Full text of "Portrait and biographical album of Rock Island County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Illinois, and of the presidents of the United States; also containing a history of the county, from its earliest settlement to the present time"

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CONTAINING

Fnll-page portrait aqd Biographical j^etcheg of p^an^inBqt and IJepi'e^qtatiVE

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TOGETHER WITH

PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL THE GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS,
AND OF THE RESIDENTS OF TIIE ""UNITED STATES.

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ALSO CONTAINING A HISTORY OF THE COUNTT, FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT

TO THE PRESENT TIME.

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1885.

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HAVE completed our labors in writing and compiling the Portrait and Bio-
graphical Album of this county, and wish, in presenting it to our patrons, to speak
briefly of the importance of local works of this nature. It is certainly the duty
of the present to commemorate the past, to perpetuate the names of the pioneers,
to furnish a record of their early settlement, and to relate the story of their progress.
The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and this solemn duty which
men of the present lime owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity,
demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In local history is found a power
to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a safe
vessel in which the names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this region from its
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the noble men, who in their vigor and prime
came early to the county and claimed the virgin soil as their heiitage, are passing to their
graves. The number remaining who can relate the history of the first days of settlement is
becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of his-
torical matter without delay, before the settlers of the wilderness are cut down by time. Not only
is it of the greatest importance to render history of pioneer times full and accurate, but it is also essen-
tial that the history of the county, from its settlement to the present day, should be treated through its various
phases, so that a record, complete and impartial, may be handed down to the future. The present the age
of progress, is reviewed, standing out in bold relief over the quiet, unostentatious olden times; itis abrilliant
record, which is destined to live in the future; the good works of men, their magnificent enterprises, iheii
lives, whether commercial or military, do not sink into oblivion, but, on the contrary, grow brighter with age,
and contribute to build up a record which carries with it precedents and principles that will 1 e advanced and
observed when the acts of soulless men will be forgotten and their very names hidden in obscurity.

In the preparation of the personal sketches contained in this volume, unusual care and pains were
taken to have them accurate, even in the smallest detail Indeed, nothing was passed lightly over or treated
indifferently; and we flatter ourselves that it is one of the most accurate works of its nature ever published.
As one of the most interesting features of this work, we present the portraits of numerous represent-
ative citizens. It has been our aim to have the prominent men of to-day, as well as the pioneers, represented
in this department ; and we congratulate ourselves on the uniformly high character of the gentlemen whose
portraits we present. They are in the strictest sense representative men, and are selected from all the call-
ings and professions worthy to be given. There are others, it is true, who claim equal prominence with
those given; but of course it was impossible for us to give portraits of all the leading men and pioneers
of the county. We are under great obligation to many of the noble and generous people of this county
for kindly and material assistance in the preparation of this Album.

Chicago, December, 1885.

CHAPMAN BROTHERS.

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33 OB BE WASllIPJBTD^,

HE Father of our Country was
¥) born in Westmorland Co., Va.,
i Feb. 22, 1732. His parents
were Augustine and Mary
(Ball) Washington. The family
to which he belonged has not
been satisfactorily traced in
England. His great-grand-
father, John Washington, em-
igrated to Virginia about 1657,
and became a prosperous
planter. He had two sons,
Lawrence and John. The
former married Mildred Warner
and had three children, John,
Augustine and Mildred. Augus-
tine, the father of George, first
married Jane Butler, who bore
him four children, two of whom,
Lawrence and Augustine, reached
maturity. Of six children by his
second marriage, George was the
eldest, the others being Betty,
Samuel, John Augustine, Charles
and Mildred.
Augustine Washington, the father of George, died
in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his
eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on
the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon,
and to George he left the parental residence. George
received only such education as the neighborhood
schools afforded, save for a short time after he left
school, when he received private instruction in

lathematics.

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His spelling was rather defective.

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Remarkable stories are told of his great physical
strength and development at an early age. He was
an acknowledged leader among his companions, and
was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair-
ness and veracity which characterized his whole life.

When George was 14 years old he had a desire to go to
sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him,
but through the opposition of his mother the idea was
abandoned. Two years later he was appointed
surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In
this business he spent three years in a rough frontier
life, gaining experience which afterwards proved \ . i\
essential to him. In 1 75 r, though only 19 years of
age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of
major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for
active service against the French and Indians. Soon
after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother
Lawrence, who went there to restore his health They
soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence
died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter
who did not long survive him. On her demise the
estate of Mount Vernon was given to George.

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinvviddie, as Lieuten-
ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was
reorganized, and the province divided into four mili-
tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to
Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this
a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac-
cepted, which others had refused. This was lo pro-
ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North-
western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed
was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand,
and the journey was to be made without military
escort, through a territory occupied bv Indians. The

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GEORGE WASHINGTON.

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trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near
losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished
a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment
of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com-
mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was
commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was
then begun against the French and Indians, in which
Washington took a most important part. In the
memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad-
dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer
of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the
day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock
were disabled early in the action, and Washington
alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter
to his brother he says: "I had four bullets through
my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped
unhurt, though death was leveling my companions
on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was
not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken
direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit
him.

After having been five years in the military service,
and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he
took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the
expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio,
to resign his commission. Soon after he entered the
Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an
active and important part. January 17, 1759, he
married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy
widow of John Parke Custis.

When the British Parliament had closed the port
of Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces
that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all."
It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con-
gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila-
delphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties,
peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Wash-
ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the
Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of
England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con-
cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the
first acts of this Congress was the election of a com-
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and
responsible office was conferred upon Washington,
who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted
it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he
receive no salary. He would keep an exact account
of expenses and expect Congress lo pay them and
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to
trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the
fortunes and liberties of the people of this country-
were so long confided. The war was conducted by
him under ever)' possible disadvantage, and while his
forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every
obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion
and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest
nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 17S3, Washington, in
a parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his

commission as commander-in-chief of the army to
to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He
retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all
connection with public life.

In February, 17S9, Washington was unanimously
elected President. In his presidential career he was
subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new
government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part
of other governments; trials from want of harmony
between the different sections of our own country;
trials from the impoverished condition of the country,
owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the
beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His
clear judgment could discern the golden mean; and
while perhaps this alone kept our government from
sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to
attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and
very annoying.

At the expiration of his first term he was unani-
mously re-elected. At the end of this term many
were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely
refused a third nomination. On the fourth of Man h,
1797, at the expiratbn of his second term as Presi-
dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there
his few remaining years free from the annoyances of
public life. Later in the year, however, his repose
seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France.
At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to
take command of the armies. He chose his sub-
ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat-
ters in the field, which he superintended from his
home. In accepting the command he made the
reservation that he was not to be in the field until
it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations
his life was suddenly cut off. December 1 2, he took
a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling
in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated
fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh-
teenth his body was borne with military honors to its
final resting place, and interred in the family vault at
Mount Vernon.

Of the character of Washington it is impossible to
speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad-
miration. The more we see of the operations of
our government, and the more deeply we feel the
difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest,
the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal-
ent and character, which have been able to challenge
the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na-
tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits
of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will
be as lasting as the existence of man.

The person of Washington was unusally tall, erect
and well proportioned. His muscular strength was
great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry.
He commanded respect without any appearance of
haughtiness, and ever serious without being dull.

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SECOND PRESIDENT.

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S^SSJe .

OHN ADAMS, the second
President and the first Vice-
'President of the United States,
was born in Braintree ( now
Quincy),Mass., and about ten
w miles from Boston, Oct. 19,
1735. His great-grandfather, Henry
Adams, emigrated from England
about 1 640, with a family of eight
sons, and settled at Braintree. The
parents of John were John and
Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His
father was a farmer of limited
means, to which he added the bus-
iness of shoemaking. He gave his
eldest son, John, a classical educa-
tion at Harvard College. John
graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the
school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a
"school of affliction," from which he endeavored to
gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the
study of law. For this purpose he placed himself
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He
had thought seriously of the clerical profession
but seems to have been turned from this by what he
termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun-
cils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,"
of the operations of which he had been a witness in
his native town. Pie was well fitted for the legal
profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being
ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep-
tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in
1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister,
and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his
marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa-
- tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial
Y steps toward holding a town meeting, and the resolu-

tions he offered on the subject became very popular
throughout the Province, and were adopted word for
word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos-
ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous
and prominent advocatesof the popular cause, and
was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg-
lislature) in 1770.

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates
from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress,
which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himself
by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad-
vocated the movement for independence against the
majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved
and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies
should assume the duties of self-government. He
was a prominent member of the committee of five
appointed June n, to prepare a declaration of inde-
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but
on Adams devolved the task of battling it through
Congress in a three days debate.

On the day after the Declaration of Independence
was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the
glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife,
which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated
by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the
greatest question was decided that ever was debated
in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or will
be decided among men. A resolution was passed
without one dissenting colony, ' that these United
States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde-
pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of
July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history
of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated
by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty
God. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows.

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JOHN ADAMS.

games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations
from one end of the continent to the other, from this
time forward for ever. You will think me transported
with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of
the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to
maintain this declaration, and support and defend
he»e States; yet, through all the gloom, I can seethe
ra ^ of light and glory. I can see that the end is
Wjtth more than all the means; and that posterity
will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I
hope we shall not."

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a
delegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin
Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in
the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money
from the French Government. This was a severe trial
to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home,
compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex-
posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis-
ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17,
1779. In September of the same year he was again
chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi-
ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce
with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet
might be found willing to listen to such pioposels. He
sailed for France in November, from there he went to
Holland, where he negotiated important loans and
formed important commercial treaties.

Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed
Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement,
toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed
threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con-
tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he
was advised to go to England to drink the waters of
Bath. While in England, still drooping anddespond-
ing, he received dispatches from his own government
urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was
delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through
storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,hemade the trip.

February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. Adams
envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face
to face the King of England, who had so long re-
garded him as a traitor. As England did not
condescend to appoint a minister to the United
States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom-
plishing but little, he sought permission to return to
his own country, where he arrived in June, 1788.

When Washington was first chosen President, John
Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at
home and abroad, was chosen Vice President. Again
at the second election of Washington as President,
Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash-
ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was
elected President,though not without much opposition.
Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by
Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics.

While Mr. Adams was Vice President the great

French Revolution shook the continent of Europe,
and it was upon this point which he was at issue with
the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson.
Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people
in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their
power of self-government, and he utterly abhored the
class of atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it.
On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or-
iginated the alienation between these distinguished
men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ-
ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies
were with England and Jefferson led the other in
sympathy with France.

The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more
moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the
old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling
had died away, and he had begun to receive that just
appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till
after death. No one could look upon his venerable
form, and think of what he had done and suffered,
and how he had given up all the prime and strength
of his life to the public good, without the deepest
emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar
good fortune to witness the complete success of the
institution which he had been so active in creating and
supporting. In r824, his cup of happiness was filled
to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest
station in the gift of the people.

The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half
century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the
signers of that immortal instrument left upon the
earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is
well known, on that day two of these finished their
earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as
to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr.
Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning
of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from
his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the
customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In-
dependence forever." When the day was ushered
in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons,
he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew
what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor-
ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all."
In the course of the day he said, "It is a great and
glorious day." The last words he uttered were,
" Tefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re-
signed his spirit into the hands of his God.

The personal appearance and manners of Mr.
Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face,
as his portrait manifests,was intellectual ard expres-
sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his
manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous.
He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor
the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked
the manners and address of Jefferson.

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THIRD PRESIDENT.

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HOMAS JEFFERSON was
born April 2, 1743, at Shad-
jSpwell, Albermarle county, Va.
His parents were Peter and
Jane ( Randolph) Jefferson,
the former a native of Wales,
and the latter born in Lon-
don. To them were born six
daughters and two sons, of
whom Thomas was the elder.
When 14 years of age his
father died. He received a
most liberal education, hav-
ing been kept diligently at school
from the time he was five years of
age. In 1760 he entered William
and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat
of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion
and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17
years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine
horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he
was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha-
able in his morals. It is strange, however, under
such influences, that he was not ruined. In the sec-
ond year of his college course, moved by some un-
explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses,
society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had
previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen
hours a day to hard' study, allowing himself for ex-
ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out
of the city and back again. He thus attained very
high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso-
phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and
Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished
scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls; and

there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a
more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man.

Immediately upon leaving college he began the
study of law. For the short time he continued in the
practice of his profession lie rose rapidly and distin-
guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a
lawyer. But the times called for greater action;
The policy of England had awakened the spirit of
resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged
views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led
him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen
a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In
1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti-
ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow.

Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, there
was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which
commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and
beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new
home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet
elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon,
became the most distinguished resort in our land.

In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress,
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he
was placed upon a number of important committees,
and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw-
ing up of a declaration of independence. This com-
mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R.
Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed
to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested
a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con-
gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made
in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July
4, 1776. What must have been the feelings of that

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THOMAS JEFFERSON.

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>> man — what the emotions that swelled his breast —
who was charged with the preparation of that Dec-
laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of
•'America, ivas also to publish her to the world, free,
[ soverign and independent. It is one of the most re-
markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort
»^of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be
sufficient to stamp his name with immortality.

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to
Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time
the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to
Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five
minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef-
.-' ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses-
sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never
^ very good, was much injured by this excitement, and
'in the summer of 1782 she died.

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783.
Two yerrs later he was appointed Minister Plenipo-
tentiary to France. Returning to the United States
in September, ^89, he became Secretary of State
in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned
Jan. r, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi-
dent, and four years later was elected President over
Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In
IN. 1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity,
aand George Clinton, Vice President.

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra-
^ition was disturbed by an event which threatened the
^tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con-
' y spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election
.to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled
ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a
) military expedition into the Spanish territories on our
southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there
a new republic. This has been generally supposed
was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been
generally known what his real plans were, there is no
doubt that they were of a far more dangerous
character.

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for
which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined
to retire from political life. For a period of nearly
forty years, he had been continually before the pub-
lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of
the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de-
voted the best part of his life to the service of his
country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his
declining years required, and upon the organization of
the new administration, in March, 1809, he b'd fare-
: 'well forever to public life, and retired to Monticelio.
Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole
A-j. families came in their coaches with their horses, —
I fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and
nurses, — and remained three and even six months.
Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a

fashionable watering-place.

The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver

sary of the Declaration of American Independence,
great preparations were made in every part of the
Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and
the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity
of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer,
and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara-
tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill-
ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and
had been continually increasing, compelled him to
decline the invitation.

On the second of July, the disease under which
he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced
state that his medical attendants, entertained no
hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly
sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next
day, which was Monday, he asked of those around
him, the day of the month, and on being told it was
the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish that
he might be permitted to breathe the airof the fiftieth
anniversary. His prayer was heard — that day, whose
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land,
burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for-
ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble
life ! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- -
the day which his own name and his own act had
rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and
festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him,
as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings,
was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life.

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin-
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear
him company, left the scene of his earthly honors.
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of
freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark and desper-
ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and
animated their desponding countrymen; for half a
century they had labored together for tiie good of
the country; and now hand in hand they depart.
In their lives they had been united in the same great
cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not
divided.

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes
were light, his hair originally red, in after life became
white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore-
head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and
thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as
well as personal courage ; and his command of tem-
per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends
never recollected to have seen him in a passion.
His manners, though dignified, were simple and un-
affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that
all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver-
sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic; and
his language was remarkably pure and correct. He
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is
discernable the care with which he formed his style
upon the best models of antiquity.

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FOURTH PRESIDENT.

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AMES MADISON, "Father
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"W President of the United States,
was born March 16, 1757, and
died at his home in Virginia,
/ ^& June 28, 1836. The name of
James Madison is inseparably con-
nected with most of the important
events in that heroic period of our
country during which the founda-
tions of this great republic were
laid. He was the last of the founders
of the Constitution of the United
States to be called to his eternal
reward.

The Madison family were among
the early emigrants to the New World,
landing upon the shores of the Chesa-
peake but 15 years after the settle-
ment of Jamestown. The father of
James Madison was an opulent
planter, residing upon a very fine es-
tate called "Montpelier," Orange Co.,
Va. The mansion was situated in
the midst of scenery highly pictur-
es! pie and romantic, on the west side
of South-west Mountain, at the foot of
Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of
Jefferson at Monticello. The closest personal and
political attachment existed between these illustrious
men, from their early youth until death.

The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted
mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of
18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey.
Here he applied himself to study with the most im-

prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three
hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so
seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor
of constitution. He graduated in 177 1, with a feeble
body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a
mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning
which embellished and gave proficiency to his subse-
quent career.

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of
law and a course of extensive and systematic reading.
This educational course, the spirit of the times in
which he lived, and the society with which he asso-
ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong
love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of
a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of
mind, and his frail health leading him to think that
his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten-
tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mind
singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with
almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed
all the arguments for and against revealed religion,
until his faith became so established as never to
be shaken.

In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he
was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to
frame the constitution of the State. The next year
(1777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly.
He refused to treat the whisky-lovir.g voters, and
consequently lost his election ; but those who had
witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the
modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf,
and he was appointed to the Executive Council.

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained
member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his

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JAMES MADISON.

intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not
a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year
1780, he was elected a member of the Continental
' Congress. Here he met the most illustrious men in
our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of
the most conspicuous positions among them.

For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con-
gress, one of its most active and influential members.
In the year 1784, his term having expired, he was
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature.

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no na-
tional government, with no power to form treaties
which would be binding, or to enforce law. There
was not any State more prominent than Virginia in
the declaration, that an efficient national government
must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison
earned a resolution through the General Assembly of
Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis-
sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss
this subject. Five States only were represented. The
convention, however, issued another call, drawn up
by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their
delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft
a Constitution for the United States, to take the place
of that Confederate League. The delegates met at
the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island
was represented. George Washington was chosen
president of the convention; and the present Consti-
tution of the United States was then and there formed.
There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac-
tive in framing this immortal document than the mind
and the pen of James Madison.

The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was
to be presented to the several States for acceptance.
But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected
we should be left but a conglomeration of independent
States, with but little power at home and little respect
abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by the conven-
tion to draw up an address to the people of the United
States, expounding the principles of the Constitution,
and urging its adoption. There was great opposition
to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and
went into effect in 1789.

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre-
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the
avowed leader of the Republican party. While in
New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. Todd, a
young widow of remarkable power of fascination,
whom he married. She was in person and character
queenly, and probably no lady has thus far occupied
so prominent a position in the very peculiar society

t which lias constituted our republican court as Mrs.
Madison.
Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration
was chosen President. At this time the encroach-
ments of England had brought us to the verge of war.

British orders in council destroyed our commerce, and
our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison
was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring
in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the
meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood
boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought
to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser.
A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the
crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal-
ance he selects any number whom he may please to
designate as British subjects; orders them down the
ship's side into his boat ; and places them on the gun-
deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the
battles of England. This right of search and im-
pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce
the British cabinet to relinquish.

On the iSth of June, 18 r 2, President Madison gave
his approval to an act of Congress declaring war
against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter
hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country
in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th
of March, T813, was re-elected by a large majority,
and entered upon his second term of office. This is
not the place to describe the various adventures of
this war on the land and on the water. Our infant
navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap-
pling with the most formidable power which ever
swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest
by the appearance of a British fleet, early in February,
r8t3, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole
coast of the United States under blockade.

The Emperor of Russia offered his services as me
ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit-
ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks
of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa-
peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens-
burg, upon Washington.

The straggling little city of Washington was thrown
into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict
at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the
metropolis. The whole population fled from the city.
The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the White
House, with her carriage drawn up at the door to
await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers
in a council of war. He met our troops utterly routed,
and he could not go back without danger of being
captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential
Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in
Washington were in flames.

The war closed after two years of fighting, and on
Feb. 13, 18 15, the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent.

On the 4th of March, 1ST7, his second term of
office expired, and he resigned the Presidential chair
to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau-
tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re-
mainder of his days. On June 28, r836, then at the
age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi-
son died July 12, 1849.

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FIFTH PRESIDENT.

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AMES MONROE, the fifth
President of The United States,
was born in Westmoreland Co.,
Va., April 28, 1758. His early
life was passed at the place of
nativity. His ancestors had for
many years resided in the prov-
ince in which he was born. When,
at 17 years of age, in the process
4> of completing his education at
William and Mary College, the Co-
lonial Congress assembled at Phila-
delphia to deliberate upon the un-
just and manifold oppressions of
Great Britian, declared the separa-
tion of the Colonies, and promul-
gated the Declaration of Indepen-
dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly
probable that he would have been one of the signers
of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left
school and enlisted among the patriots.

He joined the army when everything looked hope-
less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased
from day to day. The invading armies came pouring
in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the
mother country, but disheartened the new recruits,
who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con-
tending with an enemy whom they had been taught
to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James
Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through
difficulty and danger, the United States owe their
political emancipation. The young cadet joined the
ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country,
with a firm determination to live or die with her strife

for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel-
ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White
Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled
before its foes through New Jersey. In four months
after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots
had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of
Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg-
ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left
shoulder.

As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro-
moted a captain of infantry ; and, having recovered
from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however,
receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an
officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam-
paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy-
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued
aid-de-camp ; but becoming desirous to regain his
position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a
regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed
owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon
this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at
that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable
ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however,
entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag;
but on the invasions of the enemy, served, as a volun-
teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits.

In 1782, he was elected from King George county,
a member of the Legislature of Virginia, and by that
body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive
Council. He was thus honored with the confidence
of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having
at this early period displayed some of that ability
and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards
employed with unremitting energy for the public good,

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JAMES MONROE.

he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of
the Congress of the United' States.

Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of the old
Confederacy, he was opposed to the new Constitution,
thinking, with many others of the Republican party,
that it gave too much power to the Central Government,
and not enough to the individual States. Still he re-
tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm
supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition
secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member
of the United States Senate; which office he held for
four years. Every month the line of distinction be-
tween the two great parties which divided the nation,
the Federal and the Republican, was growing more
distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep-
arated them were, that the Republican party was in
sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a
strict construction of the Constitution as to give the
Central Government as little power, and the State
Governments as much power, as the Constitution would
warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England,
and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con-
stitution, which would give as much power to the
Central Government as that document could possibly
authorize.

The leading Federalists and Republicans were
alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the
good of the nation. Two more honest men or more
pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and
lames Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In
building up this majestic nation, which is destined
to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the com-
bination of their antagonism was needed to create the
light equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de-
nounced as almost a demon.

Washington was then President. England had es-
poused the cause of the Bourbons against the princi-
ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn
into the conflict. We were feeble and far away.
Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be-
tween these contending powers. France had helped
us in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms
of Europe were now combined to prevent the French
from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse
than that which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more
magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at
whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in
their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous
and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres-
ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in
magnanimity.

Washington, who could appreciate such a character,
developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness,
by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de-
nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister
of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr.
Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention
in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations.

Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Mon-
roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the
office for three years. He was again sent to France to
co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining
the vast territory then known as the Province of
Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob-
tained from Spain. Their united efforts were suc-
cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen
millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and
district of Louisiana were added to the United States.
This was probably the largest transfer of real estate
which was ever made in all the history of the world.

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob-
tain from that country some recognition of our
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those
odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng-
land was unrelenting. He again returned to Eng-
land on the same mission, but could receive no
redress. He returned to his home and was again
chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned
to accept the position of Secretary of State under
Madison. While in this office war with England was
declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during
these trying times, the duties of the War Department
were also put upon him. He was truly the armor-
bearer of President Madison, and the most efficient
business man in his cabinet. Upon the return of
peace he resigned the Department of War, but con-
tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the ex-
piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec-
tion held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself had
been chosen President with but little opposition, and
upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four years
later he was elected for a second term.

Among the important measures of his Presidency
were the cession of Florida to the United States; the
Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.''

This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe
doctrine," was enunciated by him in T823. At that
time the United States had recognized the independ-
ence of the South American states, and did not wish
to have European powers longer attempting to sub-
due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine
is as follows: "That we should consider any attempt
on the part of European powers to extend their sys-
tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous
to our peace and safety," and "that we could not
view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing
or controlling American governments or provinces in
any other light than as a manifestation by European
powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United
States." This doctrine immediately affected the course
of foreign governments, and has become the approved
sentiment of the United States.

At the end of his second term Mr. Monroe retired
to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830,
when he went to New Vork to live with his son-in-
law. In that city he died,on the 4th of July, 1831.

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SIXTH PRESIDENT.

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. OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the
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fP States, was b
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born in the rural
honored father,
John Adams, in Quincy, Mass.,
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mother, a woman of exalted
worth, watched over his childhood
during the almost constant ab-
sence of his father. When but
eight years of age, he stood with
his mother on an eminence, listen-
ing to the booming of the great bat-
tle on Bunker's Hill, and gazing on
upon the smoke and flames billow-
ing up from the conflagration of
Charlestown.

When but eleven years old he
took a tearful adieu of his mother,
to sail with his father for Europe,
through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright,
animated boy spent a year and a half in Paris, where
his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as
minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted
the notice of these distinguished men, and he received
from them nattering marks of attention.

Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again
John Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he
applied himself with great diligence, for six months,
to study; then accompained his father to Holland,
where he entered, first a school in Amsterdam, then
the University at Leyden. About a year from this
time, in 178T, when the manly boy was but fourteen
years of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min-
ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary.

In this school of incessant labor and of enobling
culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned
to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and
Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the
whiter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed
his studies, under a private tutor, at Hague. Thence,

in the spring of r7 82, he accompanied his father to
Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance
with the- most distinguished men on the Continent;
examining architectural remains, galleries of paintings,
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again
became associated with the most illustrious men of
all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal
themes which can engross the human mind. After
a short visit to England lie returned to Paris, and
'consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785,
when he returned to America. To a brilliant young
man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world,
and who was familiar with the etiquette of courts, a
residence with his father in London, under such cir-
cumstances, must have been extremely attractive;
but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre-
ferred to return to America to complete his education
in an American college. He wished then to study
law, that with an honorable profession, he might be
able to obtain an independent support.

Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty,
he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be-
ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap-
pointed by Washington, resident minister at the
Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached
London in October, where he was immediately admit-
ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney,
assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with
Great Britian. After thus spending a fortnight in
London, he proceeded to the Hague.

In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as
minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal,
upon arriving in London, he met with despatches
directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting
him to remain in London until he should receive his
instructions. While waiting he was married to an
American lady to whom he had been previously en-
gaged, — Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter
of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London;
a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom-
plishment which eminently fitted her to move in the
elevated sphere for which she was destined.

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JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

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He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ;
where he remained until July, 1799, when, having ful-
filled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his
recall.

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to
the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then
was elected Senator of the United States for six years,
from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his
ability and his experience, placed him immediately
among the most prominent and influential members
of that body. ' Especially did he sustain the Govern-
ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach-
ments of England, destroying our commerce and in-
sulting our flag. There was no man in America more
familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon
these points, and no one more resolved to present
a firm resistance.

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres-
idential chair, and he immediately nominated John
Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign-
ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked
at Boston, in August, 1809.

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu-
dent. He devoted his attention to the language and
history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the
European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to
the climate and astronomical observations ; while he
kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and
Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a
more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found.
All through life the Bible constituted an important
part of his studies. It was his rule to read five
chapters every day.

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the
Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr.
Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num-
erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he
sailed in June, 181 9, for the United States. On the
1 8th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his
home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon-
roe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary
of State.

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second
term of office, new candidates began to be presented
for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought
forward his name. It was an exciting campaign.
Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and
sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re-
ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four;
William H. Crawford, forty-one; Henry Clay, thirty-
seven. As there was no choice by the people, the
question went to the House of Representatives. Mr.
Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and
he was elected.

The friends of all the disappointed candidates now
combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon
Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in
the past history of our country than the abuse which

was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this
high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was
an administration more pure in principles, more con-
scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun-
try, than that of John Quincy Adams ; and never, per-
haps, was there an administration more unscrupu-
lously and outrageously assailed.

Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab-
stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising
early, and taking much exercise. When at his home in
Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast,
seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said
that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his
own fire and applying himself to work in his library
often long before dawn.

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew
Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi-
dent. The slavery question now began to assume
portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to
Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un-
abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re-
main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was
elected representative to Congress. For seventeen
years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre-
sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to
do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of
" the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in
the House, he announced that he should hold him-
self bound to no party. Probably there never was a
member more devoted to his duties. He was usually
the first in his place in the morning, and the last to
leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could
be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The
battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against
the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime
in its moral daring and heroism. For persisting in
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he
was threatened with indictment by the grand jury,
with expulsion from the House, with assassination ;
but no threats could intimidate him, and his final
triumph was complete.

It has been said of President Adams, that when his
body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of
fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little
child, he was accustomed to repeat even' night, before
he slept, the prayer which his mother taught him in
his infant years.

On the 2 1st of February, T848, he rose on the floor
of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the
speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly-
sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him.
For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to
the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious-
ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and
said " This is the end of earth /'then after a moment's
pause he added, " / am content. " These were the
last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent."

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SEVENTH PRESIDENT.

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NDREW JACKSON, the
seventh President of the
United States, was born in
Waxhaw settlement, N. C,
March 15, 1767, a few days
after his father's death. His
parents were poor emigrants
from Ireland, and took up
their abode in Waxhaw set-
tlement, where they lived in
deepest poverty.
Andrew, or Andy, as he was
universally called, grew up a very
rough, rude, turbulent boy. His
features were coarse, his form un-
gainly; and there was but very
little in his character, made visible, which was at-
tractive.

When only thirteen years old he joined the volun-
teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In
1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and
imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer
ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am
a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of
the dauntless boy.

The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate
blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner.
Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear-
ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other upon the
head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert
with the same demand. He also refused, and re-
ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite
diiabled him, and which probably soon after caused
his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and
were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their
mother was successful in obtaining their exchange,

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and took her sick boys home. After a long illness
Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon
left him entirely friendless.

Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as
working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and
clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he
entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however,
gave more attention to the wild amusements of the
times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed
solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of
which Tennessee was then a part. This involved
many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of
every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear,
and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish
with the Sharp Knife.

In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who
supposed herself divorced from her former husband.
Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later,
to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been
definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage
ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur-
rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr.
Jackson into disfavor.

During these years he worked hard at his profes-
sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand,
one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec-
ially disgraceful.

In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then
containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the
people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con-
stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven
counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates.
The new State was entitled to but one member in
the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack-
son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he
rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its

ANDREW JACKSON.

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sessions, — a distance of about eight hundred miles.

Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo-
cratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired
Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr.
Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose
second term of office was then expiring, delivered his
last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a
complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson
did not approve of the address, and was one of the
twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to
say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been
" wise, firm and patriotic."

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home.
Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court
of his State, which position he held for six years.

When the war of 1812 with Great Britian com-
menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair.
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was
an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who
would do credit to a commission if one were con-
ferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson
offeied his services and those of twenty-five hundred
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops
were assembled at Nashville.

As the British were hourly expected to make an at-
tack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was
? in command, he was ordered to descend the river
with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The
2 expedition reached Natchez ; and after a delay of sev-
eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything,
. the men were ordered back to their homes. But the
energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire
) devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him
golden opinions; and he became the most popular
man in the State. It was in this expedition that his
toughness gave him the nickname of " Old Hickory."

Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col.
Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman
made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in
which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged,
he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was
lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the
Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from
Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set-
tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De-
cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with
his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in
a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis-
tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an
1 army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama.

The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on
one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the cen-
ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother.
With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson
traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven
■J days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or
, Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1S14. The bend

of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of
tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow-
neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast-
work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors,
with an ample suplyof arms were assembled.

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des-
perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When
bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en-
deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn-
ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was
awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the
river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as
they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war-
rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam
the river and escaped. This ended the war. The
power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold
plunge into the wilderness, with its terriffic slaughter,
so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants
of the bands/;aine to the camp, begging for peace.

This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con-
centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the
allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will
than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian
campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he
was appointed major-general.

Late in August, with an army of two thousand
men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to
Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed
a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort,
and from both ship and shore commenced a furious
assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length
one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired.

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little
army, he moved his troops to New Orleans,
And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued,
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won
for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his
troops, which numbered about four thousand men,
won a signal victory over the British army of about
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the
loss of the British was two thousand six hundred.

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men-
tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in TS24,
he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however,
successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected
for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he
assumed the reins of the government, he met with
the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of
his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has
perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of
her death he never recovered.

His administration was one of the most memorable
in the annals of our country; applauded by one party,
condemned by the other. No man had more bitter
enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his
two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where
he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack-
son's life were that of a devoted Christian man.

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EIGHTH PRESIDENT.

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ARTIN VAN BUREN, the
eighth President of the
United States, was born at
Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5,
1782. He died at the same
place, July 24, 1862. His
body rests in the cemetery
at Kinderhook. Above it is
a plain granite shaft fifteen feet
high, bearing a simple inscription
about half way up on one face.
The lot is unfenced, unbordered
or unbounded by shrub or flower.

There is but little in the life of Martin Van Buren
of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged
in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in
political and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many
signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those
incidents which give zest to biography. His an-
cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin,
and were among the earliest emigrants from Holland
to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer,
residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother,
also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel-
ligence and exemplary piety.

He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing un-
usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the
age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies
in his native village, and commenced the study of
law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven
years of study in a law-office were required of him
before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with
a lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pur-
sued his studies with indefatigable industry. After
spending six years in an office in his native village,

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he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his
studies for the seventh year.

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of
age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil-
lage. The great conflict between the Federal and
Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van
Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had,
perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the
many discussions which had been carried on in his
father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with
Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the
cause of State Rights ; though at that time the Fed-
eral party held the supremacy both in his town
and State.

His success and increasing ruputation led him,
after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, the
county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years,
constantly gaining strength by contending in the
courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned
the bar of his State.

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr.
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short
years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump-
tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over
her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was
an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record
of those years is barren in items of public interest.
In 181 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to
the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to
Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1S15, he was ap-
pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved
to Albany, the capital of the State.

While he was acknowledged as one of the most
prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had

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MARTIN VAN BUREN.

the moral courage to avow that true democracy did
not require that " universal suffrage" which admits
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of
governing the State. In true consistency with his
democratic principles, he contended that, while the
path leading to the privilege of voting should be open
to every man without distinction, no one should be
invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue
and some property interests in the welfare of the
State.

In 182 1 he was elected a member of the United
States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat
in the convention to revise the constitution of his
native State. His course in this convention secured
the approval of men of all parties. No one could
doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the
interests of all classes in the community. In the
Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a
conspicuous position as an active and useful legislator.

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to
the Senate. He had been from the beginning a de-
termined opposer of the Administration, adopting the
"State Rights"' view in opposition to what was
deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams.

Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governorof
the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his
seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United
States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q.
Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it
Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether
entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re-
garded throughout the United States as one of the
most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians.
It was supposed that no one knew so well as he how
to touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all
the wires to put his machinery in motion ; and how to
organize a political army which would, secretly and
stealthily accomplish the most gigantic results. By
these powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams,
Mr. Clay, Mr. 'Webster, and secured results which
few thought then could be accomplished.

§When Andrew Jackson was elected President he
appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This
position he resigned in 1831, and was immediately
appointed Minister to England, where he went the
same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met,
refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned

home, apparently untroubled ; was nominated Vice
President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election
of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all and
frowns for none, he took his place at the head of that
Senate which had refused to confirm his nomination
as ambassador.

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of
President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor-
ite ; and this, probably more than any other cause,
secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execu-
tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re-
ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen.
Jackson as President of the United States. He was
elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the
retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the
canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van
Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen.
Jackson as though the Constitution had conferred
upon him the power to appoint a successor."

His administration was filled with exciting events.
The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in-
volve this country in war with England, the agitation
of the slavery question, and finally the great commer-
cial panic which spread over the country, all were
trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at-
tributed to the management of the Democratic party,
and brought the President into such disfavor that he
failed of re-election.

With the exception of being nominated for the
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 1S48,
Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until
his death.

He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits,
and living within his income, had now fortunately a
competence for his declining years. His unblemished
character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned
patriotism, and the distinguished positions which he
had occupied in the government of our country, se-
cured to him not only the homage of his part)', but
the respect ot the whole community. It was on the
4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from
the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald,
he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics
of the country. From this time until his death, on
the 24th of July, T862, at the age of eighty years, he
resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of
culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old
age, probably far more happiness than he had before
experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life.

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NINTH PRESIDENT.

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ILLIAM HENRY HARRI-
SON, the ninth President of
the United States, was born
at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773.
His father, Benjamin Harri-
son, was in comparatively op-
ulent circumstances, and was
one of the most distinguished
men of his day. He was an
intimate friend of George
Washington, was early elected
a member of the Continental
Congress, and was conspicuous
among the patriots of Virginia in
resisting the encroachments of the
British crown. In the celebrated
Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har-
rison and John Hancock were
both candidates for the office of
speaker.

Mr Harrison was subsequently
chosen Governor of Virginia, and
was twice re-elected. His son,
William Henry, of course enjoyed
in childhood all the advantages which wealth and
intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav-
ing received a thorough common-school education, he
entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated
with honor soon after the death of his father. He
then repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under
the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of
Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father,
signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not-
withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he
abandoned his medical studies and entered the army,
having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi-

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dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old.
From that time he passed gradually upward in rank
until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose
death he resigned his commission. He was then ap-
pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This
Territory was then entitled to but one member in
Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that
position.

In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory
was divided by Congress into two portions. The
eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced
in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory
north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which
included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and
Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil-
liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was ap-
pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana
Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as
extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He
was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in-
vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now
rapidly increasing white population. The ability and
fidelity with which he discharged these responsible
duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four
times appointed to this office — first by John Adams,
twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi-
dent Madison.

When he began his adminstration there were but
three white settlements in that almost boundless region,
now crowded with cities and resounding with all the
tumult of wealth and traffic. Oneof these settlements
was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French
settlement.

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About

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WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.

the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers,
of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of
these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching
Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet."
Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man
of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit-
able perseverance in any enterprise in which he might
engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm,
and had long regarded with dread and with hatred
the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting-
grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was
an orator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored
Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which
they dwelt.

But the Prophet was not merely an orator : he was,
in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested
with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a
magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter
the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went
from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent
by the Great Spirit.

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate
the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe-
canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter.
October 28, 1812, his army began its march. When
near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made
their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harrison was
approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a
short conference, arrangements were made for a meet-
ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace.

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with
the Indian character to be deceived by such protes-
tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en-
campment, he took every precaution against surprise.
His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept
upon their arms.

The troops threw themselves upon the ground for
rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his
loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in
the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa-
tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It
was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In
the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi-
ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all
the desperation which superstition and passion most
highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the
little army. The savages had been amply provided
with guns and ammunition by the English. Their
war-whoop was accompanied by a shower of bullets.

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the
light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide-
ous yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a
speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's
troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them
until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous
charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be-
fore them, and completely routing the foe.

Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked
to the utmost. The British descending from theCan-
adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but
with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the
forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn-
ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier
was plunged into a state of consternation which even
the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive.
The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the
forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra-
tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made
the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit.
Under these despairing circumstances, Gov. Harrison
was appointed by President Madison commander-in-
chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake
Detroit, and to protect the frontiers.

It would be difficult to place a man in a situation
demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but
General Harrison was found equal to the position,
and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re-
sponsibilities.

He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing
with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while
pursuing the foe up the Thames; was carried in a
valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket
lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five Britisli officers, .'
his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle. :
The only fare he could give them was beef roasted "■
before the fire, without bread or salt.

In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of
the National House of Representatives, to represent
the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an
active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with
force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested
the attention of all the members.

In 1 819, Harrison was elected to the Senate of
Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors
of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The
same year he was chosen to the United States Senate.

In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him
forward as a candidate for the Presidency against
Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of
Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nominated by his
party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated
by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency.
The contest was very animated. Gen. Jackson gave
all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but
his triumph was signal.

The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster
at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most
brilliant with which any President had ever been
surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin-
istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country
■more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and
joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by a
pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sick-
ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after
his inauguration as President of the United States,

««»

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TENTH PRESIDENT.

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He was bom in Charles-city
Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He
was the favored child of af-
fluence and high social po-
sition. At the early age of
twelve, John entered William
and Mary College and grad-
uated with much honor when
but seventeen years old. After
graduating, he devoted him-
self with great assiduity to the
study of law, partly with his
father and partly with Edmund
Randolph, one of the most distin-
guished lawyers of Virginia.

At nineteen years of age, ne
commenced the practice of law.
His success was rapid and aston-
ishing. It is said that three
months had not elapsed ere there
was scarcely a case on the dock-
I et of the court in which he was

not retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he
was almost unanimously elected to a seat in the State
Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo-
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of
"'.■ Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he
was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the
unanimous vote or his county.

When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected

a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and

,; ably with the Democratic party, opposing a national

n^, bank, internal improvements by the General Govern-

ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict con-
struction of the Constitution, and the most careful
vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress
were so arduous that before the close of his second
term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his
estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He,
however, soon after consented to take his seat in the
State Legislature, where his influence was powerful
in promoting public works of great utility. With a
reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen
by a very large majority of votes, Governor of his
native State. His administration was signally a suc-
cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election.
John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed
man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the
United States. A portion of the Democratic party
was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course,
and brought forward John Tyler as his opponent,
considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient
popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of
Roanoke. Mr. Tyler was the victor.

In accordance with his professions, upon taking his
seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi-
tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and
voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren-
uously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resist-
ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen-
eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr.
Calhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen.
Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had
abandoned the principles of the Democratic party.
Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record
in perfect accordance with the principles which he
had always avowed.

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of
his profession. There was a split in the Democratic

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party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef-
fersonian, gave him a dinner, and showered compli-
ments upon him. He had now attained the age of
forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con-
sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri-
vate affairs had fallen into some disorder ; and it was
not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice
of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan-
tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg,
for the better education of his children ; and he again
took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia.

By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national
convention at Hanisburg to nominate a President in
1839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har-
rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disappointment of
the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili-
ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the
convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres-
ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa-
thy with the Whig party in the North: but the Vice
President has but very little power in the Govern-
ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre-
side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap-
pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a
Democratic Vice President were chosen.

In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi-
dent of the United States. In one short month from
that time, President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler
thus found himself, to his own surprise and that of
the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential
chair. This was a new test of the stability of our
institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our
country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler
was at home in Williamsburg when he received the
unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri-
son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of
April was inaugurated to the high and responsible
office. He was placed in a position of exceeding
delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been
opposed to the main principles of the party which had
brought him into power. He had ever been a con-
sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record.
Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should
he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun-
sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own? or,
on the other hand, should he turn against the party
which had elected him and select a cabinet in har-
mony with himself, and which would oppose all those
views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub-
lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in-
vited the cabinet which President Harrison had
selected to retain their seats. He reccommended a
day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and
bless us.

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the
incorporation of a fiscal bank of the United States.
The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with
his veto. He suggested, however, that he would

approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he
proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and
privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval.
It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back
with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture.
It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas-
ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M.
Potts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely
touched the pride of the President.

The opposition now exultingly received the Presi-
dent into their arms. The party which elected him
denounced him bitterly. All the members of his
cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs
of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a
meeting and issued an address to the people of the
United States, proclaiming that all political alliance
between the Whigs and President Tyler were at
an end.

Still the President attempted to conciliate. He
appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs and
Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party
men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign,
forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus
the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra-
tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The
land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. Whigs
and Democrats alike assailed him. More and more,
however, he brought himself into sympathy with his
old friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his term,
he gave his whole influence to the support of Mr.
Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor.

On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the
harassments of office, to the regret of neither party, and
probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first wife,
Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842;
and in June, 1844, President Tyler was again married,
at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of
many personal and intellectual accomplishments.

The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mainly
in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For-
est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in
his manners, richly furnished with information from
books and experience in the world, and possessing
brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was
the scene of unusual attractions. With sufficient
means for the exercise of a generous hospitality, he
might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few
friends who gathered around him, were it not for the
storms of civil war which his own principles and
policy had helped to introduce.

When the great Rebellion rose, which the State-
rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Cal-
houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his
allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed-
erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress;
and while engaged in active measures to destroy, by
force of arms, the Government over which he had
once presided, he was taken sick and soon died.

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| AMES K. POLK, the eleventh

^President of the United States,
was born in Mecklenburg Co.,
N. C, Nov. 2, 1795. His par-
ents were Samuel and Jane
(Knox) Polk, the former a son
of Col. Thomas Polk, who located
at the above place, as one of the
first pioneers, in 1735.

In the year 1S06, with his wife
and children, and soon after fol-
lowed by most of the members of
the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi-
grated some two or three hundred
miles farther west, to the rich valley
of the Duck River. Here in the
midst of the wilderness, in a region
which was subsequently called Mau-
ry Co., they reared their log huts,
and established their homes. In the
hard toil of a new farm in the wil-
derness, James K. Polk spent the
early years of his childhood and
youth. His father, adding the pur-
suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer,
gradually increased in wealth until
he became one of the leading men of the region. His
mother was a superior woman, of strong common
sense and earnest piety.

Very early in life, James developed a taste for
reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain
a liberal education. His mother's training had made
him methodical in his habits, had taught him punct-
uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty
principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his
father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a

fey

sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the
counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits.

This was to James a bitter disappointment. He
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his
earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made
arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon
after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With '
ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed :
forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half !
years, in the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore ]
class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel »
Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of ■
scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing
himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious
service.

He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be-
ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in
mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty-
three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this
time much impaired by the assiduity with which he
had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of
relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the
office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk
renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who
resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few
miles from Nashville. They had probably been
slightly acquainted before.

Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican,
and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi-
cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was
constantly called upon to address the meetings of his
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that
he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump.
He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and >

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JAMES K. POLK.

, courteous in his bearing, and with that sympathetic
g nature in the jo) s and griefs of others which ever gave

. him troops of friends

In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected
to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his
strong influence towards the election of his friend,
U Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States.
In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah
Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was
altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul-
ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a
member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave
to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that
for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con-
tinued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew,
only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair
of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious
member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was
always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever
he spoke it was always to the point, and without any
) ambitious rhetorical display.

;. During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was
>> Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused,
= and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per-
jfe formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac-
= ti«n, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was
passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of
y March, 1839.

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a
candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was
elected by a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo-
ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841,
his term of office expired, and he was again the can-
didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated.

On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur-
ated President of the United States. The verdict of
the country in favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted
its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the
administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig-
nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the
3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to
the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas
as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister,
J 1 Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and
left the country, declaring the act of the annexation
* to be an act hostile to Mexico.

In his first message, President Polk urged that
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re-
ceived into the Union on the same footing with the
, other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent

®)

with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was
sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the
western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly
two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande,
where he erected batteries which commanded the
Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on
the western banks.

The anticipated collision soon took place, and war
was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The
war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration
with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first
called one of ''observation," then of "occupation,"
then of " invasion," was sent forward to Monterey. The
feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly
and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement
alone can reveal the misery which this war caused.
It was by the ingenuity of Ml. Polk's administration
that the war was brought on.

'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was
prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands.
We now consented to peace upon the condition that
Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas,
all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal-
ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of
Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This
was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the
size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen
majestic States to be added to the Union. There were
some Americans who thought it all right : there were
others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution
of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and
more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this
money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico.

On the 3d of March, 1S49, Mr. Polk retired from
office, having served one term. The next day was
Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated
as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in the
same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even-
ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to
Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age.
He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits,
and his health was good. With an ample fortune,
a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties
of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years
of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the
cholera — that fearful scourge— was then sweeping up
the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted,

and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth

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TWELFTH PRESIDENT.

ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth
^ President of the United States,
$) was born on the 24th of Nov.,
1784, in Orange Co., Va. His
is father, Colonel Taylor, was
a Virginian of note, and a dis-
tinguished patriot and soldier of
the Revolution. When Zachary
was an infant, his father with his
wife and two children, emigrated
to Kentucky, where he settled in
the pathless wilderness, a few
miles from Louisville. In this front-
ier home, away from civilization and
all its refinements, young Zachary
could enjoy but few social and educational advan-
tages. When six years of age he attended a common
school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy,
rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char-
acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and
manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight
the Indians who were ravaging the frontiers. There
is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of Lis
childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation.
In 1S0S, his father succeeded in obtaining for him
the commission of lieutenant in the United States
army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed
at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after
this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady
from one of the first families of Maryland.

immediately after the declaration of war with Eng-
land, in 18 12, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been
promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort
Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above
Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder-
ness by Gen. Harrison, on his march to Tippecanoe.
It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians,
led by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken

^AGMAJ^Y fJMFJfcM.

company of infantry numbering
whom were sick.

Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, stealthily,
and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Their
approach was first indicated by the murder of two
soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor
made every possible preparation to meet the antici-
pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of
forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort,
waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that
in the morning their chief would come to have a talk
with him. It was evident that their object was merely ;
to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt.
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept
them at a distance.

The sun went down; the savages disappeared, the
garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before *
midnight the war whoop burst from a thousand lips (
in the forest around, followed by the discharge of
musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick
and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that
defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap-
ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor-
ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can
conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc-
ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses-
Until six o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict
continued. The savages then, baffled at every point,
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt.
Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the
rank of major by brevet.

Until the close of the war, Major Taylor was placed /'
in such situations that he saw but little more of active
service. He was sent far away into the depths of the
wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which
empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little )
to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one \
best could. There were no books, no society, no in- <

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ZACHARY TAYLOR.

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tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful
years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of
colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in
the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor
took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part.

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in
the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in
employments so obscure, that his name was unknown
beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance.
In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel
the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re-
tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty,
had promised they should do. The services rendered
here secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of
the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated
to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon
after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com-
mand of the United States troops in Florida.

After two years of sucli wearisome employment
amidst the everglades of the peninsula, Gen. Taylor
obtained, at his own request, a change of command,
and was stationed over the Department of the South-
west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family
to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue.
Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were,
from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty
imposed upon him.

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land
between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river
being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed
by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico
was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the
Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet
was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name
was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in
the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and
Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over
forces much larger than he commanded.

His careless habits of dress and his unaffected
simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops,
the sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.'

The tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista
spread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The
name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The
Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder-
ful popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un-
lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the
Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an-
nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de-
claring that he was not at all qualified for such an
office. So little interest had he taken in politics that,
for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not
without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen
who had been long years in the public service found
their claims set aside in behalf of one whose name

had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena
Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re-
marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made."

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine
writer His friends took possession of him, and pre-
pared such few communications as it was needful
should be presented to the public. The popularity of
the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri-
umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, —
Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren.
Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good
old man found himself in a very uncongenial position,
and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed.
His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably
tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party
was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi-
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was
pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery
stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found
the political conflicts in Washington to be far more
trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or
Indians.

In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor,
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little
over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of
but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1850.
His last words were, " I am not afraid to die. I am
ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died
universally respected and beloved. An honest, un-
pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the
affections of the people ; and the Nation bitterly la-
mented his death.

Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with
Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful
description of his character: — " With a good store of
common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en-
larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse
with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse-
quence. The frontiers and small military posts had
been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his
rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim-
plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju-
dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the
tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable,
chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat
a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave
a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out-
side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the
offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse),
whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase,
' touch with a pair of tongs.'

"Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil-
worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a
sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter
unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short,
few men have ever had a more comfortable, labor-
saving contempt for learning of every kind."

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THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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ILLARD FILLMORE, thir-
teenth President of the United

States, was born at Summer
Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on
the 7th of January, 1800. His
father was a farmer, and ow-
ing to misfortune, in humble cir-
cumstances. Of his mother, the
daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard,
of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been
said that she possessed an intellect
of very high order, united with much
personal loveliness, sweetness of dis-
position, graceful manners and ex-
quisite sensibilities. She died in
1 83 1 ; having lived to see her son a
' young man of distinguished prom-
ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high
dignity which he finally attained.

In consequence of the secluded home and limited
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad-
vantages for education in his early years. The com-
mon schools, which he occasionally attended were
very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce
and expensive. There was nothing then in his char-
acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he
was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ;
intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred
influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible,
and had laid the foundations of an upright character.
When fourteen years of age, his father sent him
some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier.
Near the mill there was a small villiage, where some

— e^4j

enterprising man had commenced the collection of a
village library. This proved an inestimable blessing
to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read-
ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with
books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate ;
and the selections which he made were continually
more elevating and instructive. He read history,
biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en-
kindled in his heart a desire to be something more
than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be-
coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed,
educated man.

The young clothier had now attained the age of
nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance
and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened that
there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample
pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter
Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap-
pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint-
ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and
attainments that he advised him to abandon his
trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The
young man replied, that he had no means of his own,
r.o friends to help him and that his previous educa-
tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had
so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to
take him into his own office, and to loan him such
money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous
offer was accepted.

There is in many minds a strange delusion about
a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to
be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col-
lege. But many a boy loiters through university halls
and then enters a law office, who is by no means as

T^JDD&IM^r

TTC^/

MILLARD FILLMORE.

well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was
Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing-
mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during
which every leisure moment had been devoted to in-
tense mental culture.

In 1S23, when twenty-three years of age, he was
admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then
went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the
practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region,
his practice of course was limited, and there was no
opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame.
Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great
moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station
she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers.

His elevation of character, his untiring industry,
his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate,
gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to
enter into partnership under highly advantageous
circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in
Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829,
he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the
State of New York, as a representative from Erie
County. Though he had never taken a very active
part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with
the Whig party. The State was then Democratic,
and he found himself in a helpless minority in the
Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parties,
that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very
unusual degree the respect of his associates.

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in
the United States Congress. He entered that troubled
arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our
national history. The great conflict respecting the
national bank and the removal of the deposits, was
then raging.

His term of two years closed ; and he returned to
his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep-
utation and success. After a lapse of two years
he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re-
elected, and took his seat in r837. His past expe-
rience as a representative gave him strength and
confidence. The first term of service in Congress to
any man can be but little more than an introduction.
He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener-
vere brought to bear upon the public good. Every
measure received his impress.

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and
his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847,
he was elected Comptroller of the State.

— ^^ — sA^nns

Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven
years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in
Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con- •?
siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to
find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- » a
dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the
waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old
soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles
with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be
proclaimed in trumpet-tones all over the land. But
it was necessary to associate with him on the same
ticket some man of reputation as a statesman.

Under the influence of these considerations, the
namesof Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became
the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for
President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was
signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849,
Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard
Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States.

On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but
about one year and four months after his inaugura- J
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- _J
stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- -
dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which
the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. -

Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to contends
with, since the opposition had a majority in both
Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate
the South; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt
the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliation, j
The population of the free States was so rapidly in-
creasing over that of the slave States that it was in-
evitable that the power of the Government should
soon pass into the hands of the free States. The »,
famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr.
Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition
was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill-
more, having served one term, retired.

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres-
idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten
by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in
retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war,
he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that
his sympathies were rather with those who were en- 1
deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President I
Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any ;>
Cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other.
He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe -
old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874. -]

■*»#

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FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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RANKLIN PIERCE, the
fourteenth President of the
I* United States, was born in
Hillsborough, N. H., Nov.
23, 1804. His father was a
Revolutionary soldier, who,
with his own strong arm,
hewed out a home in the
wilderness. He was a man
of inflexible integrity; of
strong, though uncultivated
mind, and an uncompromis-
ing Democrat. The mother of
Franklin Pierce was all that a son
could desire, — an intelligent, pru-
dent, affectionate, Christian wom-
an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children.

Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen-
erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the
p love of old and young. The boys on the play ground
| loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors
looked upon him with pride and affection. He was
by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words,
doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact
which taught him what was agreeable. Without de-
veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural
* devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body,
in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy.

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he

entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me. He was

£ one of the most popular young men in the college.

The purity of his moral character, the unvarying

courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and

genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite.
There was something very peculiarly winning in his
address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de-
gree studied : it was the simple outgushing of his
own magnanimous and loving nature.

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce
commenced the study of law in the office of Judge
Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of
the State, and a man of great private worth. The
eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his
father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant
political career into which Judge Woodbury was en-
tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci-
nating yet perilous path of political life. With all
the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen.
Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the
practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected
to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here
he served for four years. The last two years he was
chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote.

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected
a member of Congress. Without taking an active
part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty,
and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom
he was associatad.

In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age,
he was elected to the Senate of the United States;
taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced
his administration. He was the youngest member in
the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane
Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom-
plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every
station with which her husband was honoied. Of the

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FRAN-KLIN PIERCE.

three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with
their parents in the grave.

In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame
and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his
residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire.
President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed
Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States ; but
the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous
professional engagements at home, and the precariuos
state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the
same time declined the nomination for governor by the
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr.
Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of
brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his
troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847.
He took an important part in this war, proving him-
self a brave and true soldier.

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native
State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo-
cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo-
nents. He resumed the practice of his profession,
very frequently taking an active part in political ques-
tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery
wing of the Democratic party. The compromise
measures met cordially with his approval ; and he
strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa-
mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious
sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin-
guished as a "Northern man with Southern principles.''
The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse-
quently regarded him as a man whom they could
safely trust in office to carry out their plans.

On the 1 2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven-
tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the
Presidency. For four days they continued in session,
and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a
two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown
for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation
brought forward his name. There were fourteen
more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he
received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all
other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was
the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with
great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas-
sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their
electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce
was therefore inaugurated President of the United
States on the 4th of March, 1853.

K®5^Dff« ^^ 9t<>M

His administration proved one of the most stormy our
country had ever experienced. The controversy be-
tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its
culminating point. It became evident that there was
an " irrepressible conflict " between them, and that
this Nation could not long exist " half slave and half
free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad-
ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate
the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every
year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution
of the Union were borne to the North on every South-
ern breeze.

Such was the condition of affairs when President
Pierce approached the close of his four-years 1 term
of office. The North had become thoroughly alien-
ated from him. The anti-slaver)- sentiment, goaded
by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all
the intellectual ability and social worth of President
Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad-
ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also,
unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo-
cated those measures of Government which they ap-
proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had
rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be
able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped
him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him.

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re-
tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two
had died, and his only surviving child had been
killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his
wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of
ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The
hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left
alone in the world, without wife or child.

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di-
vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr.
Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he
had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to
that pro-slaver)' party with which he had ever been
allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice
or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov-
ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until
the time of his death, which occurred in October,
1869. He was one of the most genial and social of
men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal
Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen-
erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al- -
leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns-

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people were often gladened by his material bounty

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FIFTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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AMES BUCHANAN, the fif-
ILteenth President of the United
* States, was born in a small
frontier town, at the foot of the
. eastern ridge of the Allesha-
nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on
the 23d of April, 1791. The -lace
where the humble cabin of his
father stood was called Stony
Batter. It was a wild and ro-
mantic spot in a gorge of the moun-
tains, with towering summits rising
grandly all around. His father
was a native of the north of Ireland ;
a poor man, who had emigrated in
1783, with little property save his
own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married
Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer,
and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder-
ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a
clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per-
form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se-
cluded home, where James was born, he remained
for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual
advantages. When James was eight years of age, his
father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where
his son was placed at school, and commenced a
course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His
progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he
entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de-
veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among
the first scholars in the institution. His application
to study was intense, and yet his native powers en-

abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with
facility.

In the year 1S09, he graduated with the highest
honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of
age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of
athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with
an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately
commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster,
and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was
but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose
in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand
with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but
twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc-
cessfully defended before the State Senate one of the
judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and
there was no lawyer in' the State who had a more lu-
crative practice.

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for
ten years he remained a member of the Lower House.
During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally
tried some important case. In 1831, he retired
altogether from the toils of his profession, having aO
quired an ample fortune.

Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency,
appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The
duties of his mission he performed with ability, which
gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon his return, in
1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States
Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster,
Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated the meas-
ures proposed by President Jackson, of making repri- .

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JAMES BUCHANAN.

sals against France, to enforce the payment of our

claims against that country; and defended the course

\) of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale

removal from office of those who were not the sup-

I porters of his administration. Upon this question he

was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay.

r^He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging

from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure

against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits.

Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the

District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the

circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United

States mails.

As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo-
cated that they should be respectfully received; and
that the reply should be returned, that Congress had
no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress,"
said he, " might as well undertake to interfere with
slavery under a foreign government as in any of the
States where it now exists."

Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr.
Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such,
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of
Hhe Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing
>the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed
' ^territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross
the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration
^of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the
^account of the course our Government pursued in that
^movement

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with
' ^the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension
of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind
1 to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his
cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1S50,
which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce,
upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr.
Buchanan with the mission to England.

In the year r85 6, a national Democratic conven-
tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The
political conflict was one of the most severe in which
our country has ever engaged. All the friends of
slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re-
striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre-
mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re-
ceived r 14 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received
174, and was elected. The popular vote stood
1,340,618, for Fremont, r, 224,750 for Buchanan. On
March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated.
Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four
;• years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and
ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been
allied in political principles and action for years, were
seeking the destruction of the Government, that they
might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a
nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery.
In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be-
wildered. He could not, with his long-avowed prin-

ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in
their assumptions. As President of the United States,
bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws,
he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind,
unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub-
lic. He therefore did nothing.

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration
nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer
in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery
party declared, that if he were elected, and the con-
trol of the Government were thus taken from their
hands, they would secede from the Union, taking
with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at
Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of
the United States.

Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery
party was such, that he had been willing to offer them
far more than they had ventured to claim. All the
South had professed to ask of the North was non-
intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu-
chanan had been ready to offer them the active co-
operation of the Government to defend and extend
the institution.

As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders
claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow-
ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of
the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im-
becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He
declared that Congress had no power to enforce its
laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which
was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This
was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with
his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed, "The
Union must and shall be preserved!"

South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly
three months before the inauguration of President
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair.
The rebel flag was raised in Charleston; Fort Sumpter
was besieged ; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals
were seized; our depots of military stores were plun-
dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were
appropriated by the rebels.

The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our
Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked
on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away,
and close the administration, so terrible in its weak-
ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver-
ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the
scepter.

The administration of President Buchanan was
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex-
perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with
pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame,
that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows
of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came
from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's
banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion.
He died at His Wheatland retreat, June 1, 1868,

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BRAHAM LINCOLN,
sixteenth President of
United States, was born
Hardin Co., Ky., Feb.
1S09. About the year 1 7 S

the
the
in
12,
o, a
man by the name of Abraham
** Lincoln left Virginia with his
family and moved into the then
wilds of Kentucky. Only two years
after this emigration, still a young
man, while working one day in a
field, was stealthily approached by
an Indian and shot dead. His widow
was left in extreme poverty with five
little children, three boys and two
girls. Thomas, the youngest of the
boys, was four years of age at his
father's death. This Thomas was
the father of Abraham Lincoln, the
President of the United States
whose name must henceforth forever be enrolled
with the most prominent in the annals of our world.
Of course no record has been kept of the life
of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among
the poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched
log-cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest.
Education he had none; he could never either read
or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for
himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his
starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend-
less, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him-
self out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a
laborer in the fields of others.

When twenty-eight years of age he built a log-
cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the
daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi-
grants, who had also come from Virginia. Their
second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of
this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble
woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn
a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel.
"All lhat I am, or hope to be," exclaims the grate-
ful son " I owe to my angel-mother.

When he was eight years of age, his father sold his

cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana. Where
two years later his mother died.

Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated f
community around him. He could not have had a
better school than this to teacli him to put thoughts
into words. He also became an eager reader. The
books he could obtain were few ; but these he read
and re-read until they were almost committed to
memory.

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family (
was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and ^
griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister a
Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mar-
ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and e
soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr.
Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, =
and emigrated to Macon Co., 111.

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age.
With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing
another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this
until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their
small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when
he announced to his father his intention to leave
home, and to go out into the world and seek his for- •
tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril-
liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of
education, and was intensely earnest to improve his
mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin
which ardent spirits were causing, and became
strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi-
cating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in
God's word, "Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain;" and a profane expression he
was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His
morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a
single vice.

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer
among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield,
where he was employed in building a large flat-boat.
In this he took a herd of swine, floated them down
the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mis-
sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lin-
coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give
great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven-

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ABRAHAM LINCOLX.

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ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon
his return they placed a store and mill under his care.

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he
enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He
returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23
years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but
was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew
[ackson the appointment of Postmaster T>f New Salem,
His only post-office was his hat. All the letters lie
received he carried there ready to deliver to those
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon
made this his business. In 1 S34 he again became a
candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr.
Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He
waiked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of
Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and
begin his legal studies. When the Legislature as-
sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back
one hundred miles to Vandaha, then the capital. In
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it
was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1S39 he re-
moved to Springfield and began the practice of law.
His success with the jury was so great that he was
soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit.

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr.
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question.
In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois,
in 1S56, he took an active part, and at once became
one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's
speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con-
test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most
notable part of his history. The issue was on the
slavery question, and he took the broad ground of
the Declaration of Independence, that all men are
created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con-
test, but won a far higher prize.

The great Republican Convention met at Chicago
on the 16th of June, i860. The delegates and
strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty-
five thousand. An immense building called "The
Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven-
tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes
were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame
as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most
orominent. It was generally supposed he would be
the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received
the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then
dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the
bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him:
and aslittle did he dream that he was to render services
to his country, which would fix upon him the eyes of
the whole civilized world, and which would give him
a place in the affections of his countrymen, second
only, if second, to that of Washington.

Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 1S0
electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore,
constitutionally elected President of the United States.
The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this good

and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was
greater than upon any' other man ever elected to this
high position. In February, 1861, Mr. Lincoln started
for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his
way making speeches. The whole journey was frought
with much danger. Many of the Southern States had
already seceded, and several attempts at assassination
were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti-
more had arranged, upon his arrival to "get up a row,"
and in the confusion to make sure of his death with
revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled
the plot. A secret and special train was provided to
take him from Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an
unexpected hour of the night. The train started at
half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi-
cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con-
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had
started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln
reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated,
although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people.
In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave
to Mr Seward the Department of State, and to other
prominent opponents before the convention he gave
important positions.

During no other administration have the duties
devolving upon the President been so manifold, and
the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to
the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and
feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in
his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, lie
learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in
determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his
trials, both personal and national. Contrary to his
own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the
most courageous of men. He went directly into the
rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving,
with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he
had left Springfield, in 1S61, however, plans had been
made for his assassination, and he at last fell a victim
to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant,
was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It
was announced that they would be present. Gen.
Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel-
ing, witli his characteristic kindliness of heart, that
it would be a disappointment if he should fail them,
very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to
the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth
entered the box where the President and family were
seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the
next morning at seven o'clock.

Never before, in the history of the world was a nation
plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler.
Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless
anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was
in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a
model. His name as the savior of his country will
live with that of Washington's, its father; his country-
men being unable to decide which is the greater.

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SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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NDREW JOHNSON, seven-
teenth President of the United
States. The early life of
Andrew Johnson contains but
the record of poverty, destitu-
tion and friendlessness. He
was born December 29, 180S,
in Raleigh, N. C. His parents,
belonging to the class of the
"poor whites " of the South, were
in such circumstances, that they
could not confer even the slight-
est advantages of education upon
their child. When Andrew was five
years of age, his father accidentally
lost his life while herorically endeavoring to save a
friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the
labor of his mother, who obtained her living with
her own hands.

He then, having never attended a school one day,
and being unable either to read or write, was ap-
prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman
was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion-
ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often
read from the speeches of distinguished British states-
men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more
than ordinary native ability, became much interested
in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he
was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read.

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and
with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen,
learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle-
man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner,

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pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book,
but assisted him in learning to combine the letters
into words. Under such difficulties he pressed on-
ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours
at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest
and recreation to devote such time as he could to
reading.

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at
Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos-
sessed some education. Under her instructions he
learned to write and cipher. He became prominent
in the village debating society, and a favorite with
the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or-
ganized a working man's party, which elected him
alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which
position he held three years.

He now began to take a lively interest in political
affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes,
to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a
member of the House of Representatives of Tennes-
see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age.
He became a very active member of the legislature,
gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in
1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van
Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to those
of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased
his reputation.

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he
was elected a member of Congress, and by successive
elections, held that important post for ten years. In
1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and
was re-elected in 1855. In all these responsible posi-
tions, lie discharged his duties with distinguished abil-

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ANDRE W JOHNSON.

ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work-
ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected
United States Senator.

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated
the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his
reason, that he thought this annexation would prob-
ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable
sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom,
and become merged in a population congenial to
themselves." In 1850, he also supported the com-
promise measures, the two essential features of which
were, that the white people of the Territories should
be permitted to decide for themselves whether they
would enslave the colored people or not, and that
the free States of the North should return to the
South persons who attempted to escape from slavery.

Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly origin:
on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that
he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir,"
said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget
that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam
was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav-
ior was the son of a carpenter."

In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of i860, he
was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the
Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South-
ern Democracy became apparent, he took a decided
stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery
must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever
cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly
imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of
Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the
Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap-
pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he
established the most stringent military rule. His
numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In
1 8 64, he was elected Vice-President of the United
States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15,
1S65, became President. In a speech two days later
he said, " The American people must be taught, if
they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and
must be punished ; that the Government will not
always bear with its enemies; that it is strong not
only to protect, but to punish. * * The people
must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of
crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole
administration, the history of which is so well known,
was in utter inconsistency with, and the most violent

opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech.

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress; and he char-
acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly
defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In
the beginning of 1S68, on account of "high crimes
and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the
removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten-
ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre-
ferred against him, and the trial began March 23.

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three
months. A test article of the impeachment was at
length submitted to the court for its action. It was
certain that as the court voted upon that article so
would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced
the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces-
sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac-
quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against
him. The change of one vote from the not guilty
side would have sustained the impeachment.

The President, for the remainder of his term, was
but little regarded. He continued, though impotently,
his conflict with Congress. His own party did not
think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi-
dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar-
alleled since the days of Washington, around the name
of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten.
The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the
President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was
there presented to a man a better opportunity to im-
mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a
nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home
in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in
politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting
struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten-
nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con-
gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special
session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-President
made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter
Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was
apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach-
ing the residence of his child the following day, was
stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious.
He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at
2 a.m., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun-
eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August.

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LYSSES S. GRANT, the
J| eighteenth President of the
H* United States, was born on
the 29th of April, 1822, of
Christian parents, in a humble
home, at Point Pleasant, on the
banks of the Ohio. Shortly after
his father moved to George-
town, Brown Co., O. In this re-
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses
received a common-school edu-
cation. At the age of seven-
teen, in the year 1839, he entered
the Military Academy at West
Point. Here he was regarded as a
solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of
sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank
as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the
middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in-
fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis-
souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary
solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating
Indians.

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first
battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here
for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at
Resacade la Palma, his second battle. At the battle
of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that
he performed a signal service of daring and skillful
horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am-
munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along
a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut.
Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians,
grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one
side of the animal, ran the gauntlet in entire safety.

From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry,
to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In
preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he
was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the
battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a
first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha-
pultepec.

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re-
turned with his regiment to New York, and was again
sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The
discovery of gold in California causing an immense
tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt.
Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in
Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im-
migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt.
Grant resigned his commission and returned to the
States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva-
tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but
little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re-
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into
the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga-
lena, 111. This was in the year i860. As the tidings
of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears
of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, —
"Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though
I have served him through one war, I do not feel that
I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge
my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword
and see Uncle Sam through this war too. "

He went into the streets, raised a company of vol-
unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield,
the capital of the State, where their services were
offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by
the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt.
Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the
volunteer organization that was being formed in the
State in behalf of the Government. * On the 15th of

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June, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as
Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol-
unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who
had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such
that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier-
General and was placed in command at Cairo. The
rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth
of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap-
peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The
rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and
stripes were unfurled in its stead.

He entered the service with great determination
and immediately began active duty. This was the be-
ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond
he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and
effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur-
prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry
won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight
at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the
victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was
immediately made a Major-General, and the military
district of Tennessee was assigned to him.

Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well how
to secure the results of victory. He immediately
pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the
terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the
siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an
unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty
thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can-
non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most
severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered,
and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf.

Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro-
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from
his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he
was laid up for months.

He was the most prominent candidate before the
Republican National Convention in 1880 for a re-
nomination for President. He went to New York and
embarked in the brokerage business under the firm
nameof Grant &: Ward. The latter proved a villain,
wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to
the penitentiary. The General was attacked with
cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-like
manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as
General of the Army and retired by Congress. The
cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23,
1885, the nation went in mourning over the death of
the illustrious General.

Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of
the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National
troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal
capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de-
stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as-
sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole
continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these
majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field.
Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains
were burdened with closely packed thousands. His
plans were comprehensive and involved a series of
campaigns, which were executed with remarkable en-
ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur-
render of Lee, April 9, 1865.

The war was ended. The Union was saved. The
almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen.
Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal-
vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered
the country brought him conspicuously forward as the
Republican candidate for the Presidential chair.

At the Republican Convention held at Chicago,
May 21, 1868, he was unanimously nominated for the~
Presidency, and at the autumn election received a
majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294
electoral votes.

The National Convention of the Republican party
whichmet at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872,
placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term
by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati-
cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292
electoral votes being cast for him.

Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant
started upon his famous trip around the world. He
visited almost every country of the civilized world,
and was everywhere received with such ovations
and demonstrations of respect and honor, private
as well as public and official, as were never before
bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. It
is not too much to say that his modest, courteous, and
dignified demeanor in the presence of the most dis-
tinguished men in the different nations in the world,
reflected honor upon the Republic which he so long
and so faithfully served. The country felt a great
pride in his reception. Upon his arrival in San Fran-
cisco, Sept. 20, 1S79, the city authorities gave him a
fine reception. After lingering in the Golden State
for a while, he began his tour through the States,
which extended North and South, even- where mark-
ed by great acclamation and splendid ovations.

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NINETEENTH PRESIDENT.

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RUTHERFORD B, HAYES.

UTHERFORD B. HAYES,
the nineteenth President of
the United States, was born in
Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al-
most three months after the
death of his father, Rutherford
Hayes. His ancestry on both
the paternal and maternal sides,
was of the most honorable char-
acter. It can be traced, it is said,
as far back as 1280, when Hayes and
Rutherford were two Scottish chief-
tains, fighting side by side with
Baliol, William Wallace and Robert
Bruce. Both families belonged to the
nobility, owned extensive estates,
and had a large following. Misfor-
tune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot-
land in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son
George was born in Windsor, and remained there
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar-
lied Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar-
riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel,
son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac-
turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes,
son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was
born in NewHaven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer,
blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to
Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro,
where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth-
erford Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was

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born. He was married, in September, 18 13, to Sophia
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi-
grated thither from Connecticut, they having been
among the wealthiest and best famlies o'f Norwich.
Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to
1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders
of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers
in the Revolutionary War.

The father of President Hayes was an industrious,
frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me-
chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock-
ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to
undertake. He was a member of the Church, active
in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con-
ducted his business on Christian principles. After
the close of the war of i8r2, for reasons inexplicable
to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio.

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day,
when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways,
was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was
first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter-
mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived
in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial
fever, less than three months before the birth of the
son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be-
reavement, found the support she so much needed in
her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the
household from the day of its departure from Ver-
mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted
some time before as an act of charity.

Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the

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RUTHERFORD B. HAYES.

' subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he
was not expected to live beyond a month or two at

most. As the months went by he grew weaker and
weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in-
quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died
last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on
familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the
boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of
him, said in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to
him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't
wonder if he would really come to something yet."

" You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. "You
wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him
President of the United States yet." The boy lived,
in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy
death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was
drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his
mother.

The boy was seven years old before he went to
school. His education, however, was not neglected.
He probably learned as much from his mother and
sister as he would have done at school. His sports
were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being
his sister and her associates. These circumstances
tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo-
sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings
of others, which are marked traits of his character.

His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest
in his education ; and as the boy's health had im-
proved, and he was making good progress in his
studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre-
paration commenced with a tutor at home; bat he
was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the
; Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en-
tered Kenyon College in 1838,3! the age of sixteen,
and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842.

Immediately after his graduation he began the
study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq.,
in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in
Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter
the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re-
mained two years.

In 1 S45, after graduating at the Law School, he was
i admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly
afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law
with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re-
mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice,
and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro-
fession.

In 1849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his ambi-
tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how-
ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at
this period, had a powerful influence upon his subse-
quent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss
Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of
Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin-
cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its
members such men as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase,

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Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many-
others hardly less distinguished in after life. The
marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our
Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced
and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did
more than she to reflect honor upon American woman-
hood. The Literary Club brought Mr. Hayes into
constant association with young men of high char-
acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the
qualities so long hidden by his bashfulness' and
modesty.

In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge of
the Court of Common Pleas ; but he declined to ac-
cept the nomination. Two years later, the office of
city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council
elected him for the unexpired term.

In 1S61, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at
the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the
bar was among the the first. But the news of
attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take
arms for the defense of his country.

His military record was bright and illustrious.
October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and
in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio
regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades
and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he
was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle
of South Mountain he received a wound, and while
faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude
that won admiration from all.

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after
his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed
in command of the celebrated Kanawha division,
and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles
of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was
promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted
Major-General, "forgallant and distinguished fervices
during the campaigns of 1864, in West Virginia." In
the course of his arduous services, four horses were
shot from under him, and he was wounded four times.

In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from
the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem-
ocratic. He was not present during the campaign,
and after his election was importuned to resign his
commission in the army; but he finally declared, " I
shall never come to Washington until I can come by
the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866.

In 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio,
over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular Democrat.
In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton.
He was elected Governor for the third term in 187^.

In 1S76 he was the standard bearer of the Repub-
lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a
hard long contest was chosen President, and was in
augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his
full term, not, hewever, with satisfaction to his party,
but his administration was an average one.

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TWENTIETH PRESIDENT.

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AMES A. GARFIELD, twen-
tieth President of the United
States, was born Nov. 19,
1S31, in the woods of Orange,
Cuyahoga Co., O His par-
Jj\f^ / ents were Abram and Eliza
AV^ y^C (Ballou) Garfield, both of New
WrS England ancestry and from fami-
lies well known in the early his-

fe tory of that section of our coun-
fflbSft try, but had moved to the Western
< yLf Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle-
ment.

The house in which James A. was
born was not unlike the houses of
poor Ohio farmers of that day. It
was about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be-
tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a
hard working farmer, and he soon had his fields
cleared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built.
The household comprised the father and mother and
their four children — Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and
James. In May, 1S23, the father, from a cold con-
tracted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At
this time James was about eighteen months old, and
Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can
tell how much James was indebted to his brother's
toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty years suc-
ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very
much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis-
ters live in Solon, O., near their birthplace.

The early educational advantages young Garfield
enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of
them. He labored at farm work for others, did car-
penter work, chopped wood, or did anything that
would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed
mother in her struggles to keep the little family to-

gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his
origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug-
gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they
ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor,
the humblest fiiend of his boyhood was as kindly
greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the
sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness
of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simpie, plain,
modest gentleman.

The highest ambition of young Garfield until he
was about sixteen years old was to be a captain of
a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard
a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She
finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the
understanding, however, that he should try to obtain
some other kind of employment. He walked all the
way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city.
After making many applications for work, and trying
to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with
success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos
Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re-
mained at this work but a short time when he went
home, and attended the seminary at Chester for
about three years, when he entered Hiram and the
Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in
the meantime, and doing other work. This school
was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of
which church he was then a member. He became
janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way.
He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon
" exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the
fall of 1854, he entered Williams'College, from which
he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon-
ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram
College as its President. As above stated, he early
united with the Christian or Diciples Church at
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem-
ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where
he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of
Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion :

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JAMES A. GARFIELD.

" President Garfield was more than a man of
strong moral and religious convictions. His whole
history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to
man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and
faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs
of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In
my judgment there is no more interesting feature of
his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of
Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent
sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian
communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty
and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to
the less stately and cultured Christian communions
in which they have been reared. Too often it is true
that as they step upward in social and political sig-
nificance they step upward from one degree to
another in some of the many types of fashionable
Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the
church of his mother, the church in which he was
trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an
evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec-
tarian charity for all 'who love our Lord in sincerity.'"

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss
Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. 1 1, 1858, who proved herself
worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and
mourned. To them were born seven children, five of
whom are still living, four boys and one girl.

Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856,
in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three
years later he began to speak at county mass-meet-
ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he
was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio
Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland,
and in 186 1 was admitted to the bar. The great
Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year,
and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had
talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re-
ceived his commission as Lieut. -Colonel of the Forty-
second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug.
14, i86r. He was immediately put into active ser-
vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action,
was placed in command of four regiments of infantry
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the
work of driving out of his native State the officer
(Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of
those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given
to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed-
ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres-
ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him
Brigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had
been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years
before, so now he was the youngest General in the
army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh,
in its operations around Corinth and its march through
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the
General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John
Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose-
crans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff."

The military history of Gen, Garfield closed with

his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won
the stars of the Major-General.

Without an effort on his part Gen. Garfield was
elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the
Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio
had been represented in Congress for sixty years
mainly by two men— Elisha Whittlesey and Joshua
R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he
resigned his place in the army. At the time he en-
tered Congress he was the youngest member in that
body. There he remained by successive re-
elections until he was elected President in 18S0.
Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since
the year 1864 you cannot think of a question which
has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a
tribunel of the American people, in regard to which
you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu-
ment on one side stated, in almost every instance
better than by anybody else, in some speech made in
the House of Representatives or on the hustings by
Mr. Garfield."

Upon Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to
the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the
same year, was nominated as the candidate of his
party for President at the great Chicago Convention.
He was elected in the following November, and on
March 4, rS8i, was inaugurated. Probably no ad-
ministration ever opened its existence under brighter
auspices than that of President Garfield, and every
day it grew in favor with the people, and by the first
of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre-
liminary work of his administration and was prepar-
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams
College. While on his way and at the depot, in com-
pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind
him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back.
The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the
assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the
left coat sleeve of his victim, but inflicting no further
injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was
" the shot that was heard round the world " Never
before in the history of the Nation had anything oc-
curred which so nearly froze the blood of the people
for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit-
ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and
was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty
days, all during the hot months of July and August,
he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained
master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent
bearing was teaching the country and the world the
noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the
very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass-
ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept.
19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J., on the very bank of the
ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The
world wept at his death, as it never had done on the
death of any other man who had ever lived upon it.
The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe-
cuted, in one year after he committed the foul deed

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TWENTY-FIRST PRESIDENT.

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HESTER A. ARTHUR,

twenty-first President of the

United States, was born in

Franklin County, Vermont, on

thefifthof October, 1830, and is

the oldest of a family of two

sons and five daughters. His

father was the Rev. Dr. William

Arthur, a Baptist clergyman, who

emigrated to this country from

the county Antrim, Ireland, in

his 18th year, and died in 1875, in

Newton ville, near Albany, after a

long and successful ministry.

Young Arthur was educated at
Union College, Schenectady, where
he excelled in all his studies. Af-
ter his graduation he taught school
in Vermont for two years, and at
the expiration of that time came to
New York, with $500 in his pocket,
and entered the office of ex-Judge
E. D. Culver as student. After
being admitted to the bar he formed
a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate,
Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing
in the West, and for three months they roamed about
in the Western States in search of an eligible site,
but in the end returned to New York, where they
hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success-
ful career almost from the start. General Arthur
soon afterward married the daughter of Lieutenant

Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at
sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in
recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa-
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's
nomination to the Vice Presidency, leaving two
children.

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity
in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit,
brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had
been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior
Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon-
athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with
his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when
they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided
that they could not be held by the owner under the
Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from
the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the
Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal.
Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed
to represent the People, and they won their case,
which then went to the Supreme Court of the United
States. Charles O'Conor here espoused the cause
of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs.
Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward
the emancipation of the black race.

Another great service was rendered by Genera]
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings,
a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth
Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare.
General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a
verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa-
ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride
on their cars, and the other car companies quickly

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CHESTER A. ARTHUR.

followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave-
nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per-
sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all.

General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party.
Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the
Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov-
ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed him Engineer-
in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec-
tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas-
ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered
great service to the Government during the war. At
the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the
practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr.
Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney
of New York, was added to the firm. The legal prac-
tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra-
tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able
lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if
not indeed one of national extent.

He always took a leading part in State and city
politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of
New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc-
ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July,
20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt.

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous
National Republican Convention held at Chicago in
June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political
convention that ever assembled on the continent. It
was composed of the leading politicians of the Re-
publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and
fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their
respective candidates that were before the conven-
tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re-
ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur
for Vice-President. The campaign which followed
was one of the most animated known in the history of
our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of
the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his
party made a valiant fight for his election.

Finally the election came and the country's choice
was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated
March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President.
A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen
President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then
came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of
anxious suspense, when the hearts of all civilized na-

tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re-
covery of the noble, the good President. The remark-
able patience that he manifested during those hours
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf-
fering man has often been called upon to endure, was
seemingly more than human. It was certainly God-
like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr.
Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his
credit that his every action displayed only an earnest
desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to
serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi-
ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested
in deed or look of this man, even though the most
honored ]»sition in the world was at any moment
likely to fall to him.

At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar-
field from further suffering, and the world, as never
before in its history over the death of any other
man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of
the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of
the high office, and he took the oath in New York,
Sept. 20, i88r. The position was an embarrassing
one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all ^
eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do,
what policy he would pursue, and who he would se- 1
lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been *
greatly neglected during the President's long illness,
and many important measures were to be immediately
decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him he
did not fail to realize under what circumstances he
became President, and knew the feelings of many on
this point. Under these trying circumstances President
Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own
hands ; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of ^
affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so i
wisely that but few criticised his administration.
He served the nation well and faithfully, until the
close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and was
a popular candidate before his party for a second
term. His name was ably presented before the con-
vention at Chicago, and was received with great
favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity (£•
of one of the opposing candidates, he would have
been selected as the standard-bearer of his party
for another campaign. He retired to private life car-
rying with him the best wishes of the American peo- ■
pie, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory
to them and with credit to himself. ^

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TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE-
LAND, the twenty-second Pres-
ident of the United States, was
born in 1837, in the obscure
town of Caldwell, Essex Co.,
N. J., and in a little two-and-a-
half-story white house which is still
standing, characteristically to mark
the humble birth-place of one of
America's great men in striking con-
trast with the Old World, where all
men high in office must be high in
origin and born in the cradle of
wealth. When the subject of this
sketch was three years of age, his
father, who was a Presbyterian min-
ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved,
by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to
Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a
larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most
straggling of country villages, about five miles from
Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born.

At the last mentioned place young Grover com-
menced going to school in the " good, old-fashioned
way," and presumably distinguished himself after the
manner of all village boys, in doing the things he
ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of
all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he
arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the
capacity of the village school and expressed a most I

emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this
his father decidedly objected. Academies in those
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to
become self-supporting by the quickest possible
means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed
to be a position in a country store, where his father ;
and the large family on his hands had considerable '
influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services
the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to
receive $ioo the second year. Here the lad com- '
menced his career as salesman, and in two years he
had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness
that his employers desired to retain him for an in-
definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex-
hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or
eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. \
But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette-
ville, he went with the family in their removal to
Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a
high school. Here he industriously pursued his
studies until the family removed with him to a point
on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a
village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica,
N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching
but three Sundays. This event broke up the family,
and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a rt
small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in an
asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two ^
years, and although he obtained a good reputation in (
this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his

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5. GROVER CLEVELAND

calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order,
he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going
to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as
there was some charm in that name for him; but
before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to
ask the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted
stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not
speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do,
my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study
law," was the reply. " Good gracious ! " remarked
the old gentleman; "do you, indeed ? What ever put
that into your head? How much money have you
got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got

any.

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a
place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a
year, while he could " look around." One day soon
afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers,
Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he
wanted. A number of young men were already en-
gaged in the office, but Graver's persistency won, and
he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and
have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum
of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for
his board and washing. The walk to and from his
uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his
shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had
none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular.
On the first day of his service here, his senior em-
ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him
with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's
where they all begin." A titter ran around the little
circle of clerks and students, as they thought that
was enough to scare young Graver out of his plans ;
but in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume.
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland
exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for
chasing principles through all their metaphysical
possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do
it," was practically his motto.

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was
elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in
which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell
to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two
criminals. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of the
City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es-
pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms

in the administration of the municipal affairs of that
city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his
performance of duty has generally been considered
fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer-
reted out and magnified during the last Presidential
campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in
a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniqui-
tous street-cleaning contract : " This is a time for
plain speech, and my objection to your action shall
be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of
a mos'. bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme
to betray the interests of the people and to worse
than squander the people's money." The New York
Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve-
land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there-
upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire
State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882,
and his administration of the affairs of State was
generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if
any, were made very public throughout the nation
after he was nominated for President of the United
States. For this high office he was nominated July
ir, 18S4, by the National Democratic Convention at
Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F.
Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks,
Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he
was elected by the people, by a majority of about a
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub-
lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve-
land resigned his office as Governor of New York in
January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as
the Chief Executive of the United States, in which
capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of
March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected
the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State,
Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the
Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary
of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ;
Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New
York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of
Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Yilas,
of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of
Arkansas.

The silver question precipitated a controversy be-
tween those who were in favor of the continuance of
silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr.
Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his
inauguration.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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HADRACH BOND, the first
Governor of Illinois after its
organization as a State, serving
from 1818 to 1822, was born in
Frederick County, Maryland,
in the year 1773, and was
raised a farmer on his father's
plantation, receiving only a plain
English education. He emigrated
to this State in 1794, when it was a
part of the "Northwest Territory,"
continuing in the vocation in which
he had been brought up in his native
State, in the " New Design," near
Eagle Creek, in what is now Monroe
County. He served several terms as
a member of the General Assembly
of Indiana Territory, after it was organized as such,
and in 1812-14 he was a Delegate to the Twelfth
and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3,
1812, and serving until Oct. 3, 1814. These were
the times, the reader will recollect, when this Gov-
ernment had its last struggle with Great Britain.
The year 1812 is also noted in the history of this
State as that in which the first Territorial Legislature
was held. It convened at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, and
adjourned Dec. 26, following.

While serving as Delegate to Congress, Mr. Bond
was instrumental in procuring the right of pre-emp-
tion on the public domain. On the expiration of his
term at Washington he was appointed Receiver of
Public Moneys at Kaskaskia, then the capital of the

Territory. In company with John G. Comyges

Thomas H. Harris, Charles Slade, Michael Jones,
Warren Brown, Edward Humphries and Charles W.
Hunter, he became a proprietor of the site of the
initial city of Cairo, which they hoped, from its favor-
able location at the junction of the two great
rivers near the center of the Great West, would
rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter-
prise, they obtained a special charter from the Legis-
lature, incorporating both the City and the Bank of
Cairo.

In 1818 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor
of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6,
that year, which was several weeks before Illinois
was actually admitted. The facts are these: In
January, 18 18, the Territorial Legislature sent a peti-
tion to Congress for the admission of Illinois as a
State, Nathaniel Pope being then Delegate. The
petition was granted, fixing the northern line of the
State on the latitude of the southern extremity of
Lake Michigan; but the bill was afterward so amend-
ed as to extend this line to its present latitude. In
July a convention was called at Kaskaskia to draft a
constitution, which, however, was not submitted to
the people. By its provisions, supreme judges, pros-
ecuting attorneys, county and circuit judges, record-
ers and justices of the peace were all to be appointed
by the Governor or elected by the Legislature. This
constitution was accepted by Congress Dec. 30. At
that time Illinois comprised but eleven counties,
namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson,
Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington
and Franklin, the northern portion of the State be-
ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears
that Mr. Bond was honored by the naming of a

-4^c<®>;

^* 112

county before he was elected Governor. The present
county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80
miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor
the people chose Pierre Menard, a prominent and
worthy Frenchman, after whom a county in this State
is named. In this election there were no opposition
candidates, as the popularity of these men had made
their promotion to the chief offices of the S,.ate, even
before the constitution was drafted, a foregone con-
clusion.

The principal points that excited the people in
reference to political issues at this period were local
or " internal improvements," as they were called,
State banks, location of the capital, slavery and the
personal characteristics of the proposed candidates.
Mr. Bond represented the " Convention party," for
introducing slavery into the State, supported by Elias
Kent Kane, his Secretary of State, and John Mc-
Lean, while Nathaniel Pope and John P. Cook led
the anti-slavery element. The people, however, did
not become very much excited over this issue until
1820, when the famous Missouri Compromise was
adopted by Congress, limiting slavery to the south
of the parallel of 36° 30' except in Missouri. While
this measure settled the great slavery controversy,
so far as the average public sentiment was tempor-
arily concerned, until 1854, when it was repealed
under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas, the issue
as considered locally in this State was not decided
until 1824, after a most furious campaign. (See
sketch of Gov. Coles.) The ticket of 1818 was a
compromise one, Bond representing (moderately) the
pro-slavery sentiment and Menard the anti-slavery.

An awkward element in the State government
under Gov. Bond's administration, was the imperfec-
tion of the State constitution. The Convention
wished to have Elijah C. Berry for the first Auditor
of Public Accounts, but, as it was believed that the
new Governor would not appoint him to the office,
the Convention declared in a schedule that " an
auditor of public accounts, an attorney general and
such other officers of the State as may be necessary,
may be appointed by the General Assembly." The
Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large appoint-
ing power in the Governor; but for the purpose of
getting one man into office, a total change was made,
and the power vested in the Legislature. Of this
provision the Legislature took advantage, and de-

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clared that State's attorneys, canal commissioners,
bank directors, etc., were all " officers of the State "
and must therefore be appointed by itself independ-
ently of the Governor.

During Gov. Bond's administration a general law
was passed for the incorporation of academies and
towns, and one authorizing lotteries. The session of
1822 authorized the Governor to appoint commis-
sioners, to act in conjunction with like commissioners
appointed by the State of Indiana, to report on the
practicability and expediency of improving the navi-
gation of the Wabash River; also inland navigation
generally. Many improvements were recommended,
some of which have been feebly worked at even till
the present day, those along the Wabash being of no
value. Also, during Gov. Bond's term of office, the
capital of the State was removed from Kaskaskia to
Vandalia. In 1820 a law was passed by Congress
authorizing this State to open a canal through the
public lands. The State appointed commissioners
10 explore the route and prepare the necessary sur-
veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution ;
but, being unable out of its own resources to defray
the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned
until some time after Congress made the grant of
land for the purpose of its construction.

On the whole, Gov. Bond's administration was
fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from
any party. In 1824, two years after the expiration
of his term of office, he was brought out as a candi-
date for Congress against the formidable John P.
Cook, but received only 4,374 votes to 7,460 for the
latter. Gov. Bond was no orator, but had made
many fast friends by a judicious bestowment of his
gubernatorial patronage, and these worked zealously
for him in the campaign.

In 1827 ex-Gov. Bond was appointed by the Leg-
islalure, with Wm. P. McKee and Dr. Gershom
Jayne, as Commissioners to locate a site for a peni-
tentiary on the Mississippi at or near Alton.

Mr. Bond was of a benevolent and convivial dis-
position, a man of shrewd observation and clear ap- '
preciation of events. His person was erect, stand-
ing six feet in height, and after middle life became
portly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were
strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and
eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died
April 11, 1830, in peace and contentment.

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DWARD COLES, second
Governor of Illinois, 1823-
6, was born Dec. 15, 1786,
in Albemarle Co., Va., on
the old family estate called
"Enniscorthy," on the
Green Mountain. His fath-
er, John Coles, was a Colonel in the
Revolutionary War. Having been fit-
ted for college by private tutors, he
was sent to Hampden Sidney, where
he remained until the autumn of 1805,
when he was removed to William and
Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va.
This college he left in the summer of
iSo7,ashort time before the final and graduating
examination. Among his classmates were Lieut.
Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Win. S. Archer,
United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice
Baldwin, of the United States Supreme Court. The
President of the latter college, Bishop Madison, was
a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir-
cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming
personally acquainted with the President and re-
ceiving a position as his private secretary, 1809-15.
The family of Coles was a prominent one in Vir-
ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old-
fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by
such notables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe, the Randolphs, Tazewell, Wirt, etc. At the
age of 23, young Coles found himself heir to a plant-
ation and a considerable number of slaves. Ever
since his earlier college days his attention had been
drawn to the question of slavery. He read every-

thing on the subject that came in his way, and
listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more
he reflected upon the subject, the more impossible
was it for him to reconcile the immortal declaration
"that all men are born free and equal " with the
practice of slave-holding. He resolved, therefore, to
free his slaves the first opportunity, and even remove
his residence to a free State. One reason which de-
termined him to accept the appointment as private
secretary to Mr. Madison was because he believed
that through the acquaintances he could make at
Washington he could better determine in what part
of the non-slaveholding portion of the Union he would
prefer to settle.

The relations between Mr. Coles and President
Madison, as well as Jefferson and other distinguished
men, were of a very friendly character, arising from
the similarity of their views on the question of slavery
and their sympathy for each other in holding doc-
trines so much at variance with the prevailing senti-
ment in their own State.

In 1857, he resigned his secretaryship and spent a
portion of the following autumn in exploring the
Northwest Territory, for the purpose of finding a lo-
cation and purchasing lands on which to settle his
negroes. He traveled with a horse and buggy, with
an extra man and horse for emergencies, through
many parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri,
determining finally to settle in Illinois. At this time,
however, a misunderstanding arose between our
Government and Russia, and Mr. Coles was selected
to repair to St. Petersburg on a special mission, bear-
ing important papers concerning the matter at issue
The result was a conviction of the Emperor (Alex-

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116

EDWARD COLES.

ander) of the error committed by his minister at
Washington, and the consequent withdrawal of the
the latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles
visited other parts of Europe, especially Paris, where
he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette.

In the spring of 1819, he removed with all his
negroes from Virginia to Edwardsville, 111., with the
intention of giving them their liberty. He did not
make known to them his intention until one beautiful
morning in April, as they were descending the Ohio
River. He lashed all the boats together and called
all the negroes on deck and made them a short ad-
dress, concluding his remarks by so expressing him-
self that by a turn of a sentence he proclaimed in
the shortest and fullest manner that they were no
longer slaves, but free as he was and were at liberty
to proceed with him or go ashore at their pleas-
ure. A description of the effect upon the negroes is
best desciibed in his own language :

"The effect upon them was electrical. They stared
at me and then at each other, as if doubting the ac-
curacy or reality of what they heard. In breathless
silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word,
but with countenances beaming with expression which
no words could convey, and which no language
can describe. As they began to see the truth of
what they had heard, and realize their situation, there
came on a kind of hysterical, giggling laugh. After
a pause of intense and unutterable emotion, bathed
in tears, and with tremulous voices, they gave vent to
their gratitude and implored the blessing of God
on me."

Before landing he gave them a general certificate
of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu-
larly with the law of this State requiring that each
individual should have a certificate. This act of
Mr. Coles, all the more noble and heroic considering
the overwhelming pro-slavery influences surrounding
him, has challenged the admiration of every philan-
thropist of modern times.

March 5, 1819, President Monroe appointed Mr.
Coles Registrar of the Land Office at Edwardsville,
at that time one of the principal land offices in the
State. While acting in this capacity and gaining
many friends by his politeness and general intelli-
gence, the greatest struggle that ever occurred in
Illinois on the slavery quesiion culminated in the
furious contest characterizing the campaigns and
elections of 1822-4. In the summer of 1823, when a
new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr.
Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions,
putting forward for the executive office Joseph
Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C.
Browne and Gen. James B. Moore, of the State Mil-
itia. The anti-slavery element united upon Mr.
Coles, and, after one of the most bitter campaigns,
succeeded in electing him as Governor. His plural-
ity over Judge Phillips was only 59 in a total vote of

over 8,000. The Lieutenant Governor was elected
by the slavery men. Mr. Coles' inauguration speech
was marked by calmness, deliberation and such a
wise expression of appropriate suggestions as to
elicit the sanction of all judicious politicians. But
he compromised not with evil. In his message to
the Legislature, the seat of Government being then
at Vandalia, he strongly urged the abrogation of the
modified form of slavery which then existed in this
State, contrary to the Ordinance of 1787. His posi-
tion on this subject seems the more remarkable, when
it is considered that he was a minority Governor, the
population of Illinois being at that time almost ex-
clusively from slave-holding States and by a large
majority in favor of the perpetuation of that old relic
of barbarism. The Legislature itself was, of course,
a reflex of the popular sentiment, and a majority of
them were led on by fiery men in denunciations of
the conscientious Governor, and in curses loud and
deep upon him and all his friends. Some of the
public men, indeed, went so far as to head a sort of
mob, or " shiveree " party, who visited the residence
of the Governor and others at Vandalia and yelled
and groaned and spat fire.

The Constitution, not establishing or permitting
slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be
defective by the slavery politicians, and they desired
a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub-
mit a new Constitution ; and the dominant politics
of the day was "Convention" and "anti-Conven-
tion." Both parties issued addresses to the people,
Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address
published by the latter party. This address revealed
the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly man-
ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti-
mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in
which the Governor was placed at that time.

Our hero maintained himself honorably and with
supreme dignity throughout his administration, and
in his honor a county in this State is named. He
was truly a great man, and those who lived in
this State during his sojourn here, like those who
live at the base of the mountain, were too near to see
and recognize the greatness that overshadowed them.

Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop
De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter
of Hugh Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestry,
who cams to this country with Wm. Penn in 1682.

After the expiration of his term of service, Gov.
Coles continued his residence in Edwardsville, sup-
erintending his farm in the vicinity. He was fond
of agriculture, and was the founder of the first agri-
cultural society in the State. On account of ill
health, however, and having no family to tie him
down, he spent much of his time in Eastern cities.
About 1832 he changed his residence to Philadel-
phia, where he died July 7, 1868, and is buried at
Woodland, near that city.

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119

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, INIAN EDWARDS, Governor
from 1827 to 1830, was a sou
of Benjamin Edwards, and
was born in Montgomery
j/o County, Maryland, in March,
1775. His domestic train-
ing was well fitted to give
his mind strength, firmness and
honorable principles, and a good
foundation was laid for the elevated
character to which he afterwards
attained. His parents were Bap-
tists, and very strict in their moral
principles. His education in early
youth was in company with and
partly under the tuition of Hon. Wm.
Wirt, whom his father patronized,
and who was more than two years
older. An intimacy was thus
formed between them which was lasting for life. He
was further educated at Dickinson College, at Car-
lisle, Pa. He next commenced the study of law, but
before completing his course he moved to Nelson
County, Ky., to open a farm for his father and to
purcjiase homes and locate lands for his brothers and
sisters. Here he fell in the company of dissolute
companions, and for several years led the life of a
spendthrift. He was, however, elected to the Legis-
lature of Kentucky as the Representative of Nelson
County before he was 2 1 years of age, and was re-
elected by an almost unanimous vote.

In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the
following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes-
see. About this time he left Nelson County for
Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his
dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and
devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He
then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and soon
became an eminent lawyer, and inside of four years
he filled in succession the offices of Presiding Judge
of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourth Judge of
the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of the State,
— all before he was 32 years of age ! In addition, in
r8o2, he received a commission as Major of a battal-
ion of Kentucky militia, and in r8o4 was chosen a
Presidential Elector, on the Jefferson and Clinton
ticket. In 1806 he was a candidate for Congress,
but withdrew on being promoted to the Court of
Appeals.

Illinois was organized as a separate Territory in
the spring of 1809, when Mr. Edwards, then Chief
Justice of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky, received
from President Madison the appointment as Gover-
nor of the new Territory, his commission bearing date
April 24, 1809. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in
June, and on the 1 ith of that month took the oath of
office. At the same time he was appointed Superin-
tendent of the United States Saline, this Government
interest then developing into considerable proportions
in Southern Illinois. Although during the first three
years of his administration he had the power to make
new counties and appoint all the officers, yet he always
allowed the people of each county, by an informal

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vote, to select their own officers, both civil and mili-
tary. The noted John J. Crittenden, afterward
United States Senator from Kentucky, was appointed
by Gev. Edwards to the office of Attorney General of
the Territory, which office was accepted for a short
time only.

The Indians in r8ro committing sundry depreda-
tions in the Territory, crossing the Mississippi from
the Territory of Louisiana, a long correspondence fol-
lowed between the respective Governors concerning
the remedies, which ended in a council with the sav-
ages at Peoria in tSt2, and a fresh interpretation of
the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de-
predations, and was not re-settled for many years
afterward.

As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in
i8t2, he was re-appointed for another term of three
years, and again in T8T5 for a third term, serving
until the organization of the State in the fall of 1818
and the inauguration of Gov. Bond. At this time
ex-Gov. Edwards was sent to the United States
Senate, his colleague being Jesse B. Thomas. As
Senator, Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, and
acquitted himself honorably in all the measures that
came up in that body, being well posted, an able de-
bater and a conscientious statesman. He thought
seriously of resigning this situation in T821, but was
persuaded by his old friend, Win. Wirt, and others to
continue in office, which he did to the end of the
term.

He was then appointed Minister to Mexico by
President Monroe. About this time, it appears that
Mr. Edwards saw suspicious signs in the conduct of
Wm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the United States
Treasury, and an ambitious candidate for the Presi-
dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of
his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in
order fully to investigate the charges. The result
was the exculpation of Mr. Edwards.

Pro-slavery regulations, often termed "Black Laws,"
disgraced the statute books of both the Territory and
the State of Illinois during the whole of his career in
this commonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main-
tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an important
actor in the great struggle which ended in a victor}'
for his par*y in 1824.

In 1826-7 tne Winnebago and other Indians com-
mitted soue depredations in the northern part of the

State, and the white settlers, who desired the lands
and wished to exasperate the savages into an evacu-
ation of the country, magnified the misdemeanors of
the aborigines and thereby produced a hostility be-
tween the races so great as to precipitate a little war,
known in history as the " Winnebago War." A few
chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson
succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief,
and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at
least until the troubles commenced which ended in
the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre-
tation of treaties and execution of their provisions
Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The
Indians kept themselves generally within the juris-
diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor,
Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote that ready cor-
respondence with him was difficult or impossible.
Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to
the protection of the Illinois frontier, seems to have
been very efficient and satisfactory.

For a considerable portion of his time after his re-
moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his
farm near Kaskaskia, which he had well stocked with
horses, cattle and sheep from Kentucky, also with
fruit-trees, grape-Vines and shrubbery. He estab-
lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively
in mercantile business, having no less than eight or ten
stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding
the arduous duties of his office, he nearly always pur-
chased the goods himself with which to supply the
stores. Although not a regular practitioner of medi-
cine, he studied the healing art to a considerable ex-
tent, and took great pleasure in prescribing for, and
taking care of, the sick, generally without charge.
He was also liberal to the poor, several widows and
ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to him
even for their homes.

He married Miss Elvira Lane, of Maryland, in
r8o3, and they became the affectionate parents of
several children, one of whom, especially, is well
known to the people of the " Prairie State," namely,
Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Superintendent of
Public Instruction and still a resident of Springfield.
Gov. Edwards resided at and in the vicinity of Kas-
kaskia from 1S09 to 1818; in Edwardsville (named
after him) from that time to 1824; and from the lat-
ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his

death, July 20, 1833, of Asiatic cholera. Edwards
County is also named in his honor.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

123

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:^ : OHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831-
4, was born in Montgomery Coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26, 1788.
His father, Robert Reynolds and
his mother, nee Margaret Moore,
were both natives of Ireland, from
which country they emigrated to
the United States in 1785, land-
ing at Philadelphia. The senior
Reynolds entertained an undying
hostility to the British Govern-
ment. When the subject of this
sketch was about six months old,
his parents emigrated with him to
Tennessee, where many of their
relatives had already located, at the base of the
Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of
the present city of Knoxville. There they were ex-
posed to Indian depredations, and were much molest-
ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior
of the State. They were poor, and brought up their
children to habits of manual industry.

In 1800 the family removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with
eight horses and two wagons, encountering many
hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed
the most of his childhood, while his character began
to develop, the most prominent traits of which were
ambition and energy. He also adopted the principle
and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating
liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal,

this time to the " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of
the Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest
of Edwardsville.

On arriving at his 20th year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing
that he must look about for his own livelihood and
not yet having determined what calling to pursue,
concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly
went to such an institution of learning, near Knox-
ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his
diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of
his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered
wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a
shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himself
into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of
Knoxville ! He attended college nearly two years,
goii\g through the principal Latin authors ; but it
seems that he, like the rest of the world in modern
times, had but very little use for his Latin in after
life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good
degree of literary discipline. He commenced the
study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble
came on and compelled him to change his mode
of life. Accordingly he returned home and re-
cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and
law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of 1812 he was
admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About this time
he also learned the French language, which he
practiced with pleasure in conversation with his
family for many years. He regarded this language
as being superior to all others for social intercourse.

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124

/CtfTV REYNOLDS.

From his services in the West, in the war of 181 2,
he obtained the sobriquet of the " Old Ranger." He
was Orderly Sergeant, then Judge Advocate.

Mr. Reynolds opened his first law office in the
winter and spring of 1 814, in the French village of
Cahokia, then the capital of St. Clair County.

In the fall of 1818 he was elected an Associate
Justice upon the Supreme Bench by the General
Assembly. In 1825 he entered more earnestly than
ever into the practice of law, and the very next year
was elected a member of the Legislature, where he
acted independently of all cliques and private inter-
ests. In 1828 the Whigs and Democrats were for
the first time distinctively organized as such in Illi-
nois, and the usual party bitterness grew up and
raged on all sides, while Mr. Reynolds preserved a
judicial calmness and moderation. The real animus
of the campaign was " Jackson " and " anti-Jackson,"
the former party carrying the State.

In August, 1830, Mr. Reynolds was elected Gov-
ernor, amid great excitement. Installed in office, he
did all within his power to advance the cause of edu-
cation, internal improvements, the Illinois & Mich-
igan Canal, the harbor at Chicago, settling the coun-
try, etc.; also recemmended the winding up of the
State Bank, as its affairs had become dangerously
complicated. In his national politics, he was a
moderate supporter of General Jackson. But the
most celebrated event of his gubernatorial admin-
istration was the Black Hawk War, which occurred
in 1832. He called out the militia and prosecuted
the contest with commendable diligence, appearing
in person on the battle-grounds during the most
critical periods. He was recognized by the President
as Major-General, and authorized by him to make
treaties with the Indians. By the assistance of the
general Government the war was terminated without
much bloodshed, but after many serious fights. This
war, as well as everything else, was materially re-
tarded by the occurrence of Asiatic cholera in the
West. This was its first appearance here, and was
the next event in prominence during Gov. Reynolds'
term.

South Carolina nullification coming up at this time,
it was heartily condemned by both President Jackson
and Gov. Reynolds, who took precisely the same
grounds as the Unionists in the last war.

On the termination of his gubernatorial term in
1834, Gov. Reynolds was elected a Member of Con-
gress, still considering himself a backwoodsman, as
he had scarcely been outside of the State since he
became of age, and had spent nearly all his youthful
days in the wildest region of the frontier. His first
move in Congress was to adopt a resolution that in
all elections made by the House for officers the votes
should be given viva voce, each member in his place
naming aloud the person for whom he votes. This
created considerable heated discussion, but was es-

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sentially adopted, and remained the controlling prin-
ciple for many years. The ex-Governor was scarcely
absent from his seat a single day, during eight ses-
sions of Congress, covering a period of seven years,
and he never vacillated in a party vote; but he failed
to get the Democratic party to foster his " National
Road" scheme. He says, in "My Own Times" (a
large autobiography he published), that it was only
by rigid economy that he avoided insolvency while in
Washington. During his sojourn in that city he was
married, to a lady of the place.

In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company
with a few others, he built the first railroad in the
Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long,
leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to
the bank of the river opposite St. Louis. Having not
the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it
by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com-
pany sold out, at great sacrifice.

In 1839 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the
Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow
money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord' ngly, he
repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining
a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth
of what was wanted. The same year he and his
wife made at our of Europe. This year, also, Mr.
Reynolds had the rather awkward little responsibility
of introducing to President Van Buren the noted
Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, as a " Latter-Day
Saint!"

In 1846 Gov. Reynolds was elected a member of
the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu-
larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter
for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis,
a distance of nearly 14 miles. This was immediately
built, and was the first road of the kind in the State.
He was again elected to the Legislature in 1852, when
he was chosen Speaker of the House. In i860, aged
and infirm, he attended the National Democratic
Convention at Charleston, S. C, as an anti-Douglas
Delegate, where he received more attention from the
Southern Delegates than any other member. He
supported Breckenridge for the Presidency. After
the October elections foreshadowed the success of
Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo-
crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi-
ately preceding and during the late war, his corre-
spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern
secession, and about the first of March, 1861, he
urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the
treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsenal
at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rather talkative
man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch-
words that ever gained currency, besides many cun-
ning and odd ones of his own manufacture.

He was married twice, but had no children. He
died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close
of the war.

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[LLIAM LEE D. EWING,

Governor of Illinois Nov. 3
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of Kentucky, and probably
of Scotch ancestry. He had
a fine education, was a gentle-
man of polished manners and
refined sentiment. In 1830 John Rey-
nolds was elected Governor of the State,
and Zadok Casey Lieutenant Governor,
and for the principal events that followed,
and the characteristics of the times, see
sketch of Gov. Reynolds. The first we
see in history concerning Mr. Ewing, in-
forms us that he was a Receiver of Public
Moneys at Vandalia soon after the organization of
this State, and that the public moneys in his hands
were deposited in various banks, as they are usually
at the present day. In 1823 the State Bank was
robbed, rjy which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand-
dollar deposit.

The subject of this sketch had a commission as
Colonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies
he acted also as Major. In the summer of 1832,
when it was rumored among the whites that Black
Hawk and his men had encamped somewhere on
Rock River, Gen. Henry was sent on a tour of
reconnoisance, and with orders to drive the Indians
from the State. After some opposition from his
subordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed up
Rock River in search of the enemy. On the 19th of
July, early in the morning, five baggage wagons,

camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti-
cles were piled up and left, so that the army might
make speedy and forced marches. For some miles
the travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swamps
and the worst thickets; but the large, fresh trail
gave life and animation to the Americans. Gen.
Dodge and Col. Ewing were both acting as Majors,
and composed the " spy corps " or vanguard of the
army. It is supposed the army marched nearly 50
miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed
became fresher, and was strewed with much property
and trinkets of the red-skins that they had lost or
thrown away to hasten their march. During the
following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and
the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were thor-
oughly drenched.

On approaching nearer the Indians the next day.
Gen. Dodge and Major Ewing, each commanding a
battalion of men, were placed in front to bring on the
battle, but the savages were not overtaken this day
Forced marches were continued until they reached.
Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued,
resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's
men. The next day they continued the chase, and
as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians
leading toward the Mississippi, Maj. Ewing formed
his battalion in order of battle and awaited the order
of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the
ground and ordered a charge, which directly resulted
in chasing the red warriors across the great river.
Maj. Ewing and his command proved particularly
efficient in war, as it seems they were the chief actors
in driving the main body of the Sacs and Foxes, in-

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WILLIAM L. D. EWING.

eluding Black Hawk himself, across the Mississippi,
while Gen. Atkinson, commander-in-chief of the ex-
pedition, with a body of the army, was hunting for
them in another direction.

In the above affair Maj. Ewing is often referred to
as a "General," which title he had derived from his
connection with the militia.

It was in the latter part of the same year (1832)
that Lieutenant Governor Casey was elected to Con-
gress and Gen. Ewing, who had been elected to the
Senate, was chosen to preside over that body. At
the August election of 1834, Gov. Reynolds was also
elected to Congress, more than a year ahead of the
time at which he could actually take his seat, as was
then the law. His predecessor, Charles Slade, had
just died of Asiatic cholera, soon after the elec-
tion, and Gov. Reynolds was chosen to serve out his
unexpired term. Accordingly he set out for Wash-
ington in November of that year to take his seat in
Congress, and Gen. Ewing, by virtue of his office as
President of the Senate, became Governor of the
State of Illinois, his term covering only a period of
15 days, namely, from the 3d to the 17th days, in-
clusive, of November. On the 17th the Legislature
met, and Gov. Ewing transmitted to that body his
message, giving a statement of the condition of the
affairs of the State at that time, and urging a contin-
uance of the policy adopted by his predecessor ; and
on the same day Governor elect Joseph Duncan
was sworn into office, thus relieving Mr. Ewing from

the responsible situation. This is the only time that
such a juncture has happened in the history of Illi-
nois.

On the 29th of December, 1835, Gen. Ewing was
elected a United States Senator to serve out the
unexpired term of Elias Kent Kane, deceased. The
latter gentleman was a very prominent figure in the
early politics of Illinois, and a county in this State is
named in his honor. The election of Gen. Ewing to
the Senate was a protracted struggle. His competi-
tors were James Semple, who afterwards held several
important offices in this State, and Richard M.
Young, afterward a United States Senator and a
Supreme Judge and a man of vast influence. On
the first ballot Mr. Semple had 25 votes, Young 19
and Ewing 18. On the eighth ballot Young was
dropped ; the ninth and tenth stood a tie ; but on
the 1 2th Ewing received 40, to Semple 37, and was
accordingly declared elected. In 1837 Mr. Ewing
received some votes for a continuance of his term in
Congress, when Mr. Young, just referred to, was
elected. In 1842 Mr. Ewing was elected State
Auditor on the ticket with Gov. Ford.

Gen. Ewing was a gentleman of culture, a lawyer
by profession, and was much in public life. In person
he was above medium height and of heavy build,
with auburn hair, blue eyes, large-sized head and
short face. He was genial, social, friendly and
affable, with fair talent, though of no high degree of
originality. He died March 25, 1846.

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Joseph JitiwcaH

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OSEPH DUNCAN, Governor
1834-8, was born at Paris,
Ky., Feb. 23, 1794. At the
tender age of 19 years he en-
listed in the war against Great
Britain, and as a soldier he
acquitted himself with credit. He
was an Ensign under the daunt-
less Croghan at Lower Sandusky,
or Fort Stephenson. In Illinois
he first appeared in a public capa-
city as Major-General of the Militia,
a position which his military fame
had procured him. Subsequently
he became a State Senator from
Jackson County, and is honorably
mentioned for introducing the first bill providing for
a free-school system. In 1826, when the redoubt-
able John P. Cook, who had previously beaten such
men as John McLean, Elias Kent Kane and ex-
Gov. Bond, came up for the fourth time for Congress,
Mr. Duncan was brought forward against him by his
friends, greatly to the surprise of all the politicians.
As yet he was but little known in the State. He was
an original Jackson man at that time, being attached
to his political fortune in admiration of the glory of
his military achievements. His chances of success
against Cook were generally regarded as hopeless,
but he entered upon the campaign undaunted. His
speeches, though short and devoid of ornament, were
full of good sense. He made a diligent canvass of
the State, Mr. Cook being hindered by the condition of
his health. The most that was expected of Mr.
Duncan, under the circumstances, was that he would

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obtain a respectable vote, but without defeating Mr.
Cook. The result of the campaign, however, was a
source of surprise and amazement to both friends
and foes, as Mr. Duncan came out 641 votes ahead!
He received 6,321 votes, and Mr. Cook 5,680. Un-
til this denouement, the violence of party feeling
smoldering in the breasts of the people on account
of the defeat of Jackson, was not duly appreciated.
Aside from the great convention struggle of 1824, no
other than mere local and pergonal considerations
had ever before controlled an election in Illinois.

From the above date Mr. Duncan retained his
seat in Congress until his election as Governor in
August, 1834. The first and bloodless year of the
Black Hawk War he was appointed by Gov. Rey-
nolds to the position of Brigadier-General of the
volunteers, and he conducted his brigade to Rock
Island. But he was absent from the State, in Wash-
ington, during the gubernatorial campaign, and did
not personally participate in it, but addressed circu-
lars to his constituents. His election was, indeed,
attributed to the circumstance of his absence, be-
cause his estrangement from Jackson, formerly his
political idol, and also from the Democracy, largely
in ascendency in the State, was complete ; but while
his defection was well known to his Whig friends,
and even to the leading Jackson men of this State,
the latter were unable to carry conviction of that fact
to the masses, as mail and newspaper facilities at
that day were far inferior to those of the present
time. Of course the Governor was much abused
afterward by the fossilized Jackson men who re-
garded party ties and affiliations as above all
other issues that could arise; but he was doubtless

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sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter
had vetoed several important western measures
which were dear to Mr. Duncan. In his inaugural
message he threw off the mask and took a bold stand
against the course of the President. The measures
he recommended in his message, however, were so
desirable that the Legislature, although by a large
majority consisting of Jackson men, could not refrain
from endorsing them. These measures related
mainly to banks and internal improvements.

It was while Mr. Duncan was Governor that the
people of Illinois went whirling on with bank and in-
ternal improvement schemes that well nigh bank-
rupted the State. The hard times of 1837 came on,
and the disasters that attended the inauguration of
these plans and the operation of the banks were mu-
tually charged upon the two political parties. Had
any one man autocratic power to introduce and
carry on any one of these measures, he would proba-
bly have succeeded to the satisfaction of the public ;
but as many jealous men had hold of the same plow
handle, no success followed and each blamed the other
for the failure. In this great vortex Gov. Duncan
was carried along, suffering the like derogation of
character with his fellow citizens.

At the height of the excitement the Legislature
" provided for " railroads from Galena to Cairo, Alton
to Shawneetown, Alton to Mount Carmel, Alton to the
eastern boundary of the State in the direction of
Terre Haute, Quincy via Springfield to the Wabash,
Bloomington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, — in all
about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the
improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia,
Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ;
also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis-
tributed to the various counties wherein no improve-
ments were ordered to be made as above. The
estimate for the expenses for all these projects was
placed at a little over $10,000,000, which was not
more than half enough ! That would now be equal to
saddling upon the State a debt of $225,000,000 ! It
was sufficient to bankrupt the State several times
over, even counting all the possible benefits.

One of the most exciting events that ever occurred
in this fair State was the murder of Elijah P. Love-
joy in the fall of 1837, at Alton, during Mr. Duncan's
term as Governor. Lovejoy was an " Abolitionist,"
editing the Observer at that place, and the pro-
slavery slums there formed themselves into a mob,

and after destroying successively three presses be-
longing to Mr. Lovejoy, surrounded the warehouse
where the fourth press was stored away, endeavoring
to destroy it, and where Lovejoy and his friends
were entrenching themselves, and shot and killed the
brave reformer!

About this time, also, the question of removing the
State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for
its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close.
There was, of course, considerable excitement over
the matter, the two main points competing for it be-
ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat-
ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully
allayed.

Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1838. In 1842
he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu-
tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against Adam
W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the
Democrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi-
date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died
before the campaign had advanced very far, and his
party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected,
receiving 46,901 votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and
909 for Hunter. The cause of Democratic success
at this time is mainly attributed to the temporary
support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the
want of any knowledge, on the part of the masses,
that Mr. Ford was opposed to any given policy en-
tertained in the respective localities.

Gov. Duncan was a man of rather limited educa-
tion, but with naturally fine abilities he profited
greatly by his various public services, and gathered
a store of knowledge regarding public affairs which
served him a ready purpose. He possessed a clear
judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral
courage to carry out his convictions of right. In his
deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira-
tion of the people. His intercourse with them was
both affable and dignified. His portrait at the Gov-
ernor's mansion, from which the accompanying was
made, represents him as having a swarthy complex-
ion, high cheek bones, broad forehead, piercing black
eyes and straight black hair.

He was a liberal patron of the Illinois College at
Jacksonville, a member of its Board of Trustees, and
died, after a short illness, Jan. 15, 1844, a devoted
member of the Presbyterian Church, leaving a wife
but no children. Two children, born to them, had
died in infancy.

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^pJ|pHOMAS CARLIN, the sixth
Governor of the State of
Illinois, serving from 1838
to 1842, was also a Ken-
tuckian, being born near
Frankfort, that State, July
18, 1789, of Irish paternity.
The opportunities for an education
being very meager in his native
place, he, on approaching years of
judgment and maturity, applied
himself to those branches of learn-
ing that seemed most important,
and thus became a self-made man ;
and his taste for reading and
study remained with him through
life. In 1803 his father removed
to Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he
died in 18 10.

In 18 1 2 young Carlin came to Illinois and partici-
pated in all the "ranging" service incident to the
war of that period, proving himself a soldier of un-
daunted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca
Huitt, and lived for four years on the bank of the
Mississippi River, opposite the mouth of the Mis-
souri, where he followed farming, and then removed
to Greene County. He located the town site of Car-
rollton, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal
donation of land for county building purposes. He
was the first Sheriff of that county after its separate
organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a
Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the
Black Hawk War he commanded a spy battalion, a
post of considerable danger. In 1834 he was ap-
pointed by President Jackson to the position of
Receiver of Public Moneys, and to fulfill the office

more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy.

While, in 1838, the unwieldy internal improvement
system of the State was in full operation, with all its
expensive machinery, amidst bank suspensions
throughout the United States, a great stringency in
the money market everywhere, and Illinois bonds
forced to sale at a heavy discount, and the " hardest
times " existing that the people of the Prairie State
ever saw, the general election of State officers was
approaching. Discreet men who had cherished the
hope of a speedy subsidence of the public infatua-
tion, met with disappointment. A Governor and
Legislature were to be elected, and these were now
looked forward to for a repeal of the ruinous State
policy. But the grand scheme had not yet lost its
dazzling influence upon the minds of the people.
Time and experience had not yet fully demonstrated
its utter absurdity. Hence the question of arresting
its career of profligate expenditures did not become
a leading one with the dominant party during the
campaign, and most of the old members of the Leg-
islature were returned at this election.

Under these circumstances the Democrats, in State
Convention assembled, nominated Mr. Carlin for the
office of Governor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten-
ant Governor, while the Whigs nominated Cyrus Ed-
wards, brother of Ninian Edwards, formerly Governor,
and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly
for a continuance of the State policy, while Carlin
remained non-committal. This was the first time
that the two main political parties in this State were
unembarrassed by any third party in the field. The
result of the election was: Carlin, 35,573 ; Ander-
son, 30,335; Edwards, 29,629; and Davidson, 28,-

7i.S-

Upon the meeting of the subsequent Legislature
(1839), the retiring Governor (Duncan) in his mes-

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THOMAS CARLIN.

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sage spoke in emphatic terms of the impolicy of the
internal improvement system, presaging the evils
threatened, and uiged that body to do their utmost
to correct the great error ; yet, on the contrary, the
Legislature not only decided to continue the policy
but also added to its burden by voting more appro-
priations and ordering more improvements. Although
the money market was still stringent, a further loan
of §4,000,000 was ordered for the Illinois & Mich-
igan Canal alone. Chicago at that time began to
loom up and promise to be an important city, even
the great emporium of the West, as it has since in-
deed came to be. Ex-Gov. Reynolds, an incompe-
tent financier, was commissioned to effect the loan,
and accordingly hastened to the East on this respons-
ible errand, and negotiated the loans, at considera-
ble sacrifice to the State. Besides this embarrassment
to Carlin's administration, the Legislature also de-
clared that he had no authority to appoint a Secretary
of State until a vacancy existed, and A. P. Field, a
Whig, who had already held the post by appointment
through three administrations, was determined to
keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car-
lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in
this regard, however, was finally sustained by the
Supreme Court, in a quo warranto case brought up
before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov-
ernor had nominated for the office. Thereupon that
dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!"
endeavoring to establish the principle of life-tenure
of office.

A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici-
ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges
were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas
Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B.
Scates, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas —
all Democrats.

It was during Gov. Carlin's administration that the
noisy campaign of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too " oc-
curred, resulting in a Whig victory. This, however,
did not affect Illinois politics very seriously.

Another prominent event in the West during Gov.
Carlin's term of office was the excitement caused by
the Mormons and their removal from Independence,
Mo., to Nauvoo, 111., in 1840. At the same time
they began to figure somewhat in State politics. On
account of their believing — as they thought, accord-
ng to the New Testament — that they should have

"all things common," and that consequently "all
the earth " and all that is upon it were the" Lord's "
and therefore the property of his " saints," they
were suspected, and correctly, too, of committing
many of the deeds of larceny, robbery, etc., that
were so rife throughout this country in those days.
Hence a feeling of violence grew up between the
Mormons and "anti-Mormons." In the State of
Missouri the Mormons always supported the Dem-
ocracy until they were driven out by the Democratic
government, when they turned their support to the
Whigs. They were becoming numerous, and in the
Legislature of 1840-1, therefore, it became a matter
of great interest with both parties to conciliate these
people. Through the agency of one John C. Ben-
nett, a scamp, the Mormons succeeded in rushing
through the Legislature (both parties not daring to
oppose) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir-
tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinate with the Fed-
eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the
Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov.
Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader,
as a fugitive from justice. Gov. Carlin issued the
writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved.
It was again issued in 1842, and Smith was arrested,
but was either rescued by his followers or discharged
by the municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus.

In December, T841, the Democratic Convention
nominated Adam W. Snyder, of Belleville, for Gov-
ernor. As he had been, as a member of the Legisla-
ture, rather friendly to the Mormons, the latter
naturally turned their support to the Democratic
party. The next spring the Whigs nominated Ex-
Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime
the Mormons began to grow more odious to the
masses of the people, and the comparative prospects
of the respective parties for success became very
problematical. Mr. Snyder died in May, and
Thomas Ford, a Supreme Judge, was substituted as
a candidate, and was elected.

At the close of his gubernatorial term, Mr. Carlin
removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where
he spent the remainder of his life, as before his ele-
vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 1849
he served out the unexpired term of J. D. Fry in the
Illinois House of Representatives, and died Feb. 4,
1852, at his residence at Carrollton, leaving a wife
and seven children.

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JHOMAS FORD, Governor
from 1842 to 1846, and au-
thor of a very interesting
history of Illinois, was born
at Uniontown, Pa., in the
year 1 Soo. His mother, after
the death of her first hus-
band (Mr. Forquer), married Rob-
ert Ford, who was killed in 1802,
by the Indians in the mountains
of Pennsylvania. She was conse-
quently left in indigent circum-
stances, with a large family, mostly
'j^Sv girls. With a view to better her
condition, she, in 1804, removed to
Missouri, where it had been cus-
'^fir tomary by the Spanish Govern-

ment to give land to actual settlers; but upon her
arrival at St. Louis she found the country ceded to
the United States, and the liberal policy toward set-
tlers changed by the new ownership. After some
sickness to herself and family, she finally removed to
Illinois, and settled some three miles south of Water-
loo, but the following year moved nearer the Missis-
sippi bluffs. Here young Ford received his first

schooling, under the instructions of a Mr. Humphrey,
for which he had to walk three miles. His mother,
though lacking a thorough education, was a woman
of superior mental endowments, joined to energy
and determination of character. She inculcated in
her children those high-toned principles which dis-
tinguished her sons in public life. She exercised a
rigid economy to provide her children an education;
but George Forquer, her oldest son (six years older
than Thomas Ford), at an early age had to quit
school to aid by his labor in the support of the family.
He afterward became an eminent man in Illinois
affairs, and but for his early death would probably
have been elected to the United States Senate.

Young Ford, with somewhat better opportunities,
received a better education, though limited to the
curriculum of the common school of those pioneer
times. His mind gave early promise of superior en-
dowments, with an inclination for mathematics. His
proficiency attracted the attention of Hon. Daniel P.
Cook, who became his efficient patron and friend.
The latter gentleman was an eminent Illinois states-
man who, as a Member of Congress, obtained a grant
of 300,000 acres of land to aid in completing the
Illinois & Michigan Canal, and after whom the
county of Cook was named. Through the advice of

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THOMAS FORD.

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this gentleman, Mr. Ford turned his attention to the
study of law; but Forquer, then merchandising, re-
garding his education defective, sent him to Transyl-
vania University, where, however, he remained but
one term, owing to Forquer's failure in business. On
his return he alternated his law reading with teach-
ing school for support.

In 1829 Gov. Edwards appointed him Prosecuting
Attorney,^nd in 1831 he was re-appointed by Gov.
Reynolds, and after that he was four times elected a
Judge by the Legislature, without opposition, twice a
Circuit Judge, once a Judge of Chicago, and as As-
sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, when, in 1841,
the latter tribunal was re-organized by the addition
of five Judges, all Democrats. Ford was assigned to
the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and while in this capacity
he was holding Court in Ogle County he received a
notice of his nomination by the Democratic Conven-
tion for the office of Governor. He immediately re-
signed his place and entered upon the canvass. In
August, 1842, he was elected, and on the 8th of De-
cember following he was inaugurated.

All the offices which he had held were unsolicited
by him. He received them upon the true Jefferson-
ian principle, — Never to ask and never to refuse
office. Both as a lawyer and as a Judge he stood
deservedly high, but his cast of intellect fitted him
rather for a writer upon law than a practicing advo-
cate in the courts. In the latter capacity he was void
of the moving Dower of eloquence, so necessary to
success with juries. As a Judge his opinions were
sound, lucid and able expositions of the law. In
practice, he was a stranger to the tact, skill and in-
sinuating address of the politician, but he saw through
the arts of demagogues as well as any man. He was
plain in his demeanor, so much so, indeed, that at
one time after the expiration of his term of office,
during a session of the Legislature, he was taken by
a stranger to be a seeker for the position of door-
keeper, and was waited upon at his hotel near mid-
night by a knot of small office-seekers with the view
of effecting a " combination ! "

Mr. Ford had not the " brass " of the ordinary
politician, nor that impetuosity which characterizes a
political leader. He cared little for money, and
hardly enough for a decent support. In person he
was of small stature, slender, of dark complexion,
with black hair, sharp features, deep-set eyes, a
pointed, aquiline nose having a decided twist to one
side, and a small mouth.

The three most important events in Gov. Ford's
administration were the establishment of the high
financial credit of the State, the " Mormon War "and
the Mexican War.

In the first of these the Governor proved himself
to be eminently wise. On coming into office he found
the State badly paralyzed by the ruinous effects of
the notorious "internal improvement" schemes of

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the preceding decade, with scarcely anything to
show by way of "improvement." The enterprise
that seemed to be getting ahead more than all the
rest was the Illinois & Michigan Canal. As this
promised to be the most important thoroughfare,
feasible to the people, it was well under headway in
its construction. Therefore the State policy was
almost concentrated upon it, in order to rush it on to
completion. The bonded indebtedness of the State
was growing so large as to frighten the people, and
they were about ready to entertain a proposition for
repudiation. But the Governor had the foresight to
recommend such measures as would maintain the
public credit, for which every citizen to-day feels
thankful.

But perhaps the Governor is remembered more for
his connection with the Mormon troubles than for
anything else; for it was during his term of office
that the " Latter-Day Saints " became so strong at
Nauvoo, built their temple there, increased their num-
bers throughout the country, committed misdemean-
ors, taught dangerous doctrines, suffered the loss of
theirleader, Jo Smith, by a violent death, were driven
out of Nauvoo to the far West, etc. Having been a
Judge for so many years previously, Mr. Ford of
course was non-committal concerning Mormon affairs,
and was therefore claimed by both parties and also
accused by each of sympathizing too greatly with the
other side. Mormonism claiming to be a system of
religion, the Governor no doubt was "between two
fires," and felt compelled to touch the matter rather
" gingerly," and doubtless felt greatly relieved when
that pestilential people left the State. Such compli-
cated matters, especially when religion is mixed up
with them, expose every person participating in
them to criticism from all parties.

The Mexican War was begun in the spring of
1845, and was continued into the gubernatorial term
of Mr. Ford's successor. The Governor's connection
with this war, however, was not conspicuous, as it
was only administrative, commissioning officers, etc.

Ford's " History of Illinois " is a very readable and
entertaining work, of 450 small octavo pages, and is
destined to increase in value with the lapse of time.
It exhibits a natural flow of compact and forcible
thought, never failing to convey the nicest sense. In
tracing with his trenchant pen the devious operations
of the professional politician, in which he is inimit-
able, his account is open, perhaps, to the objection
that all his contemporaries are treated as mere place-
seekers, while many of them have since been judged
by the people to be worthy statesmen. His writings
seem slightly open to the criticism that they exhibit
a little splenetic partiality against those of his con-
temporaries who were prominent during his term of
office as Governor.

The death of Gov. Ford took place at Peoria, 111.,
Nov. 2, 1850.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

143

Augustus c. French.

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jUGUSTUS C. FRENCH,
Governor of Illinois from
1846 to 1852, was born in
the town of Hill, in the
State of New Hampshire,
Aug. 2, 1808. He was a
descendant in the fourth
generation of Nathaniel
French, who emigrated from England
in 16S7 and settled in Saybury, Mass.
In early life young French lost his
father, but continued to receive in-
struction from an exemplary and
Christian mother until he was 19 years
old, when she also died, confiding to
his care and trust four younger broth-
ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with
parental devotion. His education in early life was
such mainly as a common school afforded. For a
brief period he attended Dartmouth College, but
from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers
and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently
read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and
shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at
Albion, Edwards County, where he established him-
self in the practice of law. The following year he
removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained
eminence in his profession, and entered public life
by representing that county in the Legislature. A
strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste-
phen A. Douglas.

In 1839, Mr. French was appointed Receiver of
the United States Land Office at Palestine, Craw-
ford County, at which place he was a resident when

elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1844 he was
a Presidential Elector, and as such he voted for
James K. Polk.

The Democratic State Convention of 1846, meet-
ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French
for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were
Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of
Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scates,
Richard M. Young and A. W. Cavarly, — an array of
very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per-
haps defeated in the Convention by the rumor that
he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal,
as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant
Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi-
dates were Lewis Ross, Win. McMurtry, Newton
Cloud, J. B. Hamilton and W. W. Thompson. The
resolutions declared strongly against the resuscita-
tion of the old State Banks.

The Whigs, who were in a hopeless minority, held
their convention June 8, at Peoria, and selected
Thomas M. Kilpatrick, of Scott County, for Governor,
and Gen. Nathaniel G. Wilcox, of Schuyler, for
Lieutenant Governor.

In the campaign the latter exposed Mr. French's
record and connection with the passage of the in-
ternal improvement system, urging it against his
election ; but in the meantime the war with Mexico
broke out, regarding which the Whig record was un-
popular in this State. The war was the absorbing
and dominating question of the period, sweeping
every other political issue in its course. The elec-
tion in August gave Mr. French 58,700 votes, and
Kilpatrick only 36,775. Richard Eells, Abolitionist
candidate for the same office, received 5,152 votes.

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AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH.

By the new Constitution of 1848, a new election for
State officers was ordered in November of that year,
before Gov. French's term was half out, and he was
re-elected for the term of four years. He was there-
fore the incumbent for six consecutive years, the
only Governor of this State who has ever served in
that capacity so long at one time. As there was no
organized opposition to his election, he received 67,-
453 votes, to 5,639 for Pierre Menard (son of the
first Lieutenant Governor), 4,748 for Charles V.

Dyer, 3,834 for W. L. D. Morrison, and 1,361 for
James L. D. Morrison. But Wm. McMurtry, of
Knox County, was elected Lieutenant Governor, in
place of Joseph B. Wells, who was before elected
and did not run again.

Governor French was inaugurated into office dur-
ing the progress of the Mexican War, which closed
during the summer of 1847, although the treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo was not made until Feb. 2,
1S48. The policy of Gov. French's party was com-
mitted to that war, but in connection with that affair
he was, of course, only an administrative officer.
During his term of office, Feb. 19, 1847, the Legisla-
ture, by special permission of Congress, declared that
all Government lands sold to settlers should be im-
mediately subject to State taxation; before this they
were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar-
rangement the revenue was materially increased.
About the same lime, the distribution of Government
land warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty
threw upon the market a great quantity of good
lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State.
The same Legislature authorized, with the recom-
mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern
Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the
first in the State and now a section of the Wabash,
St. Louis & Pacific) It sold for $100,000 in bonds,
although it had cost the State not less than a million.
The salt wells and canal lands in the Saline reserve
in Gallatin County, granted by the general Govern-
ment to the State, were also authorized by the
Governor to be sold, to apply on the State debt. In
1850, for the first time since 1S39, the accruing State
revenue, exclusive of specific appropriations, was
sufficient to meet the current demands upon the
treasury. The aggregate taxable property of the
State at this time was over $100,000,000, and the
population 851,470.

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In 1S49 the Legislature adopted the township or-
ganization law, which, however, proved defective,
and was properly amended in 185 1. At its session
in the latter year, the General Assembly also passed
a law to exempt homesteads from sale on executions.
This beneficent measure had been repeatedly urged
upon that body by Gov. French.

In 1850 some business men in St. Louis com-
menced to build a dike opposite the lower part of
their city on the Illinois side, to keep the Mississippi
in its channel near St. Louis, instead of breaking
away from them as it sometimes threatened to do.
This they undertook without permission from the
Legislature or Executive authority of this State ; and
as many of the inhabitants there complained that
the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable
land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re-
sulting in favor of the St. Louis project ; and since
then a good site has existed there for a city (East St.
Louis), and now a score of railroads center there.

It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted
to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of
the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad,
which constituted the most important epoch in the
railroad — we might say internal improvement — his
tory of the State. The road was rushed on to
pletion, which accelerated the settlement of the in-
terior of the State by a good class of industrious citi-
zens, and by the charter a good income to the State
Treasury is paid in from the earnings of the road.

com- f

In 1851 the Legislature passed a law authorizing
free stock banks, which was the source of much leg-
islative discussion for a number of years.

But we have not space further to particularize
concerning legislation. Gov. French's administra-
tion was not marked by any feature to be criticised,
while the country was settling up as never before.

In stature, Gov. French was of medium height,
squarely built, light complexioned, with ruddy face
and pleasant countenance. In manners he was
plain and agreeable. By nature he was somewhat
diffident, but he was often very outspoken in his con- ;
victions of duty. In public speech he was not an
orator, but was chaste, earnest and persuasive. In
business he was accurate and methodical, and in his
administration he kept up the credit of the State.

He died in 1865, at his home in Lebanon, St.
Clair Co., 111.

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:OEL A. MATTESON, Governor
fe* 1853-6, was born Aug. S, 1808,
in Jefferson County, New York,
to which place his father had re-
moved from Vermont three years
before. His father was a farmer
in fair circumstances, but a com-
mon English education was all
that his only son received. Young
Joel first tempted fortune as a
small tradesman in Prescott,
Canada, before he was of age.
He returned from that place to
his home, entered an academy,
taught school, visited the prin-
cipal Eastern cities, improved a farm his father had
given him, made a tour in the South, worked there
in building railroads, experienced a storm on the
Gulf of Mexico, visited the gold diggings of Northern
Georgia, and returned via Nashville to St. Louis and
through Illinois to his father's home, when he mar-
ried. In 1833, having sold his farm, he removed,
with his wife and one child, to Illinois, and entered
a claim on Government land near the head of Au
Sable River, in what is now Kendall County. At
that time there were not more than two neighbors
within a range of ten miles of his place, and only
three or four houses between him and Chicago. He
opened a large farm. His family was boarded 12

miles away while he erected a house on his claim,
sleeping, daring this time, under a rude pole shed.
Here his life was once placed in imminent peril by
a huge prairie rattlesnake sharing his bed.

In 1835 he bought largely at the Government land
sales. During the speculative real-estate mania which
broke out in Chicago in 1836 and spread over the State,
he sold his lands under the inflation of that period
and removed to Joliet. In 1838 he became a heavy
contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Upon
the completion of his job in 1841, when hard times
prevailed, business at a stand, contracts paid in State
scrip; when all the public works except the canal
were abandoned, the State offered for sale 700 tons
of railroad iron, which was purchased by Mr. Mat-
teson at a bargain. This he accepted, shipped and
sold at Detroit, realizing a very handsome profit,
enough to pay off all his canal debts and leave him a
surplus of several thousand dollars. His enterprise
next prompted him to start a woolen mill at Joliet,
in which lie prospered, and which, after successive
enlargements, became an enormous establishment.

In 1842 he was first elected a State Senator, but,
by a bungling apportionment, John Pearson, a Senator
holding over, was found to be in the same district,
and decided to be entitled to represent it. Mat-
teson's seat was declared vacant. Pearson, however,
with a nobleness difficult to appreciate in this day of

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JOEL A. MATTESON.

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greed for office, unwilling to represent his district
under the circumstances, immediately resigned his
unexpired term of two years. A bill was passed in a
few hours ordering a new election, and in ten days'
time Mr. Matteson was returned re-elected and took
his seat as Senator. From his well-known capacity
as a business man, he was made Chairman of the
Committee on Finance, a position he held during
this half and two full succeeding Senatorial terms,
discharging its important duties with ability and faith-
fulness. Besides his extensive woolen-mill interest,
when work was resumed on the canal under the new
loan of $r, 600,000 he again became a heavy con-
tractor, and also subsequently operated largely in
building railroads. Thus he showed himself a most
energetic and thorough business man.

He was nominated for Governor by the Demo-
cratic State Convention which met at Springfield
April 20, 1852. Other candidates before the Con-
vention were D. L. Gregg and F. C. Sherman, of
Cook; John Dement, of Lee ; Thomas L. Harris, of
Menard; Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton ; and D. P. Bush,
of Pike. Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair, was nom-
inated for Lieutenant Governor. For the same offices
the Whigs nominated Edwin B. Webb and Dexter A.
Knowlton. Mr. Matteson received 80,645 votes at
the election, while Mr. Webb received 64,408. Mat-
teson's forte was not on the stump; he had not cul-
tivated the art of oily flattery, or the faculty of being
all things to all men. His intellectual qualities took
rather the direction of efficient executive ability. His
turn consisted not so much in the adroit manage-
ment of party, or the powerful advocacy of great gov-
ernmental principles, as in those more solid and
enduring operations which cause the physical devel-
opment and advancement of a State, — of commerce
and business enterprise, into which he labored with
success to lead the people. As a politician he was
just and liberal in his views, and both in official and
private life he then stood untainted and free from
blemish. As a man, in active benevolence, social
virtues and all the amiable qualities of neighbor or
citizen, he had few superiors. His messages present
a perspicuous array of facts as to the condition of the
State, and are often couched in forcible and elegant
diction.

The greatest excitement during his term of office
was the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, by Con-

■^^ ^ Q/^ nngnii&A^ — ^c^

gress, under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas in
1854, when the bill was passed organizing the Terri-
tory of Kansas and Nebraska. A large portion of
the Whig party of the North, through their bitter op-
position to the Democratic party, naturally drifted
into the doctrine of anti-slavery, and thus led to what
was temporarily called the "Anti-Nebraska" party,
while the followers of Douglas were known as " Ne-
braska or Douglas Democrats." It was during this
embryo stage of the Republican party that Abraham
Lincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska"
candidate for the United States Senatorship, while
Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-nom-
inated by the Democrats. But after a few ballotings
in the Legislature (1855), these men were dropped,
and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat,
was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson,
then Governor, by the latter. On the nth ballot
Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac-
cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson's
term expired, the Republicans were fully organized
as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a
full national and State ticket, carrying the State, but
not the nation.

The Legislature of 1855 passed two very import-
ant measures, — the present free-school system and a
submission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the
people. The latter was defeated by a small majority
of the popular vote.

During the four years of Gov. Matteson's admin-
istration the taxable wealth of the State was about
trebled, from $137,818,079 to $349,951,272; the pub-
lic debt was reduced from $17,398,985 to $12,843,-
144; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the
State resumed paying interest on its debt in New
York as fast as it fell due; railroads were increased
in their mileage from something less than 400 to
about 3,000 ; and the population of Chicago was
nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad-
rupled.

Before closing this account, we regret that we have
to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an
upright man and a good Governor, was implicated
in a false re-issue of redeemed canal scrip, amount-
ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon Cir-
cuit Court the State recovered the principal and all
the interest excepting $27,500.

He died in tiye winter of 1872-3, at Chicago.

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ILLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov-
ernor 1857-60, was born
1 April 25, 181 r, in the
State of New York, near
Painted Post, Yates County.
His parents were obscure,
honest, God-fearing people,
w ho reared their children under the daily
example of industry and frugality, accord-
ing to the custom of that class of Eastern
society. Mr. Bissell received a respecta-
le but not thorough academical education.
By assiduous application he acquired a
knowledge of medicine, and in his early
manhood came West and located in Mon-
roe County, this State, where he engaged in the
practice of that profession. But he was not enam-
ored of his calling: he was swayed by a broader
ambition, to such an extent that the mysteries of the
healing art and its arduous duties failed to yield him
further any charms. In a few years he discovered
his choice of a profession to be a mistake, and when
he approached the age of 30 he sought to begin
anew. Dr. Bissell, no doubt unexpectedly to him-
self, discovered a singular facility and charm of
speech, the exercise of which acquired for him a
ready local notoriety. It soon came to be under-

stood that he desired to abandon his profession and
take up that of the law. During terms of Court he
would spend his time at the county seat among the
members of the Bar, who extended to him a ready
welcome.

It was not strange, therefore, that he should drift
into public life. In 1840 he was elected as a Dem-
ocrat to the Legislature from Monroe County, and
was an efficient member of that body. On his re-
turn home he qualified himself for admission to the
Bar and speedily rose to the front rank as an advo-
cate. His powers of oratory were captivating. With a
pure diction, charming and inimitable gestures,
clearness of statement, and a remarkable vein of sly
humor, his efforts before a jury told with irresistible
effect. He was chosen by the Legislature Prosecut-
ing Attorney for the Circuit in which he lived, and
in that position he fully discharged his duty to the
State, gained the esteem of the Bar, and seldom
failed to convict the offender of the law.

In stature he was somewhat tall and slender, and
with a straight, military bearing, he presented a dis-
tinguished appearance. His complexion was dark,
his head well poised, though not large, his address
pleasant and manner winning. He was exemplary
in his habits, a devoted husband and kind parent.
He was twice married, the first time to Miss James,

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WILLIAM H. BISSELL.

of Monroe County, by whom he had two children,
both daughters. She died soon after the year 1S40,
and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter
of Elias K. Kane, previously a United States Senator
from this State. She survived him but a short time,
and died without issue.

When the war with Mexico was declared in 1 846,
Mr. Bissell enlisted and was elected Colonel of his
regiment, over Hon. Don Morrison, by an almost
unanimous vote,— 7807 to 6. Considering the limited
opportunities he had had, he evinced a high order of
military talent. On the bloody field of Buena Vista
he acquitted himself with intrepid and distinguished
ability, contributing with his regiment, the Second
Illinois, in no small degree toward saving the waver-
ing fortunes of our arms during that long and fiercely
contested battle.

After his return home, at the close of the war, he
was elected to Congress, his opponents being the
Hons. P. B. Fouke and Joseph Gillespie. He served
two terms in Congress. He was an ardent politician.
During the great contest of 1850 he voted in favor
of the adjustment measures; but in 1854 he opposed
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise act and
therefore the Kansas-Nebraska bill of Douglas, and
thus became identified with the nascent Republican
party.

During his first Congressional term, while the
Southern members were following their old practice
of intimidating the North by bullying language,
and claiming most of the credit for victories in the
Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the
Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena
Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern
troops ; whereupon Davis challenged Bissell to a duel,
which was accepted. This matter was brought up
against Bissell when he was candidate for Governor
and during his term of office, as the Constitution of
this State forbade any duelist from holding a State
office.

In 1856, when the Republican party first put forth
a candidate, John C. Fremont, for President of the
United States, the same party nominated Mr. Bissell
for Governor of Illinois, and John Wood, of Quincy,
for Lieutenant Governor, while the Democrats nomi-
nated Hon. W. A. Richardson, of Adams County,
for Governor, and Col. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook
County, for Lieutenant Governor. The result of the

election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard-
son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a
ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal-
anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor.
His message to the Legislature was short and rather
ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup-
posed obligations of the people to the incorporators
of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re-
opening the slavery question by allusions to the
Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion-
ment bill, based upon the State census of 1855, was
passed, amid much partisan strife. The Governor
at first signed the bill and then vetoed it. A furious
debate followed, and the question whether the Gov-
ernor had the authority to recall a signature was
referred to the Courts, that of last resort deciding in
favor of the Governor. Two years afterward another
outrageous attempt was made for a re-apportionment
and to gerrymander the State, but the Legislature
failed to pass the bill over the veto of the Governor.

It was during Gov. Bissell's administration that
the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light,
implicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent
State officials. The principal and interest, aggregat-
ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except-
ing $27,500. (See sketch of Gov. Matteson.)

In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu-
lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and
thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a
million dollars. The State Government was impli-
cated in this affair, and to this day remains unex-
plained or unatoned for. For the above, and other
matters previously mentioned, Gov. Bissell has been
severely criticised, and he has also been most shame-
fully libelled and slandered.

On account of exposure in the army, the remote
cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance
into his system and eventually developed paraplegia,
affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left
his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco-
motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was
generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste-
rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its
stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18,
i860, over nine months before the expiration of his
gubernatorial term, at the early age of 48 years. He
died in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, of
which he had been a member since 1854.

VI V

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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

% ; i ^fe'Mi fi OHN WOOD , Governor 1 860-1, and
the first settler of Quincy, 111.,
was born in the town of Sempro-
nius (now Moravia), Cayuga Co.,
N. Y., Dec. 20, 1798. He was
the second child and only son of
Dr. Daniel Wood. His mother,
nee Catherine Crause, was of
German parentage, and died
while he was an infant. Dr.
Wood was a learned and skillful
physician, of classical attain-
ments and proficient in several
modern languages, who, after
serving throughout the Revolu-
tionary War as a Surgeon, settled on the land granted
him by the Government, and resided there a re-
spected and leading influence in his section until his
death, at the ripe age of 92 years.

The subject of this sketch, impelled by the spirit
of Western adventure then pervading everywhere,
left nis home, Nov. 2, 1818, and passed the succeed-
ing winter in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following sum-
mer he pushed on to Illinois, landing at Shawneetown.
and spent the fall and following winter in Calhoun
County. In 1820, in company with Willard Keyes,
he settled in Pike County, about 30 miles southeast
of Quincy, where for ^he next two years he pursued
farming. In 1821 he visited "the Bluffs" (as the
present site of Quincy was called, then uninhabited)
and, pleased with its prospects, soon after purchased
a quarter-section of land near by, and in the follow-
ing fall (1822) erected near the river a small cabin,

18 x 20 feet, the first building in Quincy, of which
he then became the first and for some months the
only occupant.

About this time he visited his old friends in Pike
County, chief of whom was William Ross, the lead-
ing man in building up the village of Atlas, of that
county, which was thought then to be the possible
commencement of a city. One day they and others
were traveling together over the country between the
two points named, making observations on the com-
parative merits of the respective localities. On ap-
proaching the Mississippi near Mr. Wood's place,
the latter told his companions to follow him and he
would show them where he was going to build a city.
They went about a mile off the main trail, to a high
point, from which the view in every direction was
most magnificent, as it had been for ages and as yet
untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept
by the majestic Father of Waters, yet unburdened by
navigation. After Mr. Wood had expatiated at
length on the advantages of the situation, Mr. Ross
replied, "But it's too near Atlas ever to amount to
anything!"

Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is a
city of over 30,000 population.

In 1824 Mr. Wood gave a newspaper notice,
as the law then prescribed, of his intention to apply
to the General Assembly for the formation of a new
county. This was done the following winter, result-
ing in the establishment of the present Adams
County. During the next summer Quincy was se-
lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then
containing but four adult male residents and half

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JOHN WOOD.

that number of females. Since that period Mr.
Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un-
til his death, and far more than any other man was
he identified with every measure of its progress and
history, and almost continuously kept in public posi-
tions.

He was one of the early town Trustees, and after
the place became a city he was often a member of
the City Council, many times elected Mayor, in the
face of a constant large opposition political majority.
In 1850 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1856,
on the organization of the Republican party, he was
chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the
ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the
death of the latter, March 18, i860, he succeeded to
the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until
Gov. Yates was inaugurated nearly ten months after-
ward.

Nothing very marked characterized the adminis-
tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam-
paign of i860, resulting in the election of the honest
Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the
United States, occurred during the short period
while Mr. Wood was Governor, and the excitement
and issues of that struggle dominated over every
other consideration, — indeed, supplanted them in a
great measure. The people of Illinois, during all
that time, were passing the comparatively petty strifes
under Bissell's administration to the overwhelming
issue of preserving the whole nauon from destruction. (

In 186 1 ex-Gov. Wood was one of the five Dele-
gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at
Washington, and in April of the same year, on the
breaking out of the Rebellion, he was appointed

Quartermaster-General of the State, which position
he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com-
mand as Colonel of the 137th m - Vol. Inf., with
whom he served until the period of enlistment ex-
pired.

Politically, Gov. Wood was always actively identi-
fied with the Whig and Republican parties. Few
men have in personal experience comprehended so
many surprising and advancing local changes as
vested in the more than half century recollections of
Gov. Wood. Sixty-four years ago a solitary settler
on the "Bluffs," with no family, and no neighbor
within a score of miles, the world of civilization away
behind him, and the strolling red-man almost his
only visitant, he lived to see growing around him,
and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the
wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second
only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in
beauty, prosperity and promise; whose people recog-
nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and
liberality that attach to the name and lengthened
life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor."

Gov. Wood was twice married,— first in January,
1826, to Ann M. Streeter, daughterof Joshua Streeter,
formerly of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. They had
eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in
June, 1865, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow
of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4,
1880, at his residence in Quincy. Four of his eight
children are now living, namely: Ann E., wife of
Gen. John Tillson; Daniel C, who married Mary J.
Abernethy; John, Jr., who married Josephine Skinner,
and Joshua S., who married Annie Bradley. The
last mentioned now resides at Atchison, Kansas, and
all the rest are still at Quincy.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

HCHARD YATES, the "War
Governor," 1 86 1-4, was born
Jan. 18, 1818, on the banks of
the Ohio River, at Warsaw,
Gallatin Co., Ky. His father
^ moved in 1831 to Illinois, and
after stopping for a time in
Springfield, settled at Island
Grove, Sangamon County. Here,
after attending school, Richard joined
the family. Subsequently he entered
t V^tt? Illinois College at Jacksonville,

JlW?£1l* where, in 1837, he graduated with

first honors. He chose for his pro-
fession the law, the Hon. J. J. Har-
din being his instructor. After ad-
mission to the Bar he soon rose to distinction as an
advocate.

Gifted with a fluent and ready oratory, he soon
appeared in the political hustings, and, being a
passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the
West, Henry Clay, he joined his political fortunes to
the party of his idol. In 1 840 he engaged with great
ardor in the exciting " hard cider " campaign for
Harrison. Two years later he was elected to the
Legislature from Morgan County, a Democratic
stronghold. He served three or four terms in the
Legislature, and such was the fascination of his ora-
tory that by 1850 his large Congressional District,
extending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties
north to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him
the Whig nomination for Congress. His Democratic
opponent was Maj. Thomas L. Harris, a very pop-
ular man who had won distinction at the battle of
Cerro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had
beaten Hon. Stephen T. Logan for the same position,

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two years before, by a large majority. Yates was
elected. Two years later he was re-elected, over
John Calhoun.

It was during Yates' second term in Congress that
the great question of the repeal of the Missouri Com-
promise was agitated, and the bars laid down for re-
opening the dreaded anti-slavery question. He took
strong grounds against the repeal, and thus became
identified with the rising Republican party. Conse-
quently he fell into the minority in his district, which
was pro-slavery. Even then, in a third contest, he
fell behind Major Harris only 200 votes, after the
district had two years before given Pierce 2,000
majority for President.

The Republican State Convention of i860 met at
Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov-
ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B.
Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming-
ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were
also candidates before the Convention. Francis A.
Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated for
Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr.
Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re-
membered as characterized by the great whirlpool
which precipitated the bloody War of the Rebellion.
The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen of
Crawford County, for Governor, and Lewis W. Ross,
of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The
Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party
had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear-
ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr.
Yates 172,196 votes, and Mr. Allen 159,253. Mr.
Yates received over a thousand more votes than did
Mr. Lincoln himself.
Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the

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160

RICHARD YATES.

most critical period of our country's history. In the
fate of the nation was involved that of each State.
The life struggle of the former derived its sustenance
from the loyalty of the latter; and Gov. Yates
seemed to realize the situation, and proved himself
both loyal and wise in upholding the Government.
He had a deep hold upon the affections of the
people, won by his moving eloquence and genial
manners. Erect and symmetrical in person, of pre-
possessing appearance, with a winning address and a
magnetic power, few men possessed more of the ele-
ments of popularity. His oratory was scholarly and
captivating, his hearers hardly knowing why they
were transported. He was social and convivial. In
the latter respect he was ultimately carried too far.

The very creditable military efforts of this State
during the War of the Rebellion, in putting into the
field the enormous number of about 200,000 soldiers,
were ever promptly and ably seconded by his excel-
lency ; and the was ambitious to deserve the title of
"the soldier's friend." Immediately after the battleof
Shiloh he repaired to the field of carnage to look
after the wounded, and his appeals for aid were
promptly responded to by the people. His procla-
mations calling for volunteers were impassionate
appeals, urging upon the people the duties and re-
quirements of patriotism ; and his special message
in 1863 to the Democratic Legislature of this State
pleading for material aid for the sick and wounded
soldiers of Illinois regiments, breathes a deep fervor
of noble sentiment and feeling rarely equaled in
beauty or felicity of expression. Generally his mes-
sages on political and civil affairs were able and com-
prehensive. During his administration, however,
there were no civil events of an engrossing character,
although two years of his time were replete with
partisan quarrels of great bitterness. Military ar-
rests, Knights of the Golden Circle, riot in Fulton
County, attempted suppression of the Chicago Times
and the usurping State Constitutional Convention of
1862, were the chief local topics that were exciting
during the Governor's term. This Convention assem-
bled Jan. 7, and at once took the high position that
the law calling it was no longer binding, and that it
had supreme power; that it represented a virtual
assemblage of the whole people of the State, and was
sovereign in the exercise of all power necessary to
effect a peaceable revolution of the State Government

and to the re-establishment of one for the "happiness,
prosperity and freedom of the citizens," limited only
by the Federal Constitution. Notwithstanding the
law calling the Convention required its members to
take an oath to support the Constitution of the State
as well as that of the general Government, they
utterly refused to take such oath. They also as-
sumed legislative powers and passed several import-
ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present
executive duties, Gov. Yates was provoked to tell
them plainly that " he did not acknowledge the right
of the Convention to instruct him in the performance
of his duty."

In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats
by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after
a recess, met June 2, that year, and soon began to
waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and,
while the two houses were disagreeing upon the
question of adjourning sine die, the Governor, having
the authority in such cases, surprised them all by
adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the
first Monday in January, 1865 !" This led to great
excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the
Governor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in
his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive
abuse for weeks and months afterward.

During the autumn of 1864 a conspiracy was de-
tected at Chicago which had for its object the liber-
ation of the prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, the
burning of the city and the inauguration of rebellion
in the North. Gen. Sweet, who had charge of the
camp at the time, first had his suspicions of danger
aroused by a number of enigmatically worded letters
which passed through the Camp postoffice. A de-
tective afterward discovered that the rebel Gen.
Marmaduke was in the city, under an assumed
name, and he, with other rebel officers — Grenfell,
Morgan, Cantrell, Buckner Morris, and Charles
Walsh — was arrested, most of whom were convicted
by a court-martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to
imprisonment, — -Grenfell to be hung. The sentence
of the latter was afterward commuted to imprison-
ment for life, and all the others, after nine months'
imprisonment, were pardoned.

In March, 1873, Gov. Yates was appointed a Gov-
ernment Director of the Union Pacific Railroad, in
which office he continued until his decease, at St.
Louis, Mo., on the 27th of November following.

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^"/nUCHARD J. OGLESBY, Gov-
ernor 1865-8, and re-elected
in 1872 and 1884, was born
July 25, 1824, in Oldham Co.,
Ky., — the State which might
be considered the " mother of
Illinois Governors." Bereft of
his parents at the tender age
of eight years, his early education
was neglected. When 12 years of
age, and after he had worked a year
and a half at the carpenter's trade,
he removed with an uncle, Willis

t- ^>J[ Oglesby, into whose care he had

been committed, to Decatur, this
State, where he continued his ap-
a mechanic, working six months for
Hon. E. O. Smith.

In 1844 he commenced studying law at Spring-
field, with Judge Silas Robbins, and read with him
one year. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845, and
commenced the practice of his chosen profession at
Sullivan, the county seat of Moultrie County.

The next year the war with Mexico was com-
menced, and in June, 1846, Mr. Oglesby volunteered,
was elected First Lieutenant of Co. C, Fourth Illinois
Regiment of Volunteers, and participated in the bat-
tles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo.

On his return he sought to perfect his law studies
by attending a course of lectures at Louisville, but
on the breaking out of the California "gold fever " in
1849, lie crossed the plains and mountains to the
new Eldorado, driving a six-mule team, with a com-

prenticeship as

pany of eight men, Henry Prather being the leader.

In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and
was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticket
of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe,
Asia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his
return home he resumed the practice of law, as a
member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby.
In 1858 he was the Republican nominee .for the
Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the
Hon. James C. Robinson, Democrat. In i860 he
was elected to the Illinois State Senate; and on the
evening the returns of this election were coming in,
Mr. Oglesby had a fisticuff encounter with " Cerro
Gordo Williams," in which he came out victorious,
and which was regarded as " the first fight of the
Rebellion." The following spring, when the war
had commenced in earnest, his ardent nature
quickly responded to the demands of patriotism and
he enlisted. The extra session of the Legislature
elected him Colonel of the Eighth Illinois Infantry,
the second one in the State raised to suppress the
great Rebellion.

He was shortly entrusted with important com-
mands. For a time he was stationed at Bird's Point
and Cairo; in April he was promoted Brigadier Gen-
eral ; at Fort Donelson his brigade was in the van,
being stationed on the right of General Grant's army
and the first brigade to be attacked. He lost 500
men before re-inforcements arrived. Many of these
men were from Macon County. He was engaged in
the battle of Corinth, and, in a brave charge at this
place, was shot in the left lung with an ounce ball,
and was carried from the field in expectation of im-

@^llt»3>A^-

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164

RICHARD J. OGLESBY.

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mediate death. That rebel ball he carries to this
day. On his partial recovery he was promoted as
Major General, for gallantry, his commission to rank
from November, 1862. In the spring of 1S63 he
was assigned to the command of the 16th Army-
Corps, but, owing to inability from the effects of his
wound, he relinquished this command in July, that
year. Gen. Grant, however, refused to accept his
resignation, and he was detailed, in December follow-
ing, to court-martial and try the Surgeort General of
the Army at Washington, where he remained until
May, 1864, when he returned home.

The Republican, or Union, State Convention of

1864 was held at Springfield, May 25, when Mr.
Oglesby was nominated for the office of Governor,
while other candidates before the Convention were
Allen C. Fuller, of Boone, Jesse K. Dubois, of Sanga-
mon, and John M. Palmer, of Macoupin. Wm.
Bross, of Chicago, was nominated for Lieutenant
Governor. On the Democratic State ticket were
James C. Robinson, of Clark, for Governor, and S.
Corning Judd, of Fulton, for Lieutenant Governor.
The general election gave Gen. Oglesby a majority
of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a
majority in both the Legislature and in the repre-
sentation in Congress.

Gov. Oglesby was duly inaugurated Jan. 17, T865.
The day before the first time set for his installation
death visited his home at Decatur, and took from it
his only son, an intelligent and sprightly lad of six
years, a great favorite of the bereaved parents. This
caused the inauguration to be postponed a week.

The political events of the Legislative session of

1865 were the election of ex-Gov. Yates to the
United States Senate, and the ratification of the r3th
amendment to the Constitution of the United States,
abolishing slavery. This session also signalized
itself by repealing the notorious " black laws," part
of which, although a dead letter, had held their place
upon the statute books since 181 9. Also, laws re-
quiring the registration of voters, and establishing a
State Board of Equalization, were passed by this Leg-
islature. But the same body evinced that it was cor-
ruptly influenced by a mercenary lobby, as it adopted
some bad legislation, over the Governor's veto, nota-
bly an amendment to a charter for a Chicago horse
railway, granted in 1S59 for 25 years, and now
sought to be extended 99 years. As this measure
was promptly passed over his veto by both branches
of the Legislature, he deemed it useless further to
attempt to check their headlong career. At this
session no law of a general useful character or public
interest was perfected, unless we count such the
turning over of the canal to Chicago to be deepened.
The session of 1867 was still more productive of
private and special acts. Many omnibus bills were
proposed, and some passed. The contests over the
location of the Industrial College, the Capital, the

Southern Penitentiary, and the canal enlargement
and Illinois River improvement, dominated every-
thing else.

During the year 1872, it became evident that if
the Republicans could re-elect Mr. Oglesby to the
office of Governor, they could also elect him to the
United States Senate, which they desired to do.
Accordingly they re-nominated him for the Execu-
tive chair, and placed upon the ticket with him for
Lieutenant Governor, John L. Beveridge, of Cook
County. On the other side the Democrats put into
the field Gustavus Koerner for Governor and John
C. Black for Lieutenant Governor. The election
gave the Republican ticket majorities ranging from
35'334 t0 56,174, — the Democratic defection being
caused mainly by their having an old-time Whig and
Abolitionist, Horace Greeley, on the national ticket
for President. According to the general understand-
ing had beforehand, as soon as the Legislature met
it elected Gov. Oglesby to the United States Senate,
whereupon Mr. Beveridge became Governor. Sena-
tor Oglesby 's term expired March 4, 1879, having
served his party faithfully and exhibited an order of
statesmanship beyond criticism.

During the campaign of 1S84 Mr. Oglesby was
nominated for a " third term " as Executive of the
State of Illinois, against Carter H. Harrison, Mayor
of Chicago, nominated by the Democrats. Both
gentlemen '.'stumped " the State, and while the peo-
ple elected a Legislature which was a tie on a joint
ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the
jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of i5,or8 for Gov-
ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The
Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on
account of its equal division between the two main
parties and the consequent desperate tactics of each
party to checkmate the latter in the organization of
the House.

Gov. Oglesby is a fine-appearing, affable man, with
regular, well defined features and rotund face. In
stature he is a little above medium height, of a large
frame and somewhat fleshy. His physical appear-
ance is striking and prepossessing, while his straight-
out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are well
calculated favorably to impress the average masses.
Ardent in feeling and strongly committed to the pol-
icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism
among Republicans, while at the same time his jovial
and liberal manner prevents those of the opposite
party from hating him.

He is quite an effective stump orator. With vehe-
ment, passionate and scornful tone and gestures,
tremendous physical power, which in speaking he
exercises to the utmost ; with frequent descents to
the grotesque; and with abundant homely compari-
sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest
vernacular and enforced with stentorian emphasis,
he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure.

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John M. Palmer

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jjOHN Mc AULEY PALMER, Gov-
Ikv** ernor 1869-72, was bom on
Eagle Creek, Scott Co., Ky.,
Sept. 13, 18 1 7. During his in-
fancy, his father, who had been
', a soldier in the war of 181 2, re-
moved to Christian Co., Ky.,
where lands were cheap. Here
the future Governor of the great
Prairie State spent his childhood
i» and received such meager school-
ing as the new and sparsely set-
tled country afforded. To this
he added materially by diligent
reading, for which he evinced an
eaily aptitude. His father, an ardent Jackson man,
was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which
he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 1831
he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County.
Here the labor of improving a farm was pursued for
about two years, when the death of Mr. Palmer's
mother broke up the family. About this time Alton
College was opened, on the "manual labor " system,
and in the spring of 1834 young Palmer, with his
elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained
18 months. Next, for over three years, he tried
variously coopering, peddling and school-teaching.
During the summer of 1838 he formed the ac-

quaintance of Stephen A. Douglas, then making his

first canvass for Congress. Young, eloquent and in
political accord with Mr. Palmer, he won his confi-
dence, fired his ambition and fixed his purpose. The
following winter, while teaching near Canton, he be-
gan to devote his spare time to a desultory reading
of law, and in the spring entered a law office at Car-
linville, making his home with his elder brother,
Elihu. (The latter was a learned clergyman, of con-
siderable orginality of thought and doctrine.) On
the next meeting of the Supreme Court he was ad-
mitted to the Bar, Douglas being one of his examiners.
He was not immediately successful in his profession,
and would have located elsewhere than Carlinville
had he the requisite means. Thus his early poverty
was a blessing in disguise, for to it he now attributes
the success of his life.

From 1839 on, while he diligently pursued his
profession, he participated more or less in local
politics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. In
1847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con-
vention, where he took a leading part. In 1852 he
was elected to the State Senate, and at the special
session of February, 1854, true to the anti-slavery
sentiments bred in him, he took a firm stand in op-
position to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise;
and when the Nebraska question became a party
issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for the
Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuing
a circular to that effect. A few weeks afterward,

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JOHN MC AULEY PALMER.

however, hesitating to break with his party, he par-
ticipated in a Congressional Convention which nomi-
T. L. Harris against Richard Yates, and which
unqualifiedly approved the principles of the Kansas-
Nebraska act. But later in the campaign he made
the plunge, ran for the Senate as an Anti-Nebraska
Democrat, and was elected. The following winter
he put in nomination for the ^United States Senate
Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men
who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their
support and elected their man.

In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State
Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in
1859, but was defeated. In i860 he was Republican
Presidential Elector for the State at large. In 1861
he was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re-
publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at
Washington.

When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his
services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the
14th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the engagements
at Island No. 10; at Farmington, where he skillfully
extricated his command from a dangerous position ;
at Stone River, where his division for several hours,
Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a
rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major
General; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's
divisions for two hours maintained their position
when they were cut off by overpowering numbers.
Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the 14th
Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign.
At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert
disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as-
signed to the military administration of Kentucky,
which was a delicate post. That State was about
half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter
element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves.
He, who had been bred to the rules of common law,
trembled at the contemplation of his extraordinary
power over the persons and property of his fellow
men, with which he was vested in his capacity as
military Governor; and he exhibited great caution in
the execution of the duties of his post.

Gen. Palmer was nominated for Governor of Illi-
nois by the Republican State Convention which met
at Peoria May 6, 1868, and his nomination would
probably have been made by acclamation had he not
persistently declared that he could not accept a can-

didature for the office. The result of the ensuing
election gave Mr. Palmer a majority of 44,707 over
John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee.

On the meeting of the Legislature in January,
1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was
that portion of the Governor's message which took
broad State's rights ground. This and some minor
points, which were more in keeping with the Demo-
cratic sentiment, constituted the entering wedge f jr
the criticisms and reproofs he afterward received
from the Republican party, and ultimately resulted
in his entire aleniation from the latter element. The
Legislature just referred to was noted for the intro-
duction of numerous bills in the interest of private
parties, which were embarrassing to the Governor.
Among the public acts passed was that which limited
railroad charges for passenger travel to a maximum
of three cents per mile ; and it was passed over the
Governor's veto. Also, they passed, over his veto,
the " tax-grabbing law " to pay railroad subscriptions,
the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The new State
Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a
peaceful " revolution" which took place during Gov.
Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the
great Chicago Fire of October, 187 t, was greatly
alleviated by the prompt responses of his excellency.

Since the expiration of Gov. Palmers 's term, he has
been somewhat prominent in Illinois politics, and
has been talked of by many, especially in the Dem-
ocratic party, as the best man in the State for a
United States Senator. His business during life has
been that of the law. Few excel him in an accurate
appreciation of the depth and scope of its principles.
The great number of his able veto messages abun-
dantly testify not only this but also a rare capacity to
point them out. He is a logical and cogent reasoner
and an interesting, forcible and convincing speaker,
though not fluent or ornate. Without brilliancy, his
dealings are rather with facts and ideas than with
appeals to passions and prejudices. He is a patriot
and a statesman of very high order. Physically he is
above the medium height, of robust frame, ruddy
complexion and sanguine-nervous temperament. He
has a large cranial development, is vivacious, social
in disposition, easy of approach, unostentatious in his
habits of life, democratic in his habits and manners
and is a true American in his fundamental principles
of statesmanship.

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OHN LOWRiE BEVER-
IDGE, Governor 187 3-6, was
born in the town of Green-
wich, Washington Co., N. Y.,
July 6, 1824. His parents
were George and Ann Bever-
idge. His father's parents, An-
drew and Isabel Beveridge, be-
fore their marriage emigrated
from Scotland just before the
Revolutionary War, settling in
Washington County. His father
was the eldest of eight brothers, the
youngest of whom was 60 years of
age when the first one of the num-
ber died. His mother's parents,
James and Agnes Hoy, emigrated
from Scotland at the close of the
Revolutionary War, settling also in
jy Washington Co., N. Y., with their
first-born, whose " native land " was
the wild ocean. His parents and
grandparents lived beyond the time
allotted to man, their average age
being over 80 years. They belonged to the " Asso-
ciate Church," a seceding Presbyterian body of

4—

America from the old Scotch school; and so rigid
was the training of young Beveridge that he never
heard a sermon from any other minister except that
of his own denomination until he was in his 19th
year. Later in life he became a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still
holds.

Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed-
ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood
only by rigid economy and industry, could not send
him away to college. He was raised upon a farm,
and was in his 18th year when the family removed
to De Kalb County, this State, when that section was
very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000
inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a
farm laborer, teaching school during the winter
months to supply the means of an education. In the
fall of 1842 he attended one term at the academy at
Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several
terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris,
Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At
this time, the fall of 1845, his parents and brothers
were anxious to have him go to college, even though
he had not money sufficient; but, njt willing to bur-
den the family, he packed his trunk and with only
$40 in money started South to seek his fortune.

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JOHN L. BEVERIDGE.

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Poor, alone, without friends and influence, he thus
entered upon the battle of life.

First, he taught school in Wilson, Overton and
Jackson Cos., Tenn., in which experience he under-
went considerable mental drill, both in book studies
and in the ways of the world. He read law and was
admitted to the Bar, in the South, but did not learn
to love the institution of slavery, although he ad-
mired many features of Southern character. In De-
cember, T847, he returned North, and Jan. 20, 1848,
he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in the old Clark-
Street M. E. church in Chicago, her father at that
time being Pastor of the society there. In the spring
of 1848 he returned with his wife to Tennessee,
where his two children, Alia May and Philo Judson,
were born.

In the fall of 1849, through the mismanagement
of an associate, he lost what little he had accumu-
lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to
earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb
Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro-
fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival
from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in
money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself
and family. He borrowed a little money, practiced
law, worked in public offices, kept books for some of
the business men of the town, and some railroad en-
gineering, till the spring of 1854, when he removed
to Evanston, 12 miles north of Chicago, a place then
but recently laid out, under the supervision of the
Northwestern University, a Methodist institution.
Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial
agent and business manager. Here Mr. Beveridge
prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law
office in Chicago, where he found the battle some-
what hard; but he persevered with encouragement
and increasing success.

Aug. 12, 1861, his law partner, Gen. John F.
Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment of
cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a
company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais-
ing the company, of course enlisting himself along
with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles,
111., was mustered in Sept. 18, and on its organiza-
tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at-
tached, Oct. it, to the Eighth Cavalry and to the
Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment
until November, 1863, participating in some 40 bat-

tles and skirmishes : was at Fair Oaks, the seven days'
fight around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellors-
ville and Gettysburg. He commanded the regiment
the greater part of the summer of 1863, and it was while
lying in camp this year that he originated the policy
of encouraging recruits as well as the fighting capac-
ity of the soldiery, by the wholesale furlough system.
It worked so well that many other officers adopted
it. In the fall of this year he recruited anothercom-
pany, against heavy odds, in January, 1864, was
commissioned Colonel of the 17 th 111. Cav., and
skirmished around in Missouri, concluding with the
reception of the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith's
army in Arkansas. In 1865 he commanded various
sub-districts in the Southwest. He was mustered
out Feb. 6, 1866, safe from the casualties of war and
a stouter man than when he first enlisted. His men
idolized him.

He then returned to Chicago, to practice law, with
no library and no clientage, and no political experi-
ence except to help others into office. In the fall of
1S66 he was elected Sheriff of Cook County, serving
one term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced
law and closed up the unfinished business of his
office. He was then elected State Senator; in No-
vember, 187 1, he was elected Congressman at large;
in November, 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Gov-
ernor on the ticket with Gov. Oglesby; the latter be-
ing elected to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Beveridge became
Governor, Jan. 2t, 1873. Thus, inside of a few
weeks, he was Congressman at large, Lieutenant
Governor and Governor. The principal events oc-
curring during Gov. Beveridge's administration were :
The completion of the revision of the statutes, begun
in 1869; the partial success of the "farmers' move-
ment;" "Haines" Legislature " and Illinois' exhibit at
the Centennial.

Since the close of his gubernatorial term ex-Gov.
Beveridge has been a member of the firm of Bever-
idge & Dewey, bankers and dealers in commercial
paper at 7 1 Dearborn Street (McCormick Block),
Chicago, and since November, 1881, he has also been
Assistant United States Treasurer : office in the
Government Building. His residence is still at Ev-
anston.

He has a brother and two sisters yet residing in
De Kalb County — James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet
Henry and Mrs. Isabel French.

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V HELBY M. CULLOM, Gover-
nor 1S77— 83, is the sixth child
of the late Richard N. Cullom,
and was born Nov. 22, 1829, in
Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa-
ther then resided, and whence
both the Illinois and Tennessee
branches of the family originated. In
the following year the family emi-
grated to the vicinity of Washington,
Tazewell Co., 111., when that section
was very sparsely settled. They lo-
cated on Deer Creek, in a grove at
the time occupied by a party of In-
dians, attracted there by the superior
hunting and fishing afforded in that
vicinity. The following winter was
known as the " hard winter," the snow [being very
deep and lasting and the weather severely cold; and
the family had to subsist mainly on boiled corn or
hominy, and some wild game, for several weeks. In
the course of time Mr. R. N. Cullom became a prom-
inent citizen and was several times elected to the
Legislature, both before and after the removal of the
capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He died about
*8 7 3-

Until about 19 years of age young Cullom grew up
to agricultural pursuits, attending school as he had
opportunity during the winter. Within this time,
however, he spent several months teaching school,

and in the following summer he "broke prairie "with
an ox team for the neighbors. With the money ob-
tained by these various ventures, he undertook a
course of study at the Rock River Seminary, a
Methodist institution at Mt. Morris, Ogle County;
but the sudden change to the in-door life of a stu-
dent told severely upon his health, and he was taken
home, being considered in a hopeless condition. While
at Mt. Morris lie heard Hon. E. B. Washburne make
his first speech.

On recovering health, Mr. Cullom concluded to
study law, under the instruction of Abraham Lincoln,
at Springfield, who had by this time attained some
notoriety as an able lawyer; but the latter, being ab-
sent from his office most of the time, advised Mr.
Cullom to enter the office of Stuart & Edwards.
After about a year of study there, however, his health
failed again, and he was obliged to return once more
to out-door life. Accordingly he bought hogs for
packing, for A. G. Tyng, in Peoria, and while he re-
gained his health he gained in purse, netting $400 in
a few weeks. Having been admitted to the Bar, he
went to Springfield, where he was soon elected City
Attorney, on the Anti-Nebraska ticket.

In 1S56 he ran on the Fillmore ticket as a Presi-
dential Elector, and, although failing to be elected as
such, he was at the same time elected a Representa-
tive in the Legislature from Sangamon County, by a
local coalition of the American and Republican par-
ties. On the organization of the House, he received
the vote of the Fillmore men for Speaker. Practicing

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law until i S6o, he was again elected to the Legisla-
ture, as a Republican, while the county went Demo-
cratic on the Presidential ticket. In January follow-
ing he was elected Speaker, probably the } oungest
man who had ever presided over an Illinois Legis-
lature. After the session of 1861, he was a candidate
for the State Constitutional Convention called for
that year, but was defeated, and thus escaped the
disgrace of being connected with that abortive party
scheme to revolutionize the State Government. In
1862 he was a candidate for the State Senate, but
was defeated. The same year, however, he was ap-
pointed by President Lincoln on a Government
Commission, in company with Gov. Boutwell of
Massachusetts and Charles A. Dana, since of the
New York Sun, to investigate the affairs of the
Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments at
Cairo. He devoted several months to this duty.

In 1S64 he entered upon a larger political field,
being nominated as the Republican candidate for
Congress from the Eighth (Springfield) District, in
opposition to the incumbent, JohnT. Stuart, who had
been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over
Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Chicago.
The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem-
ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he
was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler, by
the magnificent majority of 4 103 ! In 1868 he was
again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards,
another of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes.

During his first term in Congress he served on the
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expenditures in
the Treasury Department; in his second term, on
the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Territories ■
and in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of
Ohio, to the Chairmanship of the latter. He intro-
duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of
law in Utah, which caused more consternation among
the Mormons than any measure had previously, but
which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the
Senate.

The Republican Convention which met May 25.
1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor, while the
other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten-
ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor
of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the
Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists,
placed in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy

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farmer and manufacturer, and A. A. Glenn. The
result of the election was rather close, Mr. Cullom
obtaining only 6,800 majority. He was inaugurated
Jan. 8, 1877.

Great depression prevailed in financial circles at
this time, as a consequence of the heavy failures of
1873 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed
to gather force from that time to the end of Gov.
Cullom's first administration. This unspeculative
period was not calculated to call forth any new
issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time
put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that
had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring
classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East
St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring
men for a short time refused to work or allow others
to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and
the wheels of industry again set in motion.

In May, 1880, Gov. Cullom was re-nominated by
the Republicans, against Lyman Trumbull, by the
Democrats; and although the former party was some-
what handicapped in the campaign by a zealous
faction opposed to Grant for President and to Grant
men for office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected
by about 314,565, to 277,532 for the Democratic State
ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was
about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again
became Republican, and no representative of the
Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov.
Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, 1S81. In his mes-
sage he announced that the last dollar of the State
debt had been provided for.

March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United
States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul-
lom was chosen to succeed him. This promoted
Lieutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov-
ernorship. Senator Cullom's term in the United
States Senate will expire March 4, 1889.

As a practitioner of law Mr. C. has been a member
of the firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, at Spring-
field ; and he has also been President of the State
National Bank.

He has been married twice, — the first time Dec.
12, 1S55, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had
two daughters; and the second time May 5, 1863,
to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is a member of the Method-
ist Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mr.
C. is also in sympathy.

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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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OHN MARSHALL HAMIL-
TON, Governor 1883-5, was
born May 28, 1847, in a log
house upon a farm about two
miles from Richwood, Union
County, Ohio. His father was
Samuel Hamilton, the eldest son
of Rev. VVm. Hamilton, who, to-
gether with his brother, the Rev.
Samuel Hamilton, was among the
early pioneer Methodist preachers in
Ohio. The mother of the subject of
this sketch was, before her marriage,
Mrs. Nancy McMorris, who was
born and raised in Fauquier or Lou-
doun County, Va., and related to the
two large families of Youngs and Marshalls, well
known in that commonwealth; and from the latter
family name was derived the middle name of Gov.
Hamilton.

In March, 1854, Mr. Hamilton's father sold out
his little pioneer forest home in Union County, O.,
and, loading his few household effects and family
(of six children) into two emigrant covered wagons,
moved to Roberts Township, Marshall Co., 111., being
21 days on the route. Swamps, unbridged streams
and innumerable hardships and privations met them
on their way. Their new home had been previously
selected by the father. Here, after many long years
of toil, they succeeded in paying for the land and
making a comfortable home. John was, of course,

brought up to hard manual labor, with no schooling
except three or four months in the year at a common
country school. However, he evinced a capacity
and taste for a high order of self-education, by
studying or reading what books he could borrow, as
the family had but very few in the house. Mu»h of
his study he prosecuted by the light of a log fire in
the old-fashioned chimney place. The financial
panic of 1857 caused the family to come near losing
their home, to pay debts ; but the father and two
sons, William and John, "buckled to" and perse-
vered in hard labor and economy until they redeemed
their place from the mortgage.

When the tremendous excitement of the political
campaign of i860 reached the neighborhood of Rob-
erts Township, young Hamilton, who had been
brought up in the doctrine of anti-slavery, took a zeal-
ous part in favor of Lincoln's election. Making special
efforts to procure a little money to buy a uniform, he
joined a company of Lincoln Wide-Awakes at Mag-
nolia, a village not far away. Directly after the
ensuing election it became evident that trouble
would ensue with the South, and this Wide-Awake
company, like many others throughout the country,
kept up its organization and transformed itself into a
military company. During the ensuing summer they
met often for drill and became proficient ; but when
they offered themselves for the war, young Hamilton
was rejected on account of his youth, he being then
but 14 years of age. During the winter of 1863-4 ne
attended an academy at Henry, Marshall County,

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JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON.

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and in the following May he again enlisted, for the
fourth time, when he was placed in the 141st 111.
Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111.,
for the 100-day service. He took with him 13 other
lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the
service. This regiment operated in Southwestern
Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine.

The following winter, 1864-5, Mr. Hamilton taught
school, and during the two college years 1865-7, he
went through three years of the curriculum of the
Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. The
third year he graduated, the fourth in a class of 46,
in the classical department. In due time he received
the degree of M. A. For a few months he was the
Principal of Marshall " College " at Henry, an acad-
emy under the auspices of the M. E. Church. By
this time he had commenced the study of law, and
after earning some money as a temporary Professor
of Latin at the Illinois Wesleyan University at
Bloomington, he entered the law office of Weldon,
Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of
this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge.
Admitted to the Bar in May, 1870, Mr. Hamilton
was given an interest in the same firm, Tipton hav-
ing been elected Judge. In October following he
formed a partnership with J. H. Rowell, at that time
Prosecuting Attorney. Their business was then
small, but they increased it to very large proportions,
practicing in all grades of courts, including even the
U. S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued
unbroken until Feb. 6, 18S3, when Mr. Hamilton
was sworn in as Executive of Illinois. On the 4th
oi~ March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con-
gress.

In July, 187 1. Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen
M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. Wm. G, Williams,
Professor of Greek in the Ohio Wesleyan University.
Mr. and Mrs. H. have two daughters and one son.

In 1S76 Mr. Hamilton was nominated by the Re-
publicans for the State Senate, over other and olde^
competitors. He took an active part " on the stump "
in the campaign, for the success of his party, and was
elected by a majority of 1,640 over his Democratic-
Greenback opponent. In the Senate he served on
the Committees on Judiciary, Revenue, State Insti-
tutions, Appropriations, Education, and on Miscel-
lany ; and during the contest for the election of a
U. S. Senator, the Republicans endeavoring to re-

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elect John A. Logan, he voted for the war chief on
every ballot, even alone when all the other Republi-
cans had gone over to the Hon. E. B. Lawrence and
the Democrats and Independents elected Judge
David Davis. At this session, also, was passed the
first Board of Health and Medical Practice act, of
which Mr. Hamilton was a champion, against so
much opposition that the bill was several times
"laid on the table." Also, this session authorized
the location and establishment of a southern peni-
tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session
of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President pro tern.
of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John
A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who was this time
elected without any trouble.

In May, rSSo, Mr. Hamilton was nominated on
the Republican ticket for Lieutenant Governor, his
principal competitors before the Convention being
Hon. Wm. A. James, ex-Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Judge Robert Bell, of Wabash
County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and
Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. He engaged
actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected
by a majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor,
he presided almost continuously over the Senate in
the 32d General Assembly and during the early days
of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship.
When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom
to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton
succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the
oath of office Feb. 6, r883. He bravely met all the
annoyances and embarrassments incidental upon
taking up another's administration. The principal
events with which Gov. Hamilton was connected as
the Chief Executive of the State were, the mine dis-
aster at Braidwood, the riots in St. Clair and Madison
Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the
State militia, the adoption of the Harper high-license
liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc.

The Governor was a Delegate at large to the
National Republican Convention at Chicago in June,
1884. where his first choice for President was John
A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but
he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr.
Blaine, true to his party.

Mr. Hamilton's term as Governor expired Jan. 30,
r885, when the great favorite " Dick " Oglesby was
inaugurated.

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INTRODUCTORY.!

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jJ,HE time has arrived when it
becomes the duty of the
people of this county to per-
petuate the names of their
pioneers, to furnish a record
of their early settlement,
and relate the story of their
progress. The civilization of our
day, the enlightenment of the age
and the duty that men of the pres-
ent time owe to their ancestors, to
themselves and to their posterity,
demand that a record of their lives
and deeds should be made. In bio-
graphical history is found a power
to instruct man by precedent, to
enliven the mental faculties, and
to waft down the river of time a
safe vessel in which the names and actions of the
people who contributed to raise this country from its
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly
the great and aged men, who in their prime entered
the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their
heritage, are passing lo their graves. The number re-
maining who can relate the incidents of the first days
of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an
actual necessity exists for the collection and preser-
vation of events without delay, before all the early
settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time.

To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind
from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough,
in spite of their best works and the most earnest
efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of
their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion
and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor-
tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed.
The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the
names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu-
mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from
buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people

to perpetuate the memory of their achievements.
The erection of the great obelisks were for the same
purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the
Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu-
ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their
great achievements and carry them down the ages.
It is also evident that the Mound-budders, in piling
up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea —
to leave something to show that they had lived. All
these works, though many ot them costly in the ex-
treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac-
ters of those whose memory they were intended to
perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of
the people that then lived. The great pyramids and
some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity;
the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum-
bling into dust.

It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli-
gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating
a full history — immutable in that it is almost un-
limited in extent and perpetual in its action; and
this is through the art of printing.

To the present generation, however, we are in-
debted for the introduction of the admirable system
of local biography. By this system every man, though
he has not achieved what the world calls greatness,
has the means to perpetuate his life, his history,
through the coming ages.

The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the
physical man is left. The monument which his chil-
dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme-
tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his
life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished,
which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated
by a record of this kind.

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we
engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col-
lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we
think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to
wait until they are dead, or until those who know
them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to
publish to the world the history of those whose lives
are unworthy of public record.

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OLONEL GEORGE DAV-
ENPORT was the first white
man to make a permanent
settlement in what is now
Rock Island County, arriv-
..V- v/W v ing here in the spring of

'. e « : 1 S 1 6. He was a native "I England,
■^ .'^ ® < : -J) ' born in Lincolnshire, in 1783. At the

age of 17 he enlisted as a sailor on a
,\ ■.©:' '"'■ S ' merchant vessel, and, foi the next three

t^I^iSl years, he visited France, Spain and
j^ijf^. Portugal. In the fall of 1S03, his

-£f ¥&?"*• vessel sailed from Liverpool to St.
rj&i, 1, Petersburg, Russia, and shortly after
its arrival there an embargo was laid
upon all English vessels in that port, the vessels
taken possession of and their crews thrown into
prison by the Russian government. In the follow-
ing spring they were released and returned iiome.
The next voyage was to New York, in the summer
of 1804, where they arrived in safety. After dis-
charging their cargo and taking another on board
for Liverpool, as the vessel was upon the point of
sailing, one of the sailors was knocked overboard.
Mr. Davenport quickly jumped into a small boat and
rescued him. In jumping into the boat he fractured
his leg very badly, and, there being no surgeon on
board, the captain had him taken to the city and
placed in a hospital, returning without him. After
remaining in the hospital about two months, he was
advised to go into the country to recruit his health.
Acting upon this advice, he went to Rahway, N. J.,

and subsequently to Carlisle, Pa., where he after-
ward enlisted in the regular army.

In the spring of 1806, he went with his regiment
to New Orleans, and in the fall received orders to
march to Sabine River. While there, he was sent
with dispatches to Fort Adams, and while on the
way his canoe struck a snag and he was upset in
the river. Clinging to some drift-wood, he managed
to reach the shore, and was then obliged to strike
across the country to the Mississippi, traveling over
swamps, bayous and sloughs. He was several days
in reaching the fort, living upon what berries and
wild fruit he could find. For ten years he served
his adopted country as a soldier, principally against
the Indians. In the second war with Great Britain
the most important battle he was engaged in was
that of Lundy Lane. He secured a British musket
at this battle, which is still kept in the family as a
relic of the war.

On receiving his discharge in 1815, he was em-
ployed by Col. Win. Morrison, of Kentucky, Govern-
ment contractor, to supply the troops with provisions.
Going to St. Louis, he took charge of several keel-
boats, loaded with provisions. A large drove of cat-
tle were also purchased and driven through the
country. They started up the river and arrived at
the mouth of the Des Moines River late in the fall,
and concluded to stop there for the winter. In the
spring of 18 16, in company with Col. Lawrence, in
command of the Eighth Regiment United States
Infantry, they again embarked on boats and pro-
ceeded up the river. Arriving at the mouth of Rock

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

River, they examined the country for a site for a
fort, resulting in the selection of the lower end of
Rock Island as the most suitable point. They landed
on Rock Island May 10, 1816, and here Mr. Daven-
port made his home until his death. His residence,
a double log cabin, was near the foot of the island,
where he subsequently erected a large two-story
frame house, a fine sketch of which is shown in this
work.

The Indians at that time were not very friendly to
the Americans, but soon took a fancy to Mr. Daven-
port, giving him the name of Sag-a-nosh, meaning
"an Englishman." During the second year, with
what little money he had saved, he purchased a
stock of goods and began trading with the Indians.
As an Indian trader he was remarkably successful,
securing and retaining their good will and confidence,
although for a time he had more or less trouble with
the Winnebagoes, at one time narrowly escaping be-
ing massacred.

In 1823, the first steamboat — the " Virginia "—ar-
rived at the island, loaded with provisions for Prairie
du Chien, and Mr. Davenport was called upon to
pilot her over the rapids.

In 1825 a postofhce was established upon the
island, with Mr. Davenport as Postmaster. He held
the office until its removal to the mam land, on the
organization of the county.

In 1827 he visited his native land, after an ab-
sence of 23 years, returning in 1828.

During this year the first settlements were made
in this vicinity. As they were poor, Mr. Davenport
furnished many of them with provisions and groceries
until they could raise a crop. When the Indians
returned in the spring of 1829, Mr. Davenport used
all his influence to induce them to remove to the
west side of the Mississippi, and partially succeeded.
Waupello removed his village to Muscatine Slough,
and Keokuk, with part of the Sacs, to the Iowa
River; but Black Hawk and the remainder of the
Sacs refused to go, claiming that they never had sold
their land. During the Black Hawk War that fol-
lowed, Mr. Davenport was appointed Quartermaster
General, with the rank of Colonel.

On the organization of the county, Col. Davenport
was elected o.ie of the first County Commissioners,
and served some two or three years.

In the fall of 1835, in company with several others,

he purchased a claim of Antoine Le Claire, across
the river in Iowa, and proceeded to lay out a town.
To this town was given the name of " Davenport,"
in his honor.

In the fall of 1837 he visited Washington City, in
company with a number of chiefs of the Sac and
Fox nations, and aided the Government in the pur-
chase of a large portion of Iowa. In 1842, Gov.
Chambers made another treaty with the Sacs and
Foxes. He told the chiefs to select any of their
white friends they might choose to assist them in
making a treaty. They selected Col. Davenport as
one of four. By this treaty the Indians sold all of
their lands within the State of Iowa. Shortly after
this, Col. Davenport withdrew from the Indian trade
and devoted the remainder of his life to the improve-
ment of his property in Davenport and Rock Island.

" Col. Davenport," said a well known writer, " was
of a very free and generous disposition, very jovial
and very fond of company. After retiring from the
Indian trade, he spent the winters generally in St.
Louis or Washington. Whether traveling on a steam-
boat or stopping at a hotel, he would always have a
crowd around him listening to his stories and anec-
dotes. He never sued any one in his life, and could
not bear to see anyone in distress without trying
to relieve him. He enjoyed excellent health and
spirits, and had the prospect of living many years
to enjoy the comfort for which he had toiled so hard
for many years, but he was struck down by one of a
band of robbers, in his own house, on the fourth of
July, 1S45. He died aged 62."

A full account of this tragedy will be found in the
article on the " Courts and the Bar," in this volume.
The life of Col. Davenport was a long and active
one. "Although of trans-Atlantic extraction," says
the writer already quoted from, " he was a true type
of the American, possessing indomitable resolution,
a restless desire to progress, with an invincible de-
termination to overcome obstacles and achieve suc-
cess. Much as his cor severance, enterprise
and ability demand admiration, there is still some-
thing more than these commanding our respect and
honor — something which is more lustrous than
wealth, better than position or title : it was his hu-
manity ! Had men of his bias dealt with Black
Hawk and his ' British Band,' less gory scalp locks
would have decked the belts of warring savages, less

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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blood would have been shed, and the entire fearful
drama of devastation, slaughter and carnage which
was enacted upon our frontiers a few years since,
would have been wholly omitted. Honor to his
ashes ! He sleeps in a grave whose proud epitaph
reads, ' Here lies a friend to humanity!' "

A portrait of Col. Davenport necessarily occupies
the place of honor in this volume. A view also of
his residence, in which he was murdered and which
is preserved as a relic by the Government, is also
given in this woik.

#-#

fyjjiles Nicholson, a pioneer of the county of
Rock Island of 1842, settled in the same
flfljsK- vear m t ' le township of Coe. He lived
'•*»% on the place and pursued his agricultural
projects with success until 1S82, when he
rented the farm and located at Port Byron.
He had previously purchased three acres of land on
the hill which overlooks the village and situated
withing the corporate limits. The location is one
of the best in the vicinity, and the owner has erected
good and suitable buildings. He indulges in ama-
teur farming in miniature on the estate which forms
his homestead.

Mr. Nicholson was born in Lewis, Essex Co., N
Y., March 4, 1S13. His father, James Nicholson,
was a native of Connecticut, and he married Edie
Mason, who was born in the same State. After their
marriage they settled in the State of New York, lo-
cating in Essex County about 1800, where they were
among the earliest of the pioneer element. The
senior Nicholson bought a tract of timber, cleared a
farm, and was its owner and occupant until his
death. The son was reared through boyhood and
youth on the home farm, and was married at 19 years
of age to Maria Pierce. She was born in New Hamp-
shire. Two years after their marriage they went to
the State of Ohio, and settled in Cleveland. Mr.
Nicholson obtained a situation in a meat market,
where he was occupied two years. Meanwhile, his
true wife opened a millinery and dressmaking shop,
which she managed the same length of time.

In 1835 they came to Illinois. Mr. Nicholson pur-

chased a pair of horses and a wagon, and with his
wife made the journey overland. On the route he
was seized by illness of the character most dreaded
in those days by the emigrants from the East (chills
and fever), from which he suffered for a long time.
Nearly three weeks was consumed on the journey,
and when they arrived in Green County Mr. Nichol-
son rented a farm. On this they resided until 1842,
when they came to Rock Island County. They
reached the house of the brother of Mr. Nicholson in
the month of July, 1842, the inventory of the hus-
band's possessions being one wife, two children and
$[.62 in cash with which to begin life in the West.
His illness had exhausted the little fortune which
represented so much in a new and untried place, but
he found no difficulty in obtaining employ as a farm
assistant, and in September of the same year he ne-
gotiated for a farm of 1 20 acres of land, for which he
gave his note and took a bond for a deed. During
the summer following he worked at farming for $1
per day, and with the money earned he made the
first payment on his land. At the time of his pur-
chase the improvements on the place consisted of a
small log structure that was little better than the
style of abode called hovels in the place whence they
came, standing on a tract of ten acres which had
been broken. He labored during the days for his
employer, and with the assistance of his wife worked
by moonlight and put in a crop which furnished sub-
sistence for his family. He continued this method of
operation, and through good management and fru-
gality won reasonable success. He paid for the first
purchase of land, and bought additional tracts ad-
joining, until he is the owner of 360 acres situated on
sections 27, 28 and 29. With the exception of 20
acres his land is all under cultivation. It is fenced
and supplied with the necessary farm structures.
There is also a good collection of fruit-trees and
small fruits on the place.

The first wife of Mr. Nicholson died Dec. 16,
1854, leaving four children, two of whom have fol-
lowed the mother to the silent land. Duane lives in
Coe Township. William is a resident of the same
place. Mr. Nicholson was a second time married,
Dec 28, 1856, to Nancy McLaughlin. She was born
in Ireland and came to the United States when an
infant. Anna M., wife of John Christie, of Coe
Township, is the only issue of the second marriage.
Albert, third son of the first marriage, was born

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^<9C^T ISLAND COUNTY.

in 1844, and died Dec. 26, 1863. Sarah E., born
March 22, 184S, died Jan. 19, rS67. Mr. and Mrs.
Nicholson are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. In political faith and connections he is a
Republican.

-•*■.-

. > ( antes Bailey, farmer, section 2, Rural

.'J;.~ Township, was born in County Down, Ire-

fj&>' ,> land, Jan. 6, 1829. He lived in his native

%$Z land until 1849, when he emigrated to Amer-

|L ica, coming directly to Rock Island. After

i spending a short time in Rock Island and vi-
cinity, he purchased 80 acres of land in Rural
Township, settled upon it and has since resided
there, an exemplary farmer and estimable citizen.
He is now the proprietor of 240 acres of land, on
which he has erected a fine residence. His place is
put in good condition, and his home is a very desir-
able one. He is a Republican in his political views,
and both himself and Mrs. B. are members of the
United Presbyterian Church.

Dec. 5, 1861, is the date of his marriage in Rural
Township, this county, to Miss Margaret, daughter
of John and Mary (Campbell) VVarnock, who are al-
so natives of County Down, Ireland. (See sketch of
John Wamock.) Mrs. Bailey was born in that
county July 7, 1 841. Mr. and Mrs. B. have seven
children, namely: Mary E., Anna, William W.
Jane, John, Hugh W. and Ella.

-i — <-i-^

ames M. Davis, a general farmer and stock-
grower, residing on section iS, Edgington
Township, and also a dealer in agricultural
implements at Edgington, is a son of Joseph S.
and Hermanda (Johnson) Davis. Her parents
were natives of Seneca Co., N. Y., and of Welsh
and German extraction. They were farmers by oc-
cupation, and were married in the Empire State.
After the birth of their first child they came West,
settling in Buffalo Prairie Township, this county,

where they located on a farm of 120 acres. They
were very early pioneers to this county, coming about
the year 1834. The parents ever afterward remained
in that township and on the old homestead, respected
and honored by the people throughout that section
of the county. The mother was first to be called to
her eternal home, her death occurring Aug. 18, rS8r,-
and the father died May 1, 18S3. Both were promi-
nent in the early history of the county, and did much
towards developing the country.

Our subject was the youngest but four of a family
of 13 children, and was born in Buffalo Prairie
Township, March 2, 1S50. He was educated in the
district schools, and lived on the old homestead un-
til his marriage, which occurred April 15, 1S72.
Miss A. Martha Spickler was the lady of his choice.
She was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., Feb. 12, 1850,
and came with her parents to Illinois when a small
girl. She is the mother of two children : Delos I.,
born Aug. 29, 1872, and Mary G., born Oct. 17,
18S4. Within a year after his marriage Mr. Davis
very wisely purchased a farm on section 18, Edging-
ton Township. This farm consisted of 206 acres, all
well improved. He has served his township as Col-
lector and his school district as Director, and politi-
cally is a stanch Democrat.

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f fiP\<; hilip J. Deal, a reliable citizen and pro-
7 Eft] gressive farmer, residing on section 14,
■ [i i-i> Rural Township, is a son of George and

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~j Margaret (Myers) Deal, natives of Germany.

^ The father was living in Pennsylvania during
the Revolutionary War, and took part in that
struggle on the side of the Colonists. The parents
both died in Pennsylvania, the father in his 88th
year and the mother when she was 74 years of age.
Their children were seven in number, of whom Phil-
ip was the youngest.

Philip J. Deal was born in Bedford Co., Providence
Township. Pa., Dec. 16, 1802. When nearly 16
years of age Mr. Deal was apprenticed to learn the
blacksmith's trade and served four years. After
learning the trade he continued to follow the same
until 1873, when, on account of age and failing
health, he was compelled to abandon the trade. He

-? — =»S8^

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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came to Rock Island County in May, 1S43, and re-
sided for two years in Rock Island, then live years in
Moline In 1848 Mr. Deal purchased 80 acres of
land in Rural Township, on which he located, and in
1850 he built a shop on his farm and worked at his
trade in connection with agricultural pursuits. He
erected a good residence and other necessary farm
buildings on his place, and at present is the proprie-
tor of 200 acres of land, all of which is under an ad-
vanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Deal was united in marriage, in Bedford Co.,
Pa., Dec. 6, 1829, with Miss Susan Bollman, daugh-
ter of Isaac and Barbara (Sills) Bollman, of German
ancestry. They settled in Pennsylvania, where they
resided until their deaths. Mrs. Deal was the eldest
of 14 children, and was born in Bedford Co., Pa..
Feb. 7, 1S04. Mr. and Mrs. Deal are the parents of
three children: Rachel A., born June 3, 1832;
Sarah, -born Oct. 3, 1S35 ; and Henry \V., born
May 19, 1837; Rachel A. is the wife of Archibald
Cook, a resident of Rock Island. Politically, Mr.
Deal votes with the Republican party. He has held
various minoroffices, and religiously he and wife are
members of the Presbyterian Church.

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(!)

nson M. Hubbard, one of the old settlers
of Moline, was born in Bergen, Genesee
Co., N. Y., Oct. 10, 18 1 8, his parents being

J'ito Rufus and Laura (Squires) Hubbard. Mr.
j|£ Hubbard, our subject, attended school in his
I native town, also assisting in the labors of the
farm, until he attained the age of 18 years, when lie
came to Adams County, III, with his father, where
he remained one year, after which their family came
to Geneseo, Henry Co., 111., where they settled in
1837. There he alter. lately farmed, studied and
taught music until 1844, when he (having been mar-
ried in 1843) with his family moved to Moline, this
county. He taught the first singing-schools in the
county, at Rock Island and Moline, and in the fall
of 1844 organized and led the first brass band in the
county, also at Moline, consisting of the following
named persons, to-wit : Anson M. Hubbard, Jona-
hs, than Huntoon, Joseph Huntoon, Wm. H. Edwards,

— %H>W

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Thomas Merryman, Joseph Merryman, Thos. Davis,
Henry Keyes and Newman Benedict. The first four
named are still residents of Soline. This band was
playing at a celebration in Rock Island July 4, 1845,
at the time Col. Davenport was murdered on the isl-
and, and afterwards assisted in the search for the
murderers, in connection with the band was a club
of singers, and they furnished music and singing for
conventions, festivals, celebrations, etc., for nearly all
the towns in the vicinity.

Mr. Hubbard also organized the first choir in the
Congregational Church at Moline, and led it for ten
years with most admirable success, and then return-
ed to Geneseo and engaged in farming there until
1S62, when he went back tc Moline. where he has
ever since resided. In 1862 he became landlord of
the " Moline House," and kept it for three and a half
years, and afterward the old " Central House " about
the same length of time, or until 1869, meanwhile
leading the Congregational choir until 1876, when he
resigned. During his first residence in Moline he
held the office of Constable for several years and was
Trustee of the First Congregational Church for four
years. After his return to Moline in 1S62, he held
the office of Police Magistrate for seven years, being
the successor of E. S. Waterman, Esq., in that of-
fice, and was Clerk of the Congregational Church
for 14 years, from 1865 to 1879. For years he has
dealt in music and musical merchandise, and is a
genuine and enthusiastic expert in that business.
When he first came here Moline contained only
about 200 peopie, and he has lived to see it a mar-
vel of progress and industry.

He was united in marriage March 31, 1843, at
Ellisville, Fulton Co., 111., with Marietta M. Moore,
who was born Jan. 7, 1825, in Auburn, N. Y., and
they have had four children, namely : Charles E ,
born Jan. 19, 1844, and died June 22, 1878; Geor-
giana M., born Oct. 29, 1846; William H., Feb. 7,
1848 ; and Horace S., Jan. 30, 1850.

Rufus Hubbard, the father of Anson M., our sub-
ject, was born in Glastonbury, Conn., June 19, 1789,
and was by trade a tanner and currier. That busi- '
ness, together with farming, he carried on there for
26 years. He resided in Rome, Oneida Co., N. Y.,
for two \ ears, then for a time at Bergen, Genesee
Co., same State. Next he removed to Adams Co.,
Ill, in 1866, and next to Henry County, this State,
in 1837, where he followed farming, and finally came

■err

194

^OCI ISLAND COUNTY.

to Moline, this county, in 1845, where he worked at
shoemaking and subsequently several years in the
tub and pail factory of Dimock & Gould. He was
a Deacon in the Congregational Church several
years, participated in the War of 1812, and while at
Bergen was Justice of the Peace and Supervisor for
many years. He died in Moline in 1880, at 91
years of age.

>elville C. Crandell, Postmaster, and also
engaged in the drug business, at Rey-
nolds, was born in Switzerland Co., Ind.,
Nov. 16. 1842. His father, O. B. Crandell,
was a native of Xew York, a farmer by voca-
tion, and was united in marriage to Elizabeth
J. Kerr, in Indiana. She was the daughter of an
Indiana farmer, and was born in Switzerland County,
that State.

Melville C. Crandell, whose name heads this
sketch, was next to the youngest in order of birth of
seven children. He resided at home, attending the
common school and assisting in the labors of the
farm until he attained his iSth year. In 1862 he
responded to the second call for soldiers to de-
fend the nation's honor, enlisting August 22d of
that year in Co. C, 67th Ind. Vol. Inf., under Capt.
Day, and his regiment was assigned to the 13th
Army Corps — the Army of the Mississippi. He
participated in 13 of the hardest-fought battles of
the war, of which the following are the most promi-
nent : Mumfordville, Ky., Chickasaw Mountain,
Ark., Arkansas Post, Champion Hill, siege of Vicks-
burg, sieges of Forts Morgan and Gaines, and the
battle of Blakely, Miss., and many other skirmishes.
He was imprisoned twice while in the army, the first
time at Mumfordville, Ky., Aug. 16, 1862, but was
afterward paroled. His second imprisonment was
at Grand Coteau, La., Nov. 3, 1863. He was kept
for three weeks at Alexandria, Ala., and after an at-
tempt to escape was re-taken and placed in jail,
though in more favorable quarters than he had pre-
viously occupied. He was honorably discharged at
Galveston, Tex., July 19, r865.

On receiving his discharge he went to Madison.

1 — -^mm

Ind., whence he came to Milan, this county, where
he opened a restaurant and conducted the same for
a year. He then went to Nebraska, and was there
engaged in farming for five years, after which he re-
turned to this State, and clerked in a mercantile
establishment in Mercer County. In January, 1878,
Mr. Crandell came to Reynolds, this county, opened
a restaurant, and continued in the business for three
years, meeting with financial success. Closing out
his restaurant, he purchased a store building and
lot and engaged in the drug trade, including notions,
etc., which business he is at present conducting.
He was appointed Postmaster at Reynolds in 1883.
and holds that position at the present time.

Mr. Crandell was united in marriage, while resid-
ing in Nebraska, Feb. 14, 187 1. with Miss. Margaret
Cathcart, wiio was born in Pennsylvania, Oct. 28,
1850, and came West with her parents when young,
they settling in Rock Island, where she resided, re-
ceiving the advantages of a common-school educa-
tion until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Crandell are
the parents of three children — Walter K., born Feb.
14, 1S73; Vina M., born Sept. 7, 1S77 ; and Elisha
M., born Dec. 25, 1878.

Politically, Mr. Crandell votes with the Repub-
licans.

— .:e-— »— ■$-

illiam S. Bailey, a farmer on section 2,
Rural Township, is a son of Robert and
Jane (Campbell) Bailey, who were natives
of the north of Ireland, near Belfast. He is
the seventh generation in the line of descent
from the Duke of Argyle, and his mother, now
living at the age of 78, is the last of the sixth gener-
ation. In his father's family there were seven chil-
dren, four of whom lived to become of adult age
namely : William S., James, John C. and Anna.

The subject of this sketch was born in County A
Down, Ireland, Nov. 5, 1826. He lived in Ireland
until the age of 2 r years, and in 184S he came to •
America and settled in Rock Island, making the ^
journey in two months, coming through from Chi-
cago in a spring wagon. From that time to the

present time he has been a resident of this county. ~v

He is now the proprietor of 400 acres of land in Ru-

176

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RESIDENCE ON 17™ ST. R . K

RESIDENCE AND OTHER PRO PERT Y 0!' HON

177

BLACK HAWKS WATCH TOWER. LOOKING EAST UP ROCK RIVER V ALLEY

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RES .OF THE LATE COL. GEORGE DAVENPORT ON THE ISLAND Of ROCK ISLAND.

ILEY DAVENPORT, ROCK ISLAND, ILLS.

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

^%§\4

i 99

ral Township .and about 320 acres of his ground is
in a well cultivated condition.

He was married in Rural Township, March 25,
1858, to Miss Ann Bailey, daughter of Hugh and
Mary (Aiken) Bailey, natives of Belfast, Ireland.
Nine children were born of the union, six of whom
survive, viz. : Mary J., Lizzie, Anna M., Robert J.,
Alice and Isaac J. William and two others died in
infancy, the former at the age of seven years.

Mr. Bailey has been Warden of the County Farm,
located in Rural Township, 19 years and 7 months.
He has also held the offices of Constable and Notary
Public four years, Township Clerk, etc. He and his
wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church,
and in political matters he sympathizes with the Re-
publicans.

fTJ K- ames W. Berry, painter, Moline, was born
in London, England, Feb. 6, 181 1, and is
a son of John and Elizabeth (Davis) Berry,
also natives of London, England. As soon as
he was old enough, James was placed at school
in London, and kept there until he was 14
years of age, about which time he entered the Gov-
ernment Custom-House, where he clerked for one
year, at the end of which time he went out on a voy-
age as cabin boy on a Government vessel, which was
transporting troops to Malta and Gibraltar. He
spent some time with his ship about the Mediter-
ranean, and upon his return he shipped as seaman
for a three-years cruise on a whaler, searching for
sperm whales.

During that time he suffered all the dangers, pri-
vations and hardships of those who " go down to the
sea in ships," narrowly escaping shipwreck, and loss
of life and ship by fire, and on one occasion he came
near being captured or killed by savages. His ship
was lying near the Navigator Islands and the chief
and some 30 of the natives came on board. The
party was accompanied by a young Englishman, who
had when a boy, sometime before, ran away from a
whaler and remained on the islands, where he had
so conducted himself as to become next to the chief
in authority. It happened that sperm whale ap-
peared some distance from the ship, and the boats

were ordered out and manned for their capture, leav-
ing only one of the boat's crew on the ship with the
captain, Mr. Berry being one of those on board. The
chief suggested to his followers that as the seamen
had nearly all left the ship, it could easily be cap-
tured, and that they had better do it. The idea was
communicated to the Englishman for His opinion,
who suggested that they better make a sure thing of
it by sending one of their canoes back to the island
for a large crew of natives on one of their doublr « at
canoes, and to have them cover their arms and mu-
nitions with fruit, so that if they should deride it
would not be safe to attempt the attack they could
claim they had only come out to barter fruit. The
young Englishman's idea was adopted, and while
orders were being sent for the war canoe he, not
caring to see his countrymen butchered, sought the
captain of the whaler and unfolded the plan to him,
whereupon he instantly signaled to his boat's crews
to cut away from the whaler and return with all
speed to the ship, which they instantly did, and
reached the vessel and got aboard when the native
war canoe was within 80 yards of the ship. A breeze
had sprung up meanwhile, and the whaler ran 30
miles offshore, and then compelled the chief and all
the natives with him to jump into the sea. The
young Englishman returned to England in the ship.
The people of those islands can swim all day.

After whaling for three years, Mr. Berry went to
Australia in a merchant ship, which carried out 30
families of old soldiers who had been given farms
there by the Government. On the return voyage the
ship encountered a terrible storm while rounding
Cape Horn, and he was washed out of the rigging
when going up to reef the main topsail, and would
have perished in the sea had he not been caught and
held by the main storm topsails. When he reached
England he concluded to emigrate to America ; and
he accordingly landed in this country in rS_;4. Lo-
cating at Albany, N. Y., he went to carriage-painting
for a brother-in-law for one year and then went to
Buffalo and worked a month for Mr. Mayburn, who
may be said to have built Buffalo; thence he pro-
ceeded to Toledo, Ohio, where he painted for four
years; and next went to Tecumseh, Mich., and
Waukegan, 111., and then settled in Racine, Wis.,
where he lived and labored from 1S4S to 1872, dur-
ing a part of which time he carried on general paint-
ing, with the exception of 12 years of the time that

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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he was foreman in the immense and extensive works
of |. I. Case. In 1872 Mr. Berry came to Moline
and began painting wagons for the Moline Wagon
Company, under his son, E. H. Berry, who has had
the contract for several years, and where he still re-
mains. He has been a full partner ten years. He
possesses great natural talent for paintings, especi-
ally of animals, and had he turned his attention to
the study of painting instead of deciding to be a
sailor he would have gained sure renown as a
painter.

May 16, 1839, Mr. Berry formed a matrimonial
alliance with Miss Susanna Spicer, and their chil-
dren are: Welthy, who was born Sept. 26, 1841,
and is the wife of Geo. A. Ludington ; their marriage
occurred May 25, 1S5S; Mary Jane, born March 25,
1845, was united in marriage to Penrose Packerd,
Nov. 12, 1867. Mr. Packerd is a prominent man in
Racine, Wis., and was Mayor of the city twice; Ed-
win H. was born Dec. 11, 1S47, and April 25, 1S70,
was united in marriage with Roxey Lefler, who died
in October, rS7o. Jan. 9, 1878, he formed a second
marriage with Ida Hartwell ; William, born Aug. 27,
1851, has become the husband of Lizzie Kelso, the
event occurring Oct. 24, 1872; James, born June 9,
1853, and Jan. r3, 1876, chose for his better half
Miss Esther Gannon; John, born Sept. 13, 1856;
Clara E., born Dec. 26, 1859, and formed a matri-
monial alliance Feb. iS, 1S7 7 , with George Lee; and
Frank, born June 30, 1863, was married Aug. 3T,
1S81, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary God-
frey.

Mr. and Mrs. Berry are members of the First
Baptist Church, having joined at Racine, Wis., 16
years ago. Mr. B. is a Freemason, and in politics
affiliates with the Republican party.

. —sai-

mil Heimbeck, druggist at Moline, was
. born in Davenport, Iowa, May 7, 1858,
and is the son of Fritz and Minna
. Heimbeck. His father is a native of Prussia,
and his mother of Alsace. They came to
America about 1852. Mr. Heimbeck was
educated at the Griswold College and Bryant and

Stratton's Commercial College at Davenport. He
learned the drug business in Rock Island, having
spent five years with Mr. C. Speidel, druggist of that
city, and two years with Mr. Koehler of the same
town. He began business for himself Jan. r, 188 1,
at Moline, and has carried it on successfully ever
since. His long experience has fully qualified him
to prepare prescriptions with great reliability and
care. He has a fair-sized stock of pure drugs, med-
icines, paints, oils, etc., and his place of business is
at the corner of Sixth Street and Fourth Avenue.

He was married, in Moline, Nov. 22. 1882, to Miss
Catharine Klattenhoff, daughter of T. H. and Mar-
garet (Nutzhom) Klattenhoff. Mrs. Heimbeck was
born in Rock Island County, 111., May 24, 1862.
The issue of their union is one son, Carl, born Aug.
15. 1SS4.

Mr. Heimbeck is independent in political action,
taking his choice among the candidates of all the
parties.

ohn Kennedy, fanner and blacksmith, re-
siding on section 36, Drury Township, was
■"** born in Aimstrong County, Pa., Jan. 29,
V 1825. His parents were Jacob and Sarah
jL (Smith) Kennedy, and were natives of Penn-
| sylvania. His father followed the vocation of
a blacksmith, and Mr. Kennedy of this sketch learned
the trade under his instructions, remaining under the
parental roof-tree until he attained the age of 21
years. On becoming his own master he set out to
fight the battles of life single-handed and alone. Re-
alizing that the West, with its broad and unculti-
vated prairies, offered better inducements for the ac-
cumulation of a competency, he determined to cast
his lot with the early pioneers of Rock Island County.
He consequently came here and settled himself at
Illinois City, where for two years he followed his
trade. In 18=57 he located in Drury Township, where
he rented land, which he cultivated until 1859. Dur-
ing that year he purchased land, and by economy and
energetic labor he has added to his original purchase
until at the present he is the proprietor of 335 acres,
all the accumulation of his own indomitable energy,
pluck and perseverance. On his farm he has a good
residence, with substantial outbuildings, and his

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

acreage is under an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Kennedy formed a matrimonial alliance in
Armstrong County, Pa., May 18, 184S, with Miss
Mary A. Mechlin. She was born in the county in
which she was married, Aug. 16, 1832. They are
the parents of seven living children : Rose A., James
F., Luther M., Margaret, William, RossM. and Les-
lie. They have also buried six children : Mary E.,
Jacob M., Sarah M., John N., Nora B. and one who
died in infancy.

Mr. Kennedy has held the office of Highway Com-
missioner two terms and also Overseer of Highways.
In 1876 he was appointed Postmaster at Ferdinand.
Politically, he is a believer in and supporter of the
principles advocated by the Republican party.

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eorge D. Gould, Sr., Moline, was born
in Hancver, Grafton Co., N. H., March

*cPfi K 2 ^' '^35' an d ' s tne son °f Amos and
iV\ Nancy (Bartlett) Gould. He received an ac-
ademic education and engaged in mercantile
business at Piermont, N. H. He was subse-
quently engaged in the same business at Bradford,
Vt., and came from the last named place to Moline
in 1855. On coming to this city he was first em-
ployed as merchant's clerk and subsequently as
book-keeper. He was also Deputy Postmaster from
1856 to 1859, and then spent a year in travel on the
Pacific coast.

In i860 Mr. Gould returned to Moline and en-
gaged in mercantile business until 1865, when he
was appointed Postmaster at Moline by Abraham
Lincoln. The signing of his commission was one of
the latest of Mr. Lincoln's official acts, as he was as-
sassinated on the following day. He served as
Postmaster two years, and was removed by Presi-
dent Johnson. In 1867 he began traveling as an
adjusting agent, and for 18 years has been continu-
ously on the road in that business. He adjusted the
first loss in the great Chicago fire of October, 1871,
for the New York Underwriters' Agency.

In the fall of 1872 he was elected Clerk of the
Circuit Court and served from January, 1873, to
January, 1877, and under the amended constitution

he was the first salaried officer. Mr. Gould was ad-
juster for the New York Underwriters 17 years.
Since January, 1S84, he his been doing an independ-
ent adjusting business. Mr. Gould has the reputa-
tion of being one of the best informed men in
the State on the subject of laws and rulings
relating to insurance. He is constantly being
retained in disputed and complicated cases. The
subject of insurance with him has been a life study,
and he is widely and favorably known as a man of
ripe experience and sound judgment.

Mr. Gould was united in marriage in Henry
County January 27, 1861, to Miss Emma F. Seeley,
daughter of Orin Seeley, of Niagara County, N. Y.
The issue of their union was five children, three of
whom survived, namely : George D., born April 2,
1883; Clyde A., bom Aug. 2, 1865, died aged 17
years; May, born Nov. 2, 1869, died aged 13 years;
Ruth, born May 7, 1877 ; John, Feb. 5, 1S79. Mrs.
Gould is a member of the Baptist Church, but Mr-
Gould is not a professor of religion. He is a Re-
publican and has been since the organization of that
party in 1856. Mr. G. is prominent in the various
branches of Masonry and has been elevated to the
32d degree. He is connected with Doric Lodge,
No. 319, Moline; Barrett Chapter, No. 20, Rock
Island; Evert 's Commandery, No. 18, Rock Island;
and Oriental Consistory, Chicago.

^■HHNI 3 -*"

g|j B. Denlinger, senior member of the firm
of Denlinger & Casteel, at Port Byron,
- '" was born in that place Feb. 3, 1856. He
5 \ is the only son of M. S. Denlinger. His
■'1" father was born in Frankstown, Blair Co., Pa.,
Nov. 25, 1830. In 1S50 he left his native
State for Illinois,, and located at Albany, Whiteside
Co. He obtained a position there as a clerk, and
later embarked in mercantile business with Henry
Pease, of that place. He was married Dec. 27,
1853, to Emily Durfee. In the summer of 1854 he
was obliged to retire from business on account of
failing health, and he removed to Port Byron and
took charge of the hotel property known as the Port
Byron House. He formed a partnership with Judge

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202

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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Holmes, and their relationship continued until the
death of the father, which took place November 20th
of the same year.

The son was five years of age when he entered
the family of Judge Holmes, his grandfather, and he
was reared in the home of his grandparents. In
1847 he commenced his business career as a grocery
and provision merchant, in which he was occupied
four years. In 1879 he began to travel as a com-
mercial salesman in the wholesale notion trade, and
transacted business in that capacity until 1S84.
Within that year the present business of Denlinger
& Casteel was organized. The firm have built up a
prosperous trade and exhibit a valuable assortment
of goods.

I Charles S. Hepburn, foreman of Deere &
$'/ Co.'s paint shops, Moline, 111., is a son of

George F. and Anne (Berry) Hepburn,
{ 9 and was born in London, England, Dec. 26
yf 1849. His father was of Scotch and his
1 mother of English descent. Charles, the
subject of this writing, was married at Moline, III.,
Dec. 25, 1874, to Mary Ella Mitchell, born in Adams
County, Feb. 19, 1855, and they have four children,
viz. : Grace E., born in Moline Dec. 30, 1S75 ; Leon-
ard P., born in Moline Aug. 27, 1S78; Daisy M.,
born in Moline July 2, 1S81 ; Zeta, born in Moline
Jan. 23, 1S84.

Mr. Hepburn attended school to some extent in
London in the acquisition of an education, and
worked in a woolen warehouse there for one year.
In June, 1S65, he came to New York, and from there
went at once to Racine, Wis., and engaged in the
shops of Miner & Co., at which place he wished to
learn the trade of making sash, doors and blinds.
Remaining there for two and one-half years, he
turned his attention to painting, and at length se-
cured a position in the paint shop of Mitchell, Lewis
& Co., wagon manufacturers, for some one and a
half years. In 1870 he came to Moline and obtained
employment in the paint shop of the Moline Wagon
Company, where he remained for about three years.
Being fortunate in obtaining the entire charge of the
paint department of the Union Manufacturing Com-

pany, of Rock Falls, 111. (farm wagons), he accepted
the position, which he filled for two and one-half
years. He again returned to Moline and worked in
the paint shop of Deere & Co., thence to Racine
again, and engaged for four months for Fish Bros.'
Wagon Company; then returned to Moline and en-
gaged as painter for the Moline Pump Company for
about a year and a half, after which he worked again
for the Union Manufacturing Company, at Rock
Falls, for a short time. He then returned to the
Moline Wagon Company and worked at his trade
there for about two years, when he accepted the re-
sponsible position of foreman of the paint shop of
Deere & Co.'s Plow Works.

Mr. Hepburn has been Secretary of his Lodge of
I. O. O. F., and is a " Modern Woodman." Has
been President of the Deere Band, has also been
quite prominent locally as a Greenbacker, being Sec-
retary of their various meetings, working on commit-
tees and their candidate for Alderman from the
Second Ward.

He was elected a Director of the Moline Co-
operative Association in January, 1884, and elected
Secretary of the Board of Directors the same month,
which position he now holds.

-IpSfp/ndrew Kittelsen, one of the early settlers

i;p(! of Rock Island County (1848), is a native

|I|j5>s5-bS of Norway, and was born at Skjan, Dec. 8,

^'wk 1817. He emigrated to America in 1843, and

located at Milwaukee, Wis., where he worked

at farming two years, then going to Galena,
111., where he spent the succeeding three years, and
in October, 1848, came to Moline, which he has
made his home ever since.

Mr. Kittelsen was united in marriage in Moline,
in 1853, to Miss Frederika Johnson. She was born
at Ulrisham, Westerjutland, Sweden, Oct. 27, 1825,
and came to America in July, 1852, coming direct to
Moline. They are the parents of two children
(sons) : Edward, born July 19, 1S54, married Miss
Rillia Stewart, and is the present City Marshal of
Moline. The younger son, John A., was born March
7, 1 860, and is book-keeper for the Moline Stove
Company.

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

205

=|f^j&oii. John Deere, one of the pioneer settlers
Js' of Moline, 111., ex-king plow-manufacturer
OTpr** of the world, and third son of Wm. Rinold
and Sarah (Yates) Deere, was born at Rutland,
Vt., Feb. 7, 1804. His father was a native of
England and his mother of Connecticut. His
grandfather Yates came to this country as a Captain
in the British Army during the Revolutionary War,
and served his king right royally until the independ-
ence of the colonies was no longer a question, when
he forswore allegiance to all foreign powers, par-
ticularly to that of King George, and lived thereafter
in strict loyalty to the stars and stripes. In 1805
the father of the subject of this sketch removed to
Middlebury, Vt., and there carried on merchant
tailoring for about seven years. He died in 181 2,
at the age of 55 years, while in England for the pur-
pose of purchasing goods. His widow conducted
the business left by her husband until her death,
which occurred in 1826, at the age of about 46
years.

John Deere attended the common schools of Ver-
mont while a boy, and acquired a good ordinary ed-
ucation. Without the knowledge of his mother, he
worked for a tanner at grinding bark, and earned a
pair of shoes and a suit of clothes before he was 16
years of age. When 17 years of age, he apprenticed
himself to Capt. Benj. Lawrence, of Middlebury, to
learn the blacksmith's trade, which he fully mastered
in four years, receiving in the meantime for his ser-
vices, each year respectively, the sum of $30, $35,
$40 and $45. After a year or two at "jour." work,
he removed to Burlington, Vt., where he hammered
out by hand the iron work for a saw and oil mill,
erected at the neighboring town of Colchester, and
acquired thereby quite a local reputation as a me-
chanic and iron-worker. After carrying on his trade
for several years at various places in his native
State. His shops and other property had been twice
burned in quick succession. He was a married
man, with a small family to support, and profits
were small; so he accumulated slowly; but by
perseverance and economy, the year 1837 found
him ready and determined to try his fortune in the

great West. Via canal and the lakes, he landed at
the sickly little village of Chicago, a place opulent in
chills and fever but frugal indeed in essential re-
source, — at least, so it appeared to Mr. Deere, and
he at once transferred all his effects to wagons,
nor lingered he until he planted himself at the vil-
lage of Grand de Tour, Ogle Co., 111., An inven-
tory of his material wealth at that that time showed
him the possessor of $7 3. 7 3 in cash, a good set of
blacksmith's tools and a limited complement of
household goods; but he had the muscles of a
giant, brains enough to successfully command an
army, and a heart that never shrank within him.

A good mechanic is always an important acces-
sion to a new country, and his arrival was particu-
larly opportune for this little settlement, and his
mechanical ability was immediately brought into
requisition to put into repair a saw-mill which was
standing idle from the breaking of a pitman shaft.
There was no forge in readiness, but he at once set
to work, and with stone from a neighboring hill con-
structed a rude forge and chimney, by digging a hole
in clay soil and making the mortar of the clay; and
within two days after his arrival the mill was run-
ning, thus saving to the owners and customers many
days that otherwise would have been occupied in
procuring the work from far distant shops.

Mr. Deere was an excellent mechanic, and the
few people residing in his vicinity at that time soon
found it out; and they piled upon the floor of his
shop their broken trace chains and clevises, their
worn-out " bull tongues " and worse worn shares ;
and while the young blacksmith hammered out lap
rings for their chains, welded their clevises, " drew
out " their "bull tongues " and " laid " their " shares, 1 '
his mind dwelt upon the improvement of the plow,
the implement of the greatest importance to the pio-
neer. Mr. Deere soon added the building of plows
to his general work. He soon began to see, how-
ever, that the iron plow with wooden mold-board
could not be made to do good service in the prairie
soil. They entered the ground with difficulty, clog-
ged up and failed to scour. Then began the series of
experiments and improvements, which, not successful
at first, to be sure, yet finally resulted in the present
perfect steel plow; and John Deere has lived to
know that his name is familiarly spoken in every
civilized tongue on the globe.

With characteristic energy and will, the battle was

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206

ACCA' ISLAND COUNTY.

pushed until success came. There was a demand
for a good plow, and the good plow must be made.
The first one that did satisfactory work was made in
this way: Wrought-iron land-side and standard,
steel share and mold-board cut from a saw-mill saw,
and bent over a log shaped for the purpose, and
beam and handles of white oak rails. In 1838 two
of these plows were made, with which the farmers
were well pleased, doing unusually good work for
those days. And after these first plows he had a
great deal of trouble experimenting, in getting a
plow to scour satisfactorily in ground that had been
plowed four or five times, especially on the bottom,
black, sticky soil. He went to different farms to try
his plows, in Ogle, Lee, Whiteside and other coun-
ties where farmers had never been able to make
plows scour.

During this year Mr. Deere built a dwelling-house
iS x 24 feet, and brought his wife and five children
from the East. It was not then a few hours' ride in
a moving parlor, as now, but a weary journey of six
weeks by stage-coach and lumber-wagon.

Settled in his little home, often shaking with the
ague, the work was pushed, and in 1839 ten plows
were built, and the entire iron works of a new saw
and flouring mill made, with no help except that of
an inexperienced man as blower and striker. In 1840
a second anvil was placed in the shop, a workman
employed and 40 plows made.

His fame as a plow-maker was now rapidly ex-
tending, and in 1841 he built 75 steel mold-board
plows, and a brick shop, 30 X45, was erected, and
the year following 100 new plows were added. The
tide which was then set clearly in his favor, after-
waid bore him steadily on to fortune. In 1843 ne
took a Maj. Andrus into partnership, enlarging his
buildings by electing a brick shop two stories high,
added, horse-power for the grind- stone, established a
small foundry, and turned out 400 improved plows.

In 1846 the annual product had increased to
1,000, and as time advanced improvements were
made; but the difficulty of obtaining steel of proper
dimensions and quality was found to be a great ob-
stacle to the complete success of the business. Mr.
Deere accordingly wrote to Nailor & Co., importers,
ot New York, explaining the demand of the growing
agricultural States of the West for a good cast-steel
plow, and stated the size, thickness and quality of

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the steel plates he wanted. The reply was that no
such steel could be had in America, but they would
send to England and have rollers made for the pur-
pose of producing the special sizes of steel. An or-
der was sent and the steel made and shipped to
Illinois.

In this connection it may be proper to say that it
was in the shaping of the mold-board that Mr.
Deere's ingenuity more particularly manifested itself.
He was undoubtedly the first man to conceive and
put in operation the idea that the successful self-
scouring of a steel mold-board depended pre-emi-
nently upon its shape. This idea was his, and he
worked upon it until the correctness of it was fully
demonstrated.

Mr. Deere's practical foresight enabled him to see
that his location was not advantageous for a growing
business. Coal, iron and steel must be hauled by
team from La Salle, a distance of 40 miles, and his
plows taken a long distance to market in the same
slow and expensive manner. He therefore sold his
interest in the business at Grand de Tour to his
partner, Mr. Andrus, and removed to Moline, 111.,
in 1847. Here was good water-power, coal near in
abundance, and cheap river transportation. A part-
nership was formed between Mr. Deere, R. N. Tate
and John M. Gould, shops built and work com-
menced, resulting the first year in the production of
700 plows.

About this time the English steel arrived, and 50
plows were made from it and sent to different parts of
the country, where the soil was known to be most dif-
ficult of plowing. The test proved the success of the
implement and the manufacture sprang at once to
the enormous number of r,6oo plows a year, which
number were made in rSso.

In 1853, Messrs. Tate and Gould retired from the
firm, Mr. Deere buying their interest. In 1852 the
shops were enlarged, new machinery added and the
sales continued to increase. Mr. Deere continued
alone until 1S57, which year he made 10,000 plows.
In 1858 he took his son, Charles H., and Stephen
H. Velie, one of his sons-in-law, into the business
as partners, and the business was continued un-
der the name of Deere & Co. until 1S68, when it
had assumed such proportions that a company was
incorporated under the general laws of the State,
with John Deere as President, a position he has
since held; Charles H. Deere, Vice-President and

<v.

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

207

>7S

ind Stephen H. Velie, Secretary. During
all the subsequent years the business has had a
steady and marvelous growth, requiring the annual
addition of shop room, men and machinery.

The history of Deere & Co., from its earliest
inception down to July 1, 1885, the current year,
will be found in another part of this Album, and
therefore will not be noticed further in this sketch.
We can truthfully say that John Deere has been the
architect of his own fortune. His great wealth has
been acquired by his individual effort and industry.
Since Moline was a struggling and unimportant little
village, Mr. Deere has been identified with its inter-
ests. The silent and unwritten history of her streets,
her railroads and her public institutions is replete
with his spirit and untiring energy.

It is conceded that John Deere, of this sketch, is the
originator of the steel plow. When he manufactured
his first steel plows, there were not only no steel
plows in America, but no steel manufactured of
which to make them. The influence of this im-
provement in the manufacture of plows cannot be
estimated. The name of John Deere is a familiar
one throughout the West, and his plows are sent to
South America, the West Indies, New Zealand, the
Sandwich Islands, South Africa, Australia, France,
Germany, Holland, Belgium, Russia and the British
possessions in America. They have been awarded
medals at almost numberless county, State and na-
tional exhibitions in this country, and were awarded
the same way at the Paris Exposition in 1878 in a
field trial, in which over 50 plows from all nations
competed.

Mr. Deere has been twice married: In 1827, at
Granville, Vt., to Miss Damaris Lamb, who died at
Moline, Feb. 17, 1865. Of the eight children she
bore, five only survive (July, 1885): Charles H.,
Mrs. Jennette D. Chapman, Mrs. Ellen S. Webber,
Mrs. Emma C. Velie, and Mrs. Alice M. Cady. His
second marriage occurred in 1867, also at Granville,
and to a younger sister of his first wife.

Mr. Deere was elected Mayor of the city of Moline
and served two years. He was also President of
the First National Bank of Moline, and a director to
the present day. He was also a large contributor
toward the founding of the public library, and was a
director of the same for many years.

In personal appearance, Mr. Deere is large, well
proportioned and strongly built, and has been blessed

with strength capable of almost unlimited endurance.
In his better days he would stand at his anvil from
five o'clock in the morning until nine at night, build-
ing plows, shoeing horses and constructing ma-
chinery for saw-mills. His features are strong,
indicating great power and decision of character.
His face is frank and open, and his address generally
bespeaks him what he is, a man of tender social na-
ture and noble character. His feelings lie near the
surface, and he is singularly sensitive to pathos,
whether of sorrow or of joy. His sympathy and
help quickly respond to the call of trouble or of mis-
fortune, and he rejoices in the prosperity of all about
him. Absorbed in business, he has not had the de-
sire nor time for public office, which has at times
sought his services. He has, however, always been
in sympathy with public interests, and has given
liberally of his means to advance them. He has
been a Republican in politics since the organization
of that party. He is an active member of the Con-
gregational Church, and a generous contributor to
local and foreign objects of benevolence. The re-
ligious, moral and educational interests of society
have had in him a friend and patron. A generous
hospitality is shown at his comfortable home, and
few men are more entertaining in the social circle,
or have a more happy faculty of making every one
feel at ease.

Mr. Deere is still active and strong, and many
years may he live to enjoy his success and the friend-
ships he has made, and to do good, and then may he
possess the immortality in a higher than material
sense that comes to those who have done well. It
is a pleasure to the publishers of this Album to pre-
sent in its pages a portrait of a man like Mr. Deere,
and we know it will be gladly received by the
patrons of the work. The portrait of Mr. Deere
which appears in connection with this sketch, is en-
graved from a photograph taken in 1885.

^OOO^

— ~n ■*

j;isOri obert H. Munro, senior partner of Munro

alii: Bros., carriage manufacturers, was born at

Davenport, Iowa, March 16, 1857, and is

WV tlle son oi Rol;)ert anc * I sabel (Ewing) Munro.
His parents were from Scotland, his father a
native of Edinburgh, and his mother of Glas-
gow. They emigrated to America in 1850. His father

£rXHn n § n ns^ — ^^-

208

• 7*v^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY

4 ?@>>(<s)

was an early settler in Davenport, Iowa, where he has
long been engaged in carriage-manufacturing.

Robert H., subject of this biographical notice, re-
ceived a common-school education, and then found
employment with Mason & Evans, carriage-makers
of Davenport, where he commenced learning the car-
riage-making trade, and completed his apprenticeship
with a firm in Chillicothe, IU. He traveled and
worked as a journeyman in various cities, and finally
returned to Davenport, where he operated in George
A. Bain & Company's carriage shops one year. In
February, i8Sr, he formed the existing partnership
with his brother John, and established the Moline
Carriage Works.

In politics Mr. Munroe is a Republican.

— *=

\Yf$(k\ illiarn Marshall, one of the pioneers of
iatsO'fl Rock Island County, and a resident of
1 • ~| Cordova, was born in Hopewell, Hunter-
don (now Mercer) Co., N. J., Nov. 22, 1S15.
He was a son of William and Catherine
(Larison) Marshall, both of whom were natives
of the same State. His father was of German an-
cestry and his mother of English.

He grew to manhood in his native town, reared in
agricultural pursuits. In 1837 he came with a horse
team to the great Prairie State, bringing with him
provisions and cooking utensils, and camping by the
way, the journey consuming 52 days. The family
then consisted of himself, wife and eight children.
They arrived at Cordova, where there was a log
house, nearly completed, and which they occupied.
He made a claim of Government land adjoining the
town plat, and entered it when it was surveyed and
placed in market. The parents both died here.
The names of their children were — John and Jona-
than, now deceased; William, who lives in Port By-
ron ; Charles, a resident of Dallas, Tex. ; Rebecca,
who resides in Cordova ; George, who is a resident
of Fort Worth, Tex.; Elijah L., a practicing physi-
cian at Keithsburg, 111.; and Elizabeth, now de-
ceased.

The subject of this sketch made his home with his
parents until the time of his marriage, in 1S47, t0
Priscilla C. Marshall, a native of Pennsylvania. He
them located on land which he had previously en-

tered near the village, and engaged in farming pur-
suits. He has planted fruit and shade trees upon
the place, and otherwise improved it, and rendered
it a valuable farm. In i860 he built a house in
Cordova village, moved into it, and has since resided
there. He has since been interested in railroad
matters, having taken numerous contracts in this
State and Missouri. In his political views he stands
upon the Democratic platform, and he has long been
prominent in the affairs of his township and county.
He has been Justice of the Peace in Cordova for a
number of years, and also Assessor, etc. In 1852
he was elected to represent his district in the State
Legislature, receiving the unanimous vote of his own
township; and he was re-elected in 1854.

His first wife died Sept. 12, 1848, and his second
marriage occurred April 17, 1849, when he united
his fortunes with those of Rebecca Hennes, widow
of Horace Wilson, and a native of Fayette Co, Ind.
By this marriage there have been four children born
to Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, namely: Flora, now the
wife of John Willet, and living in Iowa ; Mary, now
Mrs. William Phillips, now residing in Port Byron;
Annie, who lives in Cheyenne; and Norman B., a
practicing physician in Geneseo, 111., being a grad-
uate of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia.
Mrs. M. had one child by her first marriage, named
Sophia, who is now the wife of Rodney K. McCor-
mick, and is living in Coe Township.

^ndrew Friberg, one of the founders of the
Moline Plow Company, a stockholder in
the same, and inspector of agiicultural im
plements, and general superintendent of the
shops, was born in Sweden, April 8, 1828. He
learned the blacksmith trade in his native
country, and in 1850 emigrated to the United States.
Arriving at Chicago, he spent nine months in that
city, and then, in 1851, came to Moline, this county.
He immediately began work for Deere, Tate & Gould, K
and seven months later was promoted to the position
of foreman of the blacksmith department, which he
held for 12 years. In 1864 Mr. Fnberg went to
Idaho and Montana Territories, spent about seven ^>
months in the mountains, and in the fall of the same
year returned to Moline, and in 1865 formed a part-

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Residence of HON. JOHN

SOUTHWEST PROSPECT.

DEERE , MOLI NE, ILLS

■evcamsiw^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY

2 J 3

nership with Henry VV. Candee and R. K. Swan,
under the firm name of Candee, Swan & Co., for the
manufacture of agricultural implements, Mr. Friberg
acting as mechanical manager of the works. Soon
afterwards Mr. George Stevens bought an interest in
the works and subsequently Mr. S. W. Wheelock be-
came a partner. In 1S70, the company was incor-
porated under the State laws, with a capital stock of
$400,000, under the name of the Moline Plow Com-
pany. (See history of this important manufacturing
establishment elsewhere in this work.) Mr. Friberg
was elected one of the directors of the company, and
superintendent of the shops, and served as such until
1876, when he retired on account of impaired health.
Three years later, he resumed active relations with
the company, since which lime he has been inspector
of agricultural implements and general superin-
tendent.

Mr. Friberg was united in marriage, in Rock
Island, Nov. 20, 1854, to Miss Louisa Peterson, who
was born in Sweden. She has borne her husband
eight children, five of whom are living: Albert B.,
born at Moline, Nov. 15, 1855, died Sept. 20, 1862;
Cassius D., born Aug. 19, 1858; Edward F, born
March 24, 1861, died Nov. 12, 1862; George H.,
born Oct. 25, r86 3 ; Ina J., born June 9, 1866;
Kornelia L., born July 10, 1S69; Minnie N., born
April 17, 1872, died April 7, 1875; and Oliver P,
born Aug. 9, 1876. The wife and mother died
March 5, 1883, at Moline, mourned by many rela-
tives and a host of friends.

Mr. Friberg, as is shown by the above sketch, was
one of the founders of one of the most important es-
tablishments in the Northwest, and is the only re-
maining partner of the original firm now connected
with that institution. He has, with the exception of
two or three years (during which time he was in-
capacitated by impaired health), been one of the
leading spirits of the business. His thorough me-
chanical knowledge and faithful supervision of the
work has done much to insure the perfection of the
work turned out, and to aid in bringing the quality of
the plows and other farm machinery made by this
company up to the high standard which it has at-
tained. As a business man and citizen, he is held
in high esteem by a large circle of acquaintances, his
broad and cosmopolitan views of life having led him
easily into the ways and habits of the people of the

New World, with whom he fraternizes so naturally. 'Vf
He is liberal in his religious views, while a friend to
Churches in general. He has never been ambi- jjp
tious of the honors of office, and it is said was never
known to accept any offers but that of Village Trus- ^
tee of Moline in the early days of the history of that
town. Politically, he is identified with the Republi-
can party.

"S~ 3 %"is^-S"~

I gnatz Huber, one of the representative
business men of Rock Island city, engaged
in the brewing business, came to this place
in 185 1, from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born
in Bavaria, Germany, Feb. 1, 1826, and emi-
grated to the United States in 1849. His
younger days, until the age of 18 years, were spent
in school in his native country. It was in that coun-
try also that he first learned the trade of brewer, be-
sides working on a farm. His father followed the
same vocation in life (that of a brewer), and it was
in his brewery that Mr. Huber, subject of this notice, j
first learned the secrets of that business.

Coming to the United Slates in the year named, ;
Mr. Huber, having expended what little money he *i
had, and being of that disposition which would not , }
allow him to pass his days in idleness, even had lie
the competency of a " Vanderbilt," he engaged to
work on a farm for the " magnificent " wages of 62^
cents per day for the first month. Leaving the farm,
he engaged to work in a brewery in Columbus, Ohio,
and followed that vocation for ten months; then
worked at the same business in Cincinnati one year.
At this point of Mr. Huber's history, he came to
Rock Island city, and engaged in the brewing busi-
ness for one month, when he formed a partnership
with August Lettig, which partnership existed until
April 1, 1854, when Mr. Huber purchased the inter-
est of his partner and has since continued in the
business alone, covering a period of 3T years. Since
that time he has spent over $100,000 in improvements.
He employs some 16 men and four teams on the
road. He also owns the beer-bottling establishment
on Third Avenue, and also his large brewery on Elm
Street, besides property in Milan and Moline. He
is a director in the People's Bank, and has been such
since its organization. Coming to Rock Island city

K-MSSHIB^A;©-

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214

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

when that village was in its infancy, and locating
there with a firm belief in the future development,
not only of the city, but also of the surrounding coun-
try, and remaining as he did, and meeting with the
success that he has, the latter can be but attributed
to his good judgment, energetic determination and
active co-operation of his good helpmeet.

Mr. Huber was united in marriage to Miss Cath-
erine Koehler, a native of Germany. Their children
are Amelia, Lillie and Otto, all of whom are living at
home.

Politically, Mr. Huber is a Democrat. He is one
of those men of whom it can be said he takes an
interest in any movement calculated to benefit the
city and community in which he resides, and that,
although he has met with success in his accumula-
tions, none can attribute to him any degree of selfish-
ness. He has a beautiful residence on Third Avenue
between 23d and 24th Streets, where he owns a half
block of land.

>; f^W ddison N. Philleo, deceased, formerly a
r^MM{ res 'dent of Coe Township, was born in
ii W@f Connecticut, Dec. 25, 1805. When he was
~^j!tai young his mother died, and at the tender age
!^ of 15 he struck out into the world to take care

) of himself, first peddling Yankee notions for a
time, in Connecticut, and next in selling goods by-
wholesale in Herkimer Co., N. Y. In 1836 he emi-
grated \Vest, coming by way of the Erie Canal to
Buffalo, and the lakes to Chicago. He first made a
claim on section 18, of township 21, range 2 east,
now known as Coe Township. After the land was
surveyed by the Government and placed in market,
he entered his claim. He had just erected a log
cabin in the timber, which he afterwards moved to
the prairie in the southeastern part of section 18,
and occupied it as a residence for a number of years,
when he built another near by and moved into it.
In 1850 he erected a good frame residence, and
since put up several good farm structures and other
wise improved the farm until he made it a valuable
one; it comprised 320 acres.

The death of Mr. Philleo occurred June n, 1880.
He was first married March 5, 1835, to Lovina Cum-
mings, a native of the State of New York, who died

Sept. 26, 1845, leaving four children, viz.: Russell
C, who enlisted in the late war and was killed in
the battle of Shiloh; William W., who lives in Ad-
ams Co., Neb. ; Thomas, who resides in Washington
Territory ; and Edward A., a resident of Adams Co.,
Neb. Mr. Philleo was married a second time, July
15, 1846, to Mary M. Willman, who was born in
Williamsburg, Canada, Dec. 24, 1821. By this mar-
riage there are nine children, five of whom are now
living, namely: Emily, Livonia C, Jane Kate,
Bradford N. and Eveline L.

* -^-

§]Jj|[ ev. Allen B. Hitchcock, deceased, was
■SeHf: born in Great Barrington, Mass., March
20, 1815, and was the son of Harvey and
'*v\ Caroline Hitchcock. He was one of a family
of five ministers, having had four brothers
and one brother-in-law in that holy calling.
He united with the Congregational Church when
15 years of age, was a graduate of Illinois College
and the Theological Department of Yale College,
also attended Harvard for a short time, and was or-
dained a minister of the gospel in early manhood.
He came West in 1S40 in search of a field of labor
where he might be useful, and located at Davenport,
Iowa, where he organized the Congregational Church
of that city, of which he was the Pastor until trie
autumn of 1844. In October of that year he re-
moved to Moline, and was chosen Pastor of the
Congregational Church of that place. He was the
second Pastor in succession, and continued to hold
that position for 20 years, during which time he la-
bored with great ardor to build up a Christian com-
munity at Moline. In the pulpit, Sunday-school,
lecture room, or in private discourse, his influence
was always exerted for the benefit of his fellow-man,
and his teachings were always calculated to make
people better and happier.

Mr. Hitchcock was a man of superior attainments,
gifted with a good command of language, logical in
argument, quick to sound the depth of his subject
and clear in the presentation of his views. His zeal
and earnestness sometimes led him to forget the
lapse of time, a fault his congregation was ever ready
to excuse, in view of the interesting nature of his
discourse. It is said that on one occasion his ser-

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■e-7

«&nn<>^

.fftfrrx ISLAND COUNTY.

215

mon lasted two and a half hours, during which time
he held his audience in earnest attention by his
eloquence and fervor. His great desire was to pro-
mote the welfare and happiness of his fellow crea-
tures and to cultivate peace and good will, as well
as to instruct in things spiritual. He was thorough
in his investigation of the subject under consider-
ation, then positive and independent in his conclu-
sions. He loved argument, and was always interesting
and instructive in conversation. Possessed of a fine
sense of honor, he admired honesty and truth, and
his teachings were always calculated to develop
those great principles. He was noted for his habit
of industry and desire to be always doing something
useful. But where he was known at his best, was in
his home and in the social circle. No one had more
friends among both young and old. His home was
a favorite resort, and all were glad to partake of his
genial hospitality. So thoroughly was he beloved
and respected regardless of creed or social position,
that it is said that the saloon-keepers of Moline
closed their doors and suspended business during
his funeral, out of respect to his memory. While he
had spoken fearlessly against their traffic while liv-
ing, he had done so in so fair a manner that he com-
manded their respect and esteem.

In his political views, he was a pronounced anti-
slavery man from early manhood and later an earn-
est Republican. On the breaking out of the late
war he was an enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Lincoln
and a warm friend of the soldiers. His earnest ef-
forts in the cause of the Union and his able support
of sanitary measures identified him so closely with
the soldiers that his grave is as regularly decorated
on the 30th of every May as that of any soldier.
His name is also on the soldiers' monument. His
death occurred Dec. 15, 1873.

Mr. Hitchcock was united in marriage, in New
Haven, Conn., July 4, 1840, to Miss Frances Hotch-
kiss, daughter of Elias Hotchkiss. She was born in
New Haven, Conn. The issue of their union was
five children, namely: Frances E., born in Daven-
port, May 4, 1842, now wife of Dr. R. M. Lackey,
of Oak Park, 111.; Maria \Y., born Oct. 27, 1844,
wife of John M. Holt, of Moline, 111. ; Frederick E.,
born Feb. 27, 1847, and died aged two years ; Al-
mira W., born May 7, 1850, and died aged eight
years; Elizabeth A., born May 23, 1853, now wife

of Charles B. Head, of Meriden, Iowa. Mr. Hitch-
cock's wife, an estimable lady, survived him a little
more than two years, her death occurring Feb. 23,
r8 7 6.

tb-hristopher C. Webber, deceased, was bom
■ in Genesee Co., N. Y., March 1, r8io,and

died at his home in Rock Island city,
March 5, 1865. His parents, William and
Betsey (Kemp) Webber, natives of New Eng-
land, and of Holland-Dutch extraction, re-
moved from New York State to Michigan while the
subject of this sketch was very young, and there
sp-nt the rest of their lives.

Young Mr. Webber received a common-school
education, and at the age of 17 years made his way
to Geneseo, 111., where, in company with an older
brother, he was several years engaged in the dry-
goods business. From Geneseo he came to Rock
Island in the year 1849, and here carried on a gen-
eral store for a few years. In 1850, at the head of
the firm of C. C. Webber & Co., he organized and
put into operation the " Union Foundry," in a frame
structure, and the first foundry put up in this city.
The building was destroyed by fire, probably the
same year it was started, and the company pro-
ceeded at once to erect a brick edifice, with much
larger capacity than the first. At about the same
time, foundries were planted at Davenport and Mo-
line, and while there was abundance of business for
all the concerns, a great rivalry was engendered, and
the competition was carried possibly to an unprofit-
able degree. However, the " Union Works" held
their own, and ran along with varying success until
the great financial depression of 1857. Either in
that year or soon afterwards, Mr. Webber withdrew
from the company and in 1862 became a partner
with Deere & Co., Moline, adding to that already
extensive manufactory of agricultural implements
the making of improved cultivators. The history of
the Deere & Company Plow Works will be handed
down to posterity, and will show it to be one of the
greatest enterprises of its character in the United
States; and Mr. Webber, who remained with it till
his death, will be remembered as more than an ordi-
nary factor in its greatest achievements. He began

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v£hii»>t

216

i?(9CA' ISLAND COUNTY.

life as a farmer's boy, and worked his way to success,
depending always upon his individual resources, and
proving himself capable at all times of meeting suc-
cessfully the exigencies of the occasion.

He was rather retiring in his disposition, sought no
publicity, and preferred only the excitement of active
business. At the time of his death he was repre-
senting his Ward as Alderman in the Rock Island
City Council, and this was the only public office he
had ever consented to fill.

Dec. 17, 185 1, Mr. Webber was united in marriage,
at Moline, to Ellen S., daughter of the Hon. John
Deere, and had born to him six children : Ada L.,
wife of William G. Mixter, Professor of Chemistry at
Yale College ; Grace E., wife of B. G. Keator, of Mo-
line ; Alice F., Charles C. and Mary E. ; Frank died
in infancy.

Mr. Webber was identified prominently with the
Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities, and was lib-
eral in both his political and religious views. He
left his family a handsome competency, and h s mag-
nificent mansion on the Elm Street bluffs, overlook-
ing the Mississippi River and the city of Davenport,
is yet occupied by Mrs. Webber, who in the success-
ful management and direction of the large estates
left her, shows that she inherited much of the busi-
ness sagacity of her father, and that Mr. Webber was
wise in the selection of a wife.

lbert F. Hollister, eldest son of Edmund
r and Emma L. (Hall) Hollister, is a resi-
lil 9 ^* dent of Coe Township, and was born in
Greenville, Washington Co., N. Y., Jan. 1,
1836. He was but a year old when his par-
ents emigrated with him to this county, set-
tling in what is now Rural Township. There lie
grew up to manhood, attending the common schools
and assisting his father in the mill. When in his
21st year, he went to Wabaunsee Co., Kan., where
he worked in a steam saw-mill two years ; next he
prospected and mined for eight months in Colorado;
then, returning to this county, he rented land in Coe
Township, upon which he began farming. In 1866
he purchased 80 acres of land, being the east half of
the southeast quarter of section 18, that township.
^- This place he has finely improved and furnished

with a good complement of farm buildings. His son
owns 60 acres adjoining, on section 19. Mr. Hol-
lister raises grain and also raises and ships live
stock, as cattle and hogs. He is a Republican in
his political views, and he has served as Supervisor
of his township four years and as Township Treas-
urer.

He was united in marriage, Oct. 12, i860, to
Rebecca Reed, daughter of David and Anna (Nay-
lor) Reed, both her parents being natives of Penn-
sylvania. Mr. and Mrs. H. have five children,
namely: Eva G., Emma L., Gracie A., Frederick
A. and Edmund J.

'£{ JSa^Pt- Luke E - Hemenway, one of the most

systematic and efficient Postmasters in
%'(£/* ^ the United States, was born at Shoreham,
$fo Addison Co., Vt., Aug. 7, 1816. His par-
W ents, Francis S. and Clara (Turrill) Hemen-

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way, natives of Massachusetts and of English
descent, reared to men and women three sons and
two daughters. The elder Mr. Hemenway was a
farmer by occupation. He came with such of his
family as were yet home in 1853 to Ogle Co., 111.,
where he spent the remainder of his years, — dying
in 1856, at the age of 78 years.

The subject of our sketch spent the earlier years
of his youth in his native town, and there, at the
common schools, acquired a fair English education.
Prior to leaving Vermont, which occurred in the fall
of 1 838, he spent several years clerking in various
mercantile establishments in the small Green Moun-
tain towns. From Bethel, Vt., he shipped direct to
Grand de Tour, Ogle Co., 111., in the year above
stated, and in partnership with his brother-in-law,
Solon Cumins, engaged at once in mercantile busi-
ness. He remained at Grand de Tour and vicinity
17 years, the last four of which were devoted to
farming, an occupation resorted to for the purpose
of recuperating his health, which by the many years
of in-door life had been sadly impaired. In 1855 he
removed to Moline and was employed by Mr. John
Deere as book-keeper for about four years. The
succeeding five years, in partnership with H. A.
Barnard, he tried his hand at the manufacture of
chairs, furniture, etc., and then after an army expe-

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|SI/^£$tfk-

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

I!
est

rience, he returned to book-keeping, a position he
held with the Moline Plow Company for about eight
years.

It was in May, 1864, he entered the army, and at
the organization of the i32d 111. Vol. Inf., was
elected Captain of Co. H, a rank he held to the ex-
piration of his term of service. Capt. Hemenway
was appointed Postmaster of Moline by President
Hayes in 1877, and re-appointed by President Ar-
thur in 1 881 . He has served the city of Moline as
Alderman, Clerk and Trustee; was one of the char-
ter members, and is Past Master of Doric Lodge, F.
& A. M., and is a prominent member of the G. A. R.

Mrs. Hemenway, nee Miss Jane E. Marsh, to
whom Mr. H. was united in marriage at Grand de
Tour in June, 1842, died Dec. 26, 1883. Of the
four children born to them, three are living: Fred
C. Hemenway is manager of J. M. Christy's Cracker
Manufactory at Rock Island; Charles F. is cashier
of the Moline National Bank; and Ellen M. is the
wife of J. M. Christy.

artin Schoonmaker, dealer in grain at
Reynolds, this county, is a native of
Green County, in the State of New York,
where he was horn Oct. 21, 1835. His
"X father, Christian Schoonmaker, was a farmer by
occupation, and a native of the same State, of
German descent. He was reared in Green County,
and married Silvia Maraquot, a native of the same
county, of New England parentage and of German
descent. During his life he became a prominent
man, and he died in the same county in the year
1877, over 60 years of age. The widow is yet living
with her younger son, Walter, in that county, now
being about 70 years of age.

The subject of this sketch was a member of the
parental household until he was about 20 years of
age, being brought up in the noble and independent
vocation of agriculture, and educated in the public
schools At the age of 2T he emigrated West, set-
tling in this county, in Edgington Township, where
he continued in his calling In 1870 he engaged in
the sale of agricultural implements at Edgington,
and afterward at Milan, being at the latter place in
partnership with G. M. Dixson two years. Return-

ing to the village of Edgington, he established a gen-
eral store, where he successfully followed mercantile
business for six years, and also dealt in live stock.
At the end of the six years mentioned he sold his
store, and has since been employed exclusively in
the grain business at Reynolds. He is also agent
for the Hartford, Phcenix, Queen, of Liverpool, and
German, of Freeport, Insurance Companies. Since
1 88 1 he has also held the office of Notary Public.
He has also been Justice of the Peace and Township
Supervisor, and is now a School Director. Adjoin-
ing the village he owns r 6 acres of land, on which
he has a beautiful two-story residence. He owns the
elevator at the depot, and also a small grist-mill,
which is excellent for small grists and plain work.
He is also the proprietor of a plat 150 x 170 feet in
dimensions near the depot.

Mr. S. was first married, in Edgington Township,
to. Elizabeth Boltinghouse, who was born and
brought up in this State, and died in July, 1870.
His second marriage occurred in Bowling Township,
this county, when the bride was Miss Jennie Smith.
She was born in the State of New York, in January,
185 1 ; was but a small child when her parents emi-
grated West with her to this county, settling upon a
farm. Mr. and Mrs. Schoonmaker have had four
children, two of whom are deceased, viz: an infant
and Walter, who died at the age of rg months. The
two living are : Elizabeth, who was born April 21',
1878, and Lura, Jan. 8, 1883.

Mr. S. is a stanch and reliable Democrat, and his
wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

r:p3I;,on. Stillman W. Wheelock, President of
7 : |l?l': the .Moline Plow Company, of the Moline
' .'.'. ''>*"* Paper Mill Company, and of the Moline
A National Bank. (See history of Moline indus-
j tries, in this volume.) The Wheelocks were
1 among the earliest settlers, dating their ancestry
in this country back to the landing of the Pilgrim
Fathers. Their history, first to last, were it possible
to chronicle it within any allotted space, would be,
in a large number of individual instances, an un-
broken recital of simple life, exemplary morals, in-
dustry, energy, and good citizenship.

Chapin and Miss Luc) Wheelock) both having
the same inherited name) were married at their 11a-

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tive town, Worcester, Mass., in 1808, and of their six
sons, brought up to manhood, the one whose name
heads this article was third in order of birth. His
parents moved from Massachusetts to Erie Co., N.
Y., in 1812, and there, on June 18, 1816, Stillman W.
Wheelock was born. The elder Mr. Wheelock was
a farmer, and brought his sons up to know some-
thing of that industry, though it does not appear any
one of them ever followed it for any length of time,
except one brother, Hon. D. L. Wheelock, who moved
to Moline from his farm in Cook Co., 111., in 1865,
which he sold. After remaining in the city ten years
he was elected at first Mayor, and re-elected two
terms. On his removal from this place he settled in
Washington Co., Iowa, where he now owns a large
farm. Chapin Wheelock, Sr., died Jan. 10, 1835, at
the old home in Massachusetts, to which place he
had temporarily returned.

In September of the same year S. W. left his home
at Holland, N. Y., and spent two years in Massa-
chusetts, making his home with his grandparents,
but working out in Worcester and Brookfield, at a
low rate of wages. In the fall of 1837 he took his
accumulated earnings (some $250), returned to the
family home in New York, and spent the amount in
schooling, at the Aurora Academy. The following
winter he taught a public school in his native village,
at $15 per month and board (" boarding round " was
then the custom in that section), and in the spring
of 1839, with just $60 in his pocket, he left Buffalo,
on the old steamer " Anthony Wayne," landing at
Chicago May 10, 1839. At that time there was no
railroad into Chicago. The city had but one brick
building, — -the old " Lake House," on the North
Side. The streets were a sea of mud, and the side-
walks were few and exceedingly rickety and irreg-
ular. Mr. Wheelock took out of his trunk sufficient
clothing for immediate use, tied it in a yellow ban-
dana, slung the bundle over his shoulder on the end
of a hickory stick, and took foot passage to Naper-
ville, 15 miles distant, where he spent the first night.
Next day he walked to St. Charles, then a promising
Western town on Fox River. Determined to take
employment at something which would make him a
living, without caring much what the work might
be, he took a job in a hard-wood saw-mill at $1 per
day, of 12 hours each. The board he received was
mostly mush and milk, fat pork and corn bread.

Here he worked one year, in company with S. B.

Flint (now dead), whose sister Mr. Wheelock after-
ward married. The Flint family had come to St.
Charles a year before. In 1840 the two men named,
under the firm name of Flint & Wheelock, rented the
saw-mill, and ran it on their own account. It had
two upright saws and one lath saw. The business
partnership naturally developed an intimacy which
resulted in the marriage of S. W. Wheelock and
Lydia Flint, at St. Charles, in March, 1842.

Abandoning the saw-mill, Mr. Wheelock went into
the hotel business, in the same town, which he con-
tinued for two years. He then exchanged the hotel
for a farm, lying some seven miles from St. Charles,
and in the meantime built a brick dwelling in town,
which he occupied for several years, giving his atten-
tion to his farm.

During the period covered by these memoranda,
O. M. Butler and B. T. Hunt built a paper-mill at
St. Charles, of which C. N. Smedley, of Vermont,
was superintendent. Convinced that paper-making
would be a thrifty business in the West, and learn-
ing that there was a splendid water-power at Moline,
Mr. Wheelock and Mr. Smedley, having but small
capital between them, came down to Moline in the
spring of 1851, and bought out the old foundry of
N. B. Buford, for $5,000. It stood on the site of the
present Moline Paper Mill. The purchase, outside
of the real estate, was a shaky frame building, about
40 x 60 feet. Smedley at once went to Brattleboro,
Vt., and made a contract for machinery for the new
mill. Mr. Butler, of St. Charles, evidently fearing
that this mill might interfere with his business,
promptly represented to the manufacturers that
Wheelock & Smedley, with whom the contract had
been made, were not a sound firm. On this repre-
sentation, the firm declined to make the machines,
although they had twice agreed to do so. Mr.
Wheelock then went to Goddard, Rice & Co., of
Worcester, Mass., ordered his machinery, and it was
promptly made. This machinery came from Boston
to New Orleans by ocean ; thence by boat up the
Mississippi River, and was landed near the foot of
Lynde Street. Its arrival excited a great deal of
curiosity, and its landing was witnessed by many in-
terested spectators. Since then Mr. W. has bought
all his machinery from Goddard, Rice & Company,
because they had the good sense to trust him when
he was struggling for a business footing.

In the fall of 185 1 Mr. W. brought his wife and

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furniture down from St. Charles in a wagon. Here
Mr. and Mrs. W. went to housekeeping, mutually
aiding each other in life's duties, faithfully toiling to-
gether, and together reaping the fruit of their united
industry.

In r853 Mr. Smedley sold his interest in the paper
mill to James Fergus. Prior to 1S54. the year in
which the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
was completed to this point, all chemicals used in
the mill had to be hauled by teams from Peru, 111.,
to which point they were brought by canal from Chi-
cago. The paper manufactured was delivered by
teams to Galena, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Ottumwa,
Galesburg, Peoria, Knoxville, and other towns in
Illinois and Iowa. They usually returned with a
cargo of rags. Mr. Weelock himself started with a
four-horse load of print paper for Galena on a cold
day in the winter of 1856. At Hampton he was
compelled to buy a warm cap. He delivered the
paper to the purchaser, reloaded with a cargo of
rags, and reached home all right.

In i860 he built the stone portion of the mill now
standing, and put in a 68-inch Fourdrinier paper
machine. The original machine was removed to
the basement, where it is still doing service in the
manufacture of wrapping paper.

The Paper Mill Company is at present a char-
tered incorporation, with a capital stock of $140,000.
_The officers are S. W. Wheelock, President ; Everett
Wheelock, Secretary and Treasurer.

During the past few years Mr. Wheelock has paid
considerable attention to the raising of thoroughbred
horses and cattle, and numbers among his posses-
sions in that line some of the finest bloods in the
State.

In 1872 Canbee, Swan & Company, plow manu-
facturers, having been somewhat pressed to the wall
by moneyed and ambitious rivals, Mr. Wheelock,
first through sympathy, and second as a business
scheme, came to their rescue, and at once laid down
$75,000, reorganized the concern, converted it into a
stock company, and became its President. In 1884
a statement of the Moline Plow Company showed
that the capital stock was $400,000, and its cash sur-
plus amounted to $800,000. July 1, 1885, the capi-
tal stock was increased to $800,000, one-half of which
is controlled by Mr. Wheelock, leaving a net surplus
of $400,000. The Moline Paper Mill, out of which

l£K®>K

Mr. W. claims to have made his greatest money, has
invested in it a capital stock of $140,000, about $80,-
000 of which is held by the President, Mr. W.

Mr. Wheelock was also one of the organizers of
and stockholders in the Malleable Iron Works, under
its organization of June, 1884, with a capital stock
of $75,000, of which he is by far the largest stock-
holder. In this year also was organized the Moline
Central Street Railway, with Mr. Wheelock as Presi-
dent, and in June, 1885, the road was thrown open
to the public.

Of the three sisters and five brothers of Mr.
Wheelock, only one of the former and two of the
latter are living. To these Mr. Wheelock, from the
great abundance of his wealth, has liberally given
from time to time. The Churches ot every denomi-
nation in the city have been the recipients of his
bounty, and the poor and needy ever find in him a
friend that causes them to remember him with their
blessing. The three story building occupied 12 years
by the Moline postoffice was built by Mr. and Mrs.
Wheelock, and its second and third stories presented
to the Free Library Association. Nor was this all:
the first large moneyed donation to this great public
institution was by Mr. Wheelock, and opposite his
name was placed the sum of $500. The magnitude
of Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock's gift in this instance, and
the exalted degree of pleasure thereat experienced
by many of the truly charitably disposed, numbering
among them the best people of America, may be
imagined from the many congratulatory letters re-
ceived by them, a few only of which are at this time
at our command, and which are given here:

" Moline, March 21, 1877.
" To S. W. Wheelock, Esq.,

" Dear Sir: — At a regular meeting of the Con-
cordia Germania Society of Moline, held at their
school building on Rodman Avenue, on Thursday
evening, March 15, 1877, the undersigned were ap-
pointed a committee to draft resolutions of the thanks
of the society to yourself and wife for your generous
donation to the Public Library of Moline. After due
deliberation we reported the following, which on mo-
tion was adopted unanimously :

" Whereas, Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock have donated
to our Public Library the building on Rodman Ave-
nue, known as the Postoffice Building; and

" Whereas, through the gift the Library will soon
be able to compete with the best in the State; and

" Whereas, all people will be benefited by it ;
therefore, be it

"Resolved, That we, as members of the Turners'

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Society, tender our heartfelt thanks to Mr. and Mrs.
S. W. Wheelock for their magnificent and generous
donation.

" Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be
sent to Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock, and that the same
be published in the Tri-City newspapers.

" With our best wishes for the future welfare of
yourself and family, we remain with great respect,
" Yours, etc.,

"August Timm,
"Conrad E. Grantz,
" D. V. Witter,

" Committee."

"Gilbert, March 14, 1877.
" S. W. Wheelock, Esq.,

" Dear Sir : — As one of the great family on whom
you and your wife have conferred so great a gift, let
me congratulate you, and ask to share the good feel-
ing which I know must follow the exercise and gra-
cious use of means you have accumulated beyond
your need. I regard it as not only benevolence, but
also practical wisdom, where I see a noble institu-
tion of any kind started or strengthened during the
life of the giver. It is little indeed to direct the use
of money which the' giver can no longer grasp. May
you live long enough to see the fruits you have pro-
vided for those simply willing to pluck.
" Yours truly,

"W. H. Holmes."

"Rock Island, March 13, 1876.
" Mr. Wheelock,

" Dear Sir : — I see by the newspapers to-day that
you have done a very liberal thing for your city.
In no other way could such good be done, and the
benefit will continue to increase forever. To your-
self and your good wife this act will be a blessing all
the days of your life. I congratulate you with all
my heart. Truly yours,

" Cornelius Lynde.

" To S. W. Wheelock, Esq., Moline."

"Winona, Minn., March 19, 1877.
"Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Wheelock,

"Dear Friends : — Through a Gazette sent me by
a Davenport lady, I notice what you have thought
best to do for the Moline Public Library, and the
fact gave me so much pleasure that I cannot help
exclaiming with my pen ' God help you ' for the deed
and the thought which prompted you to make it.
Although circumstances have for the present placed
me in Minnesota, my interest in the Moline Library
is not one ' whit ' abated, nor my confidence in its
excellent management. Feeling, as I do, most em-
phatically, that the public school and free library
should go hand-in-hand, educating and elevating
together the parents and children, I can in all sin-
cerity express my pleasure, with a hope that you may
live long to enjoy the great good your benefaction

has bestowed upon the citizens of Moline. As she
stands at the head in her manufacturing interests, so
may she be a leader in intelligence and goodness,
which is the outgrowth; for, as the mind opens to
receive, it also becomes broader and more liberal,
and your thoughtful generosity will do much toward
helping on in that direction. As you have made
yourselves the pioneers, I trust others will be willing
to follow, and that right speedily.

" Yours in neighborly remembrance,

" Mrs. Horatio G. Nourse."

"Moline, III., March 5, 1877.
" Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Wheelock, Moline, 111.,

" My Dear Friends : — I learned this morning of
the munificent gift which you have made to the Mo-
line Public Library, and at the moment I decided to
meet you and tender you my heartfelt thanks for the
great favor which you have conferred upon our peo-
ple and city, but afterward concluded to write you
instead of saying orally what I wanted to commu-
nicate to you.

"Your grand donation is one that will bless you
and bless Moline for all time. This is true, and will
remain so upon the pure and undying principle that
every such glorious deed is doubly blest. I fail to
find language to express to you my gratitude for this
great favor, and will leave you to infer the extent of
it by telling you that this has been a happy day with
me — made so by the fact that very special and val-
ued friends have graciously conceived and executed
a scheme which is more momentous and enduring in
its character, magnificent in its proportions and con-
sequences, far-reaching in its beneficial effects upon
our people in the future, and more generous in its
conception, than any gift that has fallen upon us
since I have lived in Moline. My wife eagerly joins
me in :hese expressions, and in tne hope that you
may live long in the enjoyment of health and happi-
ness.

" Very truly and faithfully your friend,

" Wm. Kerns."

"Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Wheelock,

" Friends : — Please accept this basket of flowers
as a slight token of our appreciation of your recent
gift of the Library Building to the people of Moline.
" Sincerely,

"Mrs. W. A. Nourse,
" Mary F. Nourse.
"Moline, III., March 16, 1877."

Notwithstanding his gigantic business interests,
covering over a million of dollars, and involving the
welfare of hundreds of people, he has found time to
render the public in an official way much service. In
1877 he was elected Mayor of the city; re-elected
in 1879, and again in 1881. Public-spirited at all
times, his moral and substantial support may always

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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be relied upon in matters pertaining to the public
weal. Though having very nearly compassed the
allotted three-score-and-ten, S. W. Wheelock ap-
pears to be a man of 50. In the enjoyment of per-
fect health, a strict adherent to the laws of hygiene,
he bids fair to number yet many years of usefulness
in a community that has seen him rise in an honor-
able way, and, by the purest of methods, from ob-
scurity to distinguished opulence.

A fine lithographic portrait of Mr. Wheelock is
given on a preceding page, which is even more than
justified by the high business and social character of
the subject of the foregoing biography. A fine
double-page view of his residence and surroundings
is given on pages 224 and 225.

Chapin A. Wheelock, his elder brother, is associ-
ated with him in the paper-mill, owning a portion of
the stock, and has been active in the business since
its organization, and has now retired mostly from the
business. He has two sons engaged in the mill.

He has been a Republican since the organization
of that party, and during the late Civil War did much
to aid the authorities in carrying forward the cause
of the Union. As financial agent of the appropri-
ations and funds raised for caring for the soldiers'
families, he did efficient service. During the various
campaigns he has always given liberally, both of time
and money, to promote the cause of the party with
whose principles lie was in sympathy.

Personally, Mr. Wheelock is a man of genial and
pleasing address and impresses one at sight with the
force and strength of his character. His executive
abilities are really wonderful. He will successfully
manage a large number of important enterprises,
any one of which would be quite sufficient for about
all the energy of an ordinary man. But Mr. Wheelock
has the rare faculty of infusing his force into the
minds of his associates; hence his very presence in
an establishment has the effect of drawing out and
developing the best working talent of every employe.
This aggressive force is what has made Mr. vVheelock
the success that he is. When he makes up his mind
that a certain thing has to be done, it is almost
equally certain that it wi// be done, and obstacles
and opposition which would discourage most men,
seem to have on him nothing more than the effect of
a stimulant, by bringing out his reserve force.

As a friend, Mr. Wheelock is an ardent and con-

stant one, and a friendship once formed by him can
be broken only by the basest ingratitude or treachery
on the part of the one in whom he had reposed con-
fidence. No one man has done more to build up
and advance the interests of Moline ; hence he can
appropriately be termed one of its strongest pillars.

eremiah LeQuatte follows the vocation of
a farmer on section 9, Drury Township.
He is a son of Shadrach and Nancy Le-
Quatte, natives of Delaware and of French an-
cestry. They married and settled in Dela-
ware, and afterwards removed to Clinton
County, Ohio, and still later to Indianapolis, Ind.,
where they resided for 17 years. In 1838 they came
to Rock Island County and settled in Drury Town-
ship, where they died, the mother Dec. 15, 1846, and
the father April 17, 1847. Their family comprised
nine children, — Jeremiah (first), Frances, Elizabeth,
James, Sarah, William, Matthew and Jeremiah (sec-
ond), and one who died in infancy.

Jeremiah (second), subject of this biographical no-
tice, was born in Clinton Co., Ohio, Oct. 17, 1821,
and on arriving at the age of nine months was taken
by his parents to Indianapolis, Ind., whither they
removed. He continued to reside under the parental
roof-tree, and came to Rock Island County in 1838,
thereby becoming one of the early settlers of this
county. His education was received in the common
schools of this county. His father was engaged in
mercantile business at Drury Landing, and Jeremiah
followed the vocation of a clerk in his father's store
for a period of two years, and aside from that short
time has been engaged all his life in agricultural
pursuits. He is one of the most extensive land own-
ers, being the proprietor at the present time of some
800 acres of land in Drury Township. He also owns
a small tract of land in Michigan. Mr. LeQuatte
has an apple orchard in Drury Township, consisting
of 57 acres. He is also the heaviest tax-payer in
Drury Township.

Mr. LeQuatte was united in marriage in Drury
Township, Oct. 25, 1843, to Charlotte T., the ac-
complished daughter of Isaiah and Priscilla Drury,
natives of Maryland. Drury Township is so named
in honor of her father. Their family consisted of the

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

following children: Miles L., Silas, Stewart R.,
William. Achilles, Minerva, Eli, Melissa, Charlotte
T. and Helen M. Charlotte (Mrs. LeQuatte) was
born in Morgan Co., Ind., July 2, 1823. She has
borne her husband seven children. Hiram B., born
Aug. 10, 1844, was a soldier during the late rebel-
lion; Nancy P., born Sept. 9, 1S46; Mary, born April
10, 1848: William A., born July 8, 1850; Sarah H ,
born July 10, 1S52; Frank, born Dec. 4. 1854; and
Ed, born Dec. 2S, 1856.

Isaiah and Priscilla Drury came to Rock Island
County in 1836 and settled in Drury Township,
where they died — he Nov. ti, 1854, and she Jan. 18,
1851. Mrs. LeQuatte is a member of the Methodist
Church, as are also two of her daughters; one
daughter is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
In politics Mr. LeQuatte was identified with the
Republican party, and during the war was a strong
Union man ; but at present he votes for men and
measures who come nearest to his ideas of right.

1P#3 ndrew J. Anderson, head shipper of the
^%®8f Moline Plow Co. since 1869. The subject.
'.ti_sria f our sketch was born in Sweden, Nov. 10,
s yjter 1847 ; emigrated from Sweden to America in
1866, and came direct to Moline. He spent
the first two years in the service of the Gov-
ernment, on the island. In r868 he engaged with
the Moline Plow Co., was appointed head shipper in
1869, and has held that position continuously since,
excepting the years 1882-3. During this interval he
was engaged in the grocery business at Moline, and
in 1884 resumed his old place with the Moline
Plow Co.

Mr. Anderson was married in Moline Dec. 23,
1871, to Miss Hannah, daughter of Abraham Larson.
Mrs. Anderson was born in Sweden. The issue of
their union was seven children, five of whom sur-
vived; Clark G. was born Jan. 5, 1873; Edith G,
born Sept. 28, 1874, died in infancy; Edith, born
Aug. 5, 1876; Philip R., born Aug. 20, ^78; Ans-
fred L , born Feb. 2, 1881 ; Seth J., born June 1,
1883, died in infancy; Naomi, born April 7, 1885.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are members of the Swedish

Trustee. In his political views he is a Republican.

^.:TjE| Calvin Goodrich, a citizen of Canoe Creek
T^Sslr Township, became a resident of Rock
palP"' Island County in 1840. He was born in

Huntsvtlle, Otsego Co., N. Y., April 8, 181 1.
His father, Philo Goodrich, was a native ol
Connecticut and a pioneer of the county
where his son was born. The mother, whose maiden
name was Lucretia Williams, was also born in that
State, and she became the wife of the senior Good-
rich there. Their family of children numbered 15,
and Mr. Goodrich is the youngest of 13 children.
His mother died when he was but three years of age.
His father married a second wife, and two danghters
were born by that marriage, and when he was ten
the loss of his father left him wholly orphaned. His
parents died while living in Otsego Co., N. Y., and
the son was taken in charge by a Presbyterian min-
ister, with whom he lived until he was 14. He then
entered into an apprenticeship with a cabinet-maker
to acquire a knowledge of that vocation, and served
five years. He operated in different parts of the
State of his nativity and in Ohio until 1836. In that
year he made his first acquaintance with the State
of Illinois, whither he came to locate a soldier's
claim of which he had become the possessor. It was
laid in Effingham County, and after he had taken
the necessary steps he returned to h\s native State.

He was there married, in 1838, to Emily Fisher.
She was born in March, 1813, in Oneida County,
and is the daughter of Ichabod and Lucy Fisher.
Her parents were born respectively in Massachu-
setts and Vermont, and they settled after their mar-
riage in Oneida County, where they were among the
earliest settlers. In the autumn of 1813 they re-
moved their family and interests to Chautauqua
County, and there too they were pioneers.

Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich lived in Chautauqua
County until rS40. In that year they fulfilled an
intention long cherished of making a home in the
West, and they moved their family and effects to
Warren, Pa., with teams. At that place they se-

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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cured means of transportation on a river raft and
floated on the Allegheny to the Ohio, and then on
that river to Louisville, whence they took passage on
a steamer to Port Byron. Mr. Goodrich obtained
employment at his trade at that place, and operated
as a cabinet-maker there until 1853. He then pur-
chased a farm situated on sections 7 and 8, in what
was then township 19, range 4, and is now called
Canoe Creek. He has since given his undivided
attention to the pursuit of agriculture.

Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich have three children —
Arthur, Alice and Lucy. The latter lives with her
parents; the son is married and occupies a part of
the homestead; Alice G. is the wife of William A.
Craig, of Sedgwick Co., Kan.

-<&>-

-<95—

ohn Schafer is among the prominent busi-
ness men of Port Byron. He is a native,
having first seen the light of day on the
25th of April, 185 1, in Zuma Township, Rock
Island Co., 111. His parents, John and Chris-
tina Schafer, are natives of Germany, and em-
igrated to America in 1849, settling in Zuma Town-
ship, in this county. Here they engaged in farming
and stock-raising, and have continued to live here
up to the present.

John, the subject of this sketch, was reared upon
the farm, and received his education in the district
schools of his neighborhood. At the age of 19 he
went to Port Byron and clerked for VV. H. Devore,
and continued in his employment until he reached
the age of 24. He then formed a partnership with
James W. Simonson in the business of general mer-
chandise, under the firm name of Simonson & Scha-
fer, which still continues.

On the 7th of April, 1878, he was united in mar-
riage to Miss Melissa, daughter of W. J. and Ann
Shepherd. Her father, Mr. S., was one of the prom-
inent and leading men of Port Byron in trie early
history of the town. There is one child, a daughter,
by the union of Mr. and Mrs. Schafer, named Mar-
garet Ann.

Mr. Schafer is a respected member of the Ancient
Order of Freemasonry, and belongs to Philo Lodge,

No. 436. He is also a member of Port Byron Lodge,
624, I. O. O. F., and is the presiding officer in that
body. Politically, he is an ardent and active Dem-
ocrat and a member of the Democratic Central Com-
mittee. Mr. Schafer represented his township on
the Board of Supervisors for two terms.

— ^-^Sf-i^S-v^—:— -

"nFpljK eorge Stephens, former Vice-President of

•ji yifilS ( l le Moline Plow Company, now retired,

"Cw3~" K and one of the pioneer manufacturers of

<|* Moline, was born in Westmoreland County,
Pa., Feb. 22, 18 19, and is the son of Randall
and Martha Stephens. He learned the mill-
wright's trade and built many mills in the States of
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. He came to Moline
in the summer of 1843, remained a few months and
returned to his native State. In the spring of 1S44
he returned to Moline and took up his residence at
that place. He was employed at his trade at first,
but soon engaged in the manufacture of lumber and
furniture on the island opposite Moline, in company
with Messrs. Spears, Wood and Jonathan Huntoon,
Subsequently Mr. Huntoon was his only partner.

They did an extensive business in the manufac-
ture of lumber and furniture until the United States
Government took possession of their property in
1864, when the island was converted into a military
reservation. Mr. Stephens then became a stock-
holder in the Moline Plow Company, and was elected
its first Vice-President, which position he held with-
out interruption until "January, 1885, when he re-
signed with the intention of retiring from active
business and of making a trip to Mexico, which he
did soon after. Mr. S. was actively identified with
the Moline Plow Company from its inception to the
height of its prosperity, covering a period of 20 years,
and during which time he was Vice-President of the
company and ably contributed to its successful man-
agement. He was Trustee of Moline Township in
an early day, and held other local offices.

Mr. Stephens formed a matrimonial alliance at
Moline, Nov. 5, 1846, with Miss Mary A. Gardner.
Mrs. Stephens was born in the State of New York.
They have become the parents of eight children, six

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230

.tftfCX ISLAND COUNTY.

of whom survive : George A. is in Arkansas, en-
gaged in the lumber business ; Mary L. is the wife
of George H. Huntoon, pump manufacturer of Mo-
line ; Minnie F. is the wife of Frank G. Allen, cashier
of the Moline Plow Company. Moline ; Charles R.,
in business with his brother in Arkansas; Ada E.
and Nellie M. resides with their parents. Mr.
Stephens is a man of broad and liberal views both as
to the general affairs of this world and as to those of
the possible hereafter. In politics he is a consistent
Republican.

1— ~^^0><a^™ — ■*-—

%•. avid M. Martin, member of the Board of
Jf* County Supervisors in the current year

j^yT" 3 " (18S5), is a native citizen of the township
of Canoe Creek, which he represents in that
body. He was born Feb. 14, 1840, and he is the
youngest son of Joseph and Sally (Walker) Mar-
tin. His father was a native of Virginia and was
born in 1S01. The latter accompanied his parents
in his early youth to the State of Kentucky and they
located in the county of Edmonson.

The son was a resident there until 181 9, when he
came to Illinois and located on Government land in
Wayne County. He was one of the first of the pion-
eers there. In 1832 he raised a company for service
in the Black Hawk War and was commissioned its
Captain. In 1833 he removed to Warren Count), in
this State, where he was a resident two years.
In 1835, accompanied by his wife and four children,
he started for Rock Island County with an ox team.
He had previously made a journey there and made
a claim on section 18, township 19, range 3, and re-
mained long enougli to build a house after the primi-
tive pioneer fashion, which became the family abode
on their arrival. The log cabin had no floor but the
earth ; but soon after they took possession the father
split puncheon and laid one, and he also split clap-
boards for the roof, which were held in place by
poles. No nails were used in the construction of
the building. Afterwards, an addition was made to
the cabin and the family were its occupants until
1857. In that year the larger house which has been
their home was built.

The pioneer hardships encountered by them were
of the severest character known to the early pioneer

settlers of that period. In the winter of r 836-7, Mr.
Martin made meal from corn by pounding it in a
hollow stump, the nearest mill being 40 miles dis-
tant and the snow having fallen to a depth of several
feet. The mill referred to was of the most primitive
character, and in the spring Mr. Martin made a trip
to it, going there with an ox team. He was pre-
ceded by a number of others on the same errand and
was obliged to wait nearly a week before he could
accomplish his business and return with his grist.
At that date deer and wild game was very abundant
and Mr. Martin shot deer from the door of his cabin,
when they came to the spring to drink. He lived to
see the county reach its splendid prosperity and im-
proved condition. He died in October, T875. The
death of his wife took place in 1858. They had T3
children, of whom seven died in extreme infancy. Of
the six who lived to maturity, but two still survive.
Mr. Martin has a brother, named John W., who
lives in De Witt, Saline Co., Neb.

David M. passed his boyhood, youth and man-
hood on the homestead farm of his father in Canoe
Creek Township. He was married in July, 1861, to
Mary A. Lindsey, who was bom in Belmont Co., Ohio,
and is the daughter of John and Sarah E. (Johnson)
Lindsey. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have four children :
Joseph M. is a business man of Hillsdale ; Cora
married Alfred Ashdown; Ira C. and Mary E are
the two younger.

At the time of his marriage, Mr. Martin located on
the homestead and soon after he built a house for
the accommodation of his family.

In 1869 he went to Iowa and made a purchase of
land in Benton County, in the management of which
he passed seven years. At the end of that time he
returned to Canoe Creek Township and settled on
the homestead, where he passed his early life and
which is now his property. For the past 20 years he
has been engaged in the purchase and shipment
of stock for the Chicago market. In addition to the
common affairs of agriculture he has given consider-
able attention to raising graded cattle and horses.

Mr. Martin is a Democrat of well defined princi-
ples. He was first elected to the office of Supervisor
in 1S77, and is now serving in that position for the
sixth time. It is sufficient to add that he has been
repeatedly elected in a town which is strongly Re-
publican. He is a member of Philo Lodge, No. 436,
A. F. & A. M., at Port Byron.

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

233 *

<x-x>

apt. W. C. Bennett, Secretary and Treas-
_Jt urer of the Barnard & Leas Manufactur-

Ws?^ ing Company, at Moline, is a native of
Fayette Co., Pa., and was born Aug. 10,
836. His parents, Elisha and Elizabeth
Bennett, were of the good old Quaker per-
suasion. His father's family for generations had
been residents of Pennsylvania. The mother was
born in that State, but of English parentage.

William C. came to this State in 1856, and made
his home in La Salle until the year 1861, when he
removed to Chicago. Early in 1862, he enlisted at
St. Louis in the gunboat service, and in what was
known as the Mississippi flotilla. He was on con-
struction duty at St. Louis one year ; was Master
Mate, then promoted as Ensign and subsequently to
the position of executive officer of the iron-clad war
vessel "Choctaw." He participated in the siege of
Vicksburg, the opening of the Mississippi, and the
Red River expedition. In the spring of 1864, soon
after the Red River expedition, he resigned to return
home on account of the death of his father. In the
spring of 1865, Capt. Bennett entered the employ of
the Northern Line Packet Company, plying between
St. Louis and St. Paul. He served first as clerk
and was then promoted as Captain of the steamer,
and continued with that company until 1868.

Duri.ng the year last named, Capt. Bennett sev-
ered his connection with that company, and engaged
with Deere & Co., of Moline, as book-keeper. He
remained with that company until Jan. 1, 1872,
when he became a stockholder in the Barnard &
Leas Manufacturing Company and was elected sec-
retary and treasurer of the same, a position he has
held continuously since. Capt. Bennett has served
in the above mentioned capacity for 13 years, and
has proved a most energetic, capable and efficient
officer. Possessed of good executive ability and
thorough business habits, combined with a disposi-
tion to "get there " when he undertakes a thing, he
has by a judicious management of his department
aided materially in developing the important manu-
facturing institution with which he is connected.

Mr. Bennett has been thrice married. His first

matrimonial alliance was formed in La Salle in 1858,
with Miss Emily Demerrilt, whose death occurred
within eight months from the day of her wedding.
His second wife was Miss Florence Demerritt, a sis-
ter of his former wife, and their wedding occurred at
La Salle in 1862. By this union he had four sons
and one daughter: Frank E., born Jan. 20, 1865;
Edwin M., born Oct. 23, 1868, died Dec. 3, 1879;
William D., born Nov. 26, 1875 ; Henry S., born Feb.
20, 1877; and Margaret, born Dec. 10, 1879. The
wife and mother died in February, i88r, and Capt.
Bennett was again married, to Miss Sara Reed, of
Geneseo, 111., the date of their wedding being Feb.
15, 1883. They have one child born of their union,
a daughter, Florence Winnifred, the date of whose
birth is Aug. to, 1884. Mrs. Bennett is a member
of the Congregational Church.

In his youth, Mr. Bennett imbibed extreme views
on the subject of African slavery and became a pro-
nounced Abolitionist. His first vote for a Presidential
candidate was cast for Abraham Lincoln. Believing
that the Republican party was the best exponent of
his principles, he has continued to work with that
organization. While not ambitious of official dis-
tinction, yet he takes a warm interest in political
contests, and can always be relied on as an influen-
tial worker in the cause of his party. He has always
been a potent factor in the cause of education, and
for 12 years has been a member of the Board of
Education, and for half that period President of the
Board.

■.0^0--

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"ohn MeCandless, farmer, section 25, Rural
HH S?' Township, is a son of Alexander and Mar-
^* garet (Rickard) MeCandless, who were
natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch-Irish
ancestry, and passed their whole lives in their
native State. They had eight children. John,
the seventh in the above family, was born in Alle-
gheny Co., Pa., March 22, 1819. He attended the
common schools, enjoying the advantages afforded
in that day, alternating with his labors on his father's
farm, until about 22 years of age ; then for four years
he traveled through the States of Ohio, Indiana, and
New York, being engaged in different occupations,
when, on account of poor health, he returned to his
own home, where he remained until the spring of

^/S -5-'

2 34

-r4«[W>

i?fCA' ISLAND COUNTY.

1849. He then went by land to California, with a
party of 300 others, occupying about five months in
making the journey. Remaining there about four
years, he accumulated sufficient means to give him a
good start in life. Soon after his return from the
Golden State, he came to this county, and in 1854
purchased 320 acres of land in Rural Township, set-
tling upon it in 1S55. Here he has since resided,
and prospered by his industry and economy. He
has very good buildings upon his farm, besides a
fine grove of forest trees, which he planted with his
own hands, from seed gathered in the county. He
now owns 400 acres of land, all of which is tillable.

Mr. McCandless was married in Allegheny Co.,
Pa., March 7, 1855, to Miss Margaret M., daughter
of Robert and Jane (Marshal) Burns, 'natives of
Pennsylvania and of Scotch ancestry. She also was
born in that count}', April 10, 1837, being the fourth
in order of birth of a family of ten children. Mr.
and Mrs. McCandless were the parents of four chil-
dren, one of whom died in infancy; the surviving are
George R., Henry \V. and Laura V. George R. at-
tended the public schools of his native county and
afterwards the Washington Academy at Washington,
Iowa; Henry W. is a graduate of the Commercial
College in Davenport.

Mr. McCandless has held the office of Township
Supervisor for three terms, and has also been in-
trusted with other public positions. He and his wife
are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which
ecclesiastical body he is a Ruling Elder. In politics
he is a well posted Democrat.

The portrait of Mr. McCandless, appearing in con-
nection herewith, is a necessary and appropriate ad-
dition to the illustrations in this Album.

■ -•- -'— :

tenry L. Bullen, Secretary and Treasurer of
pf^ the Moline Screw Company, was born at
East Medway, Mass., Aug. T7, 1820. His
parents, Lewis and Esther (Grout) Bullen, were
of New England birth. The subject of our
sketch graduated at Dartmouth College ; studied
theology at Andover and came West in T849, where
he was ordained a minister of the Congregational
Church at Port Byron, 111., in 1850. Mr. Bullen
was the first Pastor of the Port Byron Congregational
Church, and filled that pulpit one year. He then

accepted the chair of Professor of Mathematics at
the Iowa College of Davenport (now the Griswold
College) and filled that position eight years. At the
expiration of that time, he received a call to serve as
Pastor of the Congregational Church at Durand,
Iowa, which he accepted. His pastorate of that
Church continued for a term of eight years, and in
187 1 he retired from the ministry and removed to
Moline, 111. Since his residence here he has de-
voted his attention to business pursuits.

In July, T884, on the organization of the Moline
Screw Company, Mr. Bullen became a stockholder
in that concern and was chosen secretary and treas-
urer, which position he still fills.

Mr. Bullen has been twice married. His first
wife was Miss Mary Farrington, daughter of Na-
thaniel Farrington, of Walden, Vt., to whom he was
married in Georgia, Nov. 28, 1844. Four children
were born of this marriage, of whom two are living,
namely: Mary E. and John S. Mrs. Bullen died
in 1866, and Mr. B. was married again Oct. 9, 1867,
in Denmark, Iowa, to Kiss Laura Day, daughter of
Kellogg Day. Mr. Bullen was born in Denmark,
Iowa, and they have become the parents of two chil-
dren, — Laura D. and Henry W.

Mr. Bullen has always taken a warm interest in
educational matters and for five years has served as
a member of the Moline Board of Education. In
politics he has usually voted with the Republican
party, but always with Prohibition sympathies. He
is now fully identified with the Prohibition party.

■5-

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i. J

,r. Patrick P. Gregg, Acting Post Surgeon
of Rock Island Arsenal, commenced the
JJra^T' , ' s practice of medicine in Rock Island in
jf*jk 1836, and was the first practicing physician
■fc in this place. He emigrated to the United
5 States from Ireland, his native country, in i832 )
and remained in Western New York and Phila-
delphia for three years, when he came to Rock
Island and followed the practice of his profession
at this place until the breaking out of the late Civil
War.

In i86r, soon after the Rebel guns had thundered
forth against the walls of Sumter, Dr. Gregg raised
a company, and, in the capacity of Captain, engaged

■^C^s: oV^DD § D D>">r

jfOff ISLAND COUNTY.

2 3S

in the defense of his adopted country. The com-
pany was known as Co. K, 58th 111. Vol. Inf., and
participated in the battles of Fort Donelson and Shi-
loh, at which latter place the Doctor was made pris-
, oner. He remained a prisoner for six months. The
first prison he was placed in was that of Selma, where
he remained for one month, when he was transferred
to the prison at Talladega. While in the prison at
Selma, Gen. Beauregard sent a delegation to Wash-
ington to confer with the Government in regard to
its exchange of prisoners, together with an exchange
of officers taken at the battle of Shiloh. His fellow
prisoners chose three, and among that number was
Dr. Gregg, the other two being the ex-Governor of
Iowa, Major Stone, and Col. Miller, of the 23d Mis-
souri. They went to Washington together, and the
Doctor was afterward appointed by Gov. Yates of
this State, the old war Governor, as Surgeon, with
two assistants, for the Col. Mulligan Brigade. They
(^ ; went to Virginia and joined their brigade, and re-
V mained with the same two years, and continued in
^ the service of the United States Government until
= the fall of 1864.

After the war was over, and the cause for which
r Doctor Gregg had so nobly risked his life on the field
>£> of battle was ended by a victory for the Union, Dr.
■ Gregg came home, and was appointed as Surgeon to
) assist in the care of the rebel prisoners on Rock
Island, and after the release of the prisoners was ap-
pointed Acting Surgeon of the Post for 24 years.

Dr. Gregg was born Feb. 12, 1S10. He entered
Trinity College, at Dublin, when 18 years of age,
and followed the curriculum of that institution for
three years. He then joined the Royal College of
Surgeons, and remained there for two years, when he
was admitted in Jefferson Medical College at Phila-
delphia, and received a diploma from that well-
known institution. He was also the second Treas-
urer of Rock Island County.

Dr. Gregg was united in marriage to Miss Sarah
L. Wheelock, in 1841, who was a native of New

T Hampshire, and they have seven living children-
John W., Joseph K., Spencer, Mary, Sarah, Carrie
and Fannie. Mary married Albert Dart, and they
have six children; John W. married Maggie Mc-
Carthy; Joseph K. married Alice Wilson and they
have three children.

Dr. Gregg has been elected to the office of Mayor

of Rock Island, and politically is independent. He
is a man respected for his medical experience and
learning, for his honest and straightforward dealings
with his fellow man, and for the interest he takes in
the welfare and advancement of the city which has
been his home for so many years. His experience as
a physician places him second to none in the State.

-@^<M

* r \_^ >.
= \l:jTf ; :-ohn M. Holt, general grocer and commis-

iipf^ sion merchant, Moline, established his busi-
lajT" ness a t the corner of 12th Street and Fifth
|Sf Avenue, in 1872. He was born in Cobden,
JJT Erie Co., N. Y., Feb. 21, 1844, and is the son
of Arnold and Hannah (Millington) Holt, both
natives of Vermont. He came to Illinois with his
parents when n years of age (in 1855), and made
his home in Moline. He was educated in the city
till 17 years of age, when he enlisted in the late war
(Dec, 1861), as a private of Co. H, 8th Kansas Inf.
He served in the Army of the Cumberland, and re-
ceived an honorable discharge at the end of the term
of his enlistment, in December, 1864. During his
service he participated in the battles of Perryville,
Chickamatiga, Mission Ridge, Orchard Knob and
through the campaign from Kenesaw Mountain to
Atlanta, Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station, being 45
days under continuous fire. On his return from the
war he engaged as merchant's clerk at Moline, which
he continued till 1872, when he entered upon his
present business. Beginning in a moderate way, in
a locality remote from the business center, at first it
was not altogether certain that the enterprise would
prove a success. Time, however, has demonstrated
that Mr. Holt not only selected a favorable location
for his business, but that he has by strict attention
to the wants of his customers, in selecting his large
and varied stock of family and fancy groceries and
provisions, together with energetic business habits,
seasoned with a little genial good nature, succeeded
in building up a magnificent trade. He has a large
trade in flour, of which he keeps the most popular
brands, while in order to support this trade properly
he furnishes his customers with Cady's Jersey butter.
As a dealer in fruits and produce he does an im-
mense business; in fact, the opening of the berry
1 season is a time of special delight to this gentleman

<§}$<§«

<mmmrt

236

iTOCA' ISLAND COUNTY.

Mr. Holt has now been in business as a general gro-
cer for 13 years, during which time he has won hosts
of friends, as well as having developed so extensive
a business.

He was married in Moline Aug. 12, 1867, to Miss
Maria W., daughter of the Rev. A. B. Hitchcock,
the pioneer Congregational minister of Rock Island
County. Mrs. Holt was born in Davenport, Iowa,
and they are the parents of two children, namely,
Mable D., born Dec. 5, 1869, and George E., born
Feb. 15, 1SS1.

Mr. and Mrs. Holt are members of the Congrega-
tional Church. Mr. Holt is a Republican in political
sentiment.

r ohn C. Moore, a prominent and prosperous

lir farmer and stock-raiser, having a fine farm

~^ on section 35, Edgington Township, was

born in Greene Co., Ohio, on the 4th day of
July, 1823. His father, David Moore, was a
native of West Virginia, of German ancestry,
and by occupation a> farmer. He was married in his
native State, and afterwards came to Greene Co.,
Ohio, where he became a prominent farmer. In
1.835, however, he left Ohio and went to Berrien Co.,
Mich., where he lived for 15 years. Selling out his
interests there, with his family he came to Illinois
and settled on an excellent tract of 160 acres on sec-
tion 36, Edgington Township, Rock Island County.
On this the elder couple lived until their death, the
father dying in October, 1876, at the age of 77 years,
and the mother in 1864, at the age of 70 years.

Our subject was the fourth child of a family of
eight children. He was reared on the farms in
Michigan and Illinois, under his father's care. Sept.
10, 1857, he was married, in Davenport. Iowa, to
Miss Theda E. Gray. ( See sketch of William
Wait.) Mrs. Moore was born in Switzerland Co.,
Ind., Aug. s, 1833. She was reared and educated
there, living at home with her parents, and also
came West with them when at the age of 21 years.
She is the mother of six children, two of whom are
deceased. Landon C. resides at home, and is at-
tending Rush Medical College, Chicago, contemplat-
ing the practice of medicine as a life profession ;

Cassie also resides at home, and she was educated
in the public schools and at Washington, Iowa;
Mamie G. completed her education at Dixon, 111. ;
Olive E. is attending the public schools of the county.
After his marriage, Mr. Moore settled on his farm
of 240 acres, which he had purchased on section 35
of Edgington Township. Upon this he has since
lived, erecting an elegant home and making other
splendid improvements, until he now has one of the
finest farms, with the best equipments, in the county.
He also has a lot with an elegant residence upon it
in Reynolds, which he soon expects to occupy after
his retirement from active farming. The family at-
tend the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mrs.
Moore and her three daughters are active members.
In politics he is identified with the Republican party.

^3=4=4=

£3-

tion

A. Barnard, President of the Barnard &
Leas Manufacturing Company, and the in-
ventor of popular milling machinery, is a
native of Vermont, and was born in La Moille
County, Jafl. 15, 1826. He received a common-
school education, and having a natural inclina-
for mechanical pursuits, he learned the mill-
wright's trade. When of age (1847) he went to
Canada (Province of Quebec), where he worked at
mill machinery'.

He was married in the town of Dunton, Canada,
Sept. 13, 1849, to Miss Delia Boright, daughter of
George Boright. In 1851 Mr. Barnard removed to
Worcester, Mass., where he worked at his trade till
1S54. The promising prospects of Moline, 111., as a
manufacturing center attracted his attention at this
time, and he came to the above-named place. The
rapidly- growing importance of Moline as a manufac-
turing town, afforded him a good field for the em-
ployment of his skill and the development of his
talent for invention. One of the results of his early
efforts as an inventor was a wood-bending machine,
which is now in general use in all the plow factories
in the country. In i860 he formed a partnership
with Mr. L. E. Hemenway and J. B. Wyckoff, under
the firm name of Hemenway, Wyckoff & Company.
They began business as manufacturers of chairs and
other furniture, and two years later they engaged in

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

V ^i^
239 ■

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<7S

the manufacture of mill, warehouse and elevator
machinery, and of grain-cleaning machines. The
enterprise was begun on a small scale and with lim-
ited capital. In 1S64 Mr. Hemenway withdrew
from the business, and the firm name was changed
to Wyckoff & Barnard. When Mr. Wyckoff with-
drew J. Silas Leas came in, together with Capt.
Bennett, and the concern was organized as a stock
company, with Mr. Barnard at its head, as the Bar-
nard & Leas Manufacturing Company, which turned
its attention to the making of mill machinery exclu-
sively. The business began to grow and flourish
with wonderful rapidity. Large, convenient and
model buildings arose, filled with the best machinery,
and the wonderful inventive genius of H. A. Barnard
brought into being practical improvements and pa-t
ents in mill machinery which created an extraor-
dinary demand for their goods, causing them to be
called for and shipped not only all over this, but into
foreign countries, thus carrying the results of Bar-
nard's creative faculty around the world.

A view of Mr. Barnard's residence is given in this
work.

■Of—

^f^Wir' L. Swisher, resident on section 30, Coe
IP"" Township, came to the county of Rock

ri>

ES^tt Island in 1855, and in 1873 he settled in
5 Coe Township. He was born in Carroll Co.,
Md., Oct. 16, 1824, and is the youngest son of
Jacob and Eve Elizabeth (Bender) Swisher.
His father was born in Richmond Co., Va.,
and his mother in the county of York in Pennsyl-
vania They settled in Maryland at the time of
their marriage, and went thence some time later to
Adams County, in the same State. Mr. Swisher is
of French extraction in the paternal line of descent,
the family name being originally spelled Swisseaur;
but soon after the first representatives came to the
United States it was converted into its present form.
As it was difficult for unaccustomed tongues to
pronounce it correctly, it was changed accordingly.
The mother of Mr. Swisher was of German lineage.
The parents went to Adams County when the son
was a child of three years. They are both deceased,
the demise of the mother occurring at Carlisle,

Cumberland County, and the father at Gettysburg.
Their children were nine in number, five daughters
and four sons. Six only survive : Jacob lives at
Gettysburg, Pa. ; Mr. Swisher of this sketch is the
second ; Nancy is the widow of Isaac Halm, and
lives in Carlisle. Pa., and is 90 years old; Polly is
the widow of David Miller, and resides at Cham-
bersburg, Pa. ; Elizabeth, wife of Andrew Bushman,
lives in Pittsburg ; Sarah married David Zeigler, of
Port Byron.

At the age of 12 years Mr. Swisher found himself
with the privilege of earning his own livelihood, and
he spent four years subsequent among his acquaint-
ances engaged in farming. He was then 16, and
he entered into an apprenticeship to learn the busi-
ness of a blacksmith, going for that purpose to
Fayetteville, Franklin County. He served three
years, and then he set up business independently,
operating at various places, including Maryland,
Virginia and New Hampshire, until his removal to
Illinois, as stated. On his arrival in the county of
which he has since been a citizen, he began the pur-
suit of his trade at Port Byron, and worked as a
journeyman until 1859, when he opened a shop at
that place, and continued its management until he
bought and took possession of his farm, on which he
has since resided and prosecuted his agricultural in-
terest. He first bought 62 acres, and it was supplied
with a house, which became the home of the family
for the time being. Improvements had been made
on 40 acres, and a part of the place was known as
the Barrett field, and on that the first plowing had
been done in 1835. ^ n '884 the same land yielded
80 bushels of corn to the acre,— 49 years after its
first cultivation! In 1S76 Mr. Swisher bought 30
acres of land on section 19, which lay adjoining his
first purchase, and he is the owner of 90 acres, with
60 acres improved and 30 acres in timber. In addi-
tion to general farming, lie is also engaged in stock-
raising.

He was married June 2r, 1859, to Julia S. Loring.
They have three children — Mary H., Charles C. and |
Frank L. Mrs. Swisher is the daughter of John H.
and Julia (Chamberlain) Loring. Her father was
born in Massachusetts, and her mother was a native
of Maine. Her family was originally from France,
whence they came to England at the time of the
Norman conquest. The first Loring in America was

r >

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; 6V£HH:«^:

240

ROCK ISLAND

COUNTY.

"^ii-'^

*f*t£»C©\

named Thomas, and he settled in Dorchester, Mass.,
where he arrived Dec. 22, 1634. He became promi-
nent in Church affairs, and is recorded as " Deacon
Thomas Loring." He afterward went to Hingham,
England, and later to Hull, same country, where he
died in 1661. The Chamberlains were English, and
were also early settlers in the Old Bay State. The
parents of Mrs. Swisher settled in the township of
Annawan, in this county, in 1855. Her father died
there, Dec. 15, 1861. Her mother has married
again, and lives at Geneseo, in this county. Two
of her brothers and a sister are still living: Joseph
F. is a resident of Xew Mexico ; Carrie O. is the wife
of the Hon. Charles Dunham, of Geneseo; Edward
B. lives in California.

f fS^; eter Colseth, President and manager of
1 the Moline Cabinet-Organ Company, was
E*^ born in Sweden, March 28, 1S35, the son
of Brinild Colseth. He removed to Norway
in childhood, where he learned the profes-
sion of architect and builder and the cabinet-
maker's trade. In 1S64 he emigrated to the United
States and located at Chicago, where he was em-
ployed at first in Burdett's organ factory, and subse-
quently in building and contracting. On the occur-
rence of the great fire of October, 1 S7 1, he sustained
a heavy loss by failing to realize on his insurance on
several buildings burned. He pushed on, however,
to retrieve his fortunes, and in 1873 came to Moline
to build the Swedish College at this place. He formed
the plans and constructed the building, as he like-
wise did of the Swedish church at this place. He
was engaged as contractor and builder till 1877,
when he, in company with Mr. Charles C. Seaberg,
engaged in the manufacture of cabinet organs in a
small way, their total capital not exceeding $t,ooo-
They had the many discouraging difficulties to en-
counter and overcome that are incident to the start-
ing of a new business of that character ; but by
persevering industry and judicious management they
succeeded in placing their business on a sound foot-
ing. Three years later, they purchased the property
they now occupy, and erected commodious and sub-
stantial buildings. On the r 9th of December, 1881,
they procured the incorporation of the Moline Cab-

inet-Organ Company. Mr. Colseth was elected
President and Treasurer, and was authorized to act
as general manager of the company. He has served
as President and general manager continuously
since. (See history of the company elsewhere in this
work.)

Mr. Colseth formed a matrimonial alliance in Nor-
way, Feb. 7, r862, with Miss Helen, daughter of
Hendricks Hanson. Mrs. Colseth was born in Nor-
way, and she and her husband were the parents of
two children, Charles and Caroline. Charles died,
aged t4 years, and the daughter, Caroline, at the age
of r 2.

Mr. and Mrs. Colseth are members of the Swedish
Lutheran Church, of which Mr. Colseth has been
Deacon 19 years. He has always taken an active in-
terest in educational matters, and has been promin-
ently identified with the establishment and manage-
ment of the Swedish college of this city. He has
served for eight years as a member of the Board of
Directors of that institution, and for three years as a
member of the City Board of Education. Mr. Col-
seth is a Republican in political sentiment.

,(ames Venable, general farmer and stock-
raiser, residing on section 3r, Edgington
Township, was born in the county of Ty-
rone, Ireland, May 15, r838. He was r6 years
of age when his mother, with the family (the
father having previously died), emigrated to
America. They first located near Keithsburg, Mer-
cer Co., 111., where the family lived for two years ;
then they moved to the northern part of the county,
where our subject lived with his mother until Aug.
rr, rS62, when he determined to go to the front in
defense of the flag of his adopted country. He
enlisted in Co. B, r26th 111. Vol. Inf., under Capt.
Cline, of Rock Island. He was in the Army of the
Southwest, and participated in all the battles and
skirmishes that his regiment took part in, and fortu-
nately escaped all injury. He was honorably dis-
charged at Springfield, 111., Aug. 11, 1865.

Returning home from the war, laying aside his
musket, doffing his blue uniform, he entered upon
the life of a civilian. Before many years had rolled
around, March 24, 1869, he was married, in Edging-

■r ■

2 *€§^

ss V

4M s m>*?§ — *^ —

ton Township, to Miss Christina Titterington, who
was born in the same township, April 23, 1844. She
is the daughter of Moses Titterington, a well-known
and respected pioneer of this county. She was
reared at home and educated in the common school,
and is the mother of seven children, one of whom
is deceased. The living are George DeWitt, Elsie
M., Ira L., Frederick J., Frank S. and James P.

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Venable located upon
his present farm, which consists of 160 acres of land,
all very highly improved. "Politically, Mr. V. is a
Democrat, and both he and his wife are members of
the Presbyterian Church at Edgingtou.

$<cx>&

illiam Kerns, an eaily'settler of Moline,
and one of her most prominent and re-
spected citizens, is a native of Pennsyl-
vania, and was bom in East Marlborough,
Chester County, July 4, 1820. His parents
were Simon and Elizabeth (Ocheltree) Kerns, of
Irish and Scotch descent respectively. His father
was born in East Marlborough, Pa., and his mother
in New Castle Co., Del.

Thomas Kerns, the great-grandfather of the sub-
ject of this sketch, came from Ireland and settled in
Chester Co., Pa., in an early day. The family were
Quakers, and consequently did not figure in the War
of the Revolution. Mr. Kerns' father was in the
War of 1812. On his mother's side Mr. Kerns' fam-
ily ..as represented in the War of Independence.
Dr. Robert Bines, the maternal grandfather of Eliza-
beth Ocheltree, was a surgeon in the Continental
Army. When William was 14 years of age (1834)
his parents removed from Pennsylvania to Salem,
Columbiana Co., Ohio, where he was reared on a
farm, receiving a common-school education.

Mr. William Kerns formed a matrimonial alliance
in Columbiana Co., Ohio, May 17, 1842, with Miss
Beulah Shinn, daughter of Wiliam B. and Elizabeth
(5 (Jones) Shinn. Mrs. Kerns was born in Salem, that
county. Mr. Kerns was engaged in farming in Ohio
until 1853, when, in hopes of finding a climate and
country that promised a better opportunity for good
health and prosperity than did the country in which
he lived, he started by team for the "West," then so
called. He was pleased with the natural features

of the Iowa country, and made his first stand in
Cedar County, of that State. That locality did not
prove entirely satisfactory and he therefore came to
Moline, on a prospecting expedition one day, and,
being greatly pleased with the natural advantages of
this place, he concluded to make an experimental
sojourn here. Mr. Kerns has extended it into a
residence of 32 years, and it begins to look as though
he would finally determine to make this his perma-
nent home. Mr. Kerns came to this city with a lim-
ited supply of this world's goods, and no fixed trade
or profession. He was a farmer, to be sure, and he
had a smattering of the carpenter's trade. Having
a team on his hands, and being willing to turn his
hand to anything at which he could earn an honest
living, he engaged in teaming, and among the jobs
he worked at was that of hauling ties for the con-
struction of the west end of the Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific Railroad. With others, he delivered ties
on seven miles of the road. He also worked at car-
penter work until April, 186 1, when he was appointed
Postmaster at Moline by President Lincoln, a posi-
tion which he held until August, 1869, with the ex-
ception of 20 months during the first part of Johnson's
administration.

In 1S65 he was instrumental in getting Mr. R.
K. Swan, now deceased, interested in organizing a
company for the manufacture of plows at Moline.
Messrs. Swan and Henry W. Candee, who were en-
gaged in manufacturing pumps, fanning-mills, culti-
vators, and other farm necessities, determined to
go into the plow business, and associated with them
Andrew Friberg, under the firm name of Candee,
Swan & Company, which was the origin of the great
Moline Plow Company. Mr. Kerns was employed
by this company from 1867 to 187 1 in the manage-
ment of the great trademark suit, that grew out of
their use of the word " Moline " on their plows. The
suit was ably managed, and was decided in favor of
the Moline Plow Company. He was also promi-
nently identified with the defense of various patent-
right suits that were brought against several manu-
facturers in this locality, which resulted favorably to
the association, which he represented. Also, Mr.
Swan selected Mr. Kerns to act as his executor.
He then became interested in the Moline Plow Com-
pany, and was chosen one of the directors.

Mr. and Mrs. Kerns have had four children. The
eldest, George, was a private of Co. H, 19th 111. Inf.

242

^pn^in^^

TTT

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

He went into the fight at Stone River with his regi-
ment, and after the battle he was reported among
the missing. He was undoubtedly killed and buried
unrecognized, as he has never been heard of since.
Simon, the second son, married Miss Clara M. Mar-

Itin in 1868, and resides in Moline; Anson died aged
three and a half years; Charles 3., the youngest, re-
sides at home.

Mr. Kerns, being of Quaker origin, was an original
Abolitionist. He endorsed the Buffalo platform of
1848, voted for Van Buren and Adams that year, and
for John P. Hale in 1852. In 1856 he supported
Fremont, and has voted with the Republican party
continuously except in 1872. He is an earnest ad-
vocate of temperance principles and an ardent sup-
porter of all public policies calculated to develop and
improve mankind. The circumstances of his youth
admitted only of limited educational advantages, but
he has continued in self-culture throughout his life;
has attained to a far better intellectual development
than many whose opportunities were more ample.
He was blessed with quick perceptive faculties and
a mind adapted to logical reasoning and sound con-
clusions. The many important legal transactions in
which he has been employed, and their successful
issue, will substantiate the foregoing. He is a man
of great natural force and energy, of strict integrity
and unquestioned veracity, endowed with strong im-
pulses and an inherent love of truth and justice.
He is a warm friend to all who prove themselves
honest and true, and an unrelenting foe to all that is
treacherous, mean and dishonest.

Mr. Kerns was elected and served as Clerk of the
Board of Trustees of Moline, from 1858 to 1861, and
a member of the State Board of Equalization for
the Sixth Congressional District, appointed by Gov.
Cullom to fill a vacancy, and served two years —
1883-4.

<!>

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,t 7(0%'^r. Fredrik Westerberg, Professor of Hy-
^iiSsasll. giene and Gymnastics in the Augustana
jF^r ^ College, of Rock Island, and practicing
fyn physician at Moline, was born in Sweden,
June 14, 1854, and is the son of J. E. and J.
C. (Hedmark) Westerberg. He was a stu-
dent nine years at the State schools and graduated
at Stockholm with the degree of A. B. Dr. Wester-

K§&&

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<•'

berg was also a student of the University of Upsala
from 1872 to 1874, and graduated in the latter year
with the degree of M. S. He then entered the Royal
Carolinian Medical and Surgical Institute at Stock-
holm, and pursued his studies from 1874 to 1880,
during which time he was Assistant Surgeon in the
Royal Military Hospital of Stockholm in 1875 and
1876, and Assistant Surgeon of the Swedish Army
from 1878 to 1882. He also held the appointment
of Vice County Physician on the National Board of
Health.

He emigrated to America in 1S82, spending a
short time in Brooklyn, N. Y., and then going to
Hartford, Conn. A few months later he entered the
State University at Burlington and graduated in the
class of 1883, with the degree of M. D., being one of
the very few in highest standing.

In 1883 he came to Illinois and established him-
self in practice at Princeton, which he continued till
May 1, 1884, when he came to Moline and was ap-
pointed Professor of Hygiene and Gymnastics in the
Augustana College, and also established himself in
practice at Moline, with his office over the Moline
National Bank. Dr. Westerberg, as his record shows,
is a thoroughly educated physician and surgeon, who
has already enjoyed an extended practice in Govern-
ment service in his native country.

The thousands of his fellow countrymen who are
residents of Rock Island County, will appreciate the
force of his home endorsements, and his professional
success is but a question of time.

illiam G. Montgomery, general farmer
and stock-raiser, in Edgington Township,
was born in Columbia Co., Pa., Feb. 13,
Y 1827. He was the elder son of Daniel
Montgomery, and the only son of Chris-
tiana, nee Griffin, his first wife. After the
the death of his mother, Mr. Montgomery lived with
his aunt and father in his native State until he was
nine years old, when his father remarried. The
latter, in 1836, came West and settled on a farm of
480 acres, in the township of Edgington, and in the
best part of the county. Here he finally died, and
his widow (second wife) now resides i'n Milan, with
her sister, and is 78 years old.

Mr. William G. Montgomery, the subject of this

t&)

Ji. fa/Ufa*

■^& k . e, r &nn&mi&v

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

245

fe)

biographical notice, was educated in the city of
Rock Island, and a* Princeton, 111., and since he has
started in life for himself he fint engaged in mer-
cantile business in Edgington, in partnership with
George Parmeter ; next, he followed the same busi-
ness at Kewanee, Henry Co., 111., for some time, and
in 1855 he returned to Edgington, continuing in the
same line of trade. He is now engaged in the busi-
ness mentioned in the first paragraph, on a farm of
80 acres, in Edgington Township. In a public ca-
pacity he has served as Township Collector.

Mr. M. was married in Edgington, May 4, 1858,
to Miss Sarah, daughter of John and Anna (Mc-
Gaughey) Linn. Her parents were natives of Penn-
sylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent, farmers, first in
Mercer Co., Pa., and then in Trumbull Co., Ohio,
where Mrs. M. was born, May 4, 1839, the sixth in
a family of nine children. She was only six months
old when the family moved West to Mercer Co., 111.,
in the fall of 1839, and she was 12 years of age when
her father died, in that county, and she afterward
resided with a sister, Mrs. Rebecca Candor, who is
now living in Aledo, that county. Mr. and Mrs.
Montgomery are the parents of four children, as fol-
lows : Crissie, who. was born March 18, 1859, edu-
cated in Milan, and is now a teacher in the public
schools of the county ; Elmer, who was born April
23, 1864, and now manages the affairs of the home-
stead; Maggie, born Sept. 10, 1869; and William
Lee, Sept. 10, 1876.

s-fy-3 — e=

arvel H. White, President of the Will-
iams, White & Co. Iron Works, Moline,
T* was born in the town of Springfield
W\ Windsor Co., Vt., March 14, 1821, and is
*r* the son of Nathan and Olive (Putnam) White.
He served a regular apprenticeship to the
molder's trade in his native town, and when 21 years
of age removed to Barre, Mass., where he worked at
his trade three years. He then went to Chelsea,
Mass., and subsequently returned to Barre. He was
united in marriage at Chelsea, June 2, 1850, with
Miss Almina Simon, daughter of Samuel Simon.
Mrs. White was born in Maine. She became the
mother of one child, which died in infancy. Her
death occurred Aug. 22, 1852. Mr. White came to
Moline in February, 1855, and joined his partners,

Williams, Heald & Co., in the foundry and machine
business. He assumed charge of the foundry de-
partment, and has superintended the same for more
than 30 years.

Mr. White was married the second time, at Mo-
line, Nov. 9. 1865, to Mrs. Margaret Curtis, widow
of Win. Curtis and daughter of John Patterson.
Mrs. White was born in Meadville, Pa. She has
five children by her former marriage, namely : Cor-
inth P., Jennie, John, Charles H. and Nellie L. Mr.
and Mrs. White have one child, a son, Kirk N., now
attending the Port Byron (111.) Academy. Mrs.
White is a member of the Congregational Church.
Mr. W. has served as Alderman from the Second
Ward of Moline for six years. In politics, he was a
Whig and is now a stanch Republican, he having
voted with that party since its organization. Mr.
White is a thorough master of his trade, and has
well performed his share in building up the magnif-
icent business of which he is at the head.

On account of the high business standing of Mr.
White, his social qualities, moral integrity, etc., the
publishers of this Album take particular pleasure in
presenting his portrait, on the preceding page.

f wikt S. Metzgar, of Port Byron, has been iden-
tyi^tl', tilled Willi the development ol the business
l(j»y ^ interests of this section of Rock Island
*Js« County since 1859. He was born May 22,
1817, in Sewickley Township, Westmoreland
Co., Pa., of pure German descent, his father,
Frederick, and his mother, Mary (Swartz) Metzgar,
both belonging to that nationality. They were born
in Pennsylvania. The son was seven years old when
the father died, and after she became a widow the
mother, with five children, went to Unity Township.
At 15, he was apprenticed to a tailor in Mt. Pleasant,
in Mt. Pleaeant Township, with whom he served five
and a half years. After one year's operation as a
"jour," he established his business in his own inter-
est at Mt. Pleasant and conducted its relations 12
consecutive years. He then exchanged his village
property for a farm in the vicinity and spent a year
in experimental farming. At the end of that time he
sold his real estate and embarked in mercantile
transactions at Pleasant Unity.

Mr. M. first came West in 1853, on a tour of ob-

Vf/*

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3=3

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EI

246

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

G£^

sv*

servation, and again in 1855, with a view oflooking
up a location for a permanent abode. On making
his first trip he shipped a horse and buggy by river
transportation on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
On arriving at Quincy he left the boat and drove
from that city to Port Byron, where he had friends.
Not long after, he sold his team and went to Iowa.
After a brief stay in that State he returned to Penn-
sylvania. Three years after going into business at
Pleasant Unity, he set out for the West, removing
his trading stock with him for the purpose of con-
tinuing the same line of traffic at the point he had
fixed upon as a desirable location. He proceeded
with his property to Pittsburg, Pa., where he char-
tered a car for Chicago. On his arrival at that city
he re-shipped his merchandise for Rock Island, and
on arriving there he proceeded to Port Byron.

On settling in Port Byron he rented a store and
engaged in mercantile transactions for a few months,
when he packed his goods, and with an associate
bought at sheriff's sale a steamboat, — the " Golden
State," — belonging to the river transportation service.
The boat did not prove a profitable investment, and
on account of the constantly recurring appearance of
claims against the vessel, she was sold, at a loss,
which left Mr. M. with limited means to re-engage
in the mercantile business. He, however, communi-
cated with parties at the East, with whom he had
formerly transacted business, stating his circum-
stances, and immediately received notice to come on
and select an outfit of such goods as he required,
and pay for the same when he could. He responded
in person and returned with $7,000 worth of goods.
This was during the first years of the war, and soon
after he purchased an additional stock of like value.
The inflation of values soon took place, and the
worth of the possessions of Mr. Metzgar became four
times greater than the figures of purchase. He
bought a lot on the main business street of Port
Byron, where he built a store, and a warehouse in its
rear, on the river. He prosecuted the departments
of his trade, and at the same time enlarged his busi-
ness interests by the addition of traffic in grain, live
stock and dressed hogs, pursuing his transactions in
those lines until 1872, when he sold out to his son,
whom he had associated with himself some years be-
fore.

Since that date he has been engaged in the manu-
facture of lime at Port Byron, where he, in connection

with his son, owns two kilns in active operation. V
With his other sons he is interested in similar busi- '
ness at Cordova, where they own four kilns. Mr.
Metzgar is the proprietor of a fine and valuable farm
near the city of Port Byron. He takes earnest inter-
est in raising fine stock, giving preference to thor-
oughbred Jerseys. He built a residence on his farm,
expending thereon $7,000 in its construction. Its
location is most desirable, as it is placed in a posi-
tion commanding an extended view of the river as
far as the city of Davenport on the south and over a
large extent of the Iowa prairies across the " Father
of Waters." This was the family residence until
1884, when Mr. Metzgar built the residence now oc-
cupied by the family, which was constructed in 18S4,
for the purpose of being nearer business.

His marriage to Mary A. Crumbaugh took place
in 1838. She was born in Mt. Pleasant, Pa., and
became the mother of six children: Harriet, Mar-
cellus, George A., Charles L., Homer C, Emma \
Belle and Ida M. The first-born died in infancy. *
Belle died at 1 1 years of age. Marcellus enlisted in 4
1861 in the 51st 111. Inf. and served three years.
Mr. and Mrs. Metzgar are both members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. M. belongs to
the Old Settlers' Association and has been a Demo-
crat since 1840.

*-#

-J—

(!)

alter J. Entrikin, State's Attorney of Rock

Island Co., 111., and junior partner of the

law firm of Browning & Entrikin, was

X> born at Salem, Columbiana Co., Ohio, Feb.

4on 8, 1846, and is the son of Brinton and Eliza \

J. (McCracken) Entrikin. His father was a na-

tive of Chester Co., Pa., and his mother of Colum-
biana Co., Ohio. The subject of our sketch was
educated at Oberlin College and graduated Aug. 4,
1870.

In 1 86 1 he came to Illinois with his parents, and
made his home in Geneseo, where he pursued the f
study of law under the tutorship of Messrs. Wait &
Moderwell, of that place, till the spring of 1871,
when he removed to Moline. On coming to this
city, he resumed his law studies with the Hon. J. T.
Browning, and was admitted to the Bar Oct. 12,
1871. Mr. Entrikin practiced with Mr. Browning
two years, after which time he went into business for

C«Illfc>B

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f
>

fa>

y?(9CA' ISLAND COUNTY.

himself till Jan. i, 1S75, when he formed a law part-
nership with Mr. Wm. R. Moore, under the firm
name of Entrikin & Moore. This connection con-
tinued till July 1, 1876, when he formed the existing
partnership with Mr. J. T. Browning. Mr. Entrikin
was elected and served as City Attorney in 1873 and
1874, and again in 1881 and 1882. He has been
Secretary and Treasurer of the Riverside Cemetery
Association since Sept. 13, 1875. In November,
1S84, he was elected State's Attorney for Rock
Island County for the term from 1885 to 1889. He
is a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 16, A. O. U. W.

Mr. Entrikin was married at Moline, Aug. 18,
1870, to Miss Julia A. Chamberlin, daughter of Wil-
liam and Lydia P. Chamberlin. She was born in
Lyndon, Caledonia Co., Vt. The issue of their
union has been five children, all born at Moline,
namely: Eva M., born Nov. 25, 1872; William B.,
April 24, 1874; Fred C, July 17, 1875; Roy J.,
Nov. 1, 1876; and Ada L., Feb. 21, 1878.

Mr. and Mrs. Entrikin are members of the First
Congregational Church of Moline. In political views
Mr. Entrikin is a staunch Republican, and usually
takes an active part as a public speaker in campaign
times. In the late Presidential election he was an
earnest supporter of Blaine and Logan.

As a lawyer he ranks high in the profession,
Methodical and thorough in preparing a cause, well
versed in authorities, and ready in argument, his
client's interests are always advanced and guarded
with ability and care.

obert E. Pearsall is a resident of Coe
,*|lalij^ Township, being located on section 23. He
pWfF*' is the oldest son of W. C. and Jane (Eling-
f *n nam ) Pearsall, and was born at Brockville,
Canada, Nov. 5, T837. He was not quite 1 1
years old when his parents removed to Rock
Island County, where he passed the days of his youth
in attendance at school and in assisting on the home
farm. He is a mechanic by natural gift and has an
aptitude for the use of tools, and, as his father had
extensive business operations and employed a num-
ber of carpenters, he worked with them sufficiently to
learn the trade in a practical manner. In 1878 he
rented his farm and removed to Erie, where he

worked as a carpenter three years, after which he re-
turned to his farm. His farm is in good agricultural
condition, with frame buildings and a number of
shade and fruit trees. In addition to the home farm,
he owns the north half of the east half of the south-
east quarter of section 22.

He lived at home with his parents until the time
of his marriage, and he then settled on his farm. He
was married in i860 to Elizabeth, daughter of N. S.
Stout. She was born in New Jersey. She has borne
three children, named Levi C, William N. and Na-
thaniel B.

Mr. and Mrs. Pearsall are members of Bethel Bap-
tist Church in Coe. Mr. Pearsall is a Republican in
political faith.

«-

a.^harles H. Deere, one of the chief business
%t men of Moline, was born March 28, 1837,

ffrv s at Hancock, Addison Co., Vt. When
) a year old, his father, John Deere, brought
him with his family to Grand de Tour, 111.,
the whole journey from Vermont being made
in the common farm wagon of the day, the family
camping out along the route, Gipsey style. He at-
tended school, at Grand de Tour until 12 years of
age, when the family moved to, and permanently lo-
cated at, Moline, 111., where the John Deere Plow
Works have made the town famous. Here Charles
attended the public school, and for two years was at
the Davenport Academy, then known as the " Iowa
College;" then attended Knox College at Gales-
burg, 111., for one year, after which he went to
Chicago, where, in 1853, he graduated at Bell's Com-
mercial College.

Immediately upon graduating he returned to Mo-
line and entered his father's office as assistant book-
keeper, and soon took charge of the books. He
continued to act as book-keeper and traveling man
for the concern until 1868, when the corporation of
Deere & Co. was formed, and he became and has re-
mained ever since its Vice-President and general
manager. Under his management and executive
ability, the Deere & Co. Plow Works have become
the largest institution of the kind in the world, and
have given the name of Moline proud prominence in
the world of industry.

Charles H. Deere possesses pleasant social quali-

f£l

^®

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"3^

248

ties and is attractive company when he drifts away
from his heavy business cares and responsibilities;
but it is as the real head of his towering industry
that he shows his marvelous executive ability and
business genius and brains. Shrewd, quick and
clear-headed, with a memory which almost reaches
inspiration, perfect master of all the details of his
vast business, he stands at the helm, and, as princi-
pal stockholder, controls the works, and has for years ;
and success, such as is vouchsafed to few, has at-
tended his efforts. He is also at the head of the
Deere & Mansur Corn-Planter Works, a large stock-
holder in the vast tub and pail factory and saw-mills
of Dimock, Gould & Co., and, as an individual, and
as a member of the firm of Deere & Co., has ex-
tensive business interests at Council Bluffs, Kansas
City, St. Louis and elsewhere, and may be termed a
financial king, so made by business success.

In politics, he is Republican, but has never held
any elective office. Governor Cullom appointed him
President of the Board of Labor Statistics of the
State, a position which he still holds. His business
is so perfectly systematized now and he has such
trusty and able heads of departments, that he
feels safe in seeking considerable relaxation from
business cares, and frequents American watering
places somewhat, and has visited Europe twice with
his family.

On Sept. 16, 1862, at Chicago, 111., he was married
to Miss Mary L. Dickinson, and they have two chil-
dren : Anna C, born Aug. 20, 1864 ; and Katherine
M., in October, 1866. His wife is a member of the
Congregational Church, and lie says he is a member
of the Congregation.

I'tNLaniel Edgington, one of the pioneer set-

:j ^JVi, th-rs ol KiK k Inland County, and in honor

hSf^ of whom Edgington Township was named,

jms< came here at an early day, and has experi-

■fc enced all the trials incident to the early settle-

5 merit of a new country. He was born in Jefferson

Co., Ohio, in March, 1807.

The father of Mr. Edgington was a native of one
of the Eastern States, and removed with his father's
family to Virginia, at a time when that State was in-
habited by the Indians. During one of the Indian

wars in which the grandfather of the subject of this
notice participated, he was twice captured by the
Indians, but effected his escape, and located at
Holladay's Grove, Va., where he resided until the
time of his death. The father of Mr. Edgington of
this notice, after the death of his father at Holladay's
Grove, moved to Jefferson Co., Ohio, and was there
united in marriage to Miss Casa Vears. He followed
the vocation of farming and was a pioneer of that
county. In fact, the Edgington family have been
somewhat noted for their pioneer disposition. The
family consisted of four sons, of whom three are liv-
ing. The parents remained in Jefferson County, and
the three sons, inheriting the disposition of their
father to procure a home in some new country, came
West. The parents died in Jefferson County some
years ago, when Daniel Edgington was about 20
years old.

Daniel Edgington, subject of this biographical
notice, was reared on a farm in Jefferson Co., Ohio,
alternating his labors thereon with attendance at the
common schools, thereby receiving a good English
education. After the death of his father, he went to
Brownsville, Pa., where he learned the trade of a
gunsmith. He then returned to Steubenville, Jeffer-
son Co., Ohio, his native county, where he followed
his trade some years.

In r834 Mr. Edgington came with his brother and
father-in-law, Mr. Dunlap, to this State, and direct to
this county, and selected land in what is now known
as Edgington Township, consisting of about 2,000
acres of land altogether. At that time the country
was unsettled ; but, having faith in the future develop-
ment of the same, he determined to make this his
future home. The following year, in 1835, their
families were brought from the East to this county,
and located with them. Mr. Edgington located upon
his land and entered upon the task of its improve-
ment. He broke some of his land and put in a crop
and disposed of the first grain that he raised to emi-
grants passing through in search of a home, and re
ceived therefor a good price. Soon, however, he
was compelled to haul his grain to Chicago, where he
disposed of it, returning with provisions, and which
was his market for the produce raised on his farm
for a number of years. He has owned in Edgington
Township, during the time he has resided here, 1,080
acres, but at the present writing is the proprietor of

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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only 270 acres, which is under a good state of culti-
vation. He built the first brick house in the town-
-. ship, on his present homestead.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgington are both members of the
jt Presbyterian Church. He has been Supervisor and
' Road Commissioner, and also held other minor offices
within the gift of the people of the township. Politi-
cally, he is identified with the Greenback, party.

Mr. Edgington was united in marriage in his na-
tive county in 1832 to Miss Mary H. Dunlap (for a
biography of whose parents, see sketch of Adolphus
. Dunlap). She was born" in Steubenville, Jefferson
P Co., Ohio, where she resided with her parents until

her marriage. The issue of their union has been ten
children, three of whom are deceased. The record
is as follows : Eliza Guffy Asal is married and re-
sides in Nebraska, as likewise is Joseph, who resides
in the same State; Casia is married and a resident of
Rock Island city; John, also married, resides at
Fullerton, Neb.; Daniel, married, and lives' in Mills
> Co., Iowa; Cora is a resident of Des Moines, same
* State; Sophia (Keyser) is deceased; Mary (Cleve-
t land), likewise deceased; Alice died while quite
£ young. The wife and mother died at her home in
\ Edgington Township, in June, 1869. She was an act-
., ive worker for the growth and upbuilding of the
s community in which she lived, a Christian mother, a
loving wife and kind neighbor, and her demise was
mourned by a host of relatives and friends.

March 26, 1874, Mr. Edgington was again united
in marriage, in Muscatine, Iowa, to Mrs. Amanda
Casner, nee Riggs, a daughter of Philip D. and
Hannah (Dickinson) Riggs, natives of Pennsylvania
and Ohio respectively, and of Welsh and German de-
scent. Her father was a carpenter, was married in
Ohio and afterwards moved to Ripley Co., Ind.,
where Mrs. Edgington was born March 14, 1826.
She was reared in Cincinnati, Ohio, remaining there
until her marriage to Mr. Jacob Casner, a native of
New Jersey, a carpenter by vocation, and who died
in Iowa, leaving three children, two of whom have
subsequently died. Their record is as follows:
Almeda, wife of S. H. Thomas, a Methodist minister;
Kate, wife of August Klatt, a mechanic, living in
Blue Grass, Iowa; and Henry, a resident of Iowa
City, Iowa. After Mrs. Edgington 's first marriage,
she lived in Carthage, Ohio, until they came West in
l8 SS, where her husband died, as stated, in 1870.
Coming here in 1834, as he did, to a country unde-

veloped as it was, for the ostensible purpose of estab-
lishing a home for himself and family, and having
entered vigorously upon the task of carrying out the
dictates of his judgment, and meeting with success,
he not only deserves to remembered by the citizens of
Rock Island County, and especially those of Edging-
ton Township, as one of the pioneers, but as a man
who has accomplished his undertaking. Respected
for his kindness to his fellow man, and his honest
dealings with all those with whom he has had busi-
ness transactions, as well as his generous, frank and
manly attributes as a citizen and neighbor, we take
pleasure in presenting the citizens of Rock Island
County with this short sketch of his life.

Mr. Edgington's home place is represented by a
lithographic view in this work.

-*"<-HHHN->-

-4

JThomas S. Hines, agent of the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific, and of the Chicago,
T* Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroads, and of
the United States Express Company, stationed
at Moline since the fall of 1874. The subject
of this sketch was born in Naperville, Du Page
111., April 16, 1 84 1, and is the son of Michael
and Lucetta (Stevens) Hines. He received an aca-
demic education, and enlisted in April, i86r, at the
first call for troops in the late war. His regiment
was the 13th 111. Vol. Inf. (three-months men). Be-
fore going to the front he decided to enlist for three
years, and was discharged from the 13th and en-
listed for three years in the 8th 111. Cav. (Co. E),
was promoted to Orderly Sergeant, and served until
Oct. 1, 1864, when he received an honorable dis-
charge. He served in the Army of the Potomac,
participating in the seven days' battle of the Penin-
sula, capture of Yorktown, battles of Williamsburg,
Fair Oaks, Gaines' Mill, Gaines' Hill, and the open-
ing of the road to Harrison's Landing. Was also in
the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, and at
the opening of the battle of Gettysburg. He helped
form the first skirmish line, and his vidette opened
the first fire in that battle; on the second day his
regiment was ordered to attack Lee's rear at Falling
Water. His regiment, being cavalry, did much skir-
mish duty. Toward the last of his service he was
with Gen. Hooker in the battles of the Wilderness.

<©\

252

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4»hh^

i?OCX ISLAND COUNTY.

On his return from the war he entered the service
of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad as
telegraph operator at Peoria, 111. Was agent at
Grinnell Station, Iowa, two years, and ticket agent
at Council Bluffs nine years. In the fall of 1874 he
was assigned to Moline Station, and was also made
agent of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Rail-
road, and of the United States Express Company.
He has held those positions for 1 1 years.

Mr. Hines was united in marriage at Grinnell,
Iowa, in 186S, to Miss Jennie Clifford. Mrs. Hines
died in 1872, leaving an infant daughter, Cora, who
died soon after the death of her mother. Mr. Hines
was married again Nov. 5, 1874, at Council Bluffs,
Iowa, to Miss Fannie Snow, daughter of R. P. Snow,
of Council Bluffs. Mrs. Hines was born in that city.
They are the parents of three children, two boys and
a girl: Walter P., born Feb. 3, 1876; Thomas H.,
Nov. 3, 1878; and Medora Lucetta, Sept. 5, 1881.
Mr. Hines is a Democrat.

=$#-£-*«

ohn Warnock, a farmer, residing on sec-
tion 11, Rural Township, is the fifth child
in order of birth of a family of ten children,

the parents of whom were William and Jane
^T (Byers) Warnock, natives of County Down,

Ireland. John Warnock was born in County
Down, March 23, 1820. He lived in his native
county, where he w-as engaged in farming, until the
fall of 1848. At that time, hoping to better his con-
dition in the New World, he emigrated to this coun-
try, where he arrived in the spring of 1S49, and
came direct to this county. For the first five years
after coming here he was employed in a saw-mill at
Rock Island. In the spring of 1854 he purchased
160 acres of land, located on section 13, Rural
Township, on which he settled and entered vigor-
ously and energetically upon the task of its improve-
ment and cultivation. He resided on that place for
five years, when he moved on section 1 1 of the same
township, where he has since resided. He is at
present the proprietor of 200 acres of land in that
township, the major portion of which is under an
advanced state of cultivation. He has a good resi-
dence on his farm, and substantial outbuildings, and
is meeting with success in his chosen vocation.

— ^^f^ — ^A4>nn@

Mr. Warnock was first united in marriage in
County Down, Ireland, Dec. 6, 1839, to Miss Mary
Campbell, a native of that county, where she was
born Aug. 15, 1815. She has borne him eight chil-
dren,— Margaret, born July 7, 1841 ; William, July
4, 1843; Alexander, April 20, 1845 ; David, Aug. 7,
1847 ; James C, Dec. 4, 1850; John, Feb. 23, 1853;
Hugh, Aug. 7, 1855; and Janet, April — , 1858.
Margaret is the wife of James Bailey, a resident of
Rural Township and by occupation a farmer. Will-
iam settled in Iowa, where he lived several years,
and on account of ill health returned to Rural Town-
ship, where he died. Alexander is living in Keokuk,
Iowa, where he is engaged in farming. David re-
sides in Rural Township, and follows the vocation of
a farmer. James C. is a United Presbyterian cler-
gyman and resides in Scott Co., Iowa. John died
in Rural Township, in 1878; and Hugh is also a
resident of the same township and a farmer ; Jenet
is the wife of John Campbell, a resident of New
York city.

Mrs. Warnock died in Rural Township, Nov. 12,
1875, and Mr. Warnock was again married, Nov. 23,
1882, to Miss Eliza Ralston, who likewise was born
in County Down, March 13, 1835. Mr. W. has
held the office of Supervisor in his township one
term, Assessor seven years, and also other minor
offices. Mr. and Mrs. W. are members of the
United Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. War-
nock is a believer in and supporter of the principles
of the Republican party.

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illiam J. Gamble, Superintendent of the
Moline & Rock Island Horse Railroad,
son of one of the pioneers of Rock Island
County, was born at Moline, 111., April 4, 1S46.
parents, Josiah and Elizabeth (Heck)
Gamble, were natives of Westmoreland Co.,
Pa., and came to Rock Island in 1837. Mr. Gamble
died in 1S74, at the age of 66 years. He was a
farmer, and the subject of this notice followed that
vocation until about 29 years of age.

In 1S74 he accepted employment with his present
company as a barn hand and afterward as a dri-
ver. In 18S3 — a year before the retirement of John
Warner from the superintendency — Mr. Gamble's

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ROCK ISLAND

COUNTY.

efficiency had so recommended him to the company
that he was at once promoted to the position. Since
his elevation to the superintendency his manage-
ment has been in the highest degree acceptable to
the stockholders and officers, who find in him a man
calculated to promote the best interests of a road
already recognized as among the first-class street
railways of the country. Nor are Mr. Gamble's
merits as a street railroad manager known only to
his immediate employers. That his services are in
ready demand with various companies in other cities
is shown by the number of letters he has received,
and that have been written with a view to inducing
him to leave the Moline & Rock Island, and adopt
the interest of some other line.

In October, 1861, Mr. Gamble enlisted as a sol-
dier in Co. C, 66th 111. Inf , and served to the close
of the war, participating, in the meantime, in the
battles of Nashville, Tenn., and Kingston Cross
Roads, N. C. Sept. 17, 1S68, he was married at
Orion, Henry Co., 111., to Miss Margaret J. States,
a native of that county, and daughter of C. States,
Esq., and has had born to him four children, namely :
Elmer C, Maudie, May, Johnnie, and Elnora, who
died Jan. 14, 1882, when only a few weeks of age.

-0-3-

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Jb,apt. George Dodge, a prominent citizen

jjs of Port Byron, was born in Guildhall, Es-

_|P" ^ sex Co., Vt., Oct. 13, r8i4. His father,
&fe John Dodge, was a native of Salem, Essex
3P r„ m

Co., Mass., a direct descendant of a family of
that name who came from England about
1670 and settled in Salem. He was a hatter by
trade, and George learned the same from him, and
worked at it until 1839, when he went to New York
city for a short time, and then to Port Lee, N. J.
After teaching school there one year, he went to
sea as a " sailor before the mast " on a whaler, and
within the ensuing two years he made two voy-
ages. Returning to New York, he enlisted in the
first United States Dragoons and served five years
in the West, during which time he visited that sec-
tion of the country now included in Colorado, New
Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

After his discharge in 1846, he came to Port By-
ron, and two months afterward he went to|the Galena

lead mines for a year. Returning to Port Byron, he
engaged as a clerk for Holmes & Moore two years,
and then in trade on his own account until 185 S.
In 1861 he raised a company of volunteers, which
was attached to the Fourth 111. Vol. Cav., and was
mustered into the service of the Government in Sep-
tember, 1861, Mr. Dodge as Captain. After a ser-
vice in the army one year, he resigned, on account
of ill health, and returned to Port Byron. Subse-
quently, from 1870 to 1875, he was in the Govern-
ment service as Gauger, being stationed in different
places in this State.

Jan. 17, 1850, is the date of Capt. Dodge's mar-
riage to Miss Ellen, daughter of George E. and Mary
(Moore) Holmes, and their two children are, Clara,
now the wife of J. C. Fleming, and living in Port
Byron; and Mary, the wife of J. S. Knowles, and
residing in Kingsley, Iowa. Capt. Dodge and his
wife are members of the Congregational Church.

e?*<?II!I

, : ; jjrl.^apt George E. Filigree, of Moline, was
«i."i|p bom April 29, 1838, at North Littleton,
Hl^ ^ Grafton Co.,N. H. His father's name was
Wg> Joseph, his mother's Polly (Savage) Pingree,
, J j\ the former being of French, the latter of Eng-
I lish extraction. They had a family of n chil-
dren, of whom George was the youngest, and the
only one of the family now living. When he was
about three years old the family moved to the village
of Littleton. N. H., where his father soon died.

In 1846 the subject of this sketch went to Louis-
ville, Ky., where he lived for two years with his old-
est brother, Rev. E. M. Pingree, pastor of the first
Universalist Church in that city. Returning to
Littleton, N. H., in 1848,116 went to woik 011 the
farm of Solomon Rowell, at North Littleton, and for
two years worked at farming between Littleton and
Bethlehem, N. H.; worked at Hollister's Hotel at
Lisbon, N. H., for one year, and then lived about a
year with his uncle and guardian, J. W. Savage, then
worked for a Mr. Temple one year on his farm near
Lisbon. In 1851 he went to Methuen, Mass., and
worked about a year on the farm of his cousin, Wash-
ington Merrill; then went to Reading, Mass., and for
four years worked in the dry -goods and grocery store
of Thomas Pratt & Son ; worked one year for Samuel

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254

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

Pierce, church organ-pipe manufacturer, and then
sent himself to school at Paper Mill Village, N. H.,
for a few months, when he was called to the death-
bed of his sister, Mrs. Rebecca Atwood. After her
death he attended school for a short time at Lisbon,
and then went to New York city and peddled ice for
one season. He then worked a few months for
Manning & Co., cabinet manufacturers, Boston,
Mass., then returned to Lisbon, N. H.,and went into
the general store of Parker & Young, remaining there
until the spring of 1861.

As soon as the Rebels fired on Fort Sumter, he
enlisted for three months' service as a private in the
Second N. H. Inf., re -enlisting as a private soon after,
for three years or during the war, in Co. G, Capt.
Weston, Second N. H. Was in and about Washing-
ton on guard duty until July, when he participated
in the first Bull Run battle and retreat. After that
fight his regiment formed a part of Gen. Hooker's
First Brigade, and the regiment did guard, garrison
and skirmish duty along the Potomac and at Cock-
pit Point batteries, where the rebels had blockaded
the Potomac, until ordered into the siege of York-
town, Va. At the battle of Williamsburg, Va., he
was wounded in the right arm between wrist and
elbow, a bullet from the r4th La. Inf. passing
through, and he was taken to the hospitals at Fort-
ress Monroe and Hampton Roads, and later dis-
charged on account of wounds and sent home.

Sept. 4, 1S62, he was commissioned Captain of Co.
G, 1 ith N. H. Inf., and, with his arm in a sling, he
commanded his company at Fredericksburg, under
Burnside, through Kentucky after Morgan, Basil
Duke, Marmaduke and Wheeler, then out to Vicks-
burg and Jackson, Mis*. At Fredericksburg he was
knocked over by a piece of shell and wounded in his
right arm, right leg and left foot, and in the following
campaigns was compelled to have a horse. The
regiment returned to Kentucky, after the Vicks-
burg campaign; and as Capt. Pingree's arm grew
worse and he was liable to lose it by the arduous
duties of army life and camping on the ground, he
was ordered to Cincinnati, Ohio, on duty as member
of a court martial, and soon after was commissioned
as Captain of Co. I, Fifth Regiment, Veteran Reserve
Corps, and ordered to take charge of the rendesvouz
camp, Camp Carrington Indianapolis, and was soon
after placed on duty with his company, at the

prison camp of Camp Morton, Indianapolis. His
commission as Captain in the V. R. C. was signed
by President Lincoln and Secretary of War E. M.
Stanton, a document he is proud of. In the fall of
1865 the regiment was disbanded and Capt. Pingree
was ordered home to Littleton, N. H., to await
orders. In April, 1866, he was ordered to South
Carolina for duty in the Freedmen's Bureau, — having
charge of the counties of Darlington, Marion, Ches-
terfield, Marlboro and Horry, continuing on duty in
command of those counties, with headquarters at
Darlington, until Jan. 1, 186S, when he was honor-
ably mustered out (as were all other officers of the
Bureau), but was at once appointed civilian agent in
charge of the same territory, with same pay, emolu-
ments and authority as before, until Jan. 1, 1869,
when he was honorably discharged.

In the spring of that year he bought out a large
agricultural implement store, in Charleston, S. C,
but failed in that business in the fall of 1S69. In
the spring of 1870 he came to Rock Island, 111., and
for a few months was night editor on the Rock
Island Union, severing his connection with that
paper to enter the office of the Moline Wagon Com-
pany, which he left in 1873, and for three and a half
years traveled as salesman for the Moline Pump
Company. Thereafter worked a short time as ship-
ping clerk for J. S. Keator &: Sons, lumber manufac-
turers; then became local reporter in Moline for the
Rock Island Union, and Moline Dispatch, and editor
of the Moline Review, remaining in the newspaper
business for about three years, altogether, when he
entered the employ of the Moline Malleable Iron
Works as book-keeper and traveling salesman, re-
maining there until the firm failed, in 1863, when he
traveled awhile for the firm of Parlin & Orendorff,
plow manufacturers, at Canton, 111., the St. Louis
Wrought Iron Range Company, and St. Louis Malle-
able Iron Company. On July 20, 1885, he entered
the employ of Chapman Bros , Chicago, publishers,
as canvasser and writer of biographical sketches.

He is a Freemason. Was elected City Collector
for 1863, and served three years as Captain and Ad-
jutant of the 14th Bat., I. N. G , under Col. Builer.

Captain Pingree was married March 8, 1S77, at
Pittsfield, 111., to Miss Mar)' A. Keys. Her father's
name was Francis, her mother's Jane (Jago) Keys,
both being of Scotch-Irish extraction. They have

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

257

had three children: Frank K., born May 4, 1878,
died Dec. 13, 1883; baby, born Dec. 26, 1879, died
Jan. 3, 1880; and Earl L., born Aug. 8, 1881.

In religion Capt. Pingree is what is termed " Lib-
eral," believing that Our Father takes care of us
here, and will continue to do so hereafter. Hence
he is willing to trust himself in his hands at all
times, living or dead, and death in itself has no ter-
rors for him, the grave being only the entrance to a
higher and better life ; and believes himself to be
only a pupil at school here, learning daily lessons.
His creed is portrayed in the admirable words of
George Eliot : —

"Let all your converse be sincere,

Your conscience as the noon-day clear;
For God's all-seeing eye surveys

Your thoughts, your secret works and ways."

In politics he is a Republican, and cannot believe
that that great party has either performed all its
work, or yet fully accomplished its mission; and
as an American he takes positive pride in all that
glorious record which the Republican party made
between the times which Lincoln rose and Garfield
fell.

ames Keleher, farmer and stock-raiser, re-
siding on section 25, Edgington Township,
was born in county Latram, Ireland, in
March, 1819. He came with his parents from
Langford County to America in 1849. They
first located at Brooklyn, N. Y, where they
remained for two years. They went from there
to New Orleans, where, in T851, our subject was
married to Miss Eliza Biglan, who was born in
1826, a native of Langford County, Ireland. She
came to America at the same time Mr. K. did, and
some years later were married, in a distant city from
where they arrived in this country. To them have
been born six children, two of whom are deceased.
Those living are Michael, a practicing physician of
Chicago ; Thomas, who is working tlie home farm ;
Eliza and James. Those deceased are Mary, who
married John Mack, and was living in Mercer Co.,
111., where she was accidentally killed by a large
dinner bell, while ringing it. The fastenings of the
bell gave way, letting the heavy bell fall squarely

upon her head; she lived but 37 hours afterward;
she left three children, Jane, John and Thomas ;
Catherine, the other member of the family, died
when three years of age.

Mr. K. came to Illinois in 1855, and located in
Edgington Township, and in 1865 purchased a farm
upon which he now resides. It contains 280 acres,
is all well improved, and has upon it an elegant
residence. His farm will compare well with the
best in the township. Both himself and wife are
members of the Catholic Church. Politically, he
is a Democrat.

l : 5p%| elson Chester, a prominent business man

: klaJI? ot Moline, and Director and Secretary of

^^3? ^ Augustana College, Rock Island city, was

born in Sweden, May 10, 1838. In 1857,

his parents, Olof and Elizabeth (Hanson) Chester,

brought their seven children to America. They

came at once to Knox Co., 111., and located on a

farm where the elder Mr. Chester died two weeks

later.

The subject of this sketch entered college in
Sweden with a view to preparing himself for the
ministry, but left after a short course of study. After
a residence of a year and a half in Illinois he de-
parted for the gold fields of California. Mining not
proving so profitable as anticipated, he shipped as a
" sailor before the mast " from San Francisco in the
"Star King," in i86r. The vessel struck a sunken
rock and had to be abandoned as lost, at the en-
trance, 30 miles from Singapore, in the spring of
1862, and Mr. Chester shipped immediately in an
American schooner, for the Chinese coast. After
making the sea-coast cities of China, he left the
schooner at Shanghai and shipped in a British ves-
sel, the " Finzel," for London, where he arrived Aug.
6, 1863. From London he sailed to Sydney, Mel-
bourne, Calcutta and back to Dundee, Scotland, in
the " Gala," thence went by land to London again.
He next made a round trip between London and
and Montreal in the "City of Hamilton," and then
via the Balmacarra to Algona Bay and back to
London. He came to New York in 1865 and
shipped to the West Indies, returning to Knox
County, where he followed farming a year or so.

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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The following year he tried lake sailing, first as mate,
and later as part proprietor of a small schooner, and
traded in fruit a few months, finally bidding farewell
to seafaring life in the fall of 1867, when he engaged
in the grocery business, at Wataga, 111. In this he
remained until the fall of 187 r, when he came to
Moline. Here, from 1873 to 1875, he was carrying
on two grocery houses, but in the latter year he con-
centrated his interests in what has since been the
only wholesale and retail grocery in the city. In
1873 he was made a director of Augustana College,
and in 1875 became Secretary of that institution, a
position he is filling at present, and has filled regu-
larly since 1875, excepting two years. He is also
Treasurer of the new school building fund, and alto-
gether is regarded as one of the pillars of that mag-
nificent educational institution.

In 1869, he was united in marriage at Wataga, III.,
to Christine Berglund, and their children are named
respectively: William Theron, Agatha Elizabeth,
Alvina Christine, Anna Adelia and Alice Cornelia.

As it is evident that a man having the history and
present standing of Mr. Chester should be repre-
sented by a portrait in this Album, it is given in
connection with the above brief sketch.

-£3-

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, L ugh MeCall, a resident of the township of
M ^oe, came to Rock Island County in 1849.
(•*S£^ He was born Aug. 26, 1832, in Butler Co.,
Pa. He is the son of John and Susan (Riddle)
MeCall, and his parents were both natives of
the State of Pennsylvania. His father was of
Scotch descent. The family removed to Westmore-
land Co., Pa., in 1835, where Mr. MeCall lived until
the date of his removal to the place where he has
since resided. The journey from his native State
was made in the manner common in the days when
there was no method of public transportation, and
the arrangements were all at the discretion of the
interested parties. They went to Freeport, Pa.,
where they took passage on a canal-boat for Pitts-
burg, and from there they came on the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers to Port Byron. The father and
mother were accompanied by all their family with the
exception of a son, who remained in the State where
he was born and reared. Four sons and a daugh-

ter came to Illinois. The cash capital of the entire
number on landing was $7. They rented land in
Zuma Township, on which they operated two years,
and in r85i the father bought a farm on section 27,
in Coe Township. This was the fam'ly homestead
as long as the parents lived. The place has been
managed since by the son who is the subject of this
sketch. He has bought additional land, and has
240 acres in one body, with excellent buildings, and
an abundance of shade, fruit and ornamental trees.
He is engaged in general farming and in raising
stock.

Mr. MeCall is prominent in the local affairs of his
township, and has held several official positions of
importance. He has been Assessor 22 years, and
has acted as Justice of the Peace 16 years. He is
Secretary of the Coe & Zuma Fire and Lightning
Insurance Company.

He was married Feb. 3, 1865, to Amanda Cook.
She was born in Wayne Co., Ohio, and has borne
one child, Tom Eby. Mr. MeCall is a Republican.

jfffjtC onas H. Wistrand, dealer in groceries and
'- provisions, 530 Fifth Avenue, Moline, es-
tablished his business in 1875. He was
born in Sweden, March 29, 1830, and is a son
of Peter and Catharine Wistrand. He came
to the United States in September, 1852, and
made his home in Porter Co., Ind., from 1852 to
1864. He then came to Illinois and engaged in
mercantile business at Paxton, which he continued
until 1875, when he removed to Moline, this county.
On coming to this city he formed a partnership with
Mr. C. G. Thulin in the grocery and book business.
The partnership existed until 1880, when Mr. Wis-
trand began in the grocery business. He has a well
stocked store, the average value of which is about
$3,500.

While a resident of Paxton, Mr. Wistrand was
elected Treasurer of the Augustana College and
Theological Seminary, since removed to Rock Island.
At the expiration of his term of office he was re-
elected, and has held that position continuously
since his first election at Paxton in 1865, covering a
period of 20 years. He has also been a member of
the Board of Directors of the College during the

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259

same time, and Treasurer of the Augustana Synod
many years, and in addition is also one of the Trus-

^ tees of the Moline Congregation of the Swedish Lu-
theran Church.

Mr. Wistrand was united in marriage in the city
of Chicago, May 21, 1864, to Miss Louisa C. Lind-
strom, daughter of David and~ Maria Lindstrom.
Mrs. Wistrand was born in Sweden, Jan. 29, 1838.
The issue of their union was nine children, of whom
seven are living, namely: P. Herman, who was born

j April 6, 1865 ; Wilhelmina C, born Jan. 22, 1867 ;
Clara L., Dec. 15, 1868, and died Feb. 16, 1872;
Otilia M., born Sept. 12, 1870; Anna Sophia, June
iS, 1872, and died Dec. 7, 1876; Eva Amelia was
born Sept. 4, 1874; Anna Elizabeth, Feb. 18, 1877 ;
Esther Octavia, May 3, 1879; and Lydia Aurora,
Oct. 3, 1881.

Mr. Wistrand is a gentleman possessed of many
estimable qualities, and is held in high esteem by
the community in which he resides. His long term

* of office as Treasurer of the Augustana College
speaks plainer than words as to his business stand-
ing and reputation for honesty and integrity. Polit-
ically, he is identified with the Republican party.

<?*

||.arl Baumbach, deceased, formerly a resi-

igjjT dent of Hampton Township, was born

jcp 3 *" Sept. 22, 1813, was a cabinet-maker by oc-

4>p cupation, and died June 10, 1S61. He was

w united in marriage with Anna M. C. Schut-

* ter, in St. Louis, in 1847, and they were the

parents of three children : Henry F. G., Augusta

and Ernest, all grown to maturity and married.

Mrs. Baumbach was again married, to Jacob Guck-
ert, who was born Sept. 21, 1839, and died Aug. 6,
1 88 1. Of this union four children were born : Lona,
Paul, Otto and Bessie. Mr. Baumbach came to
Hampton April 15, 1850, and engaged in the fur-
niture business, which he conducted until the date of
his death Jacob Guckert came to Hampton ten
years later, in i860, and carried on the wagon and
blacksmith business until the time of his death.
jj Mrs. Guckert was a native of Germany, and came to
^ the United States in 1843, and settled in St. Louis,
^ where she was engaged in domestic labor until her
>' marriage. She is the owner of 20 acres of land,
which she rents, and also two lots in Hampton, and

(cS

'ip Chester C

Waters, pattern-maker, manu-
l|jf| r facturer of house signs, wood and metal

||fV®^

patterns, models, etc., at Moline, was born
in Oneida Co., N. Y., July 30, 1825, and is
the son of Abner and Adeline (Law) Waters.

I His mother was a daughter of Captain Law,
of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Waters served his time
as an apprentice to the pattern-making trade, at
which he worked 12 years in New Jersey. In 1869
he came to Moline, 111., and engaged in the hard-
ware business with James Velie as partner. Mr.
Velie died in the second year of their co-partnership,
and Mr. Waters continued the business alone some
three years later. He then sold out and engaged
with the Union Malleable Iron Company as pattern-
maker, and continued with that company eight years.
Mr. Waters has been chosen to fill various official
positions. He was elected Township Assessor sev-
eral years ago, again in 1884 to the same office, and
also in the election of 1885, and in the discharge of
his duties he had given such universal satisfaction
that he was elected the last time without opposition.
He has served two years as Alderman from the
Fourth Ward, and took an active part in the estab-
lishment of water-works at Moline.

He was married in Oneida Co., N. Y., Jan. 1,
1849, to Miss Maria Mansfield. They were the
parents of five children, three sons and two daugh-
ters, namely: Charles N., who married Dell Altimus
and resides at Denver, Col. ; George N., who is
married and lives in Moline ; Annett is married ;
Gertrude is a teacher in the city schools; Joseph
married Belle Hill and resides at Clinton, Iowa.
Mrs. Waters died in October, 186S.

Mr. Waters was married again, in January, 1869,
in Marengo, McHenry Co., 111., to Mrs. Ann S. Bax-
ton, widow of Daniel Baxton, and daughter of Peter
Kane. Mrs. Waters was born in Chautauqua Co.,
N. Y., and had one daughter by her former marriage,
who is now the wife of Win. H. Muse, City Attorney

a residence on Water Street, and is also the proprie-
tor of a wagon and blacksmith shop, besides a res-
taurant. Carl Baumbach and his wife lived in
Hampton two years before any other German fami-
lies came here.

260

7^1

-7<<M>:m>*r-r

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

of Moline. Mr. and Mrs. Waters are members of
the Congregational Church. Mr. Waters has been a
Republican in political sentiment for years past. He
cast his first vote for the first national Republican
nominee, J. C. Fremont, in 1856, and has voted with
that party ever since. Residence, 1,925 Third Ave-
nue.

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jilliam D. Crabs, a reliable citizen and a
L prosperous and energetic farmer and
stock-raiser, residing on section 35, Edg-
,' ington Township, was born in Jefferson Co.,
Ohio, March 6, 1831. His father, Philip
' Crabs, was a native of Washington Co., a car-
penter by trade, and of German descent. The pat-
ronymic of the family was originally " Kraps." The
father came to Ohio when five years of age, with his
parents, and was married in Jefferson County, that
State, to Miss Sarah Duffield. She was born in
Pennsylvania, was of Scotch descent and of Ameri-
can parentage.

Mr. Crabs, subject of our notice, was only five
years of age at the date of the death of his mother,
which occurred in Jefferson Co., Ohio. He after-
ward lived with his father and step-mother, whose
maiden name was Mary Parr, until he attained the
age of majority, having learned the trade of a carpen-
ter under the instructions of his father prior to that
time. His step-mother died in Ohio, and his father
subsequently came to Illinois and settled in Edging-
ton Township, this county, where he resided until
the date of his death, the same being July 22, 1868,
during his 75th year. After Mr. Crabs had left his
parental homestead, he engaged in following the
trade which he had learned prior to his attaining his
majority, and followed the same for a period of two
years, operating in different parts of the country. In
the fall of 1852, he came to this State and located in
Edgington Township, where he has since made his
home most of the time. He was married here, at the
residence of the bride's parents, Feb. 23, 187 1, to
Miss Sarah E. Laflin, daughter of Charles and Mar-
garet (Hazlitt) Laflin. Mrs. Crabs was born in Edg-
ington Township, this county, Sept. 10, 1849. She
was reared here and educated in the public schools

of the county, and resided at home until her mar-
riage.

Mr. and Mrs. Crabs are the parents of five chil-
dren, one of whom is deceased. Nellie was born
March 10, 1874; Charles L., born May 16, 1876;
Philip, March 12, 1879; Clifford, Aug. 29, 1881; and
Grace, born Dec. 23, 187 1, died May 30, 1876.

After marriage, Mr. Crabs settled on a farm of
160 acres of land in Edgington Township, on which
he has since resided, and has the major portion in
an advanced state of cultivation. He is also inter-
ested in stock-raising and devotes considerable of
his time to that business, in connection with his agri-
cultural pursuits. His accumulations are attributable
to his own energy and good judgment, combined
with the hearty co-operation of his good helpmeet-
Politically, he is identified with the interests of the
Democratic party, and socially is held in high esti-
mation as a reliable and trustworthy gentleman.

|HJ[ eorge Wagner, proprietor of the Atlantic
Brewery, Rock Island, was born in Ger-
many, January 13, 1832. His younger
days were spent at school, and at the age of
14 he engaged himself to learn the bakery and
brewing trades, at which he worked until 2 1
years of age. After he came to America, which he
did in 1853, landing at New York, he immediately
went to work in a bakery in that city. He remained
there, continuing at that work, for two years, when,
as many others who land on our Eastern seaboard,
he looked to the West for a better place in which to
locate.

He accordingly came to Rock Island, and shortly
afterwards embarked in the bakery business for him-
self. He continued in this industry there with more
or less success until 1857, when he removed to Mo-
line and opened in the same line. Three years later
he started the first steam bakery ever opened at
Moline, which he continued to run until 1865, when
he sold out and bought the Atlantic Brewery in Rock
Island. This he has since enlarged by building an
extensive addition, so that at the present time it has
a capacity of 60,000 barrels per year. He gives em-
ployment to 50 men, and keeps 18 teams here and
at the branch houses, five of which are located in
Nebraska, as follows : One at Omaha, another at

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FORT ARMSTRONG , AS IT APPEARED IN 1840 .

Atlantic Brewert & Malt House , Moline Ave. Rock Island Ills . GeorgeWAGNER,Propr

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j?<9CX ISLAND COUNTY.

263

Columbus, one at Norfolk, and one each at Hast-
ings and Wymore ; he also has one at Sterling and
others at different places in Illinois. Besides man-
aging his large interest in his brewing business, he is
a stockholder and one of the directors in the People's
Bank of Rock Island, and owns, besides, stores and
business houses at Moline ; he also owns an opera
house in that city. His beautiful residence is lo-
cated near his brewery. Besides these interests in
Moline, he owns several dwellings at Rock Island.
He has three refrigerator cars, with the latest and
best improvements, which he uses for his own ship-
ments. In the summer of 1885, he built an ice re-
frigerator for cooling the beer, at a cost of $30,000.
Mr. Wagner's large brewing establishment is repre-
sented by a lithographic view which is given in this
Album. The dwelling shown in this view as being
located at the right of the brewery is where Mr. Wag-
ner resides.

Mr. Wagner was united in marriage in 1854, at
New York, with Miss Frederika Ippinger. She was
a native of Germany, and came to America in 1853.
They have three children living, as follows : Robert,
Ernest and George. Politically, Mr. Wagner is a
Democrat. He is a live, public-spirited citizen, and
does much to advance the interests of his city.

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,enry B. Carpenter, general farmer and
stock-grower, residing on section 19, Edg-
ington Township, was born in Lycoming
Co., Pa., April 17, 185 1. For parental history,
see sketch of J. A. Carpenter. Our subject
emigrated to Illinois with his parents, who lo-
cated at Edgington, and resided with his father until
the latter's death, which occurred Oct. 24, 1866.
Afterward he resided with his brother-in-law, Charles
Titterington, on the old homestead, which they
purchased^ consisting of 324 acres. Mr. C, of this
sketch, subsequently purchased his brother-in-law's
interest, and is now the possessor of the entire acre-
age with the exception of 20 acres of timber land. He
has entered energetically and vigorously upon its im-
provement and cultivation, and has erected a sub-
stantial residence, barn and out buildings. Mr.
Carpenter is interested in the breeding of a cross of

Norman and Clydesdale horses, and also raises some
Durham cattle.

Mr. Carpenter formed a matrimonial alliance Sept.
18, 1879, in Edgington village, with Miss Sarah E.
Deboard. She was born in Stanford, Ky., Sept. 25,
1854, and is the daughter of a farmer who now re-
sides in Mercer County, where the family came about
1875. Mrs. C, the wife of the subject of this sketch,
was well educated and taught school for a short
time. She is the mother of two children : Caleb R.
and Freddie. She is an active member of the Pres-
byterian Church at Edgington. Mr. C. has served
as School Director for nine years. Politically, he is
identified with the Republican party.

—46ir

mM« verett Wheeloek, Secretary and Treasurer

ai? of the Moline Paper Company, was born

Iff^ ' '" Elie C ° ■' N ' Y '' ApriI I3 ' l838 ' and is
Jjftp- the son of William and Catharine (Morey)

Wheeloek. He received a common-school
education, and when 18 years of age (in 1856)
he came to Moline and engaged with his uncle, S.
W. Wheeloek, as teamster. In the early part of the
paper business at Moline, paper was delivered by
teams through the surrounding country and bales of
rags brought back to the mill. Mr. Wheeloek was
employed in this branch of the business till June,
1 86 1, when he enlisted for the late war as a private
of Co. H, 19th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., and served in the
Western Army. He was promoted as Orderly Ser-
geant of his company, and was in three years' active
service except six weeks, during which time he was
employed on recruiting service. He was with his
regiment in the various battles and engagements in
which they participated, namely : the battles of Chick-
amauga, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Ga., and others.
He started with Sherman in his celebrated march to
the sea, but was mustered out in July, 1864. He
then returned to Moline, and having taken a course
at Pratt's Commercial College of Davenport, he was
employed in office work with S. W. Wheeloek. In
1875 he became a stockholder in the Moline Paper
Company, and in January, 1879, was elected Secre-
tary and Treasurer of the company, which position
he has held continuously since. He has served in
the Common Council of Moline, and Alderman from

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264

ACCA' ISLAND COUNTY.

the Fourth Ward one term. He belongs to the A.
0. U. W. and also the G. A. R.

He was married at Mt. Sterling, Brown Co., 111.,

in October, 1866, to Miss Mary O. Nye, daughter of

Stephen Nye. Mrs. Wheelock was born in Muscatine

' Co., Iowa. Mr. \V. is a Republican in political

<J>

illiani E. Brooks. The parents of this
gentleman, viz., William and Harriet
ii^ (Eames) Brooks, were natives of New
England, and trace their ancestry back to
the Pilgrim fathers. They were married in
New Hampshire, and their two sons and one
daughter were born there; the eldest, William E.,
whose name appears at the head of this sketch, first
saw the light of the sun July 5, 1S19. His boyhood
was spent about his father's tanyard, with incidental
attendance at the common schools. The family
came West in 1835, and settled in Rock Island
County, upon a tract of land now owned and occu-
pied by the subject of this sketch, and known as
" Brooks' Addition to the City of Rock Island." At
that time the town of Rock Island consisted of less
than a dozen houses, principally log cabins, and
the land whereon now stand two cities, Mcline and
Rock Island, were covered by almost an unbroken
forest. Thus it will be seen that the Brookes were
truly pioneers of this section of the country. William
Brooks, the ancestor, died at his homestead in 1S64,
aged about 81 years, and his widow followed him a
year later in the 69th year of her age.

The first four or five years succeeding his arrival
at Rock Island, William E. clerked in a mercantile
establishment, but the principal part of his life has
been devoted to the improvement of the old home-
stead. His first addition to the city was laid out in
1872, his second in 1881, and his third in 1884.
The natural appreciation in the value of the land
purchased originally from the Government at $1.25
per acre, would alone have made him a wealthy man
had he imitated the example of others, — namely,
denied himself and family the commonest comforts
of life, and held with a death-like grip to everything
of value that came into his hands. But Mr. Brooks
is no miser; on the contrary, he has been liberal al-
most unto prodigality. However, he has enjoyed the

fruits of his labor, and will round up the declining
years of his life possessed of an elegant compentency,
and will leave to those who succeed him enough of
this world's goods to pave their way successfully
through life.

Mr. Brooks was one of the original stockholders of
the Moline & Rock Island Horse Railway Company,
and has been for many years one of its directors.
Though identified with no particular Church, he is a
liberal patron of all. He donated one acre of land
in the Seventh Ward for school purposes, and the
exchequer of Augustana College was increased by one
stroke of his pen to the extent of many hundred
dollars. He is a Republican in politics, but no pol-
tician or office-seeker. Many years ago he served
a term as County Supervisor, and later on repre-
sented his ward as Alderman.

Mr. Brooks was married at Aurora, 111., Dec. 27,
1852, to Eliza M. Drane, a native of Canada, and
their eight children have been boin in the following
order : William, Charles, George, Freddie J., Harry
G., Mattie, Mary and " Josh." George died in De-
cember, 186 r, aged four years. Freddie J. died
May 26, of the same year, aged two years and four
months; and Mary died in infancy.

inthrop Robinson, general farmer and
stock-raiser, section 18, Edgington Town-
'n ship, was born in Dearborn Co., Ind., in
\ the town of Aurora, July 23, 1S26. His
father was a Massachusetts farmer, born of
New England parents, of English descent, and
very early in the history of the State came West to
Indiana, locating in Dearborn County, where he was
married to Abigail Hardin, a native of New York
State, born of American parents, of German ancestry.
Our subject was reared on a farm, receiving the
limited advantages afforded by the schools of that
early day. He went with the family to Switzerland
Co., Ind., where he learned the tanner's tftide. Mr.
Robinson was united in marriage in Switzerland
County, March 25, 1849, to Miss Maria Ransom,
who was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., where she
was reared and lived until 1846, when she came
with her parents to the county in which she was
wedded to Mr. Robinson.

In 1849 there was a general emigration of the en-

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^CCjT ISLAND COUNTY.

tire family to Illinois. They located on 160 acres
of land on section 17, Edgington township, this
county. This land was partly improved at that
time, and all hands industriously set to work to
make further improvements. Wmthrop the same
year purchased 80 acres of wild land on section 17,
adjoining his father's farm. He subsequently ex-
changed this for 80 acres on section 21, where he
lived and labored for some time ; then he moved to
his present location, where he has 160 acres, well
improved, with fine, large farm buildings. His other
possessions in the township consist of 130 acres of
land, all under cultivation. He is recognized as one
of the leading, substantial farmers in the community
in which he resides.

Politically, he is a straight-out Republican, and
has held some of the minor offices of his township.
Mrs. Robinson is a member of the Presbyterian
Church. They have had born to them four children,
two of whom are deceased. Those living are, —
Sarah, the wife of Marks D. McLaughlin; and Ber-
tha is the wife of W. H. Wenks; they both reside in
Edgington Township.

Jl'C eorge W. Walker, general insurance agent
;it Moline, represents 25 companies, two
i. : j~' r " K life and one accident ; successor to Gould,
Walker & Hemenway. This office was es-
tablished about i860, by Mr. Dan AV. Gould,
! and is the pioneer agency in the city. Mr.
Walker was born in Boston, Mass., March 16, 1845,
and is the son of Stephen F. Walker. He came to
Moline with his parents in 1855, when 1 1 years of
age, and was educated in the city schools. He be-
gan his business career as clerk in his father's store
in Moline, and was subsequently promoted tu the
position of principal in the business. Their trade
was that of general grocers, and Mr. Walker con-
tinued in the business until the fall of 1879, when
he retired to join Messrs. Gould and Hemenway in
the insurance business. That connection remained
so until the spring of 1885, when he became sole
proprietor of the business.

Mr. Walker was married at Cambridge, Henry
Co., 111., Jan. i, 1869, to Miss Myra Swartzcnburg.

Mrs. Walker was born in Ohio. Mr. Walker has
the most extensive business in his line in the city,
as he controls many of the soundest and most pop-
ular companies. In political sentiment Mr. Walker
is a Democrat.

ohn Metzgar, one of the oldest settlers of
Coe Township, was born in Pleasant Unity,
Westmoreland Co., Pa., Aug. 2, 18 [3, and is
the second son of Frederick and Mary (Swart/.)
Metzgar. His father was of Holland descent
and his mother of German. He grew to man-
hood in his native county. When 15 years of age
he began to learn the shoemaker's trade, and worked
at the same until 1835, when he emigrated West,
ling the first winter in Pike Co., Mo. In the
spring of 1836, he came to Rock Island, then called
" Stephenson," where he landed on the first day of
April. He was the first shoemaker at this point
building a shop and prosecuting his trade here until
1853. He then purchased 80 acres of land or
section 22, and 40 acres of tember on section
31, township 19 north, range 2 east, now known
as Coe Township. On this land there was a log
cabin, which he occupied with his family until 1859.
He then burned a quantity of brick, and built a sub-
stantial brick residence, which he now occupies.

Jan. 9, 1843, Mr. Metzgar formed a matrimonial
alliance with Elizabeth German, who was born in
Meigs Co., Ohio, May 10, ;82i ; her parents, William
and Margaret German, were of Scotch descent. Mr.
and Mrs. M. had eight children, six of whom are now
living — Mary, David C, Martha I, , Emma B., Lucy
A. and William Fred. Mrs. M. died May 15, 1884.

*&*.

orris Eosenfleld, President and General

Manager of the Moline Wagon Company,

and a member of the Board of bite, tors

of the First National Bank of Moline. Resi-

'1 J dence, Rock Island. The subject of this sketch

is a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, a son of

Jacob and Ellen (Ullmann) Rosenfield,and was born

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266

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i?OCA' ISLAND COUNTY.

Dec. 18, 1842. He came to America in 1854, and
direct to Rock Island, where he has continued to re-
side to this date.

He began business as a dealer in leather. In
1869 he established the Moline Wagon Company
with James First and C. A. Benson as partners, under
the firm name of First, Rosenfield & Co. (See his-
tory of Moline Wagon Company elsewhere in this
work.) On the incorporation of the Moline Wagon
Company in 1S72, he was elected President and
manager of the company, and has been re elected at
each succeeding election since. When Mr. Rosen-
field joined Mr. First in this business in 1869, their
shops were small and capital limited. The capacity
of the works was only about 100 wagons a year.
Under the management of Mr. Rosenfield, extensive
and substantial buildings have been erected, and
the Lusiness extended to its present magnificent pro-
portions. The company employs between 375 and
400 men, and has a capacity for manufacturing 100
wagons per day. The steady and healthy growth of
this important industry reflects great credit upon its
leading spirit and general manager, Mr. Rosenfield,
and proves him to be a man of good executive ability,
possessed of unusual business sagacity, nerve and
enterprise. The Moline Wagon Company ranks
among the foremost manufacturing industries of the
important manufacturing city of Moline.

Mr. Rosenfield was married at Cincinnati, Ohio, in
November, rS74, to Miss Julia E. Ottenheimer,
daughter of Henry Ottenheimer. Mrs. Rosenfield
was born in Ohio They have three children — Irene
R., Walter A. and Charles D.

V-j McGlynn.

■\

S. McGlynn, editor of the Evening Dis-
patch, was born in Unionville, Conn., Feb.
ri, 1850, and is the son of John and Mary-
He came West with his parents in
1854 and resided at Davenport, Iowa, for one
year and then came to Moline. In 1857 Mr.
McGlynn removed to Washington, Iowa, and in
1863 apprenticed himself to the printer's trade in the
office of the Washington Democrat, \n which place he
remained one year and the same length of time in the
office of the Washington Press. He returned to
Davenport in 1865 and worked as compositor on the
Democrat horn 1865 to 1869. From 1869 to 1878

he served as reporter and printer on the Davenport
Gazette, and then went to Chicago, where he worked
at the case until 1881.

Mr. McGlynn formed a matrimonial alliance at
Davenport, on the 5th of July, 1880, with Miss
Annie R. Pester, daughter of Edwin and Sarah J.
Pester. Mrs. McGlynn was born in Davenport. In
i88r, Mr. McG came to Moline and took charge of
the Moline department of the Rock Island Union
(both business and editorial) and held that position
until July r, 1S85, when he resigned, to form a part-
nership with Mr. John K. Groom, for the publication
of the Evening Dispatch and Weekly Review Dis-
patch of Moline.

Mr. McGlynn is identified with the Republican
party. His connection for several years with the Mo-
line department of the Rock Island Union has given
him an extensive acquaintance in Moline and vicin-
ity, where he is favorably known as an entertaining
writer of local news. The Dispatch under the edi-
torial management of Mr. McGlynn is sure to be a
newsy, readable paper.

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asilius Winter, of the firm of Mott,
: Winter & Co., of Rock Island, is a na-
tive of Germany, where he was born July
28, r849- His parents, Joseph and Mary S.
(Dauber) Winter, came to America in 1852,
and settled in Henry, Marshall Co., 111.;
lived thereabout r4 years; then farmed two years
there, after which they moved to a farm near Milan,
Rock Island Co., 111.

They reared two sons and as many daughters, and
Basilius was second, or next to eldest. He was edu-
cated while a boy in both English and German, and
at the age of 14 years came to Rock Island, and
began work for an uncle, as clerk in a liquor store.
He left his uncle, and returned to farming twice, but
finally settled down witli his relative, and remained
about 13 years, and was partner four years with P.
Fries & Co. In 1S80 he bought a half interest in
the wholesale liquor establishment of Mott & Co.,
and changed the style of the firm to Mott & Winter.
In 1SS5 a third partner was added, and the firm
styled Mott, Winter & Co. The reputation of this
house is such as any firm may well be proud of.
Fairness and square dealing is their motto, and their
success proves good judgment in their policy.

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271

Oct. 28, 187 1, Mr. Winter was united in marriage,
at Davenport, Iowa, to Miss Lizzie Bartemier, who
died ten years later, leaving four little children:
Agnes, Louis, Robert and Mamie, the latter of whom
died in October, 1S84, aged about three years. His
second wife, Johanna, a younger sister of his first
wife, he married in the fall of 18S2, and their only
child is named Cornelia.

Mr. Winter is a Democrat, but not an active
politician, though he has been before the people for
office.

^harles Stewart Eells,
jf 3 Union Malleable Iron Company, of Mo-
line, is the son of George W. and Eliza
born at Granville,

„ President of the

t J

0p (Pease) Eells, and was
ttj* Ohio, Tune 23, 1832. He removed with his
1| parents to Dayton, Ohio, in 1S4S, and, after
having received a classical education at the Gran-
ville Academy, he went to Louisiana, where he was
engaged as teacher at Bayou Boeuf, till near the close
of 1850, when he returned to Dayton.

Shortly after his return North, Mr. Eells entered
the Cincinnati Law School, at which he was gradu-
ated in the class of 1853. He then began the prac-
tice of law at Wabash, Ind., where he lived and
practiced his profession until 1856, when, owing to
defective hearing (an affliction hereditary in his
family for generations), he was obliged to abandon
his chosen profession and seek some other line of
business. At this time he joined his father at Dav-
enport, Iowa, and was engaged in conducting the
first book-store in that city. He conducted that
business until i860, when he purchased a farm near
the western boundary of the city, and engaged in
agricultural pursuits. In 1861 he was appointed
Assistant United States Revenue Collector for the
Second District of Iowa, a position which he held
four years. He was next cashier of the Citizens'
Bank of Davenport, from 1868 to 1870, and the
President of the bank from 1870 until Nov. 26,
1872.

Mr. Eells was initiated into Masonry at Wabash,
Ind., May 29, 1S55. He has since advanced through
all the promotions of the mystic brotherhood to the
Thirty-second Degree, and has been the recipient
of the highest official honors known to the order.

He was married at Piqua, Ohio, May 11, 1853, to
Miss Margaret Crosby, daughter of Elijah and Dolly
Crosby. Kirs. Eells was born in Fayette Co., Ohio,
Dec. 13, 1838.

In politics Mr. E is a staunch Republican, having
voted with that party since its organization.

^O00€

uther S. Pearsall, Chairman of the Board
of Supervisors of Rock Island County in
1S85, and a resident of the township of
Coe, is the third son of Deacon William C.
and Jane (Elingham) Pearsall, and he was born
in the city of Chicago, March 17, 1848. He
was still in extreme infancy when his parents re-
moved to Rock Island County. He was brought up
in Coe Township, and educated primarily in the
district schools. He studied two years at Knox
College. Later, he entered the Freshman class in
the university at Grinnell, Iowa. When he was 16
he taught a term of school in the district where he
resided, and after leaving college he again engaged
in the same vocation, teaching in all, six terms.

In the fall of 187 1 he went to Nebraska, and spent
one year in Antelope County, where he pre-empted
land on which he started a nursery ; but his hopes
and plans came to grief in common with those of
others whose prospects were ruined by the grass-
hopper plague. He abandoned his purposes in that
direction, and returned home. He was married in
September, 1873, to Charlotte Wake, the daughter
of Thomas and Maria Wake, and soon after that
event he bought a tract of land on section 14 in Coe
Township, containing 80 acres, and has become the
owner, by later purchase, of an additional 80 acres,
and owns 80 acres on section 23, adjoining, having
in all 240 acres, which is in excellent tillage. His
residence, which is represented by a full-page view
in this Album, is located on section 14, and the
farm is fitted with good and suitable buildings for
farm purposes.

The wife of Mr. Pearsall died in March, 1878,
aged 29 years. She left two children — Charles R.
and Percy. Mr. Pearsall was again married Jan. 5,
1881, to Ella, daughter of Mark and Mary Ashdown,
and of the second union two children have been
born, — Phebe and Rose.

fizx

Mr. Pearsall was first elected Supervisor in 1881,

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272

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

and he has since been his own successor. He be-
longs to Philo Lodge, No. 436, Order A. F. & A. M.,
Barrett Chapter, No. 18, R. A. M., at Port Byron,
and also to Evarts Commandery, at Rock Island.
He is an adherent of the Republican party in
political connection. As a representative citizen
and a gentleman in whom the people of Rock
Island County repose great confidence, the pub-
lishers of this Album feel that a portrait of Mr.
Pearsall will be looked for by the patrons of the
work. As a fitting accompaniment to his portrait,
which is given in connection with this sketch, we
give the portrait of Mrs. Pearsall

-*fo

eorge Allen, a resident of Port Byron, a
former citiEen of the township of Coe, a
pioneer and the son of a pioneer of the
county of Rock Island, was born Nov. 29,
1S25, m St. Clair Co., 111. The family pat-
ronymic is Allyn, his father and ancestry pre-
ceding that generation having, without exception,
adhered to that orthography.

Samuel Allyn, his father, was born in the State of
New York. He came to Illinois when a young man,
settling in St. Clair County, where he was married to
Candace Thomas. She was a native of South Car-
olina. Mr. Allyn bought a tract of unimproved land
in Shiloh Valley, and was its owner and occupant
until he had wholly improved the place. In 1833 he
sold the farm but remained thereon until the year
following, when he gave possession to the new pro-
prietor. In the fall of that year, 1834, he came to the
county of Rock Island. The journey was made to
this place on the steamer "Wisconsin," and the trip
was her first. Mr. Allyn bought a tract of land at
Port Byron, and he also made claims on sections 20
and 2r of the township of Coe, which was then re-
corded as town 19, range 2 east. The tract lying on
the river is now included in the site of the village of
Port Byron. He spent the winter in the home of
his nephew, Archibald Allen, and in the spring took
possession of his property. There had been a double
log cabin erected on the place, into which his family
moved, and they were its occupants until January,
1837. They then removed to the farm on section 20,
the village tract having been platted and a town laid

out, which occasioned a division of ownership. Mr.
Allyn had built a house on the new homestead, and
his death took place there in the month of March,
1838. He left a wife and six children. The former
survived him 35 years, her death occurring Sept. 29,
1872. John D., eldest child, is now deceased ; James
H. is a resident of Polk Co., Iowa; he is a retired
farmer; Maria is the wife of John Sigsworth, of Lane
Co., Oregon; Samuel lives in Saunders Co., Neb.;
George lives at Port Byron ; William is a resident of
Iowa, and is located near the city of Des Moines.
Mr. Allyn was a Whig in political connection and
throughout his life was prominent in public affairs;
was Justice of the Peace before his death.

George Allen, fifth in the family, was nine years of
age when his parents removed to Port Byron. After
the demise of his father he stayed with his mother
until he reached the estate of manhood, and passed
the time in assisting his elder brothers in the man-
agement of the farm and in the care of the family,
acquiring a complete knowledge of farming, and,
what was a better capital for the foundation of his
fortune, habits of industrious application.

In 1S49 he went to California, accompanied thither
by Schuyler Bailey and Dexter Bigelow. They se-
cured an equipment of four pairs of oxen and a
wagon, with which they set out from Port Byron in
March of the year named. They went via Leaven-
worth, and made a stay of a month at Fort Leaven-
worth. They arrived at Lawson's Ranch on the
Sacramento River in August of the same year. He
went into the mines at Reading's "diggings," which
is now well known as Shasta, and is one of the
most prominent portions of the "Golden State.'
Mr. Allen prospected and mined for gold about two
years, and then invested a portion of his means in a
saw-mill, buying a third interest therein. The es-
tablishment was in process of construction and Mr.
Allen was engaged in the manufacture of lumber
three years. He then bought land in Butte County,
and was interested in farming until 1856, in which
year he returned to Port Byron, after an absence of
seven years. He made his homeward journey by
what is known as the " Nicaragua Route " to New
Orleans, and thence on the Mississippi River, land-
ing at Port Byron March 26, 1856. He at once en-
tered into the business of farming on his property in
Coe Township.

Sept. 20, 1857, he was married to Anne E. Torpin.

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273

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Mrs. Allen is the daughter of Richard and Jane
(Crowley) Torpin, and was born in Montgomery Co.^
Pa. Her parents removed to Illinois in 1856, and
settled in Coe, where Mrs. Allen was a resident at
the time of her marriage. In 1S58 Mr. Allen removed
to Port Byron, where he bought an interest in the
mercantile establishment of W. W. Wiltshire. At
the expiration of one year he sold out and became by
purchase the proprietor of an interest in coal lands
in Henry County. He went to the village of Cleve-
land, in Henry Co., 111., where he was a resident
seven years, and conducted his coal interests from
that point. He came back once more to his farm in
Coe Township and interested himself in farming
until 1882, when he bought his present residence at
Port Byron. In 1875, accompanied by his wife and
youngest daughter, Mr. Allen went again to the Pa-
cific coast, where they spent six months visiting the
important points of interest.

The children of the family are named Charles H.,
Fannie A., Hattie L. and Carrie E. Fannie is the
wife of Wilson G. Fleming, of Port Byron. Mrs.
Allen is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. In politics Mr. Allen has been a Republi-
can since the formation of the party. He cast his first
vote for John C. Fremont for President in 1856,
and since that time he has regularly voted the Re-
publican ticket. In local politics he has been Su-
pervisor of his township. Mr. Allen is one of the
successful business men and farmers of Rock Island
County, having laid the foundation of his fortune
through the practice of economy and industrious
habits.

fhomas Dunn, deceased. On the morning

of March 29, 18S5, a local newspaper, in

a well-written obituary, began as follows:

" It will be sad news to the many friends of

Thomas Dunn to learn that he has departed

this life. Last evening, at 7 o'clock, just as

the day was closing and night her sable robes

was casting over the sun, all that was immortal

of Thomas Dunn took flight from this terrestrial

globe unto the great unknown. Come Death, as

it will, its office is a sad one; and though man

, has lived his three-score years and ten, the loss to

his friends and family is even greater than had it
come in early life. The ties that have taken years
to form, when broken are more heavily felt than
those of lighter growth."

Mr. Dunn was born at Sheffield, Eng., May 6,
1822, and in 1852, with a colony of his countrymen,
brought his little family, consisting of a wife and two
children, to America. The colony planted itself at
Welton, Iowa, where Mr. Dunn followed farming for
something over one year, and then removed to Dav-
enport, Iowa, where he took charge of a hardware
establishment, for a Mr. Hildreth. In this position
he continued until 1854, when he removed to Mo-
line, and opened the first hardware store established
at that place. At the end of one year or such a
matter, he took into partnership a Mr. Mansur, who
retired from the firm soon afterward, and from that
time up to March, 1881, exclusive of a few months
succeeding a conflagration which occurred in 1868
consuming his entire establishment, Mr. Dunn pros-
ecuted the business successfully and alone. He
began with little and ended with much. The recip-
ient of no gratuities, legacies or bounties, what he
possessed of this world's goods was acquired by his
individual effort and industry. Characteristic alike
for his modesty, unostentation and honesty, his name
will go down to those who succeeded him symbolic
of a life worthy of emulation. March 3, 1831, he
took both his sons into partnership, but the eldest,
William, discovering what he considered a better
chance, withdrew from the firm in April, 1884.

Though often differing with those around him
upon questions of public interest, none were ever
found to doubt or failed to respect Thomas Dunn's
sincerity. He sought no publicity, and in the later
years of his life made but few acquaintances. His
only ambition was to build a business upon princi-
ples of honesty and integrity, and in this he was
eminently successful. His name alone was a suffi-
cient guarantee of the merit of his merchandise — a
fact within itself enough, in these latter days, to con-
stitute an epigram worthy to emblazon a monument.

Mr. Dunn was a firm believer in the traditions of
the Democratic party, and while he took no active
part in politics, he enjoyed the fullest confidence of
those who did, and in questions of policy his counsel
was always sought, and when given, received a full
measure of consideration.

Mr. Dunn was first married at Hull, England, to a

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274

-&*<Mmti>^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

Miss Mary Howard, who died at Moline in 1856,
leaving two children — Blanche, now Mrs. Hayes, of
Des Moines, Iowa ; and Alfred, who was accident-
ally killed in the Wisconsin pineries in 1876. At
Rock Island, 111., Mr. Dunn was married Aug. 3,
1857, to Miss Maria McBurney, who bore him eight
children, viz. : Thomas W., a resident of Coldwater,
Mich. ; George D., who is in partnership with his
mother, succeeding to the management of the busi-
ness of the deceased ; Jennie, Lillie, Charles J.,
Richard A., Harry S., and a little girl, Anna, born
Sept. 5, 1866, and died Dec. 29, 1870. The precept
and example of a good man are always apparent in
his family, and the survivors of Thomas Dunn con-
stitute no exception to this rule. For many years
before his death Mr. Dunn was a consistent member
of the Episcopal Church, to which from the abund-
ance of his wealth he gave liberally, as he did also
to all worthy objects of charity.

^ohn L. Long, farmer, residing on section
Ijjfe- 26, Rural Township, is a son of John and

Susan (Shirley) Long, who were natives of
Pennsylvania and of German ancestry. They
emigrated to Richland Grove, Mercer Co., 111.,
and, in i860, settled in Rural Township, this
county, where they have since lived. They have
had a family of ten children, namely : Robert M.,
Jacob L., John L., Susan, Margaret, William J.,
Joseph and Rachel A., besides two who died in
infancy.

Mr. Long, whose name heads this sketch, was
born in Armstrong Co., Pa., Sept. 23, 1833; he
lived at his paternal home until 1853, when, in the
fall of that year, he came to Henry Co., 111., where
he lived for about six months. He was employed
in different places until 1856, when he located in
Rock Island County. He was engaged in farming
until 1859, when he went overland to California,
and was there something over three years, meeting
with partial success in a pecuniary point of view.
Returning to this county, he bought 120 acres of
land in Rural Township, where he settled and has
since resided. He is now the owner of 132 acres
of land, most of which is cultivated and in good
agricultural condition. Mr. Long has held the

offices of Collector and Constable, etc. In his
political views he is a Democrat, and both himself
and Mrs. L. are members of the United Brethren
Church.

Mr. Long formed a matrimonial alliance, in Rural
Township, April 19, 1854, with Miss Carrie, daugh-
ter of Alanson and Mary Sayre. (See sketch of
A. L. Sayre.) Mrs. Long was born in that town-
ship, April 23, 1847. The children of Mr. and Mrs.
Long are nine in number, and named Orin S., Mary
I., Wilson W., Eva M., Emma C, Minnie, Wallace
E., Lester and Effie.

C!)

^W H^feenry W. Candee, retired manufacturer, was

born in Wolcott, Wayne Co., N. Y., Nov.
|^~" 11,1820. His parents, Merritt and Phebe
(Abernathy) Candee, were born in Litchfield
Co., Conn., and the subject of this sketch, when
seven years of age, removed with his mother j y*>i
who was then a widow, to their native place, Har- =
winton, Conn., where he passed his boyhood.

When 17 years of age, he came to Hancock Co,, c=
111., Oct. 1, 1837, and engaged in farming until about •,<
1S44, at which time he removed to Peoria and was >
employed in various ways, until 1845; in the lat-
ter year he came to Rock Island, and witnessed
the hanging of the Davenport murderers. He
remained but a short time in this county, and re-
turned again to Peoria. In 1850 he started to Mo-
line and established a permanent residence there.
Mr. Candee had had some experience in mechanical
pursuits, and soon after locating at Moline he en-
gaged with Mr. W. A. Nourse, in the manufacture of
fanning-mills. In this business he continued until
1854, when he joined Mr. R. K. Swan in the manu-
facture of chain pumps, horse rakes, etc.; and they
continued in this business until the fall of 1865,
when they organized the firm of Candee, Swan &
Co., for the manufacture of agricultural implements,
with Mr. Andrew Friberg constituting the remaining
member of the "Company." The following year they
began the manufacture of plows, and admitted Mr.
George Stevens as partner. About 1867 S. W. Wheel-
ock became interested in the firm without change
of firm name, but in 1868 it was incorporated as
the Moline Plow Company. Mr. Candee being

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jWCX ISLAND COUNTY.

277

el. < ted Secretary of the company, held that position
until 1870. He was one of the active partners in
the concern, and retained his connection with the
company until i88t, when he sold out and retired
from active business.

Mr. Candee was united in marriage in Moline,
Nov. 20, 1849, to Miss Susan Swander, who died
without issue in December, 1850. Mr. Candee was
again married in 1855, in Geneseo, to Miss Flora M,
Chapin, daughter of Jason Chapin. Mrs. Candee
was born in West Bloomfield, N. Y. They became
parents of a son and daughter (twins), the daughter
dying in infancy; and the son, Fred J., married Miss
Carrie E. Hill and resides in Moline.

Mr. Candee is a Republican and has voted with
that party since its organization.

ev. T. R. Johnson, a minister of the Pres-
byterian Church, at Edgington, this county,
was born in Strattonville, Clarion Co., Pa.,
Feb. 12, 1S37. His father, Job, was a mer-
chant tailor by vocation, and a native of
Armstrong Co., Pa., and of Scotch ancestry.
The grandfather of our subject was a farmer and
settled in East Pennsylvania, where he was married,
and then removed to West Pennsylvania, and there-
lived until his death, which occurred in Armstrong
County about 1850. The father of the subject of
this notice was married in Armstrong County, to
Miss Margaret Ray, who was born in the same
county and was also of Scotch and Welsh d<
and of American parentage. The parents reared a
family in Clarion County, of four children, two of
whom are deceased. Sarah married W. L. Johnson,
and resided in Clarion County on a farm until the
date of her death ; Edward G. died of small-pox
while in the army, at Philadelphia: he was a mem-
ber of Co. K, Second Pa. Cav., Capt. Steele, and
died in March, 1862, having served about five
months, and at the date of his death was a Corporal ;
William J. enlisted in the 156th Pa. Vol. Inf., and
after serving for some time was mortally wounded,
in the battle of the Wilderness, and died in the hos-
pital at Washington, D. C, having served one year
and ten months

Rev. Johnson, subject of this notice, was educated

at Washington College, Washington Co., Pa., at
which institution he graduated in the class of 1
He entered the Western Theological Seminary, at
Allegheny City, Pa., in the fall of./ 862, and gradu-
ated at that institution in 1865. He was then licensed
to preach the gospel, and came immediately to Illi-
nois and took charge of a Church at Edgington vil-
lage in 1865, over which he has p ver since.
He has also conducted services al Plea ml I'-idge,
and temporarily has preached at other localities.

Rev. Mr. Johnson formed a matrimonial alliance
Oct. r2, 1865, at Clarion, Pa„ with Miss Mar
A. Sloan, a native of Pennsylvania, being born in
Clarion County, Feb. 28, 1838. She is the accom-
plished daughter of Samuel and Eliza (Sloan) Sloan.
She was reared at home and educated at Glade Run
Seminary, and began teaching when 16 years of age,
which she followed and attended school until her
marriage. They became the parents of six children,
one of whom is deceased : William W. is a te.
and resides at home ; Samuel S., Sarah E., Merle
M. ;md Lewis A. are the surviving children, and
one died in infancy. Mrs. J. is a member of the
same Church of which her husband is a minister.
He occupies the parsonage at Edgington, and has
been connected with the school interest of the town-
ship since he came here, and at present is School
Treasurer of the same. Politically, he is a Repub-
lican.

frfec.

Ci)

lfred Williams, of the Williams, White &

f & Co. Iron Works, and one of the pioneer

business men of Moline, was born in Hub-

bardstown, Worcester Co., Mass., May 2;,

15* 1824, and is the son of Henry and Keziah
(Newton) Williams. He lost his parents in
early youth and was left in limited circumstances,
with younger brothers and sisters to care for. He
succeeded in securing an academic education, and
at the age of 20 years went to Boston, where he was
employed as clerk in a dry-goods establishment. He
was subsequently engaged as assistant cashier of
the Boston & Worcester Railway Co., in the freight
department, and was soon promoted cashier of the
same. He continued in the service of the railway
company about six years.

He was married in Boston, May 25, 1852, to Miss

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^278

t««I1H>:>t

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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Sarah J. Taft, daughter of Timothy S. Taft. Mrs.
Williams was born in Heath, Mass. Soon after his
marriage, Mr. Williams formed a partnership with
his father-in-law . in the commission and produce
business, which connection continued two years.
He then came to Moline, 111., in the summer of 1854,
in accordance with an agreement made at Barre,
Mass., with Messrs. White and Heald. He was
chosen the business manager for the firm of Williams,
Heald & Co., of which he was the senior partner.
(See history of the company in the industries of
Moline.) Mr. Williams was possessed of correct
ideas of business and good executive ability, the ex-
ercise of which, aided ably by his industrious and
capable partners, soon placed the business on a
prosperous footing; and as years have rolled by he
has had the satisfaction of seeing, as a result of their
joint efforts, a mass of towering brick structures on
the site where he first built the little wooden shop
31 years ago, where five men were employed, and
now from 75 to 100 men aie required to do the work.
Starting with a capital of $2,500, they now have a
capital stock of $50,000, with a surplus of as much
more.

Mr. Williams retired from business in 1883, and
went to Florida with his family, where he spent the
winter. He purchased property in that State, and
has made that his winter ho.ne, while he spends his
summers at Moline. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have
had nine children, four of whom died in infancy.
The five surviving sons are, Frank H., the Vice-
President of the Williams, White & Co. Iron Works ;
he married Lillian A. Strode and resides at Moline ;
the second son, Alfred H., is in Florida ; the third.
John J., is book-keeper in the office of Williams,
White & Co. ; the younger ones, Harry T. and Par-
ker M., are students. Mr. Williams was a warm
anti-slavery man, when that subject was of general
public interest. He supported Martin Van Buren
on the Free-Soil ticket and has subsequently voted
with the Republican party.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams have been professors
of religion since early youth. They became mem-
bers of the Congregational Church and have been
identified with that society continuously since. Mr.
Williams has been a Deacon of the Church for the
past ten years. He has been identified with the
growth and development of Moline, of which the
business he aided in establishing and so successfully

conducting has been an important factor. While he
has always given a generous support to all worthy
public enterprises, Mr. Williams has devoted his at-
tention strictly to his business, and has never allowed
his name to be used in connection with public office.

— ^##^-

^§m ^A harles Laflin > a general farmer of Edging-
iJiJ^gJy ton Township, and one of the prominent,
Ijp," ^ enterprising men of his section of the
#9 county, as well as an early settler, was born
(K Jan. 16, 1820. His father, Parley Laflin,
I was a native of Dutchess Co., N. Y., and by
occupation a farmer. After his marriage he moved
to Cherry Valley, Otsego Co., N. Y., where our sub-
ject was born. The origin of the Laflin family in
America was the coming of Charles and Winthrop
Laflin to this continent. The former was the grand-
father of our subject, and both were born in Dublin,
Ireland. All the Laflins in this country who spell
the name as this family do, are said to be the de-
scendants of these two brothers.

The father of our subject was married to Esther
Benedict, a native of Connecticut and of New Eng-
land ancestry and parentage, and connected directly
with a Puritan family. After the birth of Charles,
their eldest child, they removed to the Western Re-
serve in Ohio, where they located upon a farm.
Afterwards they removed to New York, Chautauqua
County, where they resided until Charles arrived at
the age of 14; from there his parents moved to War-
ren Co., Pa, from there back to Chautauqua County,
to the town of Carroll. When he came of age, in
April, 1840, they came West, settling in Rock Island
County. Having lost his first wife, who died at
Carroll, N. Y., the elder Laflin was married again at
that place. On coming to this county, he purchased
a farm in Edgington Township, where he lived until
his death, which occurred May 13, r85o, at the age
of 52 years.

Our subject lived at home, working on the farm
and attending the district schools and a school at
Mayville, the county seat of Chautauqua County,
until he came West. He was married to Miss Mar-
garet Hazlitt, daughter of Alexander and Sarah
(Mackay) Hazlitt, May 23, 1844, at her home. Her
parents were formerly farmers of New Jersey, and

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

279

were of Scotch-Irish descent though born in the
State of New Jersey. Mrs. Laflin was born in War-
ren Co., N. J., May 6, 1819, and was 18 years of age
when the family came West. They stopped for one
year in La Salle Co., 111., and then came on to Rock
Island County, where they arrived in 1S39. They
located in Edgington Township, on a farm of 160
acres. Three years later, Aug. 24, 1842, the mother
died, at the age of 37 years. The father died Dec.
2, 1849, in Edgington Township.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Laflin settled
on a farm, and have since devoted their energies to
the quiet and pleasant occupation of farming. He
has an excellent farm of 160 acres on section 31, all
well improved, and also 40 acres of timber land.
Mrs. Laflin is a member of the Presbyterian Church
at Edgington, and Mr. L. has served as Justice of
the Peace for six years, and also as Assessor and
School Director. He is a member of the A. F. & A.
M. at Edgington, and has been Master of his lodge
(Keeney Lodge, No. 223,) for several years. Politi-
cally, he is a Democrat.

There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. L., five
children, as follows : Alexander, deceased ; Mary
E., wife of I. H. Hazlitt; Sarah E., wife of Wm. D.
Crabs; Edgar, who married a daughter of Joseph
Lloyd; and Edith, residing at home.

■-fcs>»-

^Fjffia|SEb,harles F. Hernenway, cashier of the Mo-
line National Bank, also of the Moline
Mfa ^ Savings Bank, son of Luke E. and Jane
E. (Marsh) Hernenway, was born at Grand
de Tour, Ogle Co., 111., Nov. 1,1846. The
family removed to Moline in 1855, where they
have since resided, and where the subject of this
sketch acquired such education as was possible be-
fore he was 15 years of age. Leaving home in 186 1 ,
he landed directly at Lansing, Iowa, where he was
employed as a clerk in the postoffice until the fall of
1862. When in the 15th year of his age, he en-
rolled as a private soldier in Co. B, 27th Iowa Vol.
Inf., and served to the close of the war, being mus-
tered out as Corporal in May, 1865. At enlistment
he was the youngest soldier in the corps to which he
was attached, and it is doubtful whether there were
in the whole United States Army a younger soldier

in the ranks and bearing a musket. He spent the
first year with his regiment doing duty and under-
going the hardships incident to the life of an ordin-
ary soldier. The second year he did detail duty as
a clerk for Gen. Hurlbut, at the headquarters of the
1 6th Army Corps, and the last year filled a similar
position at the headquarters of the Department of the
Mississippi.

Returning from the army, he at once entered the
First National Bank of Moline as book-keeper and
remained until the organization of the Manufactur-
ers' Bank of Moline in May, 1869. With this insti-
tution he accepted the position of assistant cashier,
from which he was promoted to the position of cash-
ier in January, 1876. In addition to his banking in-
terests, he is Vice-President of the Moline Malleable
Iron Company, member of the firm of Gould, Walker
& Hernenway, general insurance agency, and treas-
urer of the Moline Central Street Railway Company.
He has held the office of Notary Public for 16 years,
is a member of the Board of Commissioners, River-
side Cemetery, has served the city three years as
Alderman, and for four terms as Treasurer, of which
office he is the present incumbent. Whatever the
office — either public or private — the administration
of Mr. Hernenway has been uniformly of the highest
character. A man of exemplary habits, a cool head
and strong executive ability, he is ranked as one
among the best business men and financiers in a city
noted for its commercial and financial genius.

Mr. Hernenway was united in marriage at Moline,
Nov. 4, 1869, to Miss Mary E. Harrold, and they
are the parents of five children, namely : Martha J.,
Clara, deceased, Frances B., Harrold and Joe M.

( )

jLon. Joseph W. Lloyd, general farmer and
stock-raiser, residing on section 16, Edg-
ington Township, is a native of Penn-
sylvania, having been born in Erie County,
that State, May 10, 1S1S. His father, Aaron
Lloyd, was the son of Benijah Lloyd, who,
with his two brothers, settled in the United States
at an early day, and from whom the origin of the
Lloyd family in this country is traced. They came
from Wales, and the three settled in three different
States, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey,
the grandfather, Benijah, locating in the latter State.

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mmw&

280

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

They were farmers by vocation, and the grandfather
of our subject was a soldier in the Revolutionary
War. The father of Joseph W. was born in March,
1775. He had been taught the trade of a tailor
in Newark, N. J., and was there united in marriage
to Miss Margaret Lindsey. She was born in that
State, and was the daughter of an Englishman, who
was a farmer by occupation. Her mother was a
German lady. After marriage the parents of Mr.
Lloyd of this sketch lived for a while in " York "
State, and then removed to Pennsylvania, where
the subject of this notice was born, as stated. He
was the youngest in order of birth of a family of ten
sons and two daughters, only one of whom besides
himself survive, Horace, a farmer, residing in Erie
Co., Pa.

Mr. Lloyd, subject of this biographical notice, was
reared and educated in his native county, living on
the parental homestead until he attained the age of
20 years. The following year he came West, to this
State, locating in Millersburg, Mercer County, where
he followed his trade, that of tailor, from (838 to
1849. He was united in marriage at Millersburg,
May 15, 1844, with Miss Eunice Beardsley, daugh-
ter of Rev. Elisha and Caroline (Marvin) Beardsley,
natives of Genesee Co., N. Y. The father was a
minister in the Unitarian Church, and he and his
wife were both of English descent, and were united
in marriage in Genesee County, the birthplace of
Mrs. Lloyd, where she was born Feb. 9, 1824. She
lived in her native State with her parents, being
educated in Chautauqua County, until she attained
the age of 18 years, when the family moved to
Millersburg, where they resided for some time, and
then came to Rock Island city, where they both
died, the death of the mother occurring in 1869, and
that of the father in 1882, aged 86 years. Mrs. L.
began teaching in the public schools of her native
State, when she was a young lady, and when she
came West ceased to follow her profession, and was
soon afterward married.

Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Lloyd, seven of whom are living, namely : Emma
C, born April 17, 1845, resides at home; Jasper,
born Oct. 15, 1849, deceased; Lovina J., born July
23, 185 1 ; she married Addison Rush; Milo, born
Dec. 3, 1853, was united in marriage with Miss
Lettie L. Bopes; Asenath, born May 21, 1856; she
married Cornelius D.Baker; Eunice, born Aug. 14,

1859, married Edgar Laflin; Luella, born Aug. n,
1S61, married James W. Titterington ; Walter J.,
born May 5, 1864, works the homestead, and is
unmarried. Lovina, Asenath and Eunice M. were
all teachers in the public schools of this county prior
to their marriage.

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd came to Rock
Island County, and purchased So acres of raw prai-
rie land, on which they located, and at once entered
vigorously and energetically upon its improvement
and cultivation. They are now the owners of 224
acres of land in the township, all of which is in an
advanced state of cultivation, and on which they
have a magnificent residence, good barn and sub-
stantial outbuildings. Mr. Lloyd also owns 160
acres of land in Gage Co., Neb., and also 40 acres
of timber land in Andalusia Township. Politically,
Mr. Lloyd is a believer in and a supporter of the
principles of the Republican party. In 1865 he
was elected Representative from this county to the
State Legislature, serving one term. Previous to
that he was Supervisor three terms, and has served
one term since, likewise serving in other minor
offices.

-hpn-

"■ J ; £>3 \\harles C. Seaberg, of the Moline Cabinet
"t! IfcSJij, Organ Company, is the son of John and

years.

m %

If Org

Louisa Seaberg, and was born in Sweden,
March 8, ^38. He learned the cabinet-
making trade in the city of Guttenberg, and
subsequently worked at pipe-organ making 11
He came to America in 1865, arriving in
this country on the 24th of July, of that year, com-
ing direct to Princeton, 111., where he was employed
at cabinet-making till Christmas time, when he went
to Chicago. Arriving in the latter place, he engaged
with Pilch Bros. & Co., organ-builders, and remained
with them two years. Returning then to Princeton,
he engaged in the furniture business with G. Larson,
and that connection lasted two years, when he sold
out. Mr. Seaberg then worked at sash and blind
making three years, after which he returned to his
former trade, pipe-organ building, and engaged with
the Western Cottage Organ Company, at Mendota,
where he continued for six years.

In the spring of 1876 he returned to his native
country for his health, spending one summer there,

ims®^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

)

s?S

vis

<*>

283

when he returned to the States, in September. Mr.
Seaberg spent the winter at Mendota, and in the
spring made a trip to the Indian Territory, but was
gone only a few months when he returned to Illinois,
and formed a partnership with Mr. Peter Colseth, of
Moline, in the manufacture of cabinet organs at that
place. They began in a small way, and succeeded
in building up an important business, operating now
as an incorporated company, known as the Moline
Cabinet Organ Company, of which an extended
sketch is given under the head of industries of Mo-
line, elsewhere in this work.

Mr. Seaberg was united in marriage at Princeton,
111., Sept. 8, 1869, with Miss Louisa Johnson, daugh-
ter of John and Annie (Hakanson) Johnson. Mrs.
Seaberg was born in Sweden, and came to America
when two years of age. They are the parents of
six children, namely: Olive U. E., born June 27,
1870; Amelia E. P., born Sept. 16, 1871; Lydia L.
\\\, born Sept. 9, 1875 ; Theodora P. C, born May
22, 1878; Gothfried S. E., June 14, 1880; Esther
V. C, March 31, 1882.

Mr. and Mrs. Seaberg are members of the Swedish
Lutheran Church, and Mr. Seaberg is a Republican
in his political views.

f ewis Wilson, a prosperous farmer and reli-
_t able citizen of this county, residing on
jaWr section 8, Rural Township, is a son of
vjj~ William and Rachel (Mills) Wilson, natives
(IS of Kentucky. The father,, as born March 8,
{ 1791, a.nd the mother Aug. 13, 1792. They
were married, and settled in Champaign Co., Ohio,
and about three years later removed to Greene
County, that State, where they resided until the fall
of 1828, when they removed to Montgomery Co.,
Ind. The parents continued to reside in the latter
State until the fall of 1853, when they came to this
county, and located in what is now Rural Township,
where they resided until their deaths, that of the
father occurring in October, 1856, and that of the
mother in June, 1S73. Their family comprised 12
children, namely : Lewis, Jacob M., Mary, Susan,
Lydia, George, Hannah, Adam, John, Owen, Moses,
and one who died in infancy.

Lewis Wilson, subject of this biographical notice,

was born in Champaign Co., Ohio, Feb. 23, 181 1.
His education was received at an old log school-
house in his native county, and his early life was
spent on the parental homestead, performing such
labor as is common to farmers' sons. He continued
to reside at home until he was 24 years of age, when
he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Thomp-
son, a native of Indiana and of Irish ancestry. That
event occurred April 2, 1835, and she became the
mother of four children, by Mr. Wilson, namely:
Mary, Rachel, George, and Lydia Lovia. Rachel is
the only surviving child, and is the wife of Charles
Simmons, a resident of Rural Township. Mrs.
Wilson died June 2r, 1842.

Mr. Wilson formed a second matrimonial alliance
June 30, 1844, with Miss Minerva Tipton, a native
of Tennessee, of French ancestry, in which State
she was born Nov. 1, 1823. Of the latter union
four children have been born: John W., Sarah,
Jacob and Owen D. Jacob is deceased ; John W.
resides in Oregon ; and Owen D. and Sarah reside
in Nebraska, the latter being the wife of Joseph M.
Piersol. Mrs. Wilson died June 29, 1852, and Mr.
Wilson was married a third time Sept. 25, 1856, the
lady of his choice being Catherine Simmons, a native
of Germany.

She came to America with her parents when five
years old, and lived in Pennsylvania and Ohio
many years. Peter and Catherine E. Simmons, her
parents, came to this county in 1850, and two years
later located in Rural Township, where they died,
the father Aug. 10, 1875, and the mother Aug. 23,
1874, — the former at the age of 82 years, and the
latter at 79 years. Mrs. \V. was born July 30, 1828.
Their home has been blessed with eight children,
who bear the following names: Henry P., Catherine
L., James R., Maria L., Lewis E., Charles C, Jacob
S. and Charlotte H. Catherine is the wife of George
Stewart, a farmer of Rural Township ; Maria L., the
wife of Charles Carlson, a resident of Dakota.

Mr. Wilson is the owner of 240 acres of land in
Rural Township, 150 of which is in a tillable condi-
tion. He also owns 320 acres in Nebraska. Mr.
Wilson has served as Justice of the Peace for nine
years, and represented his township on the Board of
Supervisors for five years. His political sentiments
are Democratic. Religiously he is a member of the
Baptist Church, while Mrs. W. is connected with

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y«cv

284

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

the Presbyterian Church. As a highly respected
representative of the agricultural element of the
county, and a pioneer well and favorably known,
the portrait of Mr. Wilson is presented in this
work. He is a worthy representative of a worthy
class.

ev. Henry Oliver Lindeblad, Pastor of
the Swedish Lutheran Church of Moline
' since 1879, was born in Tanuras Socken,
Bohus Lan, Sweden, March 7, 1S45. He
aid the foundation of his education at the
Gymnasium of Gottenburg, and emigrated to
America in 1866. He came at once to Paxton, 111.,
where he entered the Augustana College and Theo-
logical Seminary as a student, took a three-years
course and graduated in the class of 1S69. He was
then sent as a home missionary to Campello and
Boston, Mass., where he spent two years and or-
ganized the now existing Swedish Congregation in
the latter city. He was next Pastor at Chandler's
Valley, Warren Co., Pa., where he labored nine
years, or until 1879, when he accepted a call from
the Swedish Lutheran Church of Moline, since which
time he has served as Pastor of this Church, with
marked ability and satisfaction to the congregation.

Mr. Lindeblad was chosen a member of the Board
of- Directors of the Augustana College and Theolog-
ical Seminary of Rock Island, and has served as
such since 1880. He is also a member of the Library
Board, and is a member of the Central Board of
Missions of the Augustana Synod. While a resident
of Pennsylvania, he served as a member of the Board
of Education.

Mr. Lindeblad was united in marriage, at Prince-
ton, 111., Jan. 30, 1868, to Miss Christina Pierson,
daughter of Martin and Elsa Pierson. Mrs. Linde-
blad was born in Skane, Sweden, Nov. 30, 1839.
They have six children, four boys and two girls :
Alma E. E. C, born July 18, 1870, at Campello,
Mass.; A. Gothold E., born at Chandler's Valley,
Pa., April 6, 1872, died May 1, 1881 ; I. Luther E.,
born March 8, 1874; Esther E. Th., born Aug.
17, 1876; Alvin S. N., born March 15, 1879; and
Carl G. T., born Sept. 27, 1881. The youngest was
born at Moline, 111., but the others, with the excep-

tion of the eldest, were born at Chandler's Valley,
Pa.

The Rev. Mr. Lindeblad is Pastor of one of the
most important Churches in the West. The church
edifice is the largest of all in Rock Island County,
and the largest of all of the denomination in the
State. The membership numbers 1,100 communi-
cants. Mr. Lindeblad is a gentleman of thorough
culture, fluent and entertaining in his discourse,
modest and unassuming in his manner, and genial
and affable in social intercourse, while his natural
kindness of heart makes him easily accessible to
those in trouble or distress. It is no flattery to tell
the truth, and it is only truth to say that Mr. Linde-
blad is held in the highest esteem and warm, friendly
regard, not only by his own people, but by his fellow
citizens in general.

He has always voted with the Republican party.

Vcu

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1 Y(' it I \ illiam Henry Devore, banker at Port By
^ BsBgj C ron, was a born and bred pioneer, and ha;

\§&&

*^p occupied that relation to the business de-

velopment of Rock Island County, as well as

in the more common acceptance of the term.

He was born Aug. 20, 1818, at Uniontown,

Fayette Co., Pa., and is the eldest son of John L.

and Phebe (Parrottj Devore. He is of unmixed

French ex'raction, both parents having descended

from that nationality. David Devore, his paternal

grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania, and was,

a soldier of the Revolution, which he survived many

years, and he passed the close of his life in the full

enjoyment of the privileges of a beneficiary of his

country that recognized the value of his efforts in

her behalf.

John L. Devore was an artisan in his native State,
and in 1822 he removed his family to Licking Co.,
Ohio, where he bought a tract of timber land. He
put his estate under excellent improvements, and it
was his home and field of operation until about ten
years before his death. His wife also died in Lick-
ing Co., Ohio. Mr. Devore was a child of four years
when his parents emigrated to the Ohio forest, and
he had only the prescribed privileges of the son of
a pioneer, including little familiarity with books, and
affording corresponding necessity and opportunity

$flg@Hli$4£ — ^^ -ft*

has $;

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

285

for the acquisition of mental culture by observation,
from which conditions, it may be remarked in pass-
ing, has arisen the best element of humanity on
which Western institutions have been founded.

At 15 he obtained the consent of his parents to
endeavor to make his way in the world unaided.
He obtained employment in the vicinity of his home,
and during the first year of his independent exist-
ence he earned $3 a month, together with his board.
Until he was 22 he worked on a farm summers and
attended school winters. In 1839 he accepted a
proffered situation in a grocery at Akron, Summit
Co., Ohio, and officiated in that capacity for two
years. He then went South, and obtained employ-
ment in the service of the Lower Mississippi, filling
the position of an assistant clerk on a steamboat.
He passed two years in that capacity, coming thence
in 1844 to Illinois. He bought 80 acres of wild
land, composed in part of timber and prairie, in
Sharon, Henry County, of which he was the owner
and proprietor for two years. His next remove was
to Rock Island County in 1846, where he became
'■ by purchase the owner of a farm on section 7
> of township 18 north, range 3 east, of Government
land, now designated as Brewster & Hill's farm.

Until 1849 he was occupied in the prosecution of
his agricultural interests. In that year he became
interested in the glowing rumors concerning the
possibilities afforded by the resources of the Pacific
coast, and in company with a party of adventurous
spirits, numbering about 70, he set out for Oregon.
The company, with 24 wagons and 72 yoke of oxen,
left Illinois May 1, and journeyed across the conti-
nent, and arrived at Fort Vancouver, Oregon, Oct.
18, 1849. Mr. Devore obtained employment as a
umberman, at Milwaukee, Oregon, and was engaged
until the first of March, 1850, in cross-cutting saw-
logs, hauling and drawing them to mill, receiving a
compensation of $5 per day for his labor. At the
date above named he went to San Francisco, whence
he proceeded to Sacramento, shortly afterward going
there by steamer. From there he went by land
route to Bird's Valley, El Dorado County, where he
operated some time as a miner, but without satis-
factory results. He then embarked in mercantile
operations, establishing a store at Bird's Valley, and
^) dealing in the general supplies required by the min-
^» ing community. After a few months he associated

)

with himself in his business a man named Jonas
Barber, a former resident of Port Byron, 111. After
a joint management, covering a period of ten
months, they sold their business interests and rela-
tions, with the intention of returning toward the
East.

They took passage from San Francisco, and pro-
ceeded on the Pacific Ocean to Realjo, in Central
America, whence they went by land to the city of
Leon, in the State of the same name. They pro-
ceeded to Granada, crossed Lake Nicaragua to Fort
San Carlos, whence they traveled on the San Juan
River to San Juan de Nicaragua. They sailed
thence on the English war steamer " Tay," to
Chagres, on the Isthmus of Panama. At that port
they embarked on the United States steamer
" Philadelphia " for New Orleans. They came up
to the city of St. Louis on the same steamer, whence
they journeyed by stage to Sharon in Henry County.
This was in 185 1.

Mr. Devore came thence to Port Byron, and, Jan-
uary 2r, in partnership with A. J. Brown, he estab-
lished a mercantile enterprise under the firm style
of Brown & Devore. In 1863 the impaired health
of Mr. Brown necessitated a change in their busi-
ness relations, and the senior partner withdrew.
Mr. Devore pushed the enterprise singly, and in
the same year founded his banking business. He
admitted W. J. Shepherd to an interest in 1866, and
their associations continued until the death of Mr.
Shepherd, in 187 1. Mr. Devore severed his con-
nection with commercial affairs in 1877, since which
time he has devoted his time to his banking inter-
ests exclusively. His abilities as a financier are of
a superior character, and his entire business career
at Port Byron is such as to result in permanent
benefit to the general public. At the outset he was
the possessor of a cash capital of $800, from which
he has built his present substantial fortune.

Mr. Devore was united in marriage in October,
1844, with Eliza Beardslee. She was born in Jer-
sey, Licking Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of
Charles and Rebecca (Ayres) Beardslee. Her
parents were born in Sussex County, State of New
Jersey, and were pioneers of the township of Jersey.
Later, they removed to Henry Co., 111., the father
buying a farm in the township of Sharon, which was
the homestead until the death of the father, after

®Hj)H^

^trans>4

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S&7^

2 86

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

which the mother moved to Rock Island. She died
in Geneseo, this State. Rose E., wife of Hon. J. W.
Simonson, of Port Byron, is the only child of Mr.
and Mrs. Devore.

s A. Nourse, proprietor of Grand View
Ulk Green-houses and Nursery, established
Jf^S?r> ' : ' s business ra ,86 5- The subject of our

"S> sketch was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., Feb.
9, 1820. He came to Illinois in the spring

' of 1838 and located at Peoria, where he re-
sided until the spring of 1S46, when he removed to
Moline. On coming to this place, he engaged in
the manufacture of fanning-mills, in company with
his brother Alonzo, under the firm name of Wm. A.
& Alonzo Nourse. They were among the first man-
ufacturers in Moline, shipping their goods at one
time throughout the greater portion of the Missis-
sippi Valley. Mr. Nourse also engaged in merchan-
dising. He sold out his fanning-mill business in*
1852, but continued in mercantile business until the
commercial crisis of 1857, when he closed out. In
1859 he commenced improving his home on the
bluffs where he now resides, and began by planting
trees, and gradually developed an extensive nursery
business. In 1865 he began erecting "green houses,
and combined the business of florist with that of
nurseryman. He has devoted special pains to his
green-houses, and extended their capacity until they
now embrace an area of 5,000 feet of glass, well
stocked with a fine variety of plants and shrubs.
The houses are said to excel anything in this line
either in Rock Island Co., 111., or in Scott Co., Iowa.
He is selling out his nursery stock, and will in the
future give the green-houses his undivided atten-
tion.

Mr. Nourse was married at Peoria, 111., in Septem-
ber, 1844, to Miss Sarah F. Pettengill, a niece of
Moses Pettengill, of Peoria. Mrs. Nourse was born in
Salisbury, N. H., and is a lineal descendant of the
family of Daniel Webster, her grandfather being a
cousin of the great statesman. They have one child
living, a daughter, Mary F., wife of John H. Porter,
the job printer of Moline. Mrs. Nourse died in
August, 1881, being killed in the great wind-storm of
that season. Mr. Nourse was a positive anti-slavery

man in slavery times, and since then has been a
Republican. In addition to his being a true
patriot, he has been a consistent temperance man
since 1836, never having from that day to the pres-
ent time used ardent spirits, tea, coffee or tobacco.
His health, in consequence of his temperate habits,
is excellent, and now, at the age of 65, he is vigor-
ous as a man of 40. Mr. Nourse attributes his
mental and physical condition to his belief and prac-
tice in hygiene, which includes regular habits. He
is also a pronounced spiritualist.

SOOO^

8, 181 1, the

IE,. enry F. Thomas. On Jan.
I' subject of this sketch was born at South
Weymouth, Mas?. During his boyhood he
attended school in his native town, and then
settled down to learn the trade of shoemakmg,
at which he worked for several years, but finally, (
as his health was by no means good, he was accus- ^ '
tomed for several seasons to go out mackerel-fishing, / K
attending to that almost wholly summers and mak-
ing shoes winters. His parents were John and
Mai\' (Stetson) Thomas.

Our subject was united in marriage Sept 10, 1835, J;
with Miss Alice Hayward, who still survives and re-
sides at Hampton. In 1837 Mr. Thomas came West
and settled in Tazewell Co., 111., working at his trade
there until 1848, when he removed and permanently
located at Hampton, 111., and in that town, and at
Valley City on the opposite side of the Mississippi,
he engaged in the dry-goods business until 1865,
when he was elected County Treasurer of Rock
Island County, serving as such through the term of
two years, when he was re-elected to that responsible
office, thus holding the same from 1863 to 1869,
when he opened a shoe store in Moline, 111., in com-
pany with his son-in-law, Theo. D. Wheelock, con-
tinuing in that business until 1878. He then re-
moved his store to Hampton, and continued in that
line up to the time of his death.

Henry F. died at Hampton on Tuesday, 10:30 a.
m., April, 12, 1 88 1, lung trouble being the cause of his
death. He was one of the most pleasant and popu-
lar men, and his death caused wide-spread sorrow
among his large circle of friends. His family con-
sisted of Alice A., who was born July 14. 1836, and
died in 1847 ; Mary L., born Nov. 30, 1838, and was

§>V^^t~-

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Residence of Hon. J. W. Simonsom, Cor. High ^WalnutSt. Port Byron.

I=X
/

f ^

^?OCJ ISLAND COUNTY.

487 "N

united in wedlock Nov. 30, 1857, with Dr. George
Vincent; Joseph H., born Oct. 14, 1841, died Oct.
27, 1881; Camilla C, born March 20, 1845, and
Nov. 29, 1866, was married to Theo. D. Wheelock ;
Sylvia J., born Sept. 20. 1847, the date of her mar-
riage being Dec. 31, 1868, to Fred. C. Hemenway;
Alice H., born July 30, 1850, forming a matrimonial
alliance with Samuel S. Crompton Feb. 24, 1869:
Clara L.,born Dec. 21, 1852, and united in marriage
with James T. Francis, May 1, 1878; she died Oct.
29, 1884; Herbert E.,born July 19, 1858, and March
23, 2881, was married to Miss Ruth A. Sadler; two
children have been born of their union, viz., Henry
F., born Dec. 14, 1881 ; and Herbert G., who was
born Aug. 20, 1883.

Herbert E., the youngest of the family, attended
school at Hampton, 111., until he was 14 years of
age. Leaving the latter place, he began at Moline,
where he attended for two years, then going to Rock
Island for one year. At intervals during that time
he worked in his father's shoe store, and for four
years after leaving school he remained as clerk in
the store. In 1878 he accepted a position as clerk
in the office of what is now the Moline Scale Com-
pany, where he still remains; and by faithful service
and strict attention to his duties, together with prac-
tical aptitude for business, he has gained a place as
member of the company and a director in the con-
cern, where he now acts as deputy in charge of the
business during the absence of Major Grout, the
president, who is away most of the time at his farm
in Vermont.

* -€<^ *

J heodore M. Jones, photographer, corner
15th Street and Fourth Avenue, Moline,
established business here in 1878. He is
a native of T5utler Co., Ohio, and was born
T Aug. 23, 1849. His parents were Paul B. and
I Martha A. (Brant) Jones. He came with his
parents to Illinois when seven years of age and re-
sided in Knox County until 1864, when they re-
moved to Davenport, Iowa. His father was a
photographer and he learned the art in his father's
gallery.

In 1870 he began business for himself at Daven-
port, Iowa, where his establishment was totally con-

sumed by fire Aug. 31, 1871. He immediately
rebuilt and resumed business, and remained in Dav-
enport until 1875, when he removed to Marion,
Iowa, and conducted a gallery at that place from
1875 to 1878. In June of that year he established
his present business at Moline and has carried it on
continuously since. Mr. Jones has a well equipped
gallery and has won the reputation of being an artist
skilled in his profession. His work has given very
general satisfaction, and is spoken of with great
praise by a community well qualified to judge of its
merits. A large number of the portraits in this
work are from photographs taken by Mr. Jones.

Mr. Jones formed a matrimonial alliance in Dav-
enport, Iowa, Sept. 25, 187 1, with Miss Mary E.
Rice, daughter of Dr. J. E. Rice. Mrs. Jones was
born in Knox Co., 111. They have become the par-
ents of four children, namely : Archie H., born
March 3, 1873; Harry B., born May 19, 1875;
Bessie M., born Aug. 19, 1879; and Theo B., born
Sept. 8, 1884. Mr. Jones is a Republican.

jenry Ashdown, a farmer of Coe Township,
has been a resident of the county since
August, 1856. In 1857 he bought a farm
US in company with his brother Mark, in Canoe
\ Creek Township, upon section 8. It was un-
cultivated, and they were not in circumstances
to await the work of improvement ; and they rented
a farm in the vicinity, which they conducted three
years, and at the same time placed their own prop-
erty in condition for farming. In i860 Mr. Ashdown
bought the interest of his brother and took posses-
sion of the place, where he prosecuted his agricul-
tural interests until 1878, when he leased that place
and removed to Coe Township and bought the west-
ern half of the northeast quarter of section 17. On
this he has since resided and has improved it by the
addition of valuable buildings.

Mr. Ashdown was born Aug. 24, 1829, in the
county of Kent, England. He is the sixth son of
Edward and Annie (Bakurst) Ashdown, and his
parents were natives of the same part of England.
The senior Ashdown and the two sons who have
been named already, came in 184 1 to the United
States, and at first settled in the State of New York,

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^mmm>7

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

where they remained 14 months. At the end of
that time they went back to England and remained
in their native country until 1850, in which year the
two sons returned to America. They located in the
State of New York, and were residents there for
three years. Henry started in January, 1854, for
California, going to the Pacific coast by the isthmus
and arriving there in February following. Mr. Ash-
down mined for gold in Tullama two years and four
months. In June, 1856, he returned to the Empire
State, and in August of the same year he came to
Illinois, where he has since lived.

Mr. Ashdown was married in i860, to Nancy
Day. She was born in Hunterdon Co., N. J., Dec.
10, 1837, and came to Illinois in 1850, settling in
Canoe Creek Township. She had one child by a
former marriage, named Lucinda, who is now the
wife of James McRoberts. Four children were born
of her marriage to Mr. Ashdown, of whom there are
three living— Edward, May and Stella. The mother
died in 1870. Mr. Ashdown was a second time
married in 1872, to Hannah Cain, daughter of John
and Anna Cain and widow of Rodney McMurphy.
Mr. and Mrs. Ashdown have one child, Annie. Mrs.
A. is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The farm of Mr. Ashdown is considered one of
the best in the township of Coe, and he is regarded
as one of the most successful farmers in the county,
and credited with having the best buildings.

M. Sinner,, son of Alanson and
T*jjE Julia (Webster) Sinnet (see biography of

& s 1 fofflC ran cis

Alanson Sinnet), was born in Granville,
Ohio, May 22, 1834, and at the age of 22 years
came to Rock Island. The college estab-
lished at his native town afforded ample op-
portunity for his education, and the duties of farm
life developed his muscles, so that when he came to
a new country he was not lacking in the essential
prerequisites to success. Soon after arriving at Rock
Island, he embarked in the ice business and fol-
lowed it about 25 years. In company with his
father in 1857 he bought a 55-acre tract of land ad-
jacent to the town of Rock Island, and later on laid
it out in town lots, and platted it as " Sinnet's Addi-
tion to Rock Island." The natural appreciation
in the value of this property, the product of the

stone quarries discovered thereon, and the immense
profits derived from the ice business, has enabled
him to acquire a comfortable competency.

Mr. Sinnet was one of the prime movers in push-
ing to completion the Moline & Rock Island Horse
Railway, large interests in which he held until the
year 1S82. In addition to valuable real estate in
Rock Island, consisting of- vacant city lots and tene-
ment buildings, he owns 10,000 acres of fertile prairie
land in one body in Nebraska. He was chosen
Alderman from his Ward in 1S83, and re-elected in
1885. He has been a member of the School Board
ever since 1880., and at this writing (June, 1885) is
the presiding officer of that body.

Mr. Sinnet formed a matrimonial alliance in
Peoria, 111., in the fall of 1861, with Miss Jennie Mc-
Laughlin, a native of Pennsylvania, and has had
born to him three children, namely: Jesse K.,
Julia May and Mary F., the latter of whom died in
February, 1873, at the age of about four years. Mr.
Sinnet is a member of the Baptist Church, with mem-
bership at Moline, and Mrs. Sinnet is a member of the
Central Presbyterian Church, Rock Island. In poli-
tics he has been a Republican since the organization
of the party.

r^r*

—

enry H. Parks, a resident on section 15,
Edgington Township, was born in Worth-
ington, Franklin Co., Ohio, July 25, 1818.
His father, Jonathan Parks, was born in the
Green Mountain State, of New England an-
cestry and largely of English descent, and he
spelled his name without the final s, Henry H.
Parks, subject of this notice, being the individual to
add the sibilant letter to his name, thereby making
it " Parks " instead of " Park."

Mr. Parks, of this notice, came West in 183S, set-
tling in Edgington Township. He had no money,
and was in a land of strangers, with nothing but a
firm determination and an energetic disposition to
aid him in making his way in a new and undevel-
oped country. After three years of hard labor, he
concluded that to procure a competency it was bet-
ter that he should have a partner to share his joys
and sorrows, his successes and reverses, and conse-
quently chose Martha Gingles, with whom he was
united in marriage. She was born in Washington

(!)

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js^ — e^nnsnifc^A^ — s^

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~^^K 6V4>HH&Hllr>T

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

289

Co., Pa., Aug. 28, 1821. Her parents came West
and first settled in Mercer County, then in Rock
Island County.

After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Parks rented land,
which he cultivated for himself. It was not long
before they had accumulated sufficient, by economy
and energetic effort, to purchase 40 acres of land in
Edgington Township, and on which they- located,
and threw their united effort into the task of its cul-
tivation and improvement. The same disposition
and effort which enabled them to purchase their first
40 acres of land had enabled them in a short time
to purchase 160 acres more, which at that time cost
the insignificant sum of $110, but which- to-day is
worth $60 per acre. Mr. Parks has 100 acres of
land at the present writing in his own name, having
deeded nearly all his possessions to his children.

The wife and mother, who had labored so earn-
estly with her husband to secure a competency, and
had shared with him the trials and toils of a pioneer
life in a new and undeveloped country, died in Rock
Island city, while temporarily at that place being
treated for a cancer on the breast, Dec. 28, 1876.
She had borne to Mr. Parks four children : Martha
A., born Feb. 1, 1 841, married David Montgomery;
John H., born July iS, 1843; William S., May 20,
1845; and James J., Jan. 10, 1S52. All are mar-
ried and are respected and enterprising citizens of
the county. The youngest son is a lawyer; the
others are engaged in farming.

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Parks were for some
time membeis of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Politically, he is identified with the Republican
party. He has held the offices of Commissioner of
Highways and Overseer of the Poor in his town-
ship.

Joseph L. Allen, farmer, residing on sec-
tion 32, Rural Township, is a son of Es-
:S3'" t " '* bond and Rebecca (Jones) Allen, who
^■S^ were natives of the States of New York and
~^C Virginia respectively. His father came to
i Mercer County, this State, about 1846, and a
year later to this county, settling in Rural Township,
where he married and reared his children. His mar-
riage took place Dec. 31, 1848, and he had a family
of eight children, namely: Joseph L.,. James E.,

-\©5^d« ^^ ^A<*>flll

Eliza E., Emet S., Lillie E., Mollie A., Minnie E.
and Leota M.

The subject of this sketch was born in Rural
Township, this county, Nov. 7, 1849; was reared to
manhood here, and has always lived in this town-
ship, engaged in fanning. He is a member of the
Catholic Church, and in his political principles is a
Democrat.

He was married in Rock Island, Feb. 20, 1871, to
Ellen Kelly, who was born in Pennsylvania, Feb. 22,
1850. They have seven children, viz. : May R. C,
Katie T., Edward J., Bernard A., Anna G., Clara C.
and Raymond J.

\\\ illiam

fWjl? illiam S. Mack, Superintendent of the
Moline Public Schools, eldest son of Will-
iam W. and Sarah J. (Stuart) Mack, was
born at St. Johnsbury, Vt., April 23, 1854.
His father, who died in 1879, at the age of
50 years, was for 24 successive years superin-
tendent of the car department of the Connecticut &
Passumpsic Railway, and was for the last two years
of his life superintendent of the packing department
of the Howe Scale Works, at Rutland, Vt.

The subject of this sketch improved the advan-
tages offered by the public-school system of his na-
tive place, until about 16 years of age, at which
time he came West, stopping at Aurora, 111., until
the fall of 187S. From 1870 to 1874 inclusive he
attended the High and Normal Schools of Aurora,
and, having graduated thereat, was at once tendered
the Principalship of the Brady School, a position he
accepted and filled with the highest credit to him-
self for four years.

The gentlemen at the head of the educational
interests of Moline, being anxious to place their
many excellent schools under the supervision of
some one not only possessing the necessary qualifi-
cations in points of learning, but also some one with
known executive ability, were led to correspond with
Mr. Mack. The proposition made to Mr. Mack be-
ing acceptable, he came to Moline in the fall of
1878, and was at once installed in the position he
has since so successfully filled. With the exception
of his duty as Secretary of the Public Library of
Moline, a position he has been filling since July,

*
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<SW&M>

—

-*&

290

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

(i)

18S2, the schools receive his entire attention. The
progress of education in the Moline schools for the
past seven years reflects much credit upon the good
judgment of the gentlemen of the educational bureau,
and attests fully the eminent fitness of their super-
intendent.

Mr. Mack was united in matrimony at Aurora,
Tuly 3, 1877, with Miss S. Lottie Allen, a daughter
of E. R. Allen, Esq., one of the pioneers of that
place, and she has borne him one child, named
Marion A.

IjlBi eorge Pearsall, a prominent citizen of Coe
: 1Mijlif Township, has been a resident of Rock
•Asp 1 Island County since 1S54. He was born
^*^ in Leeds County, District of Tohnstown, Ont.,
fan. 16, 1825, and he is the son of Jeremiah
S. and Ann (Chatterton) Pearsall. His father
was a native of the State of New York, and his
mother was born in Canada. He was 13 years of
age when his parents removed to the Empire State
and settled in St. Lawrence County. The family
remained there two years and then made another
transfer, to Monroe County, in the same State, where
the son resided until he had attained to the age and
privileges of manhood. He was 12 years old when
he became self-sustaining, by accepting a position
in a cloth-mill, where he worked through the seasons
of spring and fall and attended school during the re-
mainder of the year. He passed his time alternately
in those ways until he attained his majority. He
then obtained a situation as a clerk in a dry-goods
store in the city of Rochester, N. Y., and continued
in the same employment until he was 27.

In November, 185 1, he started for California, trav-
eling to the land of gold by way of the isthmus. He
went to Johnstown and engaged in mining in the
region known as the Central Mines, and later he
went to Coloma, where he was similarly interested.
He went to other portions of the State, and altogether
he spent three years on the Pacific coast. He re-
turned to New York, reaching that city at a date
which made the time complete.

He remained in the metropolis three weeks and
then made his way to Rock Island County and
bought 320 acres of land, which is situated on the
southwest of section 24 and the northwest of section

25, on which no improvements had been made. He
built a house on section 24 and gave his undivided
attention to agricultural pursuits. In May, 1S77,
while he was prospecting for coal on his farm, when
the shaft had reached a depth of 66 feet from the
surface, a vein of mineral water was struck and a
stream six inches in diameter ascended with great
force, rising 22 feet in the air. The spring is located
on the southeast part of his land, which lies on sec-
tion 25. The flow continuing, the proprietor, in
1879, built a large frame house on his farm near a
beautiful grove situated on the eastern slope of a
hill, and his place has become a popular resort for
people who wish to drink and bathe in the water
and enjoy a quiet country retreat. The place is
known as "The Fountain."

Mr. Pearsall was married in March, 1855, to Sarah
J. Pearsall, and they have sevjn children, — George
B. and Jerry D. (twins), Minerva, William R., Fred,
Luther and Jane. Mrs. Pearsall is the daughter of
William C. and Jane (Elingham) Pearsall. She and
her husband are members of the Congregational
Church at Port Byron. The latter is a Republican
in political views.

Jeremiah S. Pearsall came to Rock Island County
in 1856 and bought a piece of land of his son, on
which he was for some time resident before the
death of his wife. After that event he went to Port
Byron, where he lived two years, and went thence
to Ottumwa, Iowa, and is resident at the home of his
daughter, Mrs. Edward McDermott.

-~&

■Q~-

ohn W. Warr, publisher of the Western
'- Plowman, and manager of the advertising

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department of the Moline Plow Company,

also Secretary of the Moline Building, Savings

and Loan Association. The subject of our

\ sketch was born in Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 17,

1844, and is the son ->f William and Mary (Earl)

Warr. He was educated at Baldwin University, at

Berea, Ohio, and began business at Painesville, Ohio,

in 1S63, where he conducted a business college

about five years; he then removed to Kentucky,

where he devoted ten years to the same business.

In 1878 he came to Moline and was employed as
cashier of the Moline Plow Company until 1S81,

, G, crt^f2^

v^'BB^nn^

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY,

when he established the Western Plowman, a
monthly home and farm paper, 20 pages quarto,
which has a circulation of 20,000 copies. Mr. Warr
has also had charge of the extensive advertising
business of the Moline Plow Company. He is a
Republican and has served two terms as Alderman
from the Fifth Ward.

Mr. Warr was united in marriage at Cleveland,
Ohio, Jan. 17, 1866, to Miss Harriet M. Smith,
daughter of John G. Smith. Mrs. Warr was born
at Orange, Ohio, and they have become the parents
of five children, namely : Bertha M., Percy B., Wil-
bur E., Archie J. and Eli M.

Mr. Warr was a soldier of the late war; he en-
listed in the spring of 1863, as a member of Co. G,
87th Ohio Inf. Four months after entering the ser-
vice he was captured with his entire regiment at
Harper's Ferry. He accepted a parole with his
comrades and was released under promise not to
serve again until exchanged. As he was not ex-
changed during his term of enlistment, he did not
re-enter the service.

1.'°

feaniel Bopes, a farmer of Edgington Town-

:#,§

j-lP'&sr, ship, and, although not born in the county

r,j, ji v* ;r)~~i*^*(j *

•'HlijV- ^ was brought here when quite young, and
yjt* reared, when there were very few pioneers
J {> scattered over Northern Illinois. He was born
in Columbia Co., Pa., April 2, 1S32. His
father, George Bopes, was a native of Kentucky,
where his parents were also born. He went to Penn-
sylvania, where he was married to Miss Sarah Bocher,
a native of the Keystone State and of German an-
cestry. She was the mother of six children, our sub-
ject being the youngest. His father came West as
early as 1836, and located an unimproved farm in
Edgington Township. He was not spared to see the
wonderful transformation that has taken place in
this country. He died in 1838, and was the second
person interested in the Dunlap Grove burying-
ground. The facilities for marking the resting place
of the departed of that early day were very limited,
and the changes of time are such that, as with
Moses, it can be said of the elder Bopes, " his sepul-
cher is not known to this day."

About three years after the death of his father, his

mother was again married, to Jesse Willets, formerly
of Mercer Co., 111., where he was one of the old
residents, and who is a member of a very prominent
family in that county. His mother did not survive the
hardships and privations of a pioneer life very long,
for when our subject was about 1 1 years old she died.
Daniel afterwards lived in this county, working as a
general laborer for some time. In 1854, Jan. 26, he
was married, in Edgington, to Miss Lydia A. Lewis.
She was born in Ohio, March 20, 1830, and was a
daughter of Nathan and Catherine Weaver, formerly
from Pennsylvania. Her father was a molder in the
Pennsylvania iron furnaces. Mrs. B. was 14 years
of age when her father came West, and located on a
farm in Edgington Township. To Mr. and Mrs.
Bopes have been born eight children, two of whom
are deceased. The following is the record of their
family : Ketter L. is married and resides on a farm
in Edington Tp. ; Jessie V. married Charles Laflin
and resides in the Indian Territory; Thomas was
married to Miss Laura Neff, and they reside in An-
dalusia Township, this county; Clella is the wife of
Frank Laflin ; Isaac N. resides at home ; Sallie is de-
ceased; and Nellie resides at home.

After marriage Mr. B. settled on a farm in Buffalo
Prairie Township, this county, and in 1861 he pur-
chased 250 acres of land on section 6, of Edgington
Township, where he now lives. This was almost all
wild land at that time, being but slightly improved.
He yet owns the whole estate, and has it under ex-
cellent improvement. He has a good, large residence,
and fine farm buildings. On religious subjects he is
a free-thinker. Take him all in all, he is a man of
large parts and deep penetration.

orenzo E. Fish has been a member of the
Board of Education of Moline, 111., since
the year 1883, and since the commence-
ment of the year 1885 has been serving his
second term as its Secretary. His first iden-
tity with the educational institutions of this
place was as Janitor of the Public Schools, a position
he held for six years. That his progress, step by
step, from the humblest walks of life into positions
of trust and honor has been the result of individual
merit upon his own part, will be seen by a perusal of
this brief history of his life.

*f\-

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'#=*-

■3^ r Qy^ DH'&'Dtlf^^H ^^-

294

-3?IW®llllr>

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

>C^

Mr. Fish, eldest son in a family of seven chil-
dren of Rev. Erasmus D. and Cynthia (Russell)
Fish, of Massachusetts, was born in Franklin Coun-
ty, that State, Jan. 21, 1837. His paternal grand-
father was in the Revolutionary War; and a brother,
Rev. R. D. Fish, was a soldier in the war for the
Union and was taken prisoner at Vicksburg. His
father would have been a soldier, as he was a very
patriotic and public-spirited man, but his health
would not permit. At the schools of his native place,
Lorenzo acquired the rudiments of an English edu-
cation, which was supplemented by a course at a
commercial college. At the age of 22, he accepted
employment in a minor official capacity in a refor-
matory school in New York city, a position he held
at the outbreak of the American Rebellion. Dec. 6>
1861, he enrolled in the First N. Y. Vol. Eng'rs and
went immediately to the front. His first furlough
was dated in 1863, and indorsed in red ink, "Com-
plimentary on account of good conduct in the field."
In February, 1S64, he veteranized, and soon after-
ward took his second furlough home. It was a long
distance from Jacksonville, Fla., to Rowe, Mass., but
as the records disclose that Lorenzo E. Fish was
married at the latter place, April 6, 1864, to Miss
Lucy A. Starr, it may be reasonably presumed that a
very good line of communication had been estab-
lished between the two points, and also that the
" Veteran " had not allowed much grass to grow under
his feet.

In June, 1864, he was appointed a Hospital Stew-
ard of the United States Army and afterwards was
assigned to the 32d United States (colored) Infantry.
A year later he was commissioned Second Lieuten-
ant, with which rank he was mustered out at Phila-
delphia, Aug. 29, 1865. He brought his family to
Moline in November, 1867, and here he has since re-
sided. He has served the city eight years as Con-
stable, and four years as Marshal. Was President
of the Board of Associated Charities of Moline, in
1884, and in 18S5 is their Secretary and manager.
He is a Deacon and Treasurer of the Baptist Church
(to which his wife and two daughters also belong),
and is Superintendent of the Sunday-school, mem-
ber of the Baptist State Board of Missions, and State
Sabbath-school Executive Committee. He is a mem-
ber of the A. O. U. W. ; the Modern Woodmen of
America, of which he is a member of the head

finance committee; and he is also Adjutant of Gra-
ham Post, No. 312, G. A. R.

Mr. Fish is at present engaged in the fire, life
and accident insurance business in Rock Island
County; office in Moline. Eudora, his daughter,
now 18 years old, assists him in his office.

The names of his children are, Eudora, Darwin S.,
Christina, Richard E., Herbert C, Lorenzo E., and
Cynthia L., who died in infancy.

As Mr. Fish has exerted a good influence and a
liberal beneficence through so many and varied chan-
nels, and has thus done far more good by his " right
hand " than his " left hand " knows anything of, it is
no more than fit and proper that a portrait of his
facial features should accompany the foregoing brief
biographical outline.

||p(|'(|! lexander Ashdown, of Canoe ( 'reek Tom 11-
ship, is a citizen of this country by adop-
83 tion. He is one of the substantial and
reliable men of the county, and he has the
double satisfaction of knowing that whatever
of success he has won has been the result of
his own efforts, aided only by his hands that were
willing to labor, showing that the firm health which
most of humanity live to realize is the best possible
capital on which to found a career of usefulness.

He was born in the County of Kent, England,
April 21, 1824, and is the son of Edward and Nancy
Ashdown. He was reared to manhood in his native
land, on the farm on which his ancestors had labored
for years before him, and in which their children
could only claim the right to labor as fruitlessly as
their sires. He also worked for a time as a brick-
layer, and he continued his residence there until
1857. He left the city of London June 20, taking
passage on a sailing vessel, the " James R. Keeler,"
and he landed at the port of New York after a pass-
age of 45 days.

Mr. Ashdown came at once to Rock Island County
and located in Canoe Creek Township. He rented
various tracts of land for a period of seven years,
and he then bought a farm on section 8. A small
frame house had been built on it and about 70 acres
broken. The place presents a greatly improved ap-
pearance, as the proprietor has erected a good set of
buildings and planted a considerable number of

<£>

^SKS"

SDHSIW^

^/■<=^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

2 9s

fruit-trees. In addition to his moneyless condition
on his arrival in the township, he was $75 in debt,
and he often contrasts his situation then with that of
the present.

He was married in 1850 to Charlotte Martin. She
is a native of Kentshire hills, in old England, where
she was born May 22, 1831. They have eight chil-
dren living: George lives in Wyoming Territory, lo-
cated in Sun Dance, Crook Co., Wyoming; Eliza is
the wife of Joseph Robinson, and they live in the
township of Coe; Henry is a resident of Hillsdale;
Alfred is a resident of the same place; Fannie mar-
ried William G. McConnell, and they live in the
same township as the parents ; Clara, Katie and
Emma are names of the other children. Politically,
Mr. A. is a Democrat.

JjLol. William Clendenin, dealer m drugs

||/ and stationery, at Moline, Colonel of the

l/?"*"^ Sixth 111. Nat. Guards, and Commander of

Graham Post, No. 312, Grand Army of the
Republic, was born in Lyndon, Whiteside
Co., 111., April 12, 1845. His parents, Robert
i> G. and Hannah (Clark) Clendenin, natives of Penn-

f| sylvania and New York, and probably of Scotch-Irish
and German extraction respectively, reared at that
place three sons, the subject of this biographical no-
itice being second in the order of their birth. In 1859
the family removed to Morrison, 111., where Mr.
Clendenin made his home until 1873. At the public
\i schools of his native State, he received a fair Eng-
| lish education, which formed but the nucleus of the
wide range of his learning and information at the
time of which we write.

In April, 1864, he enrolled in the service of the
United States as First Sergeant of Co. B, 140th 111.
Inf., and served to the expiration of his term, some-
thing over five months, "and was mustered out with
the rank of Sergeant-Major. Returning from the
army, he entered the banking house of Smith & Co.,
afterwards the First National Bank of Morrison, 111.,
as clerk, which position he abandoned in February,
1865, to accept the Second Lieutenancy of Co. A,
108th United States (Colored) Infantry. This regi-
ment was mustered out of the service at Vicksburg,
in March, 1866, by order of the Secretary of War,

Mr. Clendenin having been advanced to the rank of
First Lieutenant. Returning again to Morrison, he
clerked in S. T. Harding's drug-store for one year,
when, in company with A. H. Martin, he bought Mr.
Harding out, and conducted the business about seven
years. In 1873 he came to Moline, where he has
since been engaged in the drug trade.

Col. Clendenin has been twice married ; first at
Morrison, 111., in 1867, to Miss Rachel E. Gridley,
who died Oct. 15, 1 877, leaving three children : Rob-
ert G., Frank J. and Mabel H.; and second, in May,
1879, also at Morrison, to Mrs. Laura E. Mayo. The
only child born to this union, Ward O., died at the
early age of one year.

The subject of this sketch is deservedly one of the
most popular men of Moline. He was first called to
the Illinois National Guards in 1877 as Second Lieu-
tenant, and between that time and May 17, 1S82,
when he was commissioned Colonel of the Sixth
Regiment, he held every intermediate commission in
the line. He was elected Commander of Graham
Post, G. A. R., Jan. 1, 1885. He votes the Repub-
lican ticket from principle, and, in company with his
wife, attends the Congregational Church as a relig-
ious duty.

c=n

^yf that township.

H'V®»C

_^_

lames Edgington, one of the reliable citi-
f zens and energetic farmers of Edgington
* Township, is a resident on section 32 of
He is the oldest born citizen
T|£ of Rock Island County, south of Rock River,
\ his birth having taken place March 20, 1835.
He is the son of John Edgington, a native of Jeffer-
son Co., Ohio, where he was born July 4, 18 10.
His mother, nee Susan Crabs, was also a native of
Jefferson County, in which county she was married,
and shortly afterwards emigrated to this State, set-
tling in Edgington Precinct, which, when divided
into townships, embraced what is now Buffalo Prai-
rie. He helped make up the first jury in the
County Court, and they are both yet living in
Buffalo Prairie Township.

James Edgington, subject of this biographical no-
tice, is the oldest in order of birth of a family of
nine children, — three sons and six daughters. One
son and two daughters are deceased. He was
educated in this county, and at Geneseo, Henry

mv^*-^ — 2 '

296

■^^k: ©V^WH&llll&V^ :a4-

H@£JS®\

3=3
3=3

^OCVT ISLAND COUNTY.

County, and was employed on his father's farm
until the date of his marriage. That event occurred
in Coe Township, this county, April 4, 1861, and
the lady of his choice was Miss Lucy Schriver, who
was born in Pennsylvania Feb. 10, 1834, and was
young when her parents came to this county. Her
father was a cabinet-maker, and she was educated
in the public schools of her native State, residing at
home until her marriage with Mr. Edgington. She
is the mother of two children by Mr. Edgington, one
of whom is deceased. The surviving child, Lewis
N., was bom April 26, 1867, reared at home and
educated in the schools here and at Hopkinton,
Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgington, after marriage, settled
on a farm of 200 acres, which Mr. E. had previously
purchased, and on which they have constantly re-
sided until the present time. They have a good
residence on their farm, together with substantial
outbuildings, and the land is in an advanced state
of cultivation. Mr. Edgington is one of the ener-
getic and progressive farmers of this township, and
his prosperity is due to his own individual effort,
pluck and perseverance, combined with the help of
his wife. She is an active member of the Presby-
terian Church. Politically, Mr. Edgington is a sup-
porter of the tenets of the Democratic party. He
has held the position of School Director in his town-
ship for some 15 years.

-«3-

-e~>-

1876.

eorge B. Hull, senior partner of Hull Bros.,
1,630 Third Avenue, Moline, merchants,
dealers in general merchandise and car-
pets. This house was established in 1868 by
H. J. Hull. The present partnership, existing
under the name of Hull Bros., was formed in
This is one of the leading mercantile houses
of Moline, and carries an average stock of $30,000
value.

George B. Hull, the subject of this biographical
notice, was born in Fairfield County, Conn., in June,
1837, and is the son of John and E. T. (Jennings)
Hull. He removed to Orleans Co., N. Y., in child-
hood, and in 1850 to La Grange Co., Ind. He was
engaged in mercantile business at Lima, Ind., 14

years, and came from Lima to Moline in 1876, when
he formed the existing partnership with his brother,
H.J.

Mr. G. B. Hull formed his matrimonial union at
Lima, Ind., in January, 1863, with Miss Lucy Ross-
man, and they have had two children, namely:
Jennie R. and Mattie J. Mr. and Mrs. Hull and
family are members of the Episcopal Church, and in
political sentiment Mr. Hull is a Republican.

-5 ^^gf

lathaniel Dorrance, a substantial citizen of
Port Byron, was born July 15, 1817, in
"* Plainfield, Windham Co., Conn. The
family on the paternal side are of Irish ances-
try, and first settled in Rhode Island prior to
the Revolutionary War. Alexander Dorrance,
father of our subject, was a native of Rhode Island,
and married Nancy Cole, a native of Connecticut.
They settled on a farm, where the father died when
the son was ten years of age, and the latter lived on
the farm with his mother two years after that event.
His mother then rented the farm, on which was a
mortgage, and went to Willimantic, where the chil-
dren were employed in the cotton mills, and they
earned sufficient money to liquidate the indebtedness
on the homestead property.

At the age of 17, Mr. Dorrance went to work for a
farmer near Willimantic, earning the means to go to
Chautauqua County, N. Y. On his arrival there he
obtained employment on a farm by the month, and
subsequently engaged in lumbering, in which voca-
tion he received a monthly remuneration of $io,
which was afterwards raised to $13, through his un-
remitting efforts in the interests of his employer. He
remained in Chautauqua County 20 months, and in
the early spring of 1837 turned his face Westward
to secure for himself the benefits of the boundless re-
sources foreshadowed in the. glowing reports from
that region. He made the journey to the West by
the Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, pro-
ceeding up the Illinois to the mouth of Spoon River,
whence he journeyed on foot to Port Byron, a dis-
tance of more than a hundred miles. His first job
was with a farmer, planting corn. He then began to
operate as a contractor, and his first engagement in
that capacity was the building of a cellar under the

\§fr^l&-

^A^>

.£;

^€S^ — £V«Mfa>

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

' Port Byron Hotel. He continued his operations in
'; that line of business until 1848, when, in company
. with T. C. Temple, he built a steam saw-mill, and
embarked in the lumber trade. They continued
their interests as lumbermen until the fall of 1850,
when they extended the capacity of their es-
tablishment and attached the apparatus of a grist-
mill. These were the first saw and grist mills at
Port Byron.

Mr. Dorrance sold his interests in the spring of
1852, preparatory to a change of base. On the 29th
of March, of that year, with a company of eight and
an equipment of five yoke of oxen, four horses and
three wagons, he started for Oregon, landing there
Aug. 20, at a point 30 miles from Salem. From
there he went south 150 miles, to Jacksonville, where
they devoted themselves vigorously to milling. The
snows and severities of winter set in at an earlier
•. date than was anticipated, and the depleted condi-
tion of their stores necessitated their retreat from the
mines, where 50 pounds of flour commanded $75
and salt sold for $5 per pound. Mr. Dorrance in-
tended to proceed homeward, but no steamer was
ready to leave, and he obtained employment for
about two weeks, chopping wood at a dollar a day.
The profits of this enterprise did not add material to
his surplus capital, as he paid one dollar for his
board. At the end of two weeks he obtained a situ-
ation in which he received a compensation of $t a
day and his board, and he discharged the duties of
that place for a month. He was then employed to
nurse a sick man and passed a month in that posi-
tion, earning $5 daily. He was engaged in the same
capacity two weeks subsequently, receiving a daily
remuneration of $10. His next enterprise was in
the vocation of a contractor, to build a highway
through a piece of timber, and he so managed his re-
lations that he earned an average of nearly $20 per
day.

In 1854 he set out on his return to Port Byron,
coming by way of the water route via the isthmus to
the port of New York. He arrived at Port Byron in
December of that year, where he established a per-
: manent citizenship. He has since devoted his abili-
ties to the management of his private business. He
JA? is the most extensive owner of real estate at Port
Byron, and has built and owns a number of business
■ blocks and dwellings at that place, some of which

have come into his possession by purchase. He is
also the owner of 400 acres of land, which comprises
tracts of farming, timber and pasture land, the larger
part being in Coe Township.

In 1855, Mr. Dorrance married Harriet, widow of
George S. Morse and daughter of John Dodge.
Hattie, their only child, born Oct. 29, 1857, married
H. C. Stevens and removed to Colorado. She died
Nov. 19, 1883, after giving birth to two children, one
of whom is now deceased. The name of the one
living is Clarence Stevens, an inmate of his grand-
father's home.

Mrs. Dorrance had five children by her former
marriage, all living but one. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Dorrance are members of the Congregational Church.
He is Republican in politics, having cast his first
vote for Wm. H. Harrison, in i86t. He joined the
Republican party in 1856, and since that time has
continued steadfast in his early political principles.

Mr. Dorrance is among the pioneers of Rock
Island County. He has lived here continuously
since May, 1837, except the short time he was ab-
sent on the Pai ific coast.

His father-in-law, John Dodge, was a native of
Massachusetts, and Mrs. Dorrance was born in Ver-
mont in 1815. She came West with her uncle, Silas
Marshall, in the spring of 1837, and settled in Rock
Island County, in Port Byron, where she has since
resided. Her uncle was the first landlord of the
"Port Byron Hotel."

-<~3-

-G—

ouis P. Youngren, of the Moline Cabinet-
Organ Company, and a resident of that
city, was born in Sweden, Aug. 10, 1832,
and is a son of Peter and Carrie Youngren.
Mr. Youngren served a regular apprenticeship
to the painter and grainer's trade in his native
country, where he continued to follow that occupa-
tion until 1864. At this period in his life's history
he realized that better inducements were offered in
the United States for the procuring of a competency
than in his native land, and concluded to emigrate,
which he did, landing at Quebec, Canada. Soon
afterwards he came to Chicago, via the Great Lakes
and railway. Going from the latter place to Indiana,
he worked at his trade for a time, then returned to

^hij^a^ — s^£

Whf&K'

a
■ • •

300

7?OCZ ISLAND COUNTY.

this State, and spent some time at Galesburg and
Geneseo. In 1865, Mr. Youngren came to Moline
and Rock Island. He engaged with the Buford &
Co. Plow Manufactory of Rock Island. A few
months later he became an employe of Deere & Co.'s
manufactory at Moline, in the painting department,
and continued with that company from 1866 to 1881,
during which time, except a few years, he was
foreman of the paint department. In i88r Mr.
Youngren purchased an interest in the Moline Cab-
inet-Organ Company, and assumed charge of the
finishing department of those works, which position
he has filled continuously since. Mr. Youngren is a
thorough master of his business, as the fine finish of
the large number of organs which have passed
through his hands testify.

Mr. Youngren was united in marriage Nov. 1,
1868, at Moline, this county, with Miss Sophia Peter-
son, the accomplished daughter of Andrew Peterson.
Mrs. Youngren was born in Sweden, and emigrated
to the land of possibilities with her parents when she
was three years of age. Seven children have been
born of their union, three boys and four girls, six of
whom survive. The record is as follows : Berdena
C, born Feb. 24, 1870; Franz O., Nov. 6, 1872;
Alben O., Nov. 16, 1874; Hilda J., May 13, 1877;
Hannah S., Nov. 26, 1879; Anna L., Jan. 22, 1882,
and died in childhood ; Reuben L., born Oct. 24,
r884.

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Youngren are both
members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr.
Youngren has always voted with the Republican
since obtaining citizenship in 1869.

^-harles L. Gould, residing on section 32,
Edgington Township, and engaged in
i \fef' v general farming and stock-raising, was
born Jan. 14, 1854, in Indiana. He was but
r /tf a small child when his parents emigrated to
( Iowa, settling at Muscatine, where he was
reared and educated. His father died when he was
eight years of age, and necessarily many hardships
fell to his lot. Shortly after this sad event he was
taken to rear by Jacob Caster, of Muscatine, who
kept him until he was 14 years of age. From that
time on he has earned his own living; and, though

ISK@*3®*-

enjoying but limited advantages, has proven his
ability as a man of business by the success which
has attended his efforts.

Our subject was married Feb. 19, 1879, in Edging-
ton Township, to Miss Sophia Titterington. Mrs.
G. was born and reared in this township, and her
parents, who are well-known pioneers here, are still
living, in this township. Mr. and Mrs. Gould have
been blest with three children — Moses R., Charles
L. and Emma M After Mr. Gould's marriage he
lived for a year on a farm in Iowa ; he then came to
Edgington Township, and purchased a farm of 220
acres on section 32, all of which is improved and
under excellent cultivation. Mrs. Gould is a mem-
ber of the Presbyterian Church, and politically Mr.
Gould is a sound Republican.

-(&• —

ffi^m^.

uther H. Barker, manufacturer of Bean's
Celebrated Double-Acting Stone Force
Pump, No. 387, Eleventh Street, Moline,
established his present business in 1874.
He was born in Mori ah, Essex Co., N. Y.,
Aug. 29, 1822, and is the son of Gardner and
Harriet L. (Lyon) Barker. He was brought up on a
farm until he attained the age of 20, when he went
to Pittsfield, Mass., and engaged in the manufacture
of woolen goods, with an older brother.

He formed a matrimonial alliance in Essex Co.,
N. Y., Sept. 19, 1844, with Miss Martha Cook. She
was born in Essex Co., N. Y. Mr. Barker and his
brother were burned out at Pittsfield, but rebuilt and
continued the business ; but shortly after the fire the
subject of this sketch sold out and returned to his
old home in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Barker were
the parents of two children : Maria was the wife of
C. P. Curtis, of Moline, and died in October, 1883.
Charles was for many years a forwarding freight
agent at Omaha, but mysteriously disappeared from
the Harper House, of Rock Island, in July, 1875;
and, although earnest efforts have been made by his
friends to find him, his fate is still a mystery. The
closest scrutiny of the circumstances reveal no cause
for his disappearance. Mrs. Barker died in New
York, Dec. 26, 1849.

Mr. Barker went to California during the gold ex-
via New York and the Isthmus.

citement of r85o

(>)

-yz.

^mmm^^ — ^«^

-fJt!^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

^^Mii

301

1 — r

where he spent one year and a half, and returned to
the States overland, via the city of Mexico and New
Orleans. He came to Illinois and made his home in
Peoria one year. He then returned to Pittsfield,
Mass., and engaged ir buying wool, which business
he pursued in Massachusetts, Vermont and New
York.

He was again married in Essex Co., N. Y.,Nov.
9, iS54, to Miss Sarah A. Allen, daughter of C. C.
Allen. She was born at Whitehall, N. Y., and she
and her husband were the parents of two children:
Luther D., now an employe of the Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific Railway; and the daughter, Sarah
L., is a teacher in the city schools. Immediately
after his last marriage (December, 1854) Mr. Barker
removed to Peoria, II!., where he was engaged in the
grain trade till May 20, 1855, when he came to Mo-
line, and was appointed agent at this place for the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, and of all
lines interested over that route. He was also ap-
pointed express agent for all express companies
doing business here. He held his position as station
and express agent for 20 years, or until 1875, "'hen
he resigned it to engage in the pump business, which
lie has carried on successfully to this date. Mr.
Barker is not pushing the pump trade, as his time is
partially occupied in the care of his tenement houses
and business blocks, which he has leased. He owns
the State right for the Bean patent force pump, and
has agencies which he supplies in various counties.
Mr. Barker was one of the city "fathers" in an early
day, and in religious views is liberal. In political
sentiment he is a staunch Democrat.

' I f-Si ;. harles Tittering ton is a ge

,; iJ^fh' and stock-raiser, section 5,

f'ii'J/^ Township. Although Mr. T: is a native

neral farmer
7„ Edgington

pfe of England, he was brought to this country
,-^ by his father when quite young, and was
\ reared and educated here. His father, Thomas
Titterington, was a native of Yorkshire, England,
and by occupation a weaver. He was there married
to Mary Greenwood, who died when* Charles was
but one year old, he being the youngest of a family

of seven children. After the death of his mother,
his father, with the children, six of whom were liv-
ing, came to America and settled in Ross Co., Ohio,
on a farm, where he remained for many years, and
where Charles lived until he was 19 years of age.

Our subject was born in Yorkshire, Eng., Jan. 2,
i8r4, and, as above stated, was brought to this
country by his father, and was reared and educated in
Ohio. In 1835, he came to what is now Will Co., 111.,
where he engaged in farming on shares for two years.
Soon after his removal to that county, his brother
Moses joined him there and remained a few months.
The two brothers came to Rock Island County and
bought 240 acres of land in Edgington Township,
the purchase being completed in March, 1835. The
country at that time was undeveloped, and Mr. T.
began early the following spring to break the sod.
He afterwards secured considerable property in this
county, amounting to 830 acres altogether, part of
which was in Buffalo Prairie Township. He after-
wards sold part of his estate and now owns 354
acres, most of which is improved and all under
fence, except 54 acres of timber. In 1870 he built
one of the most commodious and desirable houses
in the township. He raises, buys and feeds, and
sells large herds of stock; indeed, he is one of the
large and prominent stock-dealers in the county.

In the city of Rock Island, on Dec. 20, 1838, Mr.
Titterington was united in marriage with Miss
Sophie Eberhardt, daughter of Charles and Nancy
(Kerwood) Eberhardt. Her parents were natives of
Maryland and New Jersey respectively, and were of
New England parentage, and the father of German
descent. By occupation he was a glass-blower;
both parents died in this township, the father at the
home of his daughter, Mrs. T., in December, 1878,
and the mother on the old homestead, in 1861. Mrs.
Titterington was bom in Greene Co., Pa., June 28,
1820. She came West with her parents in 1835, af-
ter having spent some years in New York, near
Geneva. Her parents settled in Edgington Town-
ship, becoming pioneers of this section of the State.
She is the mother of eight children, who are widely
separated, being in five different States. They are
all married, and three, Charles, Maria and Frederick,
live in Illinois; David and Thomas reside in Iowa;
Milton lives in Douglas Co., Kan,; Emma resides
in Gage Co., Neb.; Anna lives in Minnesota, being

Ul
/

<(t)

:>>r

.^/Y3K

ROCK ISLAXD COUXTY.

the wife of J. E. Benjamin; Emma is the wife of
Ernest O. Kretsinger, Judge of Gage Co., Neb., and
an attorney- by profession.

Mr. Ti::erington is a member of the Methodist
E - ropal Church, and has served as Steward. Mrs.
T. is an active member of the Pres .n Church.

In politics, Mr. T. is an earnest Republican, has
been Supervisor of his township, and has held sev-
eral minor offices.

-~s«-

-*s~-

enry C. Trent, a merchant at Per: F

- orn Sep; :: $30, in Lewis Co.. Ky.

His father, German X. Trent, was also a

native of the samr State as was his mother,

E : . (Doyal) Trent. His ancestral stock on

both sides was from Virginia, and settled in

Kentucky at an early day. When he was rz

- old his mother died, and at 1 6 he was wholly

orphaned by the death of his father.

Soon after the latter event, he went to Mason
County, in the State of his nativity, and obtained
employment on a farm, in which variety of occupa-
tion he was engaged until 1S50. He then came to
Illinois, traveling on the Mississippi River to Cordova,
re he landed April 5. He followed farming for
two vears at that point, and in 1852 came to Port
Byron, for the purpose of learning the trade of a
wagon-maker. After an apprenticeship of two years
he opened a shop for the manufacture of custom or-
ders for wagons, and also conducted a repair shop.
Dec. 9. i86r, he enlisted in Co. H, 5 1st Regt. 111.
Inf., as a private. He went to the front with his
command, in the capacity of Orderly Sergeant, June
15. 1863, was made Second Lieutenant and held
that rank until the battle of Chickamauga. He
was wounded in the latter battle, and after he fell
he lay between the contending lines and the battle
was fought over him, and, with other wounded sol-
diers, he fell into the hands of the rebels. He, with
others, were kept in hospitals, and in ten days were
exchanged for an equal number of wounded Con-
federates, and reached the camp Oct. 1st, and went
into the hospital at Chattanooga, and then to Nash-
ville, and then made application for leave of absence,
which after considerable delay was granted. He
returned home, and after the expiration of his leave

of absence, it was renewed, and he then reported to
parole, Camp Chase, Ohio, and was finally and
honorably discharged June 15. 1S64.

Retaining to Port Byron, he engaged in the g
eery business, in which he has continued to the
present. He is, at the present writing, associated
with his son. Cassius C, and their stock includes
groceries, hardware, etc.

He was married Nov. 9, 1S54, to Flora A. Van
Order. She was born in Essex Co., X. Y. They
have eight children living: Ella, wife of W. W.
Pearsall, resides in Coe Township : Cassius C. is the
oldest son; Lincoln and Lucy are twins: Philip
Sheridan, Flora. Mary and Henry G. are the names
of the younger children, who are yet beneath the
parental roof-tree.

Mr. Trent and his wife are members of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church.

oses Titterington. retired farmer, resi-
ding on section 7, Edgington Township,
1 was born in Yorkshire, England, Sept.
24. 1S10. His parents were Thomas and
Mary (Greenwood) Titterington, natives of Eng-
land. (For further mention of his parents see
sketch of Charles Titterington.) Our subject was
seven years of age when his father came to Amer-
ica. They landed at Philadelphia, July 4, iSt;,
then coming to Ross Co., Ohio, where Moses was
reared, and enjoyed very limited advantages for an
education. In 1835 they came to Illinois, and be-
came pioneers in Will County, and again removed
to Rock Island County, where they selected about
240 acres of wild land in one of the best portions of
the county, being in the west line of Edgington
Township. Upon this our subject has since lived,
having during the meantime acquired more than 700
acres of good land. He has been very generous to
his children, providing almost all of them with a
start in life.

Our subject was married March 25, 1841, to Miss
Anna Dunlap, daughter of Joseph Dunlap. (See
sketch.) She was born in Steuben ville, Jefferson
Co., Ohio, Nov. 17, 1822, and it was in that State
where she attended school. Her parents came to
Illinois in 1835, where they were early pioneers, and

&±

7®m

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

3°5

here she was reared. She is the mother of nine
children, two of whom are deceased. The following
is their record : Mary resides at home ; Christina is
the wife of James Venable (see sketch) ; Marshal
P. is married and resides on the homestead ; George
resides at home; Sophie is the wife of C. M. Gould
(see sketch) ; Joseph is deceased ; John is living at
home ; Margaret is deceased, and Moses resides at
home.

Mr. and Mrs. Titterington are members of the
Presbyterian Church, and the former is a Repub-
lican in his political views. He is one of the lead-
ing, active and enterprising men of his township,
and has the respect and esteem of the entire com-
munij t.

, qfea-

SalLdwin B. Knox, city undertaker and dealer

HP . . .

i^SCI iL' 111 pictures and picture frames, established
/jgf himself in business at Moline in 1874,

Jnjv. at 413 Fifteenth Street. The subject of our
sketch was born at Rock Island, Oct. 15, 1842,
and is the son of Charles and Mary (Gorham)
Knox. He received an academic education. His
father was the pioneer undertaker of Rock Island,
having established his business in 1841 and con-
tinued until this day, covering a period of 44 years.
Edwin B. received a thorough and early training
in this line of business under the tutorship of his
father, which laid the foundation of his success in
later years, when he adopted the vocation as a busi-
ness. From i860 to 1863 he enlisted in the late
war, as a member of Co. G, 140th 111. Vol. Inf. (100-
day service). He served the term of enlistment and
returned to Rock Island, where he engaged in the
manufacture of brooms, which business he continued
until the spring of 1.864, when he re-enlisted, and
was appointed Orderly Sergeant of Co. G, 47th 111.
Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war.
On his return from the army he resumed the broom
business. A year and a half later he began house-
painting, a calling which he pursued some years.
He was also engaged in farming four years near
Rock River, but sold his farm and moved to Moline
in 1874, where he engaged in the undertaking busi-
ness, since which time he has led all competitors in
his line. His establishment is filled with all mod-

ern appliances known to the art, using two fine
hearses, one of which is of the finest style in use.
His instruments and appliances for embalming are
complete. In fact his establishment is most com-
plete in all its appointments, and his business has
developed to very satisfactory proportions.

Mr. Knox formed a matrimonial alliance at Rock
Island, Sept. 15, 1867, with Miss Lizzie Van Harren.
She was born in East St. Louis, 111., March 15, 1852.
The issue of their union is two children, a son and a
daughter, namely, Amy and Luther C.

Mr. Knox has served five years in the City Council
as Alderman from the Third Ward, and was chosen
Mayor in the spring of 1883, for the years 1883 and
1884. During the two years of his administration
the affairs of the city were managed economically
and judiciously. He is a Republican in political
opinion. Mrs. Knox is a member of the Congrega-
tional Church.

Not only do the publishers of this work, but also
will the public of Rock Island County generally, take
great pleasure in having Mr. Knox's portrait in this
Album.

fUl^on. Albert S. Coe, deceased, in whose
I honor the township of Coe is named, was a
pioneer of Rock Island County, of 1840.
He was born Oct. 1,1817, m Monroe Co., N.
Y., and was the third son of Simeon Maltby '
I and Mary (Miles) Coe. His parents were both
natives of the State of Kentucky, and were also
pioneers of Monroe Co., N. Y., where they lived until
1838, when they removed to the county of Whiteside,
in Illinois, and settled near Sterling. There the par-
ents both died.

Mr. Coe lived at home with his parents until the
time of his first marriage, and about the date of that
event he bought a farm near Sterling, of which he
was the owner and occupant until his removal to the
county of Rock Island at the time already referred
to. He sold his property in Whiteside County and
bought a tract of wild land in township 21 north,
range 2 east : the same now bears his name. The
improvements consisted of a few acres broken. He
at once entered into the preparations necessary to
the business of a nurseryman and commenced plant-
ing trees, establishing the " Bluffs Nursery." He

$«^«f—

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(C^

306

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

set out an area of 100 acres in trees and shrubs and
other plants necessary to an extensive business of
that character, in which he continued to operate until
the time of his death, which took place Oct. 17, 1869.
Meanwhile he had erected all the buildings common to
a well equipped homestead, which he had fitted with
the comforts of an Eastern home. He was one of
the leading horticulturists of the county, particularly
in the northern part.

He was first married to Arethusa Barnett, the date
of whose death is not known. Mr. Coe was a sec-
ond time united in marriage, with Lucy C. Hollister,
Feb. 26, 1856. She is the daughter of Edmund and
Emma L. (Hall) Hollister, of whom an extended
sketch is given elsewhere in this work. Mr. and
Mrs. Coe had six children, of whom three are now
(18S5) living. The survivors are named Edmund
H., Emma L. and Simeon F. By the first marriage
there are two children : George is a resident of Da-
kota and Florence lives at Sterling. Mrs. Coe is a
member of the Congregational Church, to which Mr.
Coe also belonged. He was an active and energetic
man, and always prominent in the promotion of the
public interests. He held various offices of trust and
officiated as Supervisor several terms. In 1867 he
was elected to represent his District in the Legisla-
ture of Illinois on the Republican ticket. He is a
Republican in his politics, and an active man in pub-
lic affairs. In politics he was a representative man
and was recognized by his party, particularly in local
politics, which is shown by the number of local
offices he has held.

-=~5-

-e~-

He has edited the most prominent religious papers
published in the Swedish Lutheran Church for the
past 30 years. At present he edits the weekly
" Angus tana och Missionaren."

avid Ziegler, a retired merchant, residing
* Port Byron, was born in West Penns-

|; ev. T. N. Hasselquist, D. D., of Moline,
President of the Augustana College and
Theological Seminary, and Professor of
Homiletics and Pastoral Theology in the
same institution, was born in Sweden, March
2, 1816, and is a graduate of the University
of Lund. The subject of our sketch was a Pastor
in Sweden from 1839 to 1852, when he emigrated to
America. In the new country he was also Pastor,
in Galesburg, 111., from 1852 until 1863, when he
became President of the Augustana College and
Theological Seminary at Paxton.Ill., until 1875, and,
after its removal to Rock Island, President to date.

Mfor vi

'Cif^pk, at

-'jlGijV- borough Township, Cumberland Co, Pa.,

vy»i Nov. 7, 18 1 4, and is the second son in order
X of birth, of Frederick and Elizabeth (Bear) Zieg-

S ler, both natives of Pennsylvania and of Ger-
man descent.

The grandfather of Mr. Ziegler on the father's
side was born in York Co., Pa., and his grandfather
on his mother's side, Mr. Bear, was born in Berks
Co., Pa. Mr. Ziegler, whose sketch we write, grew
to manhood in his native town. His father was a
farmer by occupation, owning a farm in that county,
and David alternated his labors on the farm by at-
tendance at the common schools until he attained
the age of 15 years, when he engaged to learn the
tailor's trade. He served three years with one man
in West Pennsborough Township, when he went to
Carlisle, and served a year and a half with another
gentleman at his trade. He then visited Ohio and
Western Pennsylvania, where he remained working
at his trade for two years, when he returned to Carl-
isle, and again worked at his trade there for some
time. He then opened a shop in.Centerville, Cum-
berland County, where he carried on his business
one year and then went to Franklin County, that
State, where he carried on the same business in
Fayetteville, that county, one year. He next re-
turned to Cumberland County, and was engaged at
his trade in his native town for three years ; then, in
1851, he went to Blairsville, Indiana Co., Pa., and
followed the same business there until 1855.

During the year last named, Mr. Ziegler came to
this county and located at Port Byron, where he
opened a tailor shop, and continued in that business
until 1869. During the time he was in business at
the latter place, in i86r, he added a small stock of
merchandise, and in 1 865 he added ready-made
clothing to his business, and took in a partner. In
1S69, in company with his son, Thomas J., Mr.
Ziegler erected a building and put in a good stock of

Mi> L r^ ^^^

T — '

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<m& nnr>

tv:

,'\\

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

3°7

dry goods and clothing. They continued at the
trade until 1879, when Mr. Ziegler sold his interest
to his son, and retired from the active business la-
bors of life.

In August, 1839, Mr. Ziegler was united in mar-
riege with Sarah A. Swisher, the accomplished
daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Bender) Swisher.
She was born in York Co., Pa., Feb. 8, 18(5. Their
living children are four in number, namely : Eliza-
beth, who is the wife of R. W. Justin, and resides in
Chicago; Thomas J. is a merchant residing in Janes-
ville, Wis. ; William W. is a resident of Port Byron,
and is a traveling salesman by occupation; Mary I.
is the wife of Howard Meyer.

Mr. Ziegler was appointed Postmaster at Port By-
ron in 1858 and again in 1866. He has served as a
member of the Village School Board, and is at pres-
ent one of the Trustees. In his political views he is
a Democrat.

-*»>•-

illiam Edwards, deceased, was a pioneer

of Rock Island County of 1835 ; was born

jM&.%°' m Guilford, Windham Co., Vt., July 18,

\S!> 1795. His father, Benajah. was a native of
New England and of Welsh descent. The
subject of our sketch was a farmer by occupa-
tion. He was united in marriage to Miss Huldah
Bangs, Jan. 28, 1823. His wife was born in Mon-
tague, Mass., Dec. 1, 1798. Their family consisted
of five sons: William H. was born Oct. 17, 1823,
and married Caroline Fleming, residing at Cedar
Rapids, Iowa; Herbert R., born Dec. 3, 1826, mar-
ried Harriet M. Gordon, and he died Nov. 21, 1874;
his widow resides at Geneseo, 111.; George H. was
born June 13, 1829, married Maria Waterman and
resides at Moline (see his sketch on another page) ;
Charles T., born Aug. 23, 1834, married Eunice V.
Spencer and resides at Moline; Sanford N., born
May 14, 1841, died Aug. 5, 1842.

Mr. Edwards first came to 'Illinois in 1830, ex-
amined the country and returned East. He was so
favorably impressed by the great natural advantages
of this region that he put his affairs in shape and
emigrated to Green County, this State, in the fall of
1834. He wintered in that county and in the spring
of 1835 came to what is now Moline, and built a

— ^§^ — ^OM

cabin at a point situated at the present junction of
Twenty-second Street and Fourth Avenue. The
house stood about where the railroad tracks cross
Twenty-second Street. He entered a tract of Gov-
ernment land on section 33, at this point, and en-
gaged in farming. At the time of Mr. Edwards'
settlement at Moline, there were not more than a
half dozen families located within the present city
boundaries. Mr. Edwards continued to make this
place his home until the time of his death, which
occurred July 3, 1848. He was an honorable, up-
right man, of liberal views and good principles.
His political preferences led him to join the Whig
party, while in his religious views he was a Univer-
salist. Mrs. Edwards was a Congregationalist ; she
survived her husband many years, and died Feb. 21,
1885.

Mr. Edwards' parents, Benajah and Mary Ed-
wards, worthy people of New England birth, came to
Rock Island Co., 111., in 1838. They located in the
town of Hampton, but neither long survived the re-
moval to the West ; they both died at Moline, — the
mother in 1839, and the father in 1840.

■e>-°-

rV^C

erry M. Cheney, who is a farmer on sec-
tion 22, Rural Township, is a son of John
E*^ and Hannah (Valentine) Cheney. His
5 father was a native of Maryland, and his
J- mother of New Jersey, and supposed to be of
Irish and French ancestry. His father served
in the War of 181 2, in a Kentucky regiment. They
married and settled in Champaign Co., Ohio, and
removed thence to Logan Co., same State, where he
died Feb. 29, 1836. The widow afterward came
with her family of six children to this county. She
died in Rural Township, Feb. 24, 1876. All her
children numbered n, and were named Mary A.,
William C, Edward J., Joanna, Nelson W., Lafay-
ette, Perry M., Francis M., Jane, Sarah A. and
John M.

Mr. Cheney, the subject of this notice, was born
in Clarke Co., Ohio, Aug. 25, 1826. He received
his education in the public school, and has always
been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He came to
Rock Island County in October, 1848, with his
I mother and her other children, settling in Rural

c>)

^M^/ s

3 o8

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

Township, where he has since resided. He is now
the owner of 281 acres of land in that township, and
most of his ground is in a good state of cultivation,
furnished with good buildings, etc.

Mr. Cheney has held the offices of Township As-
sessor four years, Highway Commissioner three years,
and School Director. In politics he affiliates with
the Democratic party.

Mr. Cheney was united in marriage, in Rural
Township, Jan. 12, 1871, with Miss Elizabeth C,
daughter of Peter and Catherine E. Simmon. She
was born in Pennsylvania, April 24, 1834. Mr. and
Mrs. C. have become the parents of one child, De-
witt C, who was born May 12, 1872.

. ; ^VV% , .

illiam Wait, deceased, formerly a resident
on section 35, Edgington Township, was
born in Washington County, Ohio, May
4, 1 82 1. He was the son of a farmer, Henry
Wait, who was a native of the Green Moun-
tain State, and came to Ohio, where he was
married to Sophia Wells, a native of New England
and who is yet living, having attained the venerable
age of 84 years. She is residing with her daughter,
Mrs. Kendall.

Mr. Wait was only four years of age when he
came to Switzerland Co., Ind., from Ohio, and he re-
mained upon the parental homestead assisting in
the maintenance of the family by labor on the farm,
and in attendance at the common schools, until he
attained the age of 20 years. At this age in his life's
history, he engaged in running flat-boats down the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for his own individual
profit, and continued in that vocation for 12 years,
meeting with financial success. He formed a matri-
monial alliance March 23, 1854, in Switzerland Co.,
Ind., with Miss Lucinda, the accomplished daugh-
ter of Truman and Lavina (Bradford) Gray ; the
mother was a direct relative of Gov. Bradford, of
Connecticut. The father and mother of Mrs. Wait
were both natives of the Green Mountain State, and
descendants of a long line of connection, identified
with the early settlement of the New England States.
They were married in Lawrence Co., N. Y., and
came immediately after to Switzerland Co., Ind.,
when that territoiy was only partially settled, and

located on a farm ; and were connected with the
early history of the county. Their family comprised
seven children, — Joel, Robert, Freeman (deceased),
Lucinda (Mrs. Wait), Theda and Parker, and Mr.
Gray had one child by his second marriage, Adela.
Mrs. Wait was born near Patriot, Switzerland Co.,
Ind., Dec. 20, 1828. She lived with her parents, as-
sisting in the household duties and attending the
common schools, in which she received a good edu-
cation, and at the age of 19 years engaged in the
profession of teaching, which she followed for six
years, and until her marriage to Mr. Wait. Her
parents, who were prominent farmers, lived in Switz-
erland Co., Ind., until their deaths, that of the father
occurring Feb. n, 1880, aged 84 years, and that of
the mother in 1839, aged 41 years.

Mrs. Wait is the mother of five daughters by Mr.
Wait, viz.: Helen, born Jan. 5, 1855, who married
Geo. T. Galloway, and they reside in Wa Keeney,
Trego Co., Kan., where Mr. Galloway is engaged in
farming and cattle-raising: they are the parents of
two children, Milton B. and Lewis H.; Nettie, born
June 1, 1858, married Wm. G. Haefele, and they re-
side in Reynolds, this county, where Mr. H. is en-
gaged in the butcher business, and they have two
children, Charles W. and Wilfred A. ; Grace, born
Oct. 1, i860, married Wm. Davis, whose sketch may
be found in this work; Lou M., born May 29, 1865 ;
and Cora B., born Aug. 10, 186S, both reside with
their mother.

Immediately after marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wait
came to this Stale and located on 160 acres of land,
which Mr. Wait had purchased one year prior, and
on which they had made some improvement. They
have made the same their home until the present
time, the husband having died, and Mrs. W. still
survives and conducts the homestead. Prior to his
death, Mr. Wait also purchased 80 acres of addi-
tional land, which consisted of timber, and also 160
acres well improved in Mercer County. He was
one of the most prominent farmers in his township,
and erected a beautiful residence on his farm, and
by energetic effort had placed his land under an ad-
vanced state of cultivation. He was accidentally
killed by falling from a timber in his barn, striking
on the floor and dislocating his spinal column, from
which accident he died in 36 hours, the date of his
death being June 14, 1882. He was Supervisor of
his township several years, and also held the posi-

x=i

■ s — ^^mrnw^^-

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-4*t^>f||

MTV

i — r

1
^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

tion of Road Commissioner and other minor offices.
Religiously, he was an active member of the Presby-
terian Church. As a farmer and stock-grower he
ranked among the first in the county and township.
Mrs. Wait is also a member of the Presbyterian
Church in full standing, and three of her daughters,
Nettie, Lou and Cora, are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church at Reynolds.

Politically, Mr. Wait was identified with the Dem-
ocratic party. He was a gentleman respected by
those who knew him, and whose word was consid-
ered as good as his bond. His accumulation of this
world's goods was attributable to his indomitable
energy, perseverance and pluck, coupled with his
good judgment and the active co-operation of his
good helpmeet.

illlam Runge, proprietor of Runge's Sum-
mer Garden, Moline, and dealer in gen-
eral merchandise, established business,
herein 1869, at No. 1,601, 15th Street. The
subject of this sketch is a native of Ger-
many, and the son of Claus and Margaret (Zor-
nig) Runge, and was born May 15, 1844. He served
a regular apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade in
his native country, and followed that vocation until
1865, when he emigrated to America. He landed in
New York on the 8th day of May of that year, but
came directly to Moline and about a year thereafter
engaged as blacksmith in the plow works of Deere &
Co. He worked for that company about three years,
and in 1869 engaged in mercantile business.

Having a taste for landscape gardening, he began
at an early day to ornament his grounds with fine
trees and shrubbery, flowers and summer houses. In
1878 he opened his place as a summer garden, fitted
with many devices for innocent amusement and
conveniences for pleasure. His place is cool and
well shaded, very tastefully arranged, and, taken on
the whole, is a very welcome resort for the tired,
warm and thirsty populace. To sit in the cool shade
in an atmosphere laden with the perfume of a thou-
sand flowers, listening to the singing birds or the
rippling laughter of some bright-eyed and rosy-
cheeked maiden, while one quaffs the cool lager or
sparkling wine, and watches the smoke curl from a

fragrant Havana, is, or ought to be, pretty nearly
perfect bliss to a broad-gauge man of good physique
and of sound mind. Such a condition of things is
possible at Runge's, and the writer takes pleasure in
saying a good word for the man who contributes to
the innocent enjoyment of the people in this world of
hard work and many cares.

Mr. Runge was united in marriage at Moline, May
7, 1866, to Miss Josephine C. D. Petersen, daugh-
ter of Henry and Anna (Dierks) Petersen. Mrs.
Runge was born in Holstein, Germany, April 25,
1845, and came to America in 1866. They are the
parents of nine children, six girls and three boys
all born in Moline. Sophia, born March 15, 1867;
Anna, born Sept. 13, 1868, wife of John Wither-
spoon, of Moline; Mary, born Aug. 20, 1870; Her-
mann, born Feb. 13, 1872; Mina, born June 17,1874;
William, Oct. 3, 1877; Louisa, July 3, 1879; Gusta>
June 6, 1 88 1 ; Henry, May 27, 1883. Mr. Runge is
liberal in his religious views and independent in
political opinion. He has served as Alderman from
the Fifth Ward .two years; is a member of the So-
ciety of Druids, and of the Concordia Germania
Turnverein.

* illiam Nelson Johnson, a farmer of Coe
Township, resident on section 24, was

born March 29, 1807, in Baltimore Co.,
Md. He is the third son of William and
Annie (Hope) Johnson, and by descent is of
Irish origin, his paternal grandfather having
been born in that country, and came to the United
States when he was a young man, settling in Balti-
more Co, Md. On the maternal side he is of Scotch
extraction.

When he was n years of age his parents moved to
the then far West, settling in Ohio. They arrived in
Guernsey County Oct. 10, 18 18, where they took
possession of a farm which the father purchased, and
and on which the subject of this sketch was reared
to manhood.

June 30, 1830, he was married to Rebecca Doug-
lass, who was born Jan. 15, 1804, in Montgomery
Co., Md., and removed with her parents to Guernsey
County in 1826. The young couple located in the
same county where they were married and the hus-

^nason^

> 312

.ffCCX ISLAND COUNTY.

XlTVf

rSN

band engaged in agricultural pursuits. He after-
wards removed to Belmont with his family. In 185 1
they started for Illinois and drove from Guernsey
County with a pair of horses and a wagon. The
party was compelled to stop in Franklin County on
account of the illness of several members of the
family, as the additional expenses soon exhausted
their little fortune. They remained there one year,
and meanwhile Mr. Johnson was variously engaged
as he could obtain employment. At the expiration
of the time named the family once more set out for
their original destination, in the same manner in
which they had first started, with a team. They
came directly to Illinois and to the county of Rock
Island. They sought a home in the township of
Coe. The head of the family had but $7.10 in his
pocket, but found employment without delay in the
construction of the saw-mill on Canoe Creek, and
after it was finished he was for some time an assist-
ant in it. In 1853 he entered the northeast quarter
of section 24 in the township where he has since
pursued his agricultural interests. He built a small
log house on the southern part of the place, which
was for a time his home. He then erected the house
in which the family has since lived and which is
situated on the northeast part of the section. The
entire tract is now enclosed, and the land is all in a
good state of cultivation, with the exception of the
pastures.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had n children, and
five of them only are now living: Annie H. is the
wife of James Hewitt; John A. lives with his par-
ents; Samuel is a farmer in Smith Co., Kan.; Re-
becca is the widow of Grier Stanley; and Ellen is
the wife of James Benjamin, and lives in Meade, Neb.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson both joined the Methodist
Church in their younger days. The wife and mother
died Dec. 25, 1880.

John A. is the only son who is a resident of the
county of Rock Island. He was born in Belmont
Co., Ohio, March 31, 1836, and he was 16 years old
when his parents came to Illinois. He was married
July 1, 1866, to Hannah E. Osier. She was also
born in Belmont Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of
Henry and Jane (Bates) Osier. Her father was a
native of Maryland and her mother was born in Vir-
ginia. Emma J., Ora N., Robert H. and Kittie A.
are the names of the children of the household.
Both father and son are Democrats.

- ■-■-■:■

illiam F. Cram, drruggist, Keator House
Block, established business in Moline in
May, 1880, and carries an average stock
of $5,000 value. Mr. Cram is a native of
Boston, Mass., is the son of George C. and
Agnes (Jackson) Cram, and was born Jan. 25,
1856. He came to Chicago in 1867, was educated
in the city schools and took a regular course at the
College of Pharmacy of Chicago, and graduated in
1874. He then entered the drug-store of J. F.
Brabook, of Chicago, where he was employed as
prescription clerk three years. He also spent one
and a half years with Dr. Quirk (druggist), of the
same city, but left for Oregon, 111., where he ran a
drug-store for three years.

He came to Moline and clerked for Mr. W. G.
Morris, druggist, until May, 1880, when he estab-
lished his present business. Mr. Cram is a thor-
oughly educated and experienced pharmacist ; has a
large and well stocked establishment, and is prompt
and careful in the preparation of medicines.

Mr. Cram formed a matrimonial alliance in Ore-
gon, Ogle Co., 111., June 13, 1S77, with Miss Annie
E. Strop, daughter of L. M. and M. E. Strop. Mrs.
Cram was born in Oregon, Ogle Co., 111. The issue
of their union is three children, — Bert H, born June
13, r879; Agnes A., born Sept. 10, 1881 ; and Ethel,
born Feb. 9, 1S84. Mr. Cram is a member of the
Masonic fraternity. In political sentiment he is a
Republican.

-fc

=*-

r ohn Buffum, grain dealer, farmer and stock-
g,- grower, residing on section 26, Andalusia
^ Township, was born in Ashtabula Co.,
Ohio, Feb. 5, 1825. His father, Jonathan
Buffum, was a native of Vermont, and of
English ancestry, and by occupation a farmer.
The family was started in this country by two broth-
ers, who were Quakers, and who, owing to the per-
secution of the Friends in England, came with a
number of others to free America, and located in
Connecticut. The family all remained members of
the Quakers' organization in New England until the
generation ot the grandfather of our subject. His

\£>

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

name was Stephen Buffum, who moved outside of
the pales of the Church and was also married out-
side of the Church, and really was not identified
with any Church in particular. He came to Illinois,
and died in Fulton County.

The father of our subject came when a boy to
Ashtabula Co., Ohio. At that time there were but
few settlements even in Ohio, and the date of his
coming to that State was as early as 18T4. He was
married in Ashtabula County to Sarah Rockwell,
who was a daughter of a farmer. After his marriage,
in 1826, he came to Canton, Fulton Co., 111. This
was a very early day in the history of the State, and
prior to any settlement being made in Northern Illi-
nois. He was among the first to start a settlement
in that part of the State. In i83r he settled seven
miles northwest of Monmouth, in Warren County;
there he built a grist and saw-mill, which was the
first in that section of the State. In 1832, in com-
pany with his uncle, L. P. Rockwell, he furnished
the lumber with which the barricade for the protec-
tion of the people against the Indians during the
Blackhawk War was constructed. The Governor
sent a squad of soldiers to this stockade, and Mr.
Buffum was made Corporal of the company. In
1836, he came to Rock Island city, and became pro-
prietor of the " American Hotel," the first hotel in
the town. In 1841 he made a settlement in Anda-
lusia Township, where his son, the subject of this
sketch, now resides. This was among the first farms
that were broken in the township. Here the elder
Buffum lived until his death, which occurred in
1848, at the age of 53 years and nine months. His
wife, who had shared so many hardships of pioneer
life with him, died in 1873, at the age of 73 years.

John Buffum was the fourth son and fifth child of
a family of ten children, nine of whom are yet liv-
ing, the youngest being over 45 years of age, while
the eldest is nearly 70. In his early life, John
shared the privations of his father's family, during
their sojourn and travels in a new country. After
their arrival in Edgington Township, he spent his
time on his father's farm until Dec. 12, 1850, when
he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah M. Ray-
mer, who was born in New York State in 1830, and
came West with her parents in 1843. They Jwere
respected farmers of Edgington Township, where
they died some years ago. Mrs. Buffum is] the

^^ — %pgm

mother of seven sons, one of whom is deceased, El-
mer. Those living are : Rinah W., who is married
and lives in the far West; John M. resides in Ne-
braska; Ira H. married Miss Anna Hayes and re-
sides in the village of Andalusia; Samson R. lives
with his parents, as do also Frank and Grant.

After marriage, Mr. Buffum settled on the home-
stead where he now resides. At present he is the
owner of 320 acres of land, nearly all improved.
In 1858, he began to deal in grain and produce,
which he has since continued to follow, and is now
doing quite an extensive business. In 1884 he sold
over 30,000 bushels of potatoes, besides 25,000 bush-
els of grain. He is an active, enterprising citizen,
and has represented his township in the Board of
Supervisors for nine years, and for three years was
Chairman of the Board. He has been School Treas-
urer for 29 years, and has also held other offices.
In politics he was formerly a stanch Republican, but
since the organization of the Greenback party he
has been an active worker in it, and was a Delegate
to the National Convention of that party held in
Indianapolis in June, 1884, and has also served as
Delegate to the State Convention.

-«<4#'§ a **- *-

(jWjerton Yale Cady, architect and proprietor
|Qt of the " Alderney Hill Farm," is a native

of Herkimer Co., N. Y. He was born
. ^\ May 20, 1840, and is the son of Ira and
Clotilda (Yale) Cady. His maternal grand-
father, Linus Yale, was the original inventor of
the celebrated so-called " Yale Lock."

Merton received an early training in the laws of
mechanics under the tutorship of his gifted grand-
father, which has been of great practical use to him
in the course of his life, devoted as it has been
largely to mechanical pursuits. He removed with
his parents in 1857 to the city of New York, where
he was employed in the manufacture of the Yale
lock and burglar-proof mechanism. Having a na-
tural turn for such pursuits, he devoted himself with
ardor to the business, at which he ultimately became
an expert. He spent three years in New York city
under the best masters in the study of architecture.
He was subsequently employed with his father in
erecting iron fronts for city buildings. Among those

3i4

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

built under their supervision was that of the New
York Equitable Life Insurance Company. He was
also employed as superintendent of the manufacture
of burglar -proof apparatus.

In the spring of 1872 he came to Chicago with
the expectation of introducing burglar-proof locks
and other mechanisms in that line, and continued a
resident of that city till 1878, when he removed to
Moline and became proprietor of the well known
" Alderney Hill Farm," formerly Mr. John Deere 's
blooded-stock farm. He remodeled the residence
and farm buildings, making various improvements,
till he now has one of the most tasteful and beauti-
ful homes in the Mississippi Valley. The farm is
situated one mile east of the city of Moline and con-
sists of 250 acres of valley and upland; fronting on
the river is a beautiful natural grove, the favorite
resort of picnic and pleasure parties. Between the
grove and house stretches a broad belt of fertile val-
ley dotted with trees, while the residence rests on
a small plateau commanding a fine view of the river,
with wooded bluffs and green sloping hills in the
background. A copious spring of pure water supplies
house and barns through a well arranged system of
mains. One of the most interesting features of this
attractive place is the fine herd of thoroughbred Jer-
sey cows. Their very color is suggestive of rich
milk, yellow cream and golden-hued butter.

Mr. Cady has devoted considerable care to per-
fecting his stock, and now has a fine herd of 20 pure
bloods of this the most popular breed of butter-
making cows. Many citizens of Moline and sur-
rounding country are glad to avail themselves of the
opportunity afforded them by the advantages of
" Alderney Hill Farm " to secure choice Jersey stock.

In addition to the care of his stock farm, Mr.
Cady has been busily employed in his profession as
architect. He designed and superintended the con-
struction of the lodge at Riverside Cemetery, the
John Deere building at the corner of 17 th Street and
Third Avenue, and the tasteful tenement now ad-
jacent on 17th Street. He also planned and super-
intended the construction of the water works, and is
now engaged in charge of the erection of the new
postoffice block for Charles H. Deere at the corner
of 1 6th Street and Third Avenue, which will be com-
pleted in the near future. He is also preparing
plans for a chapel for the Congregational Church,

and for S. S. Davis & Co.'s new building, to be built
near the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot.

Mr. Cady was married at Moline, Jan. 2, 1865, to
Miss Alice, youngest daughter of John and Dimis
(Lamb) Deere. Mrs. Cady was born at Grand de
Tour, III, July 31, 1844. Her father is the well
known plow-manufacturer, and Moline's most prom-
inent and respected citizen.

Mr. and Mrs. Cady have two children, a son and
a daughter, namely : John Deere, who was born
Jan. 26, 1866; and Alice Mabel, born June 19, 1872.
Mr. and Mrs. Cady are members of the Congrega-
tional Church. In politics, Mr. Cady is a Repub-
lican.

■ , Jf ;- aeob A. Carpenter, general farmer and
• USfifiT stock-raiser, residing on section 30, Edg-
' j ington Township, is a native of Pennsyl-

Hk vania, having been born in Lycoming County,
|t that State, March 17, 1842. His father, Caleb
\ Carpenter, was a native of Dutchess Co., N.
Y., and was a farmer. He was a descendant
of one of the old families that had settled in New
England in the 17th century. He came to Pennsyl-
vania and settled in Lycoming County, where he was
united in marriage with Hester M. Bastian, a native
of that county.

Mr. Carpenter, subject of this notice, was the eld-
est but one in order of birth of a family of nine chil-
dren. He was but ten years old when his father's
family came West and settled in Edgington Town-
ship, and at that time the settlement there was new
and undeveloped. The mother of Jacob Carpenter
is yet living on the old homestead, with her younger
son, Henry, and has attained the venerable age of
74 years. The father died on the homestead Oct.
24, 1866. Jacob A. Carpenter was educated in the
public school of the county, residing under the par-
ental roof-tree until 1862. Aug. n, of that year, he
enlisted in Co. B, 126th III. Vol. Inf., Capt. Henry
D. Cline (at present a resident of Rock Island). He
participated in but few active engagements, the most
important being that of the capture of Little Rock,
Ark. ; and he was honorably discharged at Spring-
field, this State, Aug. 1, 1865.

He at once returned to this county, and Feb. 22,
1870, was united in marriage, at Keithsburg, Mercer

Si/

ft/

Lieu-Col. of Ord. U. S.A

>SmS<!

- ■ ■

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

317

)

Co., 111., to Miss Letitia, daughter of James and
Ellen (Ewing) Venable, natives of Tyrone Co., Ire-
land, Mrs. Carpenter was born in the last named
county, Dec. 2, 185 1. Her father died before her
birth, and she was raised by her mother and came to
America with her, when she was about six years of
age, locating soon afterwards in Mercer County. In
the spring of 1866 they moved to Edgington, and
Mrs. Carpenter's mother died at that place, in June,
1869.

Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are the parents of four
children, one of whom died in infancy. The surviv-
ing are: Paul L., born Oct. 28, 1870; Eugenia,
born April 14, 1876; and Nellie C, Oct. 13, 1880.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter lived
in Edgington village about eight years. In 1878 Mr.
Carpenter purchased 80 acres of land located on
section 30, Edgington Township, on which he at
once located and entered vigorously and energeti-
cally upon the task of its improvement. By economy
and energetic effort, combined with the active assist-
ance of his good helpmeet, he has subsequently
added to his original purchase until he is at present
the proprietor of 200 acres of land, the major portion
of which is under an advanced state of cultivation.

Politically, Mr. Carpenter is a believer in and sup-
porter of the principles of the Republican party, and
and is at present Road Commissioner and School
Director. Religiously, Mrs. Carpenter is a member
of the Presbyterian Church.

-■'->

aniel W. Flagler, the Commandant at
Rock Island Arsenal, whose portrait ap-
j'jlr^^ 3 pears on the opposite page, was born in
M'<* Niagara Co., N. Y., June 20, 1835, a son of
Sylvester and Abby (Remington) Flagler. On
the Fagler side of the house he descended from
Holland Dutch, who emigrated to Dutchess Co., N.
Y., about the year 1700. On the maternal side he
is English. He married the daughter of Brig. -Gen.
C. A. Finley, Surgeon-General U. S. A., in Phila-
delphia, Pa., and has two children, viz. : Elizabeth
Moore, who was born in r866, at Augusta, Ga., and
Clement A., born at the same place, in 1867. The
latter is now a cadet at West Point.

Col. Flagler's military record is creditable, and he,

— :s ^ — e?K^»

)«§^K

seeing what Gen. Rodman saw, has been a strong
advocate for the location of a military establishment,
or rather a place, where, in time of emergency, the
Government, without appealing to foreign powers,
could equip an army in a short time. While advo-
cating this Col. Flagler says he is opposed to war,
but that our institutions ought to be maintained ; and
that in the nature of things we cannot have a large
standing army in this country; and furthermore says
he is glad of it, but that this Government may at
some time become involved among its various sec-
tions, or with some other peoples, and the result
might prove disastrous to civil liberty. The Ameri-
cans, as a rule, are a level-headed people, and seek
no wars; they never have been a people for con-
quest ; their progenitors came here at a time when
they had nothing to hope for but liberty. The lib-
erty they sought, and have maintained. Shortly
25 years ago the country became involved in a con-
troversy that cost thousands of lives, and — but the
money consideration is not a thought. Col. Flagler
says that he has no desire for a large standing army ;
that he is in true and hearty sympathy with the ideas
of the men who make the nations of the earth, and
who have borne the burdens. " But, " says he (and
to see him when he said it would impress every one
that he had nothing but the good of his country at
heart), " the building of an arsenal at an accessible
point in the Mississippi Valley, while costing but a
tithe of the amount required for supporting a stand-
ing army, would at any time be of more service, for
the reason that the arsenal would be constantly em-
ployed in the improvement of articles of warfare;
" and,'' said he, " the American people can always
fight." There is reason in this; and it shows that
American soldiers possess what none other on earth
do. This man Flagler has with a steady determi-
nation carried out his views. He is familiar with all
the detail work connected with the arsenal at Rock
Island, and, like most soldiers, is a gentleman.

These comments are gathered from people who
have lived in the vicinity of Col. Flagler's work for
many years.

He is a man of powerful physique ; and more than
that, the development of his head shows that he is a
man of great strength of mind, and a genial gentle-
man. The country ought to understand how he has
labored for its best interests, and realize how great
such men are. They are not the men that sought

W&*B — =Vy=

■^v^misnn^

j»

^CCA' ISLAND COUNTY.

the conquest of everybody and every nation. It has
remained for America to develop a class of soldiers
that will stand far ahead of the Spartans ; and the
old guard, after doing their duty, returned to their
homes. Conquest, malice never entered into their
ideas ; they fought from principle. His record as a
military man is second to^none, only the great cap-
tains of the country. A graduate of West Point, he
was an ardent and faithful advocate of the war dur-
ing the late civil strife. He served through the war
with distinction in many positions, — among others,
as Chief of Ordnance of the Army of the Potomac,
on the staff of Gens. McDowell, McClellan, Burn-
side, Hooker and Meade ; was also with Burnside's
expedition to North Carolina, and obtained three
brevets during the war. He served in command at
Augusta, Ga., until May, 187 t, when he assumed
command of the Rock Island Arsenal. Subsequently,
he assisted in the trial of experimental powders and
heavy gun-carriages, at Fortress Monroe, in 1873.

His record appears in a published register of
West Point men.

~§N^€5H^# —

LC ilpin Moore, Moline. Prominent among

those who have became noted, — by inven-

^g— K tion, — is the gentleman whose name stands

* at the head of this sketch. He was born in

Chester Co., Pa., Oct. 27, 1831, his father's

name being Hibbard and his mother's Jane

(Gawthrop) Moorg. His father was of English and

his mother of Scotch descent.

Gilpin Moore remained in Pennsylvania at school
until he was 14 years of age, and then came to Rock
Island, 111., to which town his father had come seven
years before. His father was a blacksmith, and after
his arrival in Rock Island he alternately attended
school and worked in his father's shop, until he was
18 years of age. At that age, it had become evident
that Mr. Moore naturally possessed more than or-
dinary mechanical and inventive ability and taste -
and, believing it would be desirable to learn thor-
oughly the machinist's business, he apprenticed
himself for three years, in a machine shop in Rock
Island, where he faithfully served his time, and after
that took entire charge of the shops, as superintend-
ent, until 1864, becoming noted in Rock Island and
vicinity as a workman and inventor of rare ability.

5*-£-*~

During the year above mentioned his services were *
engaged by Deere & Co., Moline, 111., manufacturers ,
of agricultural implements; and when the now im- t!}-
mense concern was organized as a stock company, in
1868, he became a partner therein and took the posi-
tion of superintendent of the iron department, which
he still holds, wherein his inventive genius has large-
ly developed, and he has taken out numerous es-
sential and important patents for improvements in
agricultural implements, not the least of which has
resulted in the production of the splendid " Gilpin,"
a sulky plow which has carried the name not only
all over America, but also into foreign countries.

His work in his father's shop, his chances at the
practical working of machinery, his schooling in
mechanism, drafting and designing, tended to develop
extraordinary inventive faculty and genius, not only
in plows and cultivators, but also in engines, of all
descriptions; in fact, in him, invention rises almost
to inspiration, and he has been and is of marked and
practical value to the colossal concern of which he
is an active and energetic member.

Mr. Gilpin Moore was married March 3, 1853, to
Miss Ludica Crisswell, and they have four children,
namely: Truesdale L., born July n, 1856; Charles
E., born Feb. 13, 1865; Adah, born July 17, 1S68,
and Anna, born July 22, 1874.

Though so closely identified with one of the tower- (
ing industries of Moline, Mr. Moore has always been
a resident of Rock Island, since coming here in
1845. Politically he has been a Republican ever
since the organization of that great party.

]:;- onathan H. Parks, who resides on section
26, Edgington Township, and is engaged
in general farming, together with raising
stock, is one of the prominent and large land-
owners of the township in which he resides,
July 18, 1843. His father, H. H. Parks (see
sketch), was a prominent pioneer of the township.

Our subject was reared on the home farm and edu-
cated in the district schools of Edgington. He re-
mained under the parental roof until 25 years of age,
when he was married, at Davenport, Iowa, June
20, 187S, to Miss Mary A., daughter of J. M.
Davis, of this county. His wife was born and edu-

x§-

^^ SA^IIIISIIfifr^ ^^

ft^r

■cr

fcN

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

£%§

3 r 9

cated in Edgington Township, and on May 28, 1880,
she died. Mr. Parks subsequently, Sept. 29, 1881,
was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca C. Davis,
a sister of his former wife. She was born in Anda-
lusia, March 23, 1864, and was reared and educated
in this county. Her parents, J. M. and Jane (Pep-
pers) Davis, are well known and early settlers of the
county. The former was born in Ohio and the lat-
ter in Indiana, but both came West previous to their
marriage. The former is deceased and the mother
resides in Andalusia.

During the late Rebellion he enlisted in Co. F,
144th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., mustered in at Alton, 111.,
with the rank of Corporal, Sept. 24, 1864. He served
until peace was declared and received an honorable
discharge at the end of the war.

Mr. Parks made his first purchase of land in com-
pany with his brother William, and they now own in
partnership 640 acres, most of which is well im-
proved. Both himself and brother are active and
enterprising farmers, largely engaged in stock-raising,
and quite a benefit to the community in which they
live. Our subject, politically, is a reliable Republi-
can.

{ sear Peal, proprietor of " Peal's Hotel," cor-
ner Third Avenue and 13th Street, and
junior partner of the firm of Wixon & Peal,
proprietors of a livery, feed and sale stable.
The subject of this sketch was born in Sweden
Feb. ro, 1849, and in the year 1852 emigrated
to America with his parents, locating at Fulton, 111.,
until i860. They then came to Moline and spent
one year in this city, when they removed to Geneseo,
where he resided until 1868, then returned to Moline,
which he has made his home continuously since.
Mr. Peal engaged in the hotel business in 1881, and
in the livery business with Mr. John Wixon in 1883.
He was elected Alderman from the Second Ward in
the fall of r88r, to fill a vacancy; was re-elected the
following spring and at each succeeding election, and
holds the position until the spring of 1886.

Mr. Peal was united in marriage at Moline, July
18, 1872, to Miss Carrie A. Van Strand, daughter of
N. P. Van Strand. Mrs. Peal was born in Sweden
and they have become the parents of three children,

namely: Freddie, born Aug. 24, 1873; Edwin, born
May 17, 1875; and Rolla, born July 12, 1876.

Mr. P. has recently refitted and improved his
hotel, and is ready to cater to the traveling public in
good style. He is a genial, accommodating landlord,
and understands the business of caring for the com-
fort of traveling public. Mr. Peal is a Republican in
political sentiment.

* -«- *

ewis E. Hesseman, who follows the occu-
pation of a farmer on section 36, Drury
^ Township, and who is one of the progress-
ive and energetic farmers of his township, is a
son of Christian and Margaret (Lyman) Hesse-
man, natives of Germany and Virginia re-
spectively. The children of the parents were four
in number, namely : William F., Lewis E., Mar-
garet and Nancy. The father came to Rock Island
County in an early day and settled in Drury Town-
ship, where he resided and reared his family, and
remained until the date of his death, Aug. 4, 1880.
The mother still survives her husband, and resides
in Drury Township, making her home with her chil-
dren.

Lewis E. Hesseman, subject of our notice, was
born in Drury Township, Nov. 18, 1846. He re-
ceived the advantages afforded by the public schools,
alternating his studies therein by labor on the farm,
and in fact has resided on the old homestead all his
life. At the death of his father, Lewis E. came in
possession of the old homestead farm, comprising
174^2 acres, and has resided on the same until the
present time.

The marriage of Mr. Hesseman to Sarah B.,
daughter of David and Ellen (Corbin) Clarkson, oc-
curred Oct. 31, 1867, in Drury Township. Her
perents were natives of Pennsylvania, in which State
her mother died. Her father is still living. The
children of Mrs. Hesseman 's parents were seven in
number, and named : John C, Samantha, Benjamin
F., William M., Sarah B., Susan I., Nancy E. Sarah
E. (Mrs. Hesseman) was born in Huntington Co.,
Pa., Dec. 19, 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Hesseman are
the parents of eight children: Margaret E., born
May 15, 1869; David C, Nov. 15, 1870; Eliza L.,
Aug. 12, 1872; William F., Nov. 1, 1873; Elmo F.,

K£f

*
&

f>A

4*^%

320

v£Hll»>r

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

Aug. 15, 1875; I y y G., Nov. 15, 1877; Lewis C,
Sept. 25, 1879; Percy C, Sept. 16, 1881. Eliza L.
died Aug. 13, 1872.

Politically, Mr. Hesseman is identified with the
Republican party. He has held the office of School
Director in his township for 12 years.

Starlow E. Barber, proprietor of the Keator
il| House, Moline, was born at Bridgewater,
N. Y., June 3, 1827, and was the eldest
son of Champlin and Malancy (Greene) Bar-
ber, natives of the same State. The elder
Barber was a farmer and brought his seven
sons up to that vocation.

Harlow E. acquired whatever of an education he
possesses at the district school-house, which was
built of logs ; and he taught one term, when about
20 years of age. He left home a short time before
arriving at his majority and took a tramp to New
York city behind a drove of cattle. A short experi-
ence away from home was enough for the first trip,
and the hearts of the old people were soon gladdened
by his return. When 22 years old he penetrated
the wilds of Illinois, and for a sustenance cut cord-
wood a few weeks at or near the town of Marengo,
111., leaving then on a tour of discovery through the
forests of Wisconsin. In this State, however, he is
recorded as a farmer, and later on as a peddler of
Yankee notions, and before the end of the year 1850
he had even peddled brass clocks, and got back to
Illinois. His genius now took another turn, and we
find him at St. Paul and St. Anthony, selling needles,
pins, beads, ribbons and jack-knives to the " red
man," and taking in exchange anything " Lo " had,
except, perhaps, his squaw and his papooses.

It is no easy task for the historian to trace the
many interesting meandering* of this now most pop-
ular caterer of one of the best kept hostelries in the
State; but as his nomadic life has long since been
abandoned, we feel it but a duty to perpetuate at
least a part of it in history. From Indian trader in
Minnesota he turned stage-driver in Terre Haute,
and before the savages had used up their jack-knives
or beads he was on his road to Rockford, 111., where
he invested largely in a patent churn. We can only
surmise the financial result of this last venture; but

as we find him for the next two years working in the
lumber districts around Grand Haven and other lake
points, we conclude it must have struck him pretty
hard! It was about this time he footed it from
Green Bay through the forests, following routes
marked only by the blazed trees a distance of r5o
miles to Little Bay de Noquet. He was soon back,
however, to Chicago, from which point he radiated
several years, taking in Green Bay, Grand Rapids,
Grand Haven, New York city, etc., trafficking in
lumber, running saw-mills, getting wrecked at sea,
shipping cattle, and finally peddling cigars, and
started the first street omnibus on Lake Street, Chi-
cago. All this, and much more that will forever re-
main unrecorded, he did in a half dozen years, for
we find him in Moline in 1856, in the employ of
Candee & Swan. In ^58 he crossed the plains,
which required five months, searching for gold be-
yond the " Rockies," and did not find any to speak
of. In the spring of 1859 he was back at Moline,
having returned via Panama, Island of Cuba and
New Orleans.

In T862 he enlisted in the army as First Ser-
geant of Co. K, 129th 111. Vol. Inf., and served
three years, being mustered out as First Sergeant.
The 129th regiment was organized in Livingston
County, and ordered to Somerville, Ky., to join Gen.
Granger's command, who were chasing Bragg and
his army. They drove the Confederate forces through
Frankfort, Crab Orchard and Prairieville to Bowling
Green, at which place Sergeant Barber did duty,
guarding the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. From
there his regiment was ordered to Nashville, and
thence to Chattanooga, where they were assigned to
the 20th Corps, under command of " Fighting Joe "
Hooker. The r2gth participated in all the engage-
ments before reaching Atlanta and on through to
Savannah. They were part of the victorious army
that marched through the Carolinas and Richmond
to their final destination, Washington, having taken
part in 13 battles, among them those of Snake Creek
Gap, Big Shanty, New Hope Church, Peach-Tree
Creek, Bentonsville, Averysborough, etc.

Returning to Moline, he manufactured well pumps
awhile, in company with N. Harper, and then re-
turned to Candee, Swan & Co., now the Moline
Plow Company ; and later to Deere & Co. About
his last important failure was as merchant in the far

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West. He purchased in Colorado a large grocery
stock, loaded it into ox wagons and started for New
Mexico; but in an unguarded moment he slept, and
the red man (probably the same one with whom he
had traded at St. Anthony!) crept upon him, stam-
peded his cattle, fired his wagons, and gave him a
race for his scalp-lock that he will probably remem-
ber to the end of his life!

After trying unsuccessfully to hold down a claim
in Kansas, he returned to his old stamping ground
and was employed as salesman for Parlin, Orendorff
& Co., of Canton, 111., for four years, and finally, in
1883, opened the Keator House, and now runs it as
only a man of such versatile experience could. In
short, Mr. Barber makes one of the best landlords
in the country.

Interspersed with his many adversities, he has en-
joyed many successes. He has made fortunes and
lost them; and no difference how abrupt may have
been the change from opulence to necessity, no man
ever saw him disheartened or discouraged. Like a
a cat, every time he falls he alights upon his feet.
With an unfailing faith in the recurrence of pros-
perity, he has been known to spend his last dollar
as princely as if he had thousands.

Mr. Barber is a Republican, a Master Mason and
Senior Vice-Commander of the G. A. R. He has
been twice married ; first to a Miss Abby, who died
in 1871, having one child, Jessie Alice; and secondly
to Miss Frances Parker.

-S3

«-

^fi^lff? illiam Hayes, one of the good farmers of
l| "^BSis|' Buffalo Prairie Township, residingon sec-
jH^O " tion 31, was born in Westmoreland Co.,
Pa., Feb. 11, 1811, and is the son of Sam-
uel and Nancy (Reynolds) Hayes, both na-
tives of the Keystone State. He came to Rock
Island as early as 1843, an d two years later bought
40 acres of land, where he located and began to
develop his farm. He was compelled to undergo
many hardships and privations, as the early settlers
in all the new sections must necessarily undergo,
but a fair amount of success has been his good for-
tune. He located on section 31, township 16,
range 4. On this he built a log house, where he
resided until 1858, when he erected a large frame

residence. At the present time lie is the owner of
280 acres of land, all well improved.

Mr. Hayes was united in marriage, in 1835, with
Dorcas Maxwell, a native of Westmoreland, Pa.,
and who became the mother of six children, the
record of whom is as follows : John resides in
Drury Township, this county, and was born in July,
1836; Joseph was born in October, 1839, and now
resides in Iowa ; Reynolds, born in February, 1848,
resides in Drury Township; Martha, born in May,
1851, is the wife of Joseph Rine, who lives in Drury
Township; William, born in May, 1854, carries on
the home farm. He married Miss Addie Rine, of
Buffalo Prairie Township.

Mr. Hayes was "born" a Democrat. His first
vote was cast for Andrew Jackson, and he has al-
ways voted the Democratic ticket since, saying he
expects to die in the same faith.

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acob A. Seiver, a farmer residing on sec-
tion 32, Drury Township, is a son of Law-
rence W. and Mary (Miller) Seiver, na-
tives of Virginia, in which State they were
^L married and settled, and where they resided
until their deaths. Their family was increased
by the birth of eight children, namely: Eli, Jacob
A., Samuel W., James L., Sarah, Lorenzo M., John
H. and Mary A.

Jacob A., mentioned at the beginning of this
sketch, was born in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia,
Aug. 27, 1820. His father was a farmer, and Jacob
lived on the old homestead, alternating his labors
thereon by attendance at the public schools until
he attained the age of 21 years. On arriving at his
majority, he went to Highland Co., Ohio, where he
resided a few months. He then removed to Wayne
Co., Ind., where he engaged in farming for himself
and others for three years longer. In September,
1844, he came to this county and rented land in
Drury Township for six years, when by economy he
had succeeded in saving sufficient means to pur-
chase 80 acres of land on section 32, Drury Town-
ship, on which he located and at once began the
task of clearing, cultivating and improving it, de-
termined to make it a future home for himself and
family, and on which he has since resided. He has

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

erected good buildings and otherwise improved his
place, and has added to his original purchase until
he is at present the proprietor of 200 acres, under a
good state of cultivation.

Mr. Seiver was first united in marriage in Wayne
Co., Ind., July 22, 1840, to Miss Clarissa Reynolds,
daughter of W. G. and Sarah (Denny) Reynolds.
She was born June 22, 1822, and has borne him
three children, namely: Senora, born Dec. 17,
1842; Viola, Jan. 22, 1847; and Almira, June 21,
1849. Mrs. S. died in Drury Township, July 25,
1852, and Mr. S. was again married, in the same
township, March 26, 1858, to Sarah D. Wray, a twin
sister of John E. Wray (see sketch). She was born
at Gallipolis, Ohio, July 20, rS33. They are the
parents by this marriage of five children : Albert,
born Nov. 1, 1858; Ida, Aug. 20, 1861 ; John W.,
Oct. 13, 1864; James M., June 1, 1867; and Nellie
M., April 18, 1872.

Mr. S. has held the office of Road 'Commissioner,
School Trustee and School Director, and in politics
is identified with the adherents of the [Republican
party.

-5 #-# 5-

1 ilbert K. Sloan, M. D., is a son of John
Montier and Nancy Ann (Fast) Sloan, na-
tives respectively of Maryland and Penn-
sylvania, of Scotch and German extraction,
and was born in Ashland Co., Ohio, Oct.
19, 1846. His father, who died March 4, 1849,
at his home in Ohio, aged 44 years, was by occupa-
tion a farmer, but devoted much of his time to the
ministry. He was a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church ; but, not fully indorsing their system
of itinerancy, he never accepted any regular appoint-
ment at the hands of the conference, preferring to
do what good he could in his own way, and without
reward other than the consciousness of having done
his duty and the enjoyment of the love and con-
fidence of those with whom he labored.

The subject of our sketch was brought up to farm
life, and followed the vocation until 1866. His pri-
mary education was acquired at the public schools,
supplemented by a short term at Oberlin College. In
1868 he began the study of medicine in the office of
Dr. Crane, of Ashland, Ohio, and the next year went

to Oregon with a view to locating. Taking sick on
the way, he stopped in Southern Illinois, and while
convalescing decided to go no further. He here
taught school and read medicine until 1870, when
he removed to Knoxville, Iowa, where he pursued a
similar course up to 1873. In this year he entered
college, and two years later graduated as M. D.
After practicing his profession about two years in
Iowa, he came to Moline in 1880, and formed a
partnership with Dr. P. L. McKinnie, which lasted
two years, where his abilities were at once recog-
nized, and he stepped without difficulty or delay into
a lucrative and eminently respectable practice.

Dr. Sloan is a prominent member of both Rock
Island County and Moline Medical Societies; is
now, and has been since 1882, a member of the
School Board, and at the head* of one of the most
important committees; also a member of the Library
Board, and Chairman of its Executive Committee.

While at Knoxville, Iowa, the Doctor became ac-
quainted with Miss Emma J., the accomplished
daughter of Mr. A. W. Collins, President of the First
National Bank of that place, and, April 26, 1S76,
made her his wife. Miss Collins (now Mrs. Sloan)
was one of the brightest of the class in which she
graduated, at Western University, Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa ; and the happy grace with which she presides
over her domestic affairs and discharges the pleasant
duty of wife and motherhood — the latter including
the care and training of three pretty children, Ches-
ter C, Clara Olive, and " Carl " — is but another
evidence of the fact that it is to the education of
women that men must look for the purest and surest
elevation of their race.

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^l^sa'l-* Warman follows the vocation of a farmer
t-;[ ^0|q on section 18, Drury Township, where he
3=/* is the proprietor of 120 acres of good till-
able land. He is a son of Enoch and Mary
(Brockway) Warman, natives of Virginia. They
settled in Wayne Co., Ind., where they both
died. Their family comprised nine children, of
which Enoch was the seventh in order of birth.

Mr. Warman was born in Wayne Co., Ind., Nov.
6, 1825. He resided on the parental homestead,
alternating his labors thereon by attendance at the

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325

common schools, in which he received a good educa-
tion. He continued to follow the vocation of a
farmer in Wayne County until 185 3, when he moved
to Louisa Co., Iowa, where he purchased a farm, and
was engaged in its cultivation for about eight years.
In the fall of 1861 Mr. Warman came to Rock Island
County and purchase 120 acres of land, located in
Drury Township, and at once entered upon its culti-
vation and improvement, erecting good buildings
and otherwise improving his land, and on which he
has resided to the present time (1885).

The marriage of Mr. Warman occurred in Wayne
Co., Ind., Sept. 17, 1852, and the lady of his choice
was Miss Elmira Reynolds, the accomplished
daughter of Milton and Orpha Reynolds. She was
the second child of a family of eight children, and
was born in Wayne County, Nov. 12, 1834. Mr.
and Mrs. Warman are the parents of ten children,
eight of whom survive. The living are : Vie Emma,
wife of Albert Bowser; Mary J., Mrs. Albert T.
Brown; Sarah R., wife of Wilson Bowser; James L.,
Sherman, Willard and Orson O. Grant and Medora
are the deceased.

Mr. Warman enlisted in March, 1864, in the 28th
111. Vol. Inf., and served six months, when he was
discharged at Brownsville, Tenn., on account of
disability. Politically, he is a believer in and a sup-
porter of the Republican party, and has held the
office of School Director in his township.

\ rof. K. Erixon, Pastor of the Gust. Adolph
(Swedish Lutheran) Church of Moline

since the spring of 1882, is a native of
Sweden, where he was born June 2, 1827. He
was educated at the university at Stockholm,
that country ; served as preacher and teacher in his
native land ; had the government of the children's
home of the city mission of Stockholm ; was founder
and publisher of the politico-religious paper entitled
the New Posteti, at Stockholm, yet continued, but
under the name of Hemlandsvannen (Homeland's
Friend), one of the most widely circulated papers in
Sweden.

In 1878, Prof. Erixon moved to the United States,
locating at Knoxville, this State, where he was de-
nominated Professor in Ansgari College, a Swedish-

American institution, and subsequently President of
the college. This connection continued eight years,
when he went to Lindsborg, Kan., where he was
employed as Pastor of the mission Church from 18S0
to 1882. In the spring of the latter year he came
to Moline to accept his present position. While at
Knoxville he was also chosen President of the Synod,
and served as such until his removal to Kansas in
1880.

•Prof. Erixon was married in Sweden, March 2,
1849, to Miss Helena Elizabeth Olsen, and they
have three children, namely : Hildegard, Bertha and
Charles. The last named died in 1857, and Bertha
became the wife of Christ. Krause, and died Dec 3,
1884.

^avid Mardock, who follows the vocation of
. a fanner on section 32, Drury Township,

hjjS-" ' s a son °f James and Catherine (Bowers)

[n, Mardock, natives of North Carolina and Ten

nessee respectively, and of Irish and German
ancestry. They were united in marriage and
settled in Tennessee, from where they removed to
Butler Co., Ohio, and afterward to Union Co., Ind.,
where they resided until their deaths.

David Mardock was the fourth child in order of
birth of a family of 15 children. He was born
in Butler Co., Ohio, Sept. 28, 1815. He was quite
young when his parents moved from the latter State
to Indiana, and lived at home, assisting in the main-
tenance of the family by working on the farm until
he attained the age of 29 years. His education was
received in the common schools of his native county.
In the spring of 1844 Mr. Mardock came to this
county, but, after a few months' sojourn here, re-
turned to Indiana, where he remained engaged in
the vocation of farming until 185 1. During the latter
part of that year he again returned to this county,
and in 1852 permanently located in Drury Township,
on section 32, where he has since resided. He is
the proprietor of 160 acres of land in that township,
on which he has erected a good residence, together
with substantial outbuildings, and placed his acreage
under an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Mardock was united in marriage in Muscatine,

Iowa, Sept. 11, 1853, with Mary E. Irwin, the ac-

I complished daughter of John C. and Sophia (Bear)

5M^e — »<©»=-

326

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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Irwin, natives of Pennsylvania and Kentucky re-
spectively. Her father lived several years in Ken-
Lucky and Indiana, and in 1841 he emigrated to
Muscatine, Iowa. He enlisted in the 114th Ohio
Vol. Inf. and was killed on the Yazoo River. Her
mother died in Madison, Ind. Mrs. Mardock was
born in Jefferson Co., Ind., July 9. 1S33. The chil-
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Mardock are four in number,
namely: Effie, born Sept. 3, 1854; Bertha, born
Aug. 28, 1S58; Carrie A., born March 9, 1S61; and
one who died in infancy. Effie is also deceased.

Mr. Mardock has been Supervisor, School Director
and School Trustee in his township. Politically, he
he is a believer in and a supporter of the principles
advocated by the Democratic party.

- ; -,_

lbert Hanson, of the firm of Anderson &
=gkHanson, dealers in stoves, tinware, gas-pipes,

etc, Moline, was born in Rock Island, Sept. 9,
1855, and is the son of Jonas P. Hanson. He
came to Moline in boyhood and worked three
years with the Moline Paper Mills, and 13
years with James Shaw, merchant, as salesman. In
187S he went to Sweden to make a visit, and re-
mained there nine months. On the 1st day of Sep-
tember, 1884, he entered into the existing partner-
ship with A. Q. Anderson. Politically, Mr. Hanson
is a Republican.

tenry Ziegler, a resident of Buffalo Prairie
Township, was born on the Rhine, in the
the Province of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger-
many, Aug. 19, 1829. His parents were John
and Antoinette (Weisbach) Ziegler. As soon as
Mr. Ziegler was large enough to attend school
in accordance with the laws of his native country, he
was placed in school and continued there until his
18th year. In the spring of 1847, when iS years of
age, he emigrated to America. At that time he did
not come with the intention of making this his home.
He landed in New Orleans, and from that city went
to Cincinnati, where he worked in a hotel for a time,
going thence to Louisville, where he resided until the

winter of 1S49-50, when he unexpectedly received a
letter from his mother and brother in Rock Island
County, and started immediately to meet them here.
On his arrival in this county he engaged with a cabi-
net-maker, and worked at that trade for two years.
He then purchased land on section 14, Buffalo Prai-
rie Township, on which he located and for two years
was engaged in agricultural pursuits. Leaving the
farm, he went to Rock Island city and engaged in
the mercantile trade, which he followed for two
years, when he engaged in farming again. His farm
consists of 350 acres, the major portion of which is
fenced and under an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Ziegler was united in marriage Feb. 19, 1853,
with Miss Barbara Fuhr, daughter of Valentine and
Barbara Fuhr. She was born May 27, 1830. Mr.
and Mrs. Ziegler are the parents of seven children,
namely: Elizabeth, born April 12, 1S54, and is
now the wife of Gotlieb Lehmann ; Henry, born
June 16, 1857; Julius, June 29, 1S59; Otto, Oct. 25,
1865; Caroline, Dec. 6, 1S67 ; Herman, Dec. 25,
1869, and Emil, April 20, 1873. Mr. and Mrs.
Ziegler are both members of the Evangelical Church.
In politics he is a staunch supporter of the Repub-
lican party, and has been since its organization.

-J

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antes Hanna, deceased, formerly a farmer
~ residing on section 12, Rural Township,

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was born in County Down, Ireland, July
21, 1823. He was engaged in farming in his
native county until 1S52, when he emigrated
to the " land of great possibilities " and came
direct to this county, settling on section 12, Rural
Township, where he continued to reside until the
date of his death, March 14, 1872. On locating on
his land in Rural Township, he entered at once vig-
orously and energetically on the task of its improve-
ment and cultivation, and at the date of his death
was the owner of 1 60 acres of good tillable land, on
which he had erected a fine residence, together with
barn and good substantial outbuildings.

The marriage of Mr. Hanna was celebrated Sept.
2, 1852, in Pittsburg, Pa., and the lady selected to
share his joys and sorrows, reverses and successes
through life was Miss Mary McWhinney. She was
born in the County Down, Ireland, June 27, 1832,
and emigrated to the United States in 1S49, and re-

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sided in Pittsburg until her marriage. They were
the parents of eight children : Eliza J., John, Sarah
H., Mary, Robert M., James, Charles M. and
Maggie.

Mrs. Hanna is a member of the United Presby-
terian Church. She is an active business woman,
and is at present, with the assistance of her children,
carry on the farm left her by her husband, in which
vocation she has become somewhat proficient.

llpjlml lanson Sinnet, one of the most prominent
'^■MJSt- c i'' zens °f tne county and a resident of
W~™ Rock Island, was born at Blandford, Mass.,
; Aug. 15, 1S01. His father, James Sinnet, was
a native of Ireland, and his mother, Mary
(Isham) Sinnet, was ^probably of English de-
scent, though her family was among the earliest
New England settlers. James Sinnet came to Amer-
ica while very young, and settled at Blandford,
where he grew up, married and established a home,
the old homestead being at this writing (1885) oc-
cupied by some of his descendants. He emigrated
to Ohio in 1806, and died at Granville, that State,
two years afterward. He was a farmer by occupa-
tion, and in this his sons followed, somewhat, his
footsteps. The subject of this sketch received a fair
English education at the common schools of Ohio,
and in after life became one of the foremost patrons
of an academy of learning established in the village
where he spent his boyhood and his youth. He was
one of the earliest founders of Granville College,
Ohio, and at different times subscribed the sum of
$1,000. He was a Trustee of that institution 22
years, and also a member of the Executive Committee
for the same time.

Mr. A. Sinnet was iS years of age when he began
business for himself, on a capital alone of energy,
physical strength, a well balanced mind and a fixed
determination. Licking County, Ohio, was the scene
of his earliest struggles and his ultimate success.
He began as a farmer and cattle-raiser, but in a few
years abandoned the latter and adopted sheep rais-
ing instead, and soon became one of the three largest
sheep dealers in that part of the country. In 1S56

he sold out his property, realizing therefrom about
$8, 000 in cash and came at once to Rock Island
County. This sum of money at his command at
that early day gave him a great advantage, and it
was not many years before he was recognized as a
wealthy man. In partnership with his son, who had
preceded him to Illinois by about one year, he bought
a tract of land containing 55 acres, now known as
" Sinnet's Addition to the City of Rock Island." To
the improvement of this property he has devoted
much of his time, though not to the exclusion of vari-
ous other business interests. He has been a money
lender, ice dealer, and was the prime mover in the
construction of the street railway running through
his addition between Rock Island and Moline. His
was the first name upon the subscription list in
that enterprise, and he set opposite his signature
" $4,000." This act gave other moneyed men courage,
and the result was, the " Moline & Rock Island
Horse Railroad " was pressed to completion many
years earlier than it would have been but for the
foresight and business sagacity of Mr. Sinnet.

From the abundance of wealth accumulated, not
at the expense of his neighbors, not by speculations
in " margins," nor by the wrecking of railroads for
the purpose of gobbling in their stocks, but by purely
legitimate means, he has been one of the most liberal
givers to worthy objects of charity. The churches,
schools, and eleemosynary institutions in various
places have been the recipient of his bounties. In
1883, he had erected at his own expense, a chapel
in Northern India, where the gospel of Christ is
preached every Sabbath by a native minister, sup-
ported entirely by Mr. Sinnet. The following letter,
from a resident missionary in India to a minister
identified with the foreign missionary cause, is
deemed in place here, as it throws full light upon a
subject somewhat difficult of explanation :

" Baptist Mission, Nt^rsa- )

RAVAPETT, Dec. 27, 1884. j

" Rev. C. Tolman,

" Dear Brother : — An explanation is due, I think,
in reference to my long silence in regard to the ' Sin-
net Station.' In the firsi place, I have been away to
Ongole for medical treatment; besides this, the
opening up of this new station has been attended
with difficulties, and I was not anxious to write un-
til I could report that the ' Sinnet Station' was fully
established. I am glad to say now that this is the
case, and I would therefore like to tell Father Sinnet,
through you, something about it.

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33 2

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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" l!ro. Sinnet's station is about six miles south of
the Krishna River, and about 25 miles north of Nur-
saravapett. I think it is the most northern mission
station of our Teloogoo Mission. We have Chris-
tians north of it, but I do not think we have any
preachers established. It is therefore a ' frontier
point,' — a light in a dark place.

" In my former letter I said something about Sol-
omon and his wife. I am glad to report that they
have proved all that I anticipated. It would do you
good to hear Solomon pray. He is a man in real
earnest, and lays hold of the people. But we are
scarcely at the beginning of the work at that dark
corner of my field. I feel confident that Solomon in
the ' Sinnet Station' will be the means of leading
many to the Savior.

" I have appointed one, named Abraham, to labor
with Solomon. Unlike the majority of our Teloogoo
Christians, this old man can read and sing well.
He was, in former days, an enthusiastic, noted idol-
ator, but now a devoted preacher of the gospel,
spending all his time traveling from village to vil-
lage, singing and preaching. His influence with the
people is great, and scarcely a quarterly meeting
passes without his bringing some converts for bap-
tism. Thus you will see that the ' Sinnet Station ' is
manned by worthy incumbents.

" Our chief success, I think, has been the planting
of this new station in the midst of this vast unevan-
gelized population, and the beginning of what I am
sure will prove a great work. I cannot tell you how
glad I am that Father Sinnet has enabled me to be-
gin this good work. Please thank him for me. Tell
him I will write him full accounts of the work as it
goes on. His money is being expended upon worthy
men, and has already, I believe, been] the means of
leading some into the truth.

" Believe me yours faithfully,

R. Maplesden."

Mr. Sinnet was made a life member of the Amer-
ican Baptist Home Mission Society in 1855, and of
the American Baptist Missionary Union in 1881.
He has been a consistent member of the Baptist
Church since 1827, and an active Sunday-school
worker for more than 50 years. He is also an hon-
orary member of the [Old 'Settlers' t Society of this
county.

Mr. Sinnett was first married, at Granville, Ohio,
to Miss Julia A. Webster, a cousin of the famous
Massachusetts statesman of that name. Mrs. Sinnet
died Feb. rr, 1868, at the age of 68 years, leaving
seven children, as follows : James W., now a law-
yer, resident in the State of Missouri; Georgeana,
wife of Geo. Heck, Esq., of Moline; Eugene A.,
born April 10, 1S30, died Nov. 7, 1884; Francis

M., of Rock Island (see biography of F. M. Sinnet,
Esq.) ; Laura E., wife of I. P. Wilson, of Chamber-
lain, D. T. ; Ellen J., born March 10, 1839, died
April 5, r 875, wife of H. Bowman, of Rock Island;
and Henry H., born Nov. 10, 1841, died July 19,
1882. Mr. Sinnet's present wife was Miss Pauline
E. Williams, relative of United States Senator Raw-
lings and a native of Vermont. They were married
at Rock Island, Nov. n, 187 1. Being much younger
than her husband, she takes charge of his corre-
spondence and book-keeping, in addition to the many
other duties incident to a supervision of household
affairs.

Mr. Sinnet was originally a Whig, but since the
organization of the Republican party has regularly
been identified therewith. At no time in life has he
sought political preference, but on the contrary has
refused any and all official distinction.

Mr. Sinnet's portrait, on a preceding page, is
naturally to be expected in this connection by the
public in this part of the State of Illinois, and even
by Christians throughout the world who are inter-
ested in the gpspel work in Northern India. The
publishers of this work also take pleasure in present-
ing the portraits of his former, as well as his present,
wife.

s r. Jacob Stewart, homeopathic physician,
proprietor of " Stewart's Addition to Mo-
line " and dealer in real estate, was born
in Westmoreland Co., Pa., Feb. 28, 1824, and
is the son of John and Mary (Covode) Stewart.
His mother was a sister of Hon. John Covode,
M. C, from Pennsylvania. Mr. Stewart lost his
father in childhood, and, his mother marrying again,
he accompanied her and his stepfather to Ohio in
1839. He studied medicine and took a regular
course at the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati,
and graduated in 1849. He then entered upon the
practice of medicine at Sharpsburg, Pa., the same
year, and pursued the practice of his profession in
that city and adjacent country till 1S71, when he re-
moved to Moline and has been in practice here con-
tinuously since, except while devoting his attention
to his extensive real-estate interests south of the city.
On coming to Moline, Dr. Stewart purchased a

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Julia A. Sinnet

Deceased

:aC,

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

- D V\j

333

tract of land comprising 89^ acres, lying just south
of the city, two-thirds of which he has platted as
South Moline, and which is commonly known as
Stewartsville. He has adopted the plan of erecting
buildings on his lots and then selling them on such
easy terms that it has afforded many people of limited
means the opportunity of securing homes for an
annual outlay of about as much as they would have
to pay in rents. The construction of the street rail-
way in South Moline, or Stewartsville, has made his
property easily accessible, and materially increased in
the value of the same, as well as that of his customers.
Dr. Stewart has displayed great enterprise and en-
ergy in building up and improving South Moline,
and is at present possessed of much valuable prop-
erty in that locality. He also has a valuable farm,
comprising 400 acres, which is located near Hum-
boldt, Kan.

Dr. Stewart formed a matrimonial alliance with
Miss Mary E. Herr, in Sharpsburg, Pa., May 16,
1850. She was born in the place where she was
married, Jan. 6, 1832. Religiously, Mrs. Stewart is
a member of the Baptist Church, and the Doctor of
the Congregational Church. Politically, Dr. Stewart
is identified with the Republican party.

~w\.-o*a£&>ts v i8~

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Herbert Foster, a farmer, residing on sec-
t- tion 18, Drury To.nship, is a son of Jona-
than and Huldah (Griffin) Foster, natives
of New Hampshire and New York respectively.
They were married and settled in Rochester,
N. Y., where they resided until their deaths.
Their family comprised seven children — Amos, Sarah
P., Kate F., J. Herbert, subject of this sketch, Mary,
William S., and Fred E.

J. Herbert Foster, who heads this sketch, was born
in Rochester, N. Y., May 15, 1840. He received the
[ advantages afforded by the common schools of his
native county, and attended the university at Spring-
field, 111., for two years, receiving a good English
education. In 1861, Mr. Foster came to this county
^ and located in Drury Township, where he has since
resided with the exception of five years, during which
time he was engaged in the grocery business at Mus-

catine, Iowa. He is at present the owner of 240
acres of land located in Drury Township, and under
an advanced state of cultivation, with good substan-
tial residences.

Mr. Foster formed a matrimonial alliance with
Miss Louise Wimble, at Rochester, N. Y., 0,t. 25,
1 86 1, just previous to his coming to this county.
She was born in the city in which they were mar-
ried, Sept. 6, 1840. Their union has been blessed
with five children — George G., born March 5, 1863;
F. Warner, bom Jan. 31, 1S65 ; Beulah, born Oct.
21, 1867; Sadie J., born June 7, 1876; and Kate,
born Jan. 21, 1881. Sadie J. is deceased.

Mr. Foster has held the office of Township Col-
lector, and Mrs. Foster at present is School Treas-
urer of the township. Politically, Mr. Foster is a
member of the National party.

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illiam A. France, a resident of Buffalo
Prairie Township, and one of the energetic
jlllP-f 31 and progressive farmers, as well as large
H/ land-owners of that township, was born in
Rootstown, Portage Co., Ohio, May 30,
1834. His father, Lewis France, is a native of
Maryland, in which State he was born in 1808. His
father was for a time a hotel-keeper in the city of
Baltimore. When Mr. France, father of the subject
of this notice, was quite young his parents moved to
Pennsylvania, and there Lewis France grew to man-
hood. He settled in Stark Co., Ohio, and was there
united in marriage to Guli Landon, a native of that
county. After marriage they settled in Portage
County, where he purchased a small place, which he
cultivated in connection with following the trade of
a carpenter. In the fall of 1848, Lewis France,
hoping to better his financial condition in life, came
to this county with his family. He had previously
disposed of his property in Portage County, and he
made the journey overland with a team of horses
and wagon, bringing with them a few household
goods. After a journey of three weeks, they arrived
in this county, where Lewis rented land, which he
cultivated for three years. He then purchased

StltHD^ ^^ ■ §**

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334

^OCZ ISLAND COUNTY.

^<^vM

school land on section 16, Buffalo Prairie Township,
and entered vigorously and energetically upon the
task of its improvement and cultivation. He at first
erected a log house on his land, in which he resided
for six years, when he replaced the old log structure
by a neat and commodious residence. In 1859 he
sold his land, and moved to Missouri and located in
Harrison County, where he purchased a farm, on
which he resided until after the close of the war.
He was a Union man during the war; and, living in
a neighborhood intensely identified with the cause of
the South, he was compelled to defend his home and
family from incendiarism and attack. From Mis-
souri he moved to Kansas, in 1878, and took a claim
in Osborne County. He lived there three years, and
raised a crop, but it was a failure, and he returned
to Rockport, Mo., where he resided with his son,
John W. In June, 1882, his wife died, and he then
went to Atlanta, where he resided with his daughter,
Mrs. Jacob Templeman, nine months, when he re-
turned to Buffalo Prairie Township, and has since
lived with his son, William A., subject of this notice.

William A. France, of whom we write, was in his
14th year when, in'company with his parents, he came
to Illinois, and here grew to manhood. In 1S56 he
went to Missouri, and pre-empted land in Harrison
County. He lived there long enough to prove up on
his land, and the next season was engaged in break-
ing prairie. He was there a little more than a year,
and then returned to this State, and for a time
rented land, which he cultivated. In 1S63 he
bought 80 acres, on which there was a log house
18 x 12 feet in dimensions. He has since added to
his original purchase until he at present is the pro-
prietor of 462 acres of land, all located in Buffalo
Prairie Township, and all of which is enclosed ex-
cept 20 acres. He has erected a good frame resi-
dence, barn and substantial outbuildings, and has
planted fruit, shade and ornamental trees on his
place, until it not only presents a fine appearance,
but is also under an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. France formed a matrimonial alliance Dec.
9, 1859, with Miss Emma Bruner, daughter of John
M. and Ann (Bockins) Bruner. Their children have
been five in number — John H., born Aug. 21, 1859 ;
Issie, born June 21, 1861 ; Wyndham H., born Feb.
16, 1863; Charles Samuel, born July 22, 1867 ; Wil-
liam Aimer, born June 5, 1S72. The eldest son,
John H, went to Kansas in 1884, and located at

Sharon, Barbour County, where he purchased 160
acres of Government land, on which he is engaged
in the vocation of a farmer.

Politically, Mr. France upholds the principles of
the Republican party.

#*#*

' ] i )}h avid °" Reid ' resident at Moline, is a na-
ilij> l ' ve of Harrisburg, Pa., and the eldest son
^ifgp 3 of Robert Findlay and Sarah (Ogle) Reid,
of Irish and Pennsylvania nativity respective-
ly, and was born June r, 1S34. The family re-
moved to Indianapolis in 183S, where, with the
exception of his father, who died there in 1843, tne y
resided about ten years.

Mrs. Reid returned with her children to Harris-
burg, and the subject of this sketch was placed
under the instruction of M. A. Swiler, who taught
him the tinsmith's trade. Alternating his labors of
his apprenticeship with attendance at the common
schools, he acquired the rudiments of an English
education. He came to Rock Island city in 1856,
and engaged at once in the tin business, which he
followed until i86r. In February, of that year, he
was united in marriage to Miss Amanda L. Webster,
of Rock Island.

In the summer following he enlisted as a private
soldier in Co. H, 45th 111. Vol. Inf. He served three
years, veteranized at Vicksburg in 1863 and re-
mained in the army until the close of the war. He
was mustered out of the service in July, 1865, with
the rank of Captain of the company in which he
first enrolled. His first promotion was to the office
of Second Sergeant of his company, and from that
he rose through every subordinate position in their
order to the Captaincy. He was wounded at Ray-
mond, Miss., in May, 1863, and captured probably
about the same time. In September following he was
exchanged at St. Louis, Mo., and was at once ap-
pointed, by Col. Bonneville, Adjutant of the post of
Benton Barracks, a position he held till relieved, and
then returned to his command, in January, 1864
He participated in all the battles where his regiment
was engaged up to the time of his capture, and after-
wards, with the 60,000 others, accompanied Sherman ,

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Residences Store of Henry P. Stoddard, Ed gimgton.

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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on his triumphal march from Atlanta to the sea. He
was at the head of his company in the Grand Re-
view at Washington in 1865, and at Louisville in
July of that year bade farwell to his few surviving
comrades of old Co. H, and in a short time there-
after joined his young wife, who had so patiently
awaited his coming through the long, dreary years of
war.

Returning to Rock Island, he again engaged in tin-
smith business, which he abandoned in April, 1S68,
to accept the City Clerk's office, a position he held
one year. In April, 1869, he removed to Moline,
and in partnership with a Mr. Spencer engaged in the
business he has since followed, that of dealer in
stoves, tin and hardware. Mr. Spencer retired from
the firm in 1870, and was succeeded by a Mr. Stone,
who sold out to Capt. Reid in 1873. Since coming
to Moline, Capt. Reid has served the city about
five years as Supervisor and Rock Island County two
terms as Treasurer.

Mr. Reid is a prominent member of the Masonic
fraternity, Past Post Commander of the G. A. R.,
and affiliates with the A. O. U. VV. He held the
commission of Colonel and Aide-de-Camp on the
staffs of both Governors Cullom and Hamilton, in all
eight years. Capt. and Mrs. Reid have become the
parents of n children, the following being their
names: John, deceased, Caroline, Sarah, Robert,
David, deceased, Catharine, deceased, Henrietta,
Frances, William, Arthur W. and Elizabeth.

ames F. Palmer, farmer, section 24, Coe

m& Township, was born April 7, 1848, and i
v the third son of David and Clarissa (Smith

(Smith)
Palmer. His father was born June 28, 181 1,
in Onondaga Co., N. Y., and in early life was
left to the sole care of his mother by the death
of his father, which was caused by an accident. The
mother came with her family to Michigan and they
were among the earliest settlers of Wayne County.

David Palmer bought a tract of timber, cleared a
small place for a house and erected the house of the
pioneer — the regulation log-cabin. He went vigor-
ously to work to improve his land and cleared a fine

farm, on which he was a resident with his family un-
til 185 1. In that year lie exchanged his Michigan
farm for unimproved prairie in what is now Coe
Township. He, with his wife and nine children,
drove to their new home with a pair of horses and
a wagon, carrying with them the supplies they need-
ed for sustenance on the route, which they were four
weeks in traversing. The head of the family had
never seen the land on which he purposed to estab-
lish a new home until he took the final step of re-
moval to it. The family spent the winter with the
Allen household, who, with the true pioneer spirit,
kept open house and hearts for all new comers. In
the spring Mr. Palmer built a small house sufficient-
ly large for the simple needs of his little flock, which
soon gave place to one suited to their improving cir-
cumstances. All the prairie farm was put under im-
provements and remained the home of the owner as
long as he lived. His death transpired Feb. 13,
1871.

He was twice married. His first wife, to whom
he was married June 20, 1833, was named Bathsheba
Tyler before her union with him. She died June 20,

1834, and left one child, Ezra D., who is at present
a resident of Adeline, Ogle Co., 111., and is in the
ministry of the United Brethren Church. Nov. 8,

1835, Mr. Palmer was married to Clarissa Smith.
She was born in Coshocton, N. Y., June 24, 181 8.
From the second marriage there were 12 children.
Five only survive. Sarah is the wife of Thomas
Johnson and they reside 111 Black Hawk Co., Iowa.
Burtsha married D. C. Stout. They live at Cordova.
James F. and David are citizens of Whiteside Co.,
III. Charles remains on the homestead. The
mother is a member of the household of her son
James.

Mr. Palmer, of this sketch, was between three and
four years old when his parents came to Rock Island
County to live. His childhood and youth were spent
on the homestead and in the common schools of the
township. He was brought up to follow the voca-
tion of his father and ancestors and was thoroughly
instructed in farming. He was married in 1872 to
Edith Amelia Price, who was born in Wayne Co., Pa.,
and is the daughter of Stephen and Anna (Benja-
min) Price. They have two children — Alice and
Ray. The family are settled on a part of the old
homestead of the father of Mr. Palmer. In 1882 he
erected a large frame barn, and in 1883 he built a

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338

.ffCCX ISLAND COUNTY.

§sf§Y

commodious frame house, which the family are at
present occupying, and a correct view of which is
pictorially represented in this Album. Mr. Palmer
is a member of the Church of the United Brethren,
to which his father and mother both belonged. His
wife is a member of the Baptist Church. Poltically,
he is a Republican.

artin Schillinger, Mayor of Moline, 111.,
and senior partner of the firm of Schil-
N linger & Trumble, boiler manufacturers,
was born in Baden, Germany, June 3, 1834,
and is the son of Jacob and Rosa (Kienly)
Schillinger. He emigrated with his parents to
America in 1846, and made his home in the State of
New York until 1853, when he came to Rock Island,
there learning the boiler-making trade.

In 1857 he went to New Orleans and engaged in
railroading for the New Orleans & Jackson Railway
Company, and continued in that service until the
breaking out of the late war, when. May 2, 1861, lie
made his way North in the very height of the war ex-
citement, and with considerable difficulty. He en-
listed for three years, and mustered into the service
Aug. 2, i86r, as a privjfte of Co. I, Third 111. Cav.
He participated in the various skirmishes and battles
in which his regiment was engaged, among which
may be mentioned the battle of Pea Ridge, Chick-
asaw Bayou, in the attack on Vicksburg, Arkansas
Post, etc. He served three years and received an
honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant. On
his return from the war, he formed a partnership with
Mr. Thomas Trumble in the manufacture of boilers
at Rock Island. They continued business at that
city till 1868, when they returned to Moline and
erected extensive shops at the corner of Railroad
Avenue and Ninth Street, where they have been in
business continuously since. These shops, when
working a full force, employ 15 men and have a ca-
pacity to construct four large boilers at once.

Mr. Schillinger was married at Rock Island, July
26, 1866, to Miss Caroline M. Watrous, daughter of
Mr. Jerome T. Watrous. Mrs. Schillinger was born
at Zanesville, Ohio. They have six children, one

boy and five girls, namely : Luella, Albert J., An-
netta, Josephine, Anna and Mary R. Mr. Schillinger
has served one term as Alderman from the Second
Ward, and was elected Mayor in the spring of 1S85.
He makes an efficient executive officer and looks
carefully to the best interests of the city. He is a
member of the following named orders, in which he
has held the important offices : Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, Ancient Order of United Workmen,
and Grand Army of the Republic.

Mr. Schillinger has always voted with the Repub-
lican party and cast his first vote for John C. Fre-
mont, but is disposed to be independent in his views.

^«^

-«== — »-

lvin T. Womaeks, a resident of Buffalo
' Prairie Township, and the second son in

Iff® 5 order of birth of W - H ' and Enzabeth
%W (Doty) Womaeks, was born near Moscow,
Muscatine Co., Iowa, Jan. 8, 1842. His par-
ents were pioneers of Rock Island County.
Mr. Womaeks grew to manhood in this county, de-
voting the intervals between his labors on the farm
to attendance at the public schools, and at commer-
cial schools at Davenport, thereby receiving a good
English education. In August, 1862, soon after the
news had flashed across the continent that rebel
guns were pouring shot and shell on Sumter, Mr.
Womaeks enlisted in Co. A, 93d 111. Vol. Inf., and
served until the close of the war. He participated in
many important battles, of which the following are
among the most prominent : Jackson, Miss., Cham-
pion Hills, in which engagement he was wounded
with buck-shot above the knee, and was confined at
Milliken's Bend 30 days in the hospital, after which
he again rejoined his regiment, took part in the siege
and capture of Vicksburg, Mission Ridge, Term., and
Altcona, Ga. He was with Sherman in his memor-
able march from Atlanta to the sea, and then on
through the Carolinas to Washington, where he
participated in the General Review.

After his discharge, and the cause for which he
fought became victorious, he returned home to this
county, broken down in health. As soon as he had
sufficiently recuperated, he again resumed the occu-
pation of farming. He remained at home with his

im\§&&&

-*€^ — ^^IMll&A^ — *^

•r ■

i?6>CA' ISLAND COUNTY.

father four years after the close of the war, and his
father then gave him 80 acres of land, adjoining the
old homestead farm in Drury Township. He lived
on that place, and was engaged in its cultivation
until 1 88 1, when he exchanged it for the farm he
now owns, being 255 acres, a part of section 7, Buf-
falo Prairie Township, on which he moved and en-
tered vigorously and energetically upon its cultivation
and improvement, and on which he has since re-
sided.

Mr. Womacks formed a matrimonial alliance in
September, 1869, with Miss Josephine Berkshire.
She was born in Muscatine, Iowa. Their children
are ten in number, namely : William H., born May
30, 1870; Elizabeth Z.,born March 12, 1872; Mont-
gomery M., born Sept. 23, 1873, died Aug. 30, 1881;
Amanda J., born April 18, 1875; Albert M., Dec.
16, 1S76; John B., Sept. 2, 1878, died Sept. 6, 1881;
Thomas O., Oct. 26, 1880; Elmer E., Aug. 15, rS82;
and Mary E. and Cora E. (twins), May 31, 1885-
Mr. and Mrs. W. religiously are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Womacks has
erected a good residence on his farm, together with
a barn and other substantial out-buildings, and has
his land under a good state of cultivation. He is a
gentleman whose word is considered as good as his
bond, and whose accumulation of this world's goods
is attributable to his own indomitable energy, perse-
verance and good judgment, combined with the act-
ive co-operation of his good helpmeet. In politics
he is a staunch Republican.

J ussell Farnam, for whom Farnamsburg
was named, had quite a history. In the
spring of 1810, John Jacob Astor, desirous
( of founding a trading post at Astoria, Washing-
ton Territory, sent three ships around by ("ape
Horn to the mouth of the Columbia River,
and at the same time started a company of 100 men
overland, in charge of Mr. Farnam, for the same
destination. This company followed up the Mis-
souri River to its head waters, taking the same route
traveled by Lewis and Clark a few years previous
while exploring the country.

They started from St. Louis in small keel-boats,

loaded with goods for the Indian trade. After tak-
ing their merchandise as far as they could, on ac-
count of low water they exchanged their boats for
smaller ones. Ascending the river thus until it had
lessened to a stream so small that a man could jump
across, they packed their goods on ponies obtained
from the Indians and crossed over to the mouth of
the Columbia River, where the ships were already
anchored. They remained there some time, traffick-
ing with the Indians and establishing trading posts
in the interior. On returning from one of these ex-
peditions after an absence of two weeks, Mr. Farnam
and two other men who accompanied him found the
ships surrounded by a large number of Indians in
their canoes, ready for an attack. Not daring to go
on board while the ships were thus besieged, they
concealed themselves in the bushes near by and
watched the proceedings. In a short time the In-
dians were seen to go on board one of the vessels
and the next minute there came a stunning sound
which shook the earth, and the vessel was blown to
fragments. The magazine had been fired by the
crew to prevent their falling into the hands of the
savages and suffering a cruel death. The other two
vessels immediately hoisted sail and stood out to sea,
leaving Mr. Farnam and his two companions to their
fate. They immediately left their place of conceal-
ment and cautiously started for the interior, but were
soon discovered by the savages and taken prisoners.
Their lives were spared them to suffer a captivity of
nearly seven years.

Mr. Farnam was then taken northward and passed
from one tribe to another, until at last he was found
and ransomed by a trader in Russian America, who,
at the first opportunity, sent word to St. Petersburg
of the fact. Through the English minister, informa-
tion concerning him was sent to our Government,
which immediately took steps to secure his return
home. All communication to that far-off, wild coun-
try, had to be sent through Russia by way of Siberia,
and communicated from one trading post to another,
requiring nearly two years' time to accomplish it.
Over this frozen and desolate country, Mr. Farnam
traveled on his journey home. He crossed Behring's
Straits on the ice, and through Siberia his steed was
a reindeer. He is the only man, probably, who ever
traveled from New York to London overland.

In 1826 Mr. Farnam formed a partnership with
Col. Davenport in the fur trade, and with him built

( V

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-rutins nn>>7

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

the first house ever erected on the main land in Rock
Island County. It was at this house, then occupied
by John Barrel, the County Commissioners held their
sessions until the removal of the county seat to a
lower point down the river, of which mention is made
in the history following. Mr. Farnam, while on a
visit to St. Louis, in 1832, died of cholera.

5=— »-

ilr eremiah LeQuatte, engaged in the grocery
gji;- business at Illinois City, this county, was
^T born in Dairy Township, Rock Island Co.,

Jan. s, 1843. His father, Matthew LeQuatte,
jt was a native of Indiana, in which State he was

also reared, within three miles of the city of
Indianapolis, where his parents were among the
early settlers, and where he grew to manhood, and
was united to the lady of his choice, Miss Sarah M.
Morrow. She was born near Cynthiana, Harrison
Co., Ky. Tliey lived in Marion Co., Ky., until 1S36,
when they started with a team of horses and a
wagon overland to Indiana, her parents accompany-
ing her. Her grandfather, the subject of this notice,
was Shadrach LeQuatte. He purchased land on
section 17, township 16, range 5, now Drury. He
had brought apple-tree5 with him and planted an
orchard, a portion of which are living and bearing
fruit at the present time. He at once located upon
his land, entered vigorously and energetically upon
its cultivation and improvement, and resided on the
same until his death, and was interred on the farm
that he originally purchased. Matthew LeQuatte,
father of the subject of this sketch, purchased land
on section 28, Drury Township, which he improved,
and on which he resided for a time, and then moved
to Belle Plaine, Benton Co., Iowa.

There were four children in the parental family :
James died June 27, 1S57 ; William enlisted in Co.
I, 28th 111. Vol. Inf., and died in the service, at
Mobile, Ala., in July, 1865; Jeremiah is the subject
of this notice, and Sarah J. is the wife of David L.
Ripley, a resident of Drury Township.

Jeremiah LeQuatte grew to manhood on his fa-
ther's farm, alternating his labors there with attend-

ance at the common schools. He enlisted March
27, 1863, in Co. A, 7th Iowa Vol. Inf., went South,
and served until the close of the war. He was with
Gen. Logan, and also with Gen. Sherman, the latter
of whom he accompanied in his famous march from
Atlanta to the sea, and through the Carolinas, and
participated in the battles of that campaign. He
also witnessed the grand review at Washington, and
returned home in July, 1865. In 1868 he moved to
Missouri, where he engaged in farming until 1876,
when he sold out and rented a coal mine, and was
engaged in that occupation five years. In 1883 he
opened a grocery store at Rayville, 111., in which
occupation he was engaged until the fall of 1884-
He then came to Illinois City and engaged in the
same business, and has continued until the present
time. While at Rayville, 111., Mr. LeQuatte held
the position of Postmaster.

Mr. LeQuatte formed a matrimonial alliance Aug.
12, 1 86 c, with Miss Roxie R. Ripley. She was born
in Gallia Co., Ohio, The issue of their union was
six children: James H., born Sept. 23, 1862; Jerre
William, born Dec. 13, 1864; Sadie M., born Aug.
27, 1867; Phoebe J., born Jan. 28, 1873; Frank S.,
born May 13; 1878, and Mary Mabel, born March
19. 1883.

Mr. LeQuatte, by honest and straightforward deal-
ings and fair prices, has built up a good trade in
Illinois City. He is a gentleman whose word is
considered as good as his bond, and he is one of the
energetic and respected citizens of that village. He
is identified wilh the Republican party, and has held
the position of Constable for the term of eight years.
Mrs. LeQuatte is a member of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church.

3>oooe^

ames W. Smith, of the firm of Smith Bros.,
proprietors of the Illinois Pottery, located
at Illinois City, was born at Akron, Ohio,
July 28, 1853. His father, William E. Smith,
was born in Winchester, Va., while his mother,
Hannah P. Smith, was a native of Springfield,
Summit Co., Ohio.

James W. grew up at Akron, where he was edu-
cated in the public schools, and at the age of 17 years

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

343

he engaged as an apprentice to learn the potter's
trade, and served for three years, after which time he
worked for a while at Akron. He then left his na-
tive place, and started out to seek employment
wherever he could secure it. He worked at his
trade in various places — in Michigan, Wisconsin,
Illinois and Iowa. In 1876, however, he came to
Illinois City, and, in company with his brother,
bought the pottery there of A. C. Butman. Since
that time they have conducted it, manufacturing
stoneware and tile of the high grade. The pottery
is one of the permanent and important institutions of
Illinois City, and turns out some very fine work.

Mr. Smith was married in 1S78 to Nellie M.
Thompson, a native of Vermont. She, however,
lived but a brief period after her marriage, as she
died March 17, 1882, at the age of 22 years. She
left one child, Park C, with her husband to mourn
her loss.

^S«-£-

rrF^p] on Bailey Davenport, President of the
r'"£,P/p People's National Bank, and President and
•' '."" oi Superintendent of the Rock Island & Milan
A Street Railway Company, is the only living son
T of Col. George Davenport, deceased (see biog-
raphy of Col. George Davenport), and was born
in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 15, 1823, and was brought
the same year to Rock Island County, where he has
since made his home. He is therefore "a first set-
tler " in fact. As a boy he attended school in the
first building erected for educational purposes in
what is now Rock Island County. It was a one-story
log cabin without windows, the only openings being a
door and a fire-place ; but that humble little school
was presided over by one of the most talented men
of his day. He was a graduate of West Point, at
which institution he was for many years afterward
Professor of Mathematics, and later in life he was
Assistant Postmaster-General of the United States.
He was known here as "Capt. Stubbs." During the
latter years of his life he became a recluse, and lived
and died in a cave in what is now East Davenport.
From the brilliant Prof. Stubbs, of West Point, the
talented Assistant Postmaster-General of the United
States, he became the "Hermit of Iowa," and the
only history of his life is what is known by tradition.

±&,

In 1837 Mr. Davenport was sent by his father to
the St. Louis (Mo.) University, and afterwards to pri-
vate schools in the town of Davenport, so that by the
time he was out of his youth his education was quite
thorough for that day. His first business enterprise
was that of gardener on his father's island farm, and
was undertaken when but 12 years of age. This,
however, was probably a mere incident, as most of
his time about that age and for a few years after-
wards was devoted to study. During the Back Hawk
war, a Sergeant Haskins, of the United States Army,
inspired him to become a horse-trader, and, like his
primitive horticultural effort, it appears to have met
his fancy and fastened itself upon him; for during
all the subsequent years of his life he has been iden-
tified with farming, gardening and horse-breeding
and trading. In 1841 his father deeded him 59
quarter sections of land in Adams, Hancock, Mc-
Donough, Fulton and Henderson Counties, 111., and
from that time he became a prominent dealer in real
estate. He sold those lands for whatever they would
bring, and that was not much. He took in ex-
change for them anything the people had to give, and
a sample is found in one transaction: he exchanged
one quarter for a horse even, and sold the horse for

His father owned large tracts of land in Iowa, Illi-
nois and Missouri, and Bailey became his agent, his
principal duty being the payment of taxes. In pay-
ing taxes in Hancock County he found two quarters
assessed as " improved land," and upon inquiry found
that the prophet, Joe Smith, had fenced them into
his Nauvoo domain. Mr. Davenport called upon the
" Prophet " for an explanation, and heard from that
worthy that "the Lord had commanded him in a
revelation to build a temple at that point and to oc-
cupy and possess the lands round about!" Mr.
Davenport knew of no remedy in the State of Illi-
nois whereby he might sue the Lord's prophet in
ejectment, nor did he feel disposed to question such
a title, as the prophet was a dangerous man, and the
Danites had a way of quieting titles by quieting
claimant; he therefore left Joseph alone in his pos-
session !

In 1842 Mr. Davenport was in the Prophet's city,
and was given a pretty close call for his life. Old
man Redden and his sons occupied the stone build-
ing at the boat landing. Upon inquiring for a couple
of friends who had accompanied him, he was in-

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344

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

formed that they were in the boat-house. It was
near dark, and upon entering, the door was instantly
closed behind him, and he heard the grating of heavy
iron bolts. The situation flashed across his mind,
and he made a bound for the rear door. Tiger-like,
from the dark corner in which they had been crouch-
ing, the assassins sprang to intercept him. He saw
the gleam of their daggers, he heard their heavy but
suppressed breathing and felt it as they clutched for
him. Their negligence saved him. The door was
ajar ; he sprang through it, across the porch, leaped
to the ground and sped away to liberty. After the
departure of the Mormons it was estimated that fully
150 men had been murdered in the old stone boat-
house, long since torn down, but remembered by
many persons now living, and by none more vividly
than by Bailey Davenport. In r&45 old Redden
and his sons were tried and found guilty as access-
ories to the fact in the murder of Col. George Dav-
enport.

Mr. Davenport's only brother, George L., was the
first white settler in what is now the State of Io.va,
and upon his claim Mr. Bailey Davenport held the
plow, Sept. 17, 1832, to open the first furrow ever
turned to the sun in that now vast agricultural em-
pire. Mr. Davenport inherited a great number of
acres of land from his father, and afterwards pur-
chased from the estate many more. He now owns
2,200 acres in and around Rock Island. His mag-
nificent residence in 17th Avenue stands upon a 500-
acre tract, a part of which only was deeded him by
his father. He farms and has farmed about 1,000
acres annually, and grazes hundreds of fine cattle.
His stud of horses comprises some of the finest
Logans, McGregors, Wheelocks, etc., in the State of
Illinois. He was one of the organizers of the Mer-
chants' State Bank of Davenport, in 1858, afterwards
merged into the Davenport National Bank, in which
he is still a large stockholder. At the organization
of the People's National Bank, of Rock Island, in
1876, he became its President, a position he has
since continuously held. He was the projector of
the Rock Island & Milan Street Railway, and now
owns i3-2oths of its capital stock. He owns the Black
Hawk Watch-Tower, the most popular resort in the
county. He has laid out four additions to Rock
Island City, and three to the city of Moline. He
owns and works large stone quarries and sand-banks,
and to all this multiplicity of gigantic financial inter-

ests he gives his personal attention, and yet has
plenty of time to be a gentleman, to meet people, to
invite them to his house, to talk to them of the past
and the present, to impress them with admiration
for one of the most whole-souled, congenial men in
the world, and cause them to regret that in all Rock
Island there is but one Bailey Davenport.

Mr. Davenport has served the city one term as
Mayor. He was Mayor through all the trying times
of the war, and though a stanch Democrat in poli-
tics there was no division in sentiment among the
best people when the best man was wanted for the
chief officer of the city. It was due to his instru-
mentality more than to that of any other man, that
the United States Arsenal was located at Rick
Island; and it is probably due to him and Judge
Grant that what is now the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific Railroad touched this city at all on its line
west from Chicago. From the abundance of his
wealth he gives liberally, but without ostentation or
display, to all worthy objects of charity. The poor
and the needy are never turned from him with empty
hands, and his home, though a castle, is always open,
and the humblest may enter and be welcome. No
liveried outsider attends his carriage; no fawning
lackey holds the door of his library and informs call-
ers that strangers are not to be seen, or that the great
man sleepeth upon his downy couch, and to disturb
him is forbidden, or that this not his day for talking.
No; Bailey Davenport is always accessible; he is al-
ways democratic.

The publishers of this volume, therefore, take the
utmost pleasure in placing a lithographic likeness
of Mr. Davenport in connection with the foregoing
biographical outline.

3000«s

'. 'i.'fj ndrew Donaldson, a reliable citizen and
1[ progressive farmer, residing on section 14,
Rural Township, is one of seven children,

m
■

.jjito born to Richard and Catherine (Ritchie) Don-
kr aldson, natives of Pennsylvania and of
I Scotch-Irish ancestry. The names of their
children are Anna E., James, Jane, Andrew, Rich-
ard, Mary and Catherine H.

Andrew was born in Washington Co., Pa., March

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2, 1S31. He remained on the parental homestead
until 22 years of age, receiving a good common-
school education, and in the spring of 1853 came
to this county, when, in company with his brother
James, engaged in the occupation of farming, in
Rural Township, which vocation he continued, in
the partnership mentioned, for about seven years.
He then settled on 480 acres of land in Rural
Township, which had been purchased by his father
several years previous, and he entered vigorously
and energetically upon the task of its improve-
ment and cultivation. He is at present the owner
of 510 acres of land, 480 of which is in an ad-
vanced state of cultivation. He has erected fine
buildings on his farm, consisting of a residence and
all necessary out-buildings, and is meeting with suc-
cess in his chosen vocation. He is a gentleman,
whose word is as good as his bond, and whose pros-
perity, in a financial point of view, is attributable to
his own indomitable energy, perseverance and pluck.
Mr. Donaldson was united in marriage, in Rock Isl-
and, July 4, 1865, to Ellen M. Titterington, who was
born in this State.

They have become the parents of seven children :
Mary E., Clara B., Anna E., Richard, Susan, An-
drew and P. Maud.

Mr. Donaldson has held the office of Supervisor of
his township for five years, Assessor three years and
also Road Commissioner and other minor offices.
Politically, he is identified with the interests of the
Democratic party. His wife is a member of the
Presbyterian Church.

'.v%-wf%

Q. Anderson, of the firm of Anderson
& Hanson, successors to Eklund & An-
s^sou Person, dealers in stoves, tinware, gas pipes
and steam fitting, in Moline. They estab-
lished their business in May, 1882, and carry
an average stock of $2,500. Mr. Anderson
was born in Sweden, April 26, 1850, and came to
the United States with his father, Nels Anderson, in
1S54. They came directly to Moline, this county,
where Mr. Anderson learned the paper-making bus-
iness with Mr. S. W. Wheelock. He was an em-

ployee of the Moline Paper Company for 21 years,
and continued in the same until the time of com-
mencing his present business. In 1882 he entered
into a partnership with O. F. Eklund iin the hard-
ware business, the firm name being Eklund & An-
derson. This connection continued until Sept. i,
1S84, when Mr. Eklund sold out to Albert Hanson,
and the firm name became Anderson & Hanson,
which partnership exists until- the present time.
They are conducting a good and constantly increas-
ing business, and are regarded by the citizens of the
county as strictly honest and straightforward in all
their dealings, which accounts for the increase in
their trade.

Mr. Anderson formed a matrimonial alliance in
Mercer County, 111., on the 8th day of October, 187 1,
with Miss Matilda Rostett, daughter of Peter Ros-
tett. Mrs. Anderson was born in Sweden and came
to the United States in 1857. Four children have
been born to them, all boys : Frank M. W., Almund
G., Joseph E. and Robert N. P.

Politically, Mr. Anderson is a believer in and an
advocate of the principles of the Republican party,
and socially is a member of the A. O. U. W.

/: . Tfel '),urtis M. Rice, one of the pioneers of
e '\ljM\ Whiteside and Rock Island Counties, re-

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siding in Cordova Township, was born in
K) Oneida Co., N. Y., July 17, 18 17. His father,
^ Jeremiah, Rice, was born in the same county
m 1788, and was a farmer by occupation.
The mother of the subject of this notice, whose
maiden name was Abigail Mitchell, was also a na-
tive of York State. After marriage, the parents re-
sided in Oneida County until 1835. In the spring of
that year they started West, with a team of horses
and a covered wagon, containing the family and
household goods. They drove through to Cuyahoga
Co., Ohio, where they remained through the summer,
and in the fall of the same year started on an over-
land journey for this State, arriving at Ottawa, La
Salle County, where they spent the winter of that
year. In the spring of 1836, they again started out
and came to this county and located on the present
site of Albany, where the father was one of the very

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

earliest pioneers. He assisted in platting the village,
built a frame house there from hewn timbers, and
made all the boards, laths and shingles from oak
timber. In 1837 he rented his property in Albany,
and removed to Rock Island County, where he made
a claim on section 33, Cordova Township, and when
the land came into market, entered it. Immedi-
ately after making his claim, he located upon it and
entered vigorously and energetically upon its im-
provement and cultivation, and on it he resided
until the date of his death in 1842, his wife following
him to the land of the hereafter ten years later.
The issue of their union was seven children, five of
whom survive: Curtis M., subject of this biographi-
cal notice, resides in Cordova Township; Amelia is
the wife of Captain A. M. George, residing in Garden
Plain; De Witt, lives in Clinton Co., Iowa; Warren
and Consider reside in Audubon Co., Iowa.

Curtis M. Rice, subject of this biographical notice,
was in his 18th year, when he came to this county,
in company with his parents, and the events of in-
terests that happened in an early day in the history
of the county are fresh in his memory. On attain-
ing the age of 22 years, he went to Galena, where he
remained for a period, and for three years following
he was engaged in the lead mines in that vicinity,
with the exception of the winter seasons, which he
spent at home. He earned his money in the mines,
with which he entered land in company with his
father, and, retiring from the labors of the mines, en-
tered upon the task of cultivating and improving his
land.

He formed a matrimonial alliance in March, 1844,
in Scott Co., Iowa, with Eliza Earl, a native of Penn-
sylvania, in which State she was born Nov. 15, 1822.
They commenced housekeeping in the log-cabin
which he had previously built. In 1848 he sold the
land he had entered to J. B. Crosby, and moved to
the village of Cordova, where he followed the occu-
pation of "mine host" for three years. He then
bought land on section 34, township 21, range 2. In
1856 he moved to Port Byron, where he resided for
three years, and then returned to his farm. In 1877
he sold his farm, and purchased the farm which he
otcupies, located on section 4, Cordova Township,
and on which he located. The farm is well improved
and furnished with a good substantial residence,
barn and outbuildings, and is pleasantly located on
the banks of the Mississippi River.

^V^-^v

^BBSBIl^

Mrs. Rice died Jan. 4, 1861. The issue of their
union was five children, three of whom survive.
Martha was born Nov. 6, 1845, and is the wife of
Charles George : Mary J., born May 19, 1851; wife
of King George, residing in Cordova; Maud, born
Jan. 2, 1854; wife of Charles Kitchen, resident of
Chicago.

Mr. Rice was again married in 1862, to Victoria
T. Brown, daughter of Charles T. and Sarah (Axe)
Brown. Of the latter union, five children have been
born, two of whom survive, namely: Verna, born
Sept. 27, 1866, and Ruby, March 24, 1872.

" ■■'■■'■"&*>.

- ;, % fj mos Altimus, a mechanic, .working in the
'tjUt^r. employ of Deere & Co., in their Plow
'■' ' Works, at Moline, was born in Indiana Co.,
~«jtak Pa., Feb. 15, 1828, and is the son of John and
Margaret (Gets) Altimus. He learned the
carpenter and wagon-maker's trade, at which
he was employed in his native State until 1856,
when he removed to Moline, this county, arriving at
that place on the nth day of March, that year. On
the 4th day of December, 1856, he began working
with Deere & Co., and continued in their employ
until Feb. 20, 1865, when he enlisted in the War for
the Union, joining Co. G, 47th 111. Vol. Inf., as Ser-
geant, and served until January, 1866, at which time
he received an honorable discharge.

Mr. Altimus enlisted soon after the breaking out of
the war, in June, 1861, but was rejected at Chicago
for physical disability. He nevertheless could not
rest content without participating in the fracas, and
did not propose to have his record go down to pos-
terity as one who had not lifted his hand in defense
of the Union in the most trying hour of her extremi-
ty. He consequently made another effort to enlist
in February, 1865, and was successful. He was in
the 16th Army Corps, and participated in the battle
of Mobile, being under fire ten days continuously.

On his return from the war Mr. Altimus resumed
work with Deere & Co., and remained with them
until 1870, when he went to Rock Island, as foreman
of the wood department of the B. D. Buford & Co.
Plow Works, and held that position seven years. He
then returned to Deere & Co.'s and continued with
them until June, 1882.

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During the Centennial year Mr. Altimus made the
wood work for Deere & Co.'s exhibit at the Centen-
nial Exposition at Philadelphia. In July, 1882, he
took charge of the wood department of the Moline
Plow Co.'s works, and held that position one year,
after which he again returned to Deere & Co., where
he has since been continuously employed.

Mr. Altimus formed a matrimonial alliance in In-
diana Co., Pa., Nov. 28, 1850, with Miss Hannah
M., daughter of Samuel Curts. She was born in
Eastern Pennsylvania, near Danville, April S, 1829.
They are the parents of four children, namely : Delia,
the eldest, was born Jan. 14, 1852, and is the wife of
C. M. Waters, of Denver, Col. ; Sanford Y. was born
Oct. 27, 1853, and died in infancy; Lizzie, born
April 21, 1855, died in infancy; Ada, the youngest,
was born. at Moline, June 2, 1857, and is the wife of
E. D. Siekmnn, and now resides in Chicago, 111.

In his political views he is an earnest Republican.
Socially, he is identified with various societies ; is
Past Vice-Commander of Graham Post, No. 312, G.
A. R., a member of the Order of A. O. U. W., of the
Improved Order of Red Men, and Degree of Honor.

■0—0-

-''•■ Hf t' ; < "ames Shaw, merchant, one of the pioneers

and successful business men of this county,
■ - came to Moline with his parents in 1848;
he was born at Bristol, England, Dec. 15,
1830, and is a son of Thomas S. and Sarah
'j"" (Milnes) Shaw. James Shaw received a good
education in his native country, attending an acad-
emy. After leaving school he entered a wholesale
dry-goods establishment, where he remained a year
and a half, after which he went into his father's
counting-room, Mr. Shaw, the elder, at that time be-
ing extensively engaged in commercial pursuits.

In 1848, Thomas S. Shaw, with his family, em-
barked for America, landing at New Orleans and
expecting to locate in Texas. Before his departure
from London, he had purchased scrip for land in
that State. The unsettled condition of the country
and the advice of an acquaintance determined him
to locate elsewhere. He accordingly came up the
river and stopped at Rock Island, where the family

remained two months, moving from there to Gen-
eseo, and subsequently, in T849, to Andover, and to
Moline in 1850. He continued to reside in Illinois
for four years, when he removed to Wisconsin, where
he lived for 18 years, removing thence to Coburg,
Ontario, Canada, where he spent the last six months
of his life, and where he died, in July, 1870.

James Shaw's first employment in Moline was
that of clerk in a store, where he continued until
1S53, when he engaged in business for himself as a
general merchant. He began with limited means,
but by close application, good management and fair
and honest dealing, he was soon enabled to extend
his business until at present he has one of the largest
general stores in the city.

Mr. Shaw formed a matrimonial alliance at Mo-
line, Dec. 20, 1 85 4, with Miss Eliza Fairclough, a
daughter of William Fairclough, an English mer-
chant. Her mother's maiden name was Catharine
Boothroyd. Mrs. Shaw was born in Liverpool, Eng-
land, and emigrated with her parents to the United
States, coming directly to Moline in the winter ot
1850. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Shaw has been
blessed with six children, three of whom are living,
namely : Ida Howard, Alfred Fairclough and Charles
Edward. Alfred F. married Miss Elizabeth Dresser,
an American lady, and is associated with his father
in business at Moline.

Mr. Shaw is one of those who believe in making
such use of money that, while not prodigal, they
and their families may obtain the greatest amount of
enjoyment, and have the best possible advantages
for improvement and culture. With this end in
view, his wife and children have spent several years
in Europe, where his children have pursued their
studies under the best instructors of the Old World.
While Mr. Shaw has a pleasant and commodious
residence at Moline, a view of which is shown op-
posite the portrait of Mr. Shaw, given in connection
with this work, he keeps another home in Canada,
on the shores of Lake Huron, where his family spend
a portion of each year.

The firm of James Shaw & Son, of 1,529 Second
Avenue, carry an average stock of general merchan-
dise ; and, being one of the oldest established houses
in the city and widely known for a careful selection
of goods and fair prices, together with honest deal-
ing, they have secured an extensive trade among the
better class of customers of Rock Island County.

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Religiously, Mr. Shaw and family are members of
the Episcopal Church, and politically, Mr. Shaw has
been identified with the Democratic party all his
life.

As the subject of the foregoing sketch is a repre-
sentative man and a prominent and exemplary citi-
zen of this county, a good lithographic likeness of
him is inserted herewith.

of the firm of Hess &

]ffj||illiam B. Hess,

5:iyy!p '^ Owen, editors and proprietors of the Port
Ci ~" Byron Globe, was born at Comanche,
Clinton Co., Iowa, Sept. 10. 1S5S, and is
the second son of Isaac and Hannah
(Burchard) Hess. His father was born in
Pennsylvania, and his mother was a native of Dela-
ware. Both were of German nationality. They
went to Princeton, Iowa, when the son was a lad of
seven years. His father died there in 1872. His
mother was a resident there until 1881. She makes
her home with her daughter, Mrs. M. E. Culbertson,
at St. Louis, Mo.

With the exception of a space of 18 months, Mr.
Hess lived with his mother until he was 19 years of
age. The interim he passed in the vicinity of Dav-
enport. He was a pupil in the schools at Princeton,
where he obtained his education. At the age men-
tioned he went to Carroll Co., Iowa, and the winter
after his arrival there he taught a term of school.
He spent the ensuing summer at the Iowa Agricul-
tural College at Ames. He returned to Carroll
County, where he again engaged in teaching one
winter. In the spring he went to Valparaiso, Ind.,
and attended the Normal School of Northern Indi-
ana, and while there he completed a course of busi-
ness study, being graduated in the fall of 1879. He
then engaged in teaching at Cordova Township, 111.,
following that vocation two winters successively in
in the same place. The intervening summers he was
a clerk on the river steamer Menominee, which plied
between St. Louis and Stillwater. In the winter of
1881 and 1882 he attended an institute at Delaware,
Ohio, called the " Pen Art Hall," where he was
graduated in the spring of 18S2. In the same year

he taught penmanship in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa.
He spent the winter in teaching at Cordova. In the
spring of 1883, he entered the employ of G. A.
Metzgar, and passed a season in the capacity of Sec-
retary of the Port Byron Lime Association. The
next winter he taught school in the township of Coe,
at a point one mile from Port Byron.

In February, 1884, he bought a two-thirds inter-
est in the Port Byron Globe, and was connected with
that journal until July, 1SS5. In August following
he purchased a general stock of goods in the village
of Port Byron, and is now engaged in the mercantile
business.

He is a member of Port Byron Lodge, No. 624, 1.
O. O. F., and Sycamore Camp, No. 33, M. VV. A.

Mr. Hess was married Oct. 6, 1884, to Elizabeth
C. Strickland, who was born in Chicago, Feb. 23,
rS66. Mr. and Mrs. Hess are now the parents of one
child, a son, born July rS, 1S85.

-o-S-

-3—

rthur S. Wright was born at St. Johnsbury,
Vt., Oct. 17, 1832, of genuine New England
; .<" '" Yankee stock, his father being Calvin, his
, mother being Hannah (Moore) Wright. A. S.
Wright attended school most of the time until
he was 17 years old. Up to this age he
learned the carpenter and joiner trade, and worked at
it for some four years, and then was in that line of
business for himself for about two years. He first
came to Moline, Iil., May 17, 1856. Here he re-
mained for about one year, and the first work he ever
did in the West was one-half hour's labor in the shop
of John Deere; but, nearly every one of the workmen
being a Swede, whose language he could not under-
stand, he left, and soon went to the bench, and made
100 plain hard-wood bureaus, by piece-work, which
he turned out in the upper part of the old building
which he afterward owned, and which is now one of
the warehouses of the Moline Pump Company, of
which he is President. Having completed the bu-
reaus, he turned again to his trade, and assisted in
erecting the first high-school building, and the resi-
dence of Judge Gould, in Moline.

He then went West, and arrived in Omaha, Neb.,

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April 17, 1857, after having been 14 days going'up
the river from St. Louis. At Omaha he worked for
a while at his trade, as a carpenter, and also labored
as such for a few months at Florence, Neb., when
he drifted back to Omaha, and soon after went to
Dennison, Iowa, at work with Ezra Smith, for the
Providence Western Land Company, assisting in
building the first houses in that town, putting up the
Court-House, and constructing bridges about the
country for the company. After three years' labor
there he returned to Moline, and went into partner-
ship with Ezra Smith for the making of fanning-
mills, dissolving partnership in January, 1864, he
himself continuing to make fanning-mills and horse-
rakes until March 1, 1866, when he bought out H.
E. Barber's interest in the pump factory. The old
partnership consisted of A. S. Wright, W. Hillhouse
and Ezra Smith, under the firm name of Wright,
Hillhouse & Co. It was organized as a stock con-
cern, and named the Moline Pump Company, March

1- 1873-

On Feb. 9, 1864, he married Miss Harriet A.
Brett, at Rockville, Conn., and they have had two
children, namely, Eluvia E., born Feb. 4, 1865 ;
Edith W., Jan. 17, 1872, and the latter died eight
months later. Mrs. Wright is a member of the Bap-
tist Church, but he is disposed to be rather " liberal '
in his religious views. In politics he is most em-
phatically a Democrat. He held the office of Trus-
tee, in the early days of Moline, was Supervisor for
one year, and for several years has been one of the
Directors of the Moline Public Library; is a Free-
mason, but connected with none of the other secret
societies. The pump company, in which he is the
principal and leading character, is one of the most
flourishing institutions in Moline.

*— ^- ^

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^ifi. avid Warnock, farmer on section 13, Ru-
ral Township, is a son of John and Mary
(Campbell) Warnock. (See sketch of
John Warnock.) Mr. W., of this sketch, was
born in County Down, Ireland, Aug. 6,
' 1847, and was only a year old when his parents
emigrated to America. He remained a member of

the household until 25 years of age, receiving his
education in the common schools. He has until the
present been engaged in agricultural pursuits, now-
being the owner of i6oacresof land in Rural Town-
ship, and T47 acres in Henry County, most of which
is under cultivation.

He was married in Henry County, 111., March 19,
1873, to Miss Jennie, daughter of Thomas and Jane
(Grant) Ferguson, her parents being natives respect-
ively of Ireland and Scotland, and have a family of
eight children, — James, Annie, Jennie, William, Ella,
Sarah, Hattie and Carrie. Mrs. Warnock was born
near Pittsburg, Pa., April 12, 1855, and she has
had six children, viz. : Mary N., Eva L., Annie B.,
Sadie, Zella J., and one who died in infancy.

Mr. and Mrs. Warnock are members of the United
Presbyterian Church, and he is a believer in and sup-
porter of the principles advocated by the Repub-
lican party.

r p|l :£ ester D. Mudge, senior member of the firm
: of Mudge Bros., general merchants at Tay
lor Ridge, was born in Chenango Co., N.
Y., April 28, 1S45. His father, Edson Mudge,
was a prominent farmer of that State, and was
married in his native county, to Miss Angelina
Burroughs, a native of the same State. He died in
New York, in the fall of 1874, and she afterwards
came West, and died at the residence of her son in
Edgington, this county, Nov. 14, 1875, at the age of '
66 years. She was the mother of three children, 3
namely: Emeline, who married Dr. Ardo Walker,
and now resides in Morris Co., Kan.; Lester D.; and
Clarke E., who married Miss Asenath Gibson, and
now has one child, Vera by name ; he is the junior
member of the firm of Mudge Bros.

The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was
1 1 years old when his parents came West and settled
in Edgington Township, this county. Here he com-
pleted his education, in the public schools. At the
age of 15 he left home and began in life as a clerk in
a mercantile establishment. After his marriage he
made his residence in the village of Edgington, fol-
lowed farming for a time, then was a clerk again, at

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Reynolds, the same township. In July, 1S68, he
purchased the store belonging to a Mr. Walker, and
has since been with his brother, as above mentioned.
To their stock of general merchandise they have
also added a department of agricultural implements.
Mr. M. is also station agent at Taylor Ridge. In
his political views he is a strong Democrat, and he
has held a number of the offices of Edgington Town-
ship. His wife is a member of the Baptist Church.

Sept. 17, 1868, is the date of his marriage to Elite
Johnson, daughter of Storer Johnson. She was born
in Edgington Township, Jan. 29, 1829, and educated
principally at Rock Island. Mr. and Mrs. Mudge
have one child, named John, who was born Feb. 28,
1885.

«-£-*^

"(jTgfj nthony Ricketts, farmer, residing on sec
tion

ro, Drury Township, was born in
rea Montgomery Co., Va , Feb. 3, 1S14. His
parents, John B. and Sarah Ricketts, were
natives of that State, where the mother died-
the father died of cholera in Paducah, Mc-
Cracken Co., Ky. Anthony Ricketts, mentioned at
the beginning of this sketch, spent his early years at
home, assisting on the farm and attending the public
schools, until he attained the age of 14, at which
time he was employed by farmers in the neighbor-
hood of his nativity by the month. He resided with
his grandfather in Virginia from the time he was
about six years old, the date of the death of his
mother, until 14 years of age. When iS years of
age he left Shenandoah Co., Va., and went to Wheel-
ing, W. Va. Not finding employment at that place,
he went on a steamboat to Cincinnati, Ohio. At the
latter city he remained but a short time, when he
went to Lawrence Co., Ohio, where he resided about
two years, and then went to Greene Co., Ohio, and
remained for about one year. At this date, in com-
pany with another gentleman, he purchased a Hat-
boat and went to New Orleans. He was engaged
in trading on the river for a short time, and then re-
turned to Ohio. He made three trips down the
Mississippi to New Orleans on a flat-boat, meeting
with success in that line of business.

In 1844 Mr. Ricketts came to this county and

settled in Drury Township, where he has since re-
sided. He is at present the proprietor of 280 acres
of land in that township, and has the same under a
good state of cultivation, with good residence, barn
and outbuildings.

The marriage of Mr. Ricketts to Miss Diana Simp-
son occurred in Lawrence Co., Ohio, Nov. 13, 1839.
She was a native of that county, where she was born
April 5, 1825. Five children have been born of
their union, namely: John B., March 7, 1841; Ari-
anna C, Dec. 1, 1842; Solomon S., Sept. 14, 1844;
Susan E., May 22, 1847, and Diana C, April 3, 1849.
The wife and mother died in Drury Township, Aug.
17, 1849, and Mr. Ricketts was again married, in
the same township, May 8, 1853, to Amanda Doty,
a native of Ohio, in which State she was born March
27, 1834. By the latter union eight children have
been born: Anthony G., Feb. 18, 1S55 ; Newton B.,
March 9, 1857 ; Gordon W., Feb. 6, i860 ; Mary E.,
Aug. 12, 1862; Sarah E., Dec. 23, 1864; Charles A.,
June 6, 1861, died Dec. 25, 1872; Rufus E., Nov.
10, 1869, and Fred O., Sept 6, 1872.

Mr. Ricketts has held the office of School Trustee,
Justice of the Peace, Township Assessor, Township
Collector and Overseer of Highways. Politically
he is identified with the Democratic party, and re-
ligiously he and his wife are members of the Meth-
odist Church.

-*3

Sh-

ames Tew, for nearly a quarter of a cen-
tury engaged in the market business at
Cordova, this county, was born in Buck-
inghamshire, England, July 29, 1829. He is
the son of George and Ann Tew, both natives
k" of the same shire ; he was reared upon the
farm in his native land; and in 1850 came to Ameri-
ca, and located in Brantfort, Canada, where he ap-
prenticed himself to a baker and confectioner, with
whom he served four years and 15 days, when he en-
gaged, as a traveling salesman to a brewer, and trav-
eled three and a half years; and in 1858 came to
Cordova, and for a time engaged in making pop beer,
during the proper season of the year, and during the
remainder of the time in farming. This kind of life

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he followed until 1861, when he embarked in the
butchering business, and the following year opened a
market, which he has untiringly conducted since that
time.

In 1856, January 31, Mr. Tew was united in mar-
riage with Deborah Foulds, who was born in Lanca-
shire, England, Oct. 23, 1838; and came to America
in 1841 with her parents. She is the mother of five
children, — William F., George W., Anna E., Jennie
G. and James Norman.

Since 1873, in addition to conducting his market,
Mr. Tew has been engaged in buying and shipping
stock to Chicago. His wife and family are connected
with the Baptist Church.

evi McCain, a prominent citizen of Moline,
was born in Henderson Co., Ky., Oct. n,
1812, and was the youngest, and is now the
^JJ only one living, of six sons of James and
'■*) Eleanor (Boyd) McCain. The other sons were
[ John, Alexander, Hance, James and Eli W.
The parents were of Scotch descent, and were na-
tives of Pennsylvania and North Carolina respect-
ively. Levi McCain managed to pick up a little
learning by a few weeks' irregular attendance at the
subscription schools of his neighborhood; but his
education, consisting not in a knowledge of men and
the ways of the world, was acquired of such experi-
ence as a friendless, penniless man has when thrown
out upon the rude waves of the great ocean of life
without craft or compass, and is forced to struggle
for an invisible shore.

In his youth Mr. McCain worked some at gun-
smithing and more at farming, but his principal em-
ployment from early manhood until about 32 years
of age was that cf following the rivers. From 16 to
18 years of age, he was in the employ of the United
States Government in its first efforts to improve the
Ohio River. Later on, he navigated the Ohio, from
Pittsburg to its mouth, the Mississippi from Rock
Island to New Orleans, and the Missouri from St.
Louis to Independence, as Mate of the steamer
" Otto." He was in 1834 Mate on the steamer "Wis-

consin," which plied between St. Louis and Dubuque.
It was on one of his " up-river " trips that he learned
somethingof Moline, and decided to make it his future
home. Acting upon this decision, he accordingly
landed at Moline, on the 15th day of April, 1845, and
here he has since lived, and since 1866 has led a life
of comparative ease and comfort. He no longer asks
favors from the world, but his well-timed efforts and
ceaseless industry have long since brought their re-
ward, and Mr. McCain is rounding up an honorable
and virtuous life in the peaceful enjoyment of the ac-
cumulation of many years of toil.

He left Kentucky on account of his Free-Soil prin-
ciples, and on the organization of the Republican
party he became identified with it; and during the
war he was a staunch Union man.

After coming to Moline he engaged in boat-
building and millwrighting, and was successful in
accumulating a competency; and investment in real
estate added to his other acquired wealth.

He has been thrice married, first, in 1832, in
Henderson Co., Ky., to Elizabeth Johnson, who
died in Southern Indiana in 1844. Of the six chil-
dren she bore, four lived to survive for a time,
but at this writing (June, 1885) they have all joined
her in the spirit land. Secondly, in Posey Co., Ir.d.,
in 1844, to Elizabeth Williams, who died in Moline
in 1866; and thirdly, at the last named place, Dec.
10, 1869, to Mrs. Harriet Foster, a lady who had
been twice a widow. Her maiden name was Stroud,
and her first husband's name was John Duncan. To
him she bore four children : Joseph A., of Hender-
son, Ky.; Mary J., wife of Robert Shaw, of Daven-
port, Iowa, and Sarah E. and Amanda E., deceased.
Mrs. McCain has six grandchildren, namely, Hattie
and John, who are the children of Joseph A. Duncan
and reside with their parents in Henderson, Ky.,
and four children of Mrs. Mary Shaw,— Eva, Joseph,
Robert and Mary J. Mrs. McC. in her young days
was a pioneer teacher in Southern Illinois. In her
religion she is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church.

IVfr. McCain's only daughter, Mary Elizabeth, be-
came the wife of George W. Heck, of Moline, and
died March 28, 1865. They had three children, all
of whom are living, namely : Sarah, who married Reu-
ben Norton, and has had three sons, — Fra k, George
W. and Levi; the family reside in Moline; Erne

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1 358

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

who married Elmer Agnew and has a daughter
named Harriet; and John, a resident of Moline.

The last child and son of Mr. McCain, John, be-
came a soldier in the late war, joining Co. H, 37th
Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., under the three-months call, and
participated in many hard-fought battles. On the
expiration of his first term of service he re-enlisted
for three years, then veteranized and served to the
close of the war. During the last part of his service
he was a member of the Eighth Mo. Battery. In 1866
he married, in Franklin Co., Kan., Miss Mary Eliza-
beth Little, and they had six children, four of whom
are living, viz., Matilda, Jennetta, James and Ella
May, in Ottawa, that county. The deceased were
named Levi and John.

A correct lithographic likeness of Mr. McCain is
given on a preceding page; and it is one that will
not only be admired by all his friends, but also be
a source of satisfaction to all who may look into this
work or read the outline of his life's career. The
portrait of his wife is also given.

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H°„ eter Odendahl, farmer, residing on sections
Ls^f 5 aniJ s - Hampton Township, was born in
j EpsS Germany, March 10,1817. He attended
ifu school, receiving the advantages afforded by
■'] ^ the common schools of that early day until he
attained the age of 15 years, when he was
made to earn his own livelihood. He began at the
occupation of a farmer, which he has continued
through life, and followed the same in Germany until
1853, when he emigrated to America. Arriving in
Rock Island County in 1853, the following year he
purchased 65 acres of land, which he has improved
and at the present time has under excellent cultiva-
tion.

In 1853, before taking his departure to the New
World, he was united in marriage to Miss Cecilia
Wirtz, a German lady, and the issue of their union
has been two children, both sons, namely : William
P. and Henry. William P. married Josephine Ott,
and their home circle is blessed with two children,
Lutwig and Gertrude. Henry was united in marriage
to Laura Godderg, and they have one boy, Otto H.

Politically, Mr. Odendahl is identified with the
Democratic party, and belongs with his wife to the
Catholic Church. Mr. Odendahl has been quite
successful since his emigration to the United States,
and is a well-known and enterprising fanner ot
Hampton Township.

&H—

ames Reynolds, one of the energetic and
progressive farmers of Rock Island County,
residing on section 1 a, Drury Township, is
a native of Washington Co., Pa., where he was
%F born Oct. 26, i8co. His father was a fanner

P by occupation, and James passed his early life
on the old homestead, engaged in assisting his
father in the maintenance of the family. The county
in which he was born being newly settled, the priv-
ileges of the common schools were scarce and the
education of James was consequently somewhat
limited.

When four years of age, the parents of Mr. Rey-
nolds removed to Pickaway Co., Ohio, where they
resided for about six years, when they removed to
what was then the Territory of Indiana, where the
senior Reynolds was one of the early settlers. He
located in what is now Wayne County, that State.
The War of 1812, soon after his location in that Ter-
ritory, broke out, and for three years he with others
were engaged in fighting the Indians. It was there
that James was reared, and in such times there were
no schools. He lived in what is now Wayne and
and Morgan Counties, Indiana, for a period of 26
years. In the spring of 1836 he came' to Rock Isl-
and County, with his wife and five children, and was
consequently one of the early pioneers to settle here.
He located in Drury Township,- section 18, and has
lived in this vicinity until the present time. He is
at present the proprietor of 323 acres of land, all lo-
cated in Drury Township.

The marriage of Mr. Reynolds occurred in Hen-
dricks, Co., Ind., where he obtained the first license
ever issued at Danville, which is the county seat of
that county, Nov. 17, 1824, and the lady of his
choice was Miss Rachel Demorss, a native of Ham-
ilton Co., Ohio, where she resided until her marriage.

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359

The issue of their union was 12 children, namely
Charles, Nancy C, Jane, Ursula, Elizabeth, William,
James D., Anna, Eli, John, Eliza and Milton. Mrs.
R. died in Drury Township, May 6, 1864, and Mr.
Reynolds was again married, in that township, in
July, 1866, to Jane Harper Getchell, widow of Lor-
enzo Getchell, who was killed in the battle of Cor-
inth, Miss. She died in Drury Township, in June,
1879.

Mr. R., although a gentleman never seeking an
office, has held some of the minor offices of the
township. Politically, he is identified with the Re-
publican party.

His parents, William and Nancy (Griffith) Rey-
nolds, were born in the vicinity of Chesapeake Bay.
They afterwards married and settled in Maryland,
from whence they removed to Pennsylvania, then to
Ohio, and finally to Indiana, where they died. Their
family consisted of eight children, Larkin, William,
Priseilla, Caleb, Anna, Eli, Charles and James. The
father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and
is reported to have been well acquainted with George
Washington.

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^J|jji ; illiam Josephson, of the Moline Cabinet
Organ Company, was born in Sweden,
Sept. 3, 1843, and is the son of Joseph
> and Mary (Handberg) Molander. His father
was a native of Sweden, and was born Aug.
10, 17 97, and his mother Dec. 3, 1803. Wil-
liam learned the organ-making trade in his native
country, and emigrated to America in 1864. He
came directly to Princeton, 111., where he worked at
cabinet-making as a journeyman seven years. He
then went to Mendota, 111., where he was employed
in the shops of the Western Cottage Organ Company
for nine years. He then came to Moline and bought
an interest in the Moline Cabinet Organ Company of
this place, and was elected the first Secretary of the
company.

He was united in marriage at Princeton, 111., June
27, JS69, to Miss Matilda, daughter of Jonas Samuel-
son, of Princeton. Mrs. Josephson was born in
Sweden, and came to America with her parents in

1852. They are the parents of five children, name-
ly: Jennie, born at Mendota, Oct. 22, 1872; Con-
rad, bom at Mendota, Feb. 4, 1874; Telma, born at
Mendota, July 25, 1878; Effie, at Moline, July 25,
1881, and Leonard, at Moline, Aug. 2r, 1883. Mr.
and Mrs. Josephson are members of the Swedish
Lutheran Church. Mr. J. is a Republican in poli-
tics.

s H. Womacks, one of the progressive farm-
S$f. ers of Drury Township, was born in Frank-

vsjfc. * lin Township, Brown Co., Ohio, July 20,
18T7. His parents, Terry and Roxanna
(Reynolds) Womacks, were natives of Vir-
ginia and New York respectively, and settled
in Brown Co., Ohio, where they died.

William H. Lomacks was the third in order of
birth of a family of 1 1 children, and his early years
were spent in attending the common schools and in
assisting in the labors of the farm until he attained
the age of 20 years. At this age in life he emigrated
to Muscatine, Iowa, and located in Muscatine
County, that State, where he resided for six years,
when he came to Rock Island County, in r845, pur-,
chased 120 acres of land located in Drury Township,
on which he settled and entered vigorously and en-
ergetically upon the task of its improvement, and on
which he has constantly resided until the present
time. Mr. Womacks owned at one time 600 acres
of land, but at the present time he is only the pro-
prietor of t8o acres.

Mr. Womacks was united in marriage, in Brown
Co., Ohio, March T5, ^38, to Miss Elizabeth Doty,
the accomplished daughter of Samuel and Rebecca
(Washburne)Doty, natives of Pennsylvania and Ken-
tucky respectively. She was the eldest of a family
of nine children, and was born in Brown Co., Ohio,
Oct. 12, 1817. Mr. and Mrs. Womacks are the
parents of one child, Alvin T., born Jan. 8, r842,
and resides in Buffalo Prairie Township. They
have buried ten children, all of whom died in in-
fancy but two. Albert M. enlisted in the 93d 111.
Vol. Inf., and it is supposed that he died in the
prison at Andersonville, Ga., as he has never been
heard from. He was taken prisoner at the battle of

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360

■©■

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

Mission Ridge, and after being confined in different
prisons, he was sent to that worst of all rebel prisons,
Andersonville. Thomas P. was a member of the
same company and regiment, and was mortally
wounded at the battle of Champion Hill, in the rear
of Vicksburg, and died on the fourth day after re-
ceiving his wound.

Mr. W. has held the office of Supervisor three
years, and of School Treasurer, 21 years. He and
his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, of which denomination he is a prominent
member, having held a license to exhort and been
Recording Steward 20 years.

Politically, he is a believer in and a supporter of
the principles advocated by the Republian party.

lit 6 "

% jsj rederick Osborn, a farmer residing on sec-

fllip. tion 28, Zunia Township, and the son of

George and Sarah E. (Morehouse) Osborn,
natives of Connecticut, was born in the State
last named March 2, 1826. His parents moved
from the State of their nativity to Oneida Co.,
N. Y., in 1831. His father was a coasting Captain,
and followed that occupation from 181 2 to 1831.
He then sold his vessel and bought a small farm in
Oneida County and lived there until the year 1861.
During that year he came to Zuma Township, this
county, where he is yet living, with his son John,
aged 87 years. Mrs. Osborn died in Oneida Co., N.
Y., in 1859.

Frederick Osborn, subject of this biographical no-
tice, remained on the old homestead, assisting in the
maintenance of the family and attending the common
schools, in which he received a good English educa-
tion until he attained the age of 23 years. He then
left home, and realizing that better inducements were
offered' in the West for an accumulation of a com-
petency, came to Zuma Township, this county, in
1849, and purchased 40 acres of land. He at once
entered vigorously and energetically upon its im-
provement and cultivation and erected thereon a
house 8x12 feet wide and 20 feet in length, costing
him just $50, dohig the entire work of constructing
the same himself. He lived in this house for a period

of ten years, and added to his original purchase 440
acres, making his landed interests in the county 480
acres. The old house has been torn away and in its
place a beautiful and commodious residence, to-
gether with fine barns and good outbuildings, erected.
These, with the pleasant surroundings, are repre-
sented by a full-page view in connection with this
sketch.

Mr. Osborn formed a matrimonial alliance with
Miss Keziah S. Joslyn, a native of New London,
Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1847. She was born Feb. 28,
1828. The issue of their union was six children.
The record is as follows : George H., born April 4,
185 r ; Benjamin B., born Oct. 9, i860 ; Ulysses G.,
born June 24, 1864; Minnie M., born Feb. 28, 1866;
Robert R. H., born June 9, 1S68; and Sarah E.,
born Nov. 24, 1871. George was united in marriage
to Miss Sarah Brown, and they are the parents of
two children, — Fred and Harry. Ulysses G. mar-
ried Rose Erwin, and they have a daughter, Jessie (
K. The wife and mother died Nov. 19, 1874, mourned s
by a host of relatives and friends, as a kind mother, Q
a loving wife and a generous neighbor.

George Osborn, father of the subject of this notice, ^
having been a sea Captain and followed the sea *
more or less all his life up to the time he sold his
vessel (in 1831) and moved to Oneida Co., N. Y.
never saw a cow milked, a horse harnessed, or seed
planted in the ground until he had attained the
age of 33 years. An anecdote is told of him, which
is too good to leave out of this biography:

" At the age of 33 years he purchased a team al-
ready harnessed, and on going home succeeded in
taking off the harness ; but the next morning he was
nonplused, not knowing how to put them on again,
and was really compelled to go to a neighbor's to pro-
cure assistance to harness the team. On another
occasion he went into the garden and there discov-
ered some beans hanging to a stalk. He supposed
the chickens had scratched them up, and pulled one
out of the ground and took it in and showed it to his
wife, saying that he supposed the chickens had been
spoiling their garden. He was of the impression
that the bean should be at the other end of the
stalk, like the peanut or potato." He is nevertheless
a great reader at this time, and although an old man
and well-nigh the " borders of the river" he reads
without glasses. George H. Osborn lives in Bethany, (j
Harrison Co., Mo., where he is engaged in the culti- V

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

363

vation of a 140-acre farm. Ulysses G. is also a
resident of Bethany, and is engaged in the agricul-
tural implement business, having a half interest
in an establishment at that place carrying a capital
stock of $ r 0,000.

Politically, he is a Republican. He was formerly
an old-line Whig.

ifsgk^dmond Cropper, until recently a general
|it) farmer and raiser of live stock, on section 1,
Bowling Township, was born in Worcester
j^Sjji- Co., Md., June 23, i8rr. His father, a New
England farmer of English descent, married
Miss Amelia Bowen, also of Worcester County
and of New England parentage, and settled on a
farm in that county. She died about 1816, and he
afterward again married. Being engaged in running
ocean vessels to some extent, he finally lost his ves-
sel off the New England coast, and then returned to
his farm, where he resided until his death, July 26,
r834, when he was 66 years old to a day.

Edmond, the subject of this sketch, was the fifth
in order of birth in a family of t6 children, his father
having a total of 2r, by both his wives. He and a
sister are the only members of the family now sur-
viving. He resided at home during most of his
younger days, attending to his father's farm and go-
ing to the district school. The first two years after
his father's death he passed as a sailor on the Atlan-
tic Ocean, being first mate, and a short time with his
Captain as ship-mate. Subsequently he came West
and settled on a farm in Bowling Township, this
county.

Nov. 4, 1846, in the above township, he married
Miss Mary Peckenpaugh, who was born in Ohio, and
finally died, at her home in this county, Oct. 13, 1859.
She was the daughter of an Ohio farmer, located in
Southern Illinois in 1834, and afterward in Swedona,
Mercer County. She became the mother of nine
children, three of whom died in infancy. The living
are: Martha E., who is now residing at home with
her father; Julia married Stephen Bowen, and is liv-
ing in Waterbury, Conn. ; Emily married Thomas
Laflin, resides on a farm in Black Hawk Township,

this county; Hettie A. married David Hoover, re-
siding in Nebraska; William married Anna Cook, ul
Rock Island, and resides on the old homestead;
George married Julia Zahn, and is a resident of Edg-
ington Township.

Since his marriage Mr. Cropper has always been
engaged in agricultural pursuits. His first purchase
of land was 40 acres from the Government ; and
since then he has bought a considerable area; he
now has 213 acres, most of which is cultivated, and
is rendered highly valuable by its superior condition;
his farm buildings are first-class. In his political
views he is a strong Republican; has held the office
of School Director 17 years, Road Commissioner, etc.,
and he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, as was also his wife. He has recently
moved to Milan, where, at this writing, he resides.

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■Mfcenry J. Hull, a merchant of Moline, was
J^ born July 23, 1843, at Kendall, Orleans
Co., N. Y. His parents, John and Eunice
(Jennings) Hull, had four children, Henry be-
ing the third in order of birth. When he was
seven years of age the family removed to North-
ern Indiana, where he remained until rS64. He at-
tended school until he was about iy years of age,
and then began life as a clerk in a general store. In
the fall of r864 he entered the service of the Gov-
ernment on the island of Rock Island, then a prison
for rebels, as clerk in the Quartermaster's Depart-
ment, remaining there until July, T865, when he re-
turned to Lima, Ind., and entered into partnership
with his brother, George B., in the mercantile busi-
ness until the summer of r867_ He then came again
to Moline, and opened a dry-goods store, his brother,
just mentioned, coming here and joining him in the
business in rS76; and at this date, r885, are still to-
gether, enjoying a fair degree of prosperity.

On the 15th of February, r87 2, at Montrose, Pa.,
Mr. Hull was married to Ella Kress, who was born
in Troy, that State, in 1848, her parents being Ben-
jamin and Margaret (Wilcox) Kress. Mr. and Mrs.
Hull have two children : George H., born June T7,
1873; and John K., born March 9, 1875. Mrs. H.

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is a member of the Baptist Church, but Mr. Hull is
connected with no congregation. He is Republi-
can as to political issues, and locally he has been a
member of the Board of Education three years.

alvin R. Ellsworth, residing at Illinois
City, was born in Portage Co., Ohio, Jan.

Mh "*" 22, 1839, and is a son of Calvin L. and
Jfe) Ann Maria (Stanley) Ellsworth. His father
yp? was born in Ohio in 1S09, and his mother in

< New Jersey in 181 1. The mother settled in
Ohio with her parents while young, and they were
married in that State. They located near Rootstown,
Portage County, where the father followed the voca-
tion of a farmer until 1840. In the fall of that year
he started with a team overland for Illinois, and
came to this county, where he made a claim on sec-
tion 31, Buffalo Prairie Township. He erected a
good frame house, the lumber being all oak. He
entered vigorously and energetically upon the culti-
vation and improvement of his land and succeeded
in placing 120 acres under good tillable condition,
on which he resided until 1858, when he sold the
same and bought land in Drury Township, on which
he has resided until the present time. There were
six children born of their union, only three of whom
survive, namely : Margaret, at present the wife of
George E. French, residing in Drury Township ;
Calvin R., the subject of this notice; and Dolly A.,
wife of John Shutes, a resident of Mercer County,
this State.

Calvin R. Ellsworth, subject of this biographical
notice was not a year old when he came to this
State, and consequently knew no other than Illinois
as a home. He was reared on the farm and educated
in the common schools of his native county. He
made his home under the parental roof-tree until
1859, when he went to Missouri and engaged to learn
the blacksmith trade near Sedalia. He worked at
his trade at that place for three years, then returned
to Rock Island County and engaged at his trade in
Drury Township, where he remained for one year,
when he went to Illinois City and followed his trade
there for one year. He then went to Muscatine,

Iowa, and carried on the same business for one and
a half years, when he again returned to Illinois City
and prosecuted his business continuously until 1881.
During this year he rented his shop and engaged in
the mercantile trade. He had previously formed a
partnership with his brother, Bartley Ellsworth, and
opened a store, where they carried on a grocery
business, which partnership continued until 1876,
when he purchased his brother's interest and con-
tinued in the business alone for about two years.

Mr. Ellsworth formed a matrimonial alliance,
June 13, i86i,with Miss Mary J. McMullen. She
was born in Licking Co., Ohio. The issue of their
union was five children, of whom two survive.
Laura A. was born Oct. 9, 1863, and is the wife of
Gideon Reed, a resident of Drury Township; Dora
Belle, born April 17, 1873, and resides at home ; the
first child, a son, named Joseph L., died when 9
months and 14 days old ; the third child, May, died
in her nth year; Maggie Lee, the fourth child, died
at 1 6 years of age.

Mr. Ellsworth was appointed Postmaster at Illi-
nois City, April 1, 1874, and has held the office con-
tinuously up to this time. Religiously, he and his
wife are both members of the United Brethren
Church. Politically, he is a believer in and sup-
porter of the principles advocated by the Republican
party. Mr. Ellsworth is also senior member of the
firm of Ellsworth & Crabtree, general merchants, at
Illinois City.

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harles C. Crabtree, of the firm of Ells-
f" worth & Crabtree, general merchants of

l-ET^ Buffalo Prairie, is a native of Union Co.,

$;§ Ind., where he was born March 2, 1842.

W William and Elizabeth (Swingle)Crabtree, his

parents, were natives of Western Virginia.

When Charles was about ten years of age they moved

to Illinois, the journey being made with a wagon, '

carriage and three horses, the family cooking and

camping on the way. His father rented land in

different places in Mercer and Rock Island Counties

until iS6i,when he bought two blocks in Illinois

City, upon which he built a log house, where and his

wife lived until the date of their deaths.

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Our subject was the second son of the family, and
he made his home with his parents until the time of
his enlistment in defense of his country's honor,
which occurred Aug. 5, 1862. He enlisted in Co.
E, 1 8th Iowa Vol. Inf., and served with valor and
devotion to his country until the close of the war,
serving mostly in Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian
Territory. He participated in the battles of Spring-
field, Prairie De Ann, Poison Springs, Ark., Saline
River, besides numerous skirmishes. He was dis-
< harged in August, 1865, with his regiment, when he
immediately returned to Illinois City. He then en-
gaged in farming and interested himself in agricul-
tural pursuits until 1878, when he embarked in the
mercantile business, and is now with his partner
carrying on a general store. The postoffice is also
located at his store.

Our subject was married July 16, 1866, to Susan
E. Peppers, who was born in Rock Island County,
and is the daughter of John and Rebecca (Dungan)
Peppers. Both himself and wife are members of the
United Brethren Church. In politics he is a staunch
Republican, but has never been an aspirant for po-
litical honors.

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|ii| K>U ; .-,an McNeal, a farmer, residing on sections

y' b.Wl j, 19 and 30, Hampton Township, was born

3 (jk " in Rock Island Co., Dec. 5, 1839, his par-

TJ* ents being Henry and Louisa E. (Wells) Mc-

■fc Neal, natives of New York and Illinois

\ respectively. They came to Rock Island in

182S, and the father erected the first frame barn

built in the county; also raised the first fruit in the

county.

Mr. McNeal, subject of this notice, remained at
home, assisting his father in the maintenance of the
family, and attending the common schools (at which
he received a good English education), until he at-
tained the age of 15 years. He then went forth to
fight the battles of life alone, and engaged to learn
the tinner's trade, and after completing his appren-
ticeship at the same he worked at it nine years. In
1864 he commenced farming in Hampton Township
on 160 acres of land, located on sections 19 and 30,

which he had purchased, and where he at present
resides. He entered vigorously and energetically
upon the improvement of his place, and at the pres-
ent writing has an excellent farm, consisting of 160
acres, with good residence, barn and outbuildings.

Mr. McNeal was united in marriage to Miss Anna
Crawford, Sept. 2, 1863. She was a native of New
York, where she was born April 24, 1S44. The issue
of their union has been four children : Nelly, born
May 5, 1865 ; Hattre, born Sept. 27, 1867; Gussie,
born Jan. 25, 1872, and Henry, born Dec. 28, 1875.
Politically, Mr. McNeal is a believer in and sup-
porter of the principles advocated by the Republican
party. He has held the position of Postmaster at
Watertown for a period of 30 years, and is the owner
of two-thirds of the village plat.

amuel Bryan, a retired farmer, residing on
section 8, Zuma Township, was born in
Chester Co., Pa., March 22, 1805. His
parents were Thomas and Nancy (McCoy)
Bryan, the former a native of the Keystone
State and the latter of Ireland. They both
died in Pennsylvania.

Samuel Bryan remained at home with his parents
until he was 21 years of age. During his boyhood
and youth he attended the common schools and
worked on the farm. After he quitted the parental
home he worked for some time on a farm by the
month, and in 1837 came to Ohio, where he remained
until 1841. During that year he came to Rock
Island County and stopped for two years at Moline,
when, in 1843, he purchased 140 acres of land where
he now resides and began active operations as a
farmer. It will be seen by the date of his arrival
here that he was one of the earliest settlers who lo-
cated and improved land in this section of the
county. Long since he has arisen to that honorable
position of being one of the leading and most re-
spected farmers in this township.

Mr. Bryan was united in marriage, in 1831, to
Miss Mary Garner, a native of England. They reared
a large family of children, who have taken promi-
nent and respected positions in society. Mis. Bryan

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BOCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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died in 1876. The following is the record of their
eight children : Alice, the eldest, is the wife of
Simon Michaels, and they have one child,— William ;
Isabella married James Dark, and Ambrose and
John are the names of their two children ; Thomas
married Jane Sturtevant, and to them have been born
eight children, — John, Mary, David, Hannah, Sam-
uel, Allie, Sarah and Lula ; Sarah is the wife of John
Moore, and is the mother of two children, — Nettie
and Sarah ; Hannah married William Moore : Edna
is their adopted daughter ; Jane is the wife of George
Wainwnght, and the mother of two children, — Mar-
cellus and Isabella ; Alvina is now Mrs. Edward
Housapel, and the mother of the following five chil-
dren, — Piudence, Lula, Samuel, Edith and Marcel-
lus; Samuel married Luella Bowles, and they are the
parents of one child, — Samuel M.

ueius P. Wheelock, a superintendent in
the works of the Moline Plow Company^
fourth son of a family of five sons and one
daughter, was born in Holland, Erie Co., N.
Y., June 10, 1844. His father's name was
William, his mother's Catharine (Morey)
Wheelock, Yankee people from Massachusetts.

He attended the district school during boyhood
and one term at the Aurora Academy, and then
taught school five terms, three of which were in his
old home district. The intervals he devoted to
agricultural labors on the farm of his father. He re-
mained in and about Holland until 1869, in May of
which year his father died, at 60 years of age. Lu-
cius was appointed administrator, and after settling
the affairs of the estate sold the farm, and, with his
mother and sister, came to Moline, 111. Remain-
ing here a month or two only, he went to Madison,
Wis., on a visit to his uncle, Daniel Larkin. In
Feb., 1870, he and his younger brother, Jerome B.
Wheelock, went to Springfield, Mo., and rented and
carried on a farm of 40 acres for two years.
He then returned to Madison, Wis., on a visit
to his mother, who had bought a farm near that
city. Going back to Holland, he was a clerk for a
year thtre in a general store ; then he worked for

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awhile as a hand in a blacksmith-shop, in which he
subsequently became a partner. After toiling at
that laborious work for about two years he returned
to Madison, and managed the farm for his mother
for something over a year, during which time he com-
pleted a thorough course of commercial studies at
the Northwestern Business College in the city, grad-
uating thereat in Dec, 1876.

He came to Moline again about May 1, 1877, at
which time we find him with the Victor Scale Com-
pany (now the Moline Scale Company), as traveling
builder, which occupation he followed, also working
in the shops some, until July 1, 1881, when he took
charge of the shops of the Moline Scale Company as
superintendent, which position he held until Jan. 1,
1885. He then entered the shops of the Moline
Plow Company, where he is now superintendent of
the department for turning out the famous sulky
plow, " Flying Dutchman."

In his political principles, Mr. Wheelock has al-
ways been a Republican, and in his religious senti-
ment is most emphatically a staunch Spiritualist.
He is unmarried, but makes a comfortable home for
his invalid mother, now 71 years of age, with whom

he resides at 1,307 Fifteenth Street. To her wants
he devotes kind and helpful attention.

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.#»» eorge MeNeal was born in Hampton
:ii||||J Township, this county, Nov. 27, 1833, his
" : '.'fi" " parents being Henry and Eliza (Wells)
' MeNeal, natives of New York and Illinois re-
spectively. The parents came to Rock Island
i in 1828, and were truly representative pioneers
of this county. They experienced all the trials inci-
dent to a new and undeveloped country, and the
father built the first barn and raised the first fruit in
the county.

Mr. MeNeal, subject of this biographical notice,
remained on the parental homestead, receiving the
advantages afforded by the common school, and per-
forming such labor as was common to farmer's sons
of the time and locality'in which he resided, until he
attained the age of iq years. On arriving at this age
in life he engaged to learn the blacksmith's trade

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

369

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4 with C. B. Marshall, of Port Byron. He served an
? apprenticeship of two years, then engaged in bnsi-
6 ness himself at Port Byron, and followed his trade
almost constantly for a period of 24 years. Soon after
the wires had flashed across the country the news
■f that Rebel guns were thundering forth their shot and
shell on Sumter, and our martyred President had
called for brave hearts and strong arms to suppress
the rebellion, Mr. McNeal concluded to respond.
Consequently, in August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. G,
126th 111. Vol. Inf., and for three years served in bat-
tling for the cause of right, and at the expiration of
that time he was honorably discharged. Return-
ing home, he again engaged in the blncksmith busi-
ness, together with that of the livery business, which
he followed until 1S77. He then purchased 40 acres
of land located on section 30, Hampton Township,
upon which he moved and on which he has since re-
1 sided and followed the vocation of a farmer.

Mr. McNeal formed a matrimonial alliance, May
- 1, 1856, with Miss Caroline Addison, a native of
\ Pennsylvania, in which State she was born Aug. 3,
i 1836. Politically, Mr. McNeal is a believer in the
' tenets of the Republican party. He has held the
offices of Road Commissioner, Collector and Con-
jj stable, and socially is a member of the I. O. O. F.
■ and A. O. U. W., and is one of the representative
, -\ and energetic citizens of Hampton Township.

'"■' £i4 : ' as P er Maurer, a cooper by
s LJiil;, siding at Rapids City,

vocation, re-
picts City, Rock Island
? V^ County, was born in Switzerland, Ger-
$K> many. His younger days were spent at
M school in acquiring an education, but when
' he attained the age of 14 years he engaged to
learn the cooper's trade and served three years. He
afterward worked at his trade for five years in his
native land, when he emigrated to the United Slates
and located in Hampton Township, where he en-
gaged in work at coopering until the year 186 1 . In
that year he enlisted in Co. G, 47th Reg. 111. State
Volunteers, where he served until the close of the
war, when he was honorably discharged. Returning
to his home, he worked as a teamster for a number

of years, and by his careful management and good
judgment he is now the possessor of 11 lots and five
houses.

In 1855 Mr. Maurer formed a matrimonial alliance
with Miss Ustenia Smidt, a native of Germany, and
they have had six children, namely : Bertha,
Fid ward, William, John, Martin and Mary. Politic-
ally Mr. Maurer affiliates with the Democratic
party, and has held various local positions, such as
Town Trustee and School Trustee. Religiously, Mr.
and Mrs. Maurer belong to the Catholic Church, and
the former is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Odd
Fellows and Woodmen, besides belonging to the
Grand Army of the Republic.

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1 I .harles W. Heald, Vice-President of the
■- mf Union Malleable Iron Company, at Mo-
*» line, and one of the pioneer manufac-
turers of that city, where he resides, was born
at Barre, Worcester Co., Mass., March 12,
1829, and is the son of Stephen and Mary
(Newton) Heald.

Mr. Heald received a good common -school edu-
cation in his native county, and served a regular ap-
prenticeship to the trade of machinist in his father's
shop at Barre, in which he subsequently became
foreman and which position he held for a number of
years.

In the spring of 1854, Mr. Heald came to Moline,
this county, in accordance with the pre-arranged plan
to establish a foundry or machine shop in company
with Messrs. Williams and White. The partnership
was formed, building erected and a business estab-
lished, under the firm name of Williams, Heald &
Co., of which the present extensive house of Wil-
liams, White & Co. is the successor. Mr. Heald had
charge of the mechanical department of the works,
and continued his connection with the firm until
1869, when he sold his interest to Messrs. Williams
& White. After selling out, as stated, Mr. Heald
and others established the Moline Malleable Iron
Works, which he conducted until 1S72, when lie sold
the same and was joined by Messrs. Eells & Mitchel
in organizing the Union Malleable Iron Company,
of which he was elected Vice-President, and which

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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office he has held continuously since. Mr. Heald
has had the general management of the mechanical
department of the works since their construction. He
is skilled and experienced in his business, indefatig-
able in the discharge of his duties, and has contrib-
uted largely to the success of the company.

Mr. Heald formed a matrimonial alliance Aug. 2,
1859, at Moline, this county, with Miss Daphne Levia
Churchill, the accomplished daughter of Cullen Dyer
Churchill. She was born at Ellington, Chautauqua
Co., N. Y., Feb. 23, 1838, and came to Moline in her
20th year (July, 185S). The issue of their union
was two children : Mary Lizzie, born at Moline,
July 20, 1864, and Charles C, born in the same city,
June 6, 1867. Mrs. Heald is a member of the Con-
gregational Church. Politically, Mr. Heald is a
believer in and supporter of the principles of the
Republican party.

As a representative business man of this county, a
pioneer manufacturer, and a gentleman well known
and highly esteemed, not only by the people through-
out Rock Island County, but even Northern Illinois,
it is quite fitting that a portrait of Mr. Heald should
appear in the Album of this county.

p Edmund Hollister, of Port Byron, is a pio-
neer of Rock Island County of 1837. He

was born Dec. 28, 1807, in Glastonbury,
Conn., and is the youngest son of Isaac and
Abigail (Savage) Hollister. Hi's parents set-
tled at Granville, Washington Co., N. Y., where
his father purchased a farm. After residing thereon
several years, he bought a residence at North Gran-
ville, where he died, in his 90th year. His wife died
a few years before, aged 75.

Mr. Hollister was reared on his father's farm and
was educated in the public schools. He was mar-
ried Jan. 11, 1832, to Emma Louisa, daughter of
Nathaniel Hall, an eminent lawyer of Whitehall, N.
Y., who was born in Lebanon Co., N. H., and com-
pleted his education at Dartmouth College, in Han-
over, N. H. He began his practice as an attorney
at Whitehall, where he was the first representative of
his profession, and in which he attained a leading

v®»^

position, becoming one of the Associate Judges of
the District to which he belonged. He died in his
45th year, in October, 1825. Esther (Parker) Hall,
his wife, was born in Granville, N. Y.

Edmund Hollister and wife settled, after their
marriage, on a farm in Granville, which he bought in
company with his brother Jehiel, and on which he
lived until 1S37, when he set out for Illinois with his
family. They traveled by the Erie Canal and the
lakes to Chicago, where Mr. Hollister left his family
and started on foot for Rock Island. He walked the
entire distance with the exception of one half day,
when he obtained a ride with Bishop Chase. With
his brother's team, which consisted of three yokes of
oxen, he returned to Chicago for his family, then in-
cluding his wife and three children, and conveyed
them to Rock Island County. He bought a claim of
land in what is now Coe Township, on which was a
log cabin, and in this the family lived six months.
Then Mr. H. sold out and bought a half interest in
the saw-mill situated in the locality then designated
town 18, range 1 west. He there built a house for
the accommodation of his household. He transacted
business there 16 years, manufacturing and selling
lumber. In 1854 he again sold out and removed to
Port Byron Township. He there bought 212 acres y
of land. The township was then recorded as num- «:
ber 19, range 1 east, and his purchase of land was r )
situated on section 13. It contained a small farm-
house, which served as the family abode for some
years. Eventually, Mr. Hollister built a more com-
modious frame-house and a barn, suited to the de-
mands of the place, and it has since constituted the
homestead.

In his political affiliations, Mr. Hollister was in
early life what is termed an old-line Whig, and he
gradually became imbued with strong opinions on
the slavery question, which resulted in his becoming
an inflexible adherent of the Republican party on its
organization. True to the influences under which
he grew to manhood, he has always been deeply in-
terested in educational matters and has served a
number of terms as School Director.

Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hollister,
four are still living: Albert F. is a citizen of Coe
Township; Edmund N. lives at Port Byron; Lucy
C. is the widow of Albert S. Coe ; Emma lives at
home. The youngest sou, Frederick I., was born in
Rock Island County Oct. 30, 1842. In 1861 he en-

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

371

■h

tered the military service of the United States, en-
listing in Co. E, 1 2th 111. Vol. Inf. He was wounded
at the battle of Shiloh in the light arm, which unfitted
him for further military duty, and he received honor-
able discharge in consequence and returned to his
home. The following year he became a student at
the Chicago Business College. He obtained a posi-
tion as a clerk at Port Byron, and while fulfilling its
duties he was seized by fatal illness and died Feb.
4, 1864.

Mr. and Mrs. Hollister are members of the Con-
gregational Church at Port Byron.

■ iehael Hartzell, a prominent citizen of
Moline, was born in Westmoreland Co.,
''^ Pa., Aug. 21, 1 810, his parents being
^\ Adam and Catharine (Bush) Hartzell. He
was brought up on a farm and at mechanical
work ; came to Illinois in 1S35, landing at Rock
Island April 30. The place was not yet named, there
being only five or six cabins on the bottom land.
He erected a hewed-log house, two stories high — the
first two-story structure in the place.

In the spring of 1836 he returned to the East,
where he was married May 5, that year, to Miss
Nancy W., daughter of John and Margaret (Wor-
man) Stopher, who was a native of Westmoreland
Co., Pa. He soon afterward returned to Illinois,
and for the first five years resided in Rock Island ;
then moved upon a claim in Iowa, where he passed
four years; then was one year in this county on a
farm, and came in the spring of 1S43 to Moline.
That village was laid out the year following.

Mr. and Mrs. Hartzell became the parents of 13
children, namely: Margaret S., who was born in
Rock Island, then called "Stephenson," May 22,
1837 ; Tohn W., who is married and lives in Wichita,
Kan.; Rev. Joseph C, who married Jennie Culver,
and is now residing in Cincinnati, Ohio; Mary, now
Mrs. John Rapp; Asenath, now the wife of William
W. Wallace, and residing at Little Rock, Ark. ; Eva,
the wife of T. J. Hayes, of Louisville, Kan.; Alice,
now Mrs. L. L. McCoy, of Moline; Lizzie P., who
became the wife of T. A. Wallace, of Davenport,

and died June 28, 1881; Lillie I)., her twin sister;
Esther, the wife of John F. Jaques, and resides at
Clinton, Iowa; and Frank H., who married Jennie
Cooper, and resides at Wichita, Kan.

Mr. Hartzell was formerly in the undertaker's
business, being the first in that line in Rock Island.
In his political views he is a Republican, with Prohi-
bition sympathies. He united with the Methodist
Episcopal Church in 1S32, and his wife united with
that denomination a short time previously.

Rev. Joseph C. Hartzell, D. D., attended the
Northwestern University at Evanston, 111., and grad-
uated in i860, at the Garrett Biblical Institute there.
Thence he visited Bloomington, 111, and graduated
at the Illinois Wesleyan University there, spending
seven years in those two institutions of learning;
then joined the Central Illinois Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. His first appointment
was at Pekin, 111., but was thence transferred to New
Orleans, to take charge of Ames Chapel, when its
pastor, Rev. J. P. Newman, was appointed Chaplain
under Gen. Grant. During six years he edited the
Southwestern Christian Advocate, after which the
paper was turned over to the Methodist Book Con-
cern, and Mr. Hartzell was appointed Presiding
Elder for that district, which position he held until
elected Assistant Secretary of the Freedmen's Aid
Society, with headquarters at Cincinnati, where he
still remains, an able, eloquent and energetic worker
in the cause.

Mr. J. Wesley Hartzell was born Oct. 6, 1839, in
Iowa, but was brought up, attended school and grad-
uated at Moline, 111. He was engaged in farming,
teaching school and in the livery business until 1877,
when he emigrated to Kansas, settling at Topeka,
where he remained until 1883, during which time he
became proprietor of the Tefft House in that city,
which was the political headquarters of the State.
Selling out to the veteran landlord of Davenport )
Iowa-Mr. Burtis — Mr. Hartzell then became owner
and manager of the Topeka Freight, Omnibus and
Baggage Lines, working 40 horses, having charge of
the consignment of all freight of the Atchison, To-
peka & Santa Fe Railroad at that point, and sale of
the dead freight of that railroad between Colorado,
New Mexico and the Missouri River. He then or-
ganized a company, and projected and built the
street horse railroad in Topeka, his associates in that
enterprise being S. W. Wheelock, of Moline, 111. ; W.

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B. Strong, President; George 0. Manchester, Assis-
tant General Manager; and E. Wilder, Treasurer of
the Santa Fe Railroad. In 1SS2 Mr. Hartzell ob-
tained the franchise, organized a company and built
the water works in Topeka, meantime laying off and
establishing a beautiful park (bearing his name) in
that city.

Within the space of r8 months he obtained fran-
chises, organized companies, built and had in suc-
cessful operation roads in Wichita, Emporia, Kan.,
and Carthage, Mo. He is now President of Wichita,
McPherson & Denver Railroad, for which road
bonds to the amount of $4,000 per mile is voted for
100 miles, from Wichita to Elmore.

Just at present Mr. Hartzell is in Moline, 111.,
energetically engaged in organizing a new street rail-
road to and between Moline and Rock Island, with
excellent chances of success.

H. Frank Hartzell is a graduate of the Moline
High School, learned the telegraph business, but
when 16 years old migrated to Topeka, Kan., and
clerked in the Tefft House until his brother sold out
the hotel, whereupon he became Secretary of the
Topeka Freight and Omnibus Lines, then Secretary
of the Wichita Horse Railroad Co. until 1883, when
he obtained the mail contract for delivery of mail in
Topeka, which position he held until March 1, 18S4,
when he returned to Wichita and organized the Kan-
sas Furniture Company, of which he is now Secre-
tary. The firm are wholesale and retail dealers in
furniture, and are doing a prosperous business.

S, m \ illiam G. Marshall is one of the pioneers
of Rock Island County, and one of the
w^P P rolrnnent citizens of the township of Cordo-
va. He was the possessor of little but health,
strength and ambition to get along in the
world when he arrived in the county, and he
is now in circumstances which afford ample proof of
the quality of his good senses and labors.

He was born in the township of Hopewell, which
was then in Huntington Co., X. J., but which by la-
ter municipal division is now included in Mercer
County. His birth occurred Aug. 4, 1S20, and he is

: ®)

the second son of John and Charity (Golden) Mar-
shall. His parents were both natives of New Jersey, '
respectivelv, and their ancestors were Germans and
Hollanders. John Marshall died when his son was
12 years old, and the latter, with his brothers, re-
mained on the homestead, which they carried on
until 1839. In that year he and an older brother, a
sister and her husband, A. S. Ege, set out to come
to Illnois. They left May 16, 1839, and traveled in
the manner common in those days when '.here were
no means of public conveyance, and time was less a
consideration than money, coming all the way with
horses and wagons, doing their cooking and camp-
ing on the route. They arrived in Cordova at the
end of six weeks of travel, landing in July, 1S39.

Mr. Marshall passed the first summer as a farm
assistant, working by the day. In the fall of 1839
the land on the river came into market, and Mr.
Marshall entered land on section 3 of township r9,
and which is now Coe Township. In the spring of C
1840 he erected a log cabin and broke a piece of*;
prairie, on which he raised a crop of sod corn. At
the same time he worked a tract of land on shares ^
on which he raised wheat and oats. The grain was §
stacked on the land where the home was placed, ^
and late in the same fall, before the threshing could 3,
be done, the prairie fires came on, and the grain and <!
cabin were both destroyed. The little home was re- (■
placed, and the next season a crop of corn and also
of wheat was raised. The latter was threshed with
flails and trampled by horses, as was the custom to
a great extent.

In the fall of 1S41 Mr. Marshall started on his re-
turn to New Jersey. He went on foot to Chicago, v
and there he embarked on a steamer for Buffalo d
whence he went on the Erie Canal, traveling on a
line boat to Troy, N. Y., and from there on the river
Hudson to Albany. There he embarked on a steam-
er for the city of New York, and traveled thence to
Princeton by rail. He went from Princeton to the
home of his mother on foot, and spent the winter at
his boyhood home. In the spring of 1842 the home-^-
stead was sold, and again Mr. Marshall journeyed *.
over land to Illinois from New Tersev. He was ac- i
companied by his mother and the remaining mem- 3
bers of the family, and the party required two pair of
horses and two wagons in the transportation of<rv
themselves and their household property. They lo- I
cated on the land which the brothers had entered, «S

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375

and Mr. Marshall made his home there with his
mother and her family until 1845, when he bought
land on section 3, adjoining the other place, of which
he at once took possession and commenced to im-
prove. He split rails and fenced about 100 acres of
land during the first year, and he continued the work
of improvement until he had put the whole quarter-
section in advanced cultivation. Later he bought
the quarter-section adjoining, and placed that too
under improvements.

He continued the prosecution of his agricultural
projects until 1856, when he moved to Cordova, and
afterward operated as a farmer and dealer in lumber
until 1864. In that year he commenced buying
grain, and has since been engaged in that variety of
traffic at Cordova. The success which has attend-
ed his efforts is defined by the fact that he is the
owner of nearly 2000 acres of land, on which he car-
ries on his agricultural operations with the aid of
hired help. Accompanying this sketch, we give a
full page- view of Mr. Marshall's residence, showing
the splendid view of the Father of Waters which is
to be had from it. His elevator and ware-room is
also shown.

Mr. Marshall has been twice married. May 3,
1S47, he formed a matrimonial alliance with Cather-
ine Phillips. She was born in the same township as
her husband, Feb. 28, 1S24, and died May 8, 1S56,
after having become the mother of three children.
They are all deceased. Mr. Marshall was a second
time married Feb. 15, 1S57, to Elizabeth Phillips,
who is a sister of his first wife. She was born Aug.
25, 1815, and was the widow of Stephen Humphrey.
Edgar Humphrey, the only child of her first mar-
riage, lives at Cordova. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall are
childless. They are members of the Baptist Church
at Cordova. He was originally an old-line Whig,
but is now a Republican.

■

artin A. Barns, dealer in groceries, pro-

, visions, 902 Third Avenue, Rock Island,

fllpir came to this city in 1849. He was born

1 -^ \ in Mercer Co., 111., March 1 1, 1842, and re-

' '* ceived the advantages afforded by the common

schools of the city of Rock Island, and has

supported himself since he attained the age of 12

years. He worked first in a store for Buford &
Clark, with which firm he remained for six years.
After leaving the latter firm, he engaged with a Mr.
Benedict in a leather and saddlery hardware store
and remained with him three years. His next ser-
vice was that of a detective in the Navy Department,
which position he held for three months. He then
came to Rock Island and formed a partnership with
a Mr. Stratton,in the grocery and provision business,
which co-partnership existed for a period of eight
months, when it was mutually dissolved, and Mr.
Barns engaged as clerk in a dry-goods establishment,
which vocation he followed for seven years. For
the last ten years he has been conducting the grocery
and provision business for his own benefit, and by
honest dealing and fair representation has built up a
good paying trade. He attends the city scales on
Third Avenue and Ninth Street. Politically, he is
a Democrat, and socially is a member of the Order
of Masonry.

In 1865, occurred the event of Mr. Barn's marriage
to Miss Annie Cooper, and they are the parents of
two children, namely: Edgar, born May 1^, 187 1;
and Linnie, born April 8, 1873

III eorge Evener. One of the active, promi-
nent and enterprising citizens of Coal Val-

ley Township is George Evener, who at
?* present is engaged in farming upon section 22.
His parents, George and Rachel (Coffey)
Evener, were natives of Germany and New 3
York State respectivelv. Boih died in the latter '
place. They reared a family of four children, — '
Sally, Elizabeth, Frederick and George.

The latter, the subject of this sketch, was born in
New York city, Oct. 6, 1812. He lived at home un-
til ten years of age, when he began to " work out,"
which he did for six years, when he engaged in team- j
ing. This business he followed for about four years,
when he was engaged for a time in running a dray in i
New York city. After one year he returned to Orange 9
County, where he had previously lived, and bought
a farm. Three years later he sold this and went to
Yorkville, and was engaged on the tunnel at that (|
place; and a year later was employed doing jobbing

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376

j?C>CX ISLAND COUNTY.

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work on railroads, which business he followed until
1852. In the autumn of that year he came to Rock
Island for the purpose of working on the bridge,
which was being built over the Mississippi between
that city and Davenport. Here he was engaged for
three years, after which time he began to take con-
tracts himself for building bridges in different sec-
tions of country. During this time he built the bridge
over Rock River between South Moline Township
and Coal Valley, in company with Elisha P. Rey-
nolds, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He
was in company with Mr. R. for about two years.
About 1858 he settled in Coal Valley Township,
where he purchased 240 acres of land, and where he
now resides. He also owns, in company with E. P.
Reynolds, a large tract of land elsewhere located.
The aggregate number of acres which Mr. Evener
now owns in Coal Valley and Black Hawk Townships
is 400.

July 18, 1833, in Orange Co., N. Y., Mr. Evener
was married to Rachel Weigant, who was a native of
that county. By this marriage there have been ten
children, — Rachel, George, Sarah, Charles and Alice,
and five who are deceased.

Mr. Evener has held the office of Highway Com-
missioner, both in New York State and in this
county. In his political views he is a Democrat.

eter King, a reliable citizen and energetic
farmer of South Moline Township, residing
|S3F"5? on section 2, is a native of Bavaria, in
wo which country he was born Oct. iS, 1S15. He
•fj\- lived in his native country until he had at-
' tained the age of 34 years, when, in 1S49, he
emigrated to the United States and located in Penn-
sylvania, where he resided for some three months.
Realizing that he could better his condition in the
undeveloped regions of the West, he came to this
county and settled in South Moline Township, where
he has since resided. He is the owner of 195 acres
of land in that township, the major portion of which
is under an advanced state of cultivation. He has
a good residence and substantial outbuildings, and is
meeting with success in his chosen vocation.

Mr. King formed a matrimonial alliance in his

native country, Bavaria, June 16, 1846, with Miss
Margaret Zentgraf, a native of Bavaria, in which
country she was born, May 9, 1823. They have
been the parents of n children: John, Joseph,
Leonard, Mary, Theresa, Amanda, Clara, Charles,
Christian, Annie and William.

Mr. and Mrs. King, religiously, are members of
the Catholic Church. In politics Mr. King votes
with the Democratic party. He has held the office
of School Director in his township, and is a respect-
ed and energetic citizen of the same.

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v ( 2«^laniuel S. Forster, general farmer on sec-
tion 29, Black Hawk Township, was born
in Morris Co., N. J., May 4, 1S13. His
father, Thomas, was a native of Ireland, of
County Fermanagh. He was a weaver, teach-
er and clerk by occupations, and came to
America in 1806. After residing in New Jersey
some years, he went to Wayne Co., Pa., in 1824,
where he died in 1833. The mother of Samuel S.
was Margaret, nee Smith, a native of Nova Scotia,
and moved thence in 1800 to New Jersey, where she
was married. She had three children, the subject of
this sketch being the eldest ; the other two were
John S. and Mary J., both of whom now reside in
Polk Co , Iowa.

Mr. Samuel S. Forster was in his 12th year when
his parents removed to Wayne Co., Pa., where he re-
sided until his marriage, which event occurred in the
same county May 8, 1839, to Miss Olive E., daughter
of Israel and Parthena (Pettibone) Chapman, natives
respectively of New Hampshire and Vermont. Her
parents were married in Manchester, that State, and
afterward moved to Andes, Delaware Co.,N. Y., and
after some years to Wayne Co., Pa. Mr. Chapman
was a lumberman and farmer most of his life; was
also a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and had been a Captain of a militia company during
the War of 1812. Mrs. Forster was the fifth in or-
der of birth of a family of 12 children, and was born
in Andes, Delaware Co., N. Y.July 22, 181 1, received
a good education, and for some time followed the oc-
cupation of a teacher in the public schools of her

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native Stale. Mr. and Mrs. Forster have had four
children, two of whom are living: Thomas, who
married Miss Cordelia Sherman, a native of Massa-
chusetts, and now lives on a farm in Jasper Co.,
Iowa; and Mary J., who married William Joyce and
now resides in Polk Co., Iowa, on a farm. The de-
ceased were Emery and an unnamed infant.

Immediately after marriage Mr. Forster left Penn-
sylvania and settled in Allen Co., Ind , where he re-
mained a resident 13 years; then, in 1854, he came
to this county, settling where Reynolds now is, en-
tering the land in 1851 and residing there until 1871,
when he moved to Black Hawk Township. He is
now the owner of 188 acres of good land, most of it
under creditable improvement.

He and his wife are members of the United
Brethren Church ; he has been Supervisor of Bowl-
ing Township, Justice of the Peace, etc., and in his
views of political affairs he is a zealous National
Greenbacker.

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j ev. Charles Lincoln Morgan has been
Pastor of the First Congregational Church
of Moline since Nov. 1, 1881. He was
y\%r born in East Boston, Mass., Jan. 31,1849,
the youngest of the three children of David
and Marianne L. (Peirce) Morgan. The eld-
est, Mrs. Lucy M. Godley, died in Minneapolis
Minn., in 1880. The second, David L. Morgan, is
a prominent business man of Rutland, Vt. His
father was a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1835,
and was admitted to the Bar in Boston, where he
practiced law till 1856. For two years, 1854-6, the
family resided at Waltham, Mass. In May, 1856,
when Charles L. was seven years of age, his father
removed with his family to Minnesota and settled in
Minneapolis, then a town of about 400 inhabitants.
Here he practiced his profession and was prominent
in all the political and educational interests of the
place until his death in 1871. Charles L. left the
High School at the age of 14 nearly prepared for
college. In 1864 he united on profession with the
Plymouth Congregational Church. The same year
he entered the postoffice, of which his father was

Postmaster during Lincoln's Administration, where
he remained till the fall of 1865, when he became a
clerk in the just opening dry-goods house of Wake-
field & Plant. During the spring of 1867 a decision
was reached to devote his life to the ministry, in ac-
cordance with which he left the dry-goods store and,
having completed his preparations for college, en-
tered Beloit College in Sept., 1867. Graduating from
Beloit in 187 r, he received the appointment as Princi-
pal of the public schools at Cheyenne, Wyo. Ter.,for
one year. He entered the Theological Department
of Yale University in September, 1872, graduating
from the same in May, 1875.

Invited by the South Church of Springfield, Mass.,
to take charge of their mission work in connection
with Hope Chapel for one year, he accepted and be-
gan his ministry there in June, 1875. During the
fall and winter there ensued a growing spiritual in-
terest, which resulted in the organization of Hope
Congregational Church, with a membership of Sr, on
March 15, 1876. Mr. Morgan was ordained to the
ministry and to the pastorate of Hope Church on the
same day and by the same Council. In November
of 1880, a call to the pastorate of the First Presbyte-
rian Church of Green Bay, Wis., was accepted. A
year later a call was accepted to the First Congre-
gational Church of Moline, 111., and removing thither
the pastorate was begun which still continues. Dur-
ing the four years of this pastorate 113 have been
received into the membership of the Church, 68 on
confession of faith and 45 by letter. Repairs on the
Church property have been made to the amount of
$3,500. Two branch Sunday-schools have been
conducted on the Bluff, for which a tasteful chapel is
just completed at a cost of $3,000. Aside from his
Church work in Moline Mr. Morgan has been a
leader in the organization of the Society of Associ-
ated Charities, the Citizens' League for the Promo-
motion of Law and Order and the Young Men's
Christian Association.

In politics Mr. Morgan is first of all a Prohibition-
ist, believing that the destruction of the liquor traffic
is the pre-eminent duty of this generation ; and sec-
ond, a Republican in the belief that through the
constituency of that party the end of prohibition can
soonest be attained.

On Sept. 14, 1876, Mr. Morgan was united in
marriage with Miss Belle W. Merrill, born in Hins-
dale, N. H., Oct. 31, 1849, the daughter of John B.

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

and Caroline (Walker) Merrill, of Beloit, Wis. Two
children have been born to them, — Carl Merrill, who
died April 11, 1883, at the age of three years, and
Gertrude Lincoln, born Feb. 19, 1S44.

<2>

:> ufus Walker, dealer in all kinds of heavy
lumber at Reynolds, Edgington Town-
ship, is a native of the Green Mountain

State, and was born in Orange County, Dec.

10, 1839. His father, Rufus, was also a native

of Vermont, of New England ancestry, and
a shoemaker by occupation. Rufus, Sr., was mar-
ried in his native State, to Miss Susanna Smith, a
native of New England. They were both of Eng-
lish extraction, and after marriage the elder Rufus
followed his trade, until the date of his death.

Rufus Walker, Jr., the subject of this notice, was
the youngest in order of birth of a family of 1 1 chil-
dren, — seven sons and four daughters,— and vvasbut
12 days old when his father died. He continued to
reside with his mother, receiving the advantages af-
forded by the common schools until her death, which
event occurred when he was in his 16th year.
Prior to that event, Mr. Walker had engaged to learn
the trade of shoemaker, and after the death of his
mother he worked at the same, in his native State,
until he was 20 years old. At this age in life, he con-
cluded to better his condition financially by coming
West, and came to Edgington village, this county
He afterwards engaged to act as clerk in the mer-
cantile establishment of C. R. Ainsworth at Moline,
and remained with that gentleman three and a half
years. He then became the successor in the busi-
ness, and conducted the store at that place for eight
and a half years, meeting with moderate success.
Selling out his store there, he went to Rock Island
city, and, in company with C. E. Dodge, opened a
merchant-tailoring and gents' furnishing establish-
ment, under the firm name of Walker & Dodge,
which copartnership existed for three years. On dis-
solution, Mr. Dodge became sole proprietor, and Mr.
Walker, in company with a Mr. M. Wait, engaged in
the construction of a portion of the Rock Island &

for the road while in process of construction, which
was for some six months. During the time he and
Mr. Wait were operating for the road, they pur-
chased 160 acres of land on section 36, Edgington
Township, and 80 acres adjoining the same, located
in Mercer County. On the 160-acre purchase they
platted the present village of Reynolds, the original
plat and subsequent additions comprising the entire
original purchase, and established a grain and hay
market at that place. Mr. Walker started the first
store at Reynolds, which he kept in the depot. He
and Mr. Wait continued to purchase grain at that
point for two years. It was about this time that Mr.
Walker became connected with Weyerhaeuser &
Denkmann, in the lumber business at Reynolds.
After about three years Mr. W. bought out the other
two parties and became the sole proprietor of the
business, which he has conducted with no small de-
gree of success until the present time. Besides his
various operations at Reynolds, Mr. Walker was for
a time engaged with Mr. Wait in the live-stock busi-
ness at Edgington, and has done considerable work
in a commercial way, in different parts of the county.
In 1879 Mr. Walker went to Iowa and Nebraska,
and was engaged in furnishing supplies of food on a
branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the
Burlington & Missouri River Railroads, and lately
for the railroad located in the central and southern
part of the State of Nebraska. The business lasted
for nine mo iths, during which time he had a store
located on the railroad, which was burned, entailing
a small loss. Mr. Walker has ten acres of village
lots at Reynolds, on one of which stands his resi-
dence, a .two-story frame building. He and Mr.
Wait started the Reynolds Cemetery, which is located
in proximity to the village, on a gentle elevation
overlooking the same, and is one among the beauti-
ful burying-grounds in Rock Island County.

Mr. Walker was united in marriage Aug. 19, 1862,
to Miss Jane Edgington, the accomplished daughter
of John and Susannah (Crabs) Edgington, natives of
Steubenville, Ohio. Her parents were married and
came West about 1834, locating in Buffalo Prairie
Township, this county, where they yet reside, and
are classed as among the early settlers of the county.
Mis. Walker was born in that township, Sept. 8,
1842, and she was reared on the parental homestead,
educated in the common schools, residing with her
parents until her marriage.

Mercer Co. Railroad. Mr. W. acted as supply agent

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

Mr. and Mrs. Walker are the parents of four chil-
dren : John E., bom June 15, 1863, was educated at
the schools of Rock Island city and at Morgan
Park, near Chicago ; he is at present the railroad
agent at Reynolds, which position he has held since
August, 1883. Frank B., born Nov. 26, 1865, re-
ceived his education at Rock Island and Racine, and
resides at home; Rufus, Jr., born Feb. 27, 1875, and
Susan E., April 13, 1S80, likewise resided at
home.

Mr. and Mrs. Walker are both active members of
the Presbyterian Church. Mr. W. having been
Church Trustee and a liberal contributor to that de-
nomination at Reynolds.

He takes great interest in educational matters, and
politically is identified with the Republican party.

e3*-£-*«e

adison Bowles, a retired farmer, residing
on section 17, Zuma Township, was born
l' M> in Rockbridge Co., Va., March 28, 1814,
\ " \ his parents being Isaac and Mary (Bagford)
Vt Bowles. They were married April 16, 1798, and
were the parents of 10 children — William A.,
Harriet, Constance C, James H., Thomas C, Matil-
da, Samuel, John W., Madison and Caroline, all born
before 1817, and four of whom are still living — Sam-
uel, John W., Madison and Caroline.

The father, Isaac Bowles, moved from Virginia, in
1 81 6, to Eaton, Ohio, and there he worked as the
trade of a blacksmith for one year. He then, in
1818, moved to Indiana, bought a farm, and followed
that vocation until 1831 on that place, and continued
to farm in that county until 1837. He died in
Louisiana, where he was stopping with his son in
1847. The mother died in Hampton Township,
Rockland Co., at the residence of her son Samuel,
in 1842.

The •subject of this biographical notice, Madison
Bowles remained on the parental homestead until he
had attained the age of 20 years. The school facil-
ities in his county at that date were very limited,
and together, with the labor that he was required to
perform on the farm to assist in the maintenance of
the family, kept him from receiving an education

until after his 20th year, and in fact he never at-
tended school but four days prior to that age. On
arriving at the age named, he had saved sufficient
means to pay for 20 days schooling, which he did
and improved each shining moment of that precious
time. This, together with the practical knowledge
that he had obtained by his reading, constitute the
education that he possesses. Soon after leaving
home he engaged on the Mississippi and Ohio Riv-
ers as a fireman on a steamboat, and followed that
occupation for one year.

In 1836 he went South, and took charge of a
sugar plantation, and had fifty slaves under his
authority to run the place. He afterward came
North to Washington Co., Ind., and was there mar-
ried to Miss Rebecca Bates, a native of Baltimore,
Md., Nov. 16, 1837. In 1839 he engaged there in
mercantile trade, and followed the same until 1853.
He then sold out and came to Zuma Township, this
county, and purchased 160 acres of land, on which
he has resided until the present time. He has sub-
sequently added to his original purchase, until he is
now the proprietor of 370 acres of land. We give a
full view of Mr. Bowles' farm, showing his son's resi-
dence, as well as much of the charming scenery as
beheld from his home.

In 1S60 Mr. B. engaged in steamboating, and ran
on the river for nine months, but it proving unprofit-
able he sold out at New Albany, and abandoned the
river.

Mr. and Mrs. Bowles are the parents of six chil-
dren. Their record is as follows : Donaldson C, born
Nov. 12, 1838; Emmer E., Nov. 23, 1S40; Samuel
M., Sept. 8, 1841 ; George W., July 4, 1845 ; Luella
F„ Feb. 8, 1854 ; and William H., born April 1, 1858.
George Bowles was united in marriage to Miss Julia
A. Warren, and the issue of their union is three
children— Nellie, Albert and Hattie R. ; Luella F.
married Samuel R. Bryan, of Zuma Township, and
they have one child living, Frank M. S.

The family of sons are fine specimens of men phys-
ically, all being over six feet in height. Mr. Bowles
is six feet, four inches in height. He has been very
successful through life, and his accumulation of this
world's goods is undoubtedly due to his own good
judgment and indomitable energy and perseverance.
Starting in the world without anything, and being
compelled to labor for $3 per month, he has suc-
ceeded by hard work and economy in procuring a

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^ ^ Q^ NlgOlKfr^

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

' competency. He has held the office of Supervisor
two years, in 1872-3. Politically, he is identified
with the Democratic party.

Mr. Bowles is one of the pioneers of Rock Island
County, and as such, as well as a highly respectable
and honorable citizen, we give his portrait in this
Album. As a fitting companion picture we also
give that of his estimable wife.

esse Maxwell, proprietor of the Maxwell
House, at Port Byron, is a pioneer of
Rock Island County, and has been iden-
tified with its business interests in various
ways since 1844. He was born Aug. 8, 18 17,
in Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Pa. His
father, David Maxwell, was of Irish origin, and
fa probably descended from progenitors who were born
in Scotland and located in Ireland, as the name is
essentially Scotch.

Mr. Maxwell was brought up on his father's farm to
the age of 13, when he was placed under indentures
to learn the trade of making boots and shoes. He
served an apprenticeship of six years, and passed
four years subsequent as a journeyman, according to
the custom in those days, operating at various places.
In 1840 he returned to his father's homestead, and
established a line of business there, in which he was
employed one and a half years. He went next to
the seat of Westmoreland County, and worked at his
trade there until his removal to Illinois. In 1844 he
located at Rock Island, and established a shoe fac-
tory, which he conducted three years, his business in
that line gradually increasing, until he employed an
average of ten assistants. He closed his manufac-
turing in 1847, and bought 200 acres of land in Zuma
Township, built a house of logs, of which he took
possession, and entered upon the career of a pioneer
agriculturist. His family were the occupants of the
log cabin until 1857, when Mr. Maxwell built a com-
modious brick house. He continued the manage-
ment of his farm until 1862, when he engaged in
» buying grain and stock at Port Byron for shipment
to Chicago. In 1866 he bought a stock of general
v», merchandise, and passed five years in trade. In

187 1 he bought the hotel property known as the
Port Byron House, which he managed personally
until 1 88 1. In that year he rented the hotel, and on
the 2d day of September, 1882, it was destroyed by
fire. He then made an addition to the house, which
he opened for a hotel, calling the establishment by
his name. He has since conducted its affairs with-
out intermission.

Mr. Maxwell was married Feb. 1, 1842, to Miss A.
M. McCall. She was born Jan. 4, 1820, in West-
moreland Co., Pa. Their surviving children are
named as follows : Mary J., Joseph A., Agnes B.,
Lizzie A., Thomas, Jesse Newton and Ida. John C.
was born Nov. 4, 1842, in Greensburg, Pa., and he
grew to manhood in Rock Island County. He en-
listed in 1 86 1 in Co. E, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., and was
in the military service of the United States three
years and two months. After his return to his home
he became interested with his father in mercantile
business. He was married Sept. 19, 1870, to Emily
Littlefield, and they have had one child, named
Orissa. His death occurred March 9, 1872.

Mr. Maxwell is a Democrat. He and his wife con-
nected themselves with the Congregational Church
in Rock Island in 1844.

^000€

illiam Adams, a prominent farmer of
English birth, residing on section 26, Coal
Valley Township, is a son of William and
Eliza (Tonkin) Adams, who were natives of
England. They came to America in 1S54,
located in Tennessee, where they lived
until 1862, when they came to Galena, 111. They
lived at that place only one year, when they came to
Rock Island County, locating in Coal Valley Town-
ship. In 1866 they returned to Joe Daviess County,
where both parents died — the mother Oct. 14, 1867,
and the father in September, 1869. They had a
family of six children, bearing the following names:
John, William, James, Henry, Joseph and Eliza.

William, the second member of the family, was
born in Cornwall, England, Feb. 2, 1838. His
school privileges were very limited, never being able
to attend any public or private school ; but on the
other hand, when most children were ready and priv-

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ileged to enter school, he was at an early age — six
years old — employed in the mine at Cornwall. He
came to America with his parents, and lived under
their charge until his marriage. He came to Rock
Island County in the autumn of 1863, locating in
Coal Valley Township, where he has since resided,

He was married in Tennessee, Dec. 3r, 1857, to
Catherine, daughter of John and Kittie (Ferris) Ton-
kin, who were also natives of England, and the pa-
rents of a family of eight children, three of whom
died in infancy. Those living are John, Susan,
Catherine, Mary J. and Elizabeth A. Catherine was
born in Cornwall, Nov. 12, 1839. To Mr. and Mrs.
Adams have been born a family of 12 children, only
five of whom are living, as follows: John H., Mary
C, Eliza, Elizabeth A. and Ola M. Those they
have laid away in the cold, mother earth are Susan,
Margaret J., May B., Mary B., Edna, William and
William J.

Mr. Adams has served as School Director for 15
years, and as Assessor for about three years. In
politics he is identified with the Republican party.
Socially, Mr. A. is a member of the Masonic frater-
nity, and his son John H. is a member of the same
order.

eorge E. Barth, M. D., residing at 409
ilifijH Twenty-third Street, and one of the lead-
ing physicians of Rock Island, was born
^ in Chicago, 111., May 18, 1848. He was taken
by his parents when six years of age to Ten-
nessee, where he attended the common schools
until the breaking out of the war in 1861, when the
family moved to St. Louis, where they continued to
reside until 1S67. It was in that city that the Doc-
tor began the study of medicine, reading only one
year, however, before the family moved to Louis-
ville, Ky., he accompanying them. He renewed his
studies in that city, in 1869, graduated from the
Kentucky School of Medicine, when he hung out his
shingle in Louisville, and began the practice of his
chosen profession. After a short time he removed
to New Albany, Ind., where he remained for five
years, engaged in his professional duties. He then

went to Iowa City and attended a course of lectures^!
at the Iowa State University.

After completing the course of lectures at the-,'.
University, he practiced for a short time at Monte- T
zuma when, in the winter of 1876-7, he came tOig
Rock Island, where he has engaged in the prosecu-
tion of his professional calling ever since, having a
large and lucrative practice. He belongs to the
regular school of physicians, is a hard student and
takes great pride in the successful practice of the
profession he has chosen for his life work.

Dr. Barth was united in marriage with Miss Lillie
Murphy, a native of Rock Island, June r3, 1882.
They have one daughter — Bessie May Barth.

Politically, the Doctor is a Republican. His wife
belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

homas Corns, engaged in agricultural pur-/

jjjpj suits on section 21, Coal Valley Township,

jircyi ^ is a native of Albion's Isle. His parents,!
| is(a^ Andrew and Sarah (James) Corns, were also ;
natives of England. They had a family of^
three children, only one of whom, the subject ^
of this sketch, lived to manhood. He was born in /■
Croxton, England, Nov. 29, 1821, and received his
education in the common schools. He lived in his
native country till in the summer of 1851, when he
emigrated to America. He soon afterward located
in Mercer Co., 111., where he carried on the butcher-
ing business for four years. He then moved to \
Camden Mills (Milan), where he continued in the (
same business, and kept a hotel, known as "Corns
Hotel." In 1859 he removed to Coal Valley, en-
gaging as a butcher until 1868, when he settled on
his farm in Coal Valley Township. He then owned
r, 000 acres of land in that township; he now owns
but 250 acres in this county, 5 1 acres in Henry
County, and 160 in Iowa. All his land in this
county, except about 10 acres, is in a good state of
cultivation.

Mr. Corns was married in England, April 14, 185 1,
to Harriet E., daughter of James and Ann (Myatt) ^.
Hall. She was born in England, May 12, 1830. j\
Mr. and Mrs. C. are the parents of five children, (&\
viz.: Sarah E., Thomas M., John S., Harriet A. M.^

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

and George H. A. ; the latter died when 17 months
old. Mr. Corns has held the offices of Justice of the
Peace, Notary Public, Assessor, School Trustee and
Director. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity,
being a Knight Templar. In his political views he
is identified with the Democracy. Mr. and Mrs.
C. are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr.
Corn's house and everything it contained was burned
sicen writing this sketch.

-~D-

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»l illiam S. Parks, Jr., a member of the firm
of Parks Bros., extensive farmers and
stock-raisers, of Edgington Township, and
who resides on section 15, was born in
Edgington, May 20, 1S44. His father,
Henry H. Parks, a fanner, formerly of Franklin
Co., Ohio, came to Illinois in the fall of 1838, and
located on a farm in the township of Edgington.
Sketches of both Henry H., the father of the subject
of this sketch, and John Parks, his brother and part-
ner, are given elsewhere in this work.

Our subject was reared and educated in his native
township, and lived with his parents until his mar-
riage. This important event in his life look place
Oct. 7, 1S75, in Worthington, Franklin Co., Ohio.
Miss Ella Fairchild, a daughter of an Ohio farmer,
was the lad}' who joined her fortunes with his to
make the voyage of life together. She was born near
Dayton, Ohio, Aug. 8, rS40. Her parents died when
she was but a mere child, and shortly afterwards she
was taken by her foster parents, O. C. and Lucy A.
(Clarke) Fairchild, natives of New York, with whom
she made her home until her marriage. Their home
was brightened for a short time by a son, Harry, who
died at the early age of three years.

Desiring to locate permanently after his marriage,
Mr. Parks joined with his brother, John H., and pur-
chased a farm of 640 acres on sections 15 and 27.
William S. has 320 acres on section 15, where he has
a palatial residence and a large and elegant barn.
These are shown in the view on the opposite page.
They are accompanied by a view of his brother Tohn
H.'s residence and surroundings, making a fine page

view. He and his brother are among the most ex-
tensive stock-raisers of the county, and are well
known in this respect throughout this part cf the
State. Both Mr. and Mrs. Parks are members of
the Presbyterian Church at Edgington. Politically,
Mr. Parks is a Republican.

^ooo«

}. fW^r. Farquhar Stuart, a practicing physi-

j- gyl l cian and surgeon, and also engaged in the

c ' ' v

Castleton of Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scot-
land, May 5, 1845. His father, Charles Stuart;
was a native of the same shire, of a long line of
Scotch ancestry, and was probably a direct descend-
ant of the Stuart family of Scottish note.

He was married in his native country, to Miss
Jane Mcintosh, a native of the same country. He
was a carpenter for the Earl of Fife while a resident
of that country. The family emigrated to America
about 1863, settling in Huron County, Province of J
Ontario. At that date the family comprised nine 1
children. After the family settled in Ontario, the •
father engaged in the occupation of farming, and
afterward came to Reynolds, this county, about 1880, \
and lived with his son, subject of this notice, until
his death, which occurred in 1883, he then being in
his Soth year. The mother of Dr. F. is yet living,
and resides with him, aged 75 years.

Dr. Stuart lived with his parents in Ontario two
years after they had settled there, having received a
good education in the old city of Aberdeen, Scotland.
On attaining his 20th year he engaged in the study
of medicine, under the instruction of Dr. Elliott, of
Orilla, Simcoe Co., Ontario, with whom he remained
one year. He then entered the medical department
of the university of Toronto, Canada, and graduated
at the same in 1874. He afterward went to Chicago
and "took a special course of study in surgery and
physical diagnosis. Previous to this, however, he '§/
had entered the medical department of the Michigan
State University at Ann Arbor in 1876, and com-
pleted his medical studies at Rush Medical College
at Chicago in the fall of 1877. Heat once located
at Reynolds, and engaged in the practice of his pro-
fession, and has since made that place his home and

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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continued his practice until the present time. By
strict attention to business he has built up a splendid
practice, the same extending over the southern part
of Rock Island County and the northern part of
Mercer. He has been a very successful practitioner,
and has won the respect of the citizens by his treat-
ment of intricate cases without regard to remunera-
tion. In 1882 he purchased the drug-store of I. H.
Hazlett, at Reynolds, and has since conducted the
same. Dr. Stuart is the proprietor of seven lots in
the village, on one of which he has erected a beauti-
ful residence.

Dr. Stuart was united in marriage, Aug. 9, 187 1, in
Mercer County, this State, with Miss Elizabeth
Guthrie, born in Hamilton, Canada, Jan. 3, 1851.
She was reared and educated in her native city, and
came with her parents, Andrew and Susan (Thomp-
son) Guthrie, to Aledo, Mercer County, this State,
where her parents at present reside. They are the
parents of four children, one of whom, Charles, born
July 22, 1872, died Dec. 26, 1S75. Those living are
Mary E., born Sept. 3, 1874; S. Anna, born Feb. 24,
1878, and Jean A., born Nov. 4, 1882.

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart are members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church at Reynolds. So-
cially, the Doctor is a member of the Order of A. F.
& A. M., and in politics he is identified with the Re-
publican 1 arty.

...•,,..,. „ .,

Jfeon J. Webb, Station Agent at Rapids City,
fegMgl ^, to which place he came in 1876, was born
'(jjy " in Rock Co., Wis., Dec. 29, 1852, his pa-
j/M<V rents being William J. and Eunice W. (Wat-
* son) Webb, natives of New York. The parents
* moved from the latter State to Wisconsin in
1847, where the father purchased a farm containing
40 acres, and afterwards increased his landed inter-
ests until he was the proprietor of 240 acres in that
State, and on which he resided until the date of his
death, which occurred in April, 1S76.

Don J., subject of this sketch, remained under pa-
rental instruction and care until he attained the age
of majority. His earlier years were passed on the
farm and in the acquisition of a good education, hav-

ing had the advantages afforded by the Evansville
Seminary, which institution he attended for four
years. He then attended Bryant & Stratton's Busi-
ness College at Janesville, Wis., for two years, where
he completed a thorough business course of study.
Leaving commercial college, he came to Savanna,
Carroll Co., 111., where, for two years, he was engaged
in learning telegraphy and railroading. He then ac-
cepted a position as station agent at Rapids City, in
1876, where he has since continued in the employ of
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad.

Mr. Webb was united in marriage to Miss Clara
E. Mitchell, a native of Rapids City, Aug. 29, 1876.
She was born in June, 1861, and has borne Mr.
Webb two children, — Willie M., born Aug. 29, 1877 ;
Dwight J., born Oct. 2, 1879. Politically, Mr. Webb
is a believer in the principles advocated by the
Democratic party. Religiously, he attends the Epis-
copal Church, and socially he is a member of the
Order of Masonry, belonging to the Knights Templars
and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. and A. O. U.
W.,and is a representative influential citizen of Rapids
City.

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ichard S. Silvis, of the firm of Silvis Bros.,
dealers in coal at Hampton, came to
Hampton Township in 1854. He was
born in Jefferson Co., Pa., Nov. 21, 1837. His
younger days were passed on the farm, per-
forming such labor as was common to farmer's
sons of the time and locality in which he resided, and
attending the common schools of his native county,
receiving a good English education.

The parents of Mr. Silvis of this sketch were John
and Elizabeth (Coon) Silvis, natives of Pennsylvania.
The father came to Rock Island in 1854 with his
family, and settled in Pleasant Valley, Hampton
Township. Richard S. Silvis, subject of this bio-
graphical notice, was 24 years of age when he left the
parental homestead. At that age, he went forth to
fight the battles of life single-handed and alone, and
the first work that he did for his own individual bene-
fit was that of breaking prairie. He continued at
that vocation, alternating the same with labor on the
farm for eight years, after which he purchased a farm

•^^ y o/^ n vm ii& , \g) ^ ^-

390

)

of his own, containing 65 acres. Subsequently he
added to his original purchase until at present he is
the proprietor of 340 acres. He also owns, in part-
nership with his brother, 300 acres in Hampton
Township, the major portion of it being coal land.
His homestead is situated on sections 32 and 33.

Mr. Silvis formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss
Louisa Castell in 1862. She is the accomplished
daughter of James Castell, and was born in Rock
Island County, Nov. 29, 1S40. The issue of their
union has been four children, — Isabelle C, born Aug.
19, 1S63; Thomas S., bora Aug. 29, 1865 ; Charles
L., born Sept. 7, 1869, and Mary E., born May 13,
1876. Isabelle C. married Charles F. Stephens, and
they are the parents of two children, — Frank and
Louisa.

Politically, Mr. Silvis is a believer in and supporter
of the principles of the Democratic party. At pres-
ent he is Road Commissioner, and has held the
office of School Director for 1 2 years. He is one of the
progressive farmers of Rock Island County, and his
accumulation of this world's goods is attributable to
his indomitable energy, perseverance, and good judg-
ment. Religiously, he and his wife are members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church.

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"ared Marshall, deceased, formerly a farmer
j|£ of Cordova Township, is the youngest son
of John and Charity (Golden) Marshall,
and was born in Hopewell. Hunterdon Co., N.
J., July 8, 1832. He was ten years of age
when his mother with the family emigrated to
this State, locating in Coe Township. He made his
home with his mother and worked upon the farm un-
til the time of his marriage, which occurred Dec. 29,
1852, when he wedded Miss Amanda Rockwell,
daughter of Justus and Sally (Perkins) Rockwell.
She was born in Chester, Randolph Co., 111. Her
father was a native of Connecticut, and both her
parents were early settlers in that county. At the
time of his marriage he purchased land on section 2,
Coe Township, and upon it built at first a small
frame house, but four years afterward a larger frame
structure, which he occupied. He improved the
farm and resided there until 1867, when he sold it

and went to Missouri, locating in Cedar County. He*
bought there a farm five miles from Virgil City, and'
after residing upon it two years he sold and returned,
to Cordova, where he bought a farm adjoining the
village. Soon afterward, in company with his brother, £
William G., he engaged in buying grain, in which he
continued until his death, which occurred July 21,
1876.

Mr. Marshall had nine children, six of whom are
living, namely: Anna, the wife of Walter Pidcock,
and living in Cordova; Emma, who is now the wife
of William Cool and resides in Cordova ; Albert S.,
who is engaged in mercantile business in the same
village; J. Grant, Lewis D. and Grace A.

The great- ^

I C ohn Zollinger, Postmaster at Port Byron, ^
is a native of Pennsylvania, having been /
born in Carlisle, Cumberland Co., that *
State, April 29, 1847. His parents, John and ,|
Mary A. (Harman) Zollinger, were also natives c
of Pennsylvania, the former of Lebanon, Leba
non County, and of German descent
grandparents of the subject of this biographical no-
tice were natives of Switzerland, and were among the
earliest settlers in Pennsylvania ; and Jacob Zollin-
ger, the grandfather, was a soldier in the Revolu-
tionary War, belonging to Wayne's Light Brigade.

The father of John Zollinger, our subject, was a
homeopathic physician and practiced considerably
in Carlisle, Cumberland Co., Pa., besides being en- 3
gaged in farming, at which our subject worked to a *j
considerable extent, alternating his labors with at-
tendance at the public schools in acquisition of an
education.

Our subject enlisted in Co. E, 29th Pa. Vol. Inf.,
and served until the close of the war in the Army of
the Potomac, in which he received a severe scalp
wound, participating in the siege of Petersburg in
July, 1864. He took part in all the important bat-
tles from the time of his enlistment until the close of
the war. After his discharge he returned home and
engaged at house-painting and paper-hanging as an
occupation, in which he continued until 1870, then
came to Port Byron, arriving on the iSth of March

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

JrL of the same year, and worked at his trade for a short
% time. Then, in company with F. S. Gates, he en-
s' gaged in the lumber trade, and continued in the
\ same for five years, when he sold out. In iSyShe
I was commissioned Postmaster, which position he has
'- held since, besides running a grocery, in which he
has been engaged for years.

June 4, r87i, Mr. Zollinger formed a matrimonial
alliance with Miss Mary J. Moore, daughter of George
and Harriet (Dodge) Moore, and of their union have
been born four children, namely: Gracie L., Jennie
4 H., Clara J. and Nellie.

«^

) I'Ej'fL oster Armstrong, general farmer, section
Ijjp 34, Bowling Township, was born Feb. 26,
^ 1853. His parents were Christopher and
Margaret A. (Foster) Armstrong. (See sketch
of Thomas Armstrong.) He was reared at
home and educated in the public schools until
3 his marriage, Dec. 7, 1876, in Pre-emption Tovvn-
r^ ship, Mercer Co., 111., to Miss Mary Sweeney, who
' was born in Clinton, Iowa, Jan. 4, 1857. Her par-
ents, Moses and Margaret (Little) Sweeney, were
natives of the State of Pennsylvania and of Ireland
respectively, were married in Rock Island and set-
tled in Clinton Co., Iowa. She was very young
when her mother died ; and her father is yet living,
at Clinton, where he is following his trade as carpen-
ter. After the death of her mother she was adopted
i : in the family of her uncle, David Little, was reared
p by them and educated in the district schools.

Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong have four children, viz. :
Robert M., who was norn Nov. 14, 1877 ; Christopher
L., June 30, 1879; Thomas P., Sept. 20, 18S1 ; and
Mary F., May 20, 1884.

After his marriage, Mr. Armstrong located on an
80-acre farm on section 34, Bowling Township, and
g> has since made this his permanent home. He is
now the proprietor of 260 acres of land, most of
A* which is well improved, and the place is well sup-
plied with good farm buildings. Mr. A. is a pro-
( gressive farmer and a prominent citizen. He has
acceptably filled a number of local offices in his
township, among them that of Justice of the Peace.

In his political sympathies he is a zealous Republi-
can. Both himself and wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.

van B. Beers, President of the Moline
Stove Company, was born in Lancaster,
Pa., July 18, 1842, and is the son of Jo-
!§!£. seph and Priscilla (Bricker) Beers. When 14
years of age (December, 18 — -), he went to Cal-
ifornia, where he was engaged in mining and
other business. He was in the habit of spending
the dry seasons (when mining work was suspended
in California) in Virginia City, Nev., in which place
he learned the molder's trade.

He continued in California and Nevada, working
a part of the time in one State and again in the
other.

In November, 18 — ■, he was prevailed upon by a
party of some 14 of his friends to join them in an
expedition to the southeastern limits of the United
States, and with them he went down to Nicaragua,
and on their arrival they joined and formed a part of
the filibustering forces under Gen. Walker, for the
capture of that country He remained there until
March of the following year, the forces moving about
to San George, New Granada, Virgin Bay, etc.; and
he took part in various irregular conflicts, during
which time over 4,000 of Walker's men were killed
or died. The mob (for it was little else) lived al-
most entirely by raids upon the surrounding country
subsisting upon bananas and other fruits, often be-
ing entirely out of food ; and as they had no camp
equipage of any kind, they were compelled to camp
out under the stars, and in all kinds of weather.
The men were armed with all kinds of weapons,
the best they could capture or pick up, and no
special discipline was maintained. It was a sort of
free-for-all affair. Finally, the men began to melt
away, and "Gen." Walker was left without a com-
mand. He left that section, always a turbulent
spirit, and was finally captured and shot, while fili-
bustering in Honduras.

When Walker's forces disbanded, Mr. Beers went
down on a steamer with 13 others to Panama and

lay around there for some six weeks, out of funds

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

and out of employment, and finally they all stole on
board the steamer " Golden Gate," and, hiding them-
selves as " stow-aways," they quietly remained out of
sight on board until the vessel reached its destina-
tion, and they landed in California.

In November, 1863, he enlisted in the United
States volunteer service for the late war, as a private
of Co. C, 7th Cal. Vol. Inf., and served in the De-
partment of the Pacific till April, 1866. On receiv-
ing his discharge, Mr. Beers went to Philadelphia,
and from there came to Moline, 111., in the fall of
1867, and engaged as molder in the shops of Will-
iams, White & Co., of this city, until 1874, when he
formed a partnership with Mr. Joshua Norrish in
the manufacture of stoves, under the firm name of
E. B. Beers & Co. They continued in this business
under the above name until July, tSSi, when it was
regularly incorporated under the title of the " Moline
Stove Company." Mr. Beers was elected President
of the company on its organization, and has contin-
ued to fill that position to this date. (See history of
this enterprise elsewhere in this work.)

Mr. Beers was united in marriage at Le Claire,
Iowa, in 1869, to Miss Josephine Bates. Mrs. Beers
died in November, 1S70, leaving an infant daughter,
Emma. Mr. Beers was married the second time, in
December, 1873, at Cambridge, 111., to Miss Sarah
Sims, who was bom in Cazenovia, N. Y.

Mr. Beers entertains liberal views in matters of
religion and in political sentiment, and he is a stanch
Republican.

.r ohn W. Stark, D. D. S., is a graduate of
the Iowa City University, and stands
deservedly high in the profession he orna-
ments. He began the practice of dental sur-
jT gery at Woodstock, 111., in 1864, and has since
\ devoted his time to it. He was born at Flan-
ders, New Jersey, Feb. 24, 183S, and was brought by
his parents, Aaron D. and Nancy (Case) Stark, to
Alden, McHenry Co., 111., when about eleven years
of age. At the common schools and Woodstock
Academy, lie acquired a pretty thorough education,
and from the age of 20 to 25 years was employed as
teacher in the public schools.

From Illinois he went to Waterloo, Iowa, where

he practiced dentistry several years, coming to Rock
Island in 1870. He is a prominent member of the
I. O. O. F. and the A. O. U. W., having filled suc-
cessively the official chairs in both organizations, and
is at present Commander of the Uniform degree in
the Camp of the first named order, and of the Select
Knights of the " Workmen." He is also a member
of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows and Represent-
ative to the Grand Lodge of the A. O. U. W.

His wife, Melcena A., to whom he was married at
Marengo, 111., Sept. 4, 1861, was the accomplished
daughter of the Rev. Leander S. Walker (deceased),
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was born at
Rockford, 111. Their only two children were buried
in infancy. The Doctor's parents died — his father
in 185S, aged about 45 years, and his mother in 1880,
aged about 65 years. Both Dr. and Mrs. Stark are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Politically, Dr. Stark is a Democrat.

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j ffijikharles F. Schafer, a farmer residing on
L_3f section 5, Zuma Township, was born in
p?* 5 Wurtemberg, Germany, March 4, i82r.
: ' He emigrated to the United States in 1847,
*-"<' and for three years was engaged in the voca-
■* tion of a farmer in Huntingdon Co., Pa. In
1850 he came to Zuma Township and bought 40
acres of land, on which he located and where he has
continued to reside until the present time. He sub-
sequently added to his original purchase 46 acres in
Coe Township, and by still later purchases added
335 acres more in the same township. On coming
to the county in 1850, he located on his land and
entered vigorously and energetically upon its im-
provement and cultivation, and by economy and
good judgment has secured a competency. He has
a line residence, good barns and outbuildings, and
his farm is under a good state of cultivation. Po-
litically, he is identified with the Democratic party,
and religiously, he and his wife are both members of
the Lutheran Church.

Mr. Schafer is a man who never has sought office
at the hands of his fellow citizens, but has accepted
that of Path Master.

Mr. Schafer formed a matrimonial alliance, in his

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mtry, with Miss Barbara Shock, a native of
Germany, and they are the parents of nine children,
— Margaret, born Nov. 14, 1 S45 ; Christina, Dec,
25, 1S46; Luther, Dec. 4, 184S; Louisa, Sept. 29,
1850; Man, Feb. 3,1853; Joseph, ^M ay, 26, 1861;
Catherine, April 22, 1863 ; Charles, Oct. 18, 1865:
and John, Oct. 12, 1867. Louisa married George
Behlmeier, and they have five children, — George,
Charles, Joseph, Frank and Clara. Mary married
John Sehwegler, and they are the parents of three
children, — Anna, Louisa and Frederick. Catherine
married Charles Hafer, and one child has been bom
of their marriage, — Bertha. Christina married Ar-
thur Mead, and they have two children,— Katie and
Alfred. Luther married Nanny Hinderer.

lP3U aellarias Einfeldt, a farmer of South Mo-
'i|| " line Township, where he owns a farm of
•jifS} 1 ' T 7° acres, is a son of Christian and Maria

'ity<^ (Schlotfclt) Einfeldt, who were natives of
J V Germany. They had a family of ten children,
of whom the subject of this sketch was the third.
He was born in Germany, Nov. 8, 1845, and 20 years
later came to America, soon finding his way to Mo-
line. Here he engaged in farming, and before long
had purchased the present farm, on section 25, most
of which is under excellent cultivation. We take
pleasure in presenting a view* of his residence, barns
and other surroundings in connection with this
sketch.

Our subject was united in marriage in South Mo-
line Township, April 14, 1SS1, with Miss Nannie
Henry, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Lee)
Henry, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Vir-
ginia respectively. They had a family of eight chil-
dren, of whom Mrs. Einfeldt is the second. She was
born in Ross Co., Ohio, April 7, 1846, and is the
mother of two children, — Zacharias H. and Eliza-
beth G.

Politically, Mr. E. is a believer in the principles of
the Republican party, and, though, nevei seeking any
public station, he has served his district as Road
Commissioner four terms.

Mr. Einfeldt is an excellent type of that thrifty

class of German people we find scattered over the
Northwest. Coming to America when a young man,
without means, social influence or other assistance,
he has, almost before he reaches the prime of his
life, become a well-to-do and influential farmer. This
speaks well for both the country and the man; for
the country in that it affords such splendid oppor-
tunities, and for Mr. Einfeldt that he possessed the
energy, ability and will to improve them. As a rep-
resentative of this commendable class of people we
place the portrait of Mr. Einfeldt in this Album, on
the page facing this sketch.

11 ames Van Horn, residing in Cordova, was
jlllkr born in Beaver County, Pa., June 29, r S17,
" and is a son of Samuel and Mary A.
(Swagegear) Van Horn, natives of Pennsylva-
nia, and of Holland and German extraction.
When Mr. Van Horn was eight years of age,
his father moved to Columbia County, Ohio. He
was a millwright by trade, and worked at that occu-
pation, building mills in that section of the county.
He bought an old mill there, that was entirely out of
gear and refitted it, and the subject of this sketch
operated the same for a time, before he had attained
his majority. When Mr. Van Horn had arrived at
the age of majority, he commenced the study of
medicine with Dr- Fisher, of East Fairfield, Ohio.
He attended the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati
and followed the curriculum of that institution, at
which he graduated. He first commenced the prac-
tice of his profes'sion at North Liberty, Mercer Co.,
Pa., in partnership with Dr. Kirkpatrick, with whom
he remained one and a half years. The partnership
was then dissolved and Dr. Van Horn went to Cen-
tervdle, Butler County, and hung out a shingle, where
he remained several years, and by strict attention to
his business built up a good and well paying patron-
age. From the latter place he went to Tarentum,
Allegheny Co., Pa., and followed the practice of his
profession there, until failing health compelled him
to retire. In the spring of 1S52, he emigrated to
Iowa, and settled in LeClaire, Scott County, but did
not resume his practice. He bought property there

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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and erected a house, where he resided until 1876.
During that year he came to this county and located
on sections 29 and 30, Cordova Township, where he
purchased 147 acres of land, and entered vigorously
and energetically on the task of its improvement and
cultivation. He has erected on his farm a brick
house, together with a frame barn and other neces-
sary buildings, and has his land under an advanced
state of cultivation. He also has an apple orchard,
together with other small fruit, and his residence may
truly be said to be one of the pleasant homes so nu-
merous in Rock Island County.

Dr. Van Horn formed a matrimonial alliance in
Centreville, Pa., March r6, 1842, with Miss Ger-
trude A. Freeman. She was born in Fayette County,
Pa., Dec. 11, 1825, and died Oct. 12, 1880, and was
the daughter of Elias and Deborah (Crane) Free-
man.

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J'Ffjl'C eorge Hillier, farmer, residing on section
^tliyfl 2 4> Coal Valley Township, is the second
•^te*-" child of a family of ten children, born to
' y^ > George and Sarah (Stevens) Hillier. His par-
natives of England, but

ents were natives ot England, but came to
America and located at Rock Island in 1851,
where they passed the remainder of their days.

Our subject was born in Gloucestershire, England,
Jan. 20, 1822. He came to America with his par-
ents in 1827. At that time they located in Nova
Scotia. In r852 he came to Rock Island County
and located in Coal Valley Township. Here he was
employed in mining, which business he was largely
engaged in up to about 1882. He has made exten-
sive shipments of coal to Davenport, la. At present
he is the owner of 89 acres of land in Rock Island
County, besides other tracts. Also owner of store,
corner of Orleans and Eagle Streets, Rock Island.

Mr. Hillier formed a matrimonial alliance in Nova
Scotia, on the 3d day of December, 1845; Miss Flora
McDonald, daughter of Coll and Sarah (McClennon)
McDonald, was the bride. She is of Scotch birth,
and the mother of eight children, whom they have
given the following names in the order of their birth :
George, Henry, Charles W., Sarah, Alexander, Tan-

jore, Matilda and Amelia. Alexander and Tanjore
are deceased.

Mr. Hillier has served his township as School Di-
rector, Supervisor and Road Commissioner. He is
an active, enterprising farmer, and a respected citi-
zen. He finds his political home with the Demo-
cratic party. Socially, he is a member of Everts
Commandery, No. 18, Knights Templars.

; I'p^cnry Dovman, of Moline, was born in Hol-
stein, Germany, Jan. 12, 1833, and attend-
f§r "'* ec * sc ' 100 ' there until about 1 6 years of age ;
labored on a farm for a time, then in a grocery
at Hamburg, then for a carpenter there, and
finally left for the " land of golden opportunity,"
arriving at Davenport, Iowa, June 6, 1S55, where
he worked about the city and on farms in the
vicinity until May, t86i, when he came to Moline;
at this point he first was employed in a saw-mill gDj
for a year, for J. S. Keator, then took a job as sec- =
tion hand on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific ^
Railroad and worked in that capacity four years ;
during the succeeding four years he had charge of a
gang of men in the employ of the Government on
Rock Island. In 1870 he entered the employment
of the Moline Wagon Company, having charge of
the shipping, "warehouse and lumber-yard, the latter
for eight years, and the former position he has held
continuously for 15 years, which is proof of his faith-
ful ability.

Mr. Dorman was married in Holstein, Germany,
Dec. 22, 1854, to Anna Struve, and they have had
12 children, eight of whom are still living. The
record stands as follows : Emma, born in Daven-
port, Iowa, Sept. 26, 1855, died in that city Jan. 29,
1856; Annie, born in the same city, Sept. 9, 1856,
and died at Moline Jan. 18, 1880; P. G. Dorman,
born i Davenport, Sept. 16, 1858, and died at Mo-
line, Oct. 27, 1S62; Dorris, born in Davenport, Jan. t
1, i86r,diedin Moline, April 9, 187 1; Fred L., born <j
Dec. 16, 1862; Henry E., Feb. 22, 1861;; Andrew C, 9
April 8, 1867; Augusta, Nov. 12, 1868; Louisa, j
March 12, 1871; G. M. Dorman, May 7, 1874;
Gustav, Aug. 3, 1S76, and Louis, Dec. 1, 1878.

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Fritz Dorman, father of Henry, was born at Hol-
stein, Jan. 2S, 1811, and died April 23, 1876; and
Catharina Dorman (Henry's mother) was born also
in Holstein, Sept. 15, 181 1, and died in Moline, May
1870. Mrs. Dorman's father, Engert Struve,
died when she was six months old, and her mother,
Elizabeth Struve, died when she was three years old ;
her maiden name was Roehl. Mrs. Dorman was
born at Holstein, Nov. 3, 1833. The daughter,
Annie, became the wife of Theodore Hasse, and died
leaving three daughters.

Mr. Dorman is a Republican in politics, is active
as a Druid and a Turner. Both he and Mrs. D. are
liberal in their religious views. He is greatly desir-
ous that his children receive a good education and
spares no necessary expense in promoting that end,
making it a point that they should attend both the
English and German schools. He considers the
■) school-house to be of far greater value to the country
than the church.

-*3-

-E3-

red A. Burgston, of the firm of F. A.
Burgston & Co., dealers in dry goods and
carpets, corner of Third Avenue and 17th
Street, Moline. This firm is composed of F.
A. Burgston and Charles H. Deere, and estab-
lished business in January, 1883, and carries
an average stock of $20,000.

The subject of our sketch is a son of Joseph Burg-
ston, and was born in Sweden, March 28, 1856. In
1865 he emigrated to the United States with his pa-
rents, and located at Geneseo, 111., until 1870, when
he came to Moline. His education was acquired in
the city schools and in 1875 he engaged as clerk
with Hull Bros., general merchants. Mr. Burgston
continued with Hull Bros, eight years (1883), when
he formed the existing partnership with Charles H.
Deere.

Mr. Burgston was married at Moline, May 29,

1 88 1, to Miss Addie L. Jackson, daughter of Thomas

i and Margaret S. Jackson. Mrs. Burgston was born

^ in Moline, and her mother, who is a daughter of Mr.

M. Hartzell, it is said was the first white girl born in

Rock Island County, the date of her birth being May

22, 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Burgston have one child, a
son, Glenn J , born Oct. 8, 1883. Mrs. Burgston is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr.
B. is a Republican, having voted with that party
since attaining majority.

W¥\ (f \ B illiam Sears, of the firm of Sears' Sons,
I'P^TTu ml " ers an( ^ proprietors of the Island
j1S*£n * Mills, located on the north side of Rock
•Jftfcgy River, near the village of Milan. He is the
"Ml" second son and fourth child of David B. and
\ f Delilah (Caldwell) Sears, natives of New York
State and New Jersey respectively. The father was
of New England parentage. His ancestry in this
country dates back to Richard Sears, who settled at
Yarmouth, Mass., about 1636. The family is large
and is scattered throughout the United States. An
effort is now being made to trace the genealogy back
to their forefathers, which shows that the family is
connected with some of the best people of New En-
gland. The father of our subject, David Sears, was
separated from the main branch of the family during
the Indian troubles in Ohio, where he had gone with
his father, Joseph Sears, when eight years of age.
David was brought up on a farm, and came to Galla-
tin Co., 111., previous to his marriage to Miss Melinda
Stokes, who died in that county after she had become
the mother of six children, only one of whom sur-
vived, Mrs. Sarah C. Eastman, now a resident of
Chicago. The parents of our subject were married
in the same county, and two children, Margaret and
Mary, both deceased, were born before they came to
Moline, 111. This removal occurred in 1835. He
purchased a large tract of land and became one of
the prominent citizens of the county. A more ex-
tended notice of David B. Sears is given elsewhere in
this volume.

The family of Mr. Sears consisted of eight chil-
dren, three daughters, deceased, two already men-
tioned, and Jane, who died at Moline. Those living
are David, who was born in Moline, March 21, 1838,
where he was reared and educated; the principal
part of his time was spent in his father's mills. He
was married at Minneapolis, Minn., March 19, 1858,
to Miss Mary Stinson, a lady who was born in Huron

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Co., Ohio, March 7, 1838, and was brought West
with her father when a young lady. She is now the
mother of five children, — Lila M., Hugh R., Harriet
D., John D. and Vester. The two former are well
educated. The first named is a teacher of art draw-
ing ; David is now the senior member of the firm of
Sears' Sons, and resides in Rock Island Township.

William Sears, our subject, was born at Moline,
Nov. 18, 1840, and was educated there, and in i860
began to learn the miller's trade. On the 1st of
January, 1S64, he wis married, at Moline. After
this event he, with his father and brothers, formed a
co-partnership to carry on the milling business. Our
subject succeeded Mr. Norris as Postmaster at
Sears' postoffice in 1878, and has since held the
position.

Mr. and Mrs. Sears are the parents of four chil-
dren, one of whom is deceased, Ernst. Those living
are William, C. Barton and Benjamin L. The family
attend the Presbyterian Church, and politically, all
are Republicans.

George W., the sixth child of the family, was born
at Moline, Nov. 23, 1842. He was reared under the
influences of the home and educated at Moline,
where he went to school until 18 years of age, when
he enlisted in the first call for troops early in April,
1861, in Co. C, Second Iowa Inf., firmed at Daven-
port. He was afterward transferred to the 27th 111.
and made Commissary Sergeant. Just before his
discharge he was transferred to the Ninth Illinois
Mounted Infantry. He was honorably discharged in
May, 1865, having served a little more than four
years. He was fortunate in being neither wounded
nor imprisoned, although in some of the hardest-
fought battles of the war, such as Murfreesboro,
Stone River, siege of Nashville, and all through the
Atlanta campaign. Afier his return home, he be-
came connected with his brothers in the milling
business. April 7, 1S73. he was married, at Milan,
to Miss Lizzie Huyett, who was born in Williams-
burg, Pa., Nov. 23, 1850. She was brought to Milan
when a small child. She is the dauglrer of Dr. Jos.
Huyett, a well-known physician of this county, where
she was educated. Joseph H., Clara and George L.
are the names of their'three children. The family
attend the Presbyterian Church, with which Mr. S.
is connected. He is serving as School Director at
present.

Nettie Sears was born at Moline, March 10, 1848.

She was educated in North Granville, N. Y., and now
resides in the town of Sears. Henry H., the young-
est member of the family, was born Oct. 18, 1850;
was educated in the schools of Moline, at the busi-
ness college at Davenport, and worked with his
father in the erection of mills and water-powers.
Sept. 16, 1875, he was married, at the city of Rock
Island, to Miss Kate M., daughter of William and
Agenora (Holt) Gilmore. Her parents were natives
respectively of Pennsylvania and Maine; by occupa-
tion her father was a carpenter and contractor. Her
parents were married in this State and located in
Rock Island city, where Mrs. S., of this sketch, was
born June 21, 1S54. She completed her education
at the Platteville (Wis.) Seminary. She has become
the mother of two children, — Agenora H. and
Charles E.

Since his marriage Mr. Sears has been principally
engaged in fanning and in keeping the books for his
brothers at the mill. This mill, now bearing the
name of " Island Mill," is a solid limestone struc-
ture, with basement and four stories, 51x61 feet,
with full patent-roller attachments. The power is
shed by the river, and the mill has a capacity of
300 barrels per day.

Mr. Sears has held various local offices and is at
present the Township Assessor. He and his wife
are members of the Christian Church.

'■z ra Weatherhead, deceased, formerly a farm
er residing on section 27, Hampton Town-
ship, was born in Guilford, Windham Co.,
Vt., July 27, 1809, and came to this county
July 1, 1839, when within a few days of his
30th year. His parents were Abel and Ruth
(Davis) Weatherhead.

Mr. Weatherhead, subject of this biographical no-
tice, was an inmate of the parental household, receiv-
ing the advantages of the common school of his
native county, and performing such labor as is com-
mon to farmers' sons, until he attained the age of
majority. On becoming his " own man " he engaged
to labor in a knife manufactory in his native State,
and labored at that occupation for six years. At this

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

age in life, realizing that better inducements were of-
fered in the West for acquiring a competency, he
came to this county and purchased land. Coming
at an early date in the history of this county, he is
undoubtedly classed as one of the pioneers; and re-
maining here until his death, he aided in no small
degree by his labor and his means in the develop-
ment of the county. At the date of his death he
owned 1,000 acres of land. Politically, he was a
Democrat. His accumulations were acquired by
honest, straightforward, energetic effort, and he left
his wife and children well provided with a fine home
and good surroundings.

Mr. Weatherhead formed a matrimonial alliance
with Mrs. Jane M. Wells, Oct. 26, 1849. She was
the daughter of Daniel McNeil, and was born in De-
troit, Mich., Nov. 3, 1821. Four children have been
born of their union, namely : Drury A., born July
23, 1849; Ellen O., born Aug. 23, 185 1; Kate L.,
March 14, 1857, and Ona E., March 4, iS6r. Drury
married Adaline DeWoolf, and they have three chil-
dren, — -Greta, Ira and Louisa. Ellen married Al-
phonzo Gates, and they have one daughter, — Ona J.
Kate L. married Leander Gates, and they have one
daughter, — -Edna G. Ona married Albert Smith,
and resides in California. Mrs. Weatherhead now
resides on the old homestead and manages the farm,
being a lady of rare business qualifications, as well
as possessing commendable literary attainments. She
is well preserved and good for many years of active
life yet.

A view of her house appears on another page.

iofc

■set
I

.'form H. Loding, a farmer residing on sec-
tion 11, South Moline Township, is a son
of Hans and Elseby Loding, who were na-
• , tives of Germany, in which country they
both died. John H. was born in the native
country of his parents Oct. 2, 1843. He re-
mained in Germany until about 22 years of age,
when, as thousands of others have done, he came to
the shores of America, where he might enjoy greater
opportunities and better advantages for making a
living and accumulating something for his family.

He was employed for a time on a railroad in Iowa as
a section hand. He lived in that State for a few
months, when he came to Rock Island County and
was employed in the mines of this and Henry Coun-
ties for 11 years. He then bought 80 acres of land
in South Moline Township, section 11, where he has
since resided.

Mr. Loding was married in Moline, Sept. 12, 1872,
to Miss Luella Smith, daughter of Joseph and Cath-
erine Smith, and who was born in the same town-
ship, March 14, 1856. Their home has been blessed
with a family of six children, one of whom died in in-
fancy. Those living are : Charles A., born Nov.
10, 1873: Elmer F., Dei;. 11, 1875; Stanwood YY\,
Nov. 23, 1877 ; Clyde O., born Oct. 8, 1880; Emory
M., born Feb. 10, 1884. Mr. L. is politically identi-
fied with the Republican party.

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Iffeenjamin Goble, one of the oldest native I

yjljp born lesidents of the great Prairie State,

f§$P^ is now a retired farmer, living at Milan, ^j
<SP this county. He was born in Wabash

-^i*! 3 *-

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County, 111., Oct. 17, 1813, on the Wabash
River, 15 miles south of Vincennes, Ind.
Mr. George Goble, father of Benjamin, was born
in Kentucky, married Miss Nancy Arnold, also a
native of that State. They were of Irish ancestry.
Both of Benjamin's grandfathers were soldiers in the
Revolutionary War, one of them a captain. The
subject of this biographical outline was the oldest of 5
ten children, and is the only one now 'living! When
peace was declared between the United States and
Great Britain, in 1815, his father moved with his
family into Clay County, this State, settling upon the
Little Wabash River; in the spring of 1826 they re-
moved to the American Bottom, near St. Louis, Mo. ;
the next year they went across the river and located
five miles north of St. Louis ; then they lived one
year on the Merrimac River, south of that city; and
in May, 1829, they came to this county and settled
near the site of Moline, that is, about one mile east.
The senior Goble died the succeeding fall, leaving
his soil Benjamin, then 17 years of age, practically at
the head of the family, which then consisted of the r 3

^J"/"©?^

402

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

widowed mother and five children. He "took up"
a small piece of land and made some improve-
ments upon it, but, owing to the changes made by
our Government in its treaties with the Indians, with
reference to reservations, etc., he lost his claim.
When the Black Hawk War broke out in 1 83 1 , he and
his few neighbors had to garrison themselves in Fort
Armstrong, on the southern point of Rock Island.
There they had to remain a month or two in each
of the twoyears, 1831 and 1832, enduring many and
severe hardships, in order to keep themselves secure
from Indian hostilities. They had, of course, to
lose their little crops, stock of domestic animals, etc.
After the death of his father, Mr. Goble remained
with his mother until about a year after he was mar-
ried, on the island of Lowell, now better known as
" Little Island," in a small cabin 15x16 feet square.
His marriage occurred Aug. 22, 1833, to Miss Bar-
bara, daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth VandrefT, of
, Pennsylvania ancestry. Mrs. G. was born about
A 18 1 6, and was but a child when her parents moved
= to Ohio ; a few years later they settled near Rock
; Island and Moline, this county. In the spring of
1 1834, Mr. G. made a claim of 108 acres between
these two points, which was then wild and unbroken,
with more Indians than whites in the vicinity ; that
place is now known as the "Brooks place." Some
1 years afterward he sold there and removed to "Rock
Bottom," near the junction of the Rock River with
the Mississippi ; and, after residing at several other
places for short periods, he went to Henry County
and purchased 500 acres of land, where he resided
until May, 1869, when he traveled around in the
farther West, but, finding no place that better suited
him, he returned to this county. He, however,
looked about for two months, without unloading his
wagon, for a suitable location, and then settled on a
farm on Big Island, near Rock Island, and lived
there until February, 1882, when he retired from
active farm labor, came to Milan, and purchased a
fine piece of property, where lie now resides.

He has had 1 1 children, ro of whom are yet living,
all hale and hearty. The family have called a phy-
sician but once, and they attribute their extraordi-
nary health mainly to their abstinence from intoxi-
cating liquors, tobacco, tea, coffee, etc.

Mr. Goble, still having a remarkably strong mem-
ory, has recently published a book entitled " Pioneer

"[/

Life in Illinois," in which many interesting events,
especially in this part of the State, are well and truly
related.

Mr. Goble is a zealous Republican.

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ared L. Cool, a farmer of Cordova Town-
ship, and a pioneer of 1838 of Rock Island
County, was bom Feb. 1, 1S10, in Hunter-
don Co., N. J. He is the oldest son of William
and Elizabeth (Larison) Cool. When he was
T4 his father died, and after that event he went
to Pennington, in his native State, to accept a posi-
tion as a clerk in a mercantile establishment, where
he was employed two years. He went thence to
New Brunswick, in the same State, and learned the
trade of a cedar-cooper. He served between four
and five years, and after he had completed his in-
dentures he operated one year as a " jour " in the
State of New York. ' He then returned to New
Brunswick, and not long after to Princeton, where he
established his business in his own interest, which
he managed there one year, and went thence to
Trenton. At that place he entered into the prose-
cution of the same business and continued its man-
agement there until 1S38. In company with the
family, which the good sense, energy and affection
of his mother had kept together after the death of
the father, he started for Illinois. The journey was
made overland with teams, and they were on the
route 54 days, cooking and camping on the way.
They reached Cordova July 16, 1S38. After his ar-
rival in Rock Island County he engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits in company with his brothers, three in
number. The association then formed with his
brother next older continued until March, 1884,
when the latter died, at 72 years of age.

Mr. Cool was married in Princeton, N. J., Nov. 5,
1832, to Margaret Smith, a native of the place where
she was married, and where she was born, June 26,
1814. To Mr. and Mrs. Cool five children have
been born, in the order in which their names are
given: Jonathan S., R. Condit, Sarah, wife of J. J.
Johnson, of Cordova, Mary, married James B. Bailey,
of Cordova, and Edward.

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Mr. and Mrs. Cool celebrated their golden wed-
ding Nov. 5, 1882, at which their five children were
present and 14 grandchildren. There was one great-
grandchild also present, and a large number of other
relatives and friends. 'I he presents were numerous,
valuable and beautiful.

Mrs. Cool died March 22, 1884. Hers was the
first death in the family, and she had lived with her
husband nearly 52 years. She was a member of the
Baptist Church of Cordova, to which the husband
also belongs. The youngest son, Edward, is the
manager of the homestead. He was married March
31, 1873, to Libbie Vanderburgh. She was born in
Green Co., N. Y.

In politics Mr. Cool is a Democrat. He cast his
first vote for Andrew Jackson in 1832, and since that
time he has adhered to the party of his first choice.

HI eorge Gibson, iron-molder, Moline, was
born on Christmas Day in the year 1829,
at a small hamlet called Brown's Buildings,
'*f • Northumberland, County of Durham, Eng-
land, his father being George Gibson, and his
mother's maiden name Miss Jane Usher,
both descending from old English families.

George Gibson, of whom we are writing, was mar-
ried Jan. 3, 1854, to Miss Isabel Wheatley, at
Lamesly Church, Eighteen Banks, England (near
where he was born), on the domains of Lord Ravens-
worth, near New-Castle-upon-Tyne. She was born
at Windy Nook in 1832. Their children are Jane
A., born Nov. 21, 1854, died March 16, 1862; Rob-
ert L., born Aug. 1, 1856; Samuel, born Aug. 24,
1858; Isabelle, born Sept. 9, i860; Jane A., born
May 4, 1863, died Nov. 2, 1869; George, born Sept.
2, 1864; John S., born May 10, 1867; Gawen W.,
born Jan. iS, 1870; William E.,born Feb. 23, 1872.
The daughter, Isabelle, was married Aug. 25, 188-,
to Clyde Mann.

Mr. George Gibson attended school until eight
years of age, then learned the trade of shoemaker and
worked at that until he was about 17 years of age,
when he quit that occupation and learned the trade
of iron-molder, at which he worked until he came to
.America in 1866, and drifted out to Chicago for a

short season. He next went to Beloit, Wis., where he
worked at his trade, part of the time as a regular la-
borer and also as foreman, until 1878, when he came
to Moline. He immediately took charge of the large
foundry of Deere & Co., as foreman, where the work-
ing force under him, in the busy season, was 50
hands. Here he remained, attentive to his work,
but in the meantime has purchased a fine farm of
160 acres in Antelope Co., Neb., which he is con-
stantly improving, making a home ready for his old
age.

In political opinion, Mr. Gibson is a Republican,
and is a member of the lodge of Modern Woodmen.
His wife is a member of the Congregational Church.

• Henry Redecker, brick manufacturer, of
|£ South Rock Island, was born in Germany,
Dec. 17, 1829. His father, Benjamin
Henry Redecker, was a native of Hanover,
Germany, where he was a farmer, and where,
also, he passed his life, dying when our sub-
ject was 12 years of age. His mother, Elizabeth
(Moffmann) Redecker, was also a native of Hanover,
where she died in 1863. Our subject was educated
in his native tongue, and after the death of his father
continued to reside with his mother for four years,
when he hired out as a general laborer on a farm.
In 1854 he came to America, locating first in Louis-
ville, Ky., near where he engaged as a farm laborer,
and six months later came to Rock Island City.
After his arrival here, he continued the farmer's
work until 1869, when he determined to try the ex-
periment of conducting a farm for himself, which he
did for three years. After that period he began to
follow teaming at Rock Island, which he continued
from 1 86 1 to 1864. He then went to Virginia City,
Montana, but remained in the mountains but a short
time, when he returned to Rock Island, and soon
moved to South Rock Island, where, in 1872, he be-
gan to make brick, having bought five acres of ground
on Old Sixth Avenue, in 1866. Since 1872 he has
followed the brick business, with a fair degree of suc-
cess. He turns out on an average about 350,000
brick annually. He manufactures an excellent arti-

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I

404

HOCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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cle, and is ranked among the prominent brick men
of the county. Besides his brick-yard, he owns a
house and lot in Rock Island, and 40 acres of land
in Black Hawk Township.

In 1 85 9 our subject was married, in the city of
Rock Island, to Miss Victoria Brainier, who was born
in Bridenburg, Germany, April 24, 1S39 Her father
was a rake-maker by occupation, and he died when
she was 14 years of age, and when iS years old she
came with some friends to America. Her mother is
still living in Germany. Mrs. R. lived at Rock
Island until her marriage. She is the mother of 1 r
children, three of whom are deceased. Those living
are Christiana, Bernhardt, Lizzie, Victoria D., Henry
W., Emma M., Clara and Ella G. The deceased
are Fred, Minnie and Frank.

Politically, Mr. R. is a member of the Republican
party.

: r; 'f '■ (ij .antes F. Robinson, Cashier of the Rock
l lr -_jJ , \ - Island National Hank, only son of Captain
''** T. J. and Mrs. A. A. Robinson, was born
in Rock Island County, Feb. 27, 1849. He
spent the principal part of his early life at
school, graduating from the Northwestern Uni-
versity, -Evanston, 111 , in the class of 1872.

Immediately after leaving school, the subject of
this sketch began his business career as a "messen-
ger" in the Rock Island National Bank. In the
spring of the year following he was advanced to the
position of assistant cashier of that institution, and
before the end of the year, 1873, the bank's manager
found it expedient to elevate him to the cashiership.
In addition to his banking interests he is largely
identified with other enterprises. He is Treasurer
of the Rock Island County Brush Electric Light
Company, and a director in the Rock Island &
Milan Street Railway Company. He has served the
city one term, 1881-1S83, as its Treasurer; is pres-
ent Treasurer of the Royal Arch Chapter in Masonry ;
Junior Warden of the Commandery ; Past Chancel-
or Commander of the Knights of Pythias, and Re-
ceiver of Black Hawk Lodge, A. O. U. W.

Mr. Robinson formed a matrimonial alliance at

Pekin, 111., in October, 1879, with Miss M. E.
Rhoads, daughter of Samuel Rhoads, Esq., of that
city.

f i'K", on. John Barge, native of Armstrong Co.,
TMEMk Pa., sixth child in a family of r6 reared to
y\jT men and women by their parents, John and

tyS Jane (Elliott) Barge, who were Pennsylvanians
by birth, and German and Scotch respectively
by blood, was born May 1, 1816. The family
removed to Ashland County, Ohio, in 1832, and
afterward into Wayne County, that State, where John
Barge, Sr., died in 1S50, at the age of about 76 years.
The widow, with a number of her children, removed
to Rock Island in 185 1.

The subject of this sketch was educated at the
common schools, and at the Ashland (Ohio) Acad-
emy, and began life for himself as an educator — in
fact he taught in the public schools to earn money
witli which to carry him through his academic course.
He taught in the Ohio schools till about 24 years old,
and returned to his native county. For two years
there he taught public schools, and then took charge
as Principal in the Kittanning Academy, to which he
devoted eight consecutive years.

In 1S52 he visited Rock Island, and while here
located some land warrants. He remained but a
short time, however, and returned to Pennsylvania,
where he resumed his profession, and taught until
1855. In that year he returned West, and taught
school in Davenport, Iowa, until 1S56. From Dav-
enport he removed to Dixon, 111., and there taught
two years; the following two years found him em-
ployed in the Rock Island schools. In i860 he went
to Macomb, 111., where the public schools furnished
him employment about three years. In 1863, in
company with two other gentlemen, he took charge
of the Macomb College, then very near a defunct in-
stitution, infused into it new life, placed it squarely
upon its feet, and conducted it successfully for five
years.

While at Macomb he was twice elected School
Superintendent of McDonough County, and was dis-
charging the duties of that office when failing health
forced him to change his location and business.

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

407

Leaving his unexpired term of office to be filled out
by a deputy, he came to Rock Island, and for two
years made a business of physical recuperation. In
1870 he was elected Assessor of Rock Island City
and Township, and re-elected to the same position
in [871. In 1872-3 he held the City Clerk's office
by election, and from 1S74 to 1877 kept books for the
Rock Island Gas Co. At this writing (July, 1885)
he is filling the office of Assessor for the fifth time,
the last three terms having been given him in imme-
diate succession.

'The record of Mr. Barge's life needs no elabora-
tion at the hands of the writer of this sketch. His
popularity as a citizen is proven by his almost un-
precedented official preferment. His life as an
educator of youth is without spot or blemish; and
when, in the fulness of time, he shall be gathered
unto his fathers, those alone who live after him will
be the losers, for unto such as he are all the promises
of One who taught the lessons of faith, hope and
charity, and laid down the Golden Rule.

Mr. Barge has been a consistent member of tlte
Presbyterian Church ever since he was 19 years of
age. He was married Feb. 14, 1847, at Kittanning,
Pa., to Miss Euphemia Kelly, daughter of the
Hon. Meek Kelly, deceased, and a native of Indiana
Co., Pa. They have one child, Effie, living, and
have buried two, James C. and John M.

erman S. Keator, President of the J. S.
'- Keator Lumber Company, President of the
Mississippi Valley Insurance Company,
and Director of the Moline National Bank, was
born in Delaware County, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1822,
and is the son of Samuel S. and Jane A. (New-
kirk) Keator. His ancestors were of the old New
York Knickerbocker origin.

J. S. passed his boyhood in his native county, and
when 13 years of age removed with his parents to
Honesdale, Pa , and two years later began his busi-
ness career as a merchant's clerk. On reaching
manhood he engaged in mercantile business and
lumbering. Twenty-two years of prosperous busi-
ness in the East placed Mr. Keator in possession of
a goodly capital, with which, in 1856, he set out for

the West, seeking a field of investment in which he
hoped to build a fortune. By the advice of friends
he steered clear of an old acquaintance in Chicago,
the late Hon. William B. Ogden, who was then an
enthusiastic "boomer" of the infant city, but since
of such marvelous growth. He was advised not to
listen to Ogden's eloquent word pictures of Chicago's
probable brilliant future, for fear he would be per-
suaded to sink his money in that "slough of de-
spond " and lose it. The appearance of Chicago at
first sight, at that time, was such as to justify the un-
favorable opinion his friends had of the place, for it
was little better than a frog-pond. So he passed by
that place, and came on West to the Mississippi, and
located at Moline. He engaged in the lumber busi-
ness at that place, Nov. r, 1856, purchasing large
tracts of pine' lands on the Black and Chippewa
Rivers of Wisconsin, at a very low figure. His am-
ple means enabled him to safely weather the great
financial storm of 1857. He manufactured lumber
at Moline successfully, and during the flush times of
the war, and the rapidity with which the West built
up during the few succeeding years, he made money •
"hand over fist." In 1869 he built a saw -mill at <
Rock Island, known as Keator & Company's Mill.
He consolidated with the Annawalt & Denkman
Company and formed the Rock Island Manufac-
turing Company, of which he was a Director. His
son, Samuel, was Secretary and Treasurer of the
company.

Mr. Keator was the first President of the First
National Bank of Moline ; was elected and served as
a member of the City Council of Moline for eight
years; assisted in buiiding the Moline & Rock
Island Street Railway, of which company he was
President and general manager for two years. In
1877 he built the Keator House at Moline, which is
the only first-class hotel in the city. He is the pres-
ent owner of the building.

His Moline saw-mill and yards were destroyed by
fire in 1870, by which he lost $75,000. He immedi-
ately set to work to rebuild, and within four months
from the date of the fire had the mill again in opera-
tion. He pushed his lumber business, as he did
everything with which he was connected, until in
August, 1883, he had a stock of eight million feet of
seasoned lumber in his yards. At that time the
second great disaster of his business career occurred,
when fire again swept the premises clean, including

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

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saw-mills, planing-mills, and his immense stock of
lumber. His loss at this time aggregated $250,000,
on which there was only an insurance of $90,000.
He certainly was well provided with resources, or he
must have gone down under such a terrible blow.
He owned at the time, besides his mills, 30,000 acres
of pine land, on the Black and Chippewa Rivers, an
interest in a cattle ranch in Texas of 82,000 acres,
the company of which he is President, besides own-
ing an individual tract of 20,000 acres in that State.
He still owns $20,000 acres of pine land on the wa-
ters of the Black and Chippewa Rivers, and is also
extensively interested in farming land in Illinois.
He has one farm of 800 acres in Henry County, and
one ot 160 acres, and still another of 120 acres, all
well improved. He also has a half interest in a
10,000-acre tract in the Sioux Valley, near Water-
town, Dak., which is crossed by the Chicago &
Northwestern Railway, and is the site of a station.
His City property in Moline and Rock Island is also
widely extensive.

Mr. Keator has rebuilt the saw-mill at Moline, on
the most improved and modern plan, and now has
one of the most important and extensive mills on
the Mississippi River. He is also interested in an
extensive saw-mill and lumber business at Daven-
port, having the celebrated Simon Paige Mill under
lease.

Mr. Keator was married in Durham, Green Co.,
N. Y., in 1846, to Miss Mary Baldwin, daughter of
Dennis Baldwin. Four children were born to them,
as follows : Samuel J., the eldest, was born at Hones-
dale, Pa., and is Vice-President of the J. S. Keator
Lumber Company, and resides at Rock Island; Ben-
jamin C. is Secretary of the J. S. Keator Lumber
Company, and lives at Moline; Frederick W. is an
attorney at Chicago; he is a graduate of Yale Col-
lege and of Yale Law School; Edward B. is em-
ployed in his father's Moline business. Mrs. Keator
died in May, 1857, in Pennsylvania. Mr. Keator
was married again in February, i860, at Fayette-
ville, N. Y., to Miss Sarah Yelverton. She was born
in Onondaga Co., N. Y., and is the mother of two
children, Mary F. and Frank Y. Mrs. Keator is
a member cf the Congregational Church.

Mr. Keator was formerly a member of the old
Whig party, and voted for Henry Clay. He was one
of the organizers of the Republican party, and in
1856 voted for Fremont, and has since continued an

earnest supporter of that party at each succeeding
national election. He is one of the most energetic
and enterprising business men of Western Illinois,
and his operations, as the above record shows, ex-
tend over many years, and over a wide scope of
territory, and are an honorable, worthy record, and
one his posterity may well be proud of. His portrait
is given on a preceding page in close proximity.

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V6& ijj \ illiam Clarke, engaged in farming and
iy |||fl] |f stock-raising, and residing on section 33,
^r$~\ Bowling Township, was born in County
Js£3> Fermanagh, Ireland, in the spring of 1831,
s in which county he was also married, in
November, 1S53, to Miss Eliza Gauley, who
was born there about 1S33.

After his marriage Mr. Clarke emigrated to Amer-
ica, locating first in the Province of New Brunswick,
Canada East ; and two years subsequently he came
on to this State and rented land in Mercer County.
In 1866 he purchased 55 acres of land in Bowling
Township, this county, where he has since resided
and where he now owns a quarter-section, most of
which is in a fine state of improvement.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. C. are : Robert
and Sarah E., married, David B., in Iowa, William
A., Eliza A., Jane H. and Maggie J. The family
attend the Episcopal and Methodist Episcopal
Churches. Mr. C. has been a School Director for
eight years, and in his political views he is a stanch
Republican.

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George G. Craig commenced the prac-
tice of medicine in Rock Island city April

W^' 14, 1869,

ffif Co., Pa., Oct. 26, 1845.

He was born in Westmoreland
His parents, Alex-
- ander and Sybilla (Kern) Craig were natives of
Pennsylvania, where they resided and reared
the subject of this notice until he attained the age of
15 years.

Dr. Craig remained under the parental roof-tree,

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ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

409

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assisting the fatlier in the maintenance of the family
and attending the common schools, and also spent
two years at Elders Ridge Academy, in Indiana Co.,
Pa., where he received a good English education.
At 17 years of age he enlisted in a three-months
regiment of Pennsylvania militia and went to Ohio,
where he was engaged in guarding the fords on the
Ohio River between Wheeling and Pittsburg, and
had the pleasure of assisting in the capture of John
Morgan. After the expiration of his term of service
he enlisted in Co. K, 53d Pa. Vol. Inf., and from
January, 1864, until the close of the war was an ac-
tive participant in all the battles in which his com-
pany was engaged. He received a slight wound at
Spottsylvania, and during the first day's fighting at
Petersburg was again wounded and captured March
31, 1865. He served in Gen. Hancock's corps.

Dr. Craig studied medicine in Columbia, Pa.,
and subsequently matriculated at Jefferson Med-
ical College, Philadelphia, and, after following the
curriculum of the same, graduated and received a
diploma on March 12, 1S69. He then came to
Rock Island, in April, 1869, and engaged in the
practice of his profession, and has followed the same
with signal success.

The marriage of Dr. Craig to Miss Nellie Cleland
occurred Aug. 4, 1874. She was the daughter of
Rev. Samuel and Ellen Cleland and was a native of
Rock Island, in which place she was born. Three
children have been born of their union, namely :
George G., Nellie and Alexander. Dr. Craig resign-
ed as City Physician to accept the appointment of
Commissioner of Health for the city of Rock Island.
As Health Commissioner Dr. Craig first met with
some opposition in carrying forward his plans in re-
gard to the proper method of placing Rock Island in
a good sanitary condition. After the authorities and
citizens came to understand, however, and with the
hearty co-operation of the Rock Island Union and
Argus, his plans for the general health of the city
were readily adopted by the authorities and endorsed
by the good citizens. The Doctor's plan may be
most succinctly stated in one word, Cleanliness, — of
course, with the necessary adjuncts of a thorough
system of draining and a constant general removal
of all decomposing matter from the city. This has
been heretofore either buried or thrown on the sur-
face. Another great benefit derived from his plan
was the establishment of abattoir, which was done

largely through the efforts of Dr. Craig. By the fol-
lowing statistics the reader will readily observe the
substantial benefit derived from the adoption of Dr.
Craig's ideas in regard to the sanitary measures of
the city:

YEAR. DEATHS. RATIO PER 1,000.

1881 288 24.7

1882 225 19.2

18S3 154 13.2

1S84 170 14.5

It has been observed by those competent to judge
that the inhabitants of the city, since the beginning
of 1883, are saving annually in expenditure for phy-
sicians' fees and medicine at least $20,000, besides a
large saving which would otherwise result from a
loss of time.

As an illustration of economical management, we
mention the year 1882, when small-pox was quite
prevalent in Illinois. In Rock Island there were 15
cases, representing eight different outbreaks in as
many different localities. In no instance did the
disease spread from any house after being discovered.
The total cost of each case, including city and
county expenses, was $45.22. This included med-
ical attendance, quarantining, vaccination, disinfect-
ing, etc. As compared with Mcliue, the neighboring
city, where they had 20 cases, the cost was $8,000.
In Joliet, 111., 30 cases cost $12,000, or $400 a case
in each city. This of itself will attest the economy
and rare executive and medical ability brought into
requisition for the city's benefit at a critical time.

Dr. Craig held the position of City Physician for
a period of 12 years, a fact of i* self which is sufficient
to demonstrate the high esteem in which he is held
by the citizens, not only as a practitioner, but as a
genial, social and straightforward, honest and fair
dealing man. Socially, he is a member of the Order
of Masonry and ot the A. O. U. VV. Politically, he
is a Republican. His residence is located on 18th
Street and 7th Avenue.

^ ¥-^r-^-

•

P. ohn B. Davison, M. D., Moline, 111., was
^iafr born in Westmoreland Co., Pa., June n,
' 1826, and was the eldest son of Thomas
tfz W. and Mary (Best) Davison, also natives of
Pennsylvania. The first 15 years of his life

were spent upon his father's farm, alternating
the labors thereof with attendance at the common

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410

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

schools. When about 18 years of age he closed a
three years' term at Ligonier (Pa.) Academy, and in
the office of Dr. D. T. Richardson, at Greensburg,
Pa., began the study of medicine. At the age of
about 24 years he entered Jefferson Medical College,
Philadelphia, from which institution he graduated in
1868. Between his first entry into college and his
graduation, however, he had several years' actual
practice in his profession. In 185S he removed from
Western Pennsylvania to Rock Island County, and
began practice at Milan, and there with the excep-
tion of the time spent in the army, practiced medi-
cine nine years.

In 1869 Mr. Davison came to Moline, where he
has since occupied a prominent position in his pro-
fession. In 1862 he entered the service of the
United Stales as Assistant Surgeon of the 90th Reg.,
111. Vol. Inf., which position he resigned on account
of loss of health, March, 1863. His superior officer
never reported to his command, and Dr. Davison
was forced to discharge the duties of Surgeon-in-
Chief during the whole time he was with the regi-
ment. The Doctor is a member of the State Medical
Society; also of the Medical Association. He is
identified with the Congregational Church, a Sir
Knight in Masonry and a prominent Odd Fellow.

Dr. Davison was united in marriage at Moline in
1870 to Miss Nettie H. Edwards, daughter of Will-
iam H. Edwards, Esq., of the Moline Plow AVorks.
In politics, the Doctor is a Republican, but his pro-
fession occupies too much of his time to admit of
any active participation in the labors of his party.

-K-

-£S-

fohn Shall, a leading agriculturist and stock-
farmer of Coe Township, has been a resi-
dent on section 26 since 1864. He was
born Aug. 17, 1833, near New Castle, Mercer
Co., Pa. His father, Martin Shall, was born
in Bavaria, Germany, and was there mar-
He came with his wife and children, four in
number, to this country in 1S31. He settled at a
place in Pennsylvania, where they remained but a
short time, moving thence to Mercer (now Lawrence)
County, in the same State. There Mr. Shall, of this

sketch, grew to the estate of manhood. He was
reared on the home farm, and resided at home until
he was 22 years of age, when he came to Illinois.
He was still a single man, and he engaged as a farm
assistant on the well-known Marshall stock-farm, of
Coe Township, Rock Island County.

He came to the county in March, 1856, and he
was married Sept. 28, 1857, to Matilda Ann Cun-
ningham. She was born in County West Meath,
Ireland, May 12, 1834, and came to the United States
with her father when she was n years old. After
his marriage, Mr. Shall operated as a renter seven
years, and met with the success his thrift and indus-
try deserved. In 1864 he bought 80 acres of land
on section 26, of Coe Township. He soon after pur-
chased 20 acres lying adjoining, on which there had
been a house built. He removed the building to the
larger tract, and it has since become the family resi-
dence. He has added to it at different times, until
he now has a large and commodious house. Mr.
Shall is the owner of the half-section on which his
residence stands. It is all under excellent improve-
ments — is fenced and supplied with good farm struc-
tures. The place is made still more attractive and
valuable by the setting out of shade and ornamental
trees. It is further enhanced in value by five acres
of orchard and a variety of small fruits.

Mr. Shall has been engaged in farming and stock-
raising, and makes Short-horn Durham cattle and
Poland China hogs a specialty, as well as Norman
horses for draft, and Hambletonian and Bashaw-
mares for carriage and roadsters. He has been a
successful farmer.

The estate of Mr. Shall is estimated as one of the
most desirable in Coe Township, from the fact that
there is living water in every field save one, in which
the water is brought to the surface by the aid of a
small wind-mill. We give views of Mr. Shall's splen-
did farm on the following page.

Mr. and Mrs. Shall have three children, — Wil-
liam H., Alice E. and John M. Mi. Shall is one of
15 children born to his parents, of whom but four are
at present living. His mother died in Pennsylvania,
and the demise of his father took place in Missouri.
The father of Mrs. Shall located in Canaan, Conn.,
in 1845, and lived there until May, 1S56. At that
date he removed to Cordova, where he lived during
the remaining years of his life.

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%m>r

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

4i3

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In his political faith and connections Mr. Shall is
a Democrat. He is a member of the Catholic
Church.

(§/

spoilt ndrew Jackson Little, a resident of Buffalo
W~l1I Prairie Township, was horn in Newark, Lii k-
a' " ing Co., Ohio, May 16, 181 7, and is a son
!Mte of Jacob and Catherine (Pegg) Little, both
\\T natives of Pennsylvania. The maternal grand -
I father of the subject of this biographical no-
tice, Elias Pegg, settled in the Territory of Ohio in
180 1, and was among the first families to locate in
Newark, Licking County. The father of the subject '
of this notice located in the same county in 1804.
He was born in Gettysburg, Pa.

Andrew Jackson Little, subject of this sketch,
grew to manhood in Newark, Licking Co., Ohio.
His father was a stone-cutter by trade, and on at-
taining a suitable age the son learned the same trade
under his instruction, together with that of an en-
graver on stone, and followed that trade with the
exception of three years, during which he was en-
gaged in the cabinet business, until 1854. In the
spring of that year, realizing that to better his finan-
cial condition, the West, with its broad and unculti-
vated land, offered better inducements for the
accumulation of a competency than the crowded
East, he concluded to emigrate thither. Conse-
quently, during that year, he came to this State, in
company with his brother-in-law. They visited the
southern part of the State, but did not like it and
came to this county, where they procured Govern-
ment land, located on sections 27 and 34 of Buffalo
Prairie Township. After procuring his land, he re-
turned to Newark, Ohio, and in the fall moved the
family here and located on his land, where he en-
tered vigorously and energetically upon the task of
its improvement and cultivation. He has all the
land enclosed, and has also erected thereon good
frame buildings, including a residence, barn and other
out-buildings.

Mr. Little was united in marriage, May 16, 1844,
with Keziah A. Sutton. She was born in Licking
Co., Ohio. Their children have been seven in num-

ber, five of whom survive; Joseph E. was born in
Newark, Ohio, and resides in Callahan Co., Texas;
Sarah C, born in Newark, Ohio, is the wife of L. C.
Lloyd, and resides in Rock Island ; Andrew J., born
in Newark, Ohio, resides in Callahan Co, Texas;
D. D. lives in Nebraska, where Albert M. also re-
sides; Nellie E., born in Illinois, is the wife of T.
O. Gunnell, and resides in Nebraska. Mrs. Little
died Aug. 3, 1S64.

Mr. Little has been more or less prominent in the
affairs of his township since living here, and has held
various offices of trust and responsibility. He has
served as Commissioner of Highways and Supervisor
for two terms. He was formerlv a member of the
Whig party, but later adhered to the principles of
the Democratic parly.

^~^v~^eaa2/®^ /K |

f^^QfiRrtr*** *w>~

.'■■I; f I ■'. V. Bailey, .1 prominent resident of Cor-
r \r dova, was born in Port Byron, this county,
^^ May 10, 1846, the youngest son of Moses
and Lucretia (Van Valkenburg) Bailey. Both
his parents were natives of the Empire State,
and settled in this county in 1S35. His father
was a gunsmith by tnide, but when he settled in
Port Byron he opened a blacksmith shop. His
death occurred in 1853, when J. V. was seven years
old.

The latter, with his mother, then went to live with
his sister, Mrs. C. B. Marshall, in Port Byron. He
attended the public schools for seven years, and then
four terms at Knox College, at Galesburg, this Slate.
In 1 861, he taught school in Canoe Creek Township,
and afterward continued in the profession during the
winter seasons for a few years. In 1864 he became
traveling salesman for the Halliday Windmill Co.,
and was in their service eight years, having seven
different counties in this State for his territory. He
has since acted as general agent of the Wilson Sew-
ing Machine Company, Fairbanks Scale Company,
Osborn Harvester Company and the Rock Island
Plow Company. At intervals he engaged in farming
in Coe Township, this county, where he owned a
farm. Finally he located in Cordova, where he at
present resides.

Mr. Bailey was united in marriage in 1870 with

O 1

j^jc — @yKMn n § n h^a^ — ^c^^

414

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

^!*t§^

Miss May, daughter of J. L. and Margaret (Smith)
Cool, and they have one child, named Carrie T.

Mr. Bailey's only brother, Schuyler M., was born
in New York State in 1829, and served in the Mexi-
can War; and in consideration of his services he
received from the Government a land warrant, which
he placed on a piece of land. In 1849 he went to
California, where he died in 1851. The subject of
this sketch had two sisters, one of whom is now liv-
ing on the estate of C. B. Marshall, in Dallas, Tex.,
where her husband has been engaged in stock-raising
and farming.

Mr. Bailey is a member of Philo Lodge, No. 436,
A. F. & A. M., at Port Byron ; of Barrett Chapter,
No. 18, at Rock Island; of Everts Commandety, No.
18, also of Rock Island ; of the A. O. U. W. ; of Burr
Oak Lodge, M. W. A. ; and has also taken two de-
grees in the Order of Knights of Pythias.

=J®HJH&£===-

foamuel L. Carothers, residing on section
I 11, Edgington Township, where he is en-
» <K gaged in general farming, was born in Car-
roll Co., Ohio, May 31, 1S30. His father,
Thomas Carothers, was a native of Virginia,
of Scotch parentage, and by occupation was a
farmer. He was married in Ohio to Mary Snod-
grass, who was also a native of the Buckeye State.
After their marriage they settled in Carroll County,
where, in Brown Township, our subject was reared
until his 13th year, when the family moved West, to
St. Joseph Co., Ind. His father was afterwards
killed by a kick from a horse at Mishawaka. The
mother subsequently died at the same place, having,
prior to her death, however, for a time lived in the
West.

Mr. Carothers, of this sketch, came to Illinois
when about 23 years of age, and for a time engaged
with a Mr. Taylor on a farm. On the 17th of Jan-
uary, 1855, our subject and Miss Elzira Monts were
united in marriage, in Edgington Township, this
county. Mrs. Carothers was born in Hamilton,
Ohio, and was the eldest child of the lady who after-
ward became the wife of James Taylor. After their
marriage, Mr. Carothers and his wife settled on one

of Mr. Taylor's farms, and subsequently made a
permanent location upon a farm of 80 acres given
them by James Taylor. They are the parents of
nine children, three of whom are deceased and three
married.

Politically, Mr. C. is a Democrat, and in her re-
ligious associations, Mrs. C. is connected with the
Presbyterian Church.

— ^-^-s§=4HN.>.--

^e P"\fK attheas M. Paulsen, junior member of

gy|, the firm of Paulsen Bros., brick manufac-
sgjpT'^' turers, contractors and builders, residing
?*\ in South Rock Island, was born in Holstein,
Germany, May 10, 1853. His father, Andras
Paulsen, was a native of Holstein, Germany,
born in the town of Tundern, and by occupation a
farmer. In that place he married Anna Paulsen.
After their union they continued to reside in their
native land, where Mrs. Paulsen died, Feb. 19, 1881,
at the age of 64 years. The father is now 70 years
of age, and still resides in Holstein. During his act-
ive business career he was a prominent farmer and
stock dealer.

Our subject was the youngest of six sons born to
his parents in a family of nine children. He learned
the butcher's trade in his native country, and, after
he left home, followed it for four years. Seeking to
better his condition in life and secure a wider and
more profitable field to work in, he came to America,
arriving on our shores in July, 1873. He soon came
to Rock Island city, where he followed his trade for
about 18 months, when he and his older brother,
Hans Paulsen, embarked in their present business.
Since then they have carried on a very large busi-
ness, manufacturing from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 of
brick annually. They have also erected some of
the most extensive buildings in the city of Rock
Island, among which are Buford & Co.'s plow shops.
They own six acres of land, where their brick-yards
are located. They also own two good brick resi-
dences adjoining. Mr. Paulsen is a young man of
considerable enterprise, and is certain to lead an act-
ive and prominent life, and to develop the capacity
for managing extensive business affairs.

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■^rv^Qfl^IlD^

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY.

Our subject was united in marriage, at the Lu-
theran church in Rock Island, Feb. 10, 1878, with
Miss Maria Willetson. She is also a native of Hol-
stein, Germany, and was born May 1, 1862. She
was reared in her native country until she was seven
years of age, when she came with her parents to
America, and they located at Rock Island, where
she completed her education at the English school.
She is the mother of four children, — Henry, Loretta
C, Harry and Walter.

Mr. Paulsen is a member of the A. O. U. W., and
politically is a Democrat.

.; t r. Warren Hunter, a resident of Hampton,
jj,L came to that place in 1879, from Strong,
^IfiS?"^ Franklin Co., Me. He attended the com-
CTV mon schools of his native county until 19
it ye ars of a g e > when his father gave him his time,
and he went forth to labor for the accumulation
of property and to car