Grundy County, Illinois - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 11 of those read), 1882 (part 1 of 4)

Chapter with an unread heading (no. 11 of those read)

GOODFARM, like most of tlie townships south of the river, is well supplied with prairie water-courses. It lies just south of Mazon township, and contrihutes to the streams which have been noted there, viz.: Murray sluice, Mazon Creek, Brewster and Wood sluices. The two latter are the most im))ortant here, ami join the " West Fork of the Mazon " in the townsliip wiiich bears the same name. The direction of these streams are nearly due north, and the general aspect of the land is that of a rolling jirairie vei-y liberally supplied with groves. Much of the land is insufficiently drained and has a low wet appearance,though the name of the township pretty correctly characterizes its soil as a whole.

James McKean was the first settler in this township. He seems to have delighted in the isolation of the frontier and to have moved from a noigliborliood as soon as it became generally settled. He was here as early as 1841. About 1S-14-, J. M. Clover came from Indiana and bonifht his place, on section two, in the northern edge of the township. Two or three 3'ears la er Elijah Saltmarsli came and settled on section five. He was of southern birth and had been a flatboatman on the Ohio Eiver. His life on the river at a time when boating involved a rough, boisterous experi- ence, developed him into a decisive, energetic man, and he l)ecaine a leading spirit in the townshij). He had a large family and made a good farm, but in his later years, unsatisfied with this settled country he went to Oregon where some of his family had pieceded him. Elnathan Lewis, a native of Yerniont, next followed into this townshi]>. Ho had emigrated to New York and from thence to AlcIIonry County in this State, from whence he came to Goodfirm. Other settlers about tliis time were Elijah Lewis, David Gleason and E. F. Brewster.

In 1849, E. B. Stevens came from Kalamazoo Count}', Michigan. His route was across the country and his conveyance, a wagon. Michigan was then an old settled State, and the cheap latids of Illinois ]3resented quite an attraction to those of limited means. lie came to this present loca ion on section thirty, and bought the claim of Henry Brown who had been here a year or two. Here Stevens found a log cabin, a straw barn and some Lombardy pojilars set out, but the rest was left for him to accom])lish. After buying his land, a barrel of flour and ten bushels of oats, he had no money left. He came in the spring, and making a good garden he inaiiau'cd to sustain his family until the fell when he got his wheat threshed, and a start for another vear.

About 1S50, a tide of German einisration l)ogan to flow into tlie towiisliip, wliicli continued until this nationality constitutes fully one-half of the population. The first of this German element was Leonard Fisher, a native of Bavaria, who came in 1851. In 1852, came Jno. L. Meier, followed by Hoffman Hoag, Pfeitfor and P.uckliard - Host of these jieople came from the same section of Bavaria and settled near each other here. They are good farmers and thrifty both in public and private. The town house is one of the neatest in the county, and has near it a neat tool-house for the protection of the township road implements.

There was but little variety in the early e.xperiences of the first settlers in the different parts of the county. Those who came later, as in Goodfarm, found milling fticilities better but no more accessible; stores better supplied with frontier necessities but not much easier to purchase; more neighbors but no better means of communication. Their lives, like those of their predecessors, were a continual struggle with the stubborn, natural difficulties which surrounded them, and none were so completely isolated as to make a few years' later settlement of any appreciable advantage. Those who came atter the completion of the canal, enjoyed the benefit of a nearer market than Chicago, and perhaps an increase in the value of farm products, but the roads were not improved and the open prairie wilderness still interposed its difficulties. These obstacles were perhaps the most ditiicult which the pioneers of this county were called upon to surmount. So long as the paucity of settlements allowed a pretty free selection of route, mudholes could be evaded, and a worn track . avoided. But this practice had also its disadvantages. In a couTitry without continuous fences, and few landmarks save the groves, it required some considerable skill and an intimate knowledge of the county to sticcessfully cross even a small prairie in broad daylight. Mr. Baldwin relates an incident of " a gentleman, fresh from New England, who was viewing the country on the Vermillion and proposed to take a bee line to Ottawa across the prairie on foot. He was advised to take the road, as being easier traveling and decidedly safer; that without any track he mi<rht get benighted on the prairie, for although the day was clear he would, for part of the distance, be out of sight of timber, and he might mistake his course and be lost. He foolishly rejected this advice with some indignation, and at noon set out on his journey of some six miles. About twelve o'clock that night, exhausted and nearly famished, he got to a settlement on the V^ermilliun five miles further from Ottawa than the place from whence he started. In the morning he was willing to tollow the road."*

Crossing the. uncultivated prairie at night was a very uncertain venture even to the most expert. If the night was clear the stars were a reliable guide and the pioneers became quite proficient in the simpler rudiments of astronoinj'. In a cloudy night and a snowy or foggy day their resources were less sure. A steady wind often proved the only guide. The traveler, getting his bearings, would note how the wind struck his nose, the right or left ear, and then, keenly alive to these sensations, would 80 maintain his course as to keep the bearing of the wind always the same, and reijardless of all other guides would generally reach his destination without difficulty. To do this required no little skill and a steady wind. If the latter changed gradually, the better the skill the wider the traveler diverged from home. Without these guides it was a mere accident if a person succeeded in crossing even a small prairie. The tendency is to move in a circle, and when once this is begun and observed by the traveler, the only resource is to camp in the most convenient place and manner and wait for morning. Each family had its signal light which was readily recognized by its members. It was a frequent practice to erect a pole by the chimney of the cabin and place a lighted lantern at the top. Others had a light in the window, which often saved a dreary night's experience on the prairie.

The liistory of every township is full of misadventures of this sort. A gentleman and his wife were belated on their return home on a cloudy night, and though having some clue to the way, sought in vain for some glimmer of his home signal. His horses seem to have become completely bewildered, and after having urged them forward for some time, the travelers became convinced they were journeying in a confused circle, and were preparing to camp out in their wagon, when a weak flash of light betrayed the location of a residence in the near distance. Getting the direction at the instant, the house was gained in a few minutes, and they found it to be their Ions; sought home. The children had gone to bed, and carelessly removed the light from the window, but a brand faUing

A gentleman and his wife, on another occasion, went across an eighty acre fleld to visit a neighbor. On returning, about eight o'clock in the evening, they lost their way, and notwithstanding tliere was a fence on one side of this field, the couple became hopelessly bewildered, and would have been obliged to remain out all night, had not their daughter, anxious at their staying so late, opened the cabin door to listen for some evidence of their coming. The light thus flashed out into the darkness, revealed to them their position, which was within calling distance of their home, and where they had been vainly wandering some two or three hours.

Such experiences, unpleasant in the warm weather, were too often fatal in the winter season. The trackless prairie, covered with a deceptive expanse of snow and swept by a tierce blast which pierced the most ample clothing and the hardiest frame, made the stoutest heart waver. Journeys upon the prairie were never undertaken under such circumstances, save under stress of the most urgent necessity. But nearly every early settler can remember some experience in winter season traveling, while some never reached the home thev sought, or the end of the journey reluctantly begun.

With the settlement of the prairie, and the regular laying out of roads, traveling became less dangerous, though scarcely less difiicult. The amount of labor which could be devoted by the few people in the scattered settlements, made but little efleet upon the roads of a country which seemed particularly exposed by the character of the soil, and tlie conformation of its surface to the unfavorable action of rain. Even now the fiirniini^ community pays a heavy annual tribute to muddy, impassable roads. Tliirtj'-five years ago, a man caught by high water away from home, was detained tor two or three weeks, and many a trip about the county was made more in a boat than in a wagon. Matthew Johnson, who c:inio from Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1852, landed in Morris in April of that year. He had relatives in Felix, and started over to see them. He found a wagon totally inadequate for the undertaking, and had to resort to a boat to reach his friends' house. The natural outgrowth of a low, wet country, with the "breaking" of a rank soil, was miasmatic disease. During the first forty years of the settlement in Grundy County, the fever and ague reigned supreme, and seemed to mock at quinine and infusions of barks. Doctors were scarce, and the settlers, brought np with a profound belief in the medicinal virtues of sassafras and boneset, preferred to save the expense of a professional visit. Nor did tlrey suffer greatly by this practice. But in the case of accident, the lack of talented surgeons proved a terrible misfortune, resulting in many a misshapen limb, or the loss of it altogether. An incident is related of an early settler, who was accidentally shot by anotlier in handling a gun. A heavy load of shot shattered the bone just below the shoulder. The artery fortunately escaped injury, and the wound was done up to await the arrival of the only two doctors in the county. On coming to Ine wounded man the doctors disagreed. One declared amputation necessary, but the other refused to consent to an operation, and in the utter lack of any proper instrument for the purpose, the arm was allowed to hang. In this way the wound was left to nature and the simple care of the Women folks. A number of pieces of bone were taken out in the process of dressing the wound, but one large piece remained obstinate, and kept the wound unhealed for a year. In the meantime the wounded man, with his arm in a sling, handled his team alone, hauling timber, lumber and farm product. Finally, taken with a throat disease in Chicago, he consulted a physician in the Medical College, when his arm came under observation, and was subsequently gratuitously treated before a class in the college. Similar cases were by no means rare, and serve to indicate some of the unwritten hardships of pioneer life.

The happy commingling of grove and plain marked by numberless streams, made this township a favorite resort of game. The buft'alo had left this region before the advent of the settler, but the high prairie bore abundant evidence of his former presence here. Here and there, all over the plain were found skeletons of this animal lying where the hunter's missile had overtaken him or, if Indian tradition is to be believed, where a heavy snow had imprisoned and starved him. There are found in frequent numbers upon the prairie, rings of especially thrifty grass which are explained upon various theories. The Indians represented that in a certain winter long a^o, a great fall of snow found the buffaloes scattered about on the prairie. These animals, unwilling to venture out into the untracked deep, kept up an incessant tramp in a limited circle until starvation and deatli ended the march. Whatever truth there may be in this tradition, it may be said that the position of many of these skeletons favor it very strongly. Deer were found here in great abnndance, and to the skillful hunter fell an easy prey. During the wet season when water was to be found in abundance upon the open country, the deer were found here. Getting on the windward side of the animal the hunter found ample shelter in the long grass to approach within eas}'^ shot. In the dry hot season the deer frequented the groves. Then the hunter, proceeding against the wind, followed up or down the course of one of the water-courses along which the groves were located. The deer are troubled by a fly at this time of year which attracts so much of their attention that they are easily approached from the proper side. The animal stands feeding for a few minutes until, driven to fury by the insect, it sudden!}' drops close to the ground to elude its tormentor. Tlien suddenly rising again it feeds a short time and again as suddenly sinks to the ground. This action eives the hunter peculiar advantages which were never thrown away upon the pioneers. Wild turkevs, wolves, wild bees, and the smaller srarae that still throng the timber, not only supplied the table and furnished rare sport to the hunter, but often proved a valuable source from which to eke out the meager income derived from the farm crops. One farmer sold wild turkeys and deer-skins enough in Chicago to buy his wife a good winter cloak, at a time when his crops had proved an utter failure. After the first few years the pioneer had time to plan for something more permanent than present necessities, and the school-house with its molding influences became an institution in every community. In Goodfarm the first school-house was erected in 1850, on the east half of the northeast quarter of section IS. It was built by subscription, some giving lumber, others giving work, and six ])ersons giving one dollar each. The lumber was drawn from Horse Creek in Will County, and with the six dollars was bought all that the country and the labor did not furnish. Elvira Lewis was the fiist teacher here. About 1S56 a second school-house was built near the German cemetery, and the first session of school taught by Philip Gauzert.

The first church organization was of the Free Will Baptist denomination. This society was formed at the cabin of David Gleason, February 5, 1S50, with David Gleason, Elnathan Lewis, and their wives, Addison Gleason and Lavinia Brown as members. The church held its meetings in the school-house until about 1>68, when the organization was finally abandoned. The Methodist Episcopal church has ati appointment here now.

About 1859, the Lutheran church was organized and erected a parsonage on section 27, to which was s*ibsequently added the present church building. Salem Evangelical church was organized about 1857, with Buckhardt and Hoag, Pfeiffer and Hofi'man as leading members. In 1877 they built a new place of worship on section 22, at a cost of about $2,400.

