational institutions of Amer-
ica offered to him the chair of languages.
He was always a man of studious habits
and the breadth of his reading and the
extent of his knowledge were marvelous
but it was not these distinguishing char-
acteristics alone which won for Air. Hay
the position which he held in public re-
gard. There has been perhaps no man
in Washington or in diplomatic circles
more greatly loved because of his per-
sonal traits than John Hay. Nevins has
said, "To know John Hay was to love
him. His was one of those extremely
sensitive natures, which, combined with
firmness, go to make up the ideal man.
Of all the ambassadors and ministers sta-
tioned at Washington, not one, from the
Japanese minister, Mr. Takahira. to Mr.
Takahira's deadly political enemy, Count
Cassini, but was on terms of intimate
friendship with the American secretary,
and it was not merely these foreign dip-
lomats who were drawn irresistibly to-
ward this magnetic man, his cabinet
associates, his subordinates in the state
department, his social acquaintances
every one regarded him with deep affec-
tion. No man in all Washington was the
object of more general affection than was
Mr. Hay."
Reared in a home where all that is
ideal in the family relation found ex-
emplification, it was not surprising that
John Hay, like his father, found his
greatest source of pleasure at his own fire-
side. He was married in 1874 to Miss
Clara L. Stone, a daughter of Amasa
Stone, a wealthy and prominent citizen
of Cleveland, Ohio, and his reply "All
through life," to the question of a friend
on the night of his bachelor dinner :
"How long is the honeymoon going to
last, Hay ?" proved most true. The mar-
riage was blessed with four children and
those who knew Mr. Hay most intimately
recognized the fact that his great sorrow
over the death of his son, Adelbert, who
was killed by falling from a window in
New Haven on the eve of the Yale com-
mencement, proved a blow from which
he never recovered. He withdrew him-
self from social life from that time sa- T e
when it was demanded in his official
capacity. He spent his evenings with
Mrs. Hay, between whom there existed a
most ideal companionship. His daugh-
ter, Helen, is now the wife of Payne
Whitney, while Alice is the wife of James
W. Wadsworth, Jr., and it was to Mr.
Hay a matter of great rejoicing that his
daughters as he expressed it, "had been
sought by two American princes of whose
titles to nobility I am prouder than I
would be of those that come from royal
ancestry." For several months prior to
his demise Secretary Hay was in ill health
and sought relief through travel and med-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
ical attendants in Europe. He returned
to Washington to take up again the active
work of the business of his department
and the discussion with the president of
important pending questions. But the
tide of life was ebbing fast away and at
his summer home on Lake Sunapee, New
Hampshire, his labors were brought to a
close on the first of July, 1905. when he
was in the sixty-seventh year of his age.
Xo man in public life perhaps has had
so few enemies. Even those opposed to
him politically entertained for him the
warmest personal regard and admiration.
It is said that he never forgot a friend ;
the playmates of his boyhood, the asso-
ciates of his early manhood, those with
whom he labored in diplomatic circles,
in journalism, and in the department of
state were alike remembered through all
the years with their added responsibili-
ties and honors. His life record finds
embodiment in the words of Pope :
"Statesman, yet friend to truth ; of soul
sincere,
In action faithful and in honor clear ;
Who broke no promise, served no private
end.
Who gained no title and who lost no
friend."
HENRY W T EBER.
Henry Weber, who for many years was
an active, energetic and prosperous farm-
er of Hancock county, spent the last year
of his life in honorable retirement from
labor in Carthage, passing away on the
23d of October, 1905. As the day with
its morning of hope and promise, its
noontide of activity, its evening of ac-
complished and successful effort, ending
in the grateful rest and quiet of the night,
so was the life of this man. Born in
Appanoose township, Hancock county, on
the 1 7th of September, 1858, he spent his
entire life in this part of the state. His
parents were Samuel and Rosa (Bertchi)
Weber, both of whom were natives of
Switzerland, coming to America about
fifty years ago. The father, who was
born in March, 1816, was a baker by
trade, learning and following that pur-
suit in his native country, but in Han-
cock county he turned his attention to
farming. He died about 1892, at the age
'of seventy-six years, his .remains being
interred in a cemetery in this county.
Both he and his wife were devoted Chris-
tian people, holding membership in the
Methodist Episcopal church. After the
father's death the mother remained upon
the home farm with her children until
they were all married and then went to
Fort Madison, Iowa, to live with one of
her daughters. Eleven children survive
the father, namely : Rosa, the wife of
Charles Buerich, of Manier. Illinois ;
Fred, who is living in Denmark, Iowa ;
Carrie and Will, twins, the later living
near Nauvoo, while the former is the wife
of David Seguin, of Fort Madison, Iowa ;
Elizabeth, the wife of J. McKaig, of Fort
Madison ; Mary, the wife of Alva Cowles,
of Fort Madison; Henry of this review:
Albert, of Headlin, Missouri ; Sophia, the
wife of Herman Hess, of Neota, Illinois;
1 66
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
and John and Edith, twins, the former
a resident of Lebanon, Nebraska, while
the latter is the wife of Reuben Hummel,
of Nauvoo.
Henry Weber of this review was edu-
cated in the district schools of Nauvoo,
Illinois, and remained upon his father's
farm until he had attained his majority.
On the 3d of January, 1884, he was mar-
ried to Miss Sarah Luella Thomas, who
was born in Sonora township, Hancock
county, February 23, 1855, a daughter of
Isaac T. and Louisa (Nichols) Thomas,
both of whom were natives of Kentucky.
The father was a farmer and took up
his abode in Hancock county, Illinois,
about fifty-three years ago, settling on a
tract of land in Sonora township, where
for many years he carried on general
agricultural pursuits. His death occurred
in 1899 and his remains were interred in '
that township. His widow, who is two
years his junior, is living in Carthage..
Illinois. Mr. Thomas was a democrat
in politics and served as school director
and in other local offices. He belonged
to the Christian church, of which he was
a deacon and elder and he was widely
known as a worthy citizen, faithful in
friendship and loyal to his home ties.
He was a large landowner, prospering
in his business undertakings until he had
six hundred acres of land at the time of
his death. Mrs. Thomas also belongs to
the Christian church. In the family of
this worthy couple were nine children, of
whom six are now living, namely : Lil-
burn Thaddeus, who married Elizabeth
Honce, of Elvaston ; Laura, a twin sister
of Lilburn and now living with her
mother ; William Henry, who died in Feb-
ruary, 1904; Mrs. Sarah Luella Weber;
Naomi Jane, who is with her mother:
Martha Emily, the wife of Orville Honce,
of Montebello township; James Harvey,
also at home; George Milton, who died
at the age of two and a half years ; and
Purliett, now deceased.
At the time of their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Weber began their domestic life
in Appanoose township, where they lived
for a year and then removed to a farm in
Montebello township, where they resided
for five years. Later they spent a year
and a half upon a farm west of Ferris,
taking up their abode there in 1890 and
making it their place of residence until
1904. He remodeled the house, built a
fine barn and all the necessary outbuild-
ings for the shelter of grain and stock
and was always very successful in his
business affairs. He raised stock quite
extensively and this branch of his business
proved profitable. Coming to Carthage
in November, 1904, he retired from active
life on account of ill health, having had
to leave his farm for two seasons pre-
vious to this. He purchased a beautiful
modern home on North Main street,
where his widow now resides and there
he spent his remaining days. He was
in ill health for about four years prior
to his death and was a great sufferer dur-
ing the last year and a half. He died
October 23, 1905, his remains being in-
terred in Moss Ridge cemetery.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Weber were born
but two children, both born in Hancock
county, namely: Grace May, the wife of
Frank Thornberg. who is living on her
father's old farm near Ferris ; and Jessie
Viola, the wife of Dr. Claude Thomas,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
167
a practicing dentist of Keokuk, Iowa.
They have one child, Lowell Weber
Thomas.
Mr. Weber started out in life empty
handed, his possessions consisting at the
age of twenty-one years of but one horse.
He possessed instead good mental and
physical activity and his energies and
labor brought to him gratifying success,
making him one of the substantial citizens
of the community. He was never known
to take advantage of the necessities of
his fellowmen in any business transac-
tion, but was straightforward and reliable
in all his dealings and thus won the un-
qualified confidence of those with whom
he was associated. He was a devoted
member of the Christian church, in which
his wife still holds membership and for
a number of years he served as deacon of
the church at Ferris. In politics he was
a stalwart democrat and filled the posi-
tions of township trustee and road su-
pervisor, while for several years he was a
school director. A man of quiet and
unokrusive nature and at all times un-
ostentatious in his demeanor, his genuine
personal worth nevertheless gained him
the esteem and honor of all with whom he
was associated. He was interested in
the welfare of the community, was a good
neighbor, a kind husband and loving
father. His name was above reproach,
for his religious belief permeated his
everyday life and actions. His word
was as good as any bond ever solemnized
by signature or seal and he stood high
in public estimation. He left behind an
honored name and a memory that will
long be cherished, not only by his im-
mediate family but also by many who
ii
knew him. Mrs. Weber still resides in
her beautiful home in Carthage and in
addition owns the old home farm and
forty acres of good land in Sonora
township.
EUGENE ADRIAN WALLACE.
Eugene A. Wallace, one of the most
enterprising and highly respected agricul-
turists of Durham township, is a native
of Missouri. He was born in Knox
county February 20, 1874, of the mar-
riage of James H. and Nancy L. (Lati-
mer) Wallace. Both parents were natives
of Kentucky and the mother is still living
in Missouri but the father passed away
in 1873. He was a minister of the Chris-
tian church while living in Kentucky and
his life was a potent influence for good in
the various communities where he resided.
In the family were four children : Ida
E., the wife of Henry Childers, of Mem-
phis, Missouri ; Mary, deceased ; Alvin
E., of Chicago; and Eugene A., of this
review.
In the public schools of Missouri
Eugene A. Wallace acquired his educa-
tion. He remained upon the home farm
until nearly twenty-one years of age, his
time being largely occupied with the
duties and labors of the fields. After
arriving at man's estate he was married
on the I2th of September, 1900. to Miss
Martha Byler, who was born March 24,
1871, in the house which is now her home.
Her parents were Jacob and Martha
(White) Byler. Her father was born
1 68
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
in McMinn county, Tennessee, February
23, 1830, and when but five years of age
was brought to Illinois by his parents, who
settled in Adams county. He was reared
to the occupation of farming and at the
age of twenty-four years came to Han-
cock county, taking up his abode on a
farm of one hundred and sixty acres of
prairie land in Durham township, which
he cleared. Here he built an attractive
residence which he yet occupies, together
with Mr. and Mrs. Wallace. As the
years passed his labors brought him a
good financial return and, making further
investment in property, he is now the
owner of four hundred and forty acres
of valuable land and his farm is one of
the best in Durham township. He made
many excellent improvements thereon and
has long been known as an enterprising
agriculturist and good citizen, as honest
as the day is long. In his political views
he is a stalwart democrat and he is a
member of Dallas City Lodge, No. 235,
also a member of Dallas Chapter, R. & S.
M., as well as of the Council of Dallas
City. All who know him esteem him
for his genuine worth and he well de-
serves mention among the representative
men of Hancock county. In 1896 he
was called upon to mourn the loss of his
wife, who died on the 4th of September
of that year and was laid to rest in Union
cemetery adjoining the home farm, which
tract of land Mr. Byler deeded to the
trustees for cemetery purposes. Unto
this worthy couple were born nine chil-
dren, of whom five are now living; Wil-
liam H., who resides near Wheeling, Mis-
souri ; Andrew J., of Dallas City; Laura,
the wife of Adolph Herweg, a resident
of Nebraska ; Sarah, the wife of Humbert
Vass, of Durham township ; and Mrs.
Wallace.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Wallace took up their abode upon her
father's farm, for her mother had passed
away and they took charge of the home
and farm for the father. Mr. Wallace
rents the land and he has made many
improvements upon the property, which
presents a splendid appearance, being one
of the best farms of Durham township.
Large and substantial outbuildings have
been erected for the shelter of grain and
stock and everything is in keeping with
ideas of modern agricultural progress.
He built a barn, sixty by seventy feet,
for hay and cattle and also a hog house
at an expense of three hundred dollars.
This is one of the best in the county.
Everything about the place is kept in neat
and thrifty condition and Mr. Wallace
is regarded as a most enterprising and
successful farmer.
Unto our subject and his wife have
been born three children, but Beulah Vi-
ola, the eldest, who was born December
15, 1901, died September 13, 1902.
Pearl Irene, born May I, 1903, and
Herman Le Roy, born November 28.
1905, are both living. All of the children
were born in the same house where their
mother's birth occurred. The parents
are consistent and valued members of the
Christian church and Mr. Wallace is con-
nected with the Modern Woodmen of
America, while his political allegiance is
given to the democracy. He occupies
an enviable position in agricultural circles
and has made a creditable record. Mr.
Bvler, the father of Mrs. Wallace, is a
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
169
self-made man, who in an early day paid
about five hundred dollars for his farm.
Neither Mr. Byler nor Mr. Wallace ever
inherited anything of any consequence
and the success of both gentlemen is due
to their own energy, perseyerance and
capable management. They are highly
esteemed in the community and both have
a host of warm friends. Mr. Byler
worked his way steadily upward from
a humble financial position to one of
affluence, being now recognized as a
wealthy resident of the county, and Mr.
Wallace is displaying the same sterling
traits of character, which promise well
for his future success.
JACOB P. LA MONTE.
The stock raising interests of Hancock
county find a worthy representative in
Jacob P. La Monte, who is engaged in
raising black Galloway cattle, good horses
and Duroc Jersey and Poland China
hogs. His business interests are carefully
conducted and he carries on general farm-
ing in addition to his stock interests. Mr.
La Monte has now passed the seventy-
eighth milestone on life's journey, but yet
gives active supervision to his business
affairs. His birth occurred in Schoharie
county, New York, in the town of Char-
lotteville, October 15, 1827, and he is a
representative of one of the old families
of the Empire state. His paternal grand-
parents were William and Jane (Stilwell)
La Monte, who were born on Long Is-
land. The grandfather was a represen-
tative man, active and successful in busi-
ness. He followed merchandising, also
owned and operated a water mill and
dealt in land. He also held various prom-
inent official positions in the county in
which he lived and was a very influential
resident of his section of Long Island,
where his death occurred. His wife be-
longed to one of the most representative
families of that island. Their son,
Thomas W. La Monte, was born in New
York and having arrived at years of ma-
turity was married to Miss Elizabeth M.
Payne, likewise a native of that state
and a daughter of Jacob and Lucy
(Austin) Payne, natives of New York
and of New England respectively. The
maternal grandfather was a farmer by
occupation. He held membership in the
Baptist church and was a strong temper-
ance man and was recognized in his com-
munity especially in those lines of activity
resulting in intellectual and moral prog-
ress. All of the grandparents of Mr. La
Monte of this review, as well as his par-
ents, lie buried at Charlotteville, New
York.
Jacob P. La Monte is the eldest in a
family of six sons and seven daughters.
His brother, George, who was engaged
in paper manufacturing in New York,
invented the safety banking paper and
now has a large establishment in New
York city. Four sons and three daugh-
ters of the family are yet living.
In the state of his nativity Mr. La
Monte of this review spent his boyhood
days and acquired a district-school educa-
tion. He began teaching when only sev-
enteen years of age and followed the pro-
BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEU'
fession for four years during the winter
seasons and for one summer term. Sub-
sequently he turned his attention to agri-
cultural pursuits upon the farm which he
had purchased in the town of Davenport
in Delaware county, New York, compris-
ing two hundred and twenty-seven acres
of land. There he carried on farming
for some time, but at length traded his
property and made a sale, for he had come
to the west in 1854 and decided to locate
in Montebello township, Hancock county,
Illinois. Here he took up his abode in
1855. He traded his property in the east
for five buggies and one two horse car-
riage and in the spring of 1856 all these
were shipped to Keokuk, where he sold
all of them with- the exception of one
which he kept for several years for his
own use and then disposed of it for more
than he gave for it. On coming to Han-
cock county he invested in one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Wythe town-
ship which he afterward sold, but he has
acquired more land from time to time
in Montebello township until he has five
hundred acres in all, the entire amount
lying within the city limits of Hamilton.
Upon his farm in Wythe township he had
the best orchard in that part of the county
and in 1875 he set out an orchard of
apples and peaches, covering thirty acres.
He carries on general farming and in ad-
dition is quite extensively engaged in
stock raising, making a specialty of
horses, black Galloway cattle and Duroc
Jersey and Poland China hogs. He is
thoroughly familiar with the best methods
of cultivating the soil and raising stock
and his business interests have been so
carefully conducted that although he
started out in life empty handed he is now
one of the substantial citizens of his
adopted county.
On the gth of March, 1848, Mr. La
Monte was married to Miss Elizabeth
Ruth Hinman, who was born in Delaware
county, New York, and was educated in
Cazenovia Seminary of that state. Her
parents were Amos and Electa (Clark)
Hinman, natives of New York, the
former a son of Titus Hinman and the
latter a daughter of David Clark, both
of New York state. There was one child
born unto Mr. and Mrs. La Monte, \\e\-
lington, whose birth occurred in 1851 and
who died in Hamilton in 1893. The wife
and mother died about 1871 and in Jan-
uary, 1877, Mr. La Monte married Ce-
celia Wiggenton, who was born in La-
Grange, Lewis county, Missouri, and was
educated in a convent in St. Louis. She
was one of the finest musicians in this
part of the country. At the time of her
marriage to M*r. La Monte she was a
widow and had one son, Weston At-
wood, who is now engaged in the lumber
business in the city of Oklahoma. She
died about fourteen years ago.
Mr. La Monte exercises his right of
franchise in support of the men and
measures of the Republican party, but has
never been a politician in the sense of
office seeking. He has. however, held
office in the Methodist Episcopal church,
of which he is a devoted and loyal mem-
ber. He has acted as steward of the
church and for about ten or fifteen years
was superintendent of the Sunday-school.
He has lived a life of uprightness and
honor and therefore can look back over
the past without regret. Few men of his
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
171
years continue actively in business, but
in spirit and interests he seems yet in
his prime and possesses much of the vigor
and enterprise of many a man of much
younger years.
WILLIAM A. BIDEAUX.
William A. Bideaux, who is engaged in
farming in Durham township, in which
locality he was born in 1868, is a son of
Francis and Catherine (Whistler)
Bideaux and in the paternal line comes
of Scotch ancestry. The father was born
in Stark county, Ohio, December 26,
1838, and was married on the 5th of Oc-
tober, 1862, to Catherine Whistler. He
was a carpenter by trade and took up
his abode in Hancock county over a half
century ago. For a long- period he was
identified with building operations but in
his later life he carried on farming, mak-
ing his home in Durham township. There
his death occurred on the gth of January,
1895. He was an honest, upright man,
possessing the confidence and trust of all
who knew him. Conscious that death
was approaching, he made his peace with
God and bade adieu to friends and family.
He was a loving husband, a good father
and a kind hearted neighbor and he left
behind an example that is in many re-
spects well worthy of emulation. Mrs.
Bideaux still survives her husband and
is a resident of Rock Creek township. In
the family were eight children : Delia,
now the wife of Thomas Shaw, of Dallas
township; Emma, the wife of William
Worden, of Fort Madison, Iowa ; Wil-
liam A., of this review; Frank, who is
living in Utah ; Kate, the wife of Lemuel
Bartlett, of Durham township ; Jacob and
French, both of whom are residents of
Dallas City; and Lina, who was the wife
of Carl Mendenhall, of Colusa, and died
in January, 1905, her remains being
interred in Myers cemetery. There were
two children of that marriage, Carl and
Catherine, and they and their father now
live with Mrs. Bideaux, mother of our
subject.
William A. Bideaux was educated in
Durham township as a public-school
student and assisted in the work of the
home farm until after he had attained his
majority. As a companion and help-
mate for life's journey he chose Miss
Henrietta Harris, whom he wedded Oc-
tober 9, 1892. She was born in Durham
township in 1874, a daughter of Eusebius
and Rebecca (Avery) Harris, both of
whom were natives of Illinois and now
residents of Monmouth, this state. Man-
ford Harris, the oldest brother of Euse-
bius Harris, was a soldier of the Civil
war and her grandfather Avery was in
the war of 1844 when the Mormons were
expelled from Hancock county. Eusebius
Harris followed farming in Durham
township, this county, until 1901, when
he' practically retired from business life
but now conducts a barber supply house
in Monmouth. He has voted the re-
publican ticket since the organization of
the party and in this county was. recog-
nized as a most worthy and respected citi-
zen. Unto him and his wife were born
four children: Cora, at home; Mrs.
172
BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEJl'
Bideaux ; Guy, who is living near Adrian,
Illinois ; and Bertram, "of Monmouth.
Mr. Bideaux spent the first two years
of his married life as a farmer near
Colusa and after a residence of several
years upon various farms he located in
Durham township in 1899 anc l ^ ias si nce
made his home here. Unto Mr. nad Mrs.
Bideaux have been born three children :
Lawrence, who was born in Pilot Grove
in 1893; Virgil, in Dallas township in
1896; and Cecil, in Durham township in
1899.
Mr. Bideaux exercises his right of
franchise in support of the men and meas-
ures of the Republican party. He and
his wife have worked together persist-
ently and energetically in order to make a
start in life and gain a comfortable com-
petence and the qualities which they have
displayed are such as commend them to
the confidence and good will of all with
whom they have been brought in contact.
GEORGE A. TRAUTVETTER.
George A. Trautvetter is a retired
farmer residing in Warsaw and he has
valuable and extensive landed possessions,
which are an indication of his well spent,
active and honorable business life. He
derives therefrom a handsome income
that enables him now to put aside further
business cares and to enjoy in quiet the
fruits of his former toil. A native of
Germany, he was born in Saxony on
the 1 6th of August, 1842, a son of John
George and Sophia Elizabeth (Derle)
Trautvetter, who were likewise natives
of Germany, whence they sailed for
America in 1853, landing at Baltimore,
Maryland, on the 3d of July, after forty-
nine days spent upon the water as pas-
sengers on one of the old-time sailing
vessels. The father was a miller by
trade, and making his way from the east
into the interior of the country, he settled
on section 3, Rocky Run township, Han-
cock county, Illinois, where he resided
continuously until June, 1870. He then
returned to his native country for a visit
and there died in the fall of 1871, his re-
mains being interred at Rota, Germany.
His wife, who was born in 1808, passed
away in this county at the age of seventy-
seven years and was buried in Tioga,
Walker township, cemetery. Mr. Traut-
vetter was seventy-one years of age at
the time of his demise, his birth having
occurred in 1 799. They were the parents
of five children, of whom three are living :
John M., a resident of Walker township;
George A. ; and Theodore Frederick, who
lives on section 3, Rocky Run township.
George A. Trautvetter was a lad of
about eleven years when he came with his
parents to the new world and his educa-
tion, which was begun in the fatherland,
was continued in the schools of Rocky
Run township, and of Warsaw. He re-
mained upon the home farm until he had
attained his majority, as did his two
brothers, and he assisted in the farm
work, early becoming familiar with the
duties of field and meadow. In March,
1865, however, he put aside all business
and personal considerations and, respond-
ing to the call of his adopted country for
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
173
aid, he joined the Fourteenth Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry, and was attached to the
army corps commanded by General Sher-
man. He followed that intrepid leader
during his last campaigns and was under
his command in the grand .review in
Washington. Mr. Trautvetter afterward
went to Fort Leavenworth and was mus-
tered out in Kansas, subsequent to which
time he returned to Hancock county.
In 1863 Mr. Trautvetter had learned
the saddler's trade in Quincy, and for a
time he followed that pursuit in Warsaw
but subsequently he again took up his
abode upon his father's farm, where he
remained until the 26th of January, 1869.
That was his wedding day. Miss Anna E.
Shildman becoming his wife. She was
born in Germany, January 23, 1848, and
in 1858 came with her parents to Amer-
ica. Her father was a carpenter by trade
but after crossing the Atlantic turned his
attention to agricultural pursuits in
Walker township, Hancock county.
Later he lived in Rocky Run township for
a time but his last days 'were spent in
Walker township. In the family were
five children, of whom three are living :
Mrs. Trautvetter; Hannah, the wife of
Theodore F. Trautvetter ; and Elizabeth,
the wife of Henry Wemhaner, of
Warsaw.
Following his marriage Mr. Trautvet-
ter of this review, in 1867, purchased the
old home place from his father and there
lived until March 9, 1906, when he pur-
chased his present beautiful residence in
Warsaw and took up his abode in the city.
For many years he had carefully carried
on general agricultural pursuits and ca-
pably managed his business interests, and
as the result of his enterprise, diligence
and persistent effort, acquired a goodly
measure of success. As the years passed
he embraced his opportunities for judi-
cious investments in land and now owns
over six hundred acres, from which he
derives a splendid income.
On the loth of September, 1903, Mr.
and Mrs. Trautvetter celebrated the fif-
tieth anniversary of his residence upon
the home farm, to which he had gone with
his parents in 1853. He still owns the
five acres, also another farm of one hun-
home place of three hundred and forty-
dred and ninety-five acres and a third
one of ninety-five acres. His realty pos-
sessions include tenement houses in War-
saw beside his own residence. Unto him
and his wife have been born six children,
four of whom were born in .the home
which he erected in 1874 to replace the
log cabin which had been built by his
father and which was destroyed by fire
in May of that year. The family record
is as follows: Theodore N., the eldest,
born March 2, 1870, married Matilda
Woolbrink, and lives in Warsaw. Eliza-
beth, bom January 22, 1872, was married
in 1890 to Fred Harold, a farmer living
north of Hamilton; Anna Sophia, born
September 9, 1874, was married in 1895
to John Nagel, an agriculturist of Wythe
township and they now have two chil-
dren, Malinda . and George Truman
Kolatzky Nagel. Henry Herman, born
October 9, 1876, has since 1904 been liv-
ing in Omaha, where he is running an
electric car. Lillie Frances, born Sep-
tember n, 1879, is the wife of Harry
Elder, who resides two and a half miles
north of Elderville, Illinois. William
174
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Adolph, born August 29, 1882, is a grad-
uate of the Gem City Business College
of Quincy, of the class of 1905, and is
now a student in the medical college at
Valparaiso, Indiana. The children have
all been given good educational privileges,
and Theodore N. was also a graduate of
the Gem City Business College, while
later he attended a college in Omaha to
learn shorthand, banking, etc. He is
now in partnership with Mr. Sharp as a
dealer in grain and stock at Warsaw.
In his .political views Mr. Trautvetter
is a stalwart republican and has been
honored with several positions of public
trust. He served for twelve years as
school director, was for ten years levee
commissioner and for three years high-
way commissioner. He and his wife,
who has indeed been a most faithful com-
panion and helpmate to him on life's
journey, are members of the Evangelical
church. The many comforts which they
are now able to enjoy in their home have
been gained through their own labors
and careful management. The business
record of Mr. Trautvetter should serve
as a source of inspiration and encourage-
ment to others, showing what may be ac-
complished by determined effort when
guided by sound judgment and charac-
terized by honorable dealing.
ERASTUS A. HAZEN.
Erastus A. Hazen is the owner of val-
uable farming interests and in connection
with the tilling of the soil engages in
raising Poland China hogs, Shropshire
sheep and cattle, displaying excellent busi-
ness ability in the management of his
farm and his stock. A native of Ohio,
he was born in Trumbull county on the
25th of January, 1843, and is a represen-
tative of old New England families. His
paternal grandfather, Nathaniel Hazen,
was a native of Connecticut, while the
father, James B. Hazen, was born in
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. The
latter, having arrived at years of maturity,
was married at Brookfield, Trumbull
county, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Coon,
who was born in Easton, Pennsylvania,
and was a daughter of William and Cath-
erine (De Forest) Coon, of New Jersey.
Mr. Hazen was a cabinet maker and un-
dertaker and resided in Brookfield, Ohio,
until 1852, when he removed to Pike
county, Illinois, where he engaged in
business on his own account. There he
remained for five years and in 1857 he
came to Hancock county, Illinois, pur-
chasing and trading his property in Pike
county for sixty acres in Sonora town-
ship. This was timber and prairie land,
all unimproved. He turned the first fur-
rows in the fields and began the task of
cultivating a farm, whereon he lived until
his death. His wife afterward sold the
property and bought a farm in Montebello
township, where her last days were
passed.
Erastus A. Hazen, the fourth in order
of birth in a family of seven children,
of whom four were daughters, was edu-
cated in the public schools of Youngs-
town, Ohio, was for five years a student
at Perry, Pike county, Illinois, and con-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
tinued his studies in the district schools of
Sonora township, Hancock county. He
remained at home until eighteen years
of age, when his patriotic spirit was
aroused and he offered his services to the
government, enlisting as a member of
Company C, One Hundred and Eight-
eenth Illinois Infantry. The regiment
was assigned to the Army of the Missis-
sippi and he participated in the attack
at Chickasaw Bayou, where the Union
troops were repulsed. He was afterward
in the battle at Arkansas Post and sub-
sequently went to Young's Point and to
Vicksburg, where he engaged in digging
the canal through a long stretch of wet
land. The following spring the troops
proceeded to Richmond, Louisiana, mak-
ing their way to the Perkins plantation.
Soon the battle of Grand Gulf followed,
after which they proceeded to Bruins'
Landing, crossing the river on gun boats.
There they procured three days rations,
which was all they received for eighteen
days. On the succeeding day they
fought the battle of Thompson's Hill or
Port Gibson, and they were in numerous
skirmishes. For two days they were at
Raymond with Pemberton and they
camped at Edwards depot. The follow-
ing day they attacked the rebels at Black
river bridge and captured the fortifica-
tions. On the succeeding day they made
a charge upon Vicksburg and invested the
city. When two days had passed they
returned and fortified Black river, at
which point the regiment to which Mr.
Hazen belonged was mounted and did
cavalry duty from that time on. They
were engaged in scouting and Mr. Hazen
was in the second battle of Jackson, after
which he returned to Vicksburg and later
was transferred to the gulf department.
At Grand Cateau Bayou they were at-
tacked by the enemy and three hundred
of the Union troops were taken prisoners,'
but Mr. Hazen fortunately was not
among the number. With the remainder
of the command he returned to Vermil-
lion, where a battle ensued and Captain.
Arthur Marsh, who was commanding the
regiment, was killed. The Union troops
withdrew from the field and the rebels
followed. After a time the Union forces
turned upon their pursuers and sixty of
the members of the Confederate army
were captured. When the war was over
Mr. Hazen received an honorable dis-
charge at Baton Rogue, Louisiana, on
the I3th of October, 1865, and returned
to his old home. He was a brave and
loyal soldier, displaying valor equal to
that of many a veteran of twice his years.
He experienced the usual hardships, pri-
vations and dangers meted out to the sol-
dier and his military record was alto-
gether a very creditable one.
After living with his parents for a year
following the close of the war Mr. Hazen
was married in the fall of 1866 to Miss
Mary A. Layman, who was born in Dela-
ware county Ohio, a daughter of Elias
and Eva (Wolford) Layman, the former
a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hazen have been born
seven children, but Elsie, the fourth in
order of birth, died in infancy. The
others are : Almon L., who is a mail
clerk on the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad, running from Chicago
to Quincy, married Lulu Radcliff and
lives in Quincy; Eldred E., residing in
176
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Wythe township; Gissella, who married
Clarence C. Outhier, of Okeene, Oklaho-
ma; Ethie L., the wife of Delancey
Higby, who resides on section 5, Monte-
bello township; Eva O., and Zella, both
at home.
Following his marriage Mr. Hazen
lived for one year in Montebello town-
ship upon his father-in-law's place and
then leased one hundred and sixty acres,
constituting the southeast quarter of sec-
tion 3, Montebello township. Six years
later he removed to Clark county, Mis-
souri, where he remained for a year and
on returning to this township he bought
eighty acres on section 4, which was im-
proved. He has rebuilt the house, which
now contains ten rooms and cellar. He
has also added sheds to the barns and
has made many other substantial improve-
ments. Two years after making the first
purchase he added forty acres to his farm
and four years later sixty acres. Subse-
quently with his son, Eldred E.. he
bought eighty acres in Wythe township
and he now owns one hundred and eighty
acres of rich prairie land and ten acres of
timber land, while his wife owns sixty
acres of prairie and ten acres of timber.
Mr. Hazen carries on general farming in
addition to which he raises Poland China
hogs. He also has on hand sixty head
of Shropshire sheep and good cattle.
In his political views Mr. Hazen is an
earnest republican believing firmly in the
principles of the party, yet never seeking
office. He belongs to Russell post, No.
86, G. A. R. ,at Hamilton, Illinois, which
he joined on its organization, and he takes
much pleasure in meeting with his old
army comrades. When the grand review
occurred in Washington in 1865 a banner
swung across Pennslyvania avenue bore
the words, "The only debt which our na-
tion cannot pay is the national debt which
she owes her soldiers" and each year
emphasizes the truth of this remark as
the number of the veterans is growing
less and less and the feeling of gratitude
increases. In times of peace Mr. Hazen
has been equally loyal in citizenship and
has ever been deeply and helpfully in-
terested in community affairs,
ZEBDIAH WARD.
Zebdiah Ward, now deceased, was born
in the state of New York, March 20,
1816, and resided there until he reached
early manhood. He afterward accompa-
nied his parents on their removal to In-
diana, where he lived for several years,
subsequent to which time he came to Illi-
nois, settling in Danville, Vermilion
county. He was a wagon maker by trade
and followed that pursuit after his arrival
in this state. He removed from Vermil-
ion to Hancock county, locating at Web-
ster, where he resided for about fifteen
years, continuing to work at his trade
during that period. He next purchased
the farm on which his widow now resides,
making investment in this property in
May, 1854. The farm comprises sixty
acres of rich and productive land, which
he improved, erecting thereon buildings
and adding other modern equipments and
accessories. Mr. Ward engaged in the
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
177
tilling of the soil from that time forward
until his death, and as the years passed
he prospered in his undertakings.
On the 1 3th of January, 1848, was
celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ward and
Miss Arzilla \Yright, a daughter of Hick-
erson and Cynthia (Donnoho) Wright.
The parents were both natives of Vir-
ginia, whence they removed to Tennessee,
and from that state came to Illinois in
May, 1834, settling in Hancock county
among its early residents. They lived
one half mile north of Webster in Foun-
tain Green township, where Mr. Wright
entered land from the government and
developed a farm, residing thereon until
his death, which occurred when he had
reached the venerable age of eighty-seven
years. He was a democrat in his political
views. His wife had passed away many
years before. In the family are twelve
children, seven of whom are living.
The family record is as follows : Mrs.
Ward is the eldest. Seabern A., born
October 9, 1824, is a farmer re-
siding in Fountain Green township.
Sen eta D., born October 19, 1826, was a
prominent fanner of the same township
but is now deceased. Martha E., who
was born September 14, 1828, has passed
away. Patrick W., born August 28,
1830, is also deceased. Bazil, born Au-
gust 16, 1832, died at the age of sixteen
years. Henry D., born July 27, 1834, is
living in California. Thomas G., born
May 9, 1836, has departed this life.
Letha J., born March 14, 1838, Charles
G., born June 21, 1840, and Cynthia A.,
born September 30, 1844, are all living.
The youngest of the family died in
infancv.
Mrs. Ward was born in Smith county,
Tennessee, September 24, 1822, and was
nine years of age when her parents left
that state and removed to Hopkins
county, Kentucky, where they lived for
three years. They then came to Illinois
in May, 1834. She obtained her educa-
tion in the early subscription schools of
the county and remained at home until
her marriage. She became the mother
of three children, two of whom are liv-
ing. Wright, the eldest, a farmer now
residing in Arkansas, married Elizabeth
Prior and they have one daughter, Cora,
who is now the wife of Sanford Francis,
by whom she has three children. Mark
Ward, a farmer residing near Memphis,
Missouri, wedded Letha A. Thurber and
they have one daughter, Fay. Lorinda
became the wife of Benton Alton and died
at the age of forty-four years, leaving a
daughter, Anna B.
The death of Mr. Ward occurred Feb-
ruary 26, 1895, when he was almost
eighty years of age, and his remains were
interred in Middle Creek cemetery. He
voted with the democracy, held member-
ship in the Christian church and was one
of the progressive men of his day. His
life period covered the greater, part of
the ninteenth century during which time
he witnessed many changes, including the
building of the railroads, the introduc-
tion of the telegraph and telephone
and the reclamation of the wild lands
of the west for the purposes of civiliza-
tion. He did his full share in the work
of public progress and improvement in
this county and was known as one of its
most prominent pioneer citizens. Mrs.
Ward still survives her husband and lives
i 7 8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
upon the old farm homestead. She too,
is a representative of one of the oldest
families of the county and no history of
this section of the state would be com-
plete without mention of her.
LEE SMITH.
Lee Smith, of Colusa, a son of \Yilliam
and Mary Ann (Drauch) Smith, was
born in Pennslyvania April 7, 1863. His
parents were also natives of the Keystone
state and the father is a farmer living in
Monroe county, Pennsylvania, at the age
of sixty-three years. His wife died in
1870. They were the parents of four
children, of whom three are now living:
Lee, of this review ; Anes, a resident
of Tioga county, Pennsylvania ; and
Ephraim, also living in Pennsylvania.
Lee Smith was educated in the district,
schools of his native state. When his
mother died the children of the family
went to live in various homes of the
neighborhood and his early opportunities
were accordingly 'somewhat limited.
After his school days were over he
worked by the month as a farm hand for
about four years and was afterward em-
ployed in the lumber regions of the north-
ern part of the state for four years. On
the 22d of July, 1890, he arrived in Co-
lusa and through the succeeding year was
employed by Henry Howard.
On New Year's eve (December 31,
1890) Mr. Smith was united in marriage
to Mrs. Flora Wildrick, who was born
in Ppntoosuc township, Hancock count}',
September 14, 1864, a daughter of John
and Mary (Littlefiar) Robinson. Her
father was a native of New Jersey and
her mother was born in Durham county,
England, in 1822 and came to America
in 1852. The year 1856 witnessed the
arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson in
Hancock count}', and the father began
farming in Pontoosuc township, where
he also purchased a mill, carrying on his
dual occupation until his death, which
occurred in 1873, when he was fifty-nine
years of age. He was a democrat in
politics and a worthy citizen, progressive
in public affairs and reliable in business.
Unto John and Mary Robinson were born
two children, of whom Mrs. Smith is the
surviving member of the family. Her
mother \yas twice married and by her
first husband, Peter Kelly, had four chil-
dren, of whom two are living : Mary C.,
the wife of James Creswell, of Davenport,
Iowa ; William, died at Davenport, Sep-
tember i, 1906; and Michael R., of
Adrian, Illinois.
Flora Robinson, reared to womanhood
in this county, gave her hand in marriage,
in 1882, to Henry C. Wildrick, who was
born in Dallas township on a farm of two
hundred and' forty acres on section 35,
which is now the property of Mrs.
Smith and where she and her husband
still reside. Mr. Wildrick was a son of
George and Abigail (King) Wildrick,
well known and representative farming
people of their community. Henry C.
Wildrick was a republican in his political
faith and held a number of township
offices, to which he was called by the vote
of his fellow citizens, who recognized his
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
179
worth and ability. He died September
28. 1889, respected by all who knew him,
and his remains were interred in Pleasant
Hill cemetery. In his business affairs he
was industrious and enterprising. He
always lived upon the old home farm of
the family, and in the care of his property
displayed sound judgment and keen dis-
crimination. Moreover he was thor-
oughly reliable in all trade transactions
and commanded the confidence and trust
of all with whom he came in contact. He
left two children, Roxie Merle and
George Clayton, the latter, now nineteen
years of age, at home. The daughter
died February 19, 1906, at the age of
twenty-three years, and her remains were
laid to rest by the side of her father. She
passed away after three weeks of the most
intense suffering, occasioned by a clot of
blood under the knee. All that money,
professional skill and loving hands could
do was in vain in staying the hand of the
grim reaper and this beautiful young
lady, the only daughter of Mrs. Smith,
passed from this life. She was a most
beautiful character, living a life in har-
mony with the Christian spirit, and re-
maining firm and steadfast in the faith
of the church in which she held mem-
bership. Hers was a happy disposition
and sunshiny nature. She could readily
adapt herself to any circumstance or con-
dition and this trait made her beloved by
all with whom she came in contact. On
Saturday an operation was performed
and on Monday afternoon she passed
away, perfectly resigned and happy, bid-
ding mother, father and brother goodby
with undimmed eyes, and making all
arrangements for her funeral, selecting
the following friends to act as pall bear-
ers : Maggie Bailey, Daisy Lamb, Hope
Vass, Orpha H. Jamison, Virgie Owings,
and Maude Jacobs. Six gentlemen acted
as honary pall bearers : Roscoe Gracey,
Fred Swanson, Bern Bass, Clarence Jen-
nison, George Hubbard and Clark
Jacobs. The funeral service was con-
ducted by the Rev. J. B. King who paid
a beautiful and deserved tribute to one
who was so loved and faithful in her
home, church, Sunday-school and social
circles, where she is greatly missed. Rev.
King said : "There is no death for such
an experience as hers, and as it is the law
of Nature that the fairest and worthiest
forms of life shall most surely survive,
so we feel that a life, so manifestly sprung
from God, and nurtured by him as this,
cannot die but still survives in a still high-
er development in the beautiful paradise
of God, by the power of divine right to
be and live forever and by the pledge of
the loving Saviour, who conquered
through faith that we may have a right
to the tree of life and enter in through
the gates into the city." The death of
Roxie Merle Wildrick cast a gloom
throughout the entire community but her
memory will long be cherished in the
hearts of all who knew her and the re-
membrance of her loving deeds, kind
ways and many acts of thoughtfulness
will be a blessing for years to come to
her mother and the other members of the
family.
By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Smith there has been born a son William
Reine, born in Dallas township, Decem-
ber 8, 1896, and now in school. The res-
idence now occupied by Mr. and Mrs.
i8o
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Smith and their family was erected by
her former husband, who made many im-
provements upon the place, which he in-
herited from his father. Mr. Smith con-
tinues the work of development and cul-
tivation along lines of modern agricul-
tural progress and is an enterprising busi-
ness man. His political allegiance is
given the democracy and he is a mem-
ber of the Hancock County Mutual In-
surance Association and of the Modern
Woodmen of America. He was a mem-
ber of the Dutch Reformed church in
Pennsylvania. Mrs. Smith is an intelli-
gent, cultured lady and in the community
where they reside this worthy couple have
many warm friends.
MATTHEW MASON JOHNSON.
Matthew Mason Johnson, deceased,
was a stockman who, prospering in his
undertakings, was accounted one of the
enterprising business men of Carthage
and his activity in public affairs made him
a citizen of value, so that his death, which
occurred on the 7th of April, .1906, was
the occasion of deep and widespread re-
gret among his many friends in Hancock
county. He was born in Champaign
county, Ohio, in 1843, his parents being
John T. and Maria (Wright) Johnson.
The grandfather, the great-grandfather
and the great-great-grandfather, were all
soldiers of the Revolutionary war and the
same spirit of loyalty and military ardor
was displayed by various cousins of our
subject in the Civil war, while his brother,
J. N. Johnson, was a soldier of the One
Hundred and Eighteenth Illinois Infantry
during the last year of the strife between
the north and the south, being stationed
most of the time at Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.
John T. Johnson was born in Cham-
paign county, Ohio, in 1813, and his wife
was born about eight miles from St.
Louis, Missouri, in 1818. He was a
farmer by occupation and on coming to
Hancock county, Illinois, in 1839, settled
near St. Mary. He had to clear the land
in order to have space enough on which
to build a log cabin. He was the first
man to move onto the prairie, for the pio-
neers in those days always settled near the
timber. As the years passed he improved
his property, building a fine barn, good
sheds and a modern residence. As the
years passed he prospered, becoming one
of the most extensive land owners of the
county and when he died, in 1883. his
possessions aggregated eighteen hundred
acres of land now worth one hundred
dollars per acre. His wife died in 1898
and they sleep side by side in the cemetery
at St. Mary. Mr. Johnson was a repub-
lican who held various township offices,
for his fellow citizens recognized his
worth and ability and thus gave evidence
of their confidence in him. They were
believers in the Baptist faith and Mr.
Johnson held various offices in the church.
Their family numbered eight children, of
whom five are yet living : Matthew M. ;
Hiram B. and Joseph T., both residents
of Plymouth, Illinois; J. N., who is living
on the old family homestead ; and Aurilla,
the wife of J. W. Botts, who resides upon
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
181
the prairie farm which was originally
owned by her parents.
Matthew M. Johnson attended the pub-
lic schools of St. Mary and was after-
ward a student in Abingdon (Illinois)
Hedding's College. Before attaining his
majority he was married, in 1863, to Miss
Mary Bacon, who was born in 1843 in
McDonough county, Illinois, a daughter
of Larkin and Honor (Durbin) Bacon.
Her parents were of southern extraction,
the father born in Tennessee and the
mother in Kentucky. Mr. Bacon came to
Illinois at a very early day, settling on a
farm in McDonough county in 1834. It
was wild and uncultivated land but he
converted it into a productive farm and
there he died in 1877, having for several
years survived his wife, who passed away
in February, 1864. Both were buried
near Hill's Grove in McDonough county.
Isaac Bacon, the paternal great-grand-
father of Mrs. Johnson, was a Revolu-
tionary soldier and Joseph Barnes Bacon,
her grandfather, was a captain in a Ten-
nessee regiment in the war of 1812. Her
father was an unfaltering advocate of
democracy, but though always loyal to
the party, never aspired to public office.
He and his wife held membership in the
Methodist church, in which he served as
steward, while for many years he was
superintendent of the Sunday-school, fill-
ing that office at the time of his death.
Mr. and Mrs. Bacon had ten children, of
whom eight reached adult age, while five
still survive, namely : Mrs. Johnson ;
Sarah, who is the widow of Judge Tunni-
cliff, of Macomb. Illinois, and now re-
sides at No. 6018 Jackson Park avenue.
Chicago : Dr.. Joseph B. Bacon, a surgeon
of St. Francis Hospital of Macomb, Illi-
nois; James H. Bacon, president of the
Pacific Coast Trust Company of San
Francisco, California; and Harvey M.
Bacon, vice president of the Pacific Coast
Trust Company with offices at No. 708
Market street, San Francisco. The father
prospered in business and at his death left
fourteen hundred and thirty-six acres of
land.
Mrs. Johnson was a student in Hed-
ding College at Abingdon, Illinois, at
the same time Mr. Johnson attended
there. They had been reared within six
miles of each other, but it was in their
college days that their friendship ripened
into love and' was followed by marriage.
They began their domestic life on the old
Deming farm of one hundred and sixty
acres, which was given Mr. Johnson by
his father and which is still in possession
of the family. There they resided for
seventeen years, after which they spent
two years in Hill's Grove, but later re-
turned to St. Mary and purchased and im-
proved another farm, whereon they re-
sided until 1893. In that year they took
up their abode in Carthage. Mr. Johnson
purchasing a pretty home at the corner
of Walnut and Washington streets.
After his removal to the city he engaged
in business as a stockman, buying and
selling cattle on an extensive scale. He
also belonged to the Cattle Exchange and
his business interests were carefully con-
ducted and netted him a very gratifying
profit.
Mr. Johnson was a soldier of the Civil
war, enlisting in the Seventy-first Illinois
Infantry. For a time he was in the hos-
pital at Cairo. Although reared in the
1 82
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
republican faith he was independent in his
political views. He served as supervisor,
school director and road trustee and
several years ago acted as alderman of
Carthage for two years. His name was
on the membership rolls of the Masonic
fraternity, the Modern Woodmen camp
and the Grand Army Post, of all of which
he was a worthy representative. His
widow is one of the charter members and
a director of the Daughters of the Amer-
ican Revolution, belongs to the Woman's
Relief Corps and to the Woman's Chris-
tian Temperance Union. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Johnson were devoted members of
the Methodist church, in which he held
all of the offices. Mrs. Johnson was a
steward in the church for twelve years,
or until she reared a son to take her place.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were born
four children, of whom three are now liv-
ing: Drenon M., born in Hancock
county, July 4, 1864, is a farmer of this
county. He married Miss Ella A. Can-
non, of this county, December 28, 1887,
and has a daughter, Ruth M. John
Bacon, born March 4, 1866, in this
county, is a stockman and cattle feeder,
carrying on business near Carthage. He
was married to Stella Walker, of this
county, October 18, 1894. Damon J.,
born January n, 1872, is a real estate
dealer of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He
was graduated from the Northwestern
University at Evanston, Illinois, in 1892,
and on returning to Carthage read law
with Berry Brothers and Judge Mack.
In 1898, he enlisted for service in the
Spanish-American war in the Fiftieth
Iowa Infantry. He became a corporal
and served for seven months. In 1899
he enlisted in the Thirty-second United
States Volunteers and went to the Philip-
pines, where he remained for two years,
being mustered out as sergeant, May 9,
1901. He was wounded in the knee at
the first battle of Angeles and was in- the
hospital for a long time. Mr. Johnson
was a representative of a prominent pio-
neer family of Illinois, as is his wife.
Their respective parents were in limited
circumstances on coming to this state but
by wise investment in land and carefully
directed business affairs became wealthy.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had a wide
acquaintance in Hancock county and were
gladly received in those homes where in-
telligence and culture are accepted as the
passports into good society. When called
to his final rest the funeral services were
conducted at his home in Carthage by
his pastor, Rev. Edwards, of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, assisted by Rev.
Young, pastor of the Presbyterian church.
At the conclusion of the services the re-
mains, escorted by the Masonic lodge and
Alexander Sympson post, G. A. R., were
conveyed to Moss Ridge cemetery, the
interment being made under the auspices
of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Johnson
was highly respected throughout the
county, where he had a wide acquaintance
and all who knew him gave him their
friendship and regard. While taking an
active part in politics and holding radical
views on many of the questions of the day,
he probably had as few political enemies
as any man of equal political prominence.
As a citizen he was public spirited and
his co-operation could be counted upon
for the betterment of conditions in mu-
nicipal and county affairs. His life was
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
183
upright and honorable, characterized by
high moral principles and many admirable
qualities, by a benevolent spirit and hu-
manitarian disposition. All who knew
him recognized his many good traits of
character, but his best qualities were re-
served for his own home and fireside,
where he was a most devoted husband
and father.
OBITUARY.
Matthew Mason Johnson, son of the
late John T. and Maria Johnson, was
born July 7, 1843, near Urbana, Ohio,
and died April 7, 1906, aged sixty-two
years and nine months.
He came with his parents in infancy
to a farm in St. Mary's township, Han-
cock county, Illinois, where he resided
until 1893, when he became a resident of
Carthage, Illinois.
He was married to Mary A. Bacon,
of Hills Grove, McDonough county, Illi-
nois, on October 27, 1863. To this union
were born four sons : Drenon M. and
John B., of this city; Damon J., of Pitts-
burg, Pennsylvania, and George L., who
died in infancy. The widow, three sons,
one granddaughter, three brothers, Hi-
ram, Joseph and Nelson, one sister, Mrs.
Orilla Botts and many other relatives and
friends mourn his departure.
He was converted and united with
the Methodist Episcopal church at St.
Marys, Illinois, in the year 1871, of which
church he remained a member until he
transferred his membership to the Meth-
odist Episcopal church of Carthage.
A few weeks before his death he ex-
12
pressed his belief that his time on earth
was drawing to a close and that he was
prepared to meet his God. While on a
visit to the old neighborhood with his
brothers and sister, he died very suddenly
at the home of his brother, Nelson.
He was a member of the Masonic lodge
of Carthage, "Grand Army of the Re-
public" and the Modern Woodmen of
America.
The funeral was held at the residence
Monday at 2 p. m., conducted by Rev.
Edwards, pastor of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, assisted by Rev. Young,
pastor of the Presbyterian church.
At the conclusion of the services the
remains, escorted by the Masonic lodge
and Alexander Sympson Post, G. A. R.,
of this city, were conveyed to Moss Ridge
and placed in the vault, the last sad rites
being conducted by the Masons.
The floral offerings were very profuse
and beautiful, noticeable among them be-
ing a wheel with one felloe missing from
the Stockman's club of this city of which
deceased was an honored member. He
carried $4,000 insurance, $2,000 in the
Modern Woodmen of America and
$2,000 in the Banker's Life of Des
Moines, Iowa.
Deceased was a man highly respected
all over the county, throughout which he
had a wide acquaintance and his friends
were limited only by his acquaintances.
While taking an active part in politics
and was rather radical in his views, he
had probably as few political enemies as
any man of equal political prominence.
As a citizen he was public-spirited and
in speech and in deeds was always con-
sistently in favor of any movement look-
1 84
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
ing to the betterment of conditions in
municipal or county affairs.
He was a man of clean morals and
possessed many admirable qualities, al-
ways willing to lend a helping hand to
those in need and as a husband and father
was an example worthy of emulation, and
the entire community mourns with the
sorrowing fanlily in the loss sustained
through his death.
JOHN S. COCHRAN.
John S. Cochran, editor and proprietor
of the Hancock County Journal, which
is the largest paper published in the
county, has since 1894 been thus con-
nected with the newspaper interests of
Carthage, where he is also conducting a
good job printing establishment. He is
one of the native sons'of the county seat,
born March 14, 1873, his parents being
L. B. and Emily (Symonds) Cochran.
The father was born in Kentucky in 1844
and the mother's birth occurred in New
Hampshire in 1846. At a very early day
Mr. Cochran came to Hancock county
and for a long period was identified with
business interests in Carthage as a mer-
chant. He enlisted in Company D of the
Sixteenth Illinois Regiment in the Civil
war and served throughout the period of
hostilities, taking part in a number of im-
portant engagements, the most sangui-
nary of which was the battle of Mission-
ary Ridge. For a time he was engaged
in recruiting service in Hancock county.
In his political affiliation Mr. Cochran has
always been a stalwart republican and for
twelve years served as postmaster of
Carthage, beginning about 1870. Before
their marriage both he and his wife were
teachers in the first public school in
Carthage and the building is still stand-
ing on Wabash avenue and Fayette street.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Cochran is
a Mason and passed all of the chairs in
the local lodge. His wife is a member of
the Presbyterian church. Her parents
were Rev. Frederick and Abbie Symonds,
the former a minister of the gospel, while
he and his family were among the found-
ers of the Presbyterian church in Car-
thage. In the family of Rev. Symonds
were seven children, five of whom are
now living : Sarah, the widow .of J. W.
Hawley, of Holton, Kansas ; Edwin, who
died in Chicago about a year ago, his
family, however, still living in this
county ; Mary, the widow of J. W. Haw-
ley, who was congressman from the old
fourteenth, or Rock Island, district of Illi-
nois and was comptroller of currency at
Washington during the Hayes adminis-
tration. His widow is now living in
Omaha, Nebraska. Emily S. is the wife
of L. B. Cochran. Judge W. A. Symonds
is living in Carthage. A. F. Symonds
makes his home in Peabody, Kansas, and
John died while serving in the Civil war
as a member of the regiment commanded
by Major McClaughrey. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. L. B. Cochran were born four chil-
dren : Mary, the wife of Professor R. C.
Crum, of Quincy, Illinois; Isabella, a
popular teacher of Sioux City, Iowa ;
Robert, who died in 1891, at the age of
twenty years and was buried in Carthage
cemetery; and John S., of this review.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
185
At the usual age John S. Cochran
entered the public schools and passed
thnnigh successive grades until he com-
pleted the high school course and after-
ward studied in Carthage College. He
was later associated in the newspaper
business with his father for a year or so,
they purchasing the Journal in 1892. In
1894, Mr Cochran bought his father's
interest and is still engaged in the publi-
cation of the Hancock County Journal,
which is a weekly paper and the largest
published in the county, being the official
organ of the Republican party. Its cir-
culation exceeds that of any other news-
paper and it is well worthy the public
patronage, being conducted along modern
lines of journalism. The office is on
Wabash avenue and in connection with
the department for the publication of the
paper he also conducts a large job print-
ing department and has a good patronage
in this line.
On the 28th of June, 1898, Mr. Coch-
ran was united in marriage to Miss Emily
M. Johnson, who was born in Omaha,
Nebraska. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cochran
has been born a little daughter, Sarah
Evelyn, who was born in Carthage, Feb-
ruary 8, 1902.
In his political views Mr. Cochran is a
republican and has been city clerk of
Carthage. He has been greatly and
actively interested in local and county
politics and has continuously served on
some committee in connection with the
management of the party affairs. Fra-
ternally he is connected with the Knights
of Pythias and the Court of Honor. He
has in Carthage erected several houses,
all of which he has sold with the excep-
tion of the last one, which he built at the
corner of Locust street and Quincy road.
He is an active, energetic man and is
very prosperous for one of his years.
His success moreover is attributable to his
own labors and keen business discernment.
He is a young man of strong intelligence,
who has been a student of the signs of
the times relating to business and polit-
ical development and he stands for prog-
ress and improvement atxall times. Both
he and his wife are consistent and helpful
members of the Presbyterian church.
DR. BRIGGS JUDD FULLER.
Briggs Judd Fuller, formerly identified
with the dental profession of Hancock
county but now living retired in Warsaw,
is a native of Lee, Berkshire county,
Massachusetts, his birth having there oc-
curred on the 8th of December, 1843. His
father, Albert Fuller, came to this county
in 1856, and here spent his remaining
days, his death having occurred February
6, 1880. His widow", who bore the
maiden name of Julia Judd, still survives
and now makes her home with her son,
Briggs J., in Warsaw.
Dr. Fuller was a lad of twelve years
when he accompanied his parents on their
removal to Hancock county, and in the
schools of Warsaw acquired his early
education. In 1864 he enlisted for ser-
vice in the army, joining a company which
was organized at Warsaw and which was
mustered in for service at Quincy. The
1 86
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
company was assigned to duty with the
Army of the Tennessee and at once went
to Memphis, where, in the first battle in
which Dr. Fuller was engaged he was
captured and taken as a prisoner of war
to Cahaba, Alabama, to Castle Morgan
prison, and then went to Vicksburg,
where he was parolled and where he was
granted a furlough and went to Spring-
field, being there mustered out of service.
Choosing the profession of dentistry
as a life work, he entered the Missouri
Dental College, at St. Louis, from which
he was graduated in 1871 with the degree
of D. D. S. He afterward pursued a
course in the St. Louis Medical College.
Following his graduation he returned to
his home in this city, where he opened
an office and successfully engaged in the
practice of his profession for a number
of years in Warsaw, since which time
he has lived retired, now making his
home with his mother and' sister in this
city. He has here formed a very wide
acquaintance both professionally and so-
cially and is highly esteemed, for he has
ever been straightforward and honorable
in every relation of life.
A brother, Dr. Albert Homer Fuller,
was also in the Civil war, and enlisted in
1862, and served for three years. He
resides in St. Louis, Missouri, where he
is a practicing dentist. He was for many
years Dean of Missouri Dental College
of Washington University, at St. Louis,
Missouri, but has now retired from the
college. While connected with the col-
lege his work was very satisfactory, not
only to the faculty, but also to the stu-
dents, many of whom have become
distinguished.
JAMES W. McKEE.
James W. McKee, now living retired in
Carthage, was born in Ohio, near Ripler,
April 30, 1840. His father, James McKee ,1
Sr., was born in McKeesport, Pennsylva-I
nia, in 1777, and removed to Ohio when?
about thirty-five years of age, after which
he regularly visited his old home in Penn- j
sylvania once a year, walking one way
and riding horseback the other way. He j
was an enterprising farmer and a diligent
man, whose life was always characterized
by integrity in all business transactions. I
He served his country as a soldier in the I
war of 1812 and his life at all times coii-1
formed to a high standard of conduct. I
He was married twice and there were
ten children by the first marriage and
nine by the second, while his second wife
had five children by a prior marriage.
One of the sons, Nathaniel McKee, was
a soldier of the Civil war, enlisting in
the Seventh Missouri Cavalry under ,
Captain Miller.
James W. McKee spent the days of
his boyhood and youth in Ohio, and at
the age of seventeen years came to Illi-
nois with his parents, settling on a farm
in Carthage township, where he owned
one hundred acres. He has followed
general farming and stock-raising for
many years, giving his attention to that
calling until 1895, when he retired. He
made good and substantial improvements
upon his land, placing the fields under a
high state of cultivation, adding modern
improvements and using the latest im-
proved machinery for plowing, planting
and harvesting. As the years passed he
prospered in his undertakings and in 1895
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
187
; he removed to Carthage, where he built
I a modern home on Schofield street and
is now spending the evening of life in
comfort, for in former years he acquired
a competence sufficient to supply him with
the necessities and many of the luxuries
of life. October 13, 1859, Mr. McKee
was married to Miss Margaret Weir, who
was born in Washington county, Indiana,
August 2i, 1840, a daughter of George
Weir, who was a successful farmer.
George Weir, one of the sons, was a sol-
dier of the Civil war, enlisting in the
One Hundred and Eighteenth Illinois In-
fantry, and died while in service, becoming
ill at Jefferson Barracks. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Weir have passed away. Mr. and
Mrs. J. W. McKee have become the par-
ents of five children, who are now liv-
ing. Ida is the wife of Edward Arm-
strong, who occupies a position in the
postoffice in Chicago, and they have three
children, Ruth, Edna and Harry. Albert
Nathaniel is proprietor of a grocery store
in Carthage. Margaret is the wife of
Emanuel Gildner, a wholesale clothing
merchant of Chicago. Effie is the wife
of Charles Peirson, of Chicago, and Maud
is also in Chicago.
Mr. and Mrs. McKee are loyal and
consistent members of the Presbyterian
church, in which he has served as an elder.
They take a very active and helpful part
in church work and Mrs. McKee has been
president of the Ladies' Aid Society.
They have a pleasant home in Carthage,
and in addition to this property Mr. Mc-
Kee owns a house, which he rents and
also two large farms in the county, one
in Carthage township and one in Hancock
township, from which he derives a grati-
fying income. In a review of his life it
will be seen that he had no assistance
when he started upon his business career
but the spirit of self-help is the source of
all genuine worth in the individual, and
placing his reliance on the substantial
qualities of industry and close application,
Mr. McKee worked his way steadily up-
ward until he reached the plane of afflu-
ence. Industry and economy constitute a
safe basis on which to build prosperity a
fact which he early recognized and which
he has utilized in his business career. His
political allegiance is given to the Repub-
lican party and he served as road com-
missioner and as school director for a
number of years. Both he and his wife
are pleasant, genial people, interested in
all that pertains to the welfare of their
city and state and to the interests of
mankind, and they number their friends
in Carthage and Hancock county by the
score.
ALBERT NATHANIEL McKEE.
Albert Nathaniel McKee, engaged in
the grocery business in Carthage, was
born in Hancock county, in 1864, a son
of James W. and Margaret (Weir) Mc-
Kee, who are represented elsewhere in
this work. His education was acquired
in the district schools and he entered upon
his business career as proprietor of a res-
taurant in Carthage, which he conducted
for a year. He then accepted a position
as fireman on the Chicago, Burlington &
Ouincy Railroad, being thus employed for
1 88
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
three years, after which he was a brake-
man for a year on the Keokuk & Western
Railroad. He next went to Quincy, Illi-
nois, spending a year in the Electric
Wheel Works, after which he returned to
Carthage, where he devoted the succeed-
ing year to looking after various prop-
erties. Going to Chicago he operated a
motor car of the Chicago City Railway
Company for eight years, and on the expi-
ration of that period he removed to Ren-
nick, Missouri, where he devoted three
years to farming. He next went to
Moberly, Missouri, where he was em-
ployed in a machine shop for about a year.
In 1905 he returned to Carthage and pur-
chaged the corner property on Schofield
and Buchanan streets, opening the only
grocery store in the northern part of the
city. He has a well appointed store, car-
rying a carefully selected line of staple
and fancy groceries and also a well se-
lected stock of muslins, prints, notions
and novelties, it being a great convenience
to the entire neighborhood to have such
an establishment in their midst.
On the 28th of August, 1889, Mr. Mc-
Kee was married to Miss Alice Yetter,
who was born September 21, 1867, in
Carthage township, Hancock county, a
daughter of S. R. and Hester (Halbert)
Yetter. The father was born in Lan-
caster county, Pennsylvania, in 1824, and
the mother in Kentucky, in 1836. Mr.
Yetter was "a farmer by occupation and
was only twelve years of age when
brought to Illinois, where he has devoted
his life to agricultural pursuits. He still
lives on his farm but is now practically
living retired. His political allegiance is
given to the Republican party and he has
served as justice of the peace for many
years, proving a fair and impartial of-
ficer. Fraternally he is a Mason. In his
family were ten children, of whom seven
are now living, as follows : Laura, the
wife of Lewis Tull, a resident of Berke-
ley, California; Mary, the wife of Rich-
ard White, of Carthage, who is men-
tioned elesewhere in this volume; John
C., of Carthage; Charles, who is living,
in Beardstown, Illinois; Alice, now Mrs.
McKee; Margaret, the wife of P. H.
Willey, of Peabody, Kansas; and Ralph,
at home. Mr. and Mrs. Yetter are de-
voted members of the Methodist church
and in his younger years he filled at
different times all of the church offices.
They are people of the highest respecta-
bility, their upright, honorable lives hav-
ing gained for them the esteem and con-
fidence of all with whom they have been
associated.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. McKee
has been blessed with four children.
Earl, who was born October 23, 1890,
in Keokuk, Iowa, and is attending the
high school ; Ray, who was born in Keo-
kuk, in 1892; Helen, born in Chicago, in
1895 ; and Harold, who was born in Chi-
cago in 1896, and died in 1897, being
laid to rest in Moss Ridge cemetery at
Carthage. The three living children are
all in school, the parents giving to them
good educational privileges. Mr. and
Mrs. McKee are faithful members of the
Presbyterian church and he belongs to the
Modern Woodmen camp and to the Chi-
cago Mutual Aid, while his political al-
legiance is given to the Republican party.
He has depended upon his own resources
from an early age and whatever success
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
189
he has achieved has resulted from his
perseverance, labor and ready adaptabil-
ity. He has attained a creditable meas-
ure of success for one of his years and
is now proprietor of a good store, in
which he is enjoying a large patronage.
He is located on a very pretty corner
which he has improved by the erection of
a handsome and commodious modern
residence on Schofield street adjoining the
store and he contemplates building a new
store building in the near future. He is
courteous and accommodating and his
business is constantly growing. He pos-
sesses laudable ambition and energy and
his wife has been of much assistance to
him.
FREDERICK W. MEYER.
Frederick W. Meyer, who is living in
Walker township, was born in Adams
county, Illinois, January 18, 1856, and is
of German lineage. His parents, Got-
lieb and Henrietta Yetter (Homer)
Meyer, were both natives of the father-
land. The former, born in 1829, died in
1895, but Mrs. Meyer is still living at the
home in Adams county. He was a
farmer, and in 1854 crossed the Atlantic
to the new world, making the voyage in
a sailing vessel, which was three weeks
in reaching the American port. Unto
him and his wife -were born eight chil-
dren : Caroline, the wife of Gotlieb
Roskamp, of Walker township; F. W.,
of this review ; Fredericka, the wife of
Ernest Distlehorst, of Horton; Augusta.
the wife of Henry Slitman, of Adams
county, Illinois; Louisa, the wife of Ed
Cook, of Mendon, this state; Emma, the
wife of James Knox, of Adams county;
Anna, at home; and Gotlieb, who for
eight years was in the Philippine Islands,
but is now in St. Louis, Missouri.
F. W. Meyer pursued his education in
the public schools of Quincy, Illinois, and
at Fowler, this state. In his youth he
largely assisted his father in the work of
the home farm and eventually began earn-
ing his living by working as a farm hand
for two months in the employ of Mr.
Buckeder. He was married in 1883 to
Miss Minnie Althede, who was born in an
old log house standing on the farm which
is now the home of Mr. Meyer. Her
natal year was 1860, and her parents were
Gotlieb and Rickie (Hocker) Althede,
both natives of Germany. Her father
provided for his family by following
farming and feeding stock in Walker
township for many years but in early life
he learned and followed the tailor's trade.
He died in 1902, and his widow is now
living at her daughter's, Mrs. Wiebrock,
in Walker township. Mr., Althede served
in the German army in his native country
and was also a soldier of the Civil war
in this country for eight months. In his
family were six children who are yet liv-
ing: Fred, who resides in Wythe town-
ship; Mrs. Meyer; Henry and Gotlieb,
who are farmers of Walker township;
Mrs. Carrie Wiebrock, of Walker town-
ship; and John, living in the same town-
ship.
About a year after his marriage Mr.
Meyer purchased his present farm home
of his father-in-law, and now has eighty
190
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
acres on section 4, Walker township. He
built his present residence in 1892, taking
possession on the I4th of June. In 1888
he built a good barn thirty-two by forty-
four feet and has also put up other sub-
stantial buildings on the place. He like-
wise owns eighty-three acres of land near
Hamilton, Illinois, which is improved,
and sixty-two acres of pasture land in
Bear Creek township, beside a store build-
ing in Sutter which is occupied by Wil-
liam Shipe, and two houses in Sutter
which he rents. His attention is" mainly
given to general agricultural pursuits and
stock-raising, and upon his place he has
a young orchard of six acres of peaches
and apples, only about three years old.
He is entirely a self-made man, who
started out in life in limited circumstances.
In his earlier years he practiced frugality
and industry and as the result of his
earnest labor he and his wife are now
enabled to enjoy many of the comforts
which go to make life worth living.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have been
born eleven children, of whom nine sur-
vive : Lydia, the wife of Charles Mur-
ray, who lives on her father's farm near
Hamilton, by whom she has two daugh-
ters, Elise and Edna ; Carrie, the wife of
Gotlieb Humke, of Wythe township;
Alice, who is with her parents; George,
eighteen years of age, at home; Bertha,
Rosa. Sophia, Dora and Sadie, all yet
under the parental roof.
Mr. Meyer is a republican, inflexible
in support of the principles of his party
yet without aspiration for office. Both
he and his wife are members of the Ger-
man church and are intelligent, well re-
spected citizens. He is now quite an ex-
tensive landowner and all his property
has been acquired through his own efforts.
It is a record of which he has every reason
to be proud and it shows what may be
accomplished in this country where labor
is unhampered by caste or class and
where opportunity is open to all.
FRED N. MILBY.
Fred N. Milby, editor and proprietor
of the Carthage Weekly Democrat, has
made a notable success for one of his
years, and in his career as a journalist
has kept abreast with the modern prog-
ress which has been manifest in late years
in the newspaper field. He is a native
son of Hancock county, having been born
near Carthage, March 15, 1873, his par-
ents being David W. and Catherine
(Curry) Milby. The father was born in
Delaware, July 12. 1831, and the
mother's birth ocurred in Louisville, Ken-
tucky, March 13, 1834. Mr. Milby was
a farmer by occupation and was brought
to Illinois in his childhood days, settling
with his parents at Rushville in Schuyler
county, whence he came to Hancock
county about thirty-five years ago. He
died in Carthage, December 22, 1895,
respected by all who knew him and his
remains were interred in Moss Ridge
cemetery. His political views were in
harmony with the principles of democ-
racy. His wife, a member of the Chris-
tian church, is now living with her son
Fred. They had a family of seven chil-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
191
dren, all of whom yet survive, namely :
Albert B., residing near Tulip, Missouri;
Jennie, the wife of Perry Fancher, resid-
ing in Carthage Missouri ; Laura, living
with her mother; Thomas G., of Car-
thage; Anna D., the wife of E. L. Yates,
of Perkins, Oklahoma ; Fred M. ; and
Carrie M., who is assisting her brother
Fred in his office. Thomas J. Curry, a
brother of Mrs. David W. Milby, was a
soldier in the Civil war, serving through-
out the period of hostilities as captain of
Company C, One Hundred and Eight-
eenth Volunteer Infantry. Two other
brothers, James and Duncan Curry, were
also members of the same regiment, so
that the family was well represented in
the army.
In the public schools of Carthage Fred
X. Milby acquired his education and after-
ward learned the printer's trade, which
he followed in this city as an employe until
1899, when he established a printing of-
fice of his own in the Quinby Block on
Jefferson street. He is also editor and
proprietor of the Carthage Weekly Demo-
crat, a paper which has a large circulation
in the city and county. This is one of
the strong democratic organs of the
county and in connection with its publi-
cation he also conducts a prosperous job-
bing printing business, having an office
well equipped for turning out first class
work, so that a liberal patronage is ac-
corded him.
On the 29th of November, 1900, Mr.
Milby was married to Miss Mabel G.
Linn, who was born in West Point, Illi-
nois in 1883, a daughter of George W.
and Irene (Browning) Linn. Her father
was a native of Adams county, Illinois,
and the mother was also born in this
state. Mr. Linn is a blacksmith by trade
and followed that pursuit until his death,
which occurred January 4, 1905. His
wife had passed away in July, 1896, and
they were buried near West Point, Illi-
nois. His political allegiance was given
to the Republican party. Mrs. Milby
was the youngest of their family of four
children, the others being George H.,
of Carthage; Cora G., the wife of Ed-
ward Fletcher; and Nora. All are still
residents of Carthage. Mr. Milby pur-
chased a pretty home on Locust and
Washington streets, where he now resides
and unto him and his wife have been born
two children, Katharine Irene and Ken-
neth Richmond, the former born Decem-
ber 22, 1901, and the latter June 10, 1905.
Kenneth died March u, 1906. In con-
nection with his home property Mr. Milby
also owns several vacant lots in Carthage
and a business house. The spirit of self-
help is the source of all true worth in
the individual and it has been the domi-
nant factor in the life record of Mr. Milby
who had no assistance as he entered upon
the task of providing for his own support
and making for himself a place in busi-
ness circles. His upright life, his energy
and the exercise of his native talents con-
stitute the material from which he has
builded his present prosperity and he has
won a creditable place for one of his
years, while his talents bespeak for him
still greater achievements in the future.
He takes a most active interest in public
affairs and as a private citizen and
through the columns of his paper as well,
he labors effectively for the welfare of his
city and county. He has always been a
192
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
champion of the democracy and is con-
nected with Knights of Pythias fraternity,
exemplifying in his life its beneficent
spirit.
Mr. Milby has erected a fine business
building on the east side of the square,
and the second story is now the home of
the Democrat, the first story being used
as a store.
WILLIAM A. SYMONDS.
William A. Symonds, who is now serv-
ing for the fifth term as justice of the
peace in Carthage, is one of the represen-
tative citizens of the county. Few men
are more widely known in Carthage, for
he has been an important factor in pro-
fessional, political and church circles and
his popularity is well deserved, as in him
are embraced the characteristics of an
unbending integrity, unabating energy
and industry that never flags. He is public
spirited and thoroughly interested in
whatever tends to promote the moral, in-
tellectual and material welfare of the
county.
A native of New Hampshire, William
A. Symonds was born in Hillsborough
county on the 3ist of October, 1844, his
parents being Frederick W. and Abbie
(Lawton) Symonds. The father was also
bom in Hillsborough county and the
mother's birth occurred in one of the
eastern states. Coming to Illinois in
1847, Frederick W. Symonds settled near
Carthage and carried on general agricul-
tural pursuits up to the time of his death.
Both he and his wife passed way in 1853
and were buried in the Carthage cemetery.
In their family were seven children, of
whom five are yet living. Two of the
sons were soldiers of the Civil war. Ed-
win K. enlisted for three years in the One
Hundred and Nineteenth Illinois Infantry
and continued with the army until the
close of hostilities. He died a few yeavs
ago. John L. Symonds, who was a mem-
ber of the One Hundred and Eighteenth
Illinois Infantry, became ill while in the
service and died near Vicksburg. Wil-
liam L. Rand, a cousin of Judge Symonds,
was also a member of the One Hundred
and Eighteenth Illinois Infantry and now
lives in Carthage. Another relative, L.
B. Cochran, a husband of Emily S. Sy-
monds, served throughout the war in the
Sixteenth Illinois Infantry and is now in
Missouri. John B. Hawley, who married
Mary F. Symonds, another sister, also
served in an Illinois regiment and was a
captain of his company. He took part
in the battle of Fort Donelson and lost
his health there on account of exposure
and had to resign and practiced law at
Rock Island, Illinois, and was elected
congressman from that district. He
served as assistant secretary of treasury
under Sherman. An old shot gun which
was used by an ancestor in the Revolu-
tionary war is still in possession of the
Symonds family.
Judge Symonds of this review, being
brought to Hancock county when only
three years of age, was educated in the
public schools of Carthage and also at-
tended college in Jacksonville, Illinois, for
a year. He afterward engaged in teach-
ing school for several years in this county,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
193
but in the fall of 1864 put aside his pro-
fessional duties and personal interests in
order to espouse the Union cause, enlist-
ing when twenty years of age as a mem-
ber of the One Hundred and Forty-sixth
Infantry, with which he continued until
peace was restored. He then returned
to Carthage and again taught school,
while later he devoted his summer months
to farming and in the winter seasons con-
tinued in the profession of teaching. In
1869 he took up the study of law with
David Mack as his preceptor, reading
with him for two years and afterward
practicing with him for a similar period.
He then entered upon practice alone in
Carthage, being city attorney for two
years when the city abolished saloons, and
followed his profession for several years,
when on account of ill health he retired
from active practice and turned his at-
tention to farming, believing that the out-
door life would prove beneficial. Grad-
ually, however, he resumed his law work
and throughout much of an active busi-
ness career his attention has been given
to the practice of law in probate court,
but principally in settling of estates.
In his political views Judge Symonds
has always been a stanch republican, sup-
porting the party since age conferred upon
him the right of franchise. In 1874 he
was chosen school clerk and continued
in the office until his removal to the farm.
Later he was again appointed to the same
position and was treasurer of the school
board for twelve or fifteen years, although
his service was not consecutive. He is
now filling for the fifth term the position
of justice of the peace, so that his in-
cumbency covers almost twenty years.
For many years he has been public ad-
ministrator of the county. He has also
been notary public throughout his con-
nection with the Hancock county bar and
no public trust reposed in him has ever
been betrayed in the slightest degree. In
connection with his business affairs and
official duties he has also been insurance
agent for many years.
- Mr. Symonds was married November
26, 1878,10 Miss Mary Spangler, a daugh-
ter of William M. and Sarah E. Span-
gler, whose sketch is also in this review.
Five sisters of the family are still living.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Symonds have been
born seven children, all natives of Car-
thage : The eldest, Abbie, died in infancy,
the rest are: Frederick W., who was
twenty-two years of age on the loth of
January, 1906, is a graduate of the Car-
thage high school and is now studying
engineering under the direction of Scran-
ton (Pennsylvania) Correspondence
School. Emily Clare, also a high school
graduate, is now assisting her father in
his office. James S. is a high school
student. Raymond H., Mary E. and John
H., the youngest now nine years of age,
are all in school. Mr. and Mrs. Symonds
reside in the southwest part of the city
and since purchasing his home he has
remodeled both the exterior and interior
and now has a very comfortable and at-
tractive property. Mr. Symonds has
been a Mason for many years, belonging
to Hancock Lodge, No. 20, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons. He likewise
holds membership relations with the
Woodmen and with Alexander Post, No.
455, Grand Army of the Republic, in
which he has been adjutant for five or
194
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
six years. Both he and his wife are
members of the Presbyterian church, in
which he acted as clerk for many years,
while for ten or twelve years he has been
a ruling elder, taking a most active part
in church work and doing all in his power
to promote its growth and extend its in-
fluence. He is widely and favorably
known throughout the county. The terms
progress and patriotism might well be
considered the key note of his character,
for throughout his career he has labored
for the improvement of every line of busi-
ness or public interest with which he has
been associated and at all times has been
actuated by a fidelity to his country and
her welfare.
JOHN H. HORNEY.
John H. Horney, who for many years
was identified with agricultural pursuits
in Hancock county but is now living re-
tired, is numbered among the early set-
tlers of this part of the state and has been
an active factor not only in business circles
but also in public life, several official
duties having been bestowed upon him,
the duties of which he has faithfully and
promptly discharged. He is now serv-
ing as rural mail carrier and he likewise
proved his loyalty and his devotion to his
country by active service in the Civil war.
The years of his residence in Hancock
county cover the period from 1851 to the
present time.
A native of \Yarren county, Illinois,
Mr. Horney was born on the 3d of Au-
gust, 1841, his parents being Lemuel and
Cynthia (Brunton) Horney. The father
was born in North Carolina in 1809 about
thirty miles from Raleigh, the capital of
that state. There he resided continuously
until 1827, when, at the age of eighteen
years, he became a resident of Schuyler
county, Illinois, having made the journey
to the west with his parents. He lived
in that county for some years after his
marriage and was there engaged in farm-
ing. Later he removed to Warren
county, Illinois, where, he carried on gen-
eral agricultural pursuits and in 1851 he
came with his family to Hancock county,
settling on section 12, Wythe township.
There he purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land, which he transformed into
a good farm, making his home thereon
until his death, which occurred in Au-
gust, 1863, resulting from the kick of a
mule. He was at that time fifty-four
years of age. He had served in the
Black Hawk war and was one of the pio-
neers of the state, closely associated with
its early development and progress. He
shared in the hardships and privations in-
cident to life on the frontier and as the
years passed contributed to the develop-
ment and upbuilding of the localities in
which he lived. He was a devoted mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, in
which he served as a trustee and class-
leader for many years. He was also a
prosperous and progressive citizen whose
well directed business affairs brought to
him a gratifying competence. His po-
litical allegiance was given to the democ-
racy and for a number of years he served
as supervisor from that township. He
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
195
also acted as justice of the peace for
some time and during his residence in
Warren co*nty, Illinois, he served as ma-
jor in the state militia. His wife, who
bore the maiden name of Cynthia A.
Brunton, was born in Hamilton county,
Ohio, and was also a Methodist in her re-
ligious faith, taking an active and help-
ful part in the work of the church. She
survived her husband for many years
her death ocurring in 1900, and her re-
mains were then interred by the side of
his grave in the cemetery at Basco, Illi-
nois. In their family were nine children,
four of whom are yet living but John H.
Horney is the only one now residing in
this state.
Mr. Horney of this review was a lad
of about ten years when he accompanied
his parents on their removal to Hancock
county. He began his education at the
place of his birth and continued his studies
in the public schools of Wythe township.
After completing his own education he
engaged in teaching in the district schools
and in the village of Elvaston, success-
fully following that profession for
twenty-one years. He also carried on
farming in Wythe township, having pur-
chased a tract of land, adjoining the old
homestead property. He resided thereon
for a number of years and then went to
North Dakota, where he spent nearly four
years. On the expiration of that period
he returned to Hancock county, making
his home upon the farm belonging to his
father-in-law in Wythe township. There
he continued to reside until about five
years ago and was accounted one o'f the
enterprising agriculturists of the com-
munity. Since 1901, however, he has
resided in the village of Elvaston, having
retired from farm life but indolence and
idleness are utterly foreign to his nature
and in order to have some occupation he
became rural mail carrier on the only
route out of Elvaston. He has also done
considerable surveying for individuals and
railroad companies and also for the drain-
age committee and he acted as county
surveyor for ten years, while living upon
the farm. In his political views he is an
earnest democrat and for some time held
the office of president of the town board
of Elvaston and was assessor of Prairie
township for one term. No public trust
reposed in him has ever been betrayed in
the slightest degree and his efficiency and
capability have long been recognized.
Mr. Horney has always been a loyal
and public-spirited citizen and his de-
votion to his country was early manifest
by his service in the Civil war, for when
but twenty-one years of age he enlisted
on the 1 2th of August, 1862, as a member
of Company H, One Hundred and Eight-
eenth Illinois Infantry, jvith which he
served for about one year, when he was
discharged at Black River Bridge, Mis-
sissippi. He participated in the siege of
Vicksburg and an engagement at Arkan-
sas Post and was sergeant of his com-
pany but illness compelled him to leave
the army. He is now a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic and thus
maintains pleasant relations with his old
army comrades of the Civil war.
Mr. Horney was married on the 3Oth
of January, 1868, to Miss Clara E. Berry,
a daughter of Joshua C. and Mary B.
(Barker) Berry, the former a native of
New Hampshire and the latter of Massa-
196
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
chusetts. They went to Ohio at an early
day and in 1854 came to Hancock county,
Illinois, settling in "\Yythe township,
where the father followed fanning and
surveying. His ability in the latter di-
rection led to his election to the office of
county surveyor for a number of terms.
He died at the advanced age of eighty-
two years, while his wife reached the ripe
old age of eighty-six years. Unto Mr.
and Mrs. Homey have been born five
four of whom are now living.
, residing in Elvaston, married
f ft
Miss Kafe>Daw and they have two chil-
dren, Nellie F. and Frank D. ; Ettie A. is
at home. Charles H. died at the age of
three weeks. Eola is now the wife of
J. Frank Cameron, of Elvaston, and has
one child, Glenn. Jessie M., the young-
est, is a student in the public schools.
All of the children were born in \Yythe
township. The parents are members of
the Presbyterian church, in which Mr.
Horney is serving as an elder. There are
many chapters in his life history that are
worthy of emulation, for he proved a
brave and loyal soldier, has been equally
faithful in citizenship in times of peace,
has been straightforward in his business
dealings and in public office has proved
himself fully worthy of the trust of his
fellowmen.
CHARLES H. GARNETT, A. M., LL.B.
Charles H. Garnett. one of the promi-
nent lawyers of western Illinois, whose
ability is indicated by his extensive client-
age not only in Carthage but in other
cities as well, was born in tolmar, Mc-
Donough county, Illinois, January 12,
1873, his parents being Robert K. and
Annie E. (Hunter) Garnett. Robert K.
Garnett was a grandson in the maternal
line of Reuben Graves, who served as
a soldier of the war of 1812. The ma-
ternal grandparents of our subject came
to America from the north of Ireland
near Colerain when about twenty years
of age. Robert K. Garnett was born at
St. Marys, Hancock county, Illinois, Au-
gust 4, 1844, and for many years has been
a successful farmer in his native town-
ship where now he owns a fine farm of two
hundred and forty acres. He has served
as justice of the peace for ten or twelve
years and was also township collector,
discharging his duties of his different of-
fices with promptness and fidelity. His
political allegiance is given to the democ-
racy and he is recognized as a local leader
in the party ranks as well as an influential
factor in agricultural circles. He married
Miss Annie E. Hunter, a daughter of
James and Martha (Logan) Hunter, who
was born in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania,
October 19, 1845, and is also living.
They have eight children : Mary V., the
wife of J. Minor Botts, of St. Marys,
Illinois; Lulu O., the wife of William G.
Botts, of Carthage; Charles H.. of this
review; Grace A., who is a graduate of
the University of Illinois of the class of
1901 and was for four years principal
of the high school at Piano, Illinois, but
is now teaching in the high school at
Prescott, Arizona: Elmer L., who is a
graduate of the Illinois University of the
GLAUS ALBERS
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS
197
class of 1904 and the Northwestern Law-
School of Chicago in 1906 and is now
with his brother, Charles H. ; Percie E.,
a student in the State University at Cham-
paign, Illinois; Robert E., who is also
studying in that institution; and Harriet
E., a student in the University of Illinois
at Urbana, Illinois.
Like the other members of the family
Charles H. Garnett was afforded excellent
educational privileges, supplementing his
preliminary course by study in the Uni-
versity of Illinois at Champaign, from
which he was graduated with the degree
of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1896.
He was elected to a fellowship in eco-
nomics in the universtiy, holdng the same
for one year. This fellowship is a scholar-
ship, which enabled Mr. Garnett to teach
at a salary of four hundred dollars per
year and also pursue post-graduate work,
at the end of which time he received the
degree of Master of Arts. He afterward
spent two years in the law department
at Yale College, from which he was
graduated in 1899 with the degree of
Bachelor of Laws and in December of the
same year he was admitted to the Illinois
bar. After spending the winter in Chi-
cago he came to Carthage in April, 1900,
and in November of the same year was
elected state's attorney of Hancock
county, which position he filled for the
full term of four years. He is now one
of the most successful lawyers of this city
with a large clientele, connecting him with
much important litigation. His political
allegiance is given to the democracy and
he was nominated for the second term
but was defeated. In 1906 he was nomi-
nated by the democratic senatorial con-
vention to represent his district in the
general assembly, subject to the general
elections held in November.
Mr. Garnett belongs to Hancock Lodge,
No. 20, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons, in which he is now junior warden;
Bentley Lodge, No. 412, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows ; and Occidental
Lodge, No. 388, Knights of Pythias, in
which he is a past chancellor commander
and also belongs to the Carthage Baptist
church. His offices are located in the
AIcMahan Building, where he occupies a
nice suite of rooms. He is yet a young
man but has attained prominence in his
profession that many an older practitioner
might well envy, and a growing business
is indicative of the confidence reposed in
him by the public. June 6, 1906, Mr.
Garnett was married, his wife being
Ermine Williams, of Fort Stockton,
Texas, a daughter of Oscar YV. and Sarah
(Wheat) Williams. He was an attorney,
a graduate of Harvard Law School and
for some years a judge of Pecos Bounty,
Texas, while her grandfather. Jesse C.
Williams, has been in business in Car-
thage about a half century. Miss Wil-
liams was- educated at Carthage College.
CLAUS ALBERS.
Claus Albers, numbered among War-
saw's honored dead, was for many years
a prominent citizen. As the day with
its morning of hope and promise, its
noontide of activity, its evening of com-
198
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
pleted and successful effort, ending in the
grateful rest and quiet of the night, so was
the life of this man, and when death
claimed him a most useful, active and
honorable career was ended, in which he
had labored not alone for hfs own ad-
vancement but had contributed in large
measure to the upbuilding of the city.
Claus Albers was born November 25,
1817, in Hollenhof, Amt, Zeven. in the
kingdom of Hanover, Germany, and was
the eldest son of John Dietrich and Sophia
Albers. He emigrated to America in
1836, when a young man of nineteen years
and became a resident of Ohio. He was
married in Cincinnati, on the 5th of March,
1839, to Miss Rebecca Knoop, who came
to this country with her parents in 1838.
She was born in Oldendorf, in the king-
dom of Hanover, December 26, 1818.
Following their marriage the young
couple removed to St. Louis, Missouri,
where Mr. Albers was engaged in the
grocery business and subsequently they
took up their abode upon a farm in Ben-
ton county, Missouri, becoming pioneer
residents of that locality. Mr. Albers de-
voted his time and energies to general
farming there for nearly eight years and
while living there he and his wife joined
the German Methodist church in 1844,
having previously been members of the
Lutheran church. Their home became a
preaching place for Methodist ministers
until a little society, consisting of about
eight families, built a log church on Mr.
Albers's farm. In 1847 he left Missouri,
and with his family removed to Milwau-
kee, Wisconsin, and thence to Racine, re-
maining only a few weeks in each place.
He afterward came to Hancock countv,
Illinois, settling in Xauvoo, after making
the journey in a covered wagon drawn by
an ox team. In Nauvoo he dealt in gen-
eral merchandising and traded with the
surviving Mormons, all of whom had not
been expelled from the state. Their mag-
nificent temple in Xauvoo was burned
during Mr. Albers's residence there. In
1851 he removed to Warsaw, where he
again engaged in general merchandising
for a brief period. In 1854, however, he
built a flouring mill on the site of the
present Grace Mills, having a capacity
of two hundred barrels daily. In 1855
this mill was destroyed by fire and he at
once made preparation for rebuilding.
The mill, which was called the Grace mill,
was established in 1856 and had a capacity
of from two hundred and fifty to three
hundred barrels of flour per day. It was
managed by Mr. Albers with the assist-
ance of his sons and at times with differ-
ent partners until 1883, when he retired
from that business and took up the man-
agement of his farm on Main street, to
which he had devoted many leisure hours
through a long period of years. He was
pleased to term it the preserver of his
health and he delighted to retire to this
farm, watching the growth of the crops
there and living near to nature's heart.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Albers were born
seven children, who survive the parents :
Henry, a resident and prominent busi-
ness man of Los Angeles, California;
Sophia, the wife of Dr. J. G. Van Marter,
of Rome, Italy; Anna, the wife of Pro-
fessor J. L. Kessler, of Warrenton, Mis-
souri ; Anna Rebecca, the wife of William
Zuppan ; Charles and William E., of War-
saw : and Homer, of Boston.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
199
The death of the father, Claus Albers,
occurred January 23, 1892, when he was
seventy-four years of age. A local jour-
nal said of him : "In the death of Mr.
Albers Warsaw lost a citizen who gave
the best years of his life to an enterprise
that contributed largely to the upbuilding
of the city and made it for four decades
the grain market for a large scope of ter-
ritory. It lost a citizen who thus prac-
tically demonstrated the vast benefit, a
man of enterprise, energy and capacity
. can be to a community when he so directs
those attributes. It lost a citizen whose
acquaintance was as wide as the commer-
cial reach of the city made so by a long,
active and useful life." His wife sur-
vived him until July 9, 1896, and passed
away at the age of seventy-seven years,
six months and thirteen days. Mrs. Al-
bers was a gentle, kindly woman, char-
itable in her estimate of every one and of
uniform affability in the treatment of all.
She never spoke evil of any one, and
always insisted that every person had his
good side and redeeming qualities if one
would only seek them. Even her re-
proofs were so tempered with sweetness
they left no sting of bitterness, and in
all her life it is said she never gave way
to temper. Patient in her consideration
of others, self-sacrificing and thoughtful,
her greatest ambition seemed to be to
serve her family and her greatest fear
that she might be a care or a burden. All
who knew her are full of her praises and
all mourn the loss of a good woman.
They can well sympathize with the house-
hold from which such a- light has gone
out forever.
Of their family Homer Albers has at-
13
tained national distinction. He was born
in Warsaw, Illinois, February 28, 1863.
He was educated in the public schools of
Warsaw; at Central Wesleyan College
Warrenton, Missouri, from which college
he was graduated with a degree of Bache-
lor of Arts in 1882. He then went to the
Boston University Law School and was
graduated Magna Cum Laude from this
institution in 1885 with the degree of
Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to
the bar in the summer of 1885 in Boston;
was associated in business before his ad-
mission, and subsequently with George
L. Huntress until 1888, when he became
a partner with Mr. Huntress which part-
nership has continued up to the present
time. Soon after receiving his degree of
Bachelor of Laws he was appointed an
instructor in the Law School, continuing,
however, his law practice. A few years
later he was made a professor and ap-
pointed a member of the faculty of the
Boston University Law School, which po-
sitions he continued to hold until 1902,
when the increasing demands of his law
practice made it necessary for him to cur-
tail his other work. At the request of the
university he consented to deliver a few
lectures each year in order that they
might retain his name in their list of
lecturers. In 1900 Mr. Albers began a
short course of lectures on Business Law
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy, and has continued to the present time
in the charge of this course in this famous
institution. He has been offered profes-
sorships in the Law Schools of University
of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and at the
Northwestern University, at Chicago, but
declined, preferring the active practice of
200
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
law. In 1899 Mr. Albers was by Gov-
ernor Wolcott appointed a member of the
Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commis-
sion, and by reappointments from suc-
cessive governors continued to hold this
position until 1905. He was married
June 26, 1889, to Minnie B. Martin, of
Fredonia, New York. They reside in
Brookline, a most attractive village near
Boston. In 1903 he was by Governor
Bates appointed a judge of the Massachu-
setts superior court. In Massachusetts
the judges are appointed by the governor
for life, and an appointment to this bench
had, up to the time of the selection of Mr.
Albers for this position, been refused only
once in the history of Massachusetts. The
judges must, however, sit in different
places throughout the state, and Mr. Al-
bers was unwilling to have his happy
home life interferrecl with, and therefore
declined the proffered, unsolicited honor.
In an interview published in the Boston
Journal on September 15, 1903, his law
partner, George L. Huntress, said : "At
the time of Mr. Albers's appointment I
was both glad and sorry. You know why
I was glad. But I was sorry to lose such
a man from the close association of the
office and out of our business, which he
has graced and honored, and to which
he has given the best that is in him. Now
I am both glad and sorry. I am sorry
that he has been obliged to surrender what
would have been an honor to him and
what he would have honored to the full:
a place upon the bench of this common-
wealth. But I am glad he is going to stay
with me." The Lowell Courier published
the following : "Aside from the domestic
considerations which compelled Mr. Al-
bers to refuse the ermine, it is also true
in all probability that a man of his calibre
is making too great a financial sacrifice
in accepting a judicial position. Our
judges are better paid than the justices
of a good many states, but their salaries
are still far below what a good many
lawyers can make in practice. We can
only regret it as a grave error to refuse
attractive salaries to the judiciary. It
takes a large mind to make a good judge,
and some states find that the large minds
come high higher than they are willing
to pay." The salary in Massachusetts
is six thousand five hundred dollars, and
five hundred dollars travel. Mr. Albers's
practice is that of a business lawyer,
commercial law, corporation law, equity
cases including many trade mark cases.
He has never been a candidate for any
office and all appointments have come
unsolicited. He is the personal attorney
for Thomas W. Lawson in all his varied
and intricate affairs, and he and Mr.
Huntress have conducted the legal busi-
ness of C. I. Hood & Company, the
Wells & Richardson Company (Paine's
Celery Compound) and other prominent
individuals and corporations. Mr. Al-
bers is a director in a number of corpora-
tions including the Coastwise Transpor-
tation Company, which owns and operates
the largest sailing vessels in the world.
Although he cannot be called a "club
man," he is a member of the University
Club, the Boston Art Club and the Com-
monwealth Country Club, this being not
the least among the many forms of recre-
ation which he has of recuperation, which
is so necessary to one leading so active
a life.
HANCOCK COUNTY, FLLINOIS. 201
CHARLES ALBERS. WILLIAM EDWARD ALBERS.
Charles Albers, now manager of the
Warsaw Milling Company, was born in
this city in 1857, and was educated in the
public schools of Warsaw and Central
Wesleyan College, Warrenton, Missouri,
and the Iowa Wesleyan University, of
Mt. Pleasant. Iowa. He received his
business training under the direction of
his father and has continuously been iden-
tified with the milling interests of War-
saw since that time. The business is now
conducted under the firm name of The
Warsaw Milling Company. As stated, the
business was established in 1856 by the
father of the present proprietors, and in
1887 was incorporate! as a stock company
and capitalized for fifty thousand dollars,
with J. H. Finlay as president; C. E.
Eymann, vice president ; W. E. Albers,
secretary and treasurer; and Charles Al-
bers, manager. The capacity of the plant
is four hundred barrels per day. The
mill has been in continuous operation for
fifty years, and all of the time has been
owned by the same family. It is now
equipped with all modern improvements
and the business is carefully and suc-
cessfully conducted along modern lines.
Charles Albers was married in 1904 to
Miss Cecille Dory, a daughter of Victor
Dory, and they have one child, Clarice
Cecille. Mr. Albers became a Mason in
1890 and has attained the Knight Templar
degree of the York rite. He has never
aspired to political honors, yet is never
remiss in citizenship and gives stalwart
support to many movements which are of
direct benefit not only to the village, but
also to the county and state.
William Edward Albers was born in
Illinois, July 7, 1859, and pursued his
education in the public schools of War-
saw and also in Illinois College, at Jack-
sonville. Subsequently he went to Bloom-
ington, Illinois, and later for a time op-
erated a coal mine at Sidell, Illinois, where
he remained for about three years. On
the expiration, of that period he sold to
the firm of Bishop & Springer, coal deal-
ers of Keokuk. He has been associated
with the milling business as secretary and
treasurer since its incorporation in 1887,
and while operating the mill he was large-
ly interested in farming. He became a
partner in the milling business in 1884
and he and his brother Charles rebuilt the
mill and have since conducted this busi-
ness, which is one of the leading indus-
trial enterprises of Warsaw.
W. E. Albers was married October 12,
1893, to Miss Mary Grace Robinson, a
daughter of David A. and Laura (Chan-
dler) Robinson, and they are prominent
socially in Warsaw, where they have
many warm friends. Politically Mr. Al-
bers is a republican but without aspiration
for office. He holds membership with
the Presbyterian church, of which he has
been a trustee for several years and he is
active in support of all that tends to ad-
vance material, intellectual and moral
progress.
LEWIS GOTLIEB ROSKAMP.
Lewis Gotlieb Roskamp, deceased, who
at one time was a successful general
2O2
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
farmer of Hancock county, was born in
Quincy, Illinois, September 2, 1852. His
parents, Philip and Hannah (Shassick)
Roskamp, were natives of Germany and
the family came to America about 1845
or 1846, settling in St. Louis, Missouri.
Philip Roskamp removed from Quincy,
Illinois, to Hancock county when his son
Lewis was only four or five years of age
and located on a farm in Walker town-
ship, where he reared his family and
carried on general agricultural pursuits.
His wife died in 1887, and he survived
until 1891, when his grave was made by
the side of hers in Tioga cemetery.
Lewis G. Roskamp was educated in the
public schools of Tioga and continued
under the parental roof until he had at-
tained his majority, when he was married
and started out in life for himself. On
the 5th of October, 1873, he wedded Miss
Caroline Meyer, who was born in Adams
county, Illinois, in 1855, a daughter of
Gotlieb and Henrietta (Haner) Meyer,
who were natives of Germany, the former
born May 24, 1821, and the latter De-
cember 29, 1829. Both came to Amer-
ica in childhood, and Mrs. Meyer was
eleven weeks on the voyage to the new
world. In their family were eight chil-
dren, namely: Mrs. Roskamp; Mrs.
Rickie Distlehorst, deceased; William, of
Walker township; Augusta, the wife of
Henry Schlipman, of Adams county, Illi-
nois; Emma, the wife of Ernest Distle-
horst, of Adams county ; Louisa, the wife
of Ed Cook, who is living near Mendon,
Illinois ; Anna, who makes her home with
her sister, Mrs. Cook; and Gotlieb, who
is in St. Louis, Missouri. He was twenty-
nine years of age on the 3Oth of May,
1906. He has been a soldier in the
Philippines for many years and is now
in a St. Louis hospital. The mother of
these children still survives and yet en-
joys good health for one of her years.
At the time of their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Roskamp took up their abode in
a log house on a farm just across the
road from where she now lives, in Walker
township. There they lived until 1881,
when Mr. Roskamp erected an elegant
residence, which is one of the best homes
of the locality. In 1887 he built a fine
barn sixty by forty feet and also erected
sheds and other good outbuildings. His
farm comprised two hundred and seventy
acres on section 20, Walker township, and
he placed his land under a high state of
cultivation so that he annually gathered
good crops and secured a gratifying year-
ly income. His life was one of industry,
and his laudable ambition and unfaltering
perseverance were elements in his success.
As the years passed by he prospered, so
that he was able to secure a beautiful home
and surrounded his family with many
of the comforts of life.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Roskamp were born
eleven children, all of whom were born on
the old home place, namely : Anna, the
wife of Gotlieb Heineke, of Walker town-
ship, by whom she has two children, Alma
and Bertha ; Fred, a farmer who married
Anna Kiner, of Hamilton and has three
children, Bertha, Hilda and Clara ; Lydia,
the wife of William Kunz, of Walker
township, and they have one child, Al-
vina; John, who operates the home farm
for his mother; Henry, who is seventeen
years of age and is now in Oregon ;
Walter, also at home ; Carl, thirteen years
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
203
of age, Lawrence aged eleven, and Lena,
nine years of age, also at home with their
mother.
Mr. Roskamp voted with the Repub-
lican party but was never a politician in
the sense of office seeking. He held mem-
bership in the German Lutheran church,
at Tioga, where he served as trustee for
eight years, in the work of which he was
deeply and helpfully interested. His
death occurred August 17, 1899, and his
remains were buried in the Tioga ceme-
tery, where rests his two children. His
widow is likewise a member of the church
and still is on the old home farm, where
she is rearing her children, who have
been left in comfortable circumstances as
the result of enterprise and business
ability manifested by the husband and
father through the years of his active con-
nection with farming interests in this
county.
ALFRED QUICK.
Alfred Quick, engaged in general
farming in Wilcox township, was born in
Rocky Run township in 1878. His pa-
ternal grandfather, Alfred Quick, Sr., was
born in 1814, in Kentucky, and in 1834,
when twenty years of age, became a resi-
dent of this county. He settled in Rocky
Run township and was identified with its
pioneer development and progress, aiding
in laying broad and deep the foundation
for the present upbuilding and improve-
ment of this portion of the state. He
married Miss Susan Hornbeck, who was
born in Kentucky in 1809, and they be-
came the parents of six children, of whom
four are now living: Preston; Samuel,
of Rocky Run township ; James, of Clark
county, Missouri ; and Susan, the wife of
James Shipe, of Warsaw. Preston Quick,
father of our subject, was born in Ken-
tucky in 1842, and came to Illinois in
1848, at which time he took up his abode
in Rocky Run township. He served for
three and a half years as a soldier in the
Civil war, belonging to the One Hundred
and Eighteenth Illinois Volunteer Infan-
try, and during a part of that time was
under command of General Grant. Re-
turning home, he resumed agricultural
pursuits here and was for many years an
enterprising farmer of this county but
is now living retired, making his home
with his children. He married Miss
Elizabeth Shipe, who was born in Rocky
Run township in 1848 and is of German
descent. She died in 1895. Mr. Quick
is a republican in his political affiliation
and for years served as school director,
the cause of education finding in him a
warm and stalwart friend. In their
family were four children, of whom three
are now living, namely: Clara M., the
wife of Thomas Williams, of Wythe
township; Susan, the deceased wife of
Lemuel Whitney; Sophronia, the wife of
David Webster, who is operating the old
Quick homestead in Rocky Run township ;
and Alfred.
In the public schools near his father's
home, Alfred Quick was educated and
during the periods of vacation he assisted
in the farm work, giving his services to
the benefit of his father until twenty-two
years of age, when he left home and was
204
BIOGRAPHICAL RE ] 'IE W
married. It \vas on the gth of January,
1900, that he wedded Miss Cleota Ewing,
who was born in Tioga, Hancock county,
Illinois, November 25, 1880, a daughter
of Jackson and Minerva (Gray) Ewing.
Her father was born in Kentucky. Oc-
tober 28, 1837, and died September 19,
1886. while the mother's birth occurred
in this county on the i3th of Sqitember,
1838. He followed the occupation of
farming and on coming to Hancock
county settled in Walker township, where
he devoted his time to his chosen vocation
and also carried on a general merchan-
dise store at Tioga. His political sup-
port was given to the democracy and he
served in several township offices. In
his family were three children, of whom
two are living: lona, the wife of Frank
Harrison, of Walker township ; and Mrs.
Quick. Mr. Ewing departed this life in
1886, and the mother still survives and is
living in Tioga.
Following his marriage Mr. Quick re-
sided upon his father's farm for two years
and later spent one year near Hamilton.
In 1905 he purchased one hundred acres
of land on section 21, Wilcox township,
an improved farm, which he has since
further developed and cultivated. The
home has been blessed with one child,
Fleta Minerva, who was born in Rocky
Run township, January 20, 1903. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Quick have many friends
in this locality and their many excellent
traits of character are widely recognized
by those with whom they come in contact.
Mr. Quick is a republican, while frater-
nally he is connected with the Woodmen
camp. Energetic and active he is ac-
counted one of the progressive young
farmers of the community, who has al-
ready done well in his business life and
undoubtedly the future holds in store for
him further success.
CHARLES ALBERT WARNER, M.D.
Dr. Charles Albert Warner is the oldest
practicing physician in Hancock county.
He arrived here in 1853 from Germany,
having been born in the latter country
on the 1 5th of September, 1830, the place
of his nativity being Hesse Darmstadt.
His early education was acquired in the
public schools and the Gymnasium and
College University of Giesen, from which
he was graduated in the spring of 1852.
He was a youth of twenty-three years
when he arrived in Wisconsin, having
made the voyage on an old sailing vessel,
which was four weeks in crossing the
Atlantic. He proceeded to St. Louis and
having determined upon the practice ot
medicine as a life work, he entered the
St. Louis Medical College, where he pur-
sued a regular course and was graduated
after three years' study, two years of
which was passed in that institution, then
called Pope's College, while for one year
he was a student in McDowell's College.
Following his graduation from the St.
Louis Medical College, he entered upon
the active practice of his profession and
remained in St. Louis until 1862, when
he enlisted in the service of his country as
assistant surgeon, being thus engaged
until 1865. In that year he resigned
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS,
20=
after which lie was in charge of the
I city hospital at Memphis, Tennessee,
acting in that capacity until 1866.
In that year he came direct to
Warsaw, where he has continuously
practiced to the present time, being now
the oldest physician in years of continuous
service in the county. He has been ac-
corded a liberal patronage and has done
a good business, which, as the years have
passed, has steadily increased. He has
always kept abreast with the progress
made by the medical fraternity and is
today a man of broad learning. He is
medical examiner for various life insur-
ance companies, including the Aetna,
Northwestern, New York Mutual and the
Metropolitan companies. Since coming
to Warsaw he has remained at his present
location at the corner of Main and Fourth
streets.
On the 27th of October, 1855; was
celebrated the marriage of Dr. Warner
and Miss Barbara Gerisch, a daughter of
Christian Gerisch. Unto them were born
two children. Frances and Fred, the
former now the wife of Dr. Franz, of St.
Louis. The wife and mother died De-
cember 24, 1890, and in 1897, Dr. Warner
was again married, his second union being
with Mrs. Elizabeth Weigand. They
now reside in Warsaw on East Main
street, where the Doctor owns a valuable
tract of one hundred and twenty acres
devoted to general farming. In 1868 he
was elected supervisor and held the office
for a number of years. He has also been
a member of the school board for about
twenty years and his loyal and progressive
citizenship is a well known factor in his
life, having been manifest by the tangible
aid which he has given to many move-
ments for the public good.
WESLEY CRAYTON BRIDGES.
Wesley Crayton Bridges, general fore-
man of the round house and shop for the
Wabash, Toledo, Peoria & Western rail-
roads at Hamilton, whose connection with
railroad service has continued since 1862,
was born in Carroll county. Tennessee,
July 24, 1838. His father, William
Alexander Bridges, was a native of Ten-
nessee and a son of Willis Bridges, who
was born in North Carolina and was a
minister of the Primitive Baptist church,
devoting forty-five years of his life to
that holy calling. It was in Humphreys
county, Tennessee, that \Villiam A.
Bridges was united in marriage to Miss
Louisa Neel Ridings, a native of that
state and a daughter of Joel and Penelope
(May) Ridings, both natives of North
Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. William A.
Bridges began their domestic life upon a
farm in Carroll county, Tennessee, where
he carried on general agricultural pur-
suits until his death, which occurred on
the 1 8th of January, 1844, when he w r as
a comparatively young man. In the
family were three children, of whom
Wesley C. is the eldest. Joel Willis con-
ducts the pumping station for the Toledo,
Peoria & W r estern and Wabash railroads
at Hamilton, while James Monroe, who
served as a member of Company G. Sev-
enth Missouri Cavalry, died April 2, 1862.
2O6
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Wesley Crayton Bridges spent his early
youth in his native state and attended the
subscription schools of Tennessee until
fourteen years of age, when he started
with his mother, brothers and stepfather,
Jacob Hicks, for Missouri. He drove
two yoke of oxen across the country, the
family intending to locate in Missouri.
Having reached the Mississippi river at
Columbus, Kentucky, they were ferried
across on a flat boat manned by two
Frenchmen with sweep oars. After vis-
iting Missouri, however, they recrossed
the river into Illinios, making their way
to St. Genevieve, where for the first time
Mr. Bridges saw a cook stove. The
second trip across the river was made on
a flat boat pulled by hand. The family
located in Jackson county, Illinois, and
there Mr. Bridges continued his educa-
tion. They remained in that county until
December, 1854, but in the previous May
the stepfather had died and the mother
and her children started again upon the
journey in the following December,
traveling with ox teams until they reached
Augusta, Hancock county. In this
county Mr. Bridges also attended school
to a limited extent, but worked mostly
as a farm hand by the month until 1862,
when he removed to Bowen, where a rail-
road was being built called the Illinois &
Southern Iowa Railroad. He was then
employed at laying the track between
Clayton and Carthage, working as a la-
borer for eight months. On the expira-
tion of that period he secured a position
as fireman and so continued for three
years and three months. On the 24th
of July, 1867, he was promoted to the
position of engineer and followed this
until November i, 1883, when he was
made general foreman of the round house
and shop for the Wabash and for the
Toledo, Peoria & Western railroads at
Hamilton. Since he entered the railroad
service he has never been reprimanded,
laid off or discharged and has never been
away from duty for a full month at a
time.
On the 1 4th of October, 1860, Mr.
Bridges was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Ellen Harrison, who was born in
Washington county, Indiana, January 25,
1843, a daughter of William and Alice
B. (Davis) Harrison, natives of Indiana.
She had but one sister, Louisa Jane, who
became the wife of J. M. Hughes, of Au-
gusta, and died in 1878. Mrs. Harrison
came to Hancock county in 1850 and
died in Hamilton in 1901 after more than
a half century's residence here. Mrs.
Bridges pursued her education in this
county and by her marriage became the
mother of five children. Louisa Alice,
born September i, 1861, is the wife of
Robert Watson, of Hamilton. Martha
Ellen, born January 23, 1863, is the wife
of Elmer Dennis, of Hamilton. Laura
Belle, born April i,' 1866, is the wife of
Robert S. Gordon, station agent at Hamil-
ton. Julia Viola, born April 6, 1870,
is the wife of Guy Blakeslee, who is a
brakesman on the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad and lives at Hannibal,
Missouri. Abbie Ethel, born September
6, 1876, is the wife of Hurley Moore, of
Hamilton, who is a brakesman on the
Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad.
Mr. Bridges was one of the organizers
of the Building and Loan Association, of
Hamilton, Illinois, there being nine men
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
207
who formed this company in November,
1888. He was chosen its first president.
He has always been interested in matters
of public progress and improvement and
has co-operated in many movements for
the general good. His political allegiance
is given to the Republican party and he
has served as alderman of the city for two
years and two terms as mayor. He has
also been school director and for six years
has been a member of the cemetery board.
He belongs to Black Hawk Lodge, No.
238, of the Masonic fraternity, the Royal
Arch Chapter, to the council and to the
Knight Templar Commandery. He is
also connected with the Modern '\Yood-
men of America and the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, while his religious
allegiance is given to the Christian church,
of which he is a charter member. His
life has been an active and useful one and
he has displayed many sterling 'traits of
character which are well worthy of emu-
lation.
He is now serving his twenty-second
year as treasurer of Tecumseh Royal Arch
Chapter, No. 152, ancl has started on his
forty-fifth year in railroad service, and
twenty-fourth year as foreman of the
round house and car department at Ham-
ilton, Illinois.
LUCIEN S. REID.
Lucien S. Reid, whose co-operation can
always be counted upon as a helpful factor
in everything relating to the welfare of
his city, is now editor and proprietor of
the Dallas City Review, and has been a
well known factor in journalistic circles
in this part of the state for a number
of years. He was born near Plymouth,
in McDonough county, Illinois, Novem-
ber 12, 1860, his parents being L. G. and
Cyrena (Doyle) Reid. The father was
born in Covington, Kentucky, in 1813,
while the mother's birth occurred near
Lexington, that state. L. G. Reid was
a successful lawyer and about 1847 set ~
tied in McDonough county, Illinois,
where he lived until 1891, when he re-
moved to Morrill, Kansas. After a year
he returned to Illinois, settling at Colches-
ter, McDonough county, where he died
in. the year 1895. He had for twenty
years survived his wife, who passed away
in 1875 and was laid to rest in the ceme-
tery near Plymouth, while the grave of
Mr. Reid was made in Colchester He
was a democrat in his political views and
served for two terms in the Illinois legis-
lature as a representative from his district.
He was township supervisor for twenty-
two consecutive years and had the respect
and unqualified confidence of his fellow
townsmen, who recognized his worth and
his loyalty to principle. Fraternally he
was connected with the Masonic lodge.
In the family were five children, of whom
three are now living : Lucien S. ; Ed-
ward, who resides at Redlands, Cali-
fornia; and Harry L., who is in the em-
ploy of the Santa Fe Railroad Company
and lives at Mojave, California. After
losing his first wife Mr. Reid was married,
in 1878, to Miss Lucy E. Tandy, who
resided near Fandon, McDonough county.
Lucien S. Reid was a student in the
208
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
high school at Plymouth, and afterward
attended Knox College, at Galesburg, Illi-
nois, subsequent to which time he learned
the printer's trade, at which he first
worked in Plymouth. He afterward
went to Beatrice. Nebraska, subsequently
to Omaha, Nebraska, completing his trade
with the firm of Rand & McNally in
Chicago, Illinois. In 1884 he was in
Colchester, Illinois, and in August of that
year purchased the Colchester Independ-
ent from H. F. Stevens but after a week
sold it to Van L. Hampton, with whom
he remained until the following March,
when he purchased the Blandinsville Re-
publican, changing the name of the paper
to the Blandinsville Review. He con-
tinued its publication until September,
1887, when he took the plant to Dallas
City and established the Dallas City Re-
view, which is the first paper that ever
survived for six months in this place.
He has now continued its publication here
for almost twenty years and has made it
a profitable investment. The Review is
a weekly paper, independent in politics
and has a large circulation throughout
this and Henderson counties so that it is
an excellent advertising medium. In the
disastrous fire which swept over Dallas
City on the igth of December, 1905, Mr.
Reid lost heavily but in place of the old
building on Oak street there has been
erected a concrete monolithic building,
twenty-five by fifty-two feet, two stories
high, of pleasing architectural design.
The lower floor will be devoted to office
and editorial rooms, composing and press
rooms, while the upper floor is designed
and finished for his residence. He has
installed modern methods, 'including a
good cylinder press with power. It is
one of the first buildings of this character
in this part of Illinois. In connection
with the publication of the paper Mr. Reid
does all kinds of first class job printing
and tablet work. The Review has always
been very progressive and has been an
influential factor in the upbuilding of
Dallas, standing as the champion of
every movement or measure calculated to
prove of direct benefit to the city. His
new office will be equipped with all
modern machinery and in the management
of his business Mr. Reid is thoroughly
progressive and in fact has been the lead-
er in the adoption of many new ideas that
have been advanced in the world. He
owned the first gasoline engine used for
motive power in Dallas City and also
owned the first gasoline launch in the
town. He is practical in his ideas and
successful in his undertakings, carrying
forward to successful completion what-
ever he begins. In connection with his
other business interests he is a stockholder
in the Farmers State Exchange Bank of
which he was one of the organizers.
On the 1 6th of January, 1887, Mr.
Reid was united in marriage to Miss
Fannie Roberts, who was born in Col-
chester, Illinois, June 20, 1865. a daugh-
ter of Edward and Susanna (Bayless)
Roberts, the former a native of Wales,
and the latter of England. Her father
was engineer of the works of the Quincy
Coal Company, at Colchester, Illinois, for
a long period but both he and his wife
have now passed away, and were laid to
rest in the cemetery at Colchester. In
their family were five children, of whom
four are living : Lennie, the wife of John
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
209
Jones, who resides in Cambridge, Ohio;
Sarah, the wife of Thomas Moss, also
of Cambridge; Mrs. Eliza Tandy, the
widow of W. W. Tandy and a resident
of Colchester; and Mrs. Reid. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Reid has been born a daugh-
ter. Velna, who was born in Dallas City,
March 14, 1892, and is now a student in
the Dallas City high school. In addition
to his business property Mr. Reid owns
several vacant lots in Dallas City. In
politics he is a democrat and in 1890 and
1891 served as mayor of Dallas City,
proving a capable executive officer, whose
efforts in behalf of public progress were
effective and far-reaching. He is a Ma-
son and also a member of Hancock Lodge,
No. 56, Knights of Pythias, of which he
is the present chancellor, while his wife is
a devoted member of the Congregational
church. A man of strong convictions, he
is practical in his ideas, yet determined in
his course. He possesses a genial, social
disposition, appreciative of the worth and
work of others and has ready recogni-
tion for all movements or enterprises of
general benefit to the community. Both
he and his wife have scores of warm
friends, and during the years of their resi-
dence in Dallas City have long occupied
a prominent position in social circles
here.
HENRY GILLHAM.
Henry Gillham is a worthy representa-
tive of a prominent pioneer family of
Hancock county and his own record has
added lustre to an untarnished family
name. He was born in Campbell county,
Kentucky, January 3, 1827, and is a son
of Robert and Elizabeth (Walker) Gill-
ham, the former a native of the Blue
Grass state, and the latter of Pennsyl-
vania. Robert Gillham devoted his life
to general agricultural pursuits, and on
the nth of April, 1837, arrived at War-
saw, Illinois. Soon afterward he pur-
chased one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Walker township, for which he
paid the government price of one dollar
and a quarter per acre. Not a furrow
had been turned nor an improvement
made upon the place and he built a little
log cabin, in which he lived in true pio-
neer style, enjoying much happiness there,
at the same time sharing in the hardships
and privations incident to the establish-
ment of a home on the frontier. The
plows of that day had wooden mold
boards and the sickle and scythe were
leading features of the farm machinery.
Mr. Gillham of this review has driven
ox teams before a plow turning a twenty-
four inch furrow, and he has broken more
land than any other man of the county,
thus contributing in large measure toward
the agricultural development and improve-
ment of this part of the state. His father
was a democrat in his political allegiance
and in matters of citizenship relating to
the community was progressive and en-
terprising. He died and was buried in
Missouri but the mother was laid to rest
in Walker township. Of their family of
eleven children five are yet living:
Henry: America, the wife of Hiram
Cobel, of California; Cynthia A., the wife
of Jason Marsh, of California; Sarah E.,
2IO
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
the wife of William Dooley, of Missouri ;
and E. D. Gillham, of Warsaw.
Henry Gillham, brought to Illinois
when Hancock county was still a pioneer
district, was educated in a little log build-
ing in Walker township, where school was
conducted on the subscription plan. His
advantages were necessarily limited be-
cause of the condition of the school sys-
tem at that period. His training at farm
labor, however, was not meager and he
early took his place in the fields, working
from early dawn until after sunset in
order to open up a new farm on which the
family had located and further continued
its development. He remained with his
parents until he had reached his majority.
In October, 1849, was celebrated the
marriage of Henry Gillham and Miss
Mary Jane Ewing, who was born in
Brown county, Ohio, September 8, 1828,
a daughter of Jackson and Catherine
(Turner) Ewing, who are mentioned
elsewhere in this work in connection with
the sketch of John P. Ewing. The young
couple began their domestic life upon his
father's farm in W r alker township, where
they remained for three years and then
removed to a farm of forty acres else-
where in the township. Mr. Gillham
purchased this property and resided there
for eleven and a half years. In 1873
he bought one hundred and forty-three
acres of land on section 10, Walker town-
ship, and has since made his home there-
on. He has added to and improved the
house until he now has a fine residence
and he has also built a substantial barn
and two good wood-houses. His atten-
tion has been given to general farming
and the years have brought him good
crops, and as time has passed he has
prospered. In addition to the home place
he also owns fifty-five acres of good land
on section 1 1 . Moreover, he and his es-
timable wife have reared a family of ten
children, of whom seven are now living :
Mary Frances is at home with her parents.
Melvina Angeline is the wife of John L.
Brew, lives near Carthage and has three
children ; Lewis Brew, who married Clara
Van Valer and has one child, Hazel May ;
Ida Brew, the wife of Edward Newman,
who lives in Carthage and by whom she
has two children, Lee and Lloyd ; and Eli
Brew, who lives in Nebraska, is married
and has one daughter, Elizabeth Pearl.
Elizabeth A. Gillham, the third member
of the family, is the widow of William
Atkinson, and has one child, Arlie Ann.
Sarah Gillham is the wife of Charles
Thompson, of Chili township, and has
three children ; Henry, who married Liz-
zie Herbert, by whom he has one child.
and lives in Colorado; Ira, who married
Nellie Hill and lives near Bowen, Illinois;
and Horace Elmer. Jane Gillham is the
wife of William Henry Smith, living near
Bowen, Illinois, and they have four chil-
dren, Dee, Fannie, Nona and Niti Ellen.
John Gillham married Tena Wenhamer,
lives in Nebraska and has seven children,
\Valter, Charles, George, Eddie, Jessie,
Clara and Addie. Roscoe, who resides
at West Point, Illinois, married Martha
Rampley and has four children, Mabel,
Lela, Vera and Harold. Ellen is the wife
of Arthur Randall, of Nebraska, and has
three children, Ruth L., Earl and Loy.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Gillham hold mem-
bership in the Christian church in the
work of which they are deeply interested,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
211
while to its support they contribute gen-
erously according to their means. Mr.
Gillham is a democrat and served con-
tinuously as school director from the age
of twenty-one years until 1900, when he
refused to fill the office longer. He is
truly a self-made man, for, after paying
the minister and for the license at the time
of his marriage he had remaining only
two dollars and a quarter. With this
the young couple started out in life to-
gether. They possessed stout hearts,
however, and willing hands, and their
ambition and united efforts have consti-
tuted the secret of their success. They
have done well as the years have passed
by and now have many comforts in life.
At the same time they have found oppor-
tunity to do many kindnesses and to ex-
tend hospitality to many friends. In the
fifty-seven years of their married life no
one has e\er been turned from their door
hungry or empty-handed. Both represent
prominent old families of the county but
it is their sterling personal worth that has
so closely endeared them to those with
whom they have come in contact.
JOEL WILLIS BRIDGES.
Joel Willis Bridges, who has charge of
the steam pump for the Toledo, Peoria &
Western, the Wabash railroads at Hamil-
ton, was born in Carroll county, Tennes-
see, August 7, 1840, his parents being
William A. and Louisa Neel (Riding)
Bridges. He was the 'second of a family
of three sons and in his early youth at-
tended the subscription schools of Ten-
nessee for a short time. He afterward
accompanied his parents on their removal
to Jackson county, Illinois, and two years
later the family settled at Augusta, Han-
cock county. This was in 1854. Mr.
Bridges of this review started out to earn
his own living when sixteen years of
age, working by the month as a farm
hand. He was employed at one place
for three years and in 1869 he entered the
railroad service in the round house at
Hamilton, where he continued for a year.
Later he worked on the farm and in 1870
he secured the position of engine-wiper.
Later he engaged in firing for three years
and three months, at the end of which
time he was appointed engineer, running
an engine for about eighteen months.
About that time his health failed and he
went into the roundhouse as watchman.
In 1 88 1 he was assigned the task of run-
ning the steam engine for the Toledo,
Peoria & Western and Wabash railroads
at Hamilton and he has since acted in that
capacity. He owns several houses and
lots in Hamilton, having made judicious
investment of his earnings in real estate
and his property interests bring him a
good return.
On the 5th of January, 1868, Mr.
Bridges was united in marriage to Miss
Rebecca Ann Garwood, who was born
in Jasper county, Illinois, a daughter of
Thomas and Jane (Richards) Garwood.
The father was a native of Ohio and the
mother of Tennessee. Her death oc-
curred March 2, 1905, and two children
were left to mourn her loss : William
Thomas, now an engineer on the Toledo,
212 ,
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
Peoria & Western Railroad, residing in
Peoria, Illinois: and Lottie Charlotte, who
is a stenographer and bookkeeper in the
Parker Company department store of
Hamilton and makes her home with her
father. There were two other children :
Charles Wesley, who died in September,
1877, at the age of three years ; and James
Elbert, who died December 6, 1894, at
the age of twenty-three years. Mr.
Bridges started out in life with very few
advantages, educational or otherwise, but
has made the most of his opportunities
and has worked earnestly and energetical-
ly and, as stated, he has made judicious
use of his funds, thus becoming the owner
of considerable desirable property in
Hamilton. He has been a resident of
Hancock county for a half century. He
holds membership in the Christian church
and gives his political allegiance to the
democracy. He has served as school di-
rector, as alderman from the first ward
from 1896 until 1904 and has been again
elected on his own platform, a fact which
indicates that he has given able service
as one of the "city fathers." Fraternally
he is connected with Black Hawk Lodge,
No. 238, of the Masons, having taken the
degrees of the Blue lodge, chapter and of
the Eastern Star.
LOUIS LAMET.
Louis Lamet, one of the able members
of the Hancock county bar living in War-
saw, who with comprehensive knowledge
of the principles of jurisprudence to-
gether with unfaltering devotion to his
clients' interests, has gained a large prac-
tice, was born December 28, 1874, in the
city which is yet his home. His parents
were Julian and Eloise (Sylvester)
Lamet. At the usual age the son entered
the public schools, passing through suc-
cessive grades until he had completed the
high school course. He afterward en-
gaged in teaching in the district schools
of the county for three winter terms and
then ambitious for further intellectual
training, he entered the University of Illi-
nois and was graduated from the law de-
partment on the 1 2th of June, 1901.
About a year after he entered upon the
practice of his chosen profession in
Carthage but soon returned to his native
town and entered into partnership with
Mr. Plantz, an association which has since
been maintained. The firm .occupy a
prominent place at the Hancock county
bar. In the trial of cases Mr. Lamet pre-
pares his cause with great thoroughness
and care and in the courtroom is found
strong in argument, logical in his deduc-
tions and correct in his application of the
legal principles.
On the loth of January, 1905. was
celebrated the marriage of Louis Lamet
and Miss Amice Magdalena Lemaire, a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Le-
maire. They now have one son, Leon.
Politically Mr. Lamet is a democrat, firm
in support of the party and thoroughly
conversant with the issues which divide
the two great national political organiza-
tions. He was appointed to the office
of city attorney in 1905 and is now acting
in that capacity. In 1902 he became a
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
213
member of the Modern Woodmen camp,
in which he has held the office of con-
sul. Prompted by laudable ambition he
has made for himself a creditable name in
legal circles and as a citizen is recognized
as one who has given tangible support to
many movements for the general good
and whose influence for public progress
is far-reaching and beneficial.
MARCELLUS T. CHENOWETH.
Marcellus T. Chenowethf who is en-
gaged in merchandising at Hickory
Ridge, is a native of Virginia, his birth
having occurred near Beverley in Ran-
dolph county, on October 3, 1842. His
parents were A. W. and Hannah (Tag-
gart) Chenoweth, the (former born in
Randolph county and the latter in Monroe
county, Virginia, the years of their na-
tivity being 1819 and 1822 respectively.
A. W. Chenow-eth was a carpenter by
trade, and in the year 1852 removed with
his family from the Old Dominion to
Hancock county. Illinois, living for
several years in Warsaw, after which he
located in Walker township in 1857. At
the time of the Civil war he joined the
Seventh Missouri Cavalry and served
until disabled in 1864. He participated
in the battle of Lone Jack, Ozark Moun-
tain and other engagements in that section
of the country. The family numbered
seven children, of whom three are now
living: M. T. : Sarah, the wife of Alfred
Lomax, of Warsaw, Illinois ; and Vir-
ginia, the wife of John Rigg, of Spring-
field, this state. The father died October
31, 1865, and the mother in June, 1887,
their remains being interred in Walker
township.
M. T. Chenoweth began his education
at St. Marys, Virginia, afterward con-
tinued his studies in Ohio, in Warsaw,
Illinois and in Bloomfield. Iowa. He en-
listed in 1864 in the Twenty-eighth Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry as a member of
Company E, and served until the 3ist of
October, 1865, the day his father died.
He was on active duty near the southern
portion of the Mississippi river and was
present at the capture of Mobile. He
had an uncle, William Chenoweth, who
was a soldier in the Confederate army in
the Civil war, while his great-grand-
father, John Chenoweth, was a soldier of
the Revolution. Following his return
home M. T. Chenoweth remained with
his mother until after his sisters were
married.
In 1871 Mr. Chenoweth wedded Miss
Mary Isabella Rankin, who was born in
Adams county. Illinois, in 1844, a daugh-
ter of James and Sarah (Laughlin)
Rankin, natives of Kentucky, whence
they came to Illinois in January, 1834.
They lived in Adams county until 1848
and then settled upon a farm in Walker
township, Hancock county. The father
died in 1864, and the mother, long sur-
viving him, departed this life in 1898.
Both were buried in Adams county. In
their family were seven children but only
two are living : William Rankin, a resi-
dent of Breckenridge. Illinois : and Mrs.
Chenoweth.
Following his marriage Mr. Chenoweth
214
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
.located in Warsaw, where he worked at
the carpenter's trade, which he had
learned under the direction of his father.
He was thus identified with building op-
erations until 1884, when he removed to
Breckenridge, where he purchased a store,
becoming proprietor of the leading mer-
cantile establishment of the village. He
has bought two stores since locating here
and has combined them. He now has
a large and well equipped establishment,
carrying a carefully selected line of gen-
eral goods and he has secured a liberal
patronage which is well merited.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Chenoweth was
born a daughter, Claudia, who died at the
age of nine years, and was buried in the
family lot in Walker township. Her
death was the greatest sorrow that has
ever come to her parents. Mrs. Cheno-
weth is a member of the Christian church
and is an estimable lady. Mr. Cheno-
weth, active in business and progressive in
citizenship, is regarded as one of the
valued residents of this part of the county.
In politics he is a republican and for
eighteen years he served as postmaster,
or until the rural free delivery route was
established. He owns three acres of land
and lives in Hickory Ridge, and he has
remodeled and repaired both his store and
house and is now comfortably situated in
life. An analyzation of his record shows
that his prosperity is the legitimate out-
come of earnest labor and persistent pur-
pose and that he is entirely a self-made
man. He is now conducting a good and
paying business and all acknowledge that
the success which he is enjoying is well
merited, and all his friends are glad when
Fortune favors him.
HIRAM B. KINKADE.
Hiram B. Kinkade, who follows
farming near Hamilton, was born in St.
Albans township, Hancock county, on the
3d of February, 1858, and attended the
district schools, while spending his boy-
hood days under the parental roof. His
paternal grandparents were George W.
and Elizabeth (Trainer) Kinkade, both of
whom were natives of Virginia. They
became early settlers of Hancock county,
but in the meantime had resided in
Hardin county, Kentucky, where occurred
the birth of Lorenzo D. Kinkade, father
of our subject. He married Miss Harriet
Stewart, whd was born in Wabash county,
Indiana, a daughter of Cornelius and
Sarah (Bullard) Stewart, who were like-
wise pioneer residents of this county.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo
Kinkade was celebrated at the residence
of his wife's father about 1840 and they
afterward removed to St. Clair county,
Illinois, and subsequently lived in Adams
county, Illinois, for a time. At a later
date they went to Missouri, taking up
their abode near Kirksville and in 1856
they came to Hancock county, Mr. Kink-
ade purchasing forty acres of unimproved
timber land. He cleared and cultivated
the tract, making many modern improve-
ments upon it. and there resided until
1872, when he sold that place to his son.
He afterward lived with his children up
to the time of his death, which occurred
January 16, 1879, when he was fifty-five
years of age. His widow still survives
and makes her home with her children in
this county, and she is honored by all who
know her.
Hiram B. Kinkade was the seventh in
order of birth in a family of six sons
and five daughters. He was reared upon
the old home farm and resided with his
parents until his father's death, after
which his mother lived with him until he
reached the age of twenty-seven years.
He began his business career upon rented
farms in this locality and in 1896 he pur-
chased eight acres of land in the Oak-
wood addition to Hamilton. Upon this
tract was a small brick house, which he
has since rebuilt. He also has put up
barns and a tenant house and has given
much attention to horticultural pursuits,
planting about sixty apple trees and the
same number of peach trees. He also
has pear and plum trees, grapes and other
. fruit upon his place and is meeting with
. excellent success in the raising of fruit,
having thoroughly informed himself con-
cerning the best methods of producing
the various fruits, to which he gives his
time and attention.
On the 28th of December, 1886; Mr.
Kinkade was married in Emporia, Kan-
sas, to Miss Emma Samsel, who was born
in Ogle county, Illinois, March 28, 1866.
her parents being Ephraim and Tracy
(Rohrer) Samsel, who were natives of
Washington county, Maryland. Her
grandparents were Jacob and Susan
(Whip) Samsel, natives of Maryland,
and John and Susan (Pofrenbarger)
Rohrer. Her parents were members of
the Christian church.
In his political views Mr. Kinkade is
a democrat and in 1903 and 1904 was a
member of the city council of Hamilton.
He belongs to Montebello lodge, No.
697, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
215
Active in business, he has made good use
of his opportunities and is prospering in
his undertakings, so that he is now one
of the substantial citizens of the
community.
WILLIAM H. D. NOYES, AI. D.
On the list of Hancock county's
honored dead appears the name of Dr.
William H. D. Noyes, who for many
years was recognized as one of the prom-
inent members of the medical profession
in Carthage. His parents were Michael
J. and Elitha (Tate) Noyes, the former
a native of New Hampshire and the latter
of Rock Castle county, Kentucky. Dr.
Noyes was born in Bowling Green, Mis-
souri, January 24, 1834, and was reared
in Pittsfield, Illinois, to which city his
parents removed in his early boyhood
days, his father and mother spending the
remainder of their lives there. In their
family were twelve children, all of whom
are now deceased, with the exception of
John Noyes, who is still living in
Pittsfield.
Dr. Noyes acquired his preliminary
education in the schools of Pittsfield and
after completing the high school course
entered Shurtleff College, at Upper Alton,
Illinois. His literary education being
finished he then prepared for his chosen
profession by study in the Missouri Med-
ical College, at St. Louis, from which he
was a graduated in the class of 1861. In
the same year, however, he put aside pro-
fessional cares in order to aid his country
then engaged in the Civil war, joining
2l6
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Company K of the Sixteenth Illinois In-
fantry. He was with that command for
only a few months, however, when he
was transferred to the navy as assistant
surgeon on the Bark Braziliera from the
Brooklyn navyyard. Later he was trans-
ferred to the steamer Southfield. also
doing service on the Atlantic coast. This
vessel proceeded southward to Norfolk,
Virginia, and up the James river. Mrs.
Noyes still has in her possession the letter
from John G. Nicholay, private secretary
to President Lincoln, transferring Dr.
Noyes from the infantry to the navy.
He had the rank of lieutenant and messed
with the wardroom officers. In Decem-
ber, 1862, on account of ill health he was
at home for a short time and afterward
went to St. Louis, where he did duty in
the Fifth Street Hospital and later, on
the hospital steamer "City of Memphis"
on the Mississippi river, where he again
acted as surgeon, remaining on duty until
the latter part of 1863.
Following his connection with the army
Dr. Noyes practiced medicine for a year
in Pittsfield and in 1864 removed to
Carthage, where he continued in active
practice until his demise. He was in ill
health, however, for several years prior
to his death and he passed away at Hot
Springs, South Dakota on the i2th of
June, 1894. He was long accounted one
of the leading and able physicians of
Carthage and for many years resided on
Wabash avenue and Fayette street. He
always kept well informed concerning the
progress of his profession as advancement
was made in efficiency and knowledge,
and that his labors were attended with
a high measure of success is indicated by
the fact that a most liberal patronage was
accorded him.
Dr. Noyes was married in the fall of
1863 to Miss Lizzie Lynde, of Griggsville,
Illinois, in which city she was born.
They had no children but adopted a
daughter, who is now Mrs. D. G. Berry,
of Carthage, Illinois, and has one child.
Catherine. Mrs. Noyes died in July,
1872 and her remains were interred in the
cemetery at Griggsville, where she was
visiting at the time of her death. Dr.
Noyes afterward married Miss Laura
Miller on the 271)1 of October, 1874.
She was born in Huntsville, Pennsylvania,
June 30, 1849, and was a daughter of
Captain Thomas C. and Martha Mary
(McCulloch) Miller. The ancestors of the
Miller family came from Scotland, settling
in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 1720.
Her great-great-grandfather was John
Miller. He was a most prominent and
influential man of his day and married
Isabella Henry, a sister of the father of
Patrick Henry, whose eloquence did so
much in arousing the colonists to make the
attempt to throw off the yoke of British
oppression. Isabella Henry Miller died
a few months before her husband and both
. lie buried in the cemetery, which thirty
years before he had dedicated to "ye
congregation of the Presbyterian church"
of Neshaminy. He was also a large land-
owner in Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
William Miller, Jr., great-grandfather of
Mrs. Noyes, was a captain in the Revolu-
tionary war, having the following record :
Appointed ensign June 9, 1776, first
lieutenant March 20, 1777, captain on
February 2, 1778, and colonel April 17,
1779, in the Seventh Pennsylvania Regu-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
217
lars commanded by Captain William
Irvine. He also commanded at the battle
of Hackinsack and was camped at White
Plains in 1778. His regiment was paid
off at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in April,
1781. His father-in-law was Colonel
Thomas Craig, also of Revolutionary war
fame. He was second lieutenant in
Captain Abraham Miller's company, Col-
onel Thompson's battalion of riflemen.
In November, 1775, he was promoted to
first lieutenant and quartermaster . of
the battalion ; afterwards as quartermas-
ter of the Ninth Pennsylvania of the
Continental Line. In 1 780 he was commis-
sary of purchases for Buck's company.
He was born in 1740, passing from this
life in 1832. He was married in 1790 to
Dorothy Briner.
General T. C. Miller, grandfather of
Mrs. Noyes, was a resident of Gettys-
burg, Pennsylvania, and served in the war
of 1812. He also had brothers who were
in active duty during that war and one
or two died in prison ships, one passing
away on the Jersey. General T. C. Miller
was a warm, personal friend of Francis
Scott Key, who was the author of The
Star Spangled Banner.
From the "Pennsylvania Statesman,"
published at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Sep-
tember 28, 1843, on me m Hamilton Li-
brary, Carlisle:
(General T. C. Miller was at that time
a candidate for associate judge- of the
district of Cumberland, Franklin and
Perry counties.)
eral Miller are confident of giving him
600 majority. Let Cumberland do her
duty and the General will be elected by
a handsome majority."
"General Miller. We learn from
Franklin county that the friends of Gen-
GENERAL THOMAS C. MILLER.
The military career of this gentleman
deserves some notice, and we think gives
him additional claims on the favor of his
fellow citizens. A volunteer, who served
with the General during the last war, has
furnished us with a full history of their
services and hardships, from which we
shall make a few extracts,, in order to
show that, whatever the "volunteers"
may call General Miller, he has given
strong proof that he is at all events, an
American and a patriot.
To the Editors of the Pennsylvania
Statesman, Gentlemen :
I am not in the habit of dabbling in
politics, but when I see the character of
a man with whom I have been intimate
through life wrongfully assailed and tra-
duced, I can not withhold from him my
feeble support.
I have been acquainted with General
Miller from the late war to the present
day, and can aver that his whole course of
life, which has fallen under my observa-
tion from that day to this, has been unex-
ceptionable. Of his civil services I need
not speak neither need I say a word in
relation to his character as a man. But
I have a soldier's feeling for a fellow-
soldier and I must say that if the man
who serves his country faithfully in the
hour of danger deserves the gratitude of
his countrymen, then will General Miller
2l8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
in the present contest in your district,
be surrounded and supported by a host
of friends. I will tell you of some of the
services he rendered. In 1814, when the
news reached us that the British had
burned Washington, he mounted his horse
and never ceased his exertions until he had
raised a volunteer rifle company, which
he marched to Baltimore in forty-eight
hours. Besides leaving his home and
business, he incurred considerable ex-
pense in raising and marching the com-
pany, for which he never asked or received
remuneration, further than his monthly
pay. The night after the battle of North
Point, the main body of our army having
been driven back into their entrenchments,
a fragment of the army was cut off from
the main body by the rising of the tide
in an arm of the bay, and could not reach
the entrenchments without passing
through the British lines ; they were,
moreover, destitute of provisions, and
were in a very bad way. In this emer-
gency Colonel Cobean rode along the line
and asked who would volunteer to go and
bring the men up? Many marched out
and offered, but General Smith and Com-
modore Rogers forbade their going, saying
that every man would be wanted in the
morning. Part of Captain Miller's com-
pany being among those cut off, he and
William McClellan, now of Gettysburg,
although the night was wet and dark,
procured horses, and each taking a bag
of bread and some canteens of whiskey,
stole through the lines of the British sen-
tinels, reached the men, and after giving
them something to eat and drink, marched
them safely by a circuitous route into
the American quarters before daylight.
For this daring feat the General was nick-
named Jasper and McClellan was called
McDonald, after two famous partisan sol-
diers of the Revolution in truth among
his fellow-soldiers General Miller is, to
this day, called Old Jasper. His conduct
throughout the whole campaign met the
approbation of his companions in arms,
and he was elected by a unanimous vote
major of the battalion composed of his
own company. Captain Cobean's com-
pany of Gettysburg, Captain Campbell's
company of Gettysburg, Captain Eichel-
berger's company of Dillsburg, Captain
's company of Peach Bot-
tom and Captain McKinney's company of
Shippensburg, very many members of
which companies are living witnesses of
the fact. He has since been elected to
several important military offices in his
brigade. Immediately after the close of
the last war, he was elected colonel of
the Eigthy-sixth Regiment at Gettysburg.
When his term expired, he was elected
brigade inspector and after that was
twice elected brigadier general, which
commission I believe he held until his re-
moval into Cumberland county in 1840.
As a politician, I differ in some respects
from General Miller, but I have so much
confidence in the patriotism and integrity
of the man, and so many good reasons to
believe him the true friend of his country,
that I am sorry I am not a citizen' of your
district, so that I might be able to give
him a lift at the next election.
Signed,
A VOLUNTEER OF 1814.
He was elected.
Daniel Craig, one of the great-grand-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
219
fathers of Mrs. Noyes in the paternal line,
died in 1776. Of this family Colonel
Thomas Craig, son of Daniel Craig, re-
ceived his commission October 23, 1776,
as captain in the Revolutionary war and
rose to the rank of colonel. He married
Jean Jamison and his daughter, Marga- .
ree, married William Miller, great-
grandfather of Mrs. Noyes, who founded
Millerstown, now Fairfield, Pennsylvania,
and was for many years representative
and senator of a district in the state legis-
lature and was a very prominent and in-
fluential man. In the fall of 1814, T. C.
Miller raised a rifle company and marched
to Washington to defend the city after
it had been attacked by the British. He
was elected a few years later, brigade
inspector of the military section, perform-
ing his duties with capability and honor
and was afterward general of his division.
In 1824 he was elected high sheriff of
the- county and in 1835 he was appointed
by Governor Wolf registrar and recorder
to fill a vacancy in that office. He was a
member of the Masonic fraternity and at
his death was buried with military hon-
ors, the remains being escorted to the
grave by a military organization known
as "the Blues" and also by the fraternal
societies to which he belonged and a great
majority of the citizens of Gettysburg.
He owned at one time the ground on
which Evergreen cemetery (a part of
National cemetery) at Gettysburg was
laid out. Mrs. Noyes has in her posses-
sion a large oil painting of this honored
ancestor, which was made in colonial
times and which she prizes very highly.
Captain Thomas C. Miller, father of
Mrs. Noyes, was born in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania, July I, 1827, and having
arrived at years of maturity wedded Mary
McCulloch, who was born in Dickinson,
Pennsylvania, July 22, 1826. He served
as a soldier of Company F, Seventh Mis-
souri Cavalry, in the Civil war and won
the rank of captain but was obliged to
resign on account of an attack of typhoid
fever, after which he returned home. He
re-enlisted, becoming a lieutenant of Com-
pany K, One Hundred and Forty-sixth
Illinois Infantry. His regiment rendez-
voused at Camp Butler and was on duty
at Springfield, Illinois, at the time of the
funeral services of President Lincoln.
Captain Miller died June 21, 1905, and
was buried at Moss Ridge cemetery in
Carthage. For a number of years prior
to his death he lived retired and was
a most respected and worthy man, who
enjoyed the unqualified confidence and es-
teem of all who knew him. His widow
died March 22, 1906. In the family
four children : Laura, now Mrs. Noyes ;
J. Oliver, who is living in Baconsfield,
Iowa; Anna, the wife of R. Herron John-
son, of Adams, Kansas ; and Margaretta,
the wife of Rev. T. S. Hawley. of Trini-
dad, Colorado.
Unto Dr. and Mrs. Noyes were born
five children, four of whom yet survive.
Fannie is living with her mother. Mary
Coyle is the wife of Ralph Harper Mc-
Kee, professor of chemistry at Lake For-
est University near Chicago. Helen Mil-
ler is now a teacher of languages at
Synodecal College, at Fulton, Missouri.
Julia Tate was a graduate of Wilson Col-
lege at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania,
June 7, 1906.
Dr. Noyes was a prominent and valued
22O
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
member of the Masonic fraternity, serving
as master of his lodge in Carthage for
many years. In his political views he
was an earnest and unfaltering republican,
and was supervisor and for two terms
was postmaster at Carthage. Not only
in the line of his profession but in public
and private life as well he did much ser-
vice of a beneficial nature for his fellow-
men. The sterling traits of his character,
his many acts of kindness and charity and
the honorable principles which formed the
basic element of all that he did and said,
made him a man whom to know was to
respect and honor, and there are many
residents of Carthage and Hancock
county who still cherish his memory. His
wife and daughters are members of the
Presbyterian church. Mrs. Noyes or-
ganized the society of the Daughters of
the American Revolution in the fall of
1897 an d was regent therein for three
years. She is a lady of innate culture and
refinement, of superior intelligence and
of most kindly purpose and the family
have long occupied an enviable position
in social circles in Carthage.
PROFESSOR JAMES E. WILLIAMS.
Professor James E. Williams, superin-
tendent of schools of Hancock county and
one of the capable educators of western
Illinois, was born in Hancock township,
October n, 1859, his parents being P.
D. and M. A. (Dale) Williams. The
paternal grandfather, Rev. Levi Williams,
was a Methodist divine, who preached for
many years in Hancock county and this
part of the state. While in New York
the Williams family were close neighbors
of the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith.
Rev. Levi Williams married a Miss
Barnes, whose father was a sergeant in
the war of 1812. The ancestry of the
Williams family can be traced back to
Roger Williams, the apostle of freedom,
who founded the colony of Rhode Is-
land, The father of our subject was born
in Wayne county. New York, May 2,
1836, while the mother's birth occurred
in Hancock township, this county, on the
1 2th of February, 1840. P. D. Williams
arrived in -this county in 1837. almost
seventy years ago and is now engaged in
business as a shoe merchant of La Harpe,
Illinois. Because of the fact that he lost
a part of his hand in a threshing machine
he could not go to war but was always a
stalwart advocate of the Union cause.
His political allegiance is given to the
democracy and he has served as justice of
the peace and school director. Both he
and his wife are earnest and helpful mem-
bers of the Christian church, in which
he is now serving as an elder and also
as president of the official board. People
of the highest respectability, they enjoy
the warm regard of all with whom they
have come in contact and are numbered
among the most prominent residents of
their town. She at one time was a pupil
of her husband when he was a teacher in
Hancock county. He is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, in which he has at-
tained the Royal Arch degree. In their
family were nine children. The eldest
is Professor Williams of this review.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
221
Emma, who taught in the district schools
of Hancock county for three or four years,
is now the wife of J. M. Preston, of
Fountain Green, Illinois. Ida is the wife
of W. F. Moyes, of Monmouth, Illinois,
and she, too, was a successful teacher of
this county, having been in one room for
seven years in Elvaston. Laura is the
wife of George B. Howes, of Peoria, Illi-
nois, and she, too, taught for several years
in Hancock county, spending two years
in the public schools of Carthage. Charles
C. is now foreman of the Journal at
Peoria, Illinois. . Mary, who was also a
capable schoolteacher following the pro-
fession for seven years in the public
schools of La Harpe, is now the wife of
E. I. Soule of that town. Kate, who
taught for five years in the schools of
La Harpe, is now a teacher in Bowen,
Illinois.
Professor Williams, whose name intro-
duces this record, remained at home until
nineteen years of age and during that
period pursued his education in the public
schools. He afterward entered Carthage
College, from which he was graduated
in the class of 1885, winning the degree
of Bachelor of Arts. Like his father he
began life as a schoolteacher, which pro-
fession he followed at Elvaston, where
his sister also taught for a number of
years. Professor Williams was connected
with the schools there in 1883. Follow-
ing the completion of his collegiate course
he taught school at Camp Point, Illinois,
having charge of the preparatory depart-
ment there. In 1886 he took charge of
the Burnside school and at the same time
he devoted his time and energies to the
study of law. The same year he was
elected superintendent of the public
schools at Ness City, Kansas, and organ-
ized and graded the schools of that city,
where he remained for four years, during
which time he established the system of
public instruction upon a safe and substan-
tial basis. In 1892 he removed to La-
crosse, Kansas, where he remained for
two years as superintendent of the public
schools, leaving that place to settle in La-
Harpe, Illinois, where he was engaged in
the dry goods business. He conducted a
store there for several years with good
success and was carrying on the trade at
the time he was nominated and elected to
his present office that of superintendent
of schools of Hancock county. W r hile in
La Harpe he was also a member of the
board of education for several years and
acted as its president for two years. The
cause of education has always found in
him a stalwart champion, who has enter-
tained high ideals and labored untiringly
for their adoption.
On the I3th of June, 1892, Mr. Wil-
liams was united in marriage to Miss
Daisy K. Brown, of Ness City, Kansas,
who was at one time a pupil of his in the
high school. She is a daughter of Cap-
tain J. W. and Catherine (Kouts) Brown,
both of whom were natives of Indiana,
in which state Mrs. Williams was also
born. Her father served as a captain
under Major McKinley in the Civil war
and was personally and intimately ac-
quainted with him. He was also a rela-
tive of John Brown, of Harper's Ferry
fame. His death occurred in March,
1892, while Mrs. Brown passed away
twenty-five years ago. In their family
were five children, all of whom are living,
222
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
namely : Effie, the wife of A. W. Nu-
som. of Gervais, Oregon ; Mrs. Williams ;
George W., also of Gervais, Oregon;
Cora, the wife of W. A. Brooks, of that
place ; and Helen, who lives with Mr. and
Mrs. Williams and is a teacher in the
schools of West Point. Unto Professor
and Mrs. Williams have been born two
children : Ralph Brown, who was born
in La Harpe, December 13, 1895, and is
now a student in the public schools of
Carthage ; and Philip, who was born
April 9, 1903, in Carthage.
Professor Williams is a member of the
Knights of Pythias, Masonic and Odd
Fellow fraternities and both he and his
wife are members of the Christian church,
in which they take an active and helpful
part. He is now serving as one of its
elders and has been superintendent of
various Sunday-schools. The family
home is on North Adams and Buchanan
street, where about a year after coming
to this state he erected an attractive resi-
dence. His political allegiance is given
to the democracy. In his private and
public life he is methodical and systematic,
so directing his business interests as to
accomplish the best results possible. He
has given uniform satisfaction by the ca-
pable manner in which he has discharged
the duties of the office which he is now
filling. His practical experience as a
teacher in the schoolroom well qualified
him for the work and under his guidance
the schools of Hancock county have made
substantial improvements. Professor
Williams is devoted to his home and
family and is one in whom the graces
of culture and learning have vied in mak-
ing an interesting, entertaining gentleman.
DAYTOX WILLIAM REED.
Dayton William Reed is one of the ex-
tensive landowners of Wythe township,
having a valuable farm of three hundred
and seventy- four acres on sections 16, 17,
1 8 and 19. He is one of the native sons
of this township, his birth having oc-
curred on the 3Oth of September, 1854.
His paternal grandfather was Jacob Reed,
and his father, William W r allace Reed.
The latter became a pioneer resident of
Hancock county, taking up his abode in
\Vythe township in 1836 when but sixteen
years of age. He secured three hundred
and twenty acres of wild prairie land and
transformed the virgin soil into pro-
ductive fields, sharing in the hardships
and privations of pioneer life, while en-
gaged in the arduous task of developing
and improving a new farm. For more
than six decades he resided upon the old
homestead but in 1898 went to live with
his daughter in this vicinity. In early
manhood he had wedded Selena Chandler,
a daughter of Adolphus Chandler, and
she passed away in 1866.
Dayton W. Reed was the second child
and only son in a family of five children.
At the usual age he entered the district
schools and after completing his prelimi-
nary education he spent one year as a
student in Carthage College. Through
the period of his minority he largely as-
sisted his father in the work of the fields,
and when twenty-one years of age he be-
gan teaching school in W'ythe township,
following that pursuit during the winter
months, while in the summer seasons he
carried on farming for twelv6 years. In
the meantime, ambitious to achieve good
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
223
farming property of his own, he made in-
vestments in land, becoming owner of
three hundred and twenty acres on sec-
tions 17 and 1 8, Wythe township. He
also bought eighty acres more on section
1 6, and since 1894 he has resided con-
tinuously at his present home. His landed
possessions now comprise three hundred
and seventy- four acres on section 16, 17,
' 18 and 19, Wythe township, where he
carries on general agricultural pursuits,
also raises horses and cattle. He likewise
feeds stock, both cattle and hogs for the
market, shipping about two hundred head
of hogs annually. He is a man of sound
business judgment, reliable in his dealings
and careful and progressive in his under-
takings and the goodly measure of suc-
cess which he is now enjoying has come
to him as the reward of his own labors.
On the loth of March, 1881, Mr. Reed
was married to Miss Laura Fulton, who
was born in Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania, October 9, 1857, a daughter of
Robert and Harriett (Trussell) Fulton,
natives of Westmoreland county, Penn-
sylvania and of Xew Hampshire respect-
ively. Her paternal grandparents were
William and Nancy Fulton, of Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs.
Reed have a family of eight children:
Harriett, born January 30, 1882; Harry,
who died in infancy; Clara, born May 3,
1885; Frank, who died at the age of two
years; Jessie, born March 16, 1889;
Gratia, November 2, 1891 ; Laura, Decem-
ber 15, 1893; and Robert, April 29, 1896.
All of the living children are still at home.
Mr. Reed has served as school treasurer
since 1894 and is interested in the cause
of education to the extent of giving hearty
support to all progressive movements for
the benefit of the schools. He votes with
the Republican party and is a member of
the Modern Woodmen camp at Warsaw,
also holding membership in the Congre-
gational church of Wythe township, of
which he has been a trustee. Analyza-
tion of his life record shows that he has
placed his dependence upon the safe sub-
stantial qualities of energy and determi-
nation in order to secure success, realizing
that "there is no excellence without great
labor" and that "honesty is the best
policy."
ROBERT SMITH GORDON. .
Robert Smith Gordon is acting as sta-
tion agent for the Wasbash Railroad and
also for the Toledo, Peoria & Western
Railroad at Hamilton. He was borri here
December 10, 1866, and belongs to one
of the oldest and most prominent pio-
neer families of this portion of the state.
His paternal grandfather came to where
the city of Hamilton now stands more
than seven decades ago, there being fewer
than five hundred people in the entire
county at that time. He entered one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land from the
government and it is upon this tract that
the city of Hamilton now stands. He
aided in reclaiming the wild land for the
uses of civilization and was connected
with the early development and progress
of the county here until his death, which
occurred in 1846, while his wife passed
away in 1848. In their family were but
224
BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEU'
two sons, the younger being Samuel Gor-
don, father of our subject, who is men-
tioned elsewhere in this work. "Samuel
Gordon was born in Peterboro. Xew
Hampshire, and after arriving at years
, of maturity was married to Miss Per-
melia Alvord, who was born in Erie
county, Pennsylvania. Her father was a
Baptist minister of that state and came
to Hamilton at an early day, preaching
in this place and in the county, so that
he left the impress of his individuality
upon the moral development and progress
of the community. Samuel Gordon on
starting out in life on his own account
gave his attention to farming. He also
laid out the Gordon addition to the city
of Hamilton and was closely associated
with many movements and events which
have shaped the history of this part of
the state. He was school director of
Hamilton district, No. 3, and was city
clerk for about four years. He was also
alderman of the second ward for six years
and his co-operation could always be
counted upon as a helpful factor to pro-
mote public progress and improvement.
He died October 2, 1901, while his wife
passed away September 19, 1890. She
left a family of four daughters and two
sons : Eleanor, who is a Unitarian min-
ister located in Des Moines, Iowa; John
A., a book merchant of Hamilton, Illi-
nois; Alice" A., and Agnes C., who make
their home together in the old homestead ;
and Mabel B., a teacher in the public
schools of Hamilton.
The other member of the family is
Robert Smith Gordon of this review, who
was the fifth in order of birth. In his
youth he attended the public schools and
assisted his father in the work of the]
home farm. At the age of seventeen
years he put aside his textbooks and gave
his undivided attention to farm labor and '
on the ist of May, 1886, he secured the
position of station agent for the Wabash
and Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroads at
Hamilton, in which capacity he has since
been engaged. He is a courteous, oblig-
ing official, who has won the good will of
many patrons of the road and at the same
time he represents the corporation with
true fidelity and devotion. He is likewise
president of the Loan and Building As-
sociations of Hamilton, which was or-
ganized in 1889, while since 1901 he has
filled the present position. The other of-
ficers are A. B. Agnew, vice president;
J. A. Gordon, secretary; and E. M. Le-
Roy, treasurer.
On the 2d of October, 1903, Mr. Gor-
don was united in marriage to Miss Laura
B. Bridges, who was born in Hamilton,
April i, 1866, and is a daughter of W.
C. Bridges. They had one child, Laura
Ellen, born December 20, 1904, who died
in June, 1905. Mr. Gordon has a very
wide acquaintance in this part of the
county and is a worthy representative of
an honored pioneer family that has been
associated with the substantial develop-
ment and progress of this section of the
state from an early day. In his political
affiliation he is a republican and has
served as alderman, mayor and township
school trustee. Fraternally he is a Ma-
son, belonging to the Blue Lodge, Royal
Arch chapter and Order of the Eastern
Star of Hamilton and Knights Templar
of Augusta, being very highly appreciated
bv all the members of each fratemitv.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
225
CHARLES \V. BOSTON.
Charles \Y. Boston, who carries on
farming- in Carthage, his native township,
was born January 13, 1862, his parents
being Reuben J. and Sarah J. (Dale)
T>i iston. The father was born in Ken-
tucky and was brought to Illinois by his
parents when about eight years of age, the
family settling in Hancock county. The
grandfather purchased land in Carthage
township, where he made a home for him-
self and family and under the parental
roof Reuben Boston was reared to man-
hood, becoming familiar with the arduous
task of developing a new farm in a front-
ier district. After attaining adult age he
purchased the farm now owned and occu-
pied by his son, Charles \V., on section 33,
Carthage township, and comprising one
hundred and ten acres of rich and pro-
ductive land. He also bought other prop-
erty from time to time until he became the
owner of five hundred and sixty acres
of valuable land all lying in Carthage
township. He placed many improve-
ments on these different tracts and made
model farms of his property, contributing
in large measure to the agricultural prog-
ress and prosperity of this part of the
state. Throughout his active life he
carried on general farming and stock
raising and in his later years removed to
Carthage, where he lived retired, until
his death, which occurred when he was
sixty-seven years of age. His life was in
consistent harmony with his professions
as a member of the Methodist church and
he was never known to take advantage of
the necessities of his fellowmen in any
trade transaction. His political allegiance
was given to the democracy. His widow
still lives in Carthage at the age of sev-
enty-six "years and is a devoted Christian
woman, holding membership with the
Methodist church.
Charles W. Boston acquired his educa-
tion in the public schools of Carthage
township and during the periods of vaca-
tion assisted in the home work. He con-
tinued to aid in the labors of the farm
and following his father's death he as-
sumed its management and is now the
owner of two hundred and thirty acres of
the old estate upon which he was born.
He has made additional improvements
here, remodeling the house, and today
has a fine farm property equipped with
modern accessories and conveniences.
Well kept fences divide the place into
fields that are devoted to the raising of
various cereals best adapted to soil and
climate and the latest improved machinery
is used in the work of plowing, planting
and harvesting. He also raises high
grades of stock, including cattle, hogs
and horses, and he feeds cattle quite ex-
tensively for market.
Mr. Boston was married June 26, 1884,
to Miss Mary Rowena Yetter, a daughter
of William Yetter, who is now living a
retired life in Carthage. He was born in
Ohio seventy-two years ago, and in 1846
came with his parents, Lewis and Sarah
(Bear) Yetter to Hancock county. He
was a soldier of the One Hundered Eight-
eenth Illinois Volunter Infantry, and after
his return engaged in farming in Carthage
township till he returned to Carthage.
His wife died in 1895, at the age of fifty-
seven years. Mrs. Boston was born in
this county near Webster and in that lo-
226
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
cality obtained her education. She has
become the mother of six children, five
of whom are living, namely : Ava May,
who was the wife of David R. Kim-
brough, a resident farmer of Carthage
township, who died September 2, 1896;
Golda ; Lula ; Gaylord ; Fern ; and Ernest,
all at home.
Mr. Boston exercises his right of fran-
chise in support of the men and measures
of the democracy but has never sought or
desired office for himself. He, with his
wife and the four eldest children belong to
the Baptist church and he has lived an
upright life, being found reliable in cit-
izenship, straightforward in his business
dealings and honorable in all of his rela-
tions with his fellowmen.
FRANCIS M. CUTLER.
This is a utilitarian age and the suc-
cessful man is he who recognizes his op-
portunities and utilizes the forces at hand
to best advantage. The laggard has no
place in the world today and it is pre-
eminently true that in America "labor is
king." It is therefore the men of dili-
gence, of enterprise and keen business dis-
cernment, who are continually working
their way to the front and to this class
belonged Francis M. Cutler, a grain mer-
chant of Carthage. He was born near
this city February 15, 1855, a son of Na-
than and Hannah (Ward) Cutler. His
father was born on a farm in Erie county,
New York, August 3, 1819, and in 1835
took up his abode upon a farm near Can-
ton, Fulton county, Illinois, where he re-
sided until 1852, when he came to Han-
cock county, settling four miles north of
Carthage. There he resided until 1854,
when he located upon the farm where the
birth of Francis M. Cutler occurred. His
wife was born in Wabash county. In-
diana, July 27, 1817. Both were con-
sistent members of the Baptist church, in
which Mr. Cutler served for a number of
years as deacon. His early political sup- .
port was given to the democracy and he
afterward become a stanch prohibitionist
because of his views upon the temperance
question. He filled the office of township
supervisor and was also a member of the
school board for several years. The
family numbered seven children, of whom
three died in infancy, while four are still
living, namely : Parkhurst W., a stock-
man residing near Carthage ; James C.,
living four miles southeast of Carthage,
Illinois; Francis M. ; and Martha E., the
wife of Millard F. Turner, of Oklahoma.
The mother died in 1890 and the father
in 1898, their remains being laid to rest
in Carthage cemetery.
Francis M. Cutler was educated in the
district schools of Carthage and in Cen-
tral college at Pella, Iowa, which he at-
tended for two years. He was trained
to all the work of the home farm and
subsequently settled upon a farm of his
own southeast of Carthage. There for
many years he successfully and energet-
ically carried on general agricultural pur-
suits, but in 1891 retired from his farming
operations and was afterward engaged in
the grain trade at Carthage. He dealt in
grain in large quantities, having the only
FRANCIS M. CUTLER
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
227
.levutor in Carthage, and his business fur-
fcished an excellent market for the farm-
ers. His elevator had a capacity of
'[twenty thousand bushels and in the con-
duct of the business Mr. Cutler met with
jvery gratifying success. After Septem-
ber. 1904, he also conducted a real estate
and emigration agency, making trips with
'people to the southwest and locating for
them farms in Kansas, Oklahoma and the
Indian Territory, but mostly in Ok-
lahoma.
In 1882 Mr. Cutler wedded Mary E.
Harnest, a native of this county and a
daughter of Samuel E. Harnest, of Car-
thage. She died May 13, 1895, leaving a
son who died at the age of seventeen
years. On the i8th of November, 1897,
Mr. Cutler wedded Mrs. Ida Byington,
(nee Talbot), -who was born on a farm
near Roseville, Illinois, and by her former
marriage had a daughter, Nellie, who was
born in Burlington, Iowa, and is now, at
the age of eighteen years, attending
Shurtleff College at Upper Alton, Illinois.
She was also a student in the Woman's
College at Jacksonville, Illinois, for two
years and is making a specialty of the
study of music. Mrs. Cutler was the
widow of Charles E. Byington, who
was a dealer in hats and men's furnish-
ing goods in Burlington, Iowa, and
a son of Judge Byington, of Iowa City,
Iowa. Mrs. Cutler bore the maiden
name of Ida Talbot and was a daughter
of John Talbot, a soldier of the Civil war,
who enlisted from Illinois. In his busi-
ness life he was an attorney at Galesburg,
Illinois. His widow still survives and
now makes her home with her daughter,
Mrs. Cutler. In December, 1905, Mr.
Cutler moved his family to an elegant new
modern residence on Main street. His
business interests were most carefully con-
ducted, his efforts being discerningly di-
rected along well defined lines of labor
that resulted in the acquirement of grati-
fying success. In his political views he
was a prohibitionist and worked with the
party for the past twelve or fourteen
years. Both he and mwwife were mem-
bers of the Baptist churgp and in its dif-
ferent activities Mrs. CutiajSftfeost help-
ful. She is a teacher in'^UjaSunday-
school, president of the missionary so-
ciety and is likewise vice pres%ent of the
P. E. O. In the city wher^they re-
sided both were held in high esteem and
their friends were many, while the hospi-
tality of their own home was greatly
enjoyed.
Mr. Cutler passed away August 10,
1906, and is buried at Moss Ridge ceme-
tery. Mr. Cutler was highly esteemed by
his fellowmen for his Christian manhood,
his generous nature, his quiet benevo-
lence, and his devotion to family and
friends. While friends may think on his
departure with sorrowful regret, it is the
home that grief has its abiding place.
Only last December they moved into their
beautiful new home on Main street. With
everything worth living for bound up in
that little family circle, death has come
and it can be no more the same. But
with grief abides also Christian faith and
fortitude, and no words of consolation
need be expressed to those who already
appreciate the value of the precious
promises given by our Creator as recorded
in the Scriptures both in the Old and New
Testament.
228
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
CHARLES GERVIS CLARK.
Charles Gervis Clark, who in 1863, be-
came a resident of Carthage, where for
more than a quarter of a century he was
engaged in the real estate business, rank-
ing among the men worthy of the public
trust, his life work reflecting credit and
honor upon the state in which he made
his home, was born in New Berlin, New
York, January 8, 1820, a son of Gervis
and Rachel (Caple) Clark. His maternal
grandfather, Colonel Caple, was a soldier
of the Revolutionary war and an uncle of
our subject was a soldier in the Mexican
war, Gervis Clark, Sr., died when his
son was only four months old, leaving
the mother with the care of this, her only
child. Later she married a Mr. Stimp-
son and there was one daughter by that
union, Mrs. A. E. Alexander, who is
now living at Denver, Colorado.
Charles Gervis Clark of this review
acquired his education in the schools of
Jefferson and of Jamestown, New York,
and in both cities studied law. Follow-
ing his preparation for the bar he engaged
in active practice in Cobleskill. Schoharie
county, New York, where he remained for
eight years. He then went to Jamestown,
New York, where he remained for a num-
ber of years and was a partner of Judge
Abner Hazeltine. and in April. 1863, he
came to Carthage, where he turned his
attention to the real estate business. He
became familiar with land values and en-
abled many clients to make judicious and
satisfying investments and at the same
time contributed to his individual success.
Mr. Clark was married on the boundary
of Greene and Albany counties. New
York, at Greenville, December 3, 1846,
the lady of his choice being Miss Mary
Andrews, who was born in Worcester,
Otsego county, New York, April 30, 1826,
a daughter of Simeon J. and Clarissa
(Lake) Andrews. Her father was born at
Middlefield, Otsego county, New York,
and died when the daughter was only
eighteen months old. The mother's birth
occurred in Greenville, Greene county,
New York, and she passed away at the
home of her daughter, Mrs. Clark, in Car-
thage on the the i3th of September, 1886,
at the very advanced age of eighty-nine
years, her remains being interred in Moss
Ridge cemetery. She was the daughter
of a Revolutionary soldier. Mr. An-
drews was a merchant, drover and farmer
and was an enterprising business man.
Unto him and his wife were born six
children: Evaline, who died in child-
hood ; one who died in infancy ; Lucy,
who became the wife of Reuben Reed,
who resides in Kent, Orleans county. New
York, but both are now deceased; Am-
brose, who died at the home of Mrs. Clark
in 1873; Mary, now Mrs. Clark; and
Elizabeth, who became the wife of Fred-
erick Chapman and made her home in
Wisconsin, but died in Jersey City, New
Jersey.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark became the par-
ents of eight children. Charles Andrews
married Miss Jennie McCulloch and died
in 1905, leaving a widow and eight chil-
dren, Edward, Margaret, Gervis, Stewart,
Mary, George, Virginia and Robert.
Ella Lee Clark died in childhood. George,
Fred, Libbie, Louis, and Ada also passed
away in childhood. Edward, the only
surviving member of the family, is living
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
229
with his mother and is engaged in the
real estate business in Carthage. Mr.
Clark was a devoted member of the Pres-
byterian church, to which his widow also
belongs. She has always been a teacher
in the Sunday-school, being a teacher in
the primary department for forty years.
Mr. Clark took a most active and helpful
part in church work, doing all in his power
to promote its growth and extend its
influence. In politics he was a republican,
but was without aspiration for .office, pre-
ferring to devote his undivided time and
attention to his business affairs, which
were of an important character and
reached extensive proportions. He pos-
sessed strong, native intelligence, laudable
ambition and high purpose and displayed
many of the sterling traits of character
which won him recognition as one of na-
ture's noblemen. Although he started
out in life in moderate circumstances he
amassed considerable means and was thus
enabled to leave a goodly property to his
widow. He passed away April n, 1900,
his remains being interred in Moss Ridge
cemetery at Carthage. During the years
of his residence here he had won many
friends by reason of his straightforward
dealing, his consideration for others and
his kindly, social nature. Mrs. Clark is
now eighty years of age but is still quite
active and busies herself with reading or
needlework. She is indeed a very bright
and intelligent lady, spending the evening
of her days in an attractive home sur-
rounded by many friends. She has a
large circle of friends in Carthage who
will doubtless receive with pleasure the
record of her life, as published in the
Biographical Review of Hancock County.
HOMER J. ELSEA, D. O.
It is within comparatively recent years
that osteopathy has become a factor in the
healing of diseases but in a comparatively
short time it has become a universally ac-
knowledged power in checking the rav-
ages of illness and restoring health and
there are today many practitioners of this
school, not only in America but through-
out the country, whose work is proving
an inestimable boon to their fellowmen.
Dr. Elsea, following this profession in
Carthage, has an extensive patronage
throughout the city and this part of the
state and is one of the worthy and capable
exponents of the science. His birth oc-
curred, in Randolph county, Missouri,
February 3, 1879, his parents being Ben-
jamin and Telitha (Taylor) Elsea. The
father was born in Shenandoah county,
Virginia, in November, 1822. There is
now no surviving member of his father's
family. The mother of our subject was
born in Boyle county, Kentucky, April
1 6, 1841, and at an early day her father
removed to Missouri, where he resided
until after the outbreak of the Civil war,
when he came to Illinois, where he fol-
lowed farming, his death occurring in this
state. In his family were ten children,
five of whom are yet living: William
Taylor, a resident of Randolph county,
Missouri; Mrs. Telitha Elsea; Mary, the
wife of Thomas Heath, of St. Louis, Mis-
souri ; Joseph, who is living in Illinois ;
and Mrs. Fannie Skeggs, of this state.
Benjamin Elsea went to Missouri with
his father when about sixteen years of
age and there resided upon a farm, mak-
ing his home in that state until his death.
230
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Although he was not a soldier during the
Civil war he worked for the government
throughout the period of the struggle, car-
rying the mail for the soldiers who were
so far away from home and friends. His
political allegiance was given to the de-
mocracy and for many years he served
as justice of the peace, discharging his
duties with fairness and impartiality.
Both he and his wife were members of the
Christian church. He was twice married,
his first union being with Mary Jane
Graff ord, who died 'in 1859, leaving five
children, of whom four are living: J.
W., Benjamin and Felix Grundy, all of
Randolph county, Missouri ; and John C.,
who resides in San Francisco, California.
For his second wife Benjamin Elsea_ chose
Telitha Taylor and they had eight chil-
dren, of whom seven yet survive. Lydia
is the wife of L. P. Hatler, of Havre,
Montana, and has four children, Frank,
Iva, Ernest and Oval; David J. Elsea, a
graduate of the State Normal School at
Kirksville, Missouri, became a singing
evangelist and at Colchester, Illinois, was
ordained a minister of the Christian
church. He is now one of the able
preachers of that denomination and has
charge of the church in Creston, Iowa.
He married Miss Ruby Jameson, of
Abingdon, Illinois. Leona Florence is
the wife of W. L. Holbrook, of Jetmore,
Kansas. Thomas G. died at the age of
two and a half years. Lucy Victoria is
the wife of Dr. F. M. Henderson, of
Stronghurst, Illinois. Both are grad-
uates of the American School of Oste-
opathy at Kirksville, Missouri, and they
have one child, Madge Elsea Henderson,
ten years of age. Lena Catherine is the
wife of Dr. J. S. Barker, formerly of
Memphis, Missouri. They, too, are
graduates of the Osteopathic School at
Kirksville and are now living in La
Harpe, Illinois. Homer J. is the seventh
in order of birth. Lottie G. is the wife of
Dr. C. I. Stephenson, formerly of Lin-
coln, Nebraska, and now located at Au-
burn, Nebraska. They, too, are grad-
uates of the Kirkville School of Oste-
opathy. The have one child, Elsea Win-
nebeth. In the family there is one min-
ister of the gospel, three daughters, one
son and three sons-in-law, who are prac-
titioners of osteopathy. The mother of
this family is still living, making her
home among her children. She had two
brothers, William and Silas Taylor, who
were soldiers of the Civil war, enlisting
in Missouri.
Dr. Elsea, of Carthage, was a student in
the district schools of Randolph county,
Missouri, and afterward was graduated
from the high school of Kirksville, Mis-
souri, having attended school there for
five years. He later entered the State
Normal at Kirksville, where his more
specifically literary education was com-
pleted. He was afterward in a mercantile
school in Kirksville for six months, at the
end of which time he entered the Amer-
ican School of Osteopathy, at Kirksville,
from which institution he was graduated
on the 26th of June, 1902. He has since
been located in Carthage He also has
an office in Dallas City, Illinois, where
he spends each Monday and Friday. He
has a large city and country practice and
has been very successful, effecting many
cures among his patrons. He is well
qualified for the profession by reason of
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
28 1
his thorough preparation and he is con-
tinually promoting his efficiency through
the knowledge which comes by experience.
Dr. Elsea was married October 2, 1904,
to Miss Ava Murphy, who was born near
Abingdon, Illinois, and is a daughter of
Henry and Althea Murphy. Her father
was a farmer and removed from Illinois
to Nebraska, where he lived for two years,
when he went to Kansas, where he died
seventeen years ago. Following the
father's death Mrs. Murphy and the chil-
dren returned to Abingdon, Illinois, where
she still makes her home. Mr. Murphy
was a stalwart supporter of democratic
principles and was a prominent member
of the Christian church, serving as elder
for many years, frequently preaching on
Sundays, while through the week he fol-
lowed farming. He served for a number
of years as one of the trustees of Abing-
don College, an institution conducted
under the auspices of the Christian church.
Unto him and his wife were bom nine
children, who are yet living, as follows :
M. C., of Abingdon, Illinois ; Adda, the
wife of C. W. Robinson, of Abingdon;
Clinnie, the wife of J. J. Armstrong, of
Lincoln, Nebraska; I. E., living in Love-
land, California; Meadie, with her mother
in Abingdon; J. W., of Dallas City, Illi-
nois ; 6. H., with his mother in Abingdon.
Both Dr. and Mrs. Elsea are faithful
members of the Christian church and take
an active part in its work. He is a stanch
prohibitionist, thus giving expression of
his belief in temperance principles, which
he labors to uphold in every possible way.
He has his office at his residence at No.
in Adams street. Though a young man
he has been very successful. He is a
gentleman of fine personal appearance,
reserved and dignified in manner, posses-
sing an enterprising spirit and laudable
ambition. Both he and his wife and her
mother are welcomed into the best social
circles of the city and have gained many
friends during the period of their resi-
dence here.
SAMUEL -T. STONE.
Samuel T. Stone, deceased, was a florist
of Carthage and conducted the only green-
houses in Hancock county. He was born
at Stone's Prairie, Adams county, Illinois,
September 25, 1855, his parents, Enoch
P. and Emily (Burke) Stone, being
farming people of that locality. The
father continued to follow farming there
until the spring of 1856, when he re-
moved to Pontoosuc township, Hancock
county, settling upon a farm, where he
made his home until 1869. He then re-
moved to what became the Stone home-
stead, where he conducted a nursery busi-
ness southeast of Carthage. His death
occurred there December 16, 1880, while
his wife passed away February 13, 1891,
the remains of both being interred in
Myers cemetery in Pontoosuc township.
Their religious faith was that of the Meth-
odist church. In their family were eight
children: E. R., now living in Kansas;
Eliza J., the deceased wife of Ervin Kid-
son ; Mary A., the wife of Richard Pome-
roy, of Elvaston, Illinois; Melvina, the
wife of Benton Hull, of Pontoosuc town-
ship; Ellen, who ly/es with her sister in
232
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Elvaston; Irel H., of Kirksville, Mis-
souri; Ervin W., of Beardstown, Illinois;
and Samuel T., deceased.
In taking up the personal - history of
Samuel T. Stone we present to our readers
the life record of one who was a respected
and prominent business man in commer-
cial circles in Carthage for a number of
years. He acquired his early education
in the district schools and afterward at-
tended the Carthage high school and the
Carthage college. He then engaged in
the nursery business with his father until
twenty-one years of age, after which he
carried on a farm of his own until 1895,
devoting it to nursery stock. In that year
he added a greenhouse and more and
more largely concentrated his energies
upon the florist's business. The same
year he took up his abode on Main street
in Carthage, where he established a green-
house, conducting at the same time the
one upon his farm. This is the only
greenhouse in Hancock county. It is
steamheatecl and splendidly equipped in all
particulars. Mr. Stone soon secured a
liberal patronage and his business in this
line proved profitable from the beginning.
On the 1 8th of March, 1891, was cele-
brated the marriage of Samuel T. Stone
and Miss Ava L. Leighton, who was
born in Des Moines county, Iowa, Jan-
uary 31, 1867, a daughter of William E.
and Ella A. (Waller) Leighton. The
mother was born in Shellsburg, Iowa,
September 27, 1847, and the father, a
native of the same state, was bom Au-
gust 14, 1839. Mr. Leighton was for
four years connected with the commissary
department during the Civil war. He has
always been a farmer and still supervises
a farm in Hancock county, although he
makes his home in Carthage, having come
to Hancock county in 1889. Both he and
his wife are consistent members and
earnest workers in the Christian church
and he is a democrat in his political views.
In their family are four children, all of
whom are living, namely : Mrs. Stone ;
Hope, a teacher in the public schools of
Bowen, Illinois; George E., living in
Galesburg, this state; and Edith M., who
has successfully taught in the public
schools of Carthage and Hancock county.
Mrs. Stone is eligible to membership
in the Daugthers of the American Revolu-
tion, as among her ancestors were those
who fought for the independence of the
nation. James Leighton, a brother of her
father, was killed in the battle of Vicks-
burg. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stone were
born seven children: William A., Gladys
Ida, Edward Harold, Clifford L., Clara,
Gertrude A. and Adelaide Lenore, all of
whom are natives of Hancock county.
Mr. Stone died December 27, 1905, after
an illness of several weeks and his re-
mains were interred in Moss Ridge ceme-
tery. In manner he was quiet and re-
served, but was always interested in
modern enterprises and though he was
not a politician in the sense of office seek-
ing he did much in a quiet way to promote
the welfare of his party, to which he was
at all times loyal. He voted with the re-
publican organization and was connected
with the Modern Woodmen. He was
also a city fireman. Both he and his wife
held membership in the Methodist church
and did all in their power to promote its
welfare and growth. In his business
affairs Mr. Stone wrought along modem
lines, realizing that there is no excellence
without labor and his close application
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
233
and diligence made his business a profit-
able one. Mrs. Stone is still continuing
the business and she employs men to
keep the furnace going in the greenhouses
night and day. She is a bright, energetic
business woman, who has an intimate
knowledge of the trade and the needs of
the plants and flowers and the products
of the greenhouses find a ready sale on
the market because of beauty, color, size
and fragrance. In his family Mr. Stone
was a kind and loving husband and father
and for many years was a very dutiful
son to his aged mother, to whom he gave
filial care and attention.
WILLIAM H. HONCE.
William H. Honce, deceased, who in
public regard occupied an enviable posi-
tion, so that his death was the occasion
of uniform- regret when his life's labors
were ended, was a native of Monmouth
county, New Jersey, born on the 26th of
July, 1830. He remained in the place
of his birth until nineteen years of age
and acquired his education in the public
schools there. Thinking to have better
business opportunities in the west he then
went to Butler county, Ohio, where he
secured employment as a farm hand by
the month, residing in that county until
after his marriage to Miss Sarah Jane
McBroom, a daughter of Andrew and
Jane (Robinson) McBroom. The wed-
ding was celebrated at Middletown, Ohio,
November 27, 1851, and the young couple
resided upon a farm in Butler county
for about three years after their marriage.
On the expiration of that period they
removed to Adams county, Illinois, where
they spent two years and then came to
Hancock county, settling in Montebello
township, where Mr. Honce purchased
a farm of eighty acres, beginning its
cultivation with characteristic energy.
He added to this farm from time to time
until at his death he owned two hundred
acres of rich land, all of which was under
cultivation. The improvements were
placed there by him and he developed a
model farm property, which he carefully
cultivated until his demise. His fields
were well tilled and he annually harvested
good crops, while the improvements upon
his place were in keeping with ideas of
model farming.
Mrs. Honce was educated in Butler
county, Ohio, where her father followed
farming. Later he removed to Indiana,
spending his remaining days in that state,
his death occurring about twenty-six
years ago. His wife also passed away in
Indiana when Mrs. Honce -was but six
years of age. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Honce
were born seven children, of whom Mrs.
W. M. Moore is the eldest. Lizzie, the
second daughter, is now the wife of Thad-
deus Thomas and has two children, Alta
and Lester. Mrs. William H. Thomas is
the third of the family and is mentioned
elsewhere in this work. Anna is the wife
of George Phipps and has three children,
Harry, Vera and Carl. Ollie is the wife
of John Marshall and has four children,
Clyde, Greta, Yetta and Lois. W r illiam
R. married Minnie Brady and has one
234
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
child, Beulah. Mary L. died at the family
home in Montebello township, at the age
of nineteen years.
In his political views Mr. Honce was a
democrat but cared nothing for office,
preferring to devote his time and atten-
tion to his business affairs, in which he
met with signal success. He made a
creditable -record in agricultural circles
and left a valuable farm property to his
family. He died August i, 1899.
WILLIAM H. THOMAS.
William H. Thomas, deceased, was one
of the early settlers of Hancock county
and a representative farmer, whose busi-
ness activity and devotion to the public
good made him a leading and valued resi-
dent of this part of the state. He was
born near Columbus, in Adams county,
Illinois, November 29, 1851, and when
but two years of age was brought to So-
nora township by his parents, Isaac and
Louisa (Nichols) Thomas, who took up
their abode in this county in 1853. His
father was born in Kentucky and his
mother in Adams county, Illinois. She
is still living and makes her home in Car-
thage with three of her children. The
father, however, passed away upon the
home farm in 1901. He had for many
years been a prosperous and enterprising
agriculturist of the community, his resi-
dence here covering a half century. He
worked earnestly and persistently and his
diligence and perseverance constituted
strong and salient elements in his success.
He was a member of the Christian church
and his life was in harmony with his
professions.
William H. Thomas was reared upon
the old homestead farm and acquired his
education in the public schools of Sonora
township, pursuing his studies through
the winter months, while in the summer
seasons he aided in the labors of the fields.
He worked with his father until his mar-
riage, after which he purchased a farm
in Montebello township of two hundred
acres, devoting his attention to its culti-
vation and improvement until his removal
to Elvaston. He was married December
24, 1878, to Miss Alpharetta Honce, a
daughter of William H. and Sarah Jane
(McBroom) Honce, the former a native
of New Jersey and the latter of Indiana.
They became residents of Ohio at an early
day and in that state Mrs. Honce was
reared. About fifty-five years ago they
came to Illinois, settling in Montebello
township, Hancock county, among its pio-
neer residents. There Mr. Honce pur-
chased a tract of land and developed a
farm, making a good home for himself
and family. His remaining days were
devoted to the improvement of the prop-
erty and upon that place he passed away
on the ist of August. 1899, his remains
being interred in Montebello township.
His widow still survives him and now
resides with her children, further mention
being made of the family on another page
of this work. She had six children :
Lydia, now the wife of W. M. Moore,
of Hamilton, Illinois; Lizzie, the wife of
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
235
Thaddeus Thomas, of Montebello town-
ship, Hancock county ; Mrs. Thomas of
this review ; Anna, the wife of George
Hliipps. of Prairie township; Ollie. the
wife of John Marshall; and William R.,
who is a grain and produce merchant en-
gaged in business at Hamilton.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
was blessed with three children, all of
whom are yet living. George M., resid-
ing on the old home farm in Montebello
township, where he is successfully en-
gaged in carrying on general agricultural
pursuits, married Miss Stella Miller, of
Elvaston, a daughter of Dr. J. R. Miller,
of Elvaston, Illinois. Minnie Leota is the
wife of Frank Rohrbaugh, a farmer of
Elvaston. Yetta May is the wife of
Claude Walker, a resident farmer of
Prairie township.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas resided in Sonora township until
the spring of 1881 and then removed to
a farm, which Mr. Thomas purchased,
about three miles and a half northwest
of Elvaston. There they resided for
twenty-one years, his attention being
given to the work of the fields and the
further improvement of the property but
in 1903 he determined to retire from
active business life and took up his abode
in Elvaston, where he erected the resi-
dence which is now occupied by his
widow. There he passed away on Sat-
urday, February 6, 1904, at the age of
fifty-two years, two months and eight
days. He had resided in the county for
more than a half century, or practically
throughout the period of his entire life
and those who had known him from his
boyhood days recognized in him the ster-
ling traits of character in harmony with
the strong and salient principles of an
honorable manhood. He was active and
industrious in business and was straight-
forward in his dealings. His political
views were in accord with democratic
principles but he did not care for office.
He held membership in the Presbyterian
church and was serving as one of its
trustees at the time of his death. He was
interested in all that pertained to the
material, intellectual or moral progress of
his community and his support of bene-
ficial public measures was never of a luke-
warm character but was strong and stead-
fast, so that he became one of the valued
citizens of his part of the county.
HARRISON O. KNOX.
Harrison O. Knox was the first white
man born in Wythe township, and it
would be difficult to find many residents
of this county who are more familiar with
its history or have longer resided within
its borders. Events which are to others
only matters of hearsay have been to him
matters of personal experience or obser-
vation, and he has been an. interested wit-
ness of the growth and development of
the county from pioneer times to the
present. His memory goes back to the
days when many of the homes were log
cabins, in which were huge fireplaces,
over which the cooking was done, while
the little home was lighted by tallow
candles, and the work of the fields was
236
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
done with primitive farm machinery. All
this has changed and Mr. Knox has kept
pace with the onward march of progress.
He was born in Green Plains on sec-
tion 25, Wythe township, May 5, 1833.
His parents were Samuel and Malinda
(Doughty) Knox, and the maternal
grandfather was Thomas Doughty, a sol-
dier of the Revolutionary war. Relatives
of Mr. Knox were also members of the
Union army in the Civil war. The father
was born on the ocean while his parents
were coming from Scotland to the new
world in 1775, and his wife was a native
of Virginia, born in 1794. They came
to Illinois in 1830, and in 1832, took
up their abode in Hancock county, their
son Harrison being the first white child
born in the part of the county where they
made their home. Samuel Knox was a
member and minister of the Christian
church, and while living in Wythe town-
ship, preached the first sermon ever deliv-
ered within its borders. This was in
1832. He also preached in McDonough
and Adams counties, and in Iowa and
Missouri, doing much good work in the
spread of the gospel and in planting the
seeds of Christian civilization in the mid-
dle west. He died in the year -1865, and
thus passed away one whom to know was
to esteem and honor. The world is better
for his having lived and he left behind
a memory which is still cherished by all
who knew him. His wife survived until
1871, and both were laid to rest in Green
Plains cemetery in Wilcox township.
Their children were seven in number, of
whom four are now living: William,
who is living in California, and is eighty-
two years of age ; Franklin., of Kansas ;
Harrison O., of this review; and Sarah,
the wife of George B. Reid, of Monroe
City, Missouri.
Harrison O. Knox acquired his early
education in the schools of Green Plains
and afterward attended the Warsaw high
school. He was reared to agricultural
pursuits and throughout his entire life has
followed farming as a vocation. Hav-
ing reached man's estate he was married
in 1862 to Miss Sarah Louisa Crawford,
whose birth occurred in Wythe township,
in 1843, her parents being Thomas and
Jane (Stockton) Crawford, both of whom
are now deceased. Mrs. Knox died in
1875, leaving a daughter, Eva J., now the
wife of Charles Homer McMahan, of
Wilcox township. They became the par-
ents of five children, Carl D., Robert F.,
William R., George H. and Francis H.
On the 22d of March, 1882, Mr. Knox
was again married, his second union being
with Miss Hannah W. Davidson, who
was born in Sussex county, Delaware, in
1859, a daughter of Samuel and Margaret
J. (Christopher) Davidson. They, too,
were natives of Delaware, the former
born September 7, 1818, and the latter
in 1824. The father devoted his life to
general agricultural pursuits, and in 1869
came to Hancock county, settling in Wil-
cox township. Thirty years later he
passed away, in 1899, while his wife died
in 1898, and they were laid to rest side
by side in the Congregational cemetery
in Wythe township. Mr. Davidson was
drafted for service in the Civil war but
was too old to go to the front. In their
family were seven children : Francina,
who died in infancy ; William Henry, of
Carthage; Joseph B., who lives in Basco,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
237
Illinois; Sarah Frances, and Elizabeth
Annetta, both deceased ; Hannah W., now
Mrs. Knox ; and Edward P., of Wythe
township. Mrs. Davidson died Novem-
ber 25, 1898, at the home of Mrs. Knox,
and Mr. Davidson passed away at Basco,
M^y 30, 1899. They were married in
1842 and were earnest Christian people,
respected by all who knew them. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Knox has been born one
son, Harrison Lucian, whose birth oc-
curred in 1888 in Wilcox township, and
he is at home with his parents. He has
been liberally educated and was a student
in Warsaw Seminary.
After his first marriage Mr. Knox lived
in Wythe township for two years, and
then removed toWarsaw, where he en-
gaged in the dry goods business for three
years. Subsequently he devoted two
years to the milling business and in 1873
he came to Wilcox township, where he
has since carried on general farming. In
1879 he bought forty acres of land on
section 25, where he built a home, in
which he has since resided, his attention
being given to the cultivation and devel-
opment of the fields. He taught school
in Walker, Wythe, Wilcox and Rocky
Run townships before his return to Wil-
cox township and even before his removal
to Warsaw, thus being identified with the
early educational progress of his part of
the county. He has never been interested
in the progress and development of the
county along material, social, intellectual
and moral lines and his co-operation has
ever been a valued factor in movements
for the public good. His political alle-
giance has been given to the Republican
party since its organization. His first
presidential vote was cast for Millard
Fillmore in the Wythe schoolhouse on
the 4th of November, 1856, when he was
defeated by James Buchanan. On the 6th
of November, 1860, Mr. Knox voted for
Abraham Lincoln at Bank's schoolhouse
in Rocky Run township, where he was
teaching in a log building, having there
one hundred and eight scholars, or an
average of sixty-two and a half for six
months. Since 1860 he has continuously
voted the republican ticket and he has
been honored with various local offices,
serving as school director, as school treas-
urer for sixteen years, as tax collector,
as assessor and as town clerk. Both he
and his wife are members of the Wythe
Christian church known as the old brick
church and live in harmony with their
professions. Mr. Knox is one whose
memory forms a connecting link between
the primitive past and the progressive
present and he relates in most interest-
ing manner many incidents of the early
days. Mr. Knox began life as a poor
boy but has worked his way steadily up-
ward and his life record has been charac-
terized by continuous progress along
many lines. He has gained success and
at the same time has developed a charac-
ter which makes him worthy of the trust
and confidence of his fellowmen.
SIMON D. WEISER.
S. D. Weiser, superintendent of the
Hancock County Infirmary and poor
2 3 8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
farm, was born at Northumberland,
Northumberland county, Pennsylvania,
on the 6th of June, 1861, there residing
until 1872, when he came to Illinois and
took up his abode at Fountain Green,
Hancock county. His parents were Solo-
mon and Mary A. (Miller) Weiser, like-
wise natives of Northumberland county.
The great-grandfather, Conrad Weiser,
was an early resident of Pennsylvania,
residing near Philadelphia. He was a
warm personal friend of Washington and
served as colonel in the Revolutionary
war. His son, Philip Weiser. was a pio-
neer to Northumberland county and
bought a large tract of land there. He
was a very successful man and at the
time of his death, about the close of the
Civil war, he was considered the wealth-
iest man in Northumberland county.
Solomon Weiser was the eighth in a fam-
ily of nine children and was educated
at the high school at Gettysburg, Penn-
sylvania, and later he was an extensive
farmer and followed that ocupation
throughout his entire life- in order to pro-
vide for his family. Selling there he
moved his family to Hancock county and
purchased a tract of land in Fountain
Green township upon his removal to the
middle west in 1872, and there he re-
mained until his death, which occurred
when he was about eighty-one years of
age. He was a democrat in politics and
a public-spirited man, although not an
office seeker. However, he served as
treasurer of Northumberland county,
Pennsylvania, at an early day. His re-
mains were interred in Fountain Green
cemetery and his widow still makes her
home in the village of Fountain Green.
She is a member of the Lutheran church
and a most estimable lady. She was
born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania.
Her father was an extensive land and
mine owner in the coal and iron regions
of Pennsylvania.
S. D. Weiser is one of a family of ten
children, seven of whom yet survive and
as stated, he came to Illinois with his par-
ents when a youth of eleven years. His
early educational privileges were supple-
mented by study in Carthage College and
he also attended the Western Illinois Nor-
mal School, at Macomb, this state. He
remained upon the home farm for some
years after completing his education, and
then became a school teacher, acting as
principal of the schools at Nauvoo, Illi-
nois, for eight years, and also teaching
in different places in the county. He like-
wise followed that profession in Kansas,
where he resided for several years, but
regarding this merely as an initial step
to further professional labor, he took up
the study of law in Carthage in the office
of Manier & Miller. Going to Kanas, he
was admitted to the bar in that state and
practiced for a few years, also teaching
school in Neosho county. Upon his re-
turn to Hancock county he went to
Nauvoo, where he engaged in teaching
until the spring of 1901. when he removed
to Carthage and became the deputy cir-
cuit clerk, which position he held for a
year. He then resigned and again re-
sumed school teaching, until he was nom-
inated for the office of circuit clerk on
the democratic ticket, but was defeated.
In December, 1904, he was appointed to
his present position as superintendent of
the Hancock County Infirmary and poor
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
239
farm by the board of county supervisors,
and has since acted in that capacity with
credit to himself and the satisfaction of
the public as is shown by his reappoint-
ment in September, 1906. He has the
supervision of the farm of two hundred
and sixty acres. He is recognized as one
of the progressive and influential repre-
sentatives of democracy in this locality,
his interest therein and his fitness for lead-
ership making him well known as a factor
in local democratic ranks.
On the 28th of October, 1886, Mr.
Weiser was married to Miss Hattie J.
Tyler, of Fountain Green, a daughter of
John H. and Amanda (Williams) Ty-
ler, who came to Illinois from Connecti-
cut, where the father was bom. Mr. Ty-
ler was a farmer by occupation, and also
an engineer and carpenter He acted as
engineer on the railroad for some years,
and he now resides at Fountain Green.
It was there that Mrs. Weiser obtained
her education. Four children grace this
marriage: Hazel Grace, who was born
in Neosho county, Kansas, and was edu-
cated in this county and in Carthage Col-
lege, is now a teacher in the public schools
of Carthage township. Luther C. died at
the age of fourteen months. \Yi11iam J.
B., born in Nauvoo, and Mary A., born in
Nauvoo, are both at home.
The parents are members of the Luth-
eran church at Carthage, and the mem-
bers of the household occupy an enviable
social position. Mr. Weiser is well qual-
ified for the office which he is now filling
and in which he is giving uniform satis-
faction in the prompt and able manner
in which he discharges his duties, and
all place confidence in him.
JOHN RICHARD GALBRAITH.
John Richard Galbraith, deceased, was
a well known and respected agriculturist
of Hancock county. His life record be-
gan in east Tennessee on the ist of Sep-
tember, 1852, and ended in El Pao, Tex-
as, July 15, 1905. His father, John R.
Galbraith, was the owner of extensive
landed interests and slaves in eastern Ten-
nessee, but owing to the Civil war he
lost nearly all of his property, and in the
fall of 1865 came with his family to
Illinois, hoping to retrieve his possessions
in the north. In March, 1866, he pur-
chased a farm one mile east of Ferris,
and thereon made his home until his death.
His sympathies during the period of hos-
tilities were with the south and his polit-
ical allegiance was ever given to the de-
mocracy. His wife, who bore the maiden
name of Esther X. Hagler, was born and
reared in eastern Tennessee, and there
lived until after her marriage, when she
came with her husband and the family
to this state. She. too, died on the home
farm near Ferris.
John Richard Galbraith was educated
in the common schools of Hancock coun-
ty, having accompanied his parents on
their removal to the north when thirteen
years of age. As a young man he as-
sisted in the work of the home farm and
later his father purchased the farm of
one hundred and sixty acres upon which
John Richard resided during the whole
of his married life. In the '703, John
Richard Galbraith and his brother, Ben-
jamin, went to Texas, where they engaged
in the cattle business for a few years,
when,, on account of the ill health of the
240
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
former, he returned to Illinois, selling
his interest in the Lone Star state to his
brother, and thus acquiring his brother's
interest in the farm in Prairie township,
which had been given to them by their
father. He continued to reside upon this
place until his death and was one of the
prosperous agriculturists of the county.
As his financial resources increased he
made extensive and judicious investments
in property and became the owner of an-
other valuable farm in Hancock county.
At the time of his death he was also
one of the stockholders of the State Bank
of Hamilton, and held considerable prop-
erty at Elvaston. In connection with his
brother, David, he owned and operated
an electric light and heating plant at Min-
eral Wells, Texas. He possessed excel-
lent business ability, executive force and
keen discrimination, which enabled him
to readily recognize and utilize opportuni-
ties. He was always straightforward in
his dealings, and it was through his wise
investment and careful management that
he gained the large measure of success
which he enjoyed in his later years.
In December of 1880, Mr. Galbraith
was married to Miss Adona Hagler, a
daughter of John C. and Elizabeth
(Ethell) Hagler. Her father was born
in east Tennessee and when a young man
came to Illinois, settling in Scott county,
where he engaged in merchandising for
more than a quarter of a century, becom-
ing one of the leading business men of
that locality. During his residence there
he also held many public offices and po-
sitions of trust and was called to repre-
sent his district in the state legislature.
He became the associate and friend of
many of the distinguished men of the
state and entertained at his home a num-
ber of the prominent political leaders of
Illinois, including U. S. Grant and Ste-
phen A. Douglas.
Following his marriage, Mr. Galbraith
continued to engage in farming in this
county until failing health caused him to
seek a change of climate in the hope that
he might be benefited thereby. He went
to El Paso, Texas, but it proved unavail-
ing, and he passed away on the I5th of
July, 1905, after which his remains were
brought back to Illinois for interment in
Moss Ridge cemetery. He was a man
held in the highest esteem by all who knew
him, possessing a sunny, genial disposi-
tion which gained him many friends. He
voted with the democracy, but was with-
out political aspiration, preferring to de-
vote his time and attention to his business
interests and the society of his friends.
He had few, if any, enemies, being on the
contrary one who gained the kindly re-
gard of all with whom he came in con-
tact. He was a Christian man, but was
liberal in his religious views, and in his
will remembered several churches, and
during his lifetime was a willing con-
tributor to their support. Throughout an
active business career he displayed many
sterling traits of character, and wherever
he was known his name was honored.
To his wife he was a most devoted hus-
band, counting no personal effort or sac-
rifice on his part too great if it would
promote her welfare and happiness, and
it is in his own household that his loss
is most deeply felt, although it is the oc-
casion of wide-spread regret throughout
the community.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
241
DAVID AYERS.
Among the native sons of Wythe town-
ship who are still connected with gen-
eral farming and stock-raising interests
within its borders is numbered David
Ayers, whose natal day was May 19,
1865. His father was William Ayers,
and his grandfather, David Ayers, both
of whom were natives of Ireland, the
former having been born in Belfast.
Having arrived at years of maturity, he
married Miss Mary Clark, likewise a na-
tive of Belfast, and a daughter of George
and Margaret (Arbuckle) Clark, the
former a son of David Clark, and the
latter a daughter of Archie Arbuckle, both
of whom were natives of Ireland and were
of Scotch ancestry. George Clark, in the
year 1845, became a resident of Brook-
lyn, New York, and in 1848 arrived in
Warsaw, Illinois. There he carried on
business for many years as a stone mason,
and died in that town in 1896, at the ad-
vanced age of ninety-two years. His
wife passed away in 1887, when eighty-
nine years of age.
The marriage of William Ayers and
Mary Clark was celebrated on the 3ist
of December, 1861. They had come to
Hancock county with their respective par-
ents when about eight years of age, and
were reared upon farms in Wythe town-
ship. Subsequent to their marriage they
took up their abode on a tract of land on
section 31, Wythe township, where they
lived for many years, and as his financial
resources permitted, Mr. Ayers kept add-
ing to his place from time to time and
extending his landed possessions until he
owned many acres on sections i and 2,
Rocky Run township. He died in 1889,
and is still survived by his wife, who
since 1893, nas made her home in
Carthage.
David Ayers, the third in a family of
four sons and six daughters, is indebted
to the Green Plains district school for the
educational privileges he enjoyed. His
boyhood and youth was passed in his
parents' home, his time being occupied by
the duties of the schoolroom, the pleas-
ures of the playground and the work
of the fields. On attaining his majority,
he started out in business on his own ac-
count, and for one year cultivated rented
land, after which he purchased forty acres
on section I , Rocky Run township. There
was a log house upon the place and a
part of the land was fenced. A portion
of the farm, however, was still covered
with the native timber. Mr. Ayers be-
gan its further development and improve-
ment, but after three years he sold that
property and bought one hundred and
seventy acres of improved prairie land on
section 30, Wythe township. He has since
resided upon this place, and has converted
it into rich and productive fields. His
wife owns eighty acres adjoining and
their combined tracts of land constitute
one of the best farms of the neighbor-
hood. Mr. Ayers has built a good house
and barn here and set out a good apple
orchard of eight acres. He carries on
general farming, also raising cattle, horses
and hogs, and his business in both
branches is proving profitable.
On the ist of March, 1887, Mr. Ayers
was married to Miss Minnie McMahan,
who was born in Wythe township, a
daughter of Robert and Frances (Walk-
242
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
er) McMahan. Their children are:
Fannie, born November 18, 1889; and
David H., born May 22, 1893. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Ayers are well known and
the consensus of public opinion regarding
them is altogether favorable. Mr. Ayers
belongs to one of the prominent old pio-
neer families of the county. Both his
father and his grandfather were soldiers
of the Mormon war, the latter having
taken up his abode in Hancock county in
1835. He retained his residence here un-
til his death, on the ist of December, 1887,
and thus passed away one who had aided
in the early development and progress of
the county, reclaiming it for the uses of
civilization. The work instituted by the
grandfather and carried on by the father,
is now continued by David Ayers, who is
accounted one of the representative agri-
culturists of his community. His political
support is given the democracy and he
has been road commissioner, while in the
spring of 1905, he was elected on the
democratic ticket to the office of super-
visor. Fraternally, he is connected with
the blue lodge of Masons, at Warsaw, and
with the Modern Woodmen camp at El-
derville, Illinois.
MAJOR x LEONARD A. HAY.
Warsaw will for many years be a cen-
ter of public interest as the home of the
Hay family. On the pages of military
history appears the name of Major
Leonard Augustus Hay, who rendered
signal service to his country as a volun-
teer in the Civil war and as a member of
the regular army for many years there-
after. He never sought political prefer-
ment or honors, but rendered to his na-
tion no less signal service by a lofty pa-
triotism and unfaltering loyalty to the flag
and to every duty incident to military
service, whether in the midst of sangui-
nary conflict or upon the frontier.
As stated in the history of his parents,
given before, he was the second son of
Dr. Charles and Helen (Leonard) Hay,
and was born in Salem, Indiana, Decem-
ber 3, 1834, spending the first six years
of his life in that town. He was in his
seventh year, when in 1841, the family
came to Warsaw, and in the public schools
of the city, he pursued his education. In
early manhood he was identified with
various business interests and was con-
ducting an enterprise on his own account
during the early period of the Civil war,
but on the 2d of July, 1864, feeling that
he could no longer content himself to re-
main at home while the country's safety
was endangered, he joined the Union
army as a private and was assigned to
duty with Company D, Third Bat-
talion of the Fifteenth Infantry. On
the 2d of July, 1864, he was ap-
pointed as second lieutenant in the
regular army and was assigned to the
Ninth Infantry, with which he remained
throughout the period of his service. On
the 2gth of September. 1864. he was com-
missioned a first lieutenant and on the
nth of March, 1878, he was made a
captain in the Ninth Regiment of Infan-
try. He was engaged in active duty on
the frontier, covering all the territory
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
243
from the Dakotas to Arizona and from
the Missouri river to the Pacific coast.
During that period there were many In-
dian uprisings that called the troops forth
to active battle. He was very popular
with his fellow officers and with the men
who served under him a fact which is
indicated by the records, which show that
there were fewer deserters from his com-
pany than from any other in the army.
He continued in command of his com-
pany in active service until the I5th of
June, 1891. when he retired for disability
incurred in the line of his duty. Cam-
paigning against the Indians upon the
frontier in inclement weather had im-
paired his health, and he retired to War-
saw to spend his remaining days in the
city in which his boyhood and youth
were passed. Here, in accord with an act
of congress conferring additional rank
on officers who had served in the Civil
war, he was made a major retired.
Major Hay was married in New York,
December 5, 1869. to Miss Blanche
d'Ormond. whose death occurred about
two decades ago. He left no children
and yet he had an especial fondness for
children and young people and was greatly
beloved by them. Of the many memen-
tos gathered in his lifetime none were
cherished more dearly than numerous
keepsakes of these young friends.
Major Hay was a man of superior in-
tellectual force, whose leisure was largely
devoted to reading and study and his
scholarly attainments and broad culture
made him a charming conversationalist
and entertaining companion. He held
friendship inviolable and nothing could
swerve him in his loyalty to a friend,
whose claims upon his time and attention
were at all times recognized. He was
always interested in the general welfare
of his city and served as a member of the
library board in 1892, but he preferred
that his public service should be done as
a private citizen rather than as an office-
holder. In recent years, however, the se-
lection of books for the public library was
left almost wholly to him. He was of
the highest type of manhood, noble and
chivalrous, recognizing genuine worth in
others and showing appreciation for all
admirable qualities in his friends and those
with whom he acme in contact in any re-
lation in life. In manner he was free from
ostentation or display. A kindly spirit
and generous sympathy was manifest in
all that he said or did and he had the un-
failing courtesy of a gentleman of the old
school. Emerson has said, "The way to
win a friend is to be one," and this state-
ment found verification in the life of
Major Hay.
HENRY ROBLEY DICKINSON.
No history of Hancock county would
be complete without mention of Henry
Robley Dickinson, deceased, who was one
of the founders of Hamilton, who estab-
lished a lumber business in the town in
1855, and for many years was one of the
most active and enterprising citizens of
the county, carrying forward to success-
ful completion whatever he undertook,
while his labors were also of a character
244
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'lE}}'
that contributed not only to his own suc-
cess but 'also to public progress and im-
provement. He was born December 10,
1818, in Keene, New Hampshire, in which
state his parents, who were farming peo-
ple, spent their entire lives. His educa-
tion was acquired in the old-time subscrip-
tion schools of ,the Granite state and at
the age of twelve years he ran away from
home and spent six months on a sailing
vessel. Feeling that he had enough of the
sea, at the end of that time he made his
way to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was
employed at carpenter work for some
time. He afterward removed to Greene
county, Illinois, where he followed that
trade, and also became the owner of land-
ed interests. A few years later, in 1849,
he removed to Hancock county and took
up his abode in a log cabin near Iron
Spout Spring. There he lived for several
years in true pioneer style amid frontier
surroundings and environments. He was
' one of the original promoters of the ferry
across the Mississippi river, belonging to
a company which secured its charter to
operate the ferry in 1850. With the work
of development and improvement in his
community and county he was closely
identified from that time until his death.
He had several landings for his ferry boat
as it crossed to Keokuk, Iowa, and the
business proved a profitable one to the lo-
cality in early days before many bridges
spanned the "father of waters" and made
travel by rail or private conveyance an
easy matter. In connection with Bryan
Bartlett and others, Mr. Dickinson laid
out the town of Hamilton and the enter-
prising village stands today as a monu-
ment to his energy and forethought. In
connection with Mr. Bartlett, who was his
brother-in-law, he owned nearly all of the
land upon which Hamilton has been built,
and he also became the owner of several
farms in the county, purchasing property
from time to time and thus placing his
money in the safest of all investments
real estate. In 1855 he embarked in the
lumber business at Hamilton and contin-
ued in the trade until his death, securing
a good patronage as the years passed by
and making extensive annual sales which
brought to him a very gratifying income.
His other business interests also proved
profitable and as the years passed away
he became one of the substantial citizens
of the county.
One of the early indications of his
prosperity was that in 1856 he replaced
his pioneer log house by a frame residence
of two stories, which he erected in the
western part of Hamilton on the bluff
overlooking the Mississippi river and
commanding a fine view of the attractive
scenery afforded by the broad expanse of
the river and the city of Keokuk beyond.
About two years later, in 1858, Mr. Dick-
inson built another large house, contain-
ing ten rooms beside basement and clos-
ets. Into this home he removed and made
it his place of residence throughout his
remaining days with the exception of a
brief period of three years during the Civil
war, when he conducted a hotel in another
building. On the expiration of that
period, however, he sold out and returned
to his former home and there he lived
in comfort for many years, his business
interests bringing to him all of the ne-
cessities and many of the luxuries of life.
Mr. Dickinson was first married in
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
245
Greene county, Illinois, to Miss Wright,
and they had one child, Oscar, who was
killed while serving in defense of the
Union in the Civil war. The wife .and
mother, however, died a short time after
her marriage. On the 6th of April, 1843,
also in Greene county, Illinois, Mr. Dick-
inson was married to Minerva Bartlett,
who died soon after the birth of their
only child, George R. Dickinson, who for
a number of years resided on a farm near
Belfast, Iowa, where his death occurred.
On the 1 5th of October, 1848, Mr. Dickin-
son was joined in wedlock to Miss Agnes
Decker, a native of Greene county, Illi-
nois, who died in Texas, April 25, 1857.
There were three children of that mar-
riage : Joan, the wife of Henry Marck-
ley, of Wythe township, Hancock county ;
Charles O., who is living in Hamilton;
and Frank, who makes his home in Selina
county, Kansas. The fourth marriage of
Mr. Dickinson was celebrated on Christ-
mas day of 1858, when Miss Emeretta
Jane Hawley became his wife. She was
born in Onondaga county, New York,
February 6, 1826, and came to Ohio in
1836. A year later she removed to Lee
county, Iowa, where she lived for twenty
years, her home being on the bluff back
of Montrose, just opposite Nauvoo, com-
manding a scene of rare beauty, this be-
ing one of the most attractive districts
of the great Mississippi valley, and seri-
ous discussion has been held in political
circles in Washington concerning the re-
moval of the capital to this site. While
living there Mrs. Dickinson witnessed the
burning of the Mormon temple. She was
there residing at the time that Joseph and
Hiram Smith, the prophets and leaders
of the Mormon faith, were killed and
while they lay in state at Nauvoo. Mrs.
Dickinson is a daughter of Adna and
Clarissa (Smeed) Hawley, natives of
Vermont, in which state they were reared
and married. Subsequently they removed
to a farm in Onondaga county, New
York, where they resided until coming to
the west. By the last marriage of Mr.
Dickinson there were born two children.
The daughter, Emma, born October 20,
1850, was married on the 3d of May,
1892, to Charles Bartlett, of Hamilton,
and died January 30, 1896, leaving a son,
Lawrence D. Bartlett, who was born May
16, 1893, ar >d is now with his father in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. John Dickinson,
born January 19, 1861, was drowned in
the Mississippi river at Hamilton, March
22, 1885.
Mr. Dickinson gave his political alle-
giance to the Republican party from the
time of its organization and was one of
its ardent and earnest supporters. His
fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth
and ability, frequently called him to pub-
lic office and he served as alderman, as
assessor and mayor of Hamilton. He was
also prominent in Masonry, taking the
degrees of the lodge, chapter and com-
mandery. The death of Mr. Dickinson
occurred October 7, 1897. He had for
forty-eight years been a resident of Han-
cock county, and was known to all the pio-
neer settlers in this part of the state. He
came here when the county was but
sparsely settled and when the work of
development and improvement lay largely
in the future. His name is closely asso-
ciated with many of the business interests
and public movements that have resulted
246
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
beneficially to the county and at the same
time in his private business interests lie
won a gratifying measure of success. He
started out in life empty handed as a sailor
boy, but he possessed strong determina-
tion, unfaltering courage and resolute pur-
pose and upon those qualities as a foun-
dation builded his success. He was not
only an active and enterprising business
man, but also a thoroughly reliable one
and his fellow townsmen entertained for
him both admiration and respect. Mrs.
Dickinson still survives her husband, but
has been gradually losing her eyesight,
owing to a cataract, since 1896. She
has long been a resident of this part of
the country, her home being just across
the river in Iowa during the period of her
girlhood and early womanhood, while
since Christmas day of 1858 the date of
her marriage she has lived continuously
in Hancock county and is held in the high-
est esteem by many warm friends.
LEONARD THOMPSON FERRIS,
M D.
Dr. Leonard Thompson Ferris, de-
ceased, was for fifty-five years actively en-
gaged in the practice of medicine at Foun-
tain Green and his life was of utmost ben-
efit to his fellowmen by reason of his pro-
fessional skill, his kindly spirit and his
broad, humanitarian principles. Although
several years have come and gone since he
passed away, his memory is revered by all
who knew him and he left behind him an
example of professional . integrity, loyal
citizenship and honor in private life that
is indeed worthy of emulation. He came
to Hancock county with his parents,
Stephen G. and Eunice (Beebe) Ferris,
in December, 1832, journeying westward
from New York to Illinois by way of the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers. His parents
had to clear the land for a space upon
which to erect a log cabin and there they
lived in true pioneer style for many years.
As the years came and went they pros-
pered in their undertakings. They made
needed improvements and in course of
time had one of the best developed farm
properties in this part of the county. The
father was born in Norwich, Chenango
county, New 7 York, and the mother in
New London county', Connecticut. He
was a tanner by trade, but after coming
to the west followed farming, making his
home in Fountain Green township. He
died in 1876, while his wife passed away
in 1860, and they were both laid to rest
in Fountain Green cemetery. They were
strong and devoted members of the Bap-
tist church and instilled into the minds of
their children lessons of integrity and up-
rightness which bore good fruit in later
years. In their family were six children,
all of whom are now deceased.
Dr. Ferris of this review was born in
Steuben county. New York, in 1817, and
was therefore a youth of about fifteen
years when he came with his parents to
Illinois. He completed his education in
the schools of Fountain Green and deter-
mining to devote his life to the practice
of medicine, he attended medical lectures
for one winter in Jacksonville, Illinois,
and afterward was graduated from the
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
247
St. Louis Medical College in 1848. He,
however, entered upon the active practice
of medicine in 1845, opening an office
in Fountain Green, where he built an of-
fice in 1847. He practiced there for over
fifty-five years, or until his death. He was
a successful general practitioner, making
progress in harmony with the advance-
ment that has ever characterized the med-
ical fraternity. He attended rich and
poor, high and low, never refusing to
respond to a call even though he knew
there was little hope of pecuniary remun-
eration. He had a most warm, charitable
heart, and a tale of sorrow or distress
awakened his ready sympathy. Through-
out his entire life he occupied the old Fer-
ris homesead in Fountain Green but
greatly improved the property.
On the 23d of May, 1850, Dr. Ferris
was married to Miss Helen M. Gilchrist,
who was born in Saxton River village,
in Rockingham county,' Vermont, October
23, 1831. She is a descendant in the sev-
enth generation of Edward A. Winslow,
who came over in the Mayflower. Her
grandfather, Samuel Gilchrist, was bom
in Lunenbury, Massachusetts, was a
farmer by occupation and lived in the old
Bay state until he attained his majority.
He married Miss Elizabeth Allen, who
was born in Pomfret, Connecticut, and
they had three sons, John, Allen and
Charles, all now deceased. The grand-
father resided at Walpole, New Hamp-
shire. Her father, Charles G. Gilchrist,
was born at Walpole, New Hampshire, in
1802, and there owned a farm. In Sep-
tember, 1837, he removed with his family
from Vermont to McDonough county,
Illinois, being over three months on the
16
road. They started on the nth of June,
reaching their destination on the I3th of
September. They settled on a farm in
McDonough county, and there Mr. Gil-
christ carried on agricultural pursuits as
long as his health would permit. He, like
Dr. Ferris's father, had to clear land in
order to have a space big enough on which
to build a house. He and his family lived
in a log cabin for many years and went
through the usual experiences and hard-
ships of pioneer life. They saw many
Indians and there were large herds of
wild deer. The county was sparsely set-
tled and with the development and prog-
ress of that section of the state Charles
G. Gilchrist was closely identified Charles
G. Gilchrist cast his first presidential vote
for Andrew Jackson and upon the organ-
ization of the Republican party joined its
ranks, continuing to give it his support
until his death, which occurred in 1880,
when he was eighty years of age. His
grave is made at Hillsgrove, McDonough
county, Illinois. His wife, who bore the
maiden name of Minerva Holton, was
born in Westminster, Windham county,
Vermont, in October, 1805, spent her
girlhood days in her native place and
afterward taught school. Benjamin Par-
sons, her grandfather, was a private in
the Revolutionary war for a number of
years. Mrs. Gilchrist died May 30, 1875,
and was buried by the side of her hus-
band in Hillsgrove cemetery. She was
a member of a Baptist church. In their
family were five children, of whom Mrs.
Ferris is the eldest. Charles A. died in
New York city, January 22, 1906. David
Van Brugh lives at the old homestead at
Hillsgrove, Illinois. Erastus H. is de-
248
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
ceased. Edward M. is a resident of Cen-
terville, Iowa. Of this family Charles A.
Gilchrist enlisted for service in the Tenth
Missouri Infantry in the Civil war, join-
ing the army as a captain. He served for
five years and was mustered out with the
rank of brigadier general, being then in
command of the Fiftieth Regiment of
Missouri Colored Troops. Edward M.
was also a soldier in the Civil war.
After the parents removed to Illinois,
Mrs. Ferris and her brothers, Charles A.
and VanBrugh Gilchrist, were sent back
to New York to be educated, and attended
the private school conducted by Miss Hoi-
ton, for four years. She was an aunt of
Mrs. Ferris and her school was then lo-
cated at No. 1 1 Amity street in New York
city. When Mrs. Ferris returned home
she brought with her a piano, which was
the first one in McDonough county, and
it is still in her possession. It is a square
piano, having six beautiful carved legs
and is much narrower than the square
pianos were ordinarily made. It was
manufactured by J. Thurston some time
between the years 1812 and 1817. This
piano was shipped from New York to
New Orleans, thence up the Mississippi
river to Warsaw, and from there hauled
to McDonough county. Mrs. Ferris's
children, grandchildren and friends still
love to hear her play the old-time melodies
with which she became familiar in her
\
girlhood days.
Unto Dr. and Mrs. Ferris were born
ten children, all born in the old home in
Fountain Green township. Fidelia, the
eldest, died in childhood. Dr. Charles L.
Ferris, of Carthage, the second in order
of birth, is a graduate of the Rush Med-
ical College. He married Ella Connor, of
Warsaw, this county, and they have two
children, Helen I., a graduate of Carthage
College and now principal of the high
school in Mt. Carroll, Illinois ; and Ruth
A. Lelia, the third member of the family,
is the wife of Edward Lionberger, of
Fountain Green township, and they have
four children, Fay, Gay, John and Edith.
Delia died in childhood. Alice Lovina is
the wife of Charles R. Martin, of Car-
thage township, and has two sons, Leon-
ard Ferris and Edward Stephen Martin.
John Milton died in childhood. Ulysses
Stephen lived in Carthage township, wed-
ded Miss Mary White and has one son,
Wilber White Ferris. Ralph William
married Carrie Banks, lives on a farm in
Fountain Green township and has one
child, Frances. Mary H. Ferris is at
home with her mother. Hiram Gano is
traveling for Irwin Neisler, a druggist, of
Decatur, Illinois. The death of Dr. Fer-
ris occurred on the igth of July, 1900,
when he was eighty-three years of age.
In politics he was a republican, inflexible
in support of the party from the time of
its organization, but his father, his brother
and his brothers-in-law were all democrats.
He served as town clerk, as collector and
SEAV puE S.IE3X XUEUI JQJ aopajtp jooqos SE
instrumental in building the brick school-
house at Fountain Green, superintending
the construction of the same. Fraternally
he was a Mason, joining the lodge in Ma-
comb, McDonough county, in 1849. He
became a- charter member of Carthage
lodge, in which he passed all of the chairs.
His remains were interred in Fountain
Green township by the side of his parents
and all of the Ferris relatives. There was
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
249
allotted to him a long life, which was char-
acterized by usefulness and honor and his
name was to many a synonym of all that
is straightforward and upright in life. He
and his wife not only celebrated their
twenty-fifth wedding anniversary but also
their fiftieth wedding anniversary, on
which occasion their children and grand-
children were present. They traveled
life's journey, happily together for many
long years and theirs was largely an ideal
married relation. After Dr. Ferris passed
away Mrs. Ferris lived in the old home-
stead, which was in the same yard as the
Doctor's office in Fountain Green. There
she remained until 1902, when she re-
moved to Carthage, purchasing a home on
Madison street, which she has since great-
ly improved. She and her daughters,
Mary H. and Mrs. Martin, are all devoted
members of the Presbyterian church and
likewise belong to the Daughters of the
American Revolution, in which order
Mary Helen has been the efficient record-
ing secretary for the past three years.
Mrs. Ferris is a lady whom it is a rare
pleasure to meet, for she possesses a true,
warm heart for all mankind and strong,
native intelligence and a retentive mem-
ory combined with innate culture and re-
finement. She also possesses a marked
wit and jovial disposition and her kindly
humor serves to draw to her all with
whom she is brought in contact. She is
yet actively interested in matters of pub-
lic moment and she deserves prominent
mention in this volume among the resi-
dents who have lived in this part of Illi-
nois from pioneer times. She celebrated
her seventy-fifth birthday October 23,
1906. when fourteen ladies from sixty-
five to seventy-five years of age were
present.
MARTIN A. HENRY.
Martin A. Henry, numbered among the
veterans of the Civil War, who is now
living a retired life in Augusta, for many
years was actively identified with agri-
cultural interests. He is a native of
Brown county, Illinois, born on the loth
day of February, 1844, and there he re-
sided until about twenty years ago, when
he came to Augusta. He acquired his
education in the common schools of his
native county, where he was reared to
manhood, and assisted in the operation
of his father's farm. He is a son of Rob-
ert L. and Mary A. (Langdon) Henry.
The former was born in the state of New'
York, and the latter in Kentucky. Mr.
Henry arrived in Illinois in 1820, and his
wife came a few years later. They were
married in Brown county, this state,
which was then a part of Schuyler county,
and throughout his entire life Mr. Henry
carried on general agricultural pursuits
and also worked at the cooper's trade.
Following the death of his wife he lived
with his children and spent his last days
in Fulton county, Illinois, where he
passed away at the age of eighty years.
He held membership in the Presbyterian
church, while his wife was a devoted
member of the Baptist church. Both
were laid to rest in Brown county. Illi-
nois. In their family were ten children,
but only two are now living, the younger
250
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
brother being Hiram Henry, of Fulton
county, Illinois.-
As before stated, Martin A. Henry was
reared in the usual manner of farm lads,
early becoming familiar with all the work
incident to the development and cultiva-
tion of the fields. When twenty-three
years of age he started out in life on his
own account and was engaged in farming
for'some years. He continued actively in
that occupation until 1885, when he sold
his farm and removed to Augusta. He
had been enterprising and progressive in
his methods, tilling the soil and cultivat-
ing his crops, and gained thereby a com-
fortable competence, finding a ready sale
on the market for all of his farm prod-
ucts. His labors as an agriculturist were
uninterrupted save when on the gth of
August, 1862, he responded to the coun-
try's call for troops, enlisting as a mem-
ber of Company D, One Hundred and
Nineteenth Illinois Infantry. He contin-
ued at the front until the close of the war
and took part in many of the principal en-
gagements of the Western Army, be-
ing frequently under fire. He was mus-
tered out at Mobile, Alabama, on the iSth
of August, 1865, and received an hon-
orable discharge at Springfield. He held
the rank of corporal and at the time he
was mustered out was a sergeant. He
now maintains pleasant relations with his
old army comrades through his member-
ship in Union post, No. 302, G. A. R..
at Augusta, of which he has been com-
mander for five terms and is now acting
as quartermaster of the post.
Mr. Henry was first married on the ist
of December, 1866, to Miss Mary C. Cox,
who was bom in Brown county, Illinois,
a daughter of James Cox, one of the early
settlers of that locality. Mr. Cox was a
native of Kentucky and reared his fam-
ily in Brown county, where Mrs. Henry
acquired her education. She died there
on the 8th of August, 1870, at the age
of twenty-seven years, leaving two chil-
dren, Mertie M. and Joseph E. The
daughter is the wife of Albert H. Kin-
ney, of Lavonia, New York, where he is
engaged in merchandising. Joseph E.
Henry resides in St. Louis, Missouri,
where he is head shipping clerk for the
Medart Patent Pulley Company. He was
born in Brown county, as was his sister,
and he married Ellen Walsh, by whom he
has two children, Herbert R. and Isabelle.
For his second wife Mr. Henry chose
Eliza J. Burgesser, a daughter of George
W. and Margaret (Thomas) Burgesser,
both natives of Pennsylvania. In 1844
her parents came to the west, locating in
Brown county, Illinois, where her father
followed farming, and there they resided
until called to their final rest. Mrs.
Henry was born in Adams county, Ohio,
but was reared and educated in Brown
county, Illinois, being only four years of
age at the time of her parents' removal
to this state. She was first married to
Charles Todd, of Springfield. Illinois,
who died leaving a son, Ala, who died
when twenty-five years of age. By the
present marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
there are three children: Robert E.. re-
siding at home, is the principal of the
schools at West Point, Illinois. Leltie
is a teacher at Warsaw, this state. How-
ard M. died when eight years of age.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Henry are consist-
ent members of the Methodist church
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
251
and he gives his political support to the
Republican party. He served as a mem-
ber of the town board for two years and
has been street commissioner of Augusta
for the past thirteen" years. He is hold-
ing that position at the present time, and
is a capable official, manifesting the same
loyalty whether in public office or out
of it that he displayed when he followed
the old flag upon southern battlefields
and defended the Union cause. His busi-
ness activity in former years was crowned
with a measure of success that now en-
ables him to live retired and he is spend-
ing his days pleasantly in Augusta amid
many friends, who entertain ' for him
warm regard.
W. H. AND J. A. PLUMB.
W. H. and J. A. Plumb, the president
and secretary respectively of Plumb
Brothers Brick & Tile Company, with
offices at Carthage, are prominent repre-
sentatives of industrial activity in this
county. The factory is located in Pilot
Grove township, between Burnside and
Carthage and is devoted to the manufac-
ture of brick and tile. The business has
been conducted by the present company
for about four years and the plant has
three kilns which turn out about fifty
thousand brick or twenty thousand tile
of high grade every week. The com-
pany is incorporated and since its estab-
lishment has borne an unassailable repu-
tation in business circles' by reason of the
honorable methods instituted and also
by reason of the excellence of its product.
William H. Plumb, one of the active
members of the corporation and the pres-
ident of the company, was bom in Ful-
ton county, Illinois, July 17, 1862. His
parents are Thomas J. and Elizabeth
(Anderson) Plumb. The father, a native
of London, England, came alone to the
United States when fourteen years of age
and with brave spirit and resolute pur-
pose sought to earn a living in the new
world, thinking that he might enjoy bet-
ter business opportunities on this side of
the Atlantic. One of his first positions
was assistant to the cook on a Missis-
sippi river steamboat, and he gradually
made advancement in the business world
until he became connected with the coal
mining interests of Illinois, continuing in
that field of activity until his death, which
occurred at Bemadotte. Fulton county,
this state, when he had reached the age
of fifty-one years. His widow still sur-
vives and resides in Basco, Hancock
county, at about the age of seventy years,
being now the wife of William Hen-
dricks, a retired farmer.
William H. Plumb pursued his edu-
cation in the public schools of Fulton
county and became a resident of Hancock
county in 1881. For two or three years
thereafter he was located in Basco and
then removed to Carthage, where, in con-
nection with his brother, he engaged in
the manufacture of brick and tile for
about twelve years, so that he had broad
practical experience when they organized
the present company and removed to Pi-
lot Grove township, where they reside.
William H. Plumb was married in
252
BIOGRAPHICAL REJ'IEll'
1897 to Mrs. Laura E. Taylor, who was
born in Bear Creek township and was ed-
ucated there, she bearing the maiden
name of Laura E. Fisher, and was a
daughter of Greenberry Fisher, one of
the early settlers of the county. She was
the widow of Joseph Taylor, by whom
she had two children, Alta and Gertie, the
latter now deceased. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Plumb has been born one child, Norvin.
Mr. Plumb is a democrat in his political
views and he belongs to the Hancock
County Mutuals a fraternal insurance
order.
John A. Plumb, who is associated with
his brother in the manufacture of brick
and tile as secretary of the company, was
born in Fulton county, Illinois, November
8, 1864, and was educated in the common
schools. Since attaining his majority he
has been associated with his brother Wil-
liam in the line of business in which they
are still engaged. They have a well
equipped plant, supplied with all modern
machinery, and the output is of such a
quality as to command a ready sale on the
market and bring the highest prices. The
office of the company is located in Car-
thage but the factory is situated in Pilot
Grove township. George W. Jones is
treasurer of the company but the Plumb
Brothers hold the greater amount of
stock, and the enterprise has gained a
place among the leading manufacturing
interests of the county.
John A. Plumb was married to Miss
Katie Morris, a daughter of O. P. Mor-
ris, of Dallas City, Illinois, and the two
families are prominent socially, while in-
business circles the brothers have gained
a most commendable place. They have
the enterprise and determination which
enable them to overcome difficulties and
to solve intricate business problems and
their history illustrates the possibilities
that are open in this country to earnest,
persistent young men who have the cour-
age of their convictions and are deter-
mined to be the architects of their own
fortunes.
JOHN H. CRABILL.
John H. Crabill, a prosperous and pro-
gressive farmer of Fountain Green town-
ship, claims Ohio as the place of his na-
tivity, his birth having occurred in Cham-
paign county, September 12, 1837, and
in the paternal line he comes' cf German
ancestry, his paternal great-grandfather,
Jacob Crabill, having been born in the
fatherland, while his paternal grandpar-
ents, John H. and Mary (Rhodes) Cra-
bill, were natives of Virginia, and his
maternal grandparents, John and Eliza-
beth (Pence) Steimberger, were natives
of Maryland and Virginia respectively.
His parents, Benjamin S. and Angeline
(Steimberger) Crabill, were natives of
Culpepper county, Virginia, and Cham-
paign county, Ohio, the former bom in
1816, while the latter was born in 1814.
They were married in the Buckeye state,
where the father engaged in farming pur-
suits until 1849, when he made an over-
land journey to this township, the trip
covering a period of twenty-two days.
Here he purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of land located on section 5, and
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
253
owned by William Dunn, one-half of the
tract being covered with timber, while an
old frame house was the only building
that stood on the place. He at once set
to work to further clear and develop the
land and made many improvements in the
way of fences and buildings. In 1858 he
erected a large brick' residence, and he
burned the brick on his place which was
used in the construction of the house.
From time to time he also increased the
boundaries of his farm by adding at dif-
ferent times two eighty-acre tracts, so
that in all he owned three hundred and
twenty acres all in one body, this being
placed under a very high state of culti-
vation, so that he annually gathered
abundant harvests. He was a very prom-
inent and influential man in his part of
the country, and his integrity and honesty
were never called into question, for he
was noted for his reliability and trust-
worthiness. His death occurred in 1896.
while his wife had passed away several
years previous to that time, her death oc-
curring in January, 1880.
John H. Crabill is the eldest of five
sons and two daughters, of whom one
son and both daughters have passed
away. He was reared in Ohio to the
age of twelve years, where he attended
the Runkel district school, and then ac-
companied his parents on their removal
to this state, where he continued his
studies in the Rossville district school in
this township, near his father's home. He
remained under the paternal roof until
twenty-four years of age, assisting his fa-
ther in clearing and developing new land,
so that he early became familiar with all
the duties and labors of the farm, and
shared with the family in the hardships
and privations, as well as the pleasures of
a frontier existence.
Choosing as a companion and helpmate
for life's journey, he mas married, Octo-
ber 10, 1 86 1, to Miss Prudence Tipton,
likewise a native of the Buckeye state,
her birth having occurred in Muskingum
county, December 10, 1842, a daughter
of John and Elizabeth (Dunlap) Tipton,
natives of Maryland and Ohio respective-
ly. Her mother died in 1845. when the
daughter was a little maiden of three
years, and the father was afterward mar-
ried again, his second union being with
Margaret Lloyd, a native of Ohio, where
they were married, and in 1856 the fa-
ther removed with his family to Illinois,
their home being established in McDon-
ough county, where the father passed
away about 1888, while his widow sur-
vived until 1889. when she, too, passed
away.
Following this marriage Mr. Crabill .
located on a farm on section 34, La Harpe
township, which he operated for one year,
when he removed to Sheridan county,
Missouri, remaining there one year, after
which he returned to Illinois and operated
leased land in McDonough and Hancock
counties for eleven years, when, in 1872,
he returned to the old homestead farm
and continued his farming operations
there until the time of his father's death,
when he purchased the interest of the
other heirs in the estate, and has here
continued his residence to the present
time. He has continued the work of de-
velopment and improvement which was
begun by his father and now has an up-
tordate and well improved farm property.
254
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW'
From time to time he has added to his
landed possessions and now owns two
hundred and six acres all in one body,
lying on section 5, Fountain Green town-
ship, and at one .time he owned eighty
acres on section 4, but has since disposed
of this to his son Frank. In addition to
carrying on general farming pursuits,
Mr. Crabill is also engaged quite exten-
sively in raising stock, including Norman
horses. Short Horn cattle and Poland-
China hogs, and this branch of his busi-
ness is proving a profitable source of rev-
enue to him.
Unto our subject and his wife have
been born five sons and five daughters,
namely : Ida, now the wife of J. W.
Ketchum, of Durham township; Ella, at
home : Benjamin, of Fountain Green
township; Emma, the widow of William
Burrow, who likewise resides in this
township ; Frank, who owns and operates
a farm in this township; Marv. the wife
of Edward Rich, of this township; Janie
and Fred, at home; Mahlon, who lives in
this township ; and Ray, at home.
Politically a democrat, Mr. Crabill has
taken a deep and helpful interest in the
work of the party, having served three
terms as assessor, while for twelve years
he acted as school director. He is a mem-
ber of the Masonic order, belonging to
the lodge at La Harpe, and is popular
among the brethren of the craft. Having
resided in Illinois since the age of twelve
years, which covers a period of more than
a half century, the greater portion of
which has been spent in Hancock county,
he has here a very wide and favorable ac-
quaintance, for the name of Crabill has
long been associated with the develop-
ment and improvement of this portion of
the state. He is ever reliable in all trade
transactions and has won the confidence
and good will of all with whom he has
come in contact and is accounted one
of the representative agriculturists of this
county.
ROBERT C. GIBSON.
Robert C. Gibson is the owner of one
of one of the model farm properties of
Hancock county, situated in Pilot Grove
township, and is also engaged in general
merchandising and in the hardware busi-
ness at Burnside under the firm name of
R. C. Gibson & Company. He is like-
wise one of the extensive landowners of
the county and is a factor in its finan-
cial circles. The extent and importance
of his interests make him one of the fore-
most representatives of business interests
in this part of the state, and while promot-
ing individual success he has at the same
time contributed to general progress and
prosperity, which are ever dependent
upon the activity and enterprise of the
leading business men of the community.
Mr. Gibson was born on section 27,
Pilot Grove township, Hancock county.
August n, 1850. and in the common
schools of the township acquired his edu-
cation, while spending his boyhood days
in the home of his parents. James and An-
geline (Bennett) Gibson. The father, a
native of Ireland, came to this country
with his father, the mother having died
on the Emerald isle. He was at that time
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
only three years of age. The grandfa-
ther of our subject settled in New York
and there engaged in farming and also
worked on the canal. When still a young
lad James Gibson also began working on
the canal and was there employed until
about eighteen years of age. He at first
was driver on a packetboat and afterward
worked on what was called a scow boat,
utilized in dredging out and repairing the
canal. He continued in that labor until
twenty-three years of age, when he was
married and came to the middle west, Jo-
eating first near Rushville in Schuyler
county. Illinois, where he spent a few
months. He afterward went to Ray
county, Missouri, where he remained for
about two years, and then became a resi-
dent of McDonough county, Illinois,
where he purchased land and made his
home for about three years. On the ex-
piration of that period he took up his
abode on section 27, Pilot Grove town-
ship, Hancock county, and invested in
eighty acres of land upon which he made
his home, residing there for about forty
years. When the four decades had passed
he removed to section 16 of the same
township, where he lived for fifteen years
and afterward located at Burnside, where
for eight years he lived retired from ac-
tive business cares. His life had been
one of untiring activity and enterprise
through a long period and he well merited
the rest which came to him in the evening
of his days. He died at Burnside at the
age of eighty-nine years and was a re-
spected resident of the locality, for
he was a faithful member of the Christian
church and had lived in harmony with
its teachings and his professions. His po-
litical support was given to the democ-
racy. His wife passed away in 1860, at
the age of forty-four years. She, too,
was a member of the Christian church
and both lie buried in McKay cemetery.
They were the parents of four children of
whom two are now living.
Born and reared on the old homestead
Robert C. Gibson continued to reside
there until five years ago, when he pur-
chased his present farm just north of the
village of Burnside, comprising one hun-
dred and thirty-six acres. He has placed
all of the improvements upon it and has
a model farm, on which he raises the
cereals best adapted to soil and climate.
He also engages in stock raising and has
fed from one hundred to five hundred
head of cattle annually for the past thirty
years. He has likewise made investment
in property that has proved profitable and
is today the owner of eleven hundred and
forty acres of the rich farming land of
Hancock county, all of which is well im-
proved, the greater part being in Pilot
Grove township. He therefore stands as
one of the leading representatives of agri-
cultural interests, and his success is rich-
ly merited, having come to him through
capable business management, unfalter-
ing industry and close application. In
addition to his farming interests he has
many other business enterprises under his
control. Being a man of resourceful abil-
ity he readily recognizes and utilizes the
opportunities which surround all. He
engages in general merchandising and
also in the hardware business at Burnside
under the firm style of R. C. Gibson &
Company. For two years he was vice
president of the State Bank at Burnside
256
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
and he was one of the organizers of the
U'hite Cottage Telephone Company, of
which he has been treasurer and the offi-
cer of the line since its establishment. He
erected a large brick store building in
Burnside and is one of its most enter-
prising citizens, having contributed in
large and substantial measure to its
growth and improvement through the
conduct of his varied interests.
Mr. Gibson was married on the /th
of November, 1872, to Miss Hattie Low-
rey, who was born in Schuyler county,
Illinois, a daughter of Edward and Hat-
tie Lowrey, who came to Hancock county
about 1865. The father was for many
years a farmer of Carthage township and
died at the age of eighty-eight years,
while his wife passed away when eighty-
seven years of age. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Gibson have been born six children, all
of whom are living, as follows : Elmer,
a farmer of Pilot Grove township, where
he owns one hundred and sixty acres of
land, married Amanda Miller, by whom
he has a daughter, Frances. Charles C,
residing on section 27, Pilot Grove town-
ship, wedded Miss Carrie Pennock, by
whom he has a son, Virgil. James F. is
a practicing attorney in Carthage, and is
represented elsewhere in this volume. He
married Miss Birdie Tyner, and they have
one son, James. Iva is now the wife of
John Houd, their home being in Dallas,
Illinois. She is the mother of one child,
Arlo. Ida is the wife of Lesley Brad-
field, and has one child, Elzie. Sylvia is at
home, and completes the family. All were
born and educated in Pilot Grove tow'n-
ship.
Mr. Gibson is a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, in which he has attained
the Royal Arch degree and also holds
membership relations with the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows. His wife is a
member of the Christian church and is
a lady of culture and refinement. They
have a handsome modem home upon
their farm, together with large barns and
other outbuildings, all of which are kept
in perfect repair and are typical of the
utmost spirit of progress and improve-
ment along agricultural lines. Mr. Gib-
son is widely recognized as a most public-
spirited man and has taken an active and
helpful interest in many movements
which have been of direct benefit to the
community and the county. In manner
he is free from ostentation and display,
caring not for notoriety, yet he deserves
the praise that is usually given a self-
made man and the high regard which is
accorded him by his friends. Among the
names of the prominent business men of
Hancock county who have been closely
identified with its interests and have as-
sisted in its rapid and substantial growth
he is numbered. By the force of his na-
tive ability and steady perseverance he
has raised himself to a position of wealth
and honor.
WILLIAM OLIVER BUTLER,
D. D. S.
Dr. William Oliver Butler, serving for
the second term as postmaster of La
Harpe and has for almost a third of a
century been an able and leading repre-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
257
sentative of the dental fraternity here,
was born in St. Francisville, Missouri,
March 25, 1850. His father, Noah B.
Butler, was born near Louisville, Ken-
tucky, and in early manhood wedded Lu-
cinda C. Dickenson, a native of Tennes-
see, whose birth occurred near Memphis.
His grandparents were Hezekiah and
Elizabeth (Payne) Butler, natives of
Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively.
The father, Xoah B. Butler, became a
physician and in the spring of 1851 re-
moved to La Harpe, Illinois, accompanied
by his wife and then their only child,
\Yilliam O. For a quarter of a century
thereafter Dr. Butler devoted his time
and energies to the practice of medicine,
continuing an active representative of the
medical fraternity in this town until his
death, which occurred September 17,
1876. His widow still survives him and
makes her home in La Harpe.
\Yilliam Oliver Butler, the eldest in a
family of seven sons, spent his boyhood
days in La Harpe and completed his lit-
erary education by a course of study at
Knox College, at Galesburg, Illinois. He
afterward began preparation for the med-
ical profession in the Missouri Medical
College at St. Louis and afterward at-
tended the Pennsylvania Dental College.
Between the two periods of his college
work, however, he engaged in practice
for two years. He was graduated in the
spring of 1876 but had purchased the
practice of D. \V. Mills in 1873. While
he was attending his second course of
lectures a dentist from Burlington, Iowa,
took charge of his practice. He now
occupies one of the finest offices in the
state in towns of the size of La Harpe
and has a large practice, which is ac-
corded him in recognition of his skill and
ability. His equipment is unusually good
and he has always kept in touch with the
progress made by the profession as the
years have gone by. On the I5th of
June, 1882, Dr. Butler was united in
marriage to Miss Louella Holliday, who
was born in Shelbina, Missouri, June 27,
1854, and was educated in the public
schools of Blandisville, Illinois, and in
Lewiston Seminary in Fulton county, this
state. She is a daughter of Louis and
Mary (Parker) Holliday, both of whom
.were natives of Virginia. Unto Dr. and
Mrs. Butler have been born five daugh-
ters and two sons, but one of the sons is
now deceased.
Dr. Butler has given close attention to
his professional duties and ^yet has found
time for activity in political and fraternal
circles. He is a prominent Mason, be-
longing to the lodge, chapter and com-
mandery and has held the position of
deputy grand lecturer of the state of Illi-
nois since 1883. He is also a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows and he belongs to the Christian
church, in which he has long served as
deacon and has also been secretary for
six years. In his political views he is
an earnest republican and in 1901 was
reappointed by President Roosevelt to
the office of postmaster, in which position
he is now serving. He takes a deep in-
terest in clean politics, being opposed to
misrule in municipal affairs and feeling
that political business should be adminis-
tered with the same honesty and fidelity
that is demanded in industrial, commer-
cial or professional life. In his own ca-
2 5 8
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
reer he has been actuated by worthy mo-
tives and high principles and during al-
most a lifelong residence in La Harpe,
covering a period of fifty-five years, he
has commanded the uniform confidence
and respect of his fellowmen by his close
adherence to rules of conduct and action
that neither seek nor require disguise.
GEORGE WALKER.
Investigation into the history of any
community will show that a few courag-
eous spirits have become pioneer settlers
and that the work that they have insti-
tuted, the plans they have formed and
the labors they have carried forward con-
stitute the foundation upon which has
been builded all of the later progress and
prosperity. It was to this class of citi-
zens that George Walker belonged and
his name is inseparably interwoven with
the history of Warsaw and of Hancock
county. He was born in Maryland, Feb-
ruary 29, 1804, his parents being John
and Mary (Wilmot) Walker. He was
reared in the place of his nativity and
attended the old-time subscription schools
of that day, pursuing his studies for only
about three months each year. In the
school of experience, however, he learned
many valuable lessons and became a well
informed man of good practical business
education. He was reared to farm life
and in early manhood became a firm be-
liever in the Christian religion. When
but nineteen years of age he began preach-
ing as a minister of the Baptist faith and
for fifty years continued the work of the
gospel. He reared his family in that
faith and labored untiringly for the up-
building of his church. He never accept-
ed a dollar for marrying a couple, for
preaching at a funeral or for any reli-
gious service, but gave his time and tal-
ent freely to the gospel work.
While living in Kentucky Mr. Walker
rented land from Zachary Taylor and in
1831 had his goods all packed ready to
load and start for Illinois. He was at
that time taken sick with bronchitis and
did not come till 1833. He first lo-
cated at Quincy and two weeks later en-
tered one hundred and sixty-two acres of
land about twenty-two miles north of that
city. There he began the development
and improvement of a farm upon which
he resided through the succeeding two
years. On the expiration of that period.
in 1833, ne purchased six hundred and
forty acres of land from two attorneys
who spent the night at his home. An -in-
teresting fact about these attorneys is
that on that trip they were going from
Carthage to Quincy on horseback. One
horse gave out and they put both saddles
on the remaining horse and with each
man in a saddle on the one horse proceed-
ed on their way to Quincy and were thus
riding when they stopped over night at
Mr. Walker's residence. This tract was
located a half mile south and a quarter
of a mile west of the land which he had
entered for a dollar and a quarter per
acre. Upon his second purchase he built
a double log house with one room above
and two below. This was his home until
1849, ' n which year he built a kiln,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
259
burned brick and then erected a brick
residence.
Mr. Walker was closely identified with
the early development and progress of
his portion of the state and for years
was one of the largest land holders of
Hancock county. He shared in the usual
hardships and privations of pioneer life,
but as the years passed by changes were
wrought and he was enabled to secure all
of the advantages and comforts known to
the older civilization of the east and
south. For many years he engaged 6X7
tensively in stock raising, being one of
the leading representatives of this busi-
ness in his section of the state. He also
made large purchases of land and after
giving one hundred and sixty acres to
each of his seven children he had over
two thousand acres remaining. He was
perhaps the wealthiest citizen of his lo-
cality at this time. He improved his
land from its primitive condition, setting
out immense orchards and placing his
fields under a high state of cultivation.
In 1870, Mr. Walker went to Florida
and set out an orange orchard covering
five hundred acres within three miles of
Jacksonville. He remained there for
nine winters and in the tenth winter was
stricken with paralysis. He also "pur-
chased one hundred and fifty acres of
land adjoining the home of Harriet
Beecher Stowe and he and his family be-
came well acquainted with the Stowe
family, by whom they were entertained
for some days. He was a very industri-
ous man of unfaltering perseverance and
indeed may be numbered among the
world's workers. He was a man of keen
insight into business affairs and of un-
faltering energy and was seldom at error
in a matter of business judgment. He be-
came moreover one of the influential and
leading citizens of the community and in
1848 was elected to represent his district
in the state legislature of Illinois. He
spent two winters in Springfield and be-
came associated with many of the dis-
tinguished men of the state. During the
second winter in company with Stephen
A. Douglas, Abraham Lincoln and Jacob
C. Davis in a hired vehicle he drove to
his home in Hancock county, a distance
of one hundred and twenty miles, to make
a visit over Sunday. They arrived Fri-
day night, and that night such a heavy
fall of snow took place that the next
Monday morning they had to drive a
herd of cattle ahead of them to break the
road to Quincy, to which place they rode
on horseback. They were three days in
getting to Springfield. Mr. Walker was
re-elected to the Illinois legislature in
1854. his family, however, remaining
upon the farm, while he discharged his
official duties in the general assembly.
He took an active part in the delibera-
tions of that body and was connected with
much of the constructive legislation of
that period. In his home community he
was also elected justice of the peace and
filled that office for fifteen years, his home
being his courthouse. Mrs. Robert Mc-
Mahan, who was an exceedingly bright
girl, would sit at her father's knee when
between the ages of eight and twelve
years and from his dictation would read
the revised statutes to the court. His po-
litical allegiance was given to the democ-
racy, but though he differed in his views
from many of the distinguished Illinois
260
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
statesmen of that period he always en-
joyed their warm personal regard and
friendship.
In May, 1826, Mr. Walker was mar-
ried to Miss Rachel Clark, a daughter
of James and Susan (Naswanner) Clark.
Mrs. Walker was born in Pennsylvania
and by this marriage there were nine chil-
dren. Henry M., the eldest, lived near
Carthage, Illinois, but died in California
at the age of seventy-nine years. He had
four sons, one of whom, Charles Wil-
liam, is living in Carthage, George San-
ford in Missouri, Franklin W., on a
farm near Carthage, and one, John
Henry C., probate judge in Ft. Collins.
John E. Walker, the second of the family,
born in February, 1829, was a railroad
man and died in 1891, at the age of sixty-
two years, leaving a wife and two chil-
dren, who are residents of Boston, Mas-
sachusetts. Mary Jane is the wife of Dr.
James Caples, living about sixteen miles
from Sacramento, in Sacramento county,
California. Rebecca Ann is the widow
of Joseph Her and lives in Gault, Califor-
nia, about thirty-two miles from Sacra-
mento. James Ely died at the age of
five years. George Walker died in 1905
in Warsaw, leaving a son, Warren W.,
of Joplin, Missouri, and a daughter, Mrs.
Lillian- Pederson. Susan Frances became
the wife of Robert McMahan and is men-
tioned later in this sketch. Henrietta
became the Avife of Taylor Doty and after
his death married James Jenkins and died
April 17, 1904, on the old home farm in
Hancock county. Charles Pierce is a
resident of Los Angeles, California,
where' he is engaged in merchandising
and is also vice president of a bank. The
father, George Walker, died October 9,
1879, at the age of seventy-five years
and his wife passed away October 9, 1883,
also when seventy-five years of age. In
the years of an active and useful career
he had become widely known and in fact
was one of the historic figures in Illinois
history during the middle portion of the
nineteenth century. His influence was
widely felt in behalf of public improve-
ment, his business operations were of an
extensive and profitable character and his
genuine personal worth was such as to
win for him the admiration, good will
and respect of all with whom he came
in contact. Though more than a quarter
of a century has passed away since he
was called to his final rest he is yet re-
membered by many of the early citizens
of the county who knew and honored
him.
As before stated, Susan Frances
Walker became the wife of Robert Mc-
Mahan. The latter was a son of Andrew
McMahan, a native of Kentucky, who
came to Hancock county, Illinois, in 1831.
This was the year of the great snow a
winter memorable in the history of Illi-
nois. There were few settlers in the
northern part of the state and the cen-
tral -and southern sections were but
sparsely settled. All over Illinois there
were great stretches of unimproved
lands and Mr. McMahan took up a tract
of government land of about one hun-
dred and sixty acres which was developed
into a good farm and remained the fam-
ily homestead until the death of himself
and wife. As the years passed by he
added to his original holdings until he
became an extensive landed proprietor
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
261
and at the time of his demise still re-
tained possession of six hundred acres,
while in the meantime he had given to
each of his four children a tract of one
hundred and sixty acres.
Three of his children are now living,
while Angelina, who became the wife of
Captain Williams, of Warsaw, died
March 26, 1901.
Robert William McMahan, born June
15, 1830, on the old family homestead in
Hancock county, Illinois, acquired his
education in the subscription schools of
the early day. He was reared to farm
life, spending the greater part of the
year in the labors of the field and
meadow, while in the winter seasons lie
pursued his studies. With the family he
shared in the hardships and privations
incident to the settlement of the frontier.
He chose as a life occupation the pursuit
to which he had been reared and continu-
ously followed farming until he reached
the age of sixty-six years, when he re-
tired from business and has since lived
in Warsaw, purchasing a beautiful home
in the city. On the I3th of July, 1859, he
was united in marriage to Miss Susan
Frances Walker, daughter of George
Walker, the honored pioneer, and unto
them have been born six children. Clara,
the eldest, born April 5, 1860, died June
26, 1864. Charles Homer, born Decem-
ber 4, 1861, is living in Wilcox township,
this county. He married Eva J. Knox
and they have five children living, while
Harry and one other died in infancy.
Those who still survive are Carl David,
Robert Francis, William R.. George
Howard and Francis McMahan. Cora
F,. McMahan died in infancy. Mary Ida
McMahan, born September 15, 1866, is
now the wife of David Ayers and their
place adjoins the old homestead. They
have two children, Francis and David.
Nellie Rachel McMahan, born November
25, 1875, is the wife of Howard Baker,
a lumberman of St. Louis, Missouri.
George W. W. McMahan, born July 9,
1873, uves upon the old homestead and
rents the' farm which his parents gave
him. He married Florence Fry .and has
one daughter, Anna Rozetta.
John McMahan, the second son of An-
drew McMahan. lives on the old home-
stead where he was born sixty-three years
ago. He married Clara Reed, now de-
ceased, and they had five children, of
whom one has passed away.
Thomas Jefferson McMahan, the
youngest member of the family of An-
drew McMahan, is living in St. Louis
and has been married twice, but his sec-
ond wife is also now deceased.
Both the Walker and McMahan fam-
ilies have lived in this county from pio-
neer times and have been closely associ-
ated with its history in all of its various
phases. Mr. Walker lived here during
.the Mormon siege, but did not take part
on either side. He saw many houses
burned, however, and knew of the whole
proceedings. Mrs. McMahan can re-
member seeing Joseph and Hiram Smith,
the Mormon prophets and leaders, who
were murdered. She saw the blood on
the floor and also the hole made through
the window pierced by the bullet that
killed Joseph Smith. Her mind bears
many interesting pictures of pioneer
days and she relates in vivid style and
with great accuracy many of the events
262
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
which have left their impress upon the
annals of Hancock county.
ASA L. BENNINGTON.
Asa L. Bennington is the leading con-
tractor and builder of La Harpe. No
man has done more for the improvement
of the village, for the greater part of its
leading business houses and fine residences
have been erected by him and stand as
evidence of his skill and enterprise in the
line of his chosen vocation. His life rec-
ord began in Bloomfield, Iowa, on Christ-
mas day of 1 86 1, his parents being Jacob
S. and Emeline (Lane) Bennington,
the former bom in Adams county,
Ohio, December 5, 1826, and the latter
near Mount Sterling, Illinois, December
24, 1829. The paternal grandfather,
Jonathan Bennington, was born in Penn-
sylvania, October 20, 1789, and was
reared near Hagerstown, Maryland. He
wedded Jane C. Ramsey, who was born
near Boone Station, Kentucky, January
9. 1799, and was a daughter of Robert
Ramsey, who was one of Washington's
body guards in the Revolutionary war.
The maternal grandparents were Asa and
Matilda (Conover) Lane. On leaving
Ohio Jacob S. Bennington removed to
Davis county, Iowa, and in 1869 became
a resident of Henderson county, Illinois,
where he lived until 1892, when the fam-
ily removed to La Harpe. His wife
passed away in September. 1885. In their
family were the following named : Ma-
tilda, who was bom in Iowa, June 7,
1853; Lee J., born in Iowa, December
n, 1856; John F., bom in Iowa, May
10, 1858; Phebe M., born in Missouri,
August u, 1863; Jacob S., born in Mis-
souri, March 28, 1865; Carroll L., born
.in Missouri, April 6, 1867; and Charles,
born in Illinois, February 28, 1870.
Asa L. Bennington was reared in his
father's home to the age of sixteen years,
when he started out upon an independent
business career and since that time he has
provided entirely for his own support,
so that whatever success he has achieved
has come as the direct reward of his
own labors. He was employed at farm
work for about five years and then
learned the carpenter's trade under the
direction of his father. He has engaged
in building operations since that time
and for the past seventeen years has been
contracting. At the present writing, in
1906, he has the contract for the erection
of the new Carnegie library in La Harpe
all the business houses and large build-
and with a few exceptions he has built
ings erected in this village for the past
fourteen years. He keeps abreast with
the most modern progress as displayed
in the builder's art and his efforts have
been an important factor in the substan-
tial improvement of the city, greatly aug-
menting its attractive appearance. His
excellent workmanship and his fidelity to
the terms of a contract have been impor-
tant elements in his success.
In 1891 Mr. Bennington was married
to Miss Hattie Landis, who was born
April 3, 1871, and is a daughter of Isaac
and Finett (Levings) Landis, natives of
La Harpe township. They have four
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
263
children : Clair, born March 23, 1892 ;
Celia May, January 14, 1894; Beulah
Vernon, January 21, 1896; and Minnie
M., October 14, 1900.
Mr. Bennington votes with the Repub-
lican party and has served for two terms
as alderman at La Harpe. Community
affairs are of deep interest to him and
his co-operation can always be counted
upon as a 'factor to further the welfare
and promote the progress of his adopted
town. Fraternally he is connected with
Bristol lodge, No. 653, I. O. O. F., and
with the Modern Woodmen of America,
and in his life exemplifies the beneficent
spirit of these organizations. An analy-
zation of his character shows that his sal-
ient traits are such as are universally ad-
mired and valued and in his home town
they have made him a representative
citizen.
JAMES W. CASSINGHAM.
James W. Cassingham dates his resi-
dence in Hancock county since 1857. He
is now living retired in La Harpe but
was formerly identified with agricultural
and manufacturing interests. He was
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, June
1 6, 1840, and in the paternal line comes
of English ancestry, his grandfather be-
ing Thomas Cassingham, a native of
England. His father, James Cassing-
ham, was also born in that country and
came with his parents to America in 1826.
the family home being established upon a
farm in Ohio. In early life he learned
17
the shoemaker's trade, which he followed
throughout his entire business career.
He wedded Miss Martha Oden, a native
of Virginia and a daughter of Elias
Oden, and they became the parents of
four children, three sons and a daughter.
James W. Cassingham, the third in
order of birth, left home in 1855 when
only fifteen years of age and came to
Illinois with a family of the name of
Decker, settling upon a farm in McDon-
ough county. There Mr. Cassingham
remained until March, 1857, when he left
.the Decker family and came to Hancock
county, where he was employed at farm
labor by the month until 1861. When
the tocsin of war sounded and men from
all departments of life flocked to the
standard of the country, coming from the
workshop, the fields, the offices and the
counting rooms, he too gave evidence of
his spirit of valor and loyalty and on the
loth of May, 1861, enlisted in the Six-
teenth Illinois Infantry as a member of
Company F. He served for four years,
being mustered out at Louisville, Ken-
tucky, in July 8, 1865. He was once
wounded, though not seriously, and after
the close of the war, having for four
years been a most faithful soldier, he re-
turned to Hancock county, settling in La
Harpe township near the village of La
Harpe. There he purchased a farm of
one hundred and sixty acres, which he
cultivated for almost a quarter of a cen-
tury, or until 1889, when he took up his
abode in the town. In that year, in
connection with C. H. Ingraham and J.
R. Booth, he established a brick manu-
facturing plant in La Harpe and was en-
gaged in the manufacture of brick for
264
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
about ten years, when he sold his interest
to Mr. Ingraham and retired from active
business. On the 26th of February,
1903. he sold his farm of one hundred
and sixty acres, all of which was under
cultivation.
Mr. Cassingham was married Feb-
ruary 4, 1866, to Miss Elizabeth Bryan,
who was born March 22, 1839, in Penn-
sylvania. They became the parents of
six children : Arthur, who was born De-
cember 18, 1866, and resides in Memphis,
Missouri ; Martha, who was born Novem-
ber 10. 1868, and is the wife of Warren
Talbott, of Warren county, Illinois ;
Charlie C., who was born October 25,
1870, and lives in Spokane, Washington;
Mary D., who was born March 22, 1872.
and is the wife of John M. Lyon, of La
Harpe: Rose, who was born August 2,
1876, and is the wife of Herbert Locke,
of Blandinsville, Illinois ; and Lora, who
was born September 16, 1879, and who
is the wife of Clifford Prather. of La
Harpe. On the 2ist of October, 1886,
the family mourned the death of the wife
and mother, who on that day passed away
at the age of forty-seven years. On the
ist of October, 1887, Mr. Cassingham
wedded Mary A. Bryan, the widow of
Cowden M. Bryan. She was born in La
Harpe. April 24. 1845. It was soon
after his second marriage that Mr. Cas-
singham retired from the farm and re-
moved to La Harpe, where he has since
resided. His political affiliation is given
to the Republican party and in the Ma-
sonic fraternity he has taken the degrees
of the lodge and chapter. A residence
of almost a half century in this county
makes him widely known and numbers
him with its early settlers, while his ac-
tivity in agricultural and manufacturing
lines gained him considerable prominence
as well as a gratifying measure of success
in his business dealings, so that he is
now enabled to live retired in the enjoy-
ment of a rest which he has justly earned
and richly deserves.
SAMUEL C. VINCENT.
Samuel C. Vincent, deceased, came to
Hancock county in 1844 and although he
passed away in 1870 he is yet remem-
bered by many of the older settlers who
knew him and respected him as a man
of genuine personal worth. He was born
January 6. 1822, in West Avon', Living-
ston county, New York, and attended
school in Erie county, that state, but was
largely self-educated. On the 8th of Oc-
tober. 1843, ne wedded Mary Jj An-
drews, who was born, in Connecticut in
1821. In the spring of 1844 they re-
moved to La Harpe, where for about ten
years Mr. Vincent was engaged in teach-
ing school. Soon after his arrival in
this county, however, he purchased a
tract of land, to which he added at inter-
vals until at his death he owned one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land in the cor-
porate limits of La Harpe. He died Au-
gust 15, 1870, leaving a wife and six
children. He was well known among
the early settlers of this part of the
county and his interests were closely
allied with its progress and development.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
265
for he gave hearty support to any move-
ment that tended to promote the material
or moral welfare of his community.
The six children of the Vincent family
are: Mary A., born April 24, 1845, anc '
now the wife of J. W. Cassingham;
Maria Rosabel, who was born April 10,
1847, am l is the w 'fe f Farmer R. Nudd ;
Frances A., who was born February 19,
1850, and is the wife of Frank James,
of Galesburg, Illinois ; Byron Zelotus,
who was born July 4, 1852, and is in
Shenandoah, Iowa ; Judith Keziah, who
was born July 8, 1855, and after her
marriage to Charles Sanford died in De-
cember. 1875; and Elma, who was born
September 19,' 1858. and died October
25. 1903. The mother, Mrs. Mary J.
Vincent, passed away January 28, 1890.
The eldest daughter, Mary A. Vin-
cent, was educated in the public schools
of La Harpe and at the age of fifteen
began teaching, which profession she fol-
lowed for fourteen years. She was then
married, on the ist of July, 1874, to
Cowden M. Bryan, who was born in
Pennsylvania. June 16, 1830, a son of
Jacob and Mary (Bagsley) Bryan, who
were likewise natives of the Keystone
state. Cowden M. Bryan came to La
Harpe township with his parents about
1840 and lived upon a farm until 1857,
when they removed to the village of La
Harpe. He was a natural mechanic and
possessed considerable genius in that di-
rection. At different times he was con-
nected with photography, gunsmithing
and the jewelry business and conducted
a jewelry store in La Harpe for about
fifteen years.
LInto Mr. and Mrs. Bryan was born
a daughter, Juie L. Bryan, whose birth
occurred March 27, 1875, and who on
the 2 ist of August, 1894, became the
wife of Frank J. Scott, now a resident of
Galesburg, Illinois. The death of Mr.
Bryan occurred December 9, 1884, and
on the ist of October, 1888, his widow
became the wife of James W. Cassing-
ham, of La Harpe township.
JAMES J. MOFFITT.
Few native sons of Hancock county
can claim so extended a residence within
its borders as James J. Moffit, who was
born on section 7, Sonora township, Feb-
ruary 15, 1831. This was the winter of
the great snow in Illinois memorable in
the history of the county and a year
prior to the Black Hawk war, a fact
which indicates that the Indians were
still numerous in this part of the Missis-
sippi valley. His parents were John and
Mary (Moffit) Moffit, natives of county
Sligo, Ireland. The latter was a daugh-
ter of Thomas Moffit. who on a sailing
vessel crossed the Atlantic f.-pm the
Emerald isle to the new world, and made
his way to St. Louis by the Ohio river
route and up the Mississippi. Eventually
he settled in St. clair county, Illinois, liv-
ing on the river,.bottom for three years,
after which he returned to the state of
New York and took up his abode in
Rochester. John Moffitt, father of our
subject, emigrated from Ireland to Amer-
ica in 1818, and settled in the district of
266
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Harrisbu'rg, Pennsylvania, where he
worked at farm labor for two years. At
the end of that time he journeyed west-
ward with George Middleton and his un-
cle, James Mofntt, going to Galena, Illi-
nois, where he worked in the lead mines
for three years. They then left that state
in canoes, floating down the Mississippi
river. Becoming hungiy while thus mak-
ing their way down the stream, they one
evening saw a light, toward which they
proceeded to make their way. It was
upon the present site of the city of
Quincy, and on landing they found there
a camp of Indians, so that they hastily
made their departure. They continued
on their way to St. Louis, and in a short
time left that place for Rochester, New
York, making the overland journey with
ox teams. John Moffitt was married
there about 1826 to Miss Mary Moffitt,
and with his bride returned to St. Louis,
where he resided until the fall of 1828,
when he came to Hancock county, set-
tling near Nauvoo. He entered from the
government about three hundred and
twenty acres of land on sections 7 and
1 8, Sonora township, most of which was
at that time covered with timber. In the
midst of the forest he built a log cabin
and began clearing away the trees. As
soon as it was possible to plow he would
place his land under cultivation and in the
course of time became the owner of a well
developed property there. The year 1839
witnessed the advent of the Mormons into
that locality and he gave them some of
his land that they might improve it. The
pictures of pioneer life indicated exactly
the conditions which existed in Hancock
county at that period. The streams were
unbridged, the prairie was covered with
its native grasses, the timber was uncut,
and only here and there had a little clear-
ing been made to show that the work of
civilization had been begun on the fron-
tier, while deer was plentiful and there
were many wild animals roaming over
the prairies or in the woods. The In-
dians, too, were numerous and going
upon the warpath, Mr. Moffitt, during
the Black Hawk war, enlisted in the army
under Captain James White. He partici-
pated in the military movements that
ended in the ejection of the savages and
received a land warrant for his services.
He afterward added to his land until he
had about four hundred acres in Sonora
township. He figured prominently in
many events which are now recognized
as of historic importance and lived in this
locality throughout the period of the
Mormon difficulty. He saw them estab-
lish the city of Nauvoo, and later saw
them driven from their homes and the
Mormon temple destroyed by fire. He
died March 15, 1853, while his wife long
survived him, passing away March 17,
1881. They were the parents of eleven
children, of whom three sons and three
daughters reached mature years but the
daughters are all now deceased. The liv-
ing sons are: James J. ; John, a lawyer
of Chicago; and Thomas B., who is liv-
ing on the old home place.
James J. Moffitt lived with his parents
until 1852, sharing with the family in the
hardships and privations of pioneer life.
and aiding in the work of the fields when
plowing, planting and harvesting were
largely clone by hand, for the improved
farm machinery of the present day was
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
267
then unknown. In 1852 lie went to Cal-
ifornia, starting across the country with
ox teams, and after getting near the
mountains he traded his oxen for pack
horses. At length the party with which
he traveled reached Eldorado county,
Colorado, where he remained for a year
and a half. During that period his fa-
ther died, and his mother wishing him
to return home, he made the journey by
way of the Nicaraugua route and up the
Mississippi to Nauvoo. He then re-
mained with his mother and established a
general mercantile business in connection
with T. J. Newton, his father-in-law.
Three years later, on account of failing
health, he retired from the store and took
up his abode on his farm, which com-
prised eighty acres of the old homestead.
He then bought forty acres from his sis-
ter and subsequently made purchase of
another tract, so that he owned altogether
one hundred and seventy acres on section
7, Sonora township. In 1859 he erected
a good frame residence thereon and has
since made some additions to this house.
As a companion and helpmate for life's
journey Mr. Moffitt chose Miss Saman-
tha A. Newton, to whom he was married
on the I3th of February, 1855. She was
born in Erie, Pennsylvania, December 3.
1837, a daughter of Timothy J. and Fi-
delia (Webster) Moffitt, the former a na-
tive of Erie and the latter of Fredonia,
New York. She is also a granddaughter
of Thomas and Mary (Hillsgrove) New-
ton, natives of England, and Ebenezer
and Roxie (Benjamin) Webster, natives
of New England. Mrs. Moffitt was -the
eldest of seven children and accompanied
her parents on their removal from the
Keystone state to Canfield, Trumbull
county, Ohio. A year later they became
residents of Rochester, Iowa, where her
father engaged in merchandising, and in
May, 1847, they took up their abode in
Nauvoo, where the following spring Mr.
Newton established a general mercantile
store, which he conducted successfully
until his death on the 4th of February,
1860. His wife long survived him and
died March 24, 1891. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. 'Moffitt were born seven children:
Ida E., now of Billings, Montana; Fran-
cis E., who died at the age of one and a
half years ; Louis J., who is engaged in
mining at Wallace, Idaho; Mary F., the
wife of J. Henry Dover, a cattle dealer
and horseman of Billings, Montana :
James A., who died at the age of two
years; Julia, the wife of J. F. Ochsner, of
Nauvoo; and Edward P., who is cashier
in a bank at Anaconda, Montana.
Mr. Moffitt is a democrat and has held
the offices of assessor, collector and other
local positions. His religious faith is
that of the Catholic church. The name
of Moffitt has been interwoven with the
history of the county since its earliest
pioneer development, and he of whom we
write has taken an active and helpful
part in the progress and improvement
from a very early period. His mind
bears the impress of many of the early
historic annals of the county and he can
relate many interesting incidents of this
locality, when it was a frontier section
far removed from the older settled dis-
tricts of the east because of the lack of
all rapid transportation facilities or rapid
means of communication. It was then
the "far west," in which there were many
268
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
difficulties of pioneer life to be borne,
while dangers were not lacking owing to
the proximity of the red men and their
opposition to the encroachments of the
white race upon their hunting grounds.
Mr. Moffitt has lived to see remarkable
changes here and as a worthy pioneer set-
tler deserves prominent mention in this
volume.
WILLIAM K. SMITH, M. D.
Dr. William K. Smith, successfully en-
gaged in the practice of medicine and sur-
gery in La Harpe, was born in Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania, on the 25th of De-
cember, 1844, of Scotch parentage.
Dr. Smith completed his more specific-
ally literary education in a high school
of Iowa and having determined upon the
practice of medicine and surgery as a life
work he prepared for his chosen calling
in the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons at Keokuk, Iowa, from which he
was graduated in 1875. He had, how-
ever, been a student in the Chicago Med-
ical College in the winter of 1867-8 but
completed his medical training in Keo-
kuk. He entered upon the active prac-
tice of medicine in Mercer county, Illi-
nois, and was a practitioner of Hender-
son county, Illinois, from 1869 to 1883,
when he came to La Harpe, where he has
since built up a good business, having to-
day an extensive patronage which is in-
dicative of the confidence reposed in his
skill by the general public.
In early manhood Dr. Smith enlisted
for service as a soldier of the Civil war
in 1861, becoming a member of the Ninth
Missouri Infantry, with which he served
until the spring of 1862, when that regi-
ment became the Fifty-ninth Illinois In-
fantry. He continued at the front for
three years and was honorably discharged
in 1864 but was afterward attached to
the cavalry bureau and did duty in the
southwest and on the frontier until 1866.
The same spirit of loyalty that he dis-
played during the dark days of the Civil
war has always been manifest in his citi-
zenship.
In January, 1873, Dr. Smith was unit-
ed in marriage to Miss Alice M. Hub-
bard, who was born in Hatfield, Hamp-
shire county, Massachusetts, a daughter
of the Hon. Elisha and Cordelia (Ran-
dall) Hubbard, who were natives of
Massachusetts. Dr. and Mrs. Smith
have now resided in La Harpe for twenty-
three years and have a wide acquaintance
here, the hospitality of the best homes
being cordially extended them. More-
over Dr. Smith has the respect of his pro-
fessional brethren, for he always closely
adheres to a high standard of professional
ethics and has that laudable ambition
which prompts thorough and discrimi-
nating study whereby his skill and effi-
ciency are being continually increased.
WILLIAM L. WOODSIDE.
William L. Woodside, who for many
years was connected with agricultural in-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
269
terests in McDonough county, Illinois,
but is now living" retired in La Harpe,
was born in Washington county, Vir-
ginia, February 2, 1833, a son of John G.
and Jane Woodside, natives of Virginia
and North Carolina respectively. His
paternal grandparents were James and
Mary (Goliher) Woodside, also natives
of Virginia. The father was a farmer
by occupation and at a very early period
in the development of Illinois made his
way across the country to this state from
Virginia, being six weeks on the road.
He arrived in Blandinsville township.
McDonough county, November 16. 1833,
and took up his abode in a little log
cabin on section 9, securing the title to
one hundred and sixty acres of land. Not
a furrow had been turned or an improve-
ment made upon the farm and with char-
acteristic energy he began its develop-
ment, clearing away the timber and
breaking the prairie land and in course
of time the farm was developed into a
good property, the fields yielding rich re-
turns in bounteous harvests. There the
father resided until his life's labors were
ended in death on the i8th of March,
1853. and his wife survived until Sep-
tember 23, 1871, when she, too, was
called to her final rest.
William L. Woodside was the young-
est of a family of three sons and three
daughters and is now the only one sur-
viving. He was educated in the common
schools of McDonough county and after
his father's death he purchased the inter-
est of the other heirs in the old home-
stead property, which was then partially
improved. In 1872 he built a large frame
house. He also has a large hay and horse
barn on the place and grain and^imple-
ment sheds. He bought at different
times one hundred and fifteen acres which
is situated on the northwest corner of the
old home place. The land has never been
out of possession of the family and
through the efforts of Mr. Woodside and
his father has been converted into a very
valuable and productive farm. In all of
his business undertakings he has been
practical and progressive and his labors
have brought him very desirable success.
He continued to engage in general farm-
ing and stock raising until October 2,
1899, when he was injured by a tree fall-
ing upon him, breaking his left leg and
hurting him internally. He was con-
fined to his bed all winter and on the 7th
of March, 1900, the family removed to
La Harpe, where he has since resided.
He remained upon the old homestead
place from November 16, 1833, until
March, 1900, covering a period of more
than two thirds of a century. He still
owns the farm, which he now rents for
six dollars per acre and this brings him
a very gratifying income. On the ist of
March, 1901, he purchased his present
residence on East Main street and is now
comfortably situated in a pleasant home
in La Harpe.
On the roth of April, 1859, Mr. Wood-
side was married to Miss Mary Isabell
Frits, who was born in Monroe county,
Indiana, August 24, 1839, a daughter of
Captain James Frits, who commanded
Company F of the Sixteenth Illinois In-
fantry in the Civil war and was a brave
and loyal soldier. Her mother bore the
maiden name of Julia Ann Kern and was
born in Indiana, while Mr. Frits was a
270
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
native of Virginia. Mrs. Frits' parents
were Conrad and Mary A. (Berry)
Kern. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Woodside
have been born six children : Thomas
Franklin, who was born April i, 1860,
and is living in Keokuk, Iowa; Emma
Jane, born January i, 1862, and now the
wife of Nathan Ferris, of Blandinsville,
Illinois; Sarah Louisa, born July 23,
1864, and now the wife of Joel Smith, of
Walnut, Kansas; Mary Ella, born Janu-
ary n, 1868; Jennie May, who was born
May 14, 1870, and is the wife of J. E.
Quayle, of Orion, Illinois; Mina Alice,
who was born October 18, 1874, and is
the wife of Dr. C. H. Stockon, of Love-
land, Colorado. The wife and mother
passed away October 18, 1903, and was
laid ,to rest in La Harpe cemetery. She
was a most estimable lady and they had
traveled life's journey together for forty-
four years. Mr. Woodside is a member
of the Christian church, in the work of
which he has taken an active and helpful
interest. He served as deacon of the
church for many years and was clerk and
treasurer for ten years. His political al-
legiance has been given to the Republican
party since age conferred upon him the
right of franchise and he is a member of
the Blue lodge of Masons and of the An-
cient Order of United Workmen. His
entire life' has been passed in this section
of Illinois and he has a wide acquaint-
ance, having long been known as an en-
terprising farmer and one thoroughly re-
liable in all business transactions. His
success is attributable in very large meas-
ure to his own efforts and his persever-
ance and energy have enabled him to
work his way steadily upward until he is
numbered among the men of afflu-
ence living in La Harpe.
now
JOHN FAULKNER.
John Faulkner, a horticulturist and
agriculturist living in Sonora township,
is one of the worthy citizens that Penn-
sylvania has furnished to Hancock
county. His birth occurred in Chester
county of the Keystone state, on the 6th
of June, 1839, and he comes of Irish and
German lineage. The paternal grandfa-
ther, a native of the Emerald isle, took up
his abode in New Jersey in the latter part
of the eighteenth century and died soon
afterward. His son, James Faulkner,
was born in Ireland and came to the
United States when only eighteen months
old. When about fifteen years old he
went to sea and for five years was upon
the water. He was afterward married in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Miss
Catherine Kimes, who was born in Penn-
sylvania and was a daughter of Jacob
Kimes, a native of Germany. The young
couple began their domestic life in the
Keystone state and James Faulkner
worked at the shoemaker's trade, which
he had learned after leaving the sea. In
the spring of 1844, however, he made his
way westward to Nauvoo but on reach-
ing his destination he found things very
different than had been reported and in
consequence thereof he removed to Au-
gusta, where he lived until 1848, when
he returned to Nauvoo. Not long after-
PI AN COCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
271
ward he purchased sixty acres of land on
section 6. Sonora township, and ninety
acres in Appanoose township, where he
carried on general farming and also
raised stock. Thus his life was one of
activity and his industry was to him a
source of gratifying income. He died
December 28, 1870, and was laid to rest
in the Catholic cemetery, at Nauvoo, on
the first day of the year, 1871. His wife
survived him for exactly fifteen years,
passing away on the 28th of December,
1885. In their family were the follow-
ing named: Ellen, who died the wife of
Martin Roser. Mrs. Sarah Ritter, of
Fort Madison, Iowa : John, of this re-
view: Mrs. Catherine Fulton, of So-
nora township; and Mrs. Mary Webber,
of Las Vegas, New Mexico.
John Faulkner was only about six
years of age when his parents removed
from Pennsylvania to Hancock county,
so that his education was acquired in the
common schools of this part of the state.
He always remained at home with his
parents and following their death he pur-
chased the interest of the other heirs in
the old home property, since which time
he has resided upon and conducted the
farm. He raises peaches and grapes,
having six acres planted to both fruits.
He has followed farming with the best
methods of carrying on agricultural pur-
suits and has made a close study of the
work of cultivating fruit trees, so as to
produce the best results. He and his fa-
ther built a house of stone taken from
their place, and he also has a large barn
thirty-two by thirty-six feet with stone
basement.
On the 7th of October, 1871, Mr.
Faulkner was married to Miss Lillian
Ward, who was born in Middletown,
Ohio, August 3, 1850, a daughter of
James and Margaret C. (Striker) Ward,
natives of Ireland and New Jersey re-
spectively, the latter a daughter of Ste-
phen A. Striker. Mr. and Mrs. Ward
were married in Ohio in 1841, and for
some years he engaged in merchandising
in Middletown. In 1852, however, he
closed out his business interests in the
Buckeye state and came to Nauvoo, after
living for one year at Montrose, where
he conducted a tavern. Subsequent to
his abode in Nauvoo, he lived retired.
His wife died May 12, 1852, while he
survived until February 4, 1874. Each
had been previously married, this being
their second union. Mr. Ward had three
children by his first wife, and she had two
children by her first husband. There
were four children by the second union :
Ella, the Wife of Fred Hellerrich, of Louis-
ville, Kentucky; Laura S., the wife of
Frank Brown, of Marion county, Mis-
souri ; and Charles and Lillian, twins, but
the former died in infancy.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner
was blessed with nine children : Mary,
who was born August 26, 1872, and is
the wife of Thomas G. Kelly, of Rock
Creek township : James, who was born
February 16, 1874, and is now living in
Carthage; John, who was born April 9,
1876, and resides in Sonora township:
Helen, born July 19, 1878; William, who
was born . November 5, 1880, and is lo-
cated in Nauvoo ; Aloysius, who was born
December 19, 1882, and is at home:
Thomas, who was born April i, 1885.
and died in December, 1886; Lorena,
272
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
bom July i, 1889; and Henry, August 8,
1891. The family are communicants of
the Catholic church at Nauvoo, and Mr.
Faulkner's political support is given to
the Democratic party. More than six
decades have passed since he came to this
county and he has therefore witnessed
the greater part of its growth and de-
velopment, for the work of progress had
been scarcely begun when he took up his
abode within its borders. He has vivid
recollections of the typical pioneer con-
ditions, for in his youth much land was
still uncultivated, while the log cabin
was no unusual feature in the landscape.
Now these primitive homes have been re-
placed by substantial farm residences and
there is every evidence of advancement
along agricultural and horticultural lines
as well as industrial and commercial
pursuits.
HUGH JACKSON.
Hugh Jackson, a prominent and pro-
gressive fanner, owning one hundred and
forty acres of valuable land situated on
section 23, Appanoose township, is a na-
tive of Fulton county, New York, his na-
tal day being September 23, 1837. His
parents, James and Mary (Ferguson)
Jackson, were natives of Scotland, the
father born near Glasgow, while the
mother's birth occurred on the island of
Bute. The paternal grandparents were
James and Bell (Thompson) Jackson,
and the maternal grandparents were
Hugh and Catherine (McFarlane) Fer-
guson, who located in Fulton county,
New York, about 1830, where he en-
gaged in general agricultural pursuits.
The father of our subject emigrated from
Scotland to America in 1832, his destina-
tion being Fulton county, in the Empire
state, where he was united in marriage to
Miss Mary Ferguson. Here he engaged
in farming until 1840, when he removed
to Albany county, where his death oc-
curred in November, 1861. His widow
then came to Hancock county in 1862,
where she passed away in July. 1885. In
their family were nine children : James,
who died at the age of twenty-two years ;
Hugh, of this review ; Peter, of Carthage
township, Hancock county ; John and
Robert, both residents of Appanoose
township ; William, of Orange county,
California ; Miller, who was drowned in
the Mississippi river in 1867; Lansing,
living near Durango, New Mexico ; and
Catherine, who makes her home with her
brothers, John and Robert, in Appanoose
township.
Hugh Jackson, whose name intro-
duces this record, acquired his education
in the district schools of New York, and
was there reared to farm life, assisting
his father in the operation of the home
farm until nineteen years of age, when
he came to Hancock county, where he
worked at farm labor, being in the em-
ploy of others until 1862. Saving his
earnings, he was at that time able to
make purchase of land and engage in
farming on his own account. He first
bought eighty acres situated on section
23, Appanoose township, which at that
time was wild prairie. He improved
his land, and placed the fields under cul-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
273
tivation. He built a small house con-
taining three rooms, and he also erected
board stables and other outbuildings for
the shelter of grain and stock. Here he
carried on agricultural pursuits and as
the years passed by he prospered in his
undertakings, so that he was later en-
abled to make further purchase of land,
adding sixty acres which adjoined his
original purchase, so that he now has one
hundred and forty acres in all. In 1870,
he built a kitchen to his house, and in
1886 remodeled and added to his dwell=-
ing, so that it now contains eight rooms.
In 1872 he built a horse and hay barn,
and he also has ample cattle sheds, corn
cribs and other outbuildings found upon
a model farm of the present age. In ad-
dition to his farming interests he former-
ly engaged extensively in the raising of
horses, cattle and hogs, shipping about
two carloads of cattle annually. He.
however, abandoned this branch of his
business in 1895, and since that time has
left the more arduous tasks to others and
at the present time merely gives supervi-
sion to his business interests. In the
winter of 1859-60, in company with two
comrades, he started with ox teams for
Pike's Peak, where he prospected for two
months and took up a mining claim,
which he later traded for a cow. He then
journeyed on to New Mexico, where he
dispose^ of the cow for thirty-five dol-
lars, which was considered a good price.
He then sold his oxen and bought ponies
and started toward home, stopping in
Kansas City, where he disposed of his
ponies and took passage on a steamer
for New Orleans. He then spent two
winters on a steamboat. In the summer
of 1860 he traveled through eastern Kan-
sas and southern Illinois and then re-
turned to New Orleans, where he spent
some time, subsequent to which time he
went to St. Louis, being in that city at
the time of the inauguration of President
Lincoln.
On the 30th of March, 1865, Mr.
Jackson was united in marriage to Miss
Mary A. Hammond, who was born in
Staffordshire, England, in 1840, and
when two years of age was brought by
her parents to Hancock county, where
the father bought three hundred acres
of land, situated in Pontoosuc township,
where they both passed away, the former
on the 26th of December, 1885, while
his wife survived for only four days,
passing away on the 3Oth of the same
month, and they were buried in the same
grave. In their family were ten chil-
dren : William, who was killed by light-
ning; Thomas, who was drowned in the
Mississippi river; John, a resident of
Monterey county, California; Isaac, of
Butler county, Kansas; Mary A., now
Mrs. Jackson ; James, of Lancaster
county, Nebraska ; Hannah, the wife of
John Cosgrove, of Appanoose township;
Fannie, who died in infancy ; Sarah, the
wife of J. J. Worley, of Valisca, Iowa;
and Martha, the widow of Thomas
Stretch, of Appanoose township.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Jackson have been
born the following named : Mary Ellen,
born August 29, 1866, married Charles
A. Thompson, of Butler county, Kansas. .
Arthur M., born January 22, 1868, died
in Appanoose township June 6, 1905,
leaving a widow, who in her maidenhood
was Miss Annie Brady, and who now
274
BIOGRAPHICAL REV I Ell'
makes her home in Nauvoo. James T.,
born November 2, 1871, is employed in a
lumber office in Kansas City, Missouri.
Ada, born August 18, 1873, is the wife
of L. R. Traverse, and makes her home
in Oquawka, Illinois. Laura, born June
5, 1875, is at home.
Mr. Jackson gives his political support
to the Democratic party, and has taken a
very active and helpful interest in the
local ranks of his party, being called to
fill a number of offices of public trust.
He was town clerk for several years,
served as supervisor for one year, as col-
lector three years and as township treas-
urer for twenty years, and in all of these
offices he discharged his duties with sat-
isfaction to the public and with credit to
himself. In his religious faith he is a
Presbyterian, and since 1875 has served
as elder of the church.
He is a public-spirited man who gives
his aid and co-operation to every move-
ment which tends for the advancement
of his community. He has led a very
busy life, and, having come to Hancock
county when much of the land was still
unimproved and uncultivated, he made
purchase of a tract which he improved
until it is today one of the fine farming
properties of Appanoose township.
GEORGE FRAZER.
George Frazer,, filling the office of su-
pervisor in Walker township, where he
carries on general agricultural pursuits.
is a son of Lafayette and Caroline Frazer,
who are mentioned elsewhere in this vol-
ume, in connection with the sketch of J.
I. Frazer. He whose name introduces
this record was bom in Adams county,
Illinois, in 1850, and following the re-
moval of the family to Hancock county
he pursued his education in the district
schools of Walker township. He re-
mained under the parental roof until the
time of his marriage, which was cele-
brated February 26, 1873, when he was
twenty-two years of age, the lady of his
choice being Miss Rebecca Shipe. who
was born in Rocky Run township in
1854, a daughter of William and Mary
(Shipe) Shipe, who were farming people
and came to Hancock county in the early
'505, their home being in Rocky Run
township. In the Shipe family are four
daughters: Rebecca, now Mrs. Frazer:
Emma, the wife of William Sauble, of
Adams county ; Gertrude, at home ; and
Catherine E., the wife of Harry Frazer,
of Quincy, Illinois.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Fra-
zer's father gave him two hundred and
twenty acres of good land, situated on
section 19, Walker township, and he has
made splendid improvements upon the
place, erecting an elegant residence in
1876 and building a commodious and
substantial barn in 1880. This structure
is forty by sixty feet and other buildings
are in keeping with it, ample shelter being
thus afforded to grain and stock. Mr.
Frazer has engaged in the raising of stock
quite extensively and at the same time has
tilled his fields so that they have brought
forth rich harvests. He has also added
to his landed possessions as the years
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
275
have passed by and his labors have in-
creased his financial resources. He now
has two hundred and sixty acres in the
home place, one hundred and twelve acres
elsewhere in Walker township, a tract of
one hundred and twenty acres in the same
township where his daughter resides, one
hundred acres in Rocky Run township
and ninety acres in Adams county, Illi-
nois. His holdings are therefore exten-
sive and indicate a life of thrift and en-
terprise, of good business ability and
keen foresight.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Frazer
has been blessed with six children, all
bom in Walker township: Mary C, who
died at the age of sixteen months ; James
L., who is a graduate of the Gem City
Business College at Quincy and assists in
the operation of the home farm; Edith,
the wife of William Schildman, who re-
sides upon her father's farm in Walker
township, and by whom she has had one
daughter ; Elberta May ; Lafayette, who
is living on one of his father's farms in
Walker township, and who married Ina
Tripp, by whom he has two children ;
Marvin, who at the age of twenty-two
years is at home; Elberta G.. also at
home. Marvin and Elberta are attending
the Gem City Business College at Quincy.
Mr. Frazer is a stalwart democrat in
his political views and is now serving as
supervisor of this township for the fourth
or fifth term a fact which is indicative
of the confidence reposed in him by his
fellow townsmen and his promptness and
fidelity in the discharge of his duties. He
has also served as school director and as
treasurer of the school board. Frater-
nally he is connected with the Odd Fel-
lows and has been treasurer of his local
lodge. Both he and his wife are members
of the Methodist church, contributing
generously to its support and are actively
interested in its work. Wherever known
they are held in high esteem and are rec-
ognized as leading people of the commu-
nity. Both are representatives of well
known and honored families of the
county and they have reared a family of
whom they have every reason to be proud.
They are now comfortably situated in
life, and with the exception of the farm
received from his father Mr. Frazer has
acquired all that he possesses. He now
has a most attractive home, supplied with
all the comforts which go to make life
worth living and both he and his wife
gladly extend the hospitality of their
home to their many friends. In disposi-
tion he is kindly and charitable and in all
life's relations he has been straightfor-
ward and honorable. He has ever been
a great reader and deep thinker and is
recognized as a man of sound judgment
whose opinion is often sought by friends
and neighbors in matters of individual or
public interest.
JUDGE CHARLES J. SCOFIELD.
Judge Charles J. Scofield, of Carthage,
whose ability as lawyer, jurist, orator and
author has made him widely known be-
yond the borders of his native county and
state and whose life has been one of sig-
nal usefulness and activity not only for
276
BIOGRAPHICAL REV IE]}'
the benefit of his individual interests but
for the benefit of his fellowmen as well,
was born in the city which is yet his
home, on Christmas day of 1853, his par-
ents being Charles R. and Elizabeth
(Crawford) Scofield. The family is of
English lineage and was established in
Stamford, Connecticut, between the years
of 1635 and 1640. His father was born
at Dewittville, Chautauqua county, New
York, in 1821, and spent the days of his
boyhood and youth in the place of his na-
tivity, coming when a young man to Han-
cock county, Illinois, where, in 1851, he
joined his brother, Bryant T. Scofield,
who was one of the prominent early at-
torneys of Carthage. He read law with
his brother and afterward entered into
partnership with him. On the dissolution
of this business connection Charles R.
Scofield formed a partnership with David
Mack under the style of Mack & Scofield
and this became one of the strongest and
most prominent law firms in the county,
the connection being maintained until the
death of Mr. Scofield in January, 1857.
In February, 1853, ne was married to
Miss Elizabeth Crawford, a native of
Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and a daughter
of Harrison Crawford, who was one of
the early residents of the county and who
at the time of Mr. Scofield's death was
engaged in agricultural pursuits near
Carthage. Mrs. Scofield had two sons,
Charles J. and Timothy J., and with them
she returned to her father's home about a
mile from the city. Subsequently they
again took up their abode in Carthage,
where her death occurred on the 27th of
May, 1877. She was a member of the
Christian church and she devoted her life
untiringly to the welfare of her sons, the
younger of whom, Timothy J. Scofield,
is now at the head of the trial department
of the Union Traction Company, of Chi-
cago, and was formerly assistant attorney
general under General Moloney.
The elder son, Charles J. Scofield, was
a student in the public schools of Car-
thage until 1868, when he matriculated in
the Christian University at Canton, Mis-
souri, from which institution he was
graduated in the class of 1871 with the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. For three
years thereafter he was a teacher in the
high school of his native city and during
that period devoted his leisure hours out-
side of the schoolroom to the study of law
under the direction of his uncle, Bryant
T. Scofield, and William C. Hooker and
George Edmunds, who occupied the same
offices. On examination he was admitted
to the bar in June, 1875, and in the fol-
lowing October was appointed master in
chancery of the circuit court of Hancock
county, which position he filled continu-
ously until going upon the bench. In the *
meantime he also entered upon the active
practice of law, which he continued alone
for four years, occupying offices, however,
with William E. Mason, a prominent at-
torney. His success came soon because
his equipment was unusually good. His '
native and acquired abilities were soon
manifest in the able manner in which he
handled important litigation. His mind
is analytical, logical and deductive and
moreover he is a worker, recognizing that
close application and unfaltering indus-
try are concomitants for success at the bar
as truly as in the fields of manual labor.
In February, 1879, he formed a partner-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
277
ship with Henry \Y. Draper, one of the
most prominent lawyers of Cartilage and
an able politician. Under the firm style
of Draper & Scofield they practiced until
the death of the senior member, July 8,
1 88 1, when his brother, Timothy J., hav-
ing been admitted to the bar, Judge Sco-
field formed a partnership with him un-
der the firm of Scofield & Scofield. In
the fall of 1884 A. W. O'Hara was ad-
mitted to the firm as Scofield, O'Hara &
Scofield. which relation was continued
until June, 1885, when Charles J. See-
field was elected one of the three judges
of what was then the sixth judicial circuit
of Illinois, comprising the seven coun-
ties of Hancock, Adams, Pike, McDon-
ough, Fulton, Schuyler and Brown. On
the expiration of his six years term he
was re-elected and sat upon the bench for
twelve consecutive years. He was nomi-
nated for a third term in 1897 but in the
meantime the legislature had changed the
boundaries of the district whereby Han-
cock was assigned to a district so strongly
republican that there was no hope of
election for a supporter of democracy and
Judge Scofield, who has always been a
stanch democrat, therefore declined to be-
come a candidate. In 1893 ne was a P~
pointed by the supreme court of the state
one of the judges of the appellate court
for the fourth district and sat upon that
bench for four years, or until the expira-
tion of his second term as circuit judge.
His legal learning, his analytical mind,
the readiness with which he grasps the
points in an argument, all combine to
make him one of the capable jurists of the
state and the public and the profession
acknowledge him the peer of any member
of the appellate court. Since retiring
from the bench Judge Scofield has en-
gaged in practice in Carthage, at various
points in the state and in other states as
well. His practice has been of a most
important character, calling him into In-
diana, Iowa, Missouri, to Chicago and
other cities. Various offers have been
made to him in the line of his profession
in Chicago, but he has preferred to main-
tain his residence at his old home in Car-
thage and from this point goes forth to
perform his professional service, being
recognized as one of the strong and able
members of the Illinois bar.
Judge Scofield was married Septem-
ber 12, 1876, to Miss Rose Spitler, the
adopted daughter of Dr. Adam Spitler,
of this city, and a graduate of Carthage
College. Their home is situated on the
same lots where his parents began their
domestic life and its hospitality is well
known to the citizens of Carthage. They
are members of the Christian church, in
the work of which they have taken a most
active and helpful part. In addition to
his law practice Judge Scofield has acted
as a minister of the Christian church for
many years, and although accepting no
regular pastorate has filled many pulpits
and is regarded as one of the strong rep-
resentatives of the Christian ministry.
He holds the degree of LL. D from Eu-
reka College, one of the schools conduct-
ed under the auspices of his denomina-
tion. He belongs to the Knights of
Pythias, to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and other fraternal organizations
and gives unfaltering allegiance to the
democracy with firm faith in the party
principles. He has won much more than
2/8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
local fame as a writer and has published
two volumes, "A Subtle Adversary," a
leading temperance work, and "Altar
Stairs," a work bearing on the questions
of Christian faith, both of which have
had good sales. His ability as an orator
has caused his services to be much in de-
mand for public addresses and for the de-
livery of addresses before various con-
ventions in Boston, Chicago, Denver and
elsewhere. He is a fluent, earnest and
forcible speaker, and while he employs
the adornment of rhetoric with good ef-
fect, they are but the avenue of expression
for facts which he deems of vital interest
to the race at large or to the body which
he is addressing. He has frequently
been chosen as a delegate to the church
federations. In an analyzation of his
character it will be seen that he has
brought all of his native talent, acquired
ability and energies to bear upon the one
purpose of the fulfilling of his duty to
his fellowmen and to his country. With
a keen sense of individual responsibility,
believing that man is his brother's keeper,
he has labored to uphold the political and
legal status and to promote intellectual
and moral advancement, his work being
directed not only by a sense of duty but
the higher motive of principle.
JAMES L. BRADFIELD.
James L. Bradfield, a retired farmer
and large landowner, making his home
in La Harpe, was bom in Coshocton
county, Ohio, June 29, 1854. His pater-
nal grandfather, James Bradfield, was a
resident of Virginia and married a Miss
Nichols. Their son, James N. Bradfield,
was born in Loudoun county, Virginia,
and having arrived at. years of maturity
was married in Ohio, April 12, 1853, to
Miss Ada Wolfe, who was born in Co-
shocton county, Ohio, and was a daugh-
ter of James and Sarah (Meredith).
Wolfe, natives of the Buckeye state.
After their marriage James N. Bradfield
followed farming in Ohio for a year and
in the fall of 1854 removed to Muscatine,
Iowa. In Hardin county, that state, he
purchased a farm whereon he resided un-
til the fall of 1870, when he sold that
property and came to Hancock county,
Illinois. Here he invested in a tract of
land in Durham township, whereon he
resided for about twenty-one years, when
in 1891 he sold out and went to Ne-
braska, making his home in the latter
state until 1899. In that year he made
a visit to the old home place in Durham
township and died there on the 4th of De-
cember of that year. He had for a num-
ber of years survived his wife, who
passed away June 25, 1886. In their
family were four children : James L.,
of this review ; William F., of La Harpe ;
Henry S., of this county; and Laura M.,
the wife of Clark H. Rice, of Hancock
county.
James L. Bradfield spent his boyhood
days on the home farm under the parental
roof and at the age of seventeen years be-
gan farming on his own account upon
rented land, which he operated for four
years. On the expiration of that period
he established a general store at Disco,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
279
where he also engaged in the grain and
stock business in partnership with his fa-
ther. After a year he sold out and
through the succeeding three years op-
erated rented farms. He next bought
eighty acres of improved land in Durham
township, whereon he resided for six
years and at the end of that period in-
vested in one hundred and fifty-six acres
in La Harpe township. Taking up his
abode thereon he made the place his home
until March, 1905, when he removed to
La Harpe, building a fine residence, con-
taining ten rooms, besides halls and clos-
ets. It is heated with furnace, supplied
with bath and all modern improvements
and is one of the fine modern residences
in the city. In addition to this property
Mr. Bradfield has extensive landed in-
terests and is now the owner of four hun-
dred acres of valuable land in Durham
and La Harpe townships. He also owns
an interest with others in a half section of
coal land in Colorado and has seven hun-
dred acres of unimproved land in north-
western. Nebraska. He likewise owns
stock in the Waldorf Metal Mining Com-
pany, of Colorado, is a director in the La
Harpe State Bank, of which he was one
of the organizers, and is a stockholder of
the Coulson, Brundage Hardware Com-
pany, of which he is vice president and a
director. His business investments are
now extensive and return to him a splen-
did income, so Tthat he can well enjoy a
retired life, his property returning him
sufficient capital to bring him all of the
comforts and many of the luxuries of
life.
On the 1 5th of February,. 1872, Mr.
Bradfield was married to. Ellen Refzer,
18
who was born in Durham township and
was educated in the district schools, a
daughter of Daniel and Hannah (Mor-
ris) Retzer, natives of Lancaster and
Green counties, Pennsylvania, respective-
ly. The mother came with her parents
to this county in 1843, while the father
arrived in 1851, so that they were closely
connected with the county from pioneer
times. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bradfield
were born four children : Estella R.,
born December 31, 1872, is the wife of
Wesley Davis, who resides upon the first
farm which Mr. Bradfield purchased in
the country. James Harvey, born De-
cember 17, 1875, is a practicing physi-
cian of Sheridan, Wyoming; Leslie S.,
born August 30, 1869, is living in Pueblo,
Colorado. Mary E., born September 22,
1883, is the wife of Clair J. Thomas, who
resides upon one of her father's farms in
La Harpe township.
Mr. Bradfield is a member of the Meth-
odist Protestant church and his political
allegiance is given to the Republican
party. He has served for three years as
commissioner of highways of La Harpe
township, also as school director and jus-
tice of the peace of La Harpe township,
being elected to the last named position
in the spring of 1905. His interest in
community affairs is that of a public-spir-
ited citizen whose labors are actuated by
an earnest desire to benefit the locality
and promote the welfare of town and
county. In an active life he has displayed
excellent ability and keen discernment,
making judicious investments and gain-
ing gratifying success. He has earned
for himself an enviable reputation as a
careful man of business and in his deal-
280
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
ings is known for his prompt and honor-
able methods, which have won him the
deserved and unbounded confidence of his
fellowmen.
ADAM KROPP.
When a man passes on the highway of
life others who perhaps started out ahead
of him surrounded by more advantageous
circumstances, it is always interest-
ing to examine into his career and note
the causes of his advancement and suc-
cess. Mr. Kropp is one whose life rec-
ord has been characterized by many good
business traits that have resulted in his
winning a place among the substantial
residents of Hancock county, where he
now owns valuable farming property,
situated in Walker township. He
was born in Germany in 1831, a
son of Peter and Elizabeth (Carman)
Kropp, who were likewise natives
of that country, in which they spent
tives of that county, in which they spent
their entire lives. Of their family of nine
children Adam Kropp is the only one now-
living. The days of his boyhood and
youth were passed in his native country
and when twenty-two years of age he
came to America, the voyage consuming
twenty-eight days. A colony of three
hundred people made the trip at the same
time. Locating in Pennsylvania, Mr.
Kropp remained for two years, after
which he removed to Missouri and then
came to Hancock county, Illinois, where
he worked as a farm hand bv the month.
In 1862 Mr. Kropp was married to
Mrs. Annie Catherine Staff (nee Cress),
who was born in Germany, November 16,
1835. Her parents coming to America,
settled on a farm in Hancock county, but
both are now deceased. Their family
numbered six children, of whom four are
now living: John, a resident farmer of
Walker township ; Mrs. Kropp, deceased ;
Elizabeth, the wife of Lewis Keiner, of
Walker township; and another John, who
died in Nebraska ; Catherine, the wife of
Leonard Egley, living in Warsaw, Illinois ;
and Caroline, the wife of Fred Beeler,
of Walker township. Mrs. Kropp's first
husband was Nicholas Cress, a native of
Germany, who died in Warsaw, Illinois,
in the latter part of the '505. There were
three children by that marriage, of whom
one is now living, Caroline, the wife of
Lewis Brackensick, who lives in Adams
county, Illinois, and has four children,
Annie, Lewis, Irma and Albert, who are
with their parents on a farm. Mrs.
Kropp had two brothers, both named
John, who were soldiers in the Civil war
and served until its close. One of them
was called big John and the other little
John.
After his marriage Mr. Kropp pur-
chased ninety-five acres of good land on
section 29, Walker township, and the
young couple began their domestic life
in a log cabin there. He afterward re-
placed the primitive home by a frame
residence, which later was destroyed by
fire, and he then built his present dwell-
ing. In addition to his farm he likewise
owns twenty-seven town lots in Tioga.
He carried on general farming and stock-
raising and his business was carefully
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
281
conducted, being therefore a source of
gratifying income. He was drafted for
service in the Civil war but hired a sub-
stitute and remained at home, concentrat-
ing his energies upon his business inter-
ests. He came to America on borrowed
money and while in Pennsylvania, as the
result of industry and frugality, paid off
the debt. He has since been a hard work-
ing man and his earnest toil and perse-
verance, together with the assistance of
his estimable wife, brought him a goodly
competence and he is now comfortably
situated. His land is rented and he prac-
tically lives retired from active business,
enjoying a well merited rest.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kropp were born
four children, all natives of Walker town-
ship, namely : Henry, a farmer of Rocky
Run township, who married Anna Keith
and has four children, Winnard, Leoline,
Carlton and Eugene; John, a farmer of
Walker township, who wedded Louisa
Kunz, and has five children, Ursula, Wil-
lis, Eva, Esther and Edith ; Elizabeth,
who is keeping house for her father ; and
Annie, the wife of Rev. P. Ott, of Calu-
met, Iowa, by whom she has one daugh-
ter, 'Lizzie. The children were all edu-
cated in the district schools. In 1890 the
family was called upon to mourn the loss
of wife and mother, for Mrs. Kropp
passed away in January of that year,
amid the deep regret of many friends as
well as her immediate family. She was a
member of the German church at Tioga,
and was laid to rest in the Tioga ceme-
tery. Mr. Kropp is also a member of the
same church and his political allegiance
is given to the Republican party. He has
justly won the broad American title of
a self-made man. He recognized the fact
that in America labor is king and he paid
his allegiance to that sovereign. Work-
ing persistently year after year he has
steadily advanced toward the goal of
prosperity and is now accounted one of
the substantial residents of Walker
township.
JAMES W. BOLINGER.
Among the retired farmers who now
make their home in Disco but who in for-
mer years were actively identified with the
agricultural development of Hancock
county is numbered James W. Bolinger,
whose birth occurred in Monroe county,
West Virginia, July i, 1838. When only
about four years of age his parents, Philip
and Mary Bolinger, drove with team and
wagon from West Virginia to Meigs
county, Ohio, where the father engaged
in farming for about ten years, and then
continued his journey by wagon to Ed-
gar county, Illinois, where he continued
his farming operations for several years
and then removed to this county, where
he followed the pursuits which had been
his occupation through many long years.
During their later years, however, they
resided for a time in the eastern part of
this state, but at the time of their demise
were making their home with our sub-
ject. The father passed away in 1872,
while the wife survived for only about
two years, being called to her final rest
in 1874.
James W. Bolinger is the fourth in or-
282
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
der of birth in a family of eight daughters
and two sons, of whom only three sur-
vive, the sisters being Elizabeth, the wife
of John Taylor, of Hamilton, Illinois,
and Sarah, the wife of John Redford, a
resident of Terre Haute, Indiana. Mr.
Bolinger acquired a common school edu-
cation, but his advantages in this direc-
tion were somewhat limited. He has,
however, in later years added much to his
knowledge by reading and investigation.
He remained under the parental roof un-
til twenty-five years of age, assisting in
the development of the home farm, when,
on the 1 4th of January, 1867, he was
united in marriage to Miss Mariette Zer-
by, whose birth occurred on the farm
which is still her home. Her parents
were Daniel and Mary Zerby.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Bolinger took up their abode on the farm
which belonged to his father-in-law, and
which constituted one hundred and twelve
acres situated on section 6, La Harpe
township. The land was unimproved
and the only building upon the place was
a small house, but our subject at once set
to work to clear the land and cultivate
the fields, and in due course of time he
gathered rich crops. The property is
now well improved, the fields being di-
vided by woven wire fences, and there are
likewise many substantial outbuildings
for the shelter of grain and stock. In
1891 the original home of the family was
replaced by a modern frame residence
and altogether the place is one of the at-
tractive country homes in this section of
the state. He also set out an orchard,
containing apple, peach and plum trees,
and grapes are also found upon the place.
Mr. Bolinger continued to improve and
cultivate his farm until 1903, when, feel-
ing that his labors in former years now
justified his retirement from the more ar-
duous duties of life, he purchased two lots
in the village of Disco, on which he
erected a good frame residence, contain-
ing eight rooms and supplied with all
modern conveniences and accessories and
here he and his wife are now living in
honorable retirement, the farm being con-
ducted by his son-in-law, Allen St. Clair.
In the family of this worthy couple are
three children : James- W., a telegraph
operator, being stationed at Wilburton, In-
dian Territory ; Minnie, the wife of Cyrus
Rice, a resident of Durham township;
and Emma, the wife of Allen St. Clair,
residing on the homestead farm. In his
political views Mr. Bolinger is a stalwart
democrat but has never been active in the
work of the party. He holds membership
in the Methodist Protestant church at
Disco, in the work of which he is a help-
ful and interested factor. Starting out in
life a poor man, he has worked diligently
and persistently to acquire a competence
that now enables him to rest from further
labor and he and his wife are companion-
able people, highly esteemed in the com-
munity where they have lived and labored
throughout the greater part of their lives.
JOHN B. HASTINGS.
John B. Hastings, who is the owner of
valuable farming and stock raising inter-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
283
ests in Hancock county and moreover has
extensive landed possessions in the west,
owning and conducting a very large stock
ranch in Kearney county, Nebraska, is a
native son of Illinois, his birth having oc-
curred in Adams county on the 3Oth of
December, 1842. His parents were Sam-
uel R. and Martha A. (Anderson) Hast-
ings, natives of Kentucky and Maryland
respectively. The father was a 7 son of
Benjamin and Rachel (Hitch) Hastings,
also natives of Maryland, and the mother
was a daughter of John and Elizabeth
(Guerrant) Anderson, who were natives
of Virginia, while the great-grandfather,
James Anderson, was also born in the
Old Dominion. In the year 1837 Benja-
min Hastings became a resident of
Quincy, Illinois, and John Anderson had
previously located in Adams county in
1835. entering land within two miles of
the present site of the city of Quincy. He
became the owner of an extensive and
valuable tract of six hundred and forty
acres, while Mr. Hastings owned the
northeast quarter of section 22, Melrose
township. He died in the year 1839,
while John Anderson survived until 1885.
The son of the former and the daughter
of the latter were married in Adams
county and Samuel R. Hastings became
the owner of two hundred acres of land
on section 22, Melrose township, which
was unimproved. He transformed it into
a richly cultivated tract and put up a
number of buildings thereon. It was tim-
ber land when it came into his possession,
but he cleared away the trees and brush
and while thus engaged he cultivated
land, which he rented. He continued to
rent a farm for about five years, at the
end of which time he removed to his
home place. In 1868 he bought one hun-
dred and sixty acres of the southeast
quarter of section 15, Montebello town-
ship, Hancock county. This was im-
proved prairie land and he also invested
in one hundred and sixty acres in Marion
county, Missouri, near Palmyra, and one
hundred and sixty acres near Kingston,
Caldwell county, Missouri. He resided
upon the home place until he had a stroke
of paralysis in the spring of 1903. Los-
ing the use of his vocal organs thereby,
he has since lived with his son, John B.
Hastings, and on the 3d of October, 1906.
he will have reached the age of eighty-six
years. Earnest, persistent labor consti-
tutes the strong element in the success
which he has enjoyed as the years have
gone by and as the result of diligence and
perseverance he became the owner of val-
uable farming property.
John B. Hastings is the eldest of a fam-
ily of five sons and two daughters, of
whom three sons and one daughter are
yet living. He made his home with his
father on the old farm until twenty-two
years of age and acquired his education
in the public schools. On the i6th of
January, 1865, he was married to Miss
Martha E. Watson, who was born near
Quincy on the i6th of December, 1845,
her parents being Benjamin and Maria
(Tyrer) Watson, natives of Kentucky,
in which state also lived her grandfather,
James Tyrer. Mrs. Hastings was edu-
cated in the public schools of Quincy. For
two and a half years after their marriage
they resided upon the old Hastings farm
and at the end of that time Mr. Hastings
fitted up a freight train for the govern-
284
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU*
ment to be used from the Missouri river
west to designated points. He was in
Denver, Colorado, on the i6th of June,
1866, at which time a public celebration
was held because of the turning on of the
first irrigation water. For two years Mr.
Hastings engaged in freighting in the
west, after which he spent the succeeding
year upon the old home place and in the
fall of 1868 he came to the farm which
his father had purchased in Montebello
township and which was given to John B.
Hastings and his brother, Green B. Hast-
ings, who have always been equal part-
ners in their business dealings. They se-
cured the home place of one hundred and
sixty acres and have added to it until
they now own four hundred acres on sec-
tions 14 and 15, Montebello township.
They own three hundred and sixty acres
of improved land in Faulkner township,
Clark county, Missouri, which is used
as a stock farm, and in 1887 they began
the importation of horses from England,
France and Belgium, devoting their at-
tention to the raising of three breeds.
They at first lxught twelve head and
since that time have made two other ship-
ments, one of thirty-two head and the
other of thirty-eight head. They contin-
ued in business until 1893, when they re-
tired from the field as importers. They
now raise draft horses and have one stal-
lion for service of the Percheron breed
upon the home place, and one Belgium
stallion on the Missouri farm. They rais;
from ten to twelve head of draft horses
each year and they raise short-horn cat-
tle, Poland-China hogs and Shropshire
sheep. Their place in Hancock county
is called the Montebello Stock Farm. In
addition to this property they also own
twelve hundred acres of land in Kearney
county, Nebraska, which is used as a
stock farm for the raising of cattle, horses
and hogs. They also have five hundred
acres of plowed land devoted to the rais-
ing of wheat, corn, oats and alfalfa.
Unto Mr. Hastings and his first wife
were born four children : Emily J., who
died at tffe age of twenty-one years ; Sam-
uel R., at the age of twenty-four; Cora
E., at the age of twenty-three; and An-
drew L., at the age of twenty-five; while
the wife and mother passed away in No-
vember, 1877. On the 8th of June, 1899,
Mr. Hastings was again married, his sec-
ond union being with Iva Simmonds, who
was born in Adair county, Missouri, July
15. 1875. and is a daughter of John S.
and Mary (McConnell) Simmonds, na-
tives of Illinois and Missouri respective-
ly. Her grandparents were Squire and
Martha A. (Cox) Simmonds, natives of
Indiana, while the maternal grandparents
were Asa and Martha V. (Peusa) Mc-
Connell, the former a native of Missouri
and the latter of France. Their children
are: Lessie E., born March 15, 1900:
Mary E., November 17, 1901; Green.
June 4, 1903 ; and John, September 4.
1905, the two sons being named for the'
father and the uncle, who have long been
partners in business.
Mr. Hastings of this review votes with
the democracy and has held the office of
road commissioner in his township, but
is not active as a politician, preferring to
leave office seeking to others, while he
concentrates his energies upon his busi-
ness affairs. Both brothers are recog-
nized as men of excellent business enter-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
285
prise and capacity, straightforward in
their dealings and quickly recognizing
good business opportunities and ad-
vantages.
CLINTON CUTLER.
Clinton Cutler, living retired in Car-
thage after many years' connection with
agricultural interests, lias now passed the
eighty-first milestone on life's journey, his
birth having occurred in Erie county,
New York, September 9, 1825. There
he lived until twelve years of age, his
youth being largely passed in attendance
at the public schools. His parents were
Jonas P. and Martha (Jones) Cutler,
both natives of Vermont, where they
lived until after their marriage. They
then removed to Erie county, New York,
and the father served as a justice of the
peace in the town of Holland. He also
engaged in farming there for a number of
years, or until his removal to the middle
west about 1837, in which year he lo-
cated in Fulton county, Illinois, where he
devoted his time and energies to farming
until 1851. He then came to Hancock
county, settling in Pilot Grove township,
where he purchased a tract of land, on
which he carried on general farming until
his death when he was sixty-eight years
of age. He was a member of the Mis-
sionary Baptist church and a man whose
entire life was characterized by the most
honorable principles and manly conduct.
His political allegiance was given to the
democracy. For many years Mrs. Cut-
ler survived her husband and passed away
in Winterset, Iowa, at the advanced age
of ninety-one. She was the mother of
eleven children, nine of whom still sur-
vive.
Clinton Cutler, whose name intro-
duces this review, was a youth of twelve
summers when he accompanied his par-
ents on their removal from the Empire
state to Illinois. He attended the public
schools of Fulton county and through
the periods of vacation assisted his fa-
ther in the farm work, remaining with
his .parents until after their removal to
Hancock county in 1851. Subsequently
he lived in Pilot Grove township, where
he purchased one hundred and six acres
of land, making his home thereon for a
number of years or until after the death
of his first wife. He later purchased
land in several different townships of
this county and successfully carried on
farming until 1903, when he took up his
abode in the city of Carthage, where he
has since lived retired, enjoying in well
earned rest the fruits of his former toil.
His property he has divided among his
first children and he now occupies a
pleasant home in Carthage owned by
Mrs. Cutler.
Mr. Cutler has been married twice. He
first wedded Miss Mary Ann Christ, who
was born in Pennsylvania and became
the mother of six children. Charles H.,
the eldest, now a resident of Des Moines,
Iowa, married Sarah Walker, who died
leaving a large family : Benjamin, a
farmer of Winfield, Kansas, died at the
age of forty years ; Caleb is residing in
Centerville, Iowa ; Joel S. makes his home
in Chicago; John A. died in infancy; and
286
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Laura is the wife of John Lawton, a
blacksmith of Carthage, by whom she
has five children. For his second wife
Mr. Cutler chose Mrs. Nancy A. Booth,
the widow of John N. Booth, a farmer
who resided in Carthage township. He
was born in Kentucky and in his boyhood
days came with his parents to Hancock
county. At the time of his death he was
the owner of two hundred and thirty-
five acres of valuable farming land, which
constituted the visible evidence of a life
of thrift and enterprise, and through the
kindness and liberality of his father-in-
law, John Booth, she received the deed
of this farm. In politics he was a demo-
crat. Unto him and his wife were born
three children, Amanda M., Eddie and
John E., all of whom were born in Car-
thage township but are all now deceased.
Mr. Booth was forty-two years of age at
the time of his demise. Mrs. Cutler was
educated in the common schools of Car-
thage township. She was a daughter of
Edward and Mahala White (Collins)
Russell. Her father was born in Mary-
land and there resided until after his mar-
riage. A farmer by occupation, he fol-
lowed that pursuit in the south and in
1838 came to Illinois, settling in Car-
thage township, Hancock county, where
he became the owner of extensive prop-
erty interests and carried on general ag-
ricultural pursuits there throughout his
remaining days. He died at the age of
sixty-eight years in the faith of the
United Brethren church, of which he was
a devoted member. His political views
accorded with the principles of the Re-
publican party. His wife lived to the
advanced age of ninety-five years and,
having passed away on the 25th of De-
cember, 1899, was laid to rest by his side
in Franklin cemetery of Carthage town-
ship. Unto the second marriage of Mr.
and Mrs. Cutler have been born six chil-
dren, of whom five are yet living. Clara
Josephine, the eldest, is the wife of Sam-
uel Law, of Carthage, and they have one
child. . DeWitt Clinton, residing in
Carthage township, married Olive Rhor-
bough and they have two children, Clara
Ethel and Edith, the latter a music teach-
er residing at home. Edward P., living
in Carthage township, where he owns
and operates one hundred and sixty acres
of land, was married to Nellie Haney and
they have two children, Harrison H. and
George C. Frank Clarence, residing in
Carthage township, where he owns a
farm of eighty acres, married Matilda
Huey, a daughter of Robert Huey, and
they have two children, Paul and Leotta.
Ralph Cyrus, residing on the home place,
which he now owns, married Daisy Reno,
a daughter of Newton and Leonora Reno,
of Carthage township, and they have two
children, Kenneth and Mildred. Mr. and
Mrs. Cutler are most highlv esteemed
people, widely and favorably known in
Carthage, and during the long years of
his residence in Illinois, covering almost '
six decades, Mr. Cutler has ever com-
manded the respect and good will of those
with whom he has been associated
through social, political or business rela-
tions. He well merits the ease and re-
tirement he now enjoys. Mrs. Cutler
from her father and husband received a
good estate and has arranged for the suc-
cess of her sons by aiding each to get a
start in the business world.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
287
FREDERICK MAIRE.
Frederick Maire, who for a number of
years was a traveling salesman for a
paint house but is now living retired in
Hamilton, was bom in Alsace, France,
December 31, 1844. The ancestry of the
family can be traced back through au-
thentic records to a date prior to 1700.
The great-grandfather was Theodore
Maire and the grandfather Francis Maire.
The latter was a captain in the French
army and served under Napoleon. His
son, Alexander Maire, also a native of
France, was married to Miss Mary Ann
Lorentz, a daughter of Ignatius Lorentz,
who was sergeant major in the command
of the Prince of Conde in the army which
opposed Napoleon. Alexander Maire, a
man of broad and liberal education and
strong mentality, served as professor of
ancient languages in the university of
France. In 1856 he came to America
with his wife and their only child Freder-
ick, arriving in New York, whence he
went to Rochester, spending one term as
a teacher in a seminary for young ladies.
He afterward removed to Basco, Han-
cock county, Illinois, where he purchased
two hundred and fifty acres of land as an
investment. He rented the farm, how-
ever, and made his home in the town,
where he conducted a general store for
several years. In 1868, however, he sold
all of his interests in Hancock county and
removed to York county, Virginia, where
he was engaged in the oyster business and
in the conduct of a general store for three
years. On the expiration of that period
he disposed of his interests in the south
and removed to New York city, where he
purchased a book store on Ann street, con-
ducting his business in the metropolis and
making his home across the river in New-
ark, New. Jersey. He continued a resi-
dent of New York until 1880, when he
returned to France, where he died in
1893, while his wife passed away in 1891.
Frederick Maire pursued his prelimi-
nary education under private tutors and
spent three years as a college student. He
was associated with his father until 1872,
when at the age of twenty-eight years he
secured a position as decorative painter,
which trade he had learned in France. He
was thus engaged until 1880 in New York
city and from 1886 until 1888 was ed-
itor of a magazine called the House
Painter and Decorator, which was pub-
lished in Philadelphia. He has also writ-
ten several books on painting and he is
certainly an expert in the art of decora-
tive painting. In 1880 he went to Basco,
where he remained until 1883, when he
removed to Hamilton and purchased two
acres of land just north of the cemetery.
In 1888 he bought eleven acres on the
bank of the Mississippi river just north
of the city, there residing for three years,
during which time he was employed by
Harrison Brothers & Company, of Chi-
cago, as a traveling salesman for paint
and also as an expert on paint. He con-
tinued with that house for eleven years,
being one of its most efficient and trusted
representatives, but in 1899 he severed
his connection with Harrison Brothers &
Company and has since been living re-
tired with his family in Hamilton. He is
one of the finest artists in the county and
some of his work has won high praise.
On the 24th of May, 1864, Mr. Maire
288
BIOGRAPHICAL RE}' IE}}'
was married to Miss Hannah Fisher, who
was born in Rockville, Indiana, a daugh-
ter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Cox) Fish-
er, natives of Ohio. They came to Han-
cock county in 1856 and Mr. Fisher gave
his attention to general agricultural pur-
suits. Mr. and Mrs. Maire were married
in Alexandria, Missouri, and unto them
have been born the following named :
Marie, the wife of Cyprien Bedouin, a
captain of the French army; Renee, the
wife of J. V. Crum, a merchant of Ham-
ilton ; Elizabeth, who is the widow of Eu-
gene Droussent, of Hamilton; Theresa,
the wife of Henry Cuerden, a merchant
of Hamilton ; Annette, at home ; Paul M.,
who owns a farm in Montebello town-
ship ; and a son and daughter, Samuel A.
and Louise, now deceased.
Mr. Maire is a Catholic in religious
faith, while his political allegiance is
given to the Republican party. While
living in Virginia he served as township
clerk. He gave his attention to his busi-
ness interests for a number of years
and with a desirable capital retired to
private life to enjoy a well-earned rest.
He devotes considerable time and atten-
tion to artistic work and his excellent
conception of artistic subjects, his fine
shading and color have made him an artist
of more than local fame.
HARRY R. FOLCKEMER. M. D.
Dr. Harry R. Folckemer, who though
a young man has attained success and
prominence in his profession that many
an older practitioner might well envy, is
now located in Dallas City, where al-
ready a liberal patronage has been accord-
ed him. He was born in Camp Point,
Illinois, in 1880, his parents being Henry
and Ellen (Craver) Folckemer. Some
of his ancestors were in the war of 1812
and his great-great-grandfather on the
mother's side served as a major in the
second war with England. The father.
Henry Folckemer, was born in Shrews-
bury, York county, Pennsylvania, in
1836, while his wife's birth occurred in
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1845. H- e
learned the tinner's trade in his native
town and came to Illinois in 1866, set-
tling at Camp Point, where he established
a hardware store, which he is still con-
ducting. During the period of the Civil
war he served in the- Fifty-first Pennsyl-
vania Volunteer Infantry and was in the
army of the Potomac under General Mc-
Clellan, participating in the battle of An-,
tietam. He served for one year, after
which he returned home and has since
1866 been connected with the hardware
trade of Camp Point. In politics lie is
an unfaltering advocate of the democracy
and has held a number of local offices,
serving for several terms as alderman
and in other positions of public trust.
Fraternally he is connected with the Odd
Fellows and with the Knights of Pythias
and he attends the services of the Meth-
odist church, of which his wife is a mem-
ber. In their family are three living chil-
dren ; Paul M., who is in business with his
father; Harry R., of this review; and
Richard, who is in Indian Territory.
Dr. Harry R. Folckemer acquired his
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
289
early education at Camp Point and passed
through successive grades until he was
graduated from the high school. Later
he attended the University of Illinois at
Champaign for two years and acquired
his professional education in Chicago as
a student in the College of Physicians and
Surgeons, from which he was graduated
in the class of 1905. In the same year he
came to Dallas City, where already he
has obtained a large city and country
practice. He is a regular physician, thor-
oughly proficient in his profession and is
constantly adding to his knowledge by
reading and observation as well as by
practical experience. He has a well
equipped office on Third street in connec-
tion with his home and has done excellent
work as a representative of the profes-
sion. Like his father he gives his polit-
ical allegiance to the democracy. He is
also a member of the Knights of Pythias
fraternity and of the Masonic lodge, and
of the Hancock County Medical Society
and the American Medical Association.
A young man of strong intellectual force
and laudable ambition, he is wide-awake
and enterprising and it needs no gift of
prophecy to foretell that a successful fu-
ture awaits him.
JOSEPH F. DEITRICH.
Joseph F. Deitrich, deceased, was an
indusrious, enterprising and representa-
tive citizen of Hancock county. He be-
came a resident of Illinois in 1865 and
of this county in 1867. He was born in
Northumberland county, Pennsylvania,
September 14, 1826, and passed away on
the i8th of December, 1901, at the age of
seventy-five years. His parents, Joseph
and Rosana (Fullmer) Deitrich, lived and
died in Pennsylvania, where the father
was a successful farmer. Unto him and
his wife were born ten children, but only
two are now living: Daniel, who resides
in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; and
Sarah, the wife of John Kaiser, of Mil-
ton, Pennsylvania.
Joseph F. Deitrich was educated in
the subscription schools of his native state
and was reared to farm life, remaining
at home with his father until twenty-six
years of age. He was then married on
the 1st of January, 1852, to Miss Sarah
A. Benner and they have become the par-
ents of five children, of whom three are
now living : Mary, the wife of Ludwig
H. Foresman, of Dallas City; Ellen, the
wife of George M. Cummings, who is
mentioned elsewhere in this work; and
Hettie, the wife of Walter Cummings, of
Los Angeles, California. The wife and
mother died February 21, 1862, and on
the 1 5th of May, 1864. Mr. Deitrich was
married to Miss Sarah E. Wolf, who was
born in Northampton county, Pennsyl-
vania. December 28, 1845, a daughter of
Joseph and Mary Magdalena (Beck)
Wolf, who were natives of Pennsylvania.
Her great-grandparents in the maternal
line came from Germany. Her father
was a shoemaker by trade and thus pro-
vided for the support of his family. Both
he and his wife were members of the
Lutheran church and passed away in the
Keystone state, where they were laid to
290
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
rest. Ill their family were five children,
but only two are now living: Joseph,
who resides in Williamsport, Pennsyl-
vania; and Mrs. Deitrich. By her mar-
riage Mrs. Deitrich became the mother of
thirteen children, of whom six are living.
Etta A., the wife of James Paulus, of Co-
lusa, has eight children; Edith, the wife
of Homer Matthews, of Burnside, by
whom she has one child, Phineas Frank-
lin; Grace, Joseph F., Clarence V., Vesta,
Edna, Irene and Ellen R., at home. El-
mira, the second member of the family, is
the wife of Warren H. Jacobs, of Mis-
souri, and they have two sons : Verner
Lloyd and Otis Cleon. William, living
in Dallas township, is married and has
one child. Susanna, Grover C. and John
W. are at home with their mother.
It was in the year 1865 that Mr. Deit-
rich came to Illinois, settling first in Mc-
Donough county, where he lived for two
years. He then came to Dallas township,
where he purchased sixty-nine acres of
land on section 13. It is upon this farm
that his widow yet resides. Here he car--
ried on general agricultural pursuits. He
built a new house after his cottage was
destroyed by fire, also built a new barn
and made other needed improvements.
He also bought one hundred acres of land
across the road from his home on section
ii, .Dallas township. He lived a life of
industry and enterprise and was a model
farmer, keeping everything about his
place in neat and thrifty condition. In
matters of citizenship, too, he was also'
progressive and loyal. He gave his po-
litical support to the democracy and served
as supervisor for several years. No pub-
lic tras't reposed in him was ever betrayed
in the slightest degree. He belonged to
the Lutheran church, in which he served
as deacon and of which his wife is still a
member. Mr. Deitrich was generous al-
most to a fault, being particularly kind
and helpful to the poor and needy. In his
family he was a devoted husband and
father and wherever he was known he
was respected because of those sterling
traits of character which in every land
and clime command respect and admira-
tion. Mrs. Dietrich still survives her
husband and is managing the home prop-
erty. Like him, she has many friends in
the county and is well worthy of repre-
sentation in this volume.
ARTHUR RAY MANIFOLD.
Arthur Ray Manifold is a native son
of Hancock county, his birth having oc-
curred in La Harpe township, August I,
1883. and is one of the younger represent-
atives of agricultural interests in this por-
tion of the state. His father, John Mani-
fold, was born in Roane county, Tennes-
see, a son of George and Mary Manifold,
who, on leaving their native state came
to Illinois, locating on a farm on section
19, La Harpe township, this county. Here
the son John was reared to farm life and
after reaching man's estate was married
in 1854 to Miss Eliza Ann Miller, and he
continued to reside on the home place,
assisting his mother in the management
of her farming interests, his father having
died in 1836. After the death of his
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
291
mother he inherited the homestead prop-
erty, to which he added from time to time
until he possessed an extensive tract, com-
prising four hundred and eighty-nine
acres all in one body except twenty-five
acres situated on section 19, La Harpe
township. Here he engaged extensively
in general farming and stockraising until
his death, which occurred February 16,
1901. By this marriage there is one son,
William Edison, who is a resident of this
township. The father was married a sec-
ond time to Elizabeth Loretta Chapin, the
widow of Henry Foley, and a daughter of
Robert P. and Elizabeth Chapin. She
was a native of Ohio, and by her mar-
riage became the mother of Arthur Ray
Manifold, the subject of this sketch. Her
death occurred November 10, 1900.
Arthur Ray Manifold acquired his edu-
cation in the public schools, passing
through consecutive grades until he had
completed a high school course, subse-
quent to which time he pursued a course
of study in Gettings Seminary, at La
Harpe. He assisted his father in the op-
eration of the home farm and always re-
mained with his parents, and at their
death came into possession of a valuable
farm property, which he is now success-
fully operating.
On the 1 9th of October, 1904, our sub-
ject was united in marriage to Miss Alice
May Smith, who was born at Raritan,
Illinois, but was reared in Fort Madison,
Iowa, where she acquired her education,
there completing a high school course.
She is a daughter of Albert R. and Ella
(Harris) Smith, the former a native of
Fort Madison, Iowa, where he still re-
sides, being engaged in the conduct of a
dairy, and also as a dealer in real estate.
A daughter, Eleanor Lois, was born to
this union November 24, 1906.
In his political views Mr. Manifold is
a republican, while his religious faith is in-
dicated by his membership in the Chris-
tian church at La Harpe. He is a Mason,
belonging to lodge No. 195, Ancient Fret
and Accepted Masons, at La Harpe. Hav-
ing been born and reared ini Hancock
county Mr. Manifold has a wide acquaint-
ance -both in business and social circles
and both he and his wife are popular
young people, the hospitality of their
home being freely extended to their many
friends.
JOHN M. HABBEN.
John M. Habben, who is now one of the
most prominent German-American farm-
ers of Hancock county, residing in Prairie
township, where he owns a very rich farm
of three hundred twenty acres, where his
time and energies are devoted to general
agricultural pursuits, is a native of Eur-
ich, Hanover, Germany. He was born
December 13, 1859, and when but seven
years of age was brought to the United
States by his parents, Mimka and Anna
(Jaspers) Habben, likewise natives of
Germany, who, on crossing the Atlantic,
made their way at once to Illinois, settling
in Adams county. There the father rent-
ed land for three years, after which he
made purchase of one hundred and sixty
acres in Prairie township, Hancock
county the farm upon which his son
292
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
John now resides. He transformed this
from a tract of wild land into a well im-
proved farm and made it his home until
his death, which occurred when he was
fifty-two years of age, his remains being
interred in Concord cemetery. He pros-
pered in his undertakings and was a self-
made man, whose prosperity was attribu-
table entirely to his own efforts. He
never cared for public office or sought to
figure prominently in any public light,
content to devote his attention to his busi-
ness affairs whereby he provided a com-
fortable living for his family. His widow,
who held membership in the Lutheran
church at Carthage, died at the age of
seventy-three years.
John M. Habben largely acquired his
education in the public schools of Car-
thage, attending both the district and city
schools, and in his youth assisted in the
work of the home farm. He has always
remained upon this place since his par-
ents took up their abode here and he now
owns the property which he bought in
1901 after the death of his mother, to-
gether with one hundred and sixty acres
adjoining the old homestead. Soon after
buying the farm he built one of the most
beautiful and commodious residences in
the vicinity, the main part having a front-
age of thirty-eight feet by sixteen feet
deep, two stories, and a large ell in the
rear. All is nicely finished and fur-
nished, and also has modern conveniences
as windmill, telephone and those acces^
series usually found on the place of the
more successful men. His fields are all
under cultivation and in addition to rais-
ing the cereals best adapted to soil and
climate he devotes his attention to the
raising of high grade stock. He is well
known as an enterprising, successful
farmer, who is never idle a day and who
through his diligence has gained a place
among the substantial agriculturists of
the community. He has almost entirely
unaided brought himself to a position of
wealth and independence.
Mr. Habben was married April 16,
1 88 1, to Miss Anna Ficht. who was born
in Eurich, Hanover, Germany, March 8,
1860, and came to the United States
about 1868, living in Prairie township
until her marriage. Her parents were
Henry and Marie (Bruntz) Ficht. They
were born in Germany, and there they
followed the occupation of fanning and
all but one of their six children were
born. When Anna (now Mrs. Ficht).
was about eight years old they embarked
for America on one of the oldtime sail
vessels, being eight weeks making the
voyage, and after arriving in New York,
it took eight days to come to Illinois. He
rented land first hear Golden, Adams
county, and there he lived but a short
time when he moved to Prairie township,
his wife dying within a few years. He
was a farmer of Prairie township during
his active life. He is now living retired
and makes his home with Mr. and Mrs.
Habben at the age of eighty-three years.
Unto our subject arid his wife have been
born five children and the family circle
yet remains unbroken. These are: Mim-
ka, who aids in the operation of the
home farm; Man-, Louis, Henry and
George, all of whom are yet under the
parental roof. All were born upon the
homestead farm in Prairie township. The
parents are members of the German Luth-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
293
eran church of Carthage and are well
known residents of the community in
which they make their home, enjoying the
favorable regard of all with whom social
or business relations have brought them
in contact.
While a democrat in politics he is
rather independent, voting each time for
the best man. He does not care for office,
preferring to give his time to his exten-
sive farming interests. He has been
school director for a number of terms, the
cause of education finding in him a warm
friend.
JAMES F. GIBSON.
James Finley Gibson is one of the na-
tive sons of Hancock county, whose life
record stands in contradistinction to the
old adage that "a prophet is never with-
out honor save in his own country," for
here in the locality where he has spent his
entire life he has gained signal recogni-
tion as a lawyer of ability, who, though
yet a young man, has gained prominence
equal to that of many a practitioner of
twice his years. He was bom in Pilot
Grove township, June 19, 1879, and is a
son of Robert C. and Harriet (Lowrey)
Gibson. He is a graduate of Carthage
College and prepared for his chosen pro-
fession as a student in the law department
of the University of Wisconsin, from
which he was graduated in the class of
1903. He was president of his class and
commencement orator, the two highest
honors that could be bestowed in the law
school. Following his graduation Mr.
Gibson located at once in Carthage and
opened an office. He has met with very
gratifying success in his chosen field of
labor and has secured a liberal clientage
that has connected him with much impor-
tant litigation tried in the courts of his
district. He is a close and discriminating
student and has comprehensive knowl-
edge of the principles of jurisprudence
and is correct in their adaptation. In
1905 he was elected city attorney of
Carthage, which position he still fills.
On the ist of September, 1898, Mr.
Gibson was united in marriage to Miss
Sarah Alberta Tyner, who was born in
Pilot Grove township in 1878 and is a
daughter of Jared L. and Emily L. Tyner.
Her father was a popular druggist of
Burnside, where he died and is buried.
In the family were three children : May,
now the wife of George W. Rhea, of
Carthage ; Viola, the wife of Edward
Lyon, of this city; and Mrs. Gibson.
Unto our subject and his wife has been
born a son, James C., whose birth oc-
curred in Madison, Wisconsin, July 21,
1903. Her mother, Mrs. Tyner, is still
living and makes her home with her
daughters in Carthage.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Gibson hold mem-
bership in the Christian church and take
an active and helpful part in its work. He
served as church treasurer in 1905 and
has put forth effective effort in behalf of
the church and has contributed gener-
ously of his means to its support. He be-
longs to the Masonic fraternity, in which
he has served as senior deacon and he is
a stanch advocate of the democracy. He
owns one of the largest and finest law
294
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
libraries, in the city, with the contents of
which he is largely familiar. In the prep-
aration of his cases he is most thorough
and careful, preparing for the unexpect-
ed which happens in the courts quite as
frequently as out of them. He is always
well armed for any point of attack and
is quick to notice the weak points in an
adversary's position. He has won many
notable forensic triumphs and is regarded
as an able member of the bar, who is mak-
ing rapid progress in the line of success-
ful practice. He and his wife are recog-
nized as people of culture and refinement
to whom an enviable social position is
readilv accorded.
. GOTTLIEB BOLLIN.
Gottlieb Bollin, in his farming opera-
tions, keeps fully abreast with the most
modern methods of farming, using the
latest improved machinery and all the
accessories which facilitate farm work.
Advancement along agricultural lines has
been rapid and pronounced, and Mr. Bol-
lin is a typical representative of this spirit
of progress. He resides on section 23,
Sonora township, where he has a tract of
two hundred acres, and he also owns one
hundred and twenty acres on section 15,
besides twelve acres of timber land in
Sonora township on the banks of the Mis-
sissippi river. Mr. Bollin was born in
Baden, Germany, September 15, 1841,
and is a son of Joseph and Agnes
(Haire) Bollin, likewise natives of the
fatherland. The father on leaving his
native country made his way to Cincin-
nati, Ohio, where he located in 1856, there
following farming for three years, and in
1859 he removed to Nauvoo, where he
operated rented land in Sonora township.
Two years later he removed to Rock
Creek township, where he remained for
three years and then came to Nauvoo,
where he spent. his remaining days. His
wife had died in Cincinnati, Ohio, leav-
ing six sons and three daughters. The
father was married a second time to Mrs.
Kimes, of Nauvoo, and her death oc-
curred in this city, while the father also
passed away here in the fall of 1881.
Gottlieb Bollin, the second in order of
birth in his father's family, pursued his
studies in Germany to the age of twelve
years, and continued his education for
two years after the family arrived in Cin-
cinnati, Ohio. He remained with his
parents to the age of seventeen years and
then started out to face the responsible
duties of life on his own account. He
began work as a farm hand in Sonora
township, where he was employed for one
season and also worked for a time in
Nauvoo township. In June, 1861, how-
ever, he put aside all business and per-
sonal considerations, and in response to
the country's call for aid offered his serv-
ices' to the government, enlisting as a
member of the First Iowa Cavalry, at
Keokuk. The company was mustered in
at Burlington in August, and did duty
in the state of Missouri. He served
in the army until the close of the war,
and then went with General Custer to
Texas, where he was honorably dis-
charged at Austin in the spring of 1866.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
295
After the close of hostilities Mr. Bol-
lin returned to his home, where he was
employed as a farm hand by the month
until 1871, when, through his industry
and economy, he was enabled to make
purchase of forty acres of land on sec-
tion 15, which he had hitherto rented.
Three years later he added another tract
of forty acres, adjoining on the west.
Later he added another forty-acre tract,
belonging to the estate of his father-in-
law, and known as the Theodore Lohr
farm, thus making in all one hundred and
twenty acres situated on section 15. Here
he carried on general agricultural pur-
suits and as the years passed by he pros-
pered in his undertakings, so that in
course of time he was able to make fur-
ther purchases, at one time adding eighty
acres situated on section 23 and at a later
date, eighty and then forty acres, mak-
ing a total of two hundred acres on sec-
tion 23, and one hundred and twenty acres
on section 15. On the two-hundred-acre
tract he erected a house and barn, and
has since made an addition to his house
of brick, the residence now containing
nine rooms, and two stories in height.
He built a horse and cattle barn, corn
cribs and all substantial outbuildings for
the shelter of grain and stock. He also
set out a fine orchard, containing apple,
peach and plum trees. He has a wind-
pump on his place, and has two wells, one
thirty-three feet in depth, while the other
is forty-three feet deep, thus furnishing
water for stock and for use in the house.
He has used both wire and Osage hedge
fencing in dividing his farm into fields
of convenient size, and thus his is one of
the valuable farms of this portion of the
19
state. He is practical and progressive
in all that he does and each year his finan-
cial resources are greatly enhanced and
today he is numbered among the wealthy
citizens of Sonora township.
On the ist of August, 1870, occurred
the marriage of Mr. Bollin and Miss
Christina Lohr, a-native of Prussia, born
February 9, 1848. Her mother died in
Germany, and Mrs. Bollin then accom-
panied her father to America in 1855,
being then a little maiden of seven sum-
mers, and one of three sons and two
daughters. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bollin
have been born nine children, as follows :
John Theodore, born March 13, 1871,
and a resident of Sonora township; An-
nie Katherine, born April i, 1873, and
her death occurred October 26, 1874;
Andrew, born December 18, 1874, and a
resident of Sonora township, married
Julia Beecher; Mary Josephine Benedic-
ta, whose birth occurred September 20,
1877; Jacob Joseph, born May 27, 1880,
of Sonora township, who married Miss
Jennie Terry, August 22, 1906; Frances
Louisa, born March 5, 1883, and likewise
a resident of this township; Nellie Ger-
trude, born October 30. 1886, and Wil-
liam Adolph and Frank Leo, twins, born
July 22, 1889, are still under the parental
roof.
Mr. Bollin's study of the political ques-
tions and issues of the day have led him to
give his support to the Republican party
although he has never been an office seek-
er, for he finds that his business affairs
make sufficient demand upon his time and
attention, and he has attained through his
own labors his position as one of the
progressive and prosperous farmers of
296
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Hancock county. He is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic and in reli-
gious faith is a Catholic. Although start-
ing out in life empty-handed, he possesses
that spirit of enterprise and industry so
characteristic of the German race, and by
the proper use of his native talents has
worked his way up to a position of prom-
inence and affluence.
GUY B. CHANDLER.
Guy B. Chandler is the owner of a fine
farm in Wythe township. An attractive 1
residence stands in the midst of fine shade
trees and there are ample buildings in the
way of barns and sheds for the shelter
of grain and stock. There is also an ap-
ple orchard of two and a half acres, while
the well tilled fields annually produce
good crops, showing that the owner is
thoroughly conversant with the best
methods of tilling the soil.
The owner, Guy B. Chandler, is one
of Wythe township's native sons, his birth
having occurred within its borders on
the 1 5th of September. 1842. His pater-
nal grandfather, Dr. Chandler, was a
noted physician who practiced near
Zanesville in Muskingum county, Ohio,
but died there when comparatively a
young man. His son, Rudolphus Chan-
dler, born in Vermont, was but a young
lad at the time of his father's demise.
He learned the trade of a harness maker
and coach finisher, and, attracted by the
opportunities of the growing west, in
1836, he drove across the country with
team and wagon and purchased one hun-
dred and- sixty acres of land, constituting
the northwest quarter of section 20,
Wythe township, Hancock county, Illi-
nois. This was all wild prairie covered
with the native grasses and there was
little indication in the entire neighborhood
that the work of improvement and prog-
ress had been begun. Mr. Chandler
brought with him to Illinois his family,
constituting wife and three children.
He had been married in Ohio to Miss
Lydia Hutchinson, a native of that state,
and unto them were born two sons and a
daughter ere they left their old home.
After reaching this county Mr. Chandler
built a log house and log stable, and in
true pioneer style began life here. He
broke the prairie with the crude imple-
ments then in use, finding it an arduous
task, but he persevered in his work and
continued the cultivation and improve-
ment of the farm until his death, which
occurred December 13, 1876. His wife
passed away January 10, 1871, and was
laid to rest in the Congregational church
cemetery in Wythe township.
Guy B. Chandler was the youngest liv-
ing child at the time of his father's death.
His early education acquired in the dis-
trict schools, was supplemented by three
terms of study in Warsaw Seminary, and
he remained upon the old homestead un-
til the time of his marriage, aiding in the
work of tilling the soil and caring for
the crops. On the I2th of March, 1864.
when twenty-one years of age, he wedded
Miss Elizabeth A. Smith, who 'was born
in Clark county, Indiana, March 23, 1839,
a daughter of William and Susan (Scott)
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
297
Smith, natives of England and Maryland
respectively, the former a son of John
Smith, and the latter a daughter of John
Scott. In the spring of 1856 they went
to Warsaw and soon afterward settled
with his brother, John Smith, in Wythe
township.
Following his marriage Mr. Chandler
purchased a farm of one hundred and
twenty acres in Clark county, Missouri,
of which sixty acres had been cleared,
fenced and was under cultivation. He
resolutely undertook the task of improv-
ing the remainder of the farm and there
lived until after his mother's death, when
he returned to the home place in Hancock
county, conducting the farm for his fa-
ther until the latter's demise, when he-
purchased one hundred and sixty acres
of the old homestead. Eight years later
he remodeled and improved the residence,
which his brother had built. After his
father's death he also fenced the place
with hedge and with wire fences and he
planted many fine shade trees, which add
much to the value and attractive appear-
ance of the farm. He also has an apple
orchard covering two and a half acres.
In 1903 he replaced the old home by a
fine residence, containing all modern
equipments and conveniences. It is sup-
plied with hot and cold water and heated
by furnace and convenient in its arrange-
ment and tasteful in its furnishings.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Chandler
has been blessed with three daughters:
Luella, now the wife of P. A. Fulton, of
Keokuk, Iowa; Nettie S., the wife of Rev.
Edward Montgomery, a Presbyterian min-
ister at Warsaw, Indiana; and Eve E.,
the wife of Rev. W. H. Matthews, pas-
tor of a Presbyterian church in Chicago.
The daughters were educated in Knox
College, the older two pursuing the regu-
lar course, while the other pursued the
scientific course and also studied music
in that institution. Mr. and Mrs.
Chandler thus gave their children excel-
lent educational privileges and have lived
to see them well settled in life. They
hold membership in the Presbyterian
church, in the work of which they are
deeply interested and to the support of
which they contribute generously. Mr.
Chandler is a republican, who has served
as trustee of his township and also as
assessor, discharging the duties of these
offices with promptness and fidelity. His
entire life has been passed in Wythe
township and he is both widely and fa-
vorably known in this part of the county.
He has made an enviable record as a
business man and has achieved a measure
of success which is most creditable, as it
has been honorably won.
- CHARLES B. DOOLITTLE.
Charles B. Doolittle, owning and op-
erating one of the finest tracts of land
in Appanoose township, is a native son
of this township, having here been born
May 25. 1838, a son of Amzi and Phebe
(White) Doolittle, natives of New York
and Ohio respectively. The paternal
grandfather. Edward Doolittle, left New
York at an early day, coming to Illinois,
settling in Sangamon county. He
298
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
brought with him his son Amzi, who was
then seventeen years of age. He then
left the son in Illinois and started back
to New York for his wife and the other
members of the family but died on the
way. The son Amzi worked at farm la-
bor in Sangamon county, receiving nine
dollars per month for his work. 'He was'
thus employed for thirteen months and
during that time had saved one hundred
dollars, which he invested in a heifer, a
yoke of steers and a sow. He then broke
eight acres of wild land, which he plant-
ed to corn, and in this way he gained his
start in life. At the end of two years,
having raised quite an amount of stock,
which he disposed of, and then removed
to Schuyler county, Illinois, where he also
broke eight acres of land, on which he
lived until 1826, and then came to Appa-
noose and built the first house in the vil-
lage double log cabin. Many Indians
were still to be found in this section of
the state, and Mr. Doolittle traded some
stock to them for a tract of land. He
also conducted the first ferryboat run-
ning from Appanoose to Fort Madison,
Iowa. He was married in this state to
Miss Phebe White and they took up their
abode in Appanoose. Later in company
with his wife and one child he started
for his old home in the Empire state,
traveling on a steamer up the Mississippi
and Ohio rivers, and it was not until he
had reached his old home that he learned
of his father's death, he having died
twelve years previous while on his way
to that state for his family. Mr. Doolit-
tle after a time returned again to Appa-
noose, where he continued the operation
of his ferry-boat. He also built a large
sawmill and in connection with two other
men built one of the first houses in Bur-
lington, Iowa. He was a very prosper-
ous man in all of his undertakings and
eventually became a large landowner,
having one thousand acres, situated in
Iowa, Missouri, and Hancock county.
He also conducted a merchandising en-
terprise and dealt in lumber. He was
very active in the ranks of the Democratic
party, serving as supervisor, as poor mas-
ter of the county, and during his incum-
bency in the office of supervisor he saved
the township several thousand dollars.
Charles B. Doolittle, whose name intro-
duces this record, was reared to farm life,
assisting his father in the operation of
the homestead property, where he re-
ceived practical training in all depart-
ments of farm labor. His educational
advantages, however, were very limited
for, owing to the unsettled condition of
the country in his youth, there was not a
good school system established, and dur-
ing the short time that he pursued his
studies the sessions of school were held
in private homes. In 1862, in company
with three comrades, he crossed the
plains, traveling overland with six yoke
of oxen, and after a long, tedious jour-
ney, which covered four months and five
days, they reached Walla Walla, W r ash-
ington, where he was employed in the
gold mines during the summer season
and through the winter months he worked
on different ranches. In October, 1866,
he started down the Yellowstone river
to Sioux City, Iowa, from which place
he went by stage to Denison, and there
boarded the first railroad train lie was
ever on, his destination being Fort Madi-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
299
son. He worked for his father for one
year following his return from the west,
and his father then gave him one hundred
and nine acres of land, situated on section
n, Appanoose township, of which twen-
ty-five acres had been cleared, while the
remainder was covered with timber. He
has since cleared much of this and now
has about seventy-five acres under culti-
vation, which each year yields abundant
harvests as the result of care and labor
he has bestowed upon the fields. He has
nineteen acres in oak timber, which is
the first growth. He has also added many
modern improvements upon his place, in-
cluding good fences and outbuildings,
which are kept in good state of repair,
so that his farm shows evidence of an en-
terprising and progressive owner.
In August, 1867. occurred the mar-
riage of Mr. C. B. Doolittle and Miss
Nancy Olive Atherton, a native of Appa-
noose township, and a daughter of Rob-
ert Atherton. She became the mother of
four sons and a daughter: Amzi. of
Decorra, Illinois; Cora, the wife of Wil-
liam Long, of Hancock county, Illinois :
Harry D. and Charles Roy, on the home
place; and John Simpson, of Xiota. Illi-
nois. The wife and mother died about
1894, and thus passed away one of the
highly esteemed women of Hancock
county, her loss being deeply regretted
by many friends, as well as her immediate
family.
Mr. Doolittle gives his political sup-
port to the Democratic party, and served
as school director for eight years, but
aside from this has held no public office.
Although deeply interested in the ad-
vancement of his countv and its welfare
he finds little time for holding public of-
fice, preferring to concentrate his ener-
gies upon his own private interests, in
which he is meeting with very desirable
success. Although he inherited his prop-
erty from his father he has worked hard
in clearing and improving the place until
today his is one of the productive and val-
uable tracts of his section of the .state.
WILLIAM H. HARTZELL.
William H. Hartzell is actively con-
nected with a profession which has im-
portant bearing upon the progress and
stable prosperity of any section or com-
munity and one which has long been con-
sidered as conserving the public welfare
by furthering the ends of justice nnd
maintaining individual rights and in his
practice has attained considerable promi-
nence, having today a distinctively rep-
resentative clientage.
Mr. Hartzell was born in Durham
township. Hancock county, November 8,
1869, and is a son of Noah and Rebecca
(Weatherington) Hartzell. The father
was a native of Pennsylvania, born in
1829, and the mother's birth occurred in
or near Columbus, Ohio, in the same year.
Mr. Hartzell was a farmer by occupation
and followed that pursuit following his
removal to Hancock county. -In religious
faith he was a Methodist, while his wife
belongs to the Baptist church. His death
occurred in La Harpe, while Mrs. Hart-
zell is now living in that town with her
300
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
daughter, Belle C., who is now the wife
of Harry E. Claycomb and is the eldest
of the family. The others are: Judd
O., who resides in Monmouth, Illinois;
Franklin, who died in childhood; and
William H., of this review.
Reared under the parental roof Wil-
liam H. Hartzell pursued his education
in the high school at La Harpe, of which
he is a graduate, and in Gitting's Semi-
nary. In 1886, at the age of seventeen
years, he took up the study of law in the
office and under the direction of the firm
of O'Hara & Scofield, of Carthage, and
in 1890 was admitted to the bar, being
then twenty-one years of age. He was
then admitted to a partnership by his
former preceptors and the firm became
O'Hara, Scofield & Hartzell. Following
the dissolution of this connection Mr.
Hartzell joined Truman Plantz in the es-
tablishment of a law firm, Mr. Plantz
maintaining an office in Warsaw and Mr.
Hartzell in Carthage. The firm had an
existence of nine months in that form, at
the end of which. time William C. Hooker
was admitted to a partnership and so
continued for three years. In 1901, Mr.
Hartzell opened an office alone on Jack-
son street in Carthage, where he is now
located. He possesses a fine law library,
with the contents of which he is largely
familiar. A self-made man, he entered
business life as an employe of Charles
Gill, proprietor of a general store in La
Harpe, working in the implement depart-
ment through the summer vacations, on
Saturdays and after school hours. To-
day he is a leading lawyer of Carthage,
having one of the finest practices in jury
cases in the county. He is indeed a
strong and able trial lawyer and has won
notable successes in several criminal
cases. His is a natural discrimination as
to legal ethics and he is so thoroughly
well read in the minutae of the law that
he is able to base his arguments upon
thorough knowledge and familiarity with
precedent and to present a case upon its
merits, never failing to recognize the
main point at issue and never neglecting
to give a thorough preparation. He
served as state's attorney from 1892 un-
til 1896 and was also city attorney for
La Harpe.
On the 1 3th of June, 1891, Mr. Hart-
zell was married to Miss Inez E. Char-
ter, who was born near La Harpe in 1872,
a daughter of Samuel and Salina (Lov-
itt) Charter, both of whom were natives
of Muskingum county, Ohio. Her fa-
ther was descended from Kentucky an-
cestry and came to Illinois at an early
day, settling on a farm. He is now de-
ceased, while his widow resides in Los
Angeles, California. They were mem-
bers of the Christian church and to this
church Mrs. Hartzell also belongs. In
her parents' family were five children :
Phoebe and Ella, both deceased; Lucile,
wife of J. W. Mitchell, who is living in
Kentucky; Clara, the widow of Richard
Sailor, of Los Angeles, California ; and
Inez E., the wife of our subject. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Hartzell have been born
five children, Ruth, Franklin, Philip.
Eloise and Grace, aged respectively thir-
teen, eleven, eight, four and one years.
All were born in Carthage. The family
home is pleasantly located about three and
a half blocks northeast of the square and
is a beautiful residence at the comer of
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
301
Jackson and Davis streets. Mrs. Hart-
zell is a most active and interested worker
in the church and is now president of the
Missionary Society. Mr. Hartzell usu-
ally votes with the Democratic party, but
does not consider himself bound by party
ties and often casts an independent bal-
lot. He is a jovial, warm-hearted man,
a true friend and an entertaining conver-
sationalist, who looks at life from a prac-
tical standpoint, appreciative of its bless-
ings and pleasures and never neglectful
of its duties. He has won a notable pjace
in legal circles and is respected by all
with whom business or social relations
have brought him in contact.
BREVET MAJOR GENERAL OLI-
VER EDWARDS.
Brevet Major General Oliver Edwards
was born in Springfield, Massachusetts,
January 30, 1835. The family has al-
ways furnished representatives as defend-
ers of the country.
Captain Oliver Edwards entered the
colonial service in 1775, and valiantly
aided in the struggle that secured the re-
lease of the oppressed colonies from Brit-
ish tyranny. He married Rachel Par-
sons, of Northampton, and their soif, Dr.
Elisha Edwards, father of the general,
was bom in Chesterfield, Massachusetts,
January 26, 1795.
When a young man, Elisha Edwards
went to Northampton and in the employ
of E. Hunt learned the apothecary busi-
ness. In 1815 he moved to Springfield,
Massachusetts, and engaged in business
on his own account. In 1820 he formed
a partnership with Henry Sterns, which
lasted until 1825, and in 1828 with
Charles J. Upham under the firm name of
C. J. Upham & Company he established
a wholesale drug house. He was one of
the subscribers to the fund that purchased
Court Square and was chosen one of the
nine original directors of the Chicopee
Bank of Springfield. In 1821 he was
united in marriage to Eunice Lombard,
the daughter of Daniel and Sylvia (Burt)
Lombard, the birth of the father occurring
February 4, 1764. In 1787, during
Shay's rebellion, Mr. Lombard was ac-
tive on the side of the government forces
in quelling the insurrection. He received
the commission of quartermaster of the
First Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer
Militia, from Governor Samuel Adams
on July 31,1 794, and was honorably dis-
charged January 20, 1798. He was ap-
pointed postmaster by Thomas Jefferson
in 1806 and held that office during the ad-
ministrations of James Madison, James
Monroe and John Quincy Adams until
June 3. 1829, a continuous service of
twenty-three years. He married Sylvia
Burt, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
To Dr. and Mrs. Edwards were born
five sons and five daughters, seven of
whom grew to maturity: Mrs. Caroline
L. Smith, of Springfield, Massachusetts ;
Mrs. Sophia O. Johnson, of Bath, New
Hampshire; Mrs. Charlotte. E. Warner,
of Springfield, Massachusetts; William,
a prominent merchant of Cleveland, Ohio;
Mrs. Julia E. Hurd, of Dorchester, Mas-
sachusetts; Oliver, of Warsaw, Illinois;
302
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
and Mrs. Mary E. Childs, of Cleveland,
Ohio.
From early boyhood, Oliver Edwards,
of this review, had shown an undivided
interest in mechanics, taking delight in
the construction of articles from his play-
things. It had been his mother's inten-
tion to give him a collegiate education,
but so firmly was his heart set on mechan-
ism, that she at last consented for him to
pursue studies along that line and ar-
ranged for him a paid apprenticeship at
the Springfield Arsenal, and there he be-
came a master mechanic.
At the age of twenty-one, he started for
Dubuque. Iowa, with the intention of
establishing a foundry. An accident to
the steamer coming up the Mississippi
delayed him at Warsaw, Illinois, and
overtures were made to him to build a
foundry at that point. He entered a busi-
ness partnership known as Neberling, Ed-
wards & Company, a foundry was built
and to this work he devoted his time un-
til the breaking out of the Civil war. Be-
ing in Cleveland, Ohio, when the first
call for troops was made he determined
to return to the state where his ancestors
had fought to establish the Union and
there offer his services to aid in its pres-
ervation. He entered the service June
21, 1 86 1, as a private, but was appointed
adjutant of the Tenth Massachusetts
Regiment, but was soon detailed senior
aid-de-camp on the staff of General D.
X. Couch, commanding the division. In
August, 1862. he was commissioned ma-
jor and directed to organize the Thirty-
seventh Massachusetts Volunteer Regi-
ment and September 4, 1862, he was mus-
tered in as its colonel.
His ability as a commander was many
times demonstrated. At Salem Church,
Va., May 3, 1863, he was placed in com-
mand of his own and the Thirty-sixth
New York Regiment to occupy the posi-
tion of the extreme angle on the Federal
line of battle, throughout the night of
the 3d and the ensuing day. This exposed
position was one of great peril and Gen-
eral Sedgwick, the corps commander, ex-
pressed his gratification at the outcome,
frankly admitting that he had not expect-
ed to save a single man from the exposed
position in which it had been necessary
to place the command. Colonel Edwards
personally led his command through the
terrible cannonade at Gettysburg, July 3,
1863, and when more than thirty of his
men had fallen in a few minutes his reso-
nant words of confidence, "Steady,
Thirty-seventh!" rose above the din of
battle and held every man to his place in
a manner that won immediate and un-
qualified compliment delivered upon the
field by the brigade commander. On the
3Oth of July, 1863, an order was given
detailing "Four of the best disciplined
regiments of the Army of the Potomac"
for duty at New York in connection with
the draft temporarily suspended owing
to the draft riots, and the Thirty-seventh
Massachusetts was the first regiment
named in arranging for the detail. Dur-
ing his stay in New York Colonel Ed-
wardS was in command of the troops at
.Ft. Hamilton, consisting of his own regi-
ment, two regiments of New York heavy
artillery and some detachments of regu-
lars that formed the permanent garrison.
One incident only of the two months' stay
there may be repeated there, although
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
many others would make interesting read-
ing: Learning that prominent anti-draft
leaders had declared that probably no fur-
ther rioting would take place unless Mas-
sachusetts troops were brought to the
city, in which case not a man of them
would be allowed to leave alive, Colonel
Edwards promptly requested that he be
allowed to bring up his regiment as a
special guard for the drafting quarters,
that no other troops be allowed in sight
and that only the Massachusetts state flag
be displayed unless actual conflict took
place. The request was granted and the
plan fully carried out, but the .threatened
vengeance of the murderous wretches,
who a few weeks before had drenched the
city with blood, did not (very fortunately
for them) go further than sullen looks
and gloomy silence. The will of one fear-
less commander had faced a lawless ele-
ment boasting an organized force of 20,-
ooo men and had won a bloodless tri-
umph for law and order.
It was not until fall that an opportu-
nity occurred for leave of absence that
enabled Colonel Edwards to return to
Warsaw for the intended bride who had
waited with trunks ready packed since
May, the time first set for their marriage,
and on September 3, 1863, Oliver Ed-
wards was united in marriage to Ann
Eliza Johnston, daughter of John E. and
Catherine (Baldwin) Johnston, of War-
saw, Illinois, whose sketch appears on
another page of this work.
In the battle of the wilderness. May 5,
1864, General Wadsworth, whose divi-
sion had been broken and driven back in
some disorder, called upon Colonel Ed-
wards and his regiment for assistance in
checking the triumphant enemy and clear-
ing the field so that the broken division
might be reformed and put into action.
For nine hundred yards his single regi-
ment swept the field triumphantly, though
at a cost of one-fourth of its number.
"You have made a splendid charge,
your regiment has done all I wished, and
more than I dared hope," said General
Wadsworth as he rode away in search of
his division and to instant death.
General Edwards received the brevet
rank of brigadier general October 19,
1864, "for gallant and distinguished
services in the battle of Spotsylvania
Court House and meritorious conduct on
the field of battle at Winchester, Vir-
ginia."
At the battle of Opegnam, September
19, 1864, upon the death of General Rus-
sell and the wounding of General Upham,
the command of the division devolved
upon Colonel Edwards, which he held
until the close of the battle and handled
with such promptness and skill, with
such unfailing judgment as to win the ad-
miration of his superior officers, especially
General Sheridan, who as a mark of ap-
preciation appointed him commandant of
the post at Winchester, Virginia, with his
brigade as post garrison. It was from
the breakfast table at General Edwards's
headquarters that General Sheridan start-
ed on his ride to Cedar Creek to check
the disaster of October 19. In fact, the
friendship between Generals Sheridan and
Edwards was so close that the former
urged Edwards to accept the appoint-
ment of provost marshal general on his
staff and it was with great reluctance that
Sheridan consented for him to return to
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
his old brigade. In vain was the offer
of a command of a division not includ-
ing his old brigade made Edwards by
General Meade. When his return to ac-
tive duty was decided upon the heart of
the commander was with his old regi-
ment and he emphatically refused to take
any appointment which would take him
from them. In the assault of April 2
on the lines at Petersburg his brigade
took an active part, being the first to
break through the confederate works.
Next morning General Edwards received
from the mayor of Petersburg the sur-
render of the city very soon after the
evacuation of General Lee. For his serv-
ices at this time he received the commis-
sion of brevet major general to date from
April 5, 1865. On the I5th of January,
1866, he was honorably discharged from
the service of the United States after
declining an appointment for permanent
military advancement of which any sol-
dier might be proud, contentedly return-
ing to take up the broken threads of busi-
ness life. Returning to Warsaw, Illi-
nois, at the close of the war, he remained
for three years, serving the city as post-
master for a year and a half, a position he
resigned to become general agent for -the
Florence Machine Company at North-
ampton, Massachusetts, removing with
his family to that place, and later be-
came the company's general superintend-
ent, during which time he patented sev-
eral improvements on the sewing machine.
He invented and patented the Florence
spring skate, which the company manu-
factured, also the Florence oil stove, the
base of which is used in all the wick oil
stoves used and manufactured today.
In 1875 he retired from active business,
and returning to Warsaw bought the
house built by William H. Roosevelt, a
grand uncle of President Theodore
Roosevelt, which remains the family
home.
In 1882 he accepted an appointment as
general manager of the Gardner Machine
and Gun Company, of England, with
headquarters in that country. After a
year he returned to the United States for
his family, but two years later resigned
owing to ill health and again returned to
Warsaw.
He was always active in the advance-
ment of the best interests of his city, serv-
ing it as mayor three terms, was chosen
many times upon the boards of public
school and library, was frequently com-
mander of Arthur W. Marsh Post No.
343, Grand Army of the Republic, and
a member of the Masonic fraternity. In
politics he was a stalwart republican.
During the last two years of his life he
gathered into manuscript his recollec-
tions of the Civil war. An ardent lover
of nature, time never hung heavy for him
and he spent many hours in the cultiva-
tion of his rose garden, in growing and
experimenting with fruits and vegetables.
He was a keen sportsman with rod and
gun, a friend of animals, a student of
books, a loyal friend and an honored citi-
zen, following faithfully every pursuit
of earnest duty, content and proud to
pass his life modestly, sweetly, in the land
his valor had helped to save.
General Edwards died at his home in
Warsaw, April 28, 1904. There sur-
vive him his wife and two children: John
E. and Julia Katherine, the latter now
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
305
living with her mother at the home in
\Yarsaw. John E. received his educa-
tion in the public schools of Massachu-
setts and Illinois up to the age of four-
teen, when he was sent to Hanover Col-
lege, Hanover, Indiana, for two years,
and then for one year attended the Quincy
(Illinois) Business College. At the age
of seventeen, being in poor health, he
went to Colorado to spend the summer
on the ranch of his mother's uncle, Ed-
win Baldwin, intending to enter the Uni-
versity of Michigan that fall, but the
charm of the west held him and the fol-
lowing three years he spent on the ranches
in Colorado, Texas and Indian Territory
as a cowboy. In 1888 he went to Chi-
cago and for a year was in the employ of
Nelson, Morris & Company and of Swift
& Company, but returned to Texas and
drove a herd to Montana. For nine years
he was in the employ of Thomas Cruse
as foreman of an outfit and as general
manager of all his cattle and sheep in-
terests in Fergus County, Montana, re-
signing to go into a general merchandis-
ing business at Junction, Montana. A
year later he was appointed United States
Indian agent on the Crow reservation, an
appointment he held for three years, re-
signing to be appointed United States
Indian inspector for the northwest, from
which he resigned to go into business at
Forsyth, Montana, where he is president
of the Bank of Commerce, of the Electric
Light and Telephone Company and is
also engaged in irrigation and railroad
construction. He has recently been elect-
ed to represent Rosebud county as state
senator. In 1891 he married Julia, a
daughter of Reese Anderson, a ranchman
at Ft. Maginnis, Montana, and to them
have been Iwrn three children, two now
living: Annie Johnstone and Eunice
Irene Edwards.
(Taken from the Springfield, Massa-
chusetts, Repubican, date September 20,
1904) : At the presentation of a portrait
of General Edwards by Mr. Bowen to the
Springfield, Massachusetts, city hall col-
lection.
Secretary James L. Bowen, of this city,
who made the presentation speech, said
that General Edwards needed no memo-
rial to keep his memory enshrined in the
hearts of those who fought under him,
and with him. But it was fitting that the
members of General Edwards's old regi-
ment should leave something to serve as
a reminder in the city of his birth of
their old commander. Mr. Bowen said
that he should not aitempt to review the
life of General Edwards, for the facts
were too well known. His military rec-
ord did not need to be eulogized. From
the battle of Fair Oaks to the mustering
out in 1865 he fought bravely. General
Edwards had entered the service, Mr.
Bowen said, from civilian life, dropping
his business in the west on the call to
arms. He came to Springfield and be-
gan recruiting on Hampden park. And
when the recruits that he had collected
were portioned out to fill other brigades
General Edwards did not sulk in his tent,
but accepted the conditions like a true sol-
dier. His promotion was clue, Mr.
Bowen said, not to political- influence, but
to his own ability.
Loyal as he was to the state and city
of his nativity, he was equally loyal to the
regiment which he had organized and
306
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
which had given its organizer such credit.
During his entire military career he ab-
solutely refused to accept any command
which did not include the Thirty-seventh
Massachusetts regiment. His warm
friend, General Sheridan, urged him,
while commandant of the post at Win-
chester, to accept an appointment which
meant a lifetime of service in the regular
army, with high rank, but it was declined,
and he returned to the army of the Poto-
mac, to renew the perils of 'active service
in the field. There he positively refused
to accept any command which did not
embrace you men who are gathered here
today. This refusal was carried to such
a point as to place him in antagonism
with officers of superior rank, but Ed-
wards would not swerve, and finally he
was assigned to the command which he
sought, and through the defenses of Pe-
tersburg he led his tried and trusted bat-
talions, as he did in that last terrific strug-
gle at Sailor's creek, where General Sher-
idan, not accustomed to delay in striking
the enemy, sat upon his horse, with the
battlefield before him, and waited till Ed-
wards and his command could be brought
up from a point three miles in the rear to
bear the brunt of the infantry fighting.
His life as a citizen was a worthy sup-
plement to his life as a soldier. Modest
in his manner, the esteem in which he was
held is showr^by the positions of trust
given him by the community in which
his life was passed, where every honor
within the gift of his constituents was
gratefully bestowed. Such, in brief, was
the life whose close we mourn as we
gather here today. Mr. Commander. I
give to your keeping this memorial.
Brevet Major General Oliver Edwards
peerless soldier, worthy citizen, true-
hearted comrade.
JOHN W. BERTSCHI.
John W. Bertschi is one of the native
sons of Hancock county, having first
opened his eyes to the light of day on
section 22, Appanoose township, Febru-
ary 12, 1852. In the years that have
come and gone he has proved an active
and enterprising citizen, giving helpful
support to many progressive public
measures and at the same time carefully
conducting his individual business inter-
ests. Little is known concerning the an-
cestral history of the family save that
earlier generations were for a long pe-
riod residents of Switzerland. John
Bertschi, the grandfather, born and
reared in that country, was there married
to Miss Steiner, and their son, William
Bertschi, was born in the land of the
Alps April 18, 1825. Having arrived at
years of maturity, he wedded Miss Eliza-
beth Walti, who was born in Switzerland.
July 2, 1827, and was a daughter of Ru-
dolph Walti. It was in the year 1849
that William Bertschi came to Hancock
county with his widowed mother and
brothers and sisters. He was then a
young man of twenty-four years, and
after assisting the family to get located
in the new world, he returned to his na-
tive country in 1850 and there, in the
spring of 1851, he was married. In the
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
fall of the same year he brought his bride
to the United States and made his way
to Hancock county, Illinois, having pre-
viously determined to locate here where
the family had taken up their abode. He
purchased forty acres of land on section
22. Appanoose township, it being one of
the first farms of the locality. Upon it
was the only apple orchard in this part
of the county and people would come for
miles around to get apples, and others
came for long distances just to see the or-
chard, which was an oddity in those early
days. There was one frame house and
one log building upon the farm and also
two or three log stables. As Mr. Bertschi
could not obtain possession of his prop-
erty until the spring of 1852 he lived
with his sister, who had the adjoining
forty acres, during the winter. When
spring came, however, he took up his
abode upon his own place and began its
development and improvement. In course
of time he added eighty acres of prairie
land and forty acres of timber and at dif-
ferent times made purchase of twenty
acres on section 15, twenty acres on sec-
tion 1 6, and an eighty-acre tract on sec-
tion 27. He became well known as a
stockman, being particularly fond of
horses, and thus well qualified for their
care and raising. He owned the first
imported Percheron horse sired by Napo-
leon brought to this country. At differ-
ent times he owned many stallions and did
an extensive business as a breeder. He
died March 7, 1900, and was laid to rest
in Nauvoo cemetery, while his wife
passed away October 7, 1893. Their
family numbered five sons and three
daughters, as follows : John W. ; Her-
man and Albert, who are residing at
Glenwood, Washington; Carl, whose
home is in Niota, this county ; Lizette B.,
the widow of Lee Miller, of Iowa ; Otillia,
the wife of John Kindscher, of Meeker,
Colorado; Emma, the wife of Louis J.
Bicker, who resides on the old Bertschi
homestead in Appanoose township; and
William D., also of Niota.
No event of special importance oc-
curred to vary the routine of farm life
for John W. Bertschi in his boyhood and
youth. He was a student in Center dis-
trict school of Appanoose township and
like other boys he enjoyed the sports
which were indulged in by the youth of
the neighborhood. He was trained to ac-
tive farm labor, early becoming familiar
with the work of the fields, and to his fa-
ther he gave the benefit of his services un-
til his marriage, remaining until that time
under the parental roof. He had pre-
viously purchased eighty acres of land on
section 27, Appanoose township, of
which he became owner in the spring of
1876. There was an old log house upon
the place that is still standing, and the
other improvements were of a primitive
nature.
It was to this pioneer home that Mr.
Bertschi took his bride, when on the 24th
of October, 1877, he was married to Miss
Margaret Forth, who was born in Appa-
noose township. May 28, 1856. Her par-
ents were Frederick and Dorothy E. ( Her-
man) Forth, natives of Hesse, Germany.
The father made his way. to Belleville.
Illinois, in 1841, and lived in St. Clair
county - until 1852, when he removed to
Nauvoo and settled upon a farm in Ap-
panoose township, where he spent his re-
3 o8
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
maining days, passing away on the ist of
December, 1894. His widow still sur-
vives him and is now living in St. Louis
with her daughter, Mrs. John Klug. As
stated, Mr. Bertschi took his bride to the
log cabin upon his farm and there lived
for ten years, after which they spent two
years in a stone house situated opposite
his place. In the fall of 1890 he was
elected treasurer of the county and re-
moved to Carthage, where he continued
to reside until 1898, when he removed to
the vicinity of his home place and rented
a house, but in that year he had a modern
dwelling erected, which he and his fam-
ily have occupied since September, 1898.
He has also extended the boundaries of
his farm by purchasing sixty acres on the
south. He is well known as a general
farmer and stock-raiser, his attention in
the latter direction being given largely
to Poland China hogs.
In 1902 Mr. Bertschi was called upon
to mourn the loss of his wife, who died
on the 28th of January, and was buried
in Nauvoo cemetery. Their children
are: William Tell, who was bom Au-
gust 19, 1878, and is now in Portland,
Oregon; Roscoe R., who was born April
13, 1883, and is at home; and Wallace,
born May 14, 1887.
Mr. Bertschi holds membership in the
Christian church at Carthage, and is one
of the prominent democrats of the county,
recognized as a leader in the ranks of the
party. He was called to various public
offices, the duties of which he has dis-
charged with promptness and fidelity.
He was first elected township collector,
serving in 1877, 1878, 1879 and 1880.
It was during the same period that he
acted for one year as town clerk, and he
has also filled the office of supervisor for
a numlier of terms. For three years he
was a director of the agricultural board
of the county fair at Carthage. In the
fall of 1890 he was chosen by popular
suffrage to the office of county treasurer,
and served for one term of four years,
while since 1900 he has been assessor of
Appanoose township. Called thus to va-
rious offices his re-elections have been in-
dications of his ability and the trust and
confidence reposed in him by his fellow
townsmen. He has wielded a wide influ-
ence in public affairs and be it said to his
credit that the weight of his influence
is ever on the side of right, reform, prog-
ress and improvement. He is a man hon-
orable in all life's relations and whether
in positions of public trust, in business
circles or as a representative of social
relations he is known as a man worthy
of high regard and confidence.
FRANKLIN L. McCORMICK, M. D.
He whose name initiates this review
has gained recognition as one of the able
and successful physicians of Carthage and
Hancock county, and by his labors, his
high professional attainments and his
sterling characteristics has justified the re-
spect and confidence in which he is held
in the medical fraternity in the local pub-
lic. He is one of Illinois' native sons, his
birth having occurred in Mount Sterling,
Brown countv, on the 22d dav of March,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
309
1857, his parents being Robert and Ade-
line (Wilson) McCormick. The father
was bom in Kentucky and both he and
his wife spent their childhood days there
and were married in that state. The
name, however, would indicate Scotch an-
cestry. Robert McCormick and his wife
came to Illinois prior to 1849, as the
court records show that he owned the
ground where the Baptist church now
stands prior to that day. He was a tan-
ner and owned a tannery in Brown coun-
ty, continuing in that business up to the
time of his death. Both he and his wife
were devoted members of the Pres-
byterian church and were people of the
righest respectability. The father died
December 24, 1861, when his son Frank-
lin was but four years of age, and the
mother was left with the care of twelve
children, whom she reared, giving a
mother's loving devotion to them. She
died at the advanced age of eighty years,
three months and three days, passing
away in 1896.
Dr. McCormick is the eleventh child
and seventh son in the family. When
seven years of age he left Brown county
and removed to Pike county, Illinois,
where he acquired his preliminary educa-
tion and afterward attaided Normal
school. Later he engaged in teaching but
regarded this merely as an initial step to
other professional labor, for he desired
to become a member of the medical fra-
ternity and became a student in the office
and under the direction of Dr. Harvey,
of Pittsfield. He afterward attended the
Missouri Medical College at St. Louis
and pursued one course of lectures there,
while later he entered the Keokuk Med-
ical College, from which he was gradu-
ated with the class of 1897. He located
for practice at Bentley, in Hancock coun-
ty, where he soon secured a good country
practice, but desiring a broader field he
removed to Memphis, Missouri, where he
remained six months. He then came to
Carthage on the 22d of February, 1899,
and has since maintained a prominent po-
sition in the ranks of the medical frater-
nity here and has a large and lucrative
practice. He occupies a fine suite of
rooms in the McMahan building and is a
general practitioner, well versed in all de-
partments of medical science and its adap-
tation. He belongs to the Hancock Med-
ical Society, the Illinois State Medical
Society and the American Medical Asso-
ciation. He is moreover grand medical
examiner of the Hancock County Mutual
Life Association, of which he was the
originator, and which is now known as
one of the most successful mutual insur-
ance companies of the country, and owes
its success largely to Dr. McCormick.
Dr. McCormick was married Decem-
ber 13, 1882, to Miss Mary E. Brown-
ing, of Perry, Pike county, a daughter
of William and Mary (Dorsey) Brown-
ing, who were old residents of Pike coun-
ty, locating there on coming from Ten-
nessee. Unto Dr. and Mrs. McCormick
have been born three children : Matie
A., married June 3, 1906, to Carl C, Carl-
ton, of Sault St. Marie, Michigan, where
she resides. She is a graduate of the Car-
thage high school; Nettie L., who is also
a graduate of the high school and is cash-
ier of the Wyman Rand Carpet Com-
pany of Carthage; and Grace E., who is
vet a student. Dr. and Mrs. McCormick
3 io
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
and the two elder daughters hold mem-
bership in the Christian church. Theirs
is a pleasant and attractive home on South
Main street, Dr. McCormick having
made most of the improvements there.
Its hospitality is justly celebrated and
their circle of friends is an extensive one.
Dr. McCormick belongs to the Odd Fel-
lows Society of Perry and the Knights
of Pythias lodge at Pittsfield, Illinois.
In politics he is a democrat but is too
busy to hold office even if he had political
aspirations. He is justly accounted one
of the strong members of the medical
fraternity in the county, having thor-
oughly acquainted himself with the sci-
ence of medicine, and to his knowledge he
is continually adding through reading and
investigation, while in his practice he dis-
plays keen power of diagnosis, so that he
is seldom at error in a matter of profes-
sional judgment.
CLARK H. RICE.
Clark H. Rice is one of the native sons
of Hancock county and although his resi-
dence here has not been continuous he
has yet spent the greater part of his life
within the borders of the county and is
now classed with the representative agri-
culturists of Pontoosuc township, owning
and cultivating one hundred and sixty
acres of land on section 33. His life
record began in Durham township in
:r866 and he is a son of Henry
and Elizabeth Rice, who are men-
tioned elsewhere in this volume. He
was educated in the Almater school
and in Elliott's Business College, at Bur-
lington, Iowa, and thus, by liberal train-
ing, was well equipped for the arduous
duties that come with one's entrance into
the business world. He remained at
home with his parents until twenty-four
years of age and then made arrangements
for having a home of his own through
his marriage in 1890, to Miss Laura M.
Bradfield, who was born in Hardin
county, Iowa, January 4, 1870, a daugh-
ter of James N. and Ada (Wolf) Brad-
field. Her father was born in Virginia,
Loudoun county, in 1833, and her mother
in Ohio, in 1836, and they came to Han-
cock comity from Iowa when their daugh-
ter, Mrs. Rice, was a very little girl.
She is the youngest of their four children,
all yet living, the others being : James
L., of La Harpe; William F., also living
in La Harpe ; and Sherman, a resident of
Durham township.
Mr. and Mrs. Rice began their domestic
life on a farm near Disco, Illinois, and
followed farming in this county until
1893. The succeeding three years were,
spent upon a farm in Nebraska and on re-
turning to Illinois, Mr. Rice was again
engaged in farming near Disco for a year.
He after engaged in the same pursuit
near Argyle, Iowa, for six years, and
in 1903 he purchased one hundred and
sixty acres of land on section 32, Pon-
toosuc township, where he has since re-
sided. The place is well improved with a
good residence, barn and other modern
equipments and as a general farmer and
stock-raiser Mr. Rice is meeting with
prosperity, as the result of his close ap-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
plication, careful management and laud-
able ambition.
L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Rice were born
four children : One died in infancy.
Bertha, born October 25, 1891, in Disco,
died July 19, 1899; Charles L., born in
Argyle, Iowa, April 26, 1898, is at home;
Eulah E., born in Pontoosuc township,
July 5, 1903, died on the 29th of August,
of that year. The parents are consistent
members of the Methodist church and
in politics he is a republican. He has no
desire for office, preferring to devote his
entire time and attention to his business
interest which, carefully conducted, are
bringing him a measure of success that
classes him with the men of affluence in
his township.
LAFAYETTE FRAZER.
Lafayette Frazer. carrying on general
farming in Walker township, was born
in Walker township in 1882, a son of
George W. and Elizabeth Rebecca
(Shipe) Frazer. The father was reared
to farm life and has always followed
agricultural pursuits. His wife, also a
native of Hancock county, was born in
Rocky Run township. They still reside
in Walker township and are people of
genuine personal worth. Their family
numbers six children, of whom five are
now living: James, a resident of Walker
township: Edith, the wife of William
Schildman. of Walker township; Lafay-
20
ette, of this review ; Marion and Elberta,
both at home.
The Oak Valley school in Walker
township afforded Lafayette Frazer his
educational privileges, which he enjoyed
in his youth. He remained on the old
homestead until he had attained his ma-
jority and on the ist of December. 1901,
he was united in marriage to Miss Ina
Tripp, who was born in Adams county.
June 13, 1881, a daughter of Alva and
Sallie Tripp, both of whom were natives
of Illinois, the former born in 1854, and
the latter in 1861. They are now pros-
perous farming people of Adams county,
Illinois, and in their family are four chil-
dren, namely : Mrs. Frazer, Clifford,
Verna, and Virgil. The family yet re-
mains unbroken by the hand of death, and
with the exception of Mrs. Frazer all are
yet under the parental roof.
Following his marriage Mr. Frazer
rented a farm of two hundred and forty
acres which was once owned and occu-
pied by his grandfather and is now the
property of his father. Here he engages
in the raising of stock in addition to the
cultivation of the cereals best adapted to
soil and climate. In his farm work he
is enterprising as well as diligent and his
persistence and determination constitute
the salient features in his life and argue
well for his success.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Frazer has
been blessed with two interesting chil-
dren : Helen, born in 1902 ; and Harold,
in 1904. The parents are pleasant,
genial people and hospitality is one of the
delightful features of their home. Mr.
Frazer exercises his right of franchise in
support of the democracy but has never
3 I2
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
been an aspirant for office, preferring to
concentrate his energies upon his busi-
ness affairs.
JOHN MORGAN KISER.
A well developed and highly improved
farm in Wythe township is the property
of John Morgan Kiser, who has spent
almost his entire life in Illinois. He was
born in Campbell county, Kentucky, Sep-
tember 20, 1862, being the sixth in order
of birth in a family of two sons and seven
daughters whose parents ;werei Wilson
and Mary (Johnson) Kiser, likewise na-
tives of Campbell county. The paternal
grandfather was Robert Kiser, and the
maternal grandfather, James Johnson,
both residents of Kentucky. In the year
1864, Wilson Kiser brought his family
to Hancock county and purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of land on sec-
tion 29, Wythe township. Upon this
farm was a small house and a little stable
and a fence had been built around the
place. He soon remodeled the house,
built a granary and barn and continued
the work of improving his farm which
in course of years became an excellent
property, the fields returning him golden
harvests in reward for the care and labor
which he bestowed upon them. He re-
mained upon this farm until' called to
his final rest, his wife passing away in
May. 1890. while he survived until Oc-
tober of the same year.
Brought to Wythe township when but
two years of age, John M. Kiser pursued
his education in the district schools of the
neighborhood and when not busy with
his text-books aided in the farm work, .
giving his father the benefit of his services
in the field and meadow until he had
attained his majority. He then began
farming on his own account, and pur-
chased forty acres of land on section j
28, Wythe township, from his father.
This he cultivated for six years, at
the end of which time he pur-
chased the old homestead of one hundred
and sixty acres from the other heirs and
took possession of the place. When the
barn was destroyed by fire in 1895 he
replaced it by a good barn forty by fifty
feet and in 1905 he further improved his
place by the erection of one among the
finest homes in the township. It is
heated by furnace and supplied with all
modern equipments, is tastefully furnished
and is noted for its gracious and warm
hearted hospitality. Mr. Kiser gives his
attention to the cultivation of his fields
and to the raising of Percheron horses
and good grades of cattle and hogs. He
also farms eighty acres of land belonging
to his wife, and the success which is at-
tending his efforts is indicative of his
progressive methods in carrying on the
farm work.
On the 2jth of August, 1883, Mr. Kiser
was married to Miss Rose Ewing, who
was born in Walker township and pur-
sued her education in the district schools
there, while spending her girlhood days
in the home of her parents, John and
Margaret (Stacker) Ewing. who were
natives of Kentucky and Ohio respective-
ly. Mr. and Mrs. Kiser now have an
interesting family of four children :
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Ethel, born June 2, 1887; Emma. Sep-
tember 10, 1893; Claud, April 23, 1898;
and Annie, September 20, 1900. The
parents hold membership in the Presby-
terian church and Mr. Kiser votes with
the democracy but he has never been an
aspirant for office. The fact that many
of his stanchest friends are those who
have known him from his boyhood days
to the present time is an indication that
his life has been well spent and that his
sterling traits of character are such as
command uniform confidence and good
will.
ALBERT BERTSCHI.
Albert Bertschi. a prominent stockman
of Niota, where he is engaged in handling
horses, cattle and sheep, is a native son
of Illinois, having been born in Appa-
noose township, September 18, 1871, of
Scotch and Swiss ancestry. His paternal
grandparents were Solomon and Eliza-
beth Bertschi, who emigrated from the
land of the Alps in an early day, bring-
ing with them their son Philemon, who
was the father of our subject. They first
settled in New Orleans, but in 1856 went
to St. Louis, where they remained one
winter and then removed to Illinois, lo-
cating in Appanoose township. Here
Philemon Bertschi was married in 1868
to Miss Margaret Mackie, the wedding
ceremony being performed at French-
town. She was a daughter of Robert
Mackie, whose birth occurred in Scotland,
and who emigrated to America, settling
in Hancock county prior to the time the
Mormons took up their abode in this sec-
tion of the state. In this county the
daughter, Margaret, was born and after
reaching womanhood gave her hand in
marriage to Philemon Bertschi. Her
father passed away in -this county in the
year 1870. Following his marriage
Philemon Bertschi, father of our subject,
located on a farm in Appanoose town-
ship, comprising one hundred and ninety-
eight acres, to which he added from time
to time until at the time of his death,
April 2, 1902, he left a valuable farm
of four hundred acres. His wife had
preceeded him to the home beyond, her
death occurring in May, 1887.
Albert Bertschi, the eldest of four sons
and three daughters, was reared on the
home farm, assisting his father in the
operations of his farming pursuits, so
that the son received practical training
which enabled him later in life to carry
on business on his own account. He ac-
quired his education in district school No.
43, near his father's home, and remained
with his parents until he attained his ma-
jority, at which time he was married and
started out in life on his own account.
He chose as a companion and helpmate
on life's journey Miss Bessie Briley,
whom he wedded on the 5th of April.
1892. She is a native of Appanoose
township, and is a daughter of William
and Matilda (Uhler) Briley, both na-
tives of the Keystone state.
Following his marriage Mr. Bertschi
took up his abode on a farm in Sonora
township, belonging to his father, where
he remained for ten years. After his
father's death he removed to the old
3*4
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
homestead farm, which he operated until
A'larch, 1905. when he took up his abode
in Niota, where he built a large barn and
began dealing in horses, cattle and sheep.
He now has an associate in business, his
partner being William Ellison. The}' are
now engaged quite extensively in hand-
ling horses, cattle and sheep, shipping a
large amount of each, from which they
derive a gratifying income. He is a
wide-awake and enterprising business
man well known all over Hancock county,
his business interests taking him over a
large territory. He is ever found re-
liable and straightforward in all his busi-
ness transactions and is accounted one of
the leading factors of his village.
In his political views Mr. Bertschi is
a democrat, and for a number of years
served as school director. He holds
membership relations with the Modern
Woodmen of America, belonging to camp
No. 1654, at Xiota, and is also an Odd
Fellow, belonging to lodge. No. 222, at
Nauvoo. In his family are two children.
Phil Albert, born April 30, 1893; and
Bernice, born in March. 1895.
CHARLES T. MARTIN.
Charles T. Martin, captain on a boat
running from Quincy, Illinois, to Daven-
port, Iowa, is a worthy citizen of Niota,
where he owns and occupies a fine home,
besides other property which he rents.
He is a native of Columbus, Ohio, his
birth having occurred September 22,
1840, a son of Charles T. and Mary Jane
(Jackson) Martin, natives of Harper's
Ferry, West Virginia, and Connecticut, re-
spectively. Air. and Mrs. Charles T.
Martin had accompanied their respective
parents to Columbus, Ohio, during their
youth and were there married about 1834,
The father was a contractor and builder,
and in 1842 he removed to Fort Madison,
Iowa, where he continued his work as a
carpenter and contractor until 1853,
when he went to California, and his death
there occurred three years later. In his
family were two sons and four daugh-
ters, of whom the subject of this review
was the third in order of birth, and of
whom four yet survive, namely : Charles
T. ; Sarah A., the widow of Dr. George
Ferrard, now residing in Chicago ;
Helen M., the wife of W. B. Bently. and
a resident of Fort Madison, Iowa, and
A. A., also of that city. The mother, in
1871. married Jonathan Allen, who was a
retired farmer, and her death occurred
February 13, 1906, when she had reached
the very advanced age of eighty-eight
years, for her birth occurred April 28,
1818.
Charles T. Martin, whose name intro-
duces this record, acquired a common-
school education in Fort Madison, and at
the age of thirteen years entered a print-
ing office, where he was employed for one
year, after which he went to Davenport,
Iowa, and worked in a job printing office
for the succeeding six years. He then
became interested in navigation and
learned to be a pilot, his work being on
the Mississippi river. Three years later
he became captain of a boat running from
Quincy, Illinois, to Davenport, Iowa,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
315
which he has followed to the present time.
In the meatime, in 1883, he bought a farm
comprising one hundred and sixty-eight
acres, situated on section i, Appanoose
township, a portion of which was operated
by his sons, while the remainder he rented
to other parties. In the spring of 1902.
however, he sold this property and in-
vested in four lots and two houses in
Niota, one of which he occupies, while
the other he rents. He has a fine home,
which is supplied with all comforts and
conveniences and he is now comfortably
situated in life.
On the 3d of March. 1864, Mr. Martin
was married to Miss Justina M. Dellan-
baugh. a native of North Georgetown,
Columbiana count}-, Ohio, a daughter of
John and Sarah ( Sheets) Dellanbaugh.
natives of Switzerland and Pennsylvania,
respectively. Mrs. Martin was born June
3, 1846, and between the ages of four
and eighteen years pursued her studies
in a convent at Cleveland, Ohio. The liv-
ing members of Mr. Martin's family are
as follows: Charles L., who was born
March 13. 1865, an( l ' s a pilot on a boat
running on the Mississippi river and re-
sides in Warsaw, Illinois: Justina M.,
born August 12, 1869, and now the wife
of Thomas Cosgrove, of Appanoose town-
ship: Anderson A., born July 31, 1876,
and a resident of Fort Madison, Iowa :
Frank E., born October 23, 1878. and p.
resident of Mammoth. Montana: Mary
H.. who was born October 4, 1880, and
is now the wife of Fred Jackson, of Car-
thage township; Royal M.. who was born
December 12. 1886, and resides with his
parents but is employed by the Atchison,
Topeka Santa Fe Railroad, at Fort
Madison, Iowa; Sydney L.. born Decem-
ber 26, 1889; Earl, born June 26. 1891.
Those deceased are: Harriett M., who
was born November 26, 1866, and died
July 6, 1870; Damaras C., who was
born May 13, 1874, and passed away Feb-
ruary 3, 1887; John D., who was born
February 10, 1872, and died February 5,
1888; Sarah E., who was born March 5,
1883. and died February 21. 1888: and
Raymond V., twin brother of Royal,
whose death occurred July 17, 1897.
Mr. Martin supports the principles of
the Democratic party and served as school
director for four years but aside from this
has accepted no political office. Frater-
nally he holds membership with the
Modern Woodmen of America. He has
been energtic and persevering in all that
he has undertaken and as the years have
passed by has accumulated a comfortable
competence so that he is now enabled to
enjoy many of the comforts of life. Mr.
and Mrs. Martin have reared a family of
children of which they have every reason
to be proud and they are highly esteemed
people of this portion of the state.
WILLIAM M. FERGUSON.
William M. Ferguson, who is engaged
in the livery business and is also a dealer
in horses in La Harpe, was born in Ayre-
shire, Scotland, May 29. 1867. He is a
son of John Ferguson, also a native of
Ayreshire and a grandson of Mathew
Earl. The former married Grace Ear!.
316
BIOGRAPHICAL REV IE}}'
a daughter of David and Margaret
( Stevens) Earl, who were born in Ayre-
shire as was Mrs. Ferguson. John Fer-
guson was an engineer on the Glasgow
& Southwestern Railroad and spent his
entire life in his native country, there
passing away in 1901, having for more
than a decade survived his wife, who died
in 1890.
William M. Ferguson acquired a com-
mon-school education, attending until the
age of ten years, when he started out upon
his business career, working with a horse
buyer of the name of Crawford, at
Manare Head, Scotland. He was thus
engaged for eight years and afterward
removed to Inchnnan, Paisley, Scotland,
where 'he worked for a Mr. Taylor, a
horse breeder, for two years. In 1887
he came to America with eighteen head
of thoroughbred horses for John C.
Huston, of Blandinsville, Illinois, and was
in the employ of Mr. Huston for seven
years, the latter being one of the most
prominent stock breeders and dealers in
his section of the state. In 1895 he
entered the employ of W. O. Talbert,
feeding and caring for horses and five
years later, with the capital that he had
acquired, he began business on his own
account, dealing in and shipping horses
for himself. On the i8th of January,
1906, he purchased the Lancaster livery
barn in La Harpe, becoming owner of
fourteen head of horses and twelve ve-
hicles. He is still conducting the livery
business and he yet deals in horses, em-
ploying two men. He is an expert judge
of horses, seldom at error in his estimate
of the value of an animal and since en-
gaging in business on his own account
he has secured a good patronage and con-
ducted a profitable trade.
On the 3 ist of January, 1893, Mr.
Ferguson was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Martin, who was born in Canton,
Illinois, in June, 1875, and is a daughter
of Patrick and Belle (Haley) Martin,
who were natives of Ireland and her father
was employed in railroad work in Illinois
for many years. He died in August,
1905. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson
have been born three children : Grace,
who was born in 1894 and died at the
age of two years; Maggie, born in 1896
and died in infancy ; and Raymond, born
in August, 1903.
Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Chris-
tian church and his political allegiance is
given to the democracy but he has neither
time nor inclination to seek office, pre-
ferring to give his attention to his busi-
ness interests, in which he is now meet-
ing with success. He has had no oc-
casion to regret his determination to come
to America for he has found here good
business opportunities and through their
utilization has gained a comfortable
living.
HENRY THOMAS PITT.
Henry Thomas Pitt, a progressive agri-
culturist and stock-raiser of Sonora town-
ship, having here a fine tract of land of
one hundred and sixty acres of rich and
arable land, is a native of Herefordshire,
England, his natal day being July 15,
1836, a son of Thomas and Charlotte
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
317
(Hardwick) Pitt, likewise natives of the
fatherland. The son was a little lad of
five years, when, in the spring of 1841,
he accompanied his mother to America,
and they at once made their way to
Xauvoo, where they were joined by the
father in the following spring. The fam-
ily then located on a farm in Sonora town-
ship, where he engaged in general agricul-
tural pursuits.
Henry Thomas Pitt acquired his educa-
tion in the Elliott district school near his
father's home, this being the first school
built in the township. He remained with,
his parents until his marriage on the I2th
of December, 1861, Miss Huldah Jane
Stevens becoming his wife. She is a
native of Meigs county, Ohio, her birth
having occurred March 3, 1842, and when
eight years of age she was brought to this
state by her parents. Daniel and Mary
(Stabbord) Stevens, both natives of
Maine. On removing from their native
state they settled in Ohio, .where they
remained from 1840 until 1850 and at
that time went to Quincy, but four years
later removed to Sonora township, Han-
cock county, where he purchased a farm
of eighty acres which he improved and
his death occurred one year later in 1865.
while his wife survived for twelve years.
Following his marriage Mr. Pitt lo-
cated on his farm of eighty acres, lying
on section 14, Sonora township, of which
only about fifteen acres had been cleared.
He at once set to work to improve his
farm and in course of time placed his
fields under a high state of cultivation
and planted his crops, from which he an-
nually gathered rich harvests. On the
place was a log cabin, in which the family
made their home until the fall of 1866,
when this was replaced by a more com-
modious frame dwelling. He set out
shade trees and an orchard containing one
hundred and twenty fruit trees of va-
rious kinds, of which only two apple trees
remain. He has set out a second orchard,
as well as small fruit of all kinds, has
built barns and other outbuildings for
the shelter of stock, grain and farm ma-
chinery, and from time to time added to
his house until he today has one of the
finest country residences of his portion
of the state, being supplied with all
modern conveniences and accessories. In
1 88 1 he added an additional tract of
eighty acres to his home place, so that
he now has one hundred and sixty acres
of finely improved land. Here he is en-
gaged in general farming and stock-rais-
ing, including horses, cattle and Chester
White and Poland China hogs.
Unto our subject and his wife have been
born five sons and four daughters, as
follows : Alice Ann, who was born June
26, 1862, and died in January, 1863 ; Ed-
win, born March 13, 1864, a resident of
Rock Creek township; Orin W., born in
1866, and likewise a resident of Rock
Creek township ; Ida J., the wife of Frank
Stevenson, also of that township; Hattie
C., the wife of Charles Ross, of Mont-
rose, Iowa; Henry Thomas, of Van
Buren county, Iowa ; John Everett, resid-
ing in Rock Creek township ; Milton War-
ren, of Dallas City; and Maud Allen, the
wife of Harvey Hardy, of. Rock Creek
township.
In politics Mr. Pitt is independent, vot-
ing for the men whom he regards as best
qualified for office, regardless of party
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
ties. He has served as school director
but aside from this has held no public
office. His religious faith is indicated by
his membership in the Latter Day Saints'
church. Mr. Pitt has led a busy and
useful life and all that he possesses has
been acquired through his own well di-
rected labors. He has worked diligently
and persistently as the years have gone
by and now has an excellent farm which
bears evidence of the careful supervision
and management of the owner.
DAVID R. SIGHTS.
Among the self-made men who are now
leading and influential factors in the agri-
cultural life of Hancock county may be
numbered David R. Sights, for, being left
an orphan at a very early age, he has
depended upon his own enterprise and in-
dustry for his success in life and the posi-
tion which he occupies today is due entire-
ly to his own well directed efforts. A
native of Guernsey county. Ohio, he was
born July 4, 1847, a son of William and
Martha (Sarchet) Sights, the former
born in Pennsylvania, and the latter a na-
tive of Grundy Island, France. The
father followed farming in the Buckeye
state, and in 1853 made his way to the
state of Iowa, the family traveling in a
wagon, the journey requiring six weeks,
at which time they arrived at Keokuk,
their destination. There the family made
their home for two years, the father being
employed in a brick yard, and later took
a contract to chop wood, which continued
to be his occupation for some time. Here
both the father and mother passed away,
their deaths occuring only a month apart.
David R. Sights, is the youngest in
a family of four sons and four daughters,
and being bereft of both parents at a very
early age he accompanied a neighbor to
La Harpe township, this county, where
he was employed for several years by
different farmers of this section of the
state. He was industrious and econom-
ical, and thus saving his earnings he was
in the course of time enabled to carry on
farming on his own account.
Considering -the subject of having a
home of his own, he sought and won a
companion December 16, 1881, by his
.marriage to Miss Ida Kate Nichols,
whose birth occurred in La Harpe town-
ship. May 29, 1863, a daughter of Jo-
seph and Thurza (Murdock) Nichols,
both natives of Greene county, Pennsyl-
vania. Her parents removed to Adams
county, Illinois, in 1853, and later took
up their abode in La Harpe township,
where the father purchased land and set-
tled on a farm on section 7. Here the
father engaged in general agricultural
pursuits and became an extensive dealer
in live stock. His death occurred Sep-
tember, 1871. His widow continued to
reside on the homestead property until her
death, which occurred October 9, 1893.
Following his marriage Mr. Sights
took up his abode on the farm of his
mother-in-law, which he managed until
her death, subsequent to which time he
purchased the interest of the heirs in the
property, thus becoming owner of fifty-
four acres of well improved and valuable
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
319
property. He has added to his original
purchase until he now owns eighty acres
of improved land and five acres of timber,
and on his place are found good substan-
tial outbuildings for the shelter of grain
and stock. On the 2d of May, 1905, the
house was destroyed by fire, and in the
fall of the same year Mr. Sights built a
two-story frame residence, containing
eight rooms, which is supplied with all
modern conveniences and accessories.
He has an orchard of three acres, which
is 'set out to apples, peaches, pears and
plums, and he likewise raises small fruits
of different varieties.
Unto our subject and his wife have
been born three daughters : Nora Belle
was born April 4, 1882, and is now the
wife of Alvin Martin, a resident of Dur-
ham township. Beulah Frances, born
May 24, 1887, and Gladys Aldona, born
November 5, 1897, are both at home.
Politically Mr. Sights is a democrat, and
has served as school director for several
years. He belongs to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, holding member-
ship with .La Harpe lodge. No. 653
Starting out in life a poor boy with no
assistance and depending entirely upon
his own labors. Mr. Sights has worked
untiringly in the acquirement of a com-
petence and is today in possession of a
well improved farm property on which
are found all the improvements known to
a model farm of the twentieth century,
and through his honesty am 1 reliability
has gained a place among the represen-
tative and progressive agriculturists of
this portion of the state. He is held in
high esteem by all who know him, and in
his work is persistent and energetic.
THOMAS JEFFERSON SIGHTS.
Among the men who are interested in
the commercial development and progress
of Disco is numbered Thomas Jefferson
Sights who, in connection with A. N.
Davier. is successfully carrying on a gen-
eral mercantile establishment at this place.
He is a native of the Buckeye state, his
birth having occurred in Guernsey county.
February 15, 1839, a son of William and
Martha Elizabeth (Sarchet) Sights, the
former born in Washington county, Penn-
sylvania, while the latter likewise claims
Guernsey county as the place of her na-
tivity. In the paternal line our subject
comes from Scotch ancestry, his grand-
parents being David and Jane Sights,
natives of Pennsylvania and Scotland, re-
spectively, while the maternal grandpar-
ents were Thomas and Catherine (Mar-
quard) Sarchet, born on the Isle of
Guernsey. The parents of our subject
were married in Ohio, where the father
followed general farming until 1853.
when he removed to Keokuk, Iowa,
where he was employed for a year, sub-
sequent to which time he once more re-
sumed farming in Lee county, that state,
and there his death occurred in Septem-
ber, 1855, while his wife survived him
for only one month, passing away in Oc-
tober of the same year.
Thomas Jefferson Sights, losing his
parents at the early age of sixteen years,
was thus early thrown upon his own re-
sponsibilities for a livelihood. He pur-
sued his studies in an old log school-
house in his native state, the educational
system being quite as primitive as the
building in which he pursued his studies.
320
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
He also attended school for a time after
his arrival in Hancock county. Follow-
ing the death of his parents he remained
on the farm during the succeeding winter
and the family then removed to Keokuk,
while our subject came to Hancock coun-
ty, where he secured employment as a
farm hand by the month, remaining in the
employ of Henry Blythe, of Durham
township, for seven years. Being of an
industrious and economical nature, and
watchful of opportunities for advance-
ment, he then rented a farm, on which he
was engaged in agricultural pursuits un-
til 1902. .In the meantime, in 1880, hav-
ing prospered in his undertakings, he pur-
chased a tract of sixty-seven acres, which
he conducted in connection with the prop-
erty which he had leased. He later sold
his land, and in 1902 retired from farm-
ing pursuits and removed to Disco,
where, in connection with A. N. Davier,
he purchased the mercantile enterprise
formerly owned and operated by Curtis
Payne, and he has since been engaged in
mercantile pursuits, in which he is meet-
ing with gratifying success. They have
an up-to-date stock of goods to meet the
tastes and fancies of the general public
and it is owing largely to the business
ability and sound judgment of Mr. Sights
that their store ranks among the best
commercial enterprises of the city or
county. On the loth of January, 1906,
Mr. Sights was appointed postmaster and
is proving a capable official in this re-
gard.
On the nth of April, 1867, Mr. Sights
was united in marriage to Miss Irena E.
Wills, whose birth occurred at Sardinia,
near Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a daugh-
ter of William and Jane (Gilliland)
Wills, likewise natives of the Buckeye
state. They located in Hancock county
in 1854, where the father purchased a
farm which he conducted until his death
in 1901. His wife survived for only
a few years, passing away in the present
year. An only daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Sights died in infancy.
Mr. Sights gives his political support
to the Republican party and has taken an
active and helpful interest in public af-
fairs, having filled the office of assessor
for one term. He holds membership with
the Methodist Protestant church, in which
he has served as trustee and treasurer.
Mr. Sights is ever interested in any move-
ment that tends to the advancement of
his community and he and his wife are
highly esteemed for their sterling worth
and are numbered among the worthy cit-
izens of the county.
EDWARD ARGAST.
Edward Argast, who for many years
has been a representative of business life
in Nauvoo, where he is engaged in deal-
ing in grapes and other fruits, making ex-
tensive shipments, was born in Kehl,
Baden, Germany, June 18, 1834, and ac-
quired a common-school education while
spending his boyhood days in the home of
his parents, John F. and Salamoer
( Knecht) Argast, the former a native of
Baden and the latter of Strasburg, France',
The mother died in Germany in 1851, and
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
321.
the father afterward cam to America with
his two sons but one daughter had died
prior to the emigration, and Frederick
John, who accompanied the father on
the voyage, passed away in Nauvoo, Illi-
nois, July 10, 1880. The sailing vessel
on which they embarked dropped anchor
in the harbor of New Orleans, after which
John F. Argast and his sons made their
way up the Mississippi river to St. Louis,
where he worked at his trade of cabinet-
making until 1854, when he came to
Nauvoo. Here he established a whole-
sale store, which he conducted for about
eighteen years, or until his life's labors
were ended -in death on the 4th of Sep-
tember, 1872. In this country he married
Caroline Peters, a native of Baden. This
marriage was celebrated in St. Louis, and
Mrs. Argast passed away in that city in
1884.
E)dward Argast began earning his own
living in St. Louis, where he learned to be
a cook. He was thus employed in that
city, in New York and in New Orleans
until the 7th of May, 1861. when he en-
list for three months' service with the
Third Missouri United States Reserve
Corps. With that command he did duty
in St. Louis and all parts of Missouri
under command of John C. Fremont, and
also proceeded to Cairo, Illinois. He
was mustered out in February, 1862, his
first term having expired and later he
re-enlisted at St. Louis with the boys in
blue of Company F, Twenty-ninth Mis-
souri Infantry. Following the organiza-
tion of the regiment he went to Cape
Giranleau. Missouri, in the fall of 1862,
and thence on to Vicksburg, participating
in the first campaign there under General
Sherman. He participated in the battle of
Chickasaw Bayou on the .29th of De-
cember where one-half of the regiment
was lost. On the' ist of January, 1863,
he went to Arkansas Post, participating
in the engagement at that place on the
loth of January, at which time five
thousand Confederates were taken prison-
ers. Eventually he returned to Vicks-
burg, where the regiment remained until
the capitulation of the city, and he partici-
pated in the battle of Raymond, Champion
Hills and Jackson and was present at the
surrender of Vicksburg on the 4th of
July, 1863. He afterward returned to
Jackson, fighting in the battle there and
then went back to Vicksburg, where the
regiment remained for some time, later
proceeding to Memphis, Tennessee. They
were under Grant at the battle of Chero-
kee Station and proceeded on foot to
Chattanooga. The Twenty-ninth Missouri
participated in the memorable battle of
Lookout Mountain "above the clouds,"
and afterward in the battle of Missionary
Ridge, proceeding thence to Ringgold,
Georgia, where another engagement oc-
curred. They went into winter quarters
at Woodville, Alabama, and on the ist
of May, 1864, started on the" Atlanta cam-
paign under Sherman, proceeding from
Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, and par-
ticipating in the battles of Resaca, Dallas,
Kenesaw Mountain, the first battle of At-
lanta on the 2 ist of May, and the second
battle there on the 28th of May, 1864.
The L T nion troops then besieged the city,
and on the ist of September made a vic-
torious entrance therein. The Twenty-
ninth Missouri afterward followed .Gen-
eral Hood of the Confederate army to
322
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Chattanooga and subsequently returned to
Georgia, taking part in the Georgia cam-
paign and the march to the sea. They
were then mounted and did scout duty
until arriving at Savannah, where Mr.
Argast sustained a gunshot wound in the
foot. This secured him a leave of ab-
sence for thirty days and he returned
home, being sent from St. Louis to Cin-
cinnati in the grand officers' hospital, as
he was a lieutenant. He was afterward
assigned to like duty at Columbus, Ohio,
it being a part of his work to take drafted
men to the front. When the war was
over he was honorably discharged at
Washington on the 22d of June, 1865,
and sent thence to St. Louis, where he
was mustered out. He was in the capitol
city when President Lincoln was assas-
sinated and saw him as he lay in state in
the rotunda of the capitol.
Following his discharge Mr. Argast
came to Nauvoo, on the i2th of July.
1865, and removing his family here, he
purchased two lots and four acres of land
in the city. In that year he had charge
of his father's store, at the end of which
time his father again purchased it. Later
Mr. Argast conducted a saloon for twelve
years on the flat, after which he removed
his business to Main street, where he
bought a lot and erected business blocks,
covering one hundred feet front and two
hundred feet in depth. He there con-
ducted a saloon for about ten years, when
he again sold out and removed to his
present location on Thirteenth street a
half block from the corner of Main street.
He is now engaged in the grape and fruit
business and makes extensive shipments
of fruit.
Mr. Argast was married in St. Louis
to Miss Margareta Sherer, a native of
France, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
John Sherer, who died of cholera in St.
Louis in 1849. Unto Mr. and Mrs.
Argast were born three sons and a daugh-
ter : Edward, of Nauvoo ; Louis, a news-
paper man of the same city ; William, who
is proprietor of the Nauvoo Rustler; and
Cora, the wife of Joseph W T elder, of
Nauvoo. Mrs. Argast passed away De-
cember 4, 1902, and on the 25th of June,
1904, Mr. Argast was again married, his
second union being with Mrs. Caroline
Gabblemann Kettman, the widow of
Theodore Kettman, and a daughter of
Christian and Catherine (Hall) Gabble-
man. Mr. Argast is a republican and
has served for two terms as alderman of
the first ward and for many years as
school director. He is a Mason, belong-
ing to Reclamation lodge. No. 54, at
Xauvoo, and holds membership in the
Lutheran church. He proved his loyalty
to his adopted country by his long years
of faithful service in the Civil war and
he has always been interested in those
things which promote good citizenship
and which work for the welfare of a
democratic government.
FRED FORTH.
Fred Porth. a representative of the
farming and stock-raising interests of
Appanoose township, was bom within
the borders of this township June 13.
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
323
1860, his parents being Fred and Doro-
thy (Florich) Forth, who were natives of
Germany. In early manhood the father
made his way to East St. Louis, Illinois,
where he was married, and later he en-
gaged in farming in St. Clair county, this
state, where he owned land. He came to
Sonora township following the expulsion
of the Mormons and there rented a farm,
while later he purchased land in Appa-
noose township, becoming owner of sixty
acres which he subsequently sold. He
then invested in eighty acres on section
34, which was improved, and he contin-
ued the work of further development and
cultivation until 1893, when he sold that
property, afterward living with his son
Fred until his death, which occurred on
the ist of December, 1894. His widow
still survives him and now resides in St.
Louis. The family numbered eleven chil-
dren, four sons and seven daughters, of
whom the subject of this review is the
eighth.
No event of special importance oc-
curred to vary the routine of farm life for
Fred Forth in the days of his boyhood
and youth. He attended the common
schools, worked in the fields and enjoyed
the pleasures of the playground as op-
portunity offered. He lived with his par-
ents until twenty-three years of age and
then, desirous that his labors should more
directly benefit himself, he began farm-
ing on his own account upon a tract of
rented land, lying partly in Appanoose
and partly in Sonora township. He aft-
erward operated other farms in the two
townships and for three years rented his
father's place. Following his marriage
he lived for two years on the old Webb
place and then again farmed the old home-
stead. One year previous, however, he
had purchased eighty acres of land on
section 30, Appanoose township, and
when about twelve months had passed
he took up his abode thereon. This was
an improved property and he has since
added forty acres on section 31. That
tract, however, he sold five years later
and then bought eighty acres adjoining
his original purchase. His time was fully
occupied with his farming and stock-
raising interests, for he engages quite ex-
tensively in the raising of Durham cat-
tle, Percheron horses and Poland China
hogs. As he has had opportunity, re-
sulting from his improved financial con-
dition, he has made changes in the ap-
pearance of his farm through the erec-
tion of substantial buildings. He' has re-
modeled the barn, making it forty by
forty-four feet, and he also made an ad-
dition to the house. In 1902 he built a
large barn forty by forty-four feet and
he has since erected a commodious two-
story residence, which is heated by fur-
nace and is supplied with many of the
conveniences known in city homes.
On the 1 3th of November, 1888, Mr.
Forth was married to Miss Catherine
Haas, a native of Nauvoo, where she ac-
quired her education in the public schools.
Her parents were Joseph and Catherine
(Emerich) Haas. The father was born
in Switzwald in the Black Forests, Ger-
many. Mr. and Mrs. Forth now have
one child, Annie Marie, born March 20.
1895. In politics Mr. Forth is an inde-
pendent democrat, supporting the party
at national elections but at local elections
he does not consider himself bound by
324
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
party ties. He served as township col-
lector for one year but has never been
ambitious in the sense of office seeking.
Fraternally he is connected with the
Modem Woodmen of America, Nauvoo
camp. Having spent his entire life in
this locality he is widely known and he
has always lived as a farmer, and it has
been his desire to become the owner of
a good property that he might provide
his family with the comforts of life. To
this end he has worked steadily and per-
sistently and the fact that he started out
in life empty-handed and is now in pos-
session of an excellent farm and goodly
competence, entitles him to be classed
with those who have just reason to be
proud of the fact that they are known as
self-made men.
GEORGE LOCKE.
George Locke, deceased, was for many
years one of the successful fanners of
Hancock county and through his own
efforts won the prosperity which enabled
him in his later years to live retired. He
was born in Indiana, November 7, 1831.
a son of Thomas and Grazilla (Gardner)
Locke, both of whom were natives of
Ohio. During the boyhood days of their
son George the parents removed to Mich-
igan and there he resided until he at-
tained his majority, when he came to
Hancock county, Illinois, and purchased
a farm in Fountain Green township,
comprising two hundred and forty-six
acres of land. With characteristic energy
he began the development and improve-
ment of the fields and carried on his farm
work with success for many years, or
until 1893, when he retired from active
business life and took up his abode in
La Harpe, where he built a fine house,
making it his place of residence until his
death, which occurred on the ist of Oc-
tober, 1902..
On the 6th of December, 1854, Mr.
Locke was married to Elizabeth Webster,
who was born in Cass county, Michigan,
February 15, 1826. She attended the
common schools of that state. Her par-
ents were Amos and Susanna (Wright)
Webster, the former a native of Rutland
county, New York, and the latter of Ohio.
The paternal grandfather was William
Webster, of New York, and the maternal
grandfather was William Wright. Mr.
and Mrs. Webster removed to Fulton
county about 1840 and there the father
followed the occupation of farming. In
the family were ten children, Mrs. Locke
being the sixth in the family of five sons
and five daughters. She gave her hand
in marriage to -Mr. Locke in Lewiston,
Fulton county, where they lived for some
years, subsequent to which time he be-
came a farmer of McDonough county and
was for a long period successfully con-
nected with agricultural interests.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Locke were born
five children : Thomas, born October
u, 1855, died April 6, 1883. Lowell
G., born January 31, 1851, died October
1 6, 1860. Clara A., born May 8, 1861,
is the wife of Dr. I. M. Martin, of La
Harpe. Gary E.. twin brother of Clara,
died in July, 1862. George W., born
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
325
November 28, 1869, died August 31,
1895. He was instructor in penmanship
in the Gem City Business College at
Ouincy, Illinois, and he was married No-
vember 28, 1894, to Pearl Creighton, of
Peoria, Illinois. The eldest son, Thomas,
was married June 8, 1876, to Annie Todd
and had one child, Clevie, born November
i, 1 88 1, and now attending school in St.
Louis, Missouri.
Mr. Locke was a member of the Chris-
tian church, in which he served as a
deacon until his death. His political sup-
port was given to the Democratic party.
His carefully directed labor was the secret
of his business success whereby he ad-
vanced to a prominent position among
the agriculturists of the 'county, becoming
the owner of a valuable farm, from which
he derived an income that was sufficient in
his later years to enable him to live re-
tired. Mrs. Locke still survives her hus-
band and yet resides in the home which
he built in La Harpe in 1893.
AUGUST WATERMAN.
August Waterman, who at one time
was actively engaged in general agricul-
tural pursuits in Sonora township but is
now living retired, although he still owns
his farm of one hundred and four acres
where he lives, is a native of Germany,
his birth having occurred in Leppa, Det-
moldt, September 19, 1837. His parents,
Christian and Sophia (Kielsmayer) Wa-
terman, were likewise natives of the fa-
therland, where the father engaged in ag-
ricultural pursuits and spent his entire
life. The paternal grandfather of our
subject was Christian Waterman, while
the maternal grandfather bore the name
of Frederick Kielsmayer.
August Waterman acquired his educa-
tion in Germany, completing the high
school course there. He assisted his fa-
ther to the age of fifteen years, when,
thinking that other pursuits would be
more congenial to him, he learned the
baker's trade and emigrated to the new
world, landing in Keokuk, Iowa, on the
24th of June, 1857. He crossed the At-
lantic on a sailing vessel which dropped
anchor in the harbor of New Orleans
and thence made his way by boat up the
Mississippi river to Keokuk. His brother
Fred had preceded him to this country
and was proprietor of a hotel in Keokuk,
and August secured work in his hostelry,
where he was employed for one year. He
then made his way to Sonora township,
Hancock county, where he was employed
as a farm hand, working by the month
until 1868, and in that year, having saved
his earnings, he made purchase of a tract
of land on section 24, Sonora township,
comprising one hundred and four acres,
a small portion of which had been cleared.
He further improved the place, placing
his fields under a high state of cultiva-
tion, fenced the place, built a house and
barn, dug a well, and otherwise improved
the place. He also set out fruit trees,
from which he annually gathered good
crops, and has since added to his fruit
orchard, having now sixty apple trees,
besides peach, plum and cherry trees, all
of which are in bearing. In 1886 he re-
326
BIOGRAPHICAL REl'IEU'
placed his first residence by a modern
frame house, containing six rooms and
having a cellar under the entire building.
Here he carried on general agricultural
pursuits, and in addition to the cultiva-
tion of the fields he engaged to some ex-
tent in the raising of high grades of
horses, cattle and hogs. His health be-
came impaired, however, and in 1900 he
laid aside all business pursuits and retired
to private life.
On the 26th of February, 1865, Mr.
Waterman chose a companion and help-
mate for life's journey, Miss Susan Hu-
ber, a native of St. Clair county, Illinois,
who was born July 24, 1841. Her par-
ents resided for many years in Nauvoo,
where the daughter pursued her studies
in the public schools, and here the father
and mother passed away, the latter dying
in 1848. She was a daughter of Martin
and Christina Huber, natives of Byer,
Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Waterman
make their home with a niece, Louisa
Waterman, the daughter of his brother
William, who still makes his home in the
fatherland.
Although starting out in life at the
early age of fifteen years and coming to
a new country when still a young man,
Mr. Waterman has allowed no difficulties
^or obstacles to deter him in his labor, and
from an humble financial position worked
his way up until he is now the possessor
of a fine farm property, from which he
derives a good income, so that he and
his wife are able to spend the evening
of their days in honorable retirement. He
has always given his political support
to the Democratic party, and has taken
an active interest in the local ranks of
his party, having served for two terms
as highway commissioner of his township
and for three terms as school director.
He holds membership relations with the
Lutheran church at Xauvoo.
JAMES G. JOHNSON.
James G. Johnson, the inventor and
manufacturer of Johnson's patent corn
husker and a business man of energy and
ability, whose success is attributable en-
tirely to his well directed efforts, was
born in Jefferson county, Kentucky, De-
cember 24, 1827. His parents, George and
Eleanor (Guthrie) Johnson, were also
natives of the same county, the former
born December 15, 1779, and the latter
January 21, 1802. In 1774, James Guth-
rie. the grandfather, built a large stone
house on the Bardstown pike near Louis-
ville, Kentucky, which stood as one of
the landmarks of that section of the coun-
try until about 1896. It was known as
the "house of entertainment," being prac-
tically a hostelry but more respectable
than a "tavern," as no intoxicating
liquors were there sold. It was there that
many Catholic missionaries stopped on
their way to Bardstown. being instructed
in France by the priest to stop at the
"stone house," where other priests would
be sent to meet them, as it was regarded
as a perfectly safe place. There James
Guthrie made his home for many years
and ran a daily stage coach to several ad-
joining places. In the conduct of his
GO
O
C-H
O
a
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HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
327
business affairs he became a very wealthy
man and was one of the most prominent
and influential residents of that section
of the country. The maternal grandfa-
ther of our subject was a colonel in the
Revolutionary war and became one of the
pioneer residents of Kentucky, going
there when the Indians still roamed
through its forests, waging war upon the
settlers until the district became known
as "the dark and bloody ground."
George Johnson, father of James G.
Johnson, was a blacksmith by trade and
in 1831 removed from Kentucky to
Adams county, Illinois, where he carried
on blacksmithing, farming and the nur-
sery business." He died in the year 1869,
his wife surviving until April 10, 1887.
He was a member of the Christian church
and his wife of the Presbyterian church
and when called to their final rest they
were laid in a cemetery in Adams county,
Illinois. In their family were nine chil-
dren, of whom seven are now living:
James G. ; Parmelia, the wife of Thomas
Bailey, of Camp Point, Illinois ; Ephraim
P., living in Holden, Missouri; Moses C.,
of Harrisville, Missouri; Henry C., of
Idaho; Mary E., the wife of Edward Ste-
phenson, of Ottawa, Kansas; and Urith
Serepta A., the wife of William Hanna,
of Golden, Illinois. Of this family
Henry C. Johnson was a soldier of the
Civil war for four years, enlisting in the
Fiftieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
participated in the two battles of Corinth
and in many other important engage-
ments.
James G. Johnson was educated in the
schools of Columbus, Illinois, first pur-
suing his studies in a little log cabin
21
which was without a floor and which
stood on the bank of McGee's creek in
Adams county, a mile and a half from
Columbus. He worked upon his father's
farm until he had attained his majority
and in 1855 removed to Hancock county,
urchasing an improved tract of land in
arn township, where he carried on
geffei^Sarming for nine years. He then
remw4>t|^Elvaston, where he purchased
a farrJa; making it his home for four
years, w*jjjen he took up his abode in Car-
thage andijjurchased an elegant home on
North Main street. It is surrounded by
a beautiful and well kept lawn and in ad-
dition to this property he owns good farm
lands. In 1871 he invented what is
known as Johnson's hand corn husker,
upon which he took out a patent. Since
that time he has manufactured this de-
vice in Carthage and its sale extends to
all states in the Union. Its utility is uni-
versally recognized and it is regarded as
the best invention of its kind on the mar-
ket. Mr. Johnson has entire control of
the trade and has enjoyed a good busi-
ness in this way in the last twenty-five
years. He is still engaged in the manu-
facture of the husker and sells to whole-
sale dealers. Moreover he possesses su-
perior mechanical ingenuity, which is
manifest in many ways in his home.
On the 24th of December, 1850, Mr.
Johnson was married to Miss Melvina J.
Thomas, of Adams county, a daughter of
Robert Thomas, who was born in Bour-
bon county, Kentucky. They traveled
life's journey happily together for about
thirty-four years and were then separ-
ated by the death of Mrs. Johnson on the
3d of December, 1884. Two children
328
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
of that marriage, born in Adams county,
are living", namely : Ella R., who is an
artist of considerable ability, is the wife
of N. P. McKee, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
and has two sons, William Thomas and
Irwin J. The former married Jessie Wal-
ters and lived in Cleveland, Ohio, while
Irwin wedded Cora Gibbins and with
their daughter, Marjorie Maud, they re-
side in Halsted, Kansas. Alice G. John-
son is the wife of William L. Aaron, a
practicing lawyer of Joplin, Missouri,
and has three children, Lawrence J., Ella
May and William.
On the 1 8th of November, 1886, Mr.
Johnson was married to Miss Minerva
Hughes, who was born in Ursa, Adams
county, Illinois, a daughter of Albert and
Sarah Ann (Taylor) Hughes. Her fa-
ther was a farmer by occupation. He
attended the Christian church and both
he and his wife were laid to rest in
Adams county. Of their three children
all are living, namely: Eliza J., who
resides with Mrs. Johnson; and Robert
C.. living in Ursa.
In his religious faith Mr. Johnson is
a Methodist and has served as elder and
trustee of his church, while his wife be-
longs to the Christian church. He holds
membership with the Ancient Order of
United Workmen and in politics is a re-
publican. He has served as alderman
of Carthage and road supervisor of his
township and is interested in all matters
relating to public progress and substan-
tial improvement. As proof of his in-
genuity can be mentioned eight beautiful
canes which he has made of small pieces
of horn strung together upon an iron
rod, and one of these is now in the Ma-
sonic temple of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He
also has made many pairs of beautifully
polished mounted horns which he has
prepared himself and which adorn his
walls in many rooms. He has made hat
racks and chairs of the horns and these
are articles of furniture of great value
and beauty. He has moreover several
cases of fine specimens of all kinds, in-
cluding shells, coins, beads, wood, iron,
ore specimens, minks, owls, squirrels, an
armadilla, sea grasses and an elaborate
collection of eggs of more than one hun-
dred kinds. He likewise has a large col-
lection of Indian flint arrows of all kinds.
He has beautiful corals and polished
stones and a large quantity of sea mosses
from the Pacific coast, all of which are
nicely arranged in cabinets with glass
doors. He has traveled from ocean to
ocean, has visited California two or three
times and wherever he has gone he has
gathered his specimens and his collection
today is doubtless worth five thousand
dollars. He has moreover a model in his
yard of the first log house his father
built when he came to Illinois. It stands
in his front yard and was made by Mr.
Johnson. A love of the beautiful has
been one of his strong characteristics all
through his life and this is manifest in
his attractive home with its fine curiosity
cabinets. Moreover his interest in all
these things indicates his broad and com-
prehensive knowledge and he is indeed
regarded as one of the best educated men
in the county, a fact which is due not
to any special educational advantages but
to his broad reading and investigation
during the leisure hours of a busy and
active life. He is now seventv-nine vears
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
3 2 9
of age, but is still an active and energetic
man and moreover he commands unquali-
fied esteem wherever he is known.
WILLIAM F. BRADFIELD.
William F. Bradfield, secretary and
treasurer of the firm of Coulson, Bntn-
dage & Company, hardware dealers of
La Harpe, and also financially interested
in other business affairs, although prac-
tically living retired from the active man-
agement of business interests, was born
in Hardin county, Iowa, near Eldora,
March 12, 1863. His paternal grandfa-
ther, James Bradfield, was a resident of
Virginia and married a Miss Nichols.
Their son, James N. Bradfield, was bom
in Loudoun county, Virginia, and having
arrived at years of maturity was married
in Ohio, April 12, 1853, to Miss Ada
Wolfe, who was born in Coshocton coun-
ty, Ohio, and was a daughter of James
and Sarah (Meredith) Wolfe, natives of
the Buckeye state. After their marriage
James N. Bradfield followed fanning in
Ohio for a year and in the fall of 1854
removed to Muscatine, Iowa. In Hardin
county, that state, he purchased a farm
whereon he resided until the fall of 1870,
when he sold that property and came to
Hancock county, Illinois. Here he in-
vested in a tract of land in Durham
township, whereon he resided for about
twenty-one years, when in 1891 he sold
out and went to Nebraska, making his
home in the latter state until 1899. In
that year he went on a visit to the east
and died there on the 4th of December
of that year. He had for a number of
years survived his wife, who passed
away June 25, 1886. In their family
were four children : James L. ; William
F.; Henry S., of this county; and Laura
M., the wife of Clark H. Rice, of Han-
cock county.
William F. Bradfield pursued his early
education in the district schools and aft-
erward attended Abingdon College in
Abingdon, Illinois. During the period
of his boyhood and youth he made his
home with his parents, who removed to
Hancock county in September, 1870. He
continued under the parental roof until
he had attained his majority, when he
went to Colorado, where he worked at
the carpenter's trade for a year. He aft-
erward returned to Hancock county and
began farming on rented land. He was
thus engaged for a few years, when with
the capital he had acquired through his
industry and perseverance he purchased
one hundred and sixty acres of land in
Durham township, which he owned for
four years, at the end of which time he
sold that property and bought three hun-
dred acres of the old homestead. There
he took up his abode, making it his place
of residence until February, 1904. He
has since bought and sold property and
now owns two 'hundred and forty acres
of land all on section 12, Durham town-
ship. While giving his attention to farm
work his close application and unabating
energy enabled him to gather rich crops
annually and to make his farm a profit-
able source of labor. He was also one of
the organizers of the State Bank at La
330
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Harpe and has been one of its stockhold-
ers and directors. He has also been a
stockholder and director of the firm of
Coulson, Brundage & Company since its
incorporation in May, 1905, and is its
secretary and treasurer. In 1904, retir-
ing from his farm, he removed to La
Harpe, where he has since resided and
where he has bought residence property.
In February, 1885, Mr. Bradfield was
united in marriage to Miss J. Margaret
Schultz, who was bor"n in Durham town-
ship and is a daughter of Benjamin and
Elizabeth (Gillette) Schultz. By this
marriage were born three sons, J. Sher-
man, Charles F. and Edward L. The
wife and mother died October 10, 1898,
and on the 3Oth of January, 1900, Mr.
Bradfield wedded Catherine J. McManus,
who was born near Carthage, Illinois.
They had one child, Catherine M., who
was born October 6, 1901, and died Au-
gust 28, 1903. The mother passed away
October 14, 1901, and on the :8th of
June, 1905, Mr. Bradfield was again
married, Clara W. Burr becoming his
wife. She was born in Durham town-
ship and is a daughter of Jarvis N. and
Joanna (Oilman) Burr.
Mr. Bradfield is a republican in his po-
litical views and has taken much interest
in the questions of the day and in the
growth and development of his party. He
has frequently been a delegate to the con-
ventions of his party but is without po-
litical aspiration for himself. It is true
that his chief life work has been that
of a successful farmer, but the range of
his activities and the scope of his influ-
ence have reached far beyond this spe-
cial field. He belongs to that class of
men who wield a power which is all the
more potent from the fact that it is
moral rather than political and is exer-
cised for the public weal rather than for
personal ends. He has displayed aptitude
and ability in achieving results both in
business life and in his connection with
affairs of public importance.
MATHEW GODDERTZ.
Mathew Goddertz, conducting the old-
est harness establishment in Warsaw, was
born in Sichlar, Prussia, Germany, Feb-
ruary 2, 1840, and was educated in the
public schools of that country. His par-
ents, Edward E. and Anna C. (Quartz)
Goddertz, left Germany in 1850 upon a
sailing Vessel, which was twenty-eight
days in reaching the harbor of New York.
They proceeded to Buffalo by rail and by
way of the lakes to Chicago, thence by
canal to Peru, Indiana, and over the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers to Warsaw. The
father died soon after his arrival here.
His mother died in September, 1879, at
the age of sixty-four years. In the fam-
ily were three children: Mathew; Mrs.
William Leyhe, of Alton, Illinois, now
deceased ; and Catherine, the widow of
Henry Hertzog.
At his father's death, Mr. Goddertz,
then only ten years of age, began to earn
his own living by working on the farm of
A. J. Steffee, by whom he was employed
two years. His mother then married
John Leyhe and Mathew returned home,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
living with his mother for about two
years. Subsequently he was employed
at general farm labor until about thir-
teen years of age, when he was appren-
ticed to learn the trade of making har-
ness and saddlery with the firm of Weir
& Elliott. He continued with that firm
for about sixteen months, when the part-
nership was dissolved and he went with
.Mr. Elliott, under whom he completed
his trade and for whom he worked for
eleven years, when he bought the busi-
ness of his employer. He is continuing
in the same line today and is now pro-
prietor of the oldest established harness
business in the county. With the excep-
tion of three years it has continuously
been conducted in the same building, hav-
ing been located here for fifty-two years.
Mr. Goddertz carries a large line of har-
ness and saddlery and makes goods of
that, class of the best grades. He finds
a ready sale for his product and has long
conducted a profitable business.
On the 1 8th of March, 1860, Mr. God-
dertz married Rachel Beck, a daughter
of John and Elizabeth (Steiger) Beck.
They became parents of three children :
Catherine, who was the wife of James
Cox, of Ottumwa, Iowa, died May 31,
1906, and is buried in Oakland cemetery,
Warsaw, Illinois ; Josephine, who became
the wife of Harry Nealand, of Aspen,
Colorado, and died in 1903, at the age of
thirty-eight years; and Flora, the wife
of F. B. Green, of Ottumwa, Iowa. Mrs.
Goddertz passed away September 24,
1 88 1. and on the nth of December,
1889, Mr. Goddertz wedded Ella Peo-
ples, a daughter of James and Mary Anna
(Fox) Peoples.
Mr. Goddertz is a member of the Mod-
ern Woodmen, joining the order as a
charter member of Warsaw camp, No.
240. He is also connected with the Knights
of Pythias and his wife is a member of the
Christian church. He held the office of
alderman for one term but has never
sought nor desired political honors, pre-
ferring to concentrate his energies upon
his business interests, in which he has
made creditable success. He may truly
be called a self-made man and deserves
all the praise that that term implies, for
since the age of ten years he has been
dependent entirely upon his own re-
sources, and whatever success he has
achieved has come to him as the reward
of earnest, persistent labor and business
integrity.
GEORGE H. THOMPSON.
George H. Thompson, in whose busi-
ness life each step has been carefully and
thoughtfully made, is now conducting a
dry goods and grocery store in La Harpe
and his enterprise is one of the leading
commercial interests of the town. He
was born in Baltimore. Maryland, Janu-
ary 16, 1860, and largely acquired his
education in the public schools of that
city while spending his boyhood days in
the home of his parents, Charles H. and
Margaret ( Hergesheimer)' Thompson.
His paternal grandfather, Edward
Thompson, was also a native of Balti-
more, Maryland, while the maternal
grandfather, Charles Hergesheimer, was
332
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
a native of New Jersey. Charles H.
Thompson, the father, was born in Balti-
more in April, 1826, and is now deceased,
while his wife, who was born in New
Jersey in March, 1828, has also passed
away.
When a youth of seventeen years
George H. Thompson of this review be-
came a resident of Livingston county,
Illinois, and for three years worked on
a farm. He then rented sixty-five acres
of land and for one year engaged in
farming on his own account. Feeling
the need, however, of better educational
privileges, he then went to Chicago and
pursued a course of study in the Metro-
"politan Business College of that city.
His education completed, he went to
Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he pre-
empted a claim of one hundred and sixty
acres of land, whereon he engaged in
farming. After residing there for two
years he was elected township clerk of
New Hope township, Brown county,
South Dakota, and held the office for
four years. He was next elected town-
ship assessor and acted in that capacity
for two terms of one year each. At
the same time he filled the position of
road commissioner and was then nomi-
nated as representative for the first ses-
sion of the general assembly held in
South Dakota. Before the election,
however, he withdrew on account of
private business interests and in his
place was nominated J. W. Scattergood,
who was elected. For a number of years
he took an active and leading part in
political affairs during the early epoch
of statehood in South Dakota and was
a man of influence in party ranks. He
lived upon his farm there for nine years
and in April, 1893, went to Salem, Ore-
gon, where he remained for about four
months, spending his time in prospecting.
On the expiration of that period he re-
turned to Fairbury. Livingston county,
Illinois, where he engaged in the grocery
and queensware business. There he re-
mained for three years, on the expiration
of which period he sold out and entered
the employ of the Peoria Packing and
Provision Company as manager of its
branch house at Forrest, Illinois. After
a year he came to La Harpe in February,
1898, and bought the business of the
Kem & Biggs Grocery Company. He.
afterward added a stock of dry goods
and notions and at present is the owner
of one' of the largest business enterprises
of the kind in La Harpe.
On the 1 6th of February, 1884, was
celebrated the marriage of Mr. Thomp-
son and Miss Sarah A. Eyre, who was
born January 24, 1859, in Sturgis, Mich-
igan, and removed to Livingston county,
Illinois, with her parents when about six
years of age. Her father, George Eyre,
was born in Lincolnshire, England, May
25, 1824, and died April 30, 1879. His
wife, Alice Catton, who was born in
Lincolnshire, England, April 20, 1825,
died July 9, 1901. Mr. Eyre came to
America about 1853, locating in Sturgis,
Michigan, and after about eleven years
spent in that state removed to Fairbury,
Illinois, where both he and his wife re-
sided until called to their final rest. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson has been born a
son, F. Boyd Thompson, who was born
in Brown county, South Dakota, August
i, 1885. He was graduated from Git-
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
333
tings Seminary at La Harpe in 1903 and
in September, 1904, entered Brown's
Business College at Peoria, from which
he was graduated in December, 1905.
He afterward entered the employ of Par-
lin & Orrendorf, plow manufacturers of
Canton, Illinois, as assistant time-keeper
and paymaster, and in November, 1906,
was promoted to sales department. He
was married August 5, 1906, to Vinna
Dickson, of Durham township, Hancock
county, Illinois, where her father, J. E.
Dickson, still resides, being a farmer of
that township. Her mother, who was a
Ballew, passed away several years ago.
Mr. Thompson is not only a leading
representative of the business life of La
Harpe but has also been prominently and
actively connected with many interests of
direct benefit to the community. He is
president of the board of trustees of
Gittings Seminary and also president of
tthe executive committee. He is like-
wise president of the board of stewards
of the Methodist Protestant church of La
Harpe, of which he is an active and help-
ful member. He votes with the Repub-
lican party and is a representative of the
Odd Fellows fraternity, belonging to the
lodge, encampment and the Order of Re-
bekahs.
HON. JESSE C. WILLIAMS.
Hon. Jesse C. Williams is the oldest
male resident of Carthage, having at-
tained the venerable age of eighty-seven
years. He is still hale and hearty, well
preserved and as straight as an arrow.
He has long been widely and favorably
known in this part of the state, having
for many years carried on business as a
general merchant, and at one time he rep-
resented his district in the state senate.
His birth occurred in Richmond, Madi-
son county, Kentucky, on the 22d of Au-
gust, 1819, his parents being Richard and
Catherine (Holder) Williams. The fa-
ther was born in Fredericsburg, Culpep-
per county, Virginia, in 1786, and the
mother was a native of Clark county,
Kentucky, her birth occurring in 1797.
Mr. Williams's maternal grandfather,
John Holder, and great-grandfather, Col-
onel Richard Callaway, joined Daniel
Boone at Boone's fort on the Kentucky
river, now in Madison county, in 1775.
In July, 1776, Colonel Calla way's two
daughters, Betsy and Fanny Callaway,
and Jemima Boone were in a skiff on
the river and were captured by a party
of Indians, which was concealed on the
river bank. They were pursued by
Boone, Callaway and Mr. Callaway's son,
Flanders. Henderson and Captain Hol-
der were overtaken and the girls rescued
by their friends and returned to the fort.
On their return to the fort Henderson
married Betsy Callaway and Flanders
Callaway married Jemima Boone, having
a double wedding, and were the ancestors
of the numerous Callaway family of Mis-
souri. Captain Holder and Fanny Cal-
laway were married the next year,
Boone's brother, a Baptist minister, offi-
ciating on both occasions.
Both the paternal and maternal grand-
fathers of Mr. Williams were soldiers of
the Revolutionary war, also the great-
334
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
grandfather, who is known in history as
Colonel Richard Galloway, of Virginia,
who was prominent in the early develop-
ment and settlement of Kentucky and
who was a soldier in the frontier and In-
dian war under General Washington.
The grandfather of Mrs. Jesse Williams
in both the paternal and maternal line
was a soldier of the Revolutionary war,
one being John Collier and the other Jo-
seph Graves. The daughters of Mr. and
Mrs. Williams were therefore eligible to
membership with the Daughters of the
American Revolution and are now con-
nected with chapters of this organization.
Richard Williams learned the trade of
a saddler and harness-maker in the city
of Richmond, Virginia, and in 1808 re-
moved to Richmond, Kentucky, where he
followed his trade until 1828. He then
settled on a farm twenty miles from Rich-
mond, in Rockcastle county, Kentucky,
where he remained for twenty years,
when, in 1848, he removed to the county
seat of that county and lived retired un-
til his death. He was a warm admirer of
Henry 7 Clay and served several terms as
a magistrate in his locality. His wife was
of the Presbyterian faith. In their fam-
ily were thirteen children, of whom five
are yet living : Jesse, of this review ; Vir-
ginia, who is seventy-three years of age
and is the wife of James Wilson, of Mo-
nett. Missouri ; David, aged sixty-eight
years, living in Mount Vernon, Ken-
tucky ; William H., seventy-four years
of age, residing in Aztec, New Mexico;
and Louisa, who is the widow of James
Boulware, of Madison, Kentucky, and is
sixty-five years of age. The father of
this family died in January, 1878, and
their mother passed away in 1884, the
remains of both being interred in the
cemetery at Mount Vernon, Kentucky.
Jesse C. Williams acquired a limited
education in the district schools of his
native state and the next year after he
put aside his text-books he left home and
went south, and was engaged on the con-
struction of one of the first railroads in
that part of the country, the line extend-
ing between Atlanta and Chattanooga.
It was over this road that General Joe
Johnson made his celebrated retreat dur-
ing the period of the Civil war. Return-
ing to Kentucky Mr. Williams raised a
crop of com on his father's farm and
for several years during the winter sea-
sons engaged in teaching school. He aft-
erward turned his attention to merchan-
dising in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, and
in 1857 he removed to Carthage, where
he opened a general store, which he con-
ducted continuously until about fourteen
years ago, keeping a large line of general
goods. He was first located on the south
side of the public square, afterward re-
moving to the west side and finally erect-
ed a business block on the north side, in
which he continued until his retirement
from mercantile life. He was energetic
and diligent and as the result of his fru-
gality, careful management and straight-
forward business dealings he acquired a
very desirable competence, which now en-
ables him to live retired.
On the 5th of March, 1850, Mr. Wil-
liams was married to Miss Mary Col-
lier, who was born in Rockcastle, Ken-
tucky, May 8. 1826, a daughter of John
and Susan (Groves) Collier, both of
whom were natives of Culpepper county,
HANCOCK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
335
Virginia, the former born July 4, 1782,
and the latter December 15, 1787. Mr.
Collier engaged in farming in Kentucky
for many years and died in that state in
18^3. at the age of fifty-one years, while
his wife passed away at the age of sixty-
three years. He was a soldier of the
war of 1812. Both he and his wife were
members of the Baptist church. In their
family were eleven children, seven of
whom reached adult age, but for a long
period Mrs. Williams has been the only
surviving member of the family. Mr.
and Mrs. Williams celebrated their golden
wedding six years ago, having all of
their children with them on this happy
occasion. They have now traveled life's
journey together as man and wife for
fifty-six years, sharing with each other
in the joys and sorrows, the adversity
and prosperity which comes to each indi-
vidual in a lung lifetime. They had
seven children, two of whom were born
in Kentucky and five in Illinois. Of this
number five are living: Oscar, who re-
sides at Fort Stockton, Texas, marr