HIGHLAND Township, occupying the southwestern corner of the county, is what its name implies, high land - the highest, perhaps, in the " little kingdom of Grundy." The general slope of the surface, similar to most of the southern part of the county, is to the northeast. Johnny Iliin and Murray Sluice cross the township diagonally in nearly parallel directions, passing out of the township near the northeast corner. The AVau pecan crosses the northwest corner and the Mazon the southeast, in the same general direction. The general elevation of the land makes it in this respect, especially in the southern part, among tiie most desirable for farming purposes. Along the streams, the land is of a decidedly rolling and almost broken character. With the exception of several thousand acres belonging to Wm. Scully, an Irish Lord, the farms are generally' small, and the acreage of the township better divided up than elsewhere in the county.

The earliest people who took possession of Highland were some nameless roughs, generally supposed to be connected with a class of thieves and highwaymen, who were known as Prairie Bandits. This part of the State became infested with these desperadoes about 1836 or '7, and while they scrupled at the commission of no form of crime, they were especially annoying in their principal business of horse stealing. The principal scene of their operations was on the Fox River, but no locality in the northern part of the State, where good horses could be had for tiie stealing, was exempt from these marauders. Their plan was to take the lighter horses of this region to Indiana and sell them, making the return trip with heavy draft horses, which were disposed of in Iowa and Michigan for work in the pineries. For a time tiiese depredations were carried on with impunity. The population, scattered at considerable distances apart, was principally confined to the edge of the timber, leaving the prairie a broad highway for these bandits to pass from one end to the other of the country undiscovered. The early settlers did not submit to this state of affairs without some effort to bring these persons to justice and to recover their property, but singly, the pioneers proved but poor trappers of this game. The bandits were known to be desperate characters and adepts in the use of weapons and in traveling the open prairie, and it often happened that when a party got close upon the thieves, discretion seemed the better part of valor, and the chase was given up. Their success emboldened these robbers, and the early stock and land buyers seldom traveled alone, and never unarmed.

A good horse caused many persons to be and killed, and a large amount of money in the possession of an nn])rotected traveler, almost inevitably bronglit him to grief. Burglary soon followed tiieir success on the road. Fanners became more cautious and evaded these foot pads. In this case tiie cabin was entered and the monev taken while the femily were kept discreetly quiet by a threatening pistol. The open handed hospitality of a new country made the settlers an easy prey to those who lacked even the traditional respect of the Bedouin freebooter. It was impossible to discriminate between the worthy stxansrer and the bandit of tlie prairie, and tiie stranger taken in was more likely to prove a robber than an angel in disguise. Civil autliority seemed hopelessly incapable of remedying the evil. Occasionally a desperado would be apprehended. Legal quibbles Would follow and the rascal get free, or justice be delayed until a jail delivery would set him loose to prey upon the public again. This occurred with such monotonous regularity and unvarying success, that the scattered pioneers lost confidence in each other and anarchy seemed about to be ushered in. This general distrust gave rise to many unfounded rumors, and may have been 'the origin of the general belief in'regard to the first inhabitants of Highland. But these people were known to be rough, boisterous persons, who did nothing toward making a permanent home, and enough had been stolen in the county to raise suspicion.

Of course such a state of things could not long continue. Deep mutterings of vengeance, portentious of a storm of wrath, were heard, and vigilant societies came into existence at several localities. One of these societies, formed in the northern part of the State, was cajitained by a man named Campbell. He was a Canadian, and a man of great energy and decision of character. The bandits were alarmed, and resolved to depose him. One Sunday afternoon, two men by the name of Driscoll, called at Campbell's gate and inquired of his daughter for lier father; Campbell came to the gate, when, without saying a word, the visitors shot him through the heart, and coolly rode off. The next day the people assembled en masse, took three of theDriscoUs, tried them by a jury of their own, found two of them guilty, gave them an hour to prepare for death and shot them. They then resolved to serve every thief they caught, in the same way.* The effect of this summary reprisal was salutary in its eftect. The gang that had infes'^ed this part of the State were struck with terror, and left for a less determined community, and this region was happily relieved of the incubus which had rested heavily upon it. This was about 1S3G or '7. Grundy County, as an organization, was unknown, and the community but barely established, did not take an active part in these movements, though sympathizing with and profiting by them. But no communities found difficulty in organizing for its own defense when occasion demanded. Two fellows were suspected of horse-stealing, in the southern part of the county. They were observed to stay at their father's house at day time, and to be abroad at night, and occasionally to be gone for several weeks without any ostensible business. A committee advised them to leave and not re- turn, but disregarding this tliey were visited and severely whipped, and the lather ordered to move out of the neighborhood, which was a short distance south of the present line of the county. Other organizations were known as "Claim Associations," which did not have so good a reason for their existence. These were combinations by settlers to resist the encroachments of speculators, though their power was exerted against any. interloper or new-comer. Certain lands were bought and located near other sections, which the settler intended, as he got tlie means, to take up. A new-comer was informed that certain sections were open to him, and that others had been assigned to those already on the grounds. Tlie new-comer sometimes saw fit to disregard this intimation, made his own choice and began his improvements. In one such case a large pile of rails, whicli had been prepared at a considerable expense of time and labor, and drawn to the place where the fence was to be built, was found entirely burned, and a few days later, the wagon left loaded with rails, was found consumed with its load. Such incidents were not frequent, but occurred here and there, and served to illustrate the tendency of very good citizens when the established restraints of society are somewhat relaxed.

A more recent exhibition of the crude administration of justice occurred about 1SC7, in an adjoining township. Two men were paying attentions to a woman; one was afterward found shot dead, lying in the road near his team. Suspicion was directed toward the rival of the dead man, and he subsequently acknowledged to the grand jury that he had hired his brother to shoot

The murderer was a])prehended and brought to trial, but the witness before the grand jury took refuge behind the plea that his evidence would criminate himself, and the prisoner was discharged, though there was no doubt entertained of his euilt. The two conspirators returned to theirhoraes and conducted themselves in such a way as to inflame the general feeling against them, until tlie public sentiment crystallized into a " vigilance committee" and an order to leave the country. The one who did the shooting fled, but his brother gave himself to the sheriff for protection. On the following day some two or three hundred men assembled at Morris, forced the jail, and hung the man to a tree on the south side of the river.

The first pei-manent settlement was made in Highland by James Martin in 1845 or '6. He came from Indiana and located his land in the southeast corner of the township, lie was soon followed by his brothers-in-law, John and William Scott, who settled near hira. But little more is known of these ]3ersons, as they stayed only a short time here. James Funk was the third settler, and "William Pierce came soon afterward, taking up land in the northern corner. About 1851 Alvin and Cushman Small, John Empie, and a Mr. Kline came into the northeastern section of the township. In this year also came Paddy Lamb, an Irishman, from New York. He made a claim on section 17, and returned to his home in the East. In 1855 he came back and settled. "While at his old home, his project of turning farmer in Illinois was freely discussed among his associates and fellow countrymen, and quite a number were induced to emigrate to this tovvnship. A family by the name of Wier, in Vienna Township, had an extensive acquaintance with their countrymen, and it was largely through their influence that the settlement of Highland took its exclusive character. John Weldon, a resident of Vienna, also was an influential factor in the Highland settlement. New-comers were referred to him for advice as to choosing lands, and he soon became known to the Highland people as " Daddy Weldon," a title of respect which still clings to him. With such a beginning, the tendency was to build up a community which was almost exclusively Irish. The settlement was a comparatively late one, there being but fifteen votes in 1856. Of these it is said fourteen were cast against, and only one for, Buchanan for President. Paddy Lamb was the single-handed champion of the successful candidate, and it is said, his was the first Irish or Democratic vote cast in the township. It may be said that the first case of " bulldozing" occurred in the township on this occasion. The majority desired to make the ballot unanimous, and indulged in a good deal of goodnatured effort to convert Lamb to the opposition, but he would have none of it, and still glories in the firmness of his convictions.

There is neither village nor post-office in the township. A somewhat pretentious but considerably neglected town-house marks the "center," and a Catholic place of worship, in the northwest corner of section 4, attracts the devout of this township. The latter building was erected in 1868, at a cost of about $2,400.

Part Ii

PERRY A. ARMSTRONG, Morris. The publishers have requested us to write a sketch of our life - a difficult and delicate thing to do. We are like the bo^^ who said he was not used to having his teeth pulled and was afraid it would hurt. We have written many obituaries (not our own), but have never written a biography and are afraid it will hurt. But we promised to do it, and therefore make the «ffort. As all things must have a beginning and should have an ending, we shall endeavor to begin with the beginning whether we succeed in ending or not. We meet with difficulty, however, at the start, because we were born at a tender age, a long time ago, and a long ways off. We had no scratch-back and pencil to make memoranda, and were too much engaged in admiring the wonderful things of this wonderful world to give special attention to our birth, hence, we are remitted to the family tradition for the date, place and surrounding circumstances of our birth. Relying upon that family tradition - and what well-regulated family would be without a tradition, as they are a very handy thing in a family. We were born on the ides of April, 1823, at the homestead of Joseph and Elsie Armstrong, on the East Fork of Licking, in McCain Township, Licking Co., Ohio. Julius Ciesar we believe was born on the same day, A. C, 98. The difference between us was but 1921 years. He became famous from the expression " Et tu, Brute," whilst we have our fame yet to win, hence we have something to do. Our advent to this mundane sphere was not hailed with demonstrations of delight as we have been informed. (Personallj-, as we said before, we have no distinct recollections on the subject, because we were only a hoy when they were looking for a girl.) They made two more efforts - two more boys. It was too discouraging - they quit. We are told that we came to this world with an empty stomach, wry face and crabbed disposition. To tiie first count we plead guilty, and admit tliat we have labored assiduously to fill that self-same empty stomach with indifferent success, lo! these fifty-nine years. To the second count, we enter a special plea of confession and avoidance, ailmitting that it is true, but allege that they pinched us. We alwaj's make a wry face when pinched. To the third count, we would enter a plea of not guiltj- were we not afraid they will call our wife as a witness against us. If they should do that, we are a gone coon, so we have concluded to enter a plea of guilty, and throw ourself on the mercy of the court. Before coming to this conclusion, we tried to remember whether we had not been called a little angel or cherub some time in our life, but failed, and consoled ourself with the reflection that the good die young, or, in other words, angels are short-lived and ephemeral and we're glad that we never tried to be one. We are told that thumb-sucking was our special delight. No wonder we never got on in the world; this early habit stuck to us like a brother, and has kept us poor all our lite. We have also been informed that we took our gruel and catnip like an old soldier at the business, and were intimately acquainted with wind colic, and have been windy ever since, that we were an adept at that other youthful accomplishment - drooling. That our hair was white, ej'es hazel and face green looking. The former stuck to us till in our teens, and " tow-head " was our pet name; the latter commenced to sprout when about twenty, and has sprouted ever since. Our complexion was fair_ but for a multitude of freckles, wliich grew into speckles like unto a turkey's egg. The Seventh Son, common report said we were the doctor; Dame Nature had endowed us with the healing art by the " laying on of hands." We always thought Common Report was a common liar, so we took no stock in the doctor theory, but others did, and came from far and near for the removal of warts, wens and other excresences which rumor said would flee at our approach. We approached, but the}' didn't flee; they stayed. The days of miracles had passed, and we declined to revive them; hence we worked no miracles. We attended school at a proper age and earned manj- laurels as a good fighter - few as a good scholar.

In 1831, our mother and brother determined to go West. This was before G-reeley's advice, " Young man, go West," was made public. One brother had alreadj- gone West, another had crossed the '- silent river,' leaving seven still at the old homestead. We could not make up our mind to be left like poor Joe all alone, so we concluded to " move on " with the rest of the famil}-. In arriving at this decision, we were not aided by a desire to rival BuSalo Bill in slaying butfalo, or Donald McKay as an Indian-killer, as we had not then read their exploits. Strange as it is true, we had never read a dime novel and were entirely free of sentimentalism. '- The household gods " being stowed to the best advantage in the capacious wagonbox of a prairie schooner, with four horses for motor-power, we folded our tent, and -' like the Arab, silently stole away," following the Star of Empire westward ho! What between mud and mire, rain, hail and sleet, our four weeks' journey overland were tedious, yet we enjo^'ed it well, from the fact that our cousin, who was a few months our junior, accompanied us, and we took solid pleasure in trouncing him several times per day just for fun. Occasionall3-, however, he turned the tables, and trounced us. This was less agreeable. We reached our land of promise - Sand Prairie, near Lacon, 111., April 28, 1831. Stopping the first night with a paternal uncle. Gen. John Strawn, we got into a bit of an argument ere we had been there fifteen minutes. A controversy arose between our new-found cousin Enoch and myself as to which was the best wrestler. Although 9 P. M., and quite dark, we proceeded at once to try conclusions, which resulted in a fight, and we were banished early the following morning to the shanty on our brother's claim on the prairie. A good fighter was not then appreciated.

The famil}' did not take to sandj- land worth a continental, so in July of that year stakes were again pulled, and we migrated north to La Salle County, and located some seven miles southwest of Ottawa. Here we took the ague, or the ague took us, and shook us lively like for six coaseeutive weeks, despite of all the boneset and waughoo teas we could swallow. Quinine was a luxury not to be had, if, indeed, it had yet been discovered. On the day we had our first shake, we ate heartily of mutton and worty squash - our last meal of that kind of fodder. We acquired a distaste, j-ea, horror, for them, and have never eaten sheep or squash since. The darned ague shook itself weak, and finally abandoned our poor, emaciated anat- om}', and has givou us a wide berth ever since. True, it has eoine loiiiul oeoasioually to let us know it still lived, liut has never tackled us in t real earnest. Tliere was no salt to be had in that vicinity that fall, hence the prospect for meat was like the boy's <rroaiid hoij. We had to have salt or no meat. Chicago. KJi) miles away, was the nearest point where it could be obt.iined. We had no correspondents there from whom to order it by telegraph or telephone, nor had either of them been invented. We had no railroail, canal or stage line, nor freighter's line, and lastly, we had no roads but Indian trails. Salt must be had and we deter- | mined to have it. So, taking an older brother, ) William K. (or he taking us), we yoked up two voke of oxen and hitched them to a sled on which was placed the schooner-shaped wagon box, with old Watcii. the faithful tlog for compan3' and guard, we started for Chicago December 23, 1831, and reached there in four [ days. We were much surprised at Chicago. Instead of being a respectal)le village, there were but two white families there (Kinzie and Miller). The soldiers had been ordered from Fort Dearborn, so the place seemed deserted. We got our salt and returned home to rejoice the hearts of all our neighbors, all of whom were, like us, without salt, and must have it. After all this, one of our neighbors, with whom some of our older brothers had difficulty about claims on the Government laud, had our mother arrested for selling salt without license. But as 110 law could be found in the statute " agin it." she was honoral)ly discharged. Having procured salt, the wild hogs - with which the river bottom was well supplied - had to suffer. How these bogs came there, and in such large quantities, it would be difficult to tell, but we found them there and were glad of the fiud. Sod corn we had by purchase of a small field : of it from T. J. Covell, for whom Covell Creek was named. Too small to use the ax i or maul to advantage, to us was assigned !

the pounding of corn in a wooden mortar during the winter of 1831-32. The finest of the mash '' was sieved through the sieve and made into corn-dodgers. The rest was boiled for hominy or samp. Tlius we fared sumptuously on hog and hominy. For " Sabbaday " we ground a little wheat (of which we had a two-bushel bagful) in a coffee-mill, and bolted it through a jaconet cape of our mother's, and made slapjacks." They were bully. In Maj', 1832, the Sac and Fox Indians got on a rampage, and did some indiscriminate scalping of women aud children, not far distant from our home, hence we emigrated to a fort in Putnam County, and remained until the Indians were tamed. We did not volunteer to assist in their taming. We let our older brothers. Wash and Bill, take our place in that gentle amusement. In the winter of 1832-33, we attended, as we believe, the first school for " pale-faced " children ever opened in La Salle County. The teacher was a Miss Farnam from away down East. This school was taught in a log schoolhouse, 14x16 feet, some four miles southwest of Ottawa, which we believe was the first schoolhouse built in La Salle County. In the summer of 183o, we tried to sell goods at Hidalgo, on the Waupecan, near the road crossing, three miles southwest of Morris. Hidalgo was then tlie leading village of the county. It boasted a saw-mill, blacksmith-shop and dry goods store, all belonging to G. W. Armstrong. But the Waupecan went dry more than half the year, hence the mill proved a failure, and Hidalgo was deserted. In that winter, we were at school in Ohio. In 1838, we clerked for George W., and tried to keep his books at Utica, 111., where he had a contract on the canal, and in the winter of 1838-39 we attended school four miles soutliwestof Utica, and had to cross the Illinois and Big Vermillion Rivers to get there. Gen. William H. Jj. Wallace, who fell at Shiloh, was our classmate at this old log schoolhouse on the bluff. This was the best school we ever attended, especially in the study of arithmetic. In 1841, we taught our first school at HoUenbeck's Grove, in Kendall Count}'. Hon. George M. HoUenbeck, James L. Haymond and others now living were among our pupils. In April, 184li, wo came to Morris on foot and alone - as the girl went to get married - big with expectations. We were to keep books for the Emperor, Bill Armstrong, for our board, and literally chaw old Blackstone. We failed, on account of typhoid fever, and left him in August for our mother's farm in La Salle County. . We then entered Granville Academj' and prepared to enter Illinois College in September, 1844. But trying to carry the studies of freshman and sophomore together, we broke down in health and returned home in July, 1845, and opened a select school in Mechanic's Hall, in Ottawa, which we sold out to Mr. Hampden, and returned to Morris in October of that year, and have remained here ever since.

Immediately on our return, we opened a general store in the southwest room of the Grundy Hotel, then standing, but was burnt down in 1851 and the Hopkins House erected on the spot. We then built what is the main part of Dr. Hand's residence, in 1846, for a store and post office. There were two other small stocks of goods here, which we purchased and united with our other stock. In the early part of that 3ear, we were appointed Postmaster of Morris, under Polk's administration, and was succeeded by C. H. Gould, under Taylor's admin- j istration. December 22, 1846, we married Miss Mary J. Borbidge, of Pittsburgh, Penn., j a highly-accomplished and elegant lady, who died of consumption in 1862, leaving three sons - Charles D., Klwood and William E. - all of whom survive and are married. In the Mexican war, we raised a company, and were elected Captain, but the quota being full before our report reached the Governor, hence our company was not received, and we did not go a-soldiering. Owing to a too free use of our name on other people's paper and official bonds, we were forced to the wall financially in 1849, and were elected a Justice of the Peace but did not like the business. We had lots to do, but never had a heart for badgering and brow-beating. In the spring of 1850, we were elected Supervisor of Morris. In the winter of 18.51-52, we went to Springfield to get relief on a Collector's bond, and succeeded. While there, we got a position in the State Auditor's ofllce, and selected the lands of the Illinois Central Railroad, and under the dictation of Gov. Bissell and Robert Rantoul, Jr., we drew the charter of that road, forever securing to the State 7 per cent of the gross earnings of said railroad. We also drew the charter of the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, and when its construction was begun, in the spring of 1852, we secured the position of Assistant Engineer, and ran the transit line from Joliet to Ottawa, and the bench levels over the same line, and also the level from Tiskilwa to Genesco. Receiving the offer of better wages on the survey of the Chicago, Burlington & Quiucj' Railroad, we resigned our position on the Rock Island Railroad and accepted tlie other, and reported to Capt. Whittle at Galesburg for duty. We run experimental levels on that road until we found they had no money in their treasury, when we quit and came home. We then entered the store of Judge Hopkins as general manager and bookkeeper, where we remained until the spring of 185.3, when we called the attention of Judge Hynds (County Judge) to the necessity of selecting the swamp lands of the county under the act of Congress of September 28, 1850, and was appointed to survey and select the swamp lands of the county. Under this appointment, we surve}ed and selected the swamp lands at the salary of S3 per day, " to be in full for all expenses of whatsoever kind. ' sa3-s the law. Our team and driver cost $2 per day, while the law allowed but .*1. We did the work and never asked for extra pay. We tlieii prepared and procured its passage b}- the Legislature a special law authorizing the sale of these swamp lauds without draining theui, and, being appointed to make sale, we sold them in 1865 for the sum of $23,724.92, and collected from General Government for cash sales made between the passage of the act September 28, 1850, and time of selection in 1853, $1,700, all of which was paid into the county treasury, making a total of $25,421.92 realized from the so-called swamp lands of the county, with a claim on the General Government for some thirteen tiiousand acres of land entered by individuals by land warrants after the act of 1 850, and before their selection in 185S. These swamp lands were selected in the wettest season we have had for a quarter of a century, hence the selections and confirmations were very large. We were the first Supervisor of the town of Morris, and again held that oflice in 1853, when we were elected County Clerk. Our parents were Democratic, and we followed their prejudice politicalh' and became the same, casting our first vote for Polk, in 184:4 ; Cass, in 1848 ; Pierce, in 1852 ; Buchanan, in 185C ; Douglas, in 1860 ; McClellau, in 1S64, and was on the electoral ticket for Seymour in 1868 ; Greelej'- ized in 1872 ; for Tildeu, in 1876, and Hancock, in 1880. We were re-elected County Clerk in 1857, although Buchanan received but 600 votes to Fremont's 900 in 1856. When Fort Sumter, was attacked by the Confederates in April, 1861, we made the first war speech of the county, and, as Chairman of the Committee on Resolutions, we introduced the first resolutions denouncing secession and in favor of coercion. We were offered the Colonelcy of the Sixty-fifth Illinois Regiment by Gov. Yates, but, owing to the very delicate health of our better half, we were compelled to stay at home. In the fall of 1854, we were elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of

1862. In 1863, we were elected to the State Legislature from Grundy antl Will without opposition, and, in 1872, from Gundy, Kendall and De Kalb without opposition, and were placed on the Judiciary, Railroad and Judicial Department Committees. At this session, the statutes were revised, in which we took an active part. We were the author of several important laws now in force, among which are the jury law, county court law and escheat law, besides materially- amending the criminal code and the road and bridge law. Admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of Illinois February 3, 1865, and by the United States Court June 3, 1868, we entered into a law partnership with B. Olin (now Judge of the County Court of Will County) in 1865, which lasted five years. On the 25th of August, 1803, we married our second wife, Malina J. Eldredge, at Piano, 111. From this connection, we have two sons - Frank, aged sixteen, Perry, aged eight years. In 1876, we were appointed blaster in Chancery, and, in 1877, Trustee of the Illinois Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary, which position we still hold. In 1870, we were elected to the School Board, and served scveji years. During that time, the present fine stone Iniilding was erected. We took an active part in building this schoolhouse as Clerk of the Board of Education and agent to negotiate the school bonds. We have spent much time and considerable money in developing the geology of Grundy Count}', and as the result we have a fine collection, especially in fossil botany. We deposited for safe keeping a carload of fossil trees, or their impressions upon the siiale overl^'ing the coal, in the new State House at Springfield some eight )-ears as;o, while our home cabinet at the Academy of Seieiicos in Morris is large and valuable. Tirinsr of the hard labor required in collecting geological specimens, we have more recently directed our investigation to Indian history, legends, traditions, customs, habits and social relations, occasionally scribbling poetry - a habit we contracted (when we went to see our girl) in our youth, the greater portion of which has been published in the local papers here and at Ottawa. Our last effort, entitled.

Mother

S. P. AVERY, attorney, Morris, was born in Kendall County. 111.. Jauuary 13, 1850; son of S. K. Avery, a native of Oneida County. X. Y., born in ISIO, a fanner by occupation; he was born, raised and lived on the same farm in New York till 18-17, then came to Illinois that fall, and in the spring of 1 848, purchased a farm in Kendall County, where he lived till the time of his death, which occurred December 15, 1880. He was a prominent nurseryman and fruitgrower, during the latter part of his life in Illinois. His wife, Asenath (Wilder) Avery, was born at Verona, N. Y., December 16, 1814, and married S. K. Avery, January 20. 1836.

They moved to Kendall County, 111., in 1847, where Mrs. Avery died Xoveraber 26, 1874. They raised seven children, six of whom are now living, five sons, of which subject is the fourth, and one daughter. Subject was educated at the common schools of Kendall County, and at Fowler Institute at Newark; he read hiw two years in Rochester, N. Y., with Jesse Shepard, then one and a half years in Chicago with A. W. Windett. Mr. Avery was admitted to the bar in June, 1876, came to Morris September 13, 1876, and began the practice of his profession; there lie has continued since. Mr. Avery was married, in Laddonia, Mo., March 10, 1882, to Kate Wilder, born October 20, 1856, daughter of Judge B. H. Wilder, of Audrain County, Mo. Mrs. Avery is a member of the Baptist Church. Subject was with Judge C. Grant, Register in Bankruptcy, from December, 1877, to January, 1881, when Judge Grant died; from that time, subject has been Acting Register. Mr. Avery is a Republican.

GEORGE BAUM, clothier, Morris, was born in Germany January 20, 1828; son of George Baura, who was born and raised in Germany, and also died there. Subject emigrated to the United States in 1853, landing in New York City on the 16th of August. He was educated in tlie common schools of Germany, and when twentj--one years of age was put into the regular arm}-, by a law of that country, which compelled all able-bodied young men, to serve six years. Our subject, by good deportment while in the service, was enabled to procure a recommendation from the principal orticers over him, which gave him an honorable release two years prior to the expiration of the time for which he had enlisted. From the date of his landing in the United States in 1853 to 1856, he occupied his time principally in laboring as a farm hand in the States of Connecticut and New Jersey, having had but a meager supply of means when he landed. After reaching

Morris on the 4th of April, 1856, he began as before in laboring at any kind of work that presented itself, by which he could earn fair wages, and continued in this way some seven or eight years. He and his brother Henry then began in the saloon business, which he followed until 1877. September 1 of that year, he began the clothing business on his own responsibility, and at present is thus engaged, and doing a satisfactory business. He has been Alderman in Morris for seven years, and has been Director for several years for the Cemetei-y Association. Mr. Baum was married, in Germany, in June, 1853, just before starting for this country, to Elizabeth Keiser. They have raised three children to maturitj' and l<jst two sons, one dying in infancy and the other in his thirteenth year. Those living are one son, Henry, and two daughters, viz., Eliza (wife of John Schobert) and Annie. Mr. Baum and wife are members of the Lutheran Church, and he is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. Mr. Baum owns a handsome and commodious two-story brick residence in Morris, good store-room, a tenement house, and some vacant lots; he is a Democrat.

HENRY BAUM, dry goods and millinery, Morris, was born in New Jersey April 4, 1855, son of George Baum, whose sketch appears in another part of this work. There were three sons, of whom our subject is the eldest, and the only one living, and two daughters. Henry was educated principally at the public schools of Morris, and took a commercial course at Bryant & Stratton's College of Chicago, graduating in that course in the spring of 1872. He began business by clerking in tlie dry goods establishment of L. F. Beach & Co., of Morris, remaining there nearlj' two years, then in partnership with Mr. Schobert opened a similar store in 1874, the firm name being Baum & Schobert. This firm continued together till 1881, at which time they divided, and since each of them has run a separate store. Mr.

Henry Baiim is a member of the Masonic order at ttiis place, has taken all the degrees of lodge and chapter, and will likel}- go through the commander}- at an early date. Subject has one of the finest stores in the city, and does a good business. He owns a block of tenement houses near the High School building in Morris, and a couple of vacant lots on Main street ; he is also interested in several mines in Colorado, prominent among them is the one owned by the Grundy Mining Company.

HENRY BAUM, Sa., saloon, Morris, was born in Lauchroedeu, Saxe- Weimar, Germany, October 26, 1834. He was raised and educated in his native country, receiving special training in music. He served three years as apprentice in general masonry. Came to the United States in the fall of 1857, by way of New Orleans. Settled in Morris, where he engaged at his trade, combined with music-teaching, for eighteen months. In 1859, he went to Louisville, Ky., and gave musical instruction, working at his trade, meantime, for one year. Afterward, made a specialty of music, going sout.h with a troupe, and located in Baton Rouge, La., until the breaking-out of the war in 1861, when he returned to Morris, and enlisted in the Thirtyfourth Illinois Volunteers as a member of the regiment band. Served until the band was discharged in 1862. Since his discharge, he has been engaged in keeping a saloon, located on Washington street. He was married, January 14, 1864, to Miss Elizabeth Zeermann. She is a native'of Frickenfelt, Bavarian Rheinfels, Germany, born May 16, 1844. They have two children buried and two living - Loui.se, l)orn iu Morris December 9, 1864, died January 31, 1873 ; Henry B., born January 27, 1865, died September 13, 1873 ; Willie L., born May 11, 1866 ; and Birdie, born November 23, 1874. Subject is a member of I. 0. 0. F., and a Republican. Residence on corner of Washington and Cedar streets, Morris, 111.

HENRY BURRELL, miner, Morris, is the oldest of three sons of Archie Burrell, of Scotland, and was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, September 30, 1843. When he was nine jears old, his parents removed to the United States, and located in Chicago, where his father died of cholera in 1853. In the fall of 1854, his mother and the three sons came to Morris, Grundy Co., 111. Here the subject and brothers were employed variously for some years by their uncle, Alexander Telfer, a coal merchant. As soon as old enough, they began digging in the mines for support for themselves and mother. At this time (1866), our subject formed a partnership with others, under the firm name of H. Burrell & Co. He is now alone in the coal trade. The mines are one and one-iialf miles northeast of Morris, between the railroad and the canal. He is also associated with A. W. Telfer in brick-making. The Burrell heirs have a tract of 317 acres of land, which the subject is farming. He was married. May 31, 1870, to Miss Maggie West, then of Morris. She was born in Scotland June 17, 1851. They have a family of four childrentwo sons and two daughters - Mary E., born May 19, 1871 ; Lizzie T., April 4, 1874 ; Henry A., September 19, 1877, and William O., J August 29, 1880. Mr. Burrell is a member of the A., F. & A. M. and of the L 0. 0. F.; politics, Repulilican.

ALEXANDER BURRELL, collier, Morris, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, January 14, 1850. He came with his parents to the United States in 1852, and settled in Chicago. There his father, Archie Burrell, died in 1853. In 1854, his mother, Eliza Burrell, and family, consisting of three sons, removed to Morris, Grundy County, where the}' have since lived. Suijject was married, April 8, 1879, to Miss Abbie Kiersted, daughter of George H. Kiersted, one of the pioneers of Grundy County. They have two children - George, born January 2, 1880, and Alexander, born February 26,

1881. Jlr. Burrell is a member of the firm of Gould, Buchanan & Burrell, coal-miners. They have two shafts, situated near the Chit-ago & Rock Island Railroad, within the city limits ; office on Libert}' street. Mr. Burrell is a Republican.

JOHN BROWN, druggist, Morris, was born in England September 1, 1825, son of William Brown, who was born in England about 1785. He was a soldier in the English Arm}' the greater portion of his life, and died in 1864. His wife was Margaret (Blease) Brown. The parents had eight children bora to them and raised six to maturity - three sons, of which subject is the third, and three daughters. Subject emigrated to the United States in 1851, and settled in this county, where he has lived since. He was educated in the common schools of England, where he began life in the drug business. When he first came to Illinois, he engaged in farming for about fifteen years, and then engaged again in the drug business, and has followed it since. Mr. Brown has been Supervisor for Au Sable Township, and School Director for Morris, besides filling other minor offices not necessar}' to mention. He bought the hotel known as the Hopkins House, in Morris, in 1875, and ran the hotel business there, in connection with his other affairs, for about five j'ears. He then sold the hotel, and gave his entire attention to his present business. Mr. Brown was married, in England, in 1850, to Ann (Brown) Brown.. She was horn in 1826. They have nine children, four sons and five daughters. Subject owns a comfortable residence in Morris, and a good store building ; carries a large stock and has a very satisfactory trade. He is a Republican.

GEORGE F. BROWN, grain dealer, Morris, -was born June G, 1828. in Madison County, N. y. In the year 1830, his father removed to the State of Ohio, where he lived eleven years. In 1841, he again moved, and lived two years in Wisconsin. In 1843, he located in Chicago, where he embarked in the mercantile business for eleven years. He then, in 1854, went to Freeport, where he is still engaged in business. George F. was educated principally at Norwalk, Ohio, and Chicago, 111. In April, 1855, he came to Morris, Grundy Co., 111., where he has since done an extensive business in grain and lumber. On the 15th day of October, 1855. he was married to Miss Emma Heald, of Freeport, 111. She was born in Darien, N. Y., on the 1st day of April, 1832, and came to Illinois in 1853. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Their family consists of six children, only two of whom are living - Anna H., Emma, George P., Everett R., Isabella G. and Georgie. Mr. Brown is a stanch Republican, and has held several responsible offices in the city and count}-.

E. L. BARTLETT, musician, Morris, was born in New York September 19, 1821. When he was twelve years old, his father moved to Western New York, where he worked a farm three years. Our subject entered Hamilton College in 1839, from where he graduated in 1843. He was married October 26, 1843, to Miss Rachel A Conklin, daughter of C. J. Conklin, now living with his daughter, Mrs. Bartlett, in Morris. In July, 1844, they settled in Lisbon, Kendall County, where Mr. Bartlett was for fis'e years Principal of the Long Grove Academy, after which he taught one year in Oswego, Kendall County ; he was also called to thePrincipalshipof the Plainfleld Academy, of Will County, just then erected, at which place he taught three years. Mr. Bartlett looks with pride upon many of his former pupils, now filling very honorable positions. In 1854. he purchased a farm in Saratoga Township, upon which he lived ten 3'ears. At this period of his history, he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Forty-six Illinois Volunteers, as Musician, in Hcntzleman's Western Division Band, serving till the close of the war. Returning home, he sold his farm and settled in Morris, where lie has since lived. He owns a store building on Washington street, where for some years he conducted a music store. Their family numbers ten children - Napoleon B., born in 1846, killed November 11, 1864, at the battle of Duvall's Bluff ; Francis E., born in 1848, is a merchant in Morris ; Leroy, born in 1850, is a merchant in Chicago ; Arabella, born in 1852, and died December 28, 1874 ; Jessie, born in 1854, married to William J. Davis, of Chicago ; Josephine, born in 1856 ; Lincoln, born in 1859 ; Sherman, died in infancy ; and Stella, l)orn in 1869. Mr. Bartlett has attained an enviable reputation as a musician, liaving traveled over Illinois and Iowa with a concert company composed of his own family.

JOHN BUCK, coal and tile, Morris, was born in Cork, Ireland, February 1, 1827. When he was three years old, his parents moved to Canada, where he was raised and educated. He came to Illinois in 1849, and to Grundy Connty in 1850, where he purchased a tract of land of about nineteen acres in the northwest part of the citj' of Morris, on which lie now lives, engaged in the manufacture of drain-tile ; he also operates a coal bank on the same site. He was married, December 3, ISul, to Miss Isabella McMinn, of Pennsylvania. She was born November 20, 1832, and died December 29, 1862. Our subject was again married, March 16, 1865, to Miss Susanna Hutchins, of Morris. She was born in Canada September 24, 1843. They have seven children, one of whom is the result of the first marriage - John T., born December 22, 1862. The children of the second marriage are George H.. born January 6, 1866 ; Herbert E., born March 10, 1867 ; William F., born November 10, 1869 ; Richard R., born April 29, 1873 ; Mary E., born November 16, 1874 ; and Martha, born January 9, 1882. The famil}- residence is on Lincoln street. Mr. and Mrs. Buck are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Morris.

OTIS BAKER, livery, Morris, was born in Orleans County, N. Y., June 11, 1834, and educated in the common schools of New York. He was married, June 2, 1855, to Miss Sarah D. Gregory, who was born in New York January 20, 1835. In the fall of 1856, they came to Grundy County, III, and settled in Morris, but soon after bought an eiglity-acre farm, four miles north of Morris, where the3' lived until 1860, when the}' sold their farm and bought another in the same township (Saratoga), where they remained ten 3-ears. In 1876, our subject moved to the town of Morris and engaged for two or three years in the dairy business, since which time he has kept a farmers' feed j-ard. The family consists of two I daughters - Minnie G., born February 20,1857; married, December 1, 1881, to Charles W. Potter, of New York; and Hattie M., born March 24, 1868. Mr. and Mrs. Baker and their oldest daughter are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. Baker is a Republican, and has been repeatedly elected to offices of trust in the community, in which he has lived. His mother, Laura Baker, is a native of Bristol, Vt., born March 16, 1799, and is now living with her daughter, in Milwaukee, Wis.; his father, Otis Baker, was born in Massachusetts November 10, 1795, and died in Orleans County, N. Y., September 23, 1870.

L. F. BEACH, dealer in dry goods, boots and shoes, etc., Morris, was born in North Dansville. New York July 9, 1841; son of Aaron WBeach, who was also a native of New York, born in December, 1797, was a farmer by occupation, and now in (1882), lives in Chicago in his eighty-fifth 3'ear. His wife. Mar}' A. (Baker) Beach, was also of New York, born in 1802, and died in Chicago, in June, 1882. The parents raised five children; three sons, of whom the subject is the youngest, and two daughters. Mr. Beach was educated in Steuben County, N. Y., and began life as a farmer in his native State. He came to this State iu

1869, having merchandized four years before he came; he settled in Morris when he first came to the Stale, and l)eg:in morcliandising, which he still follows. Mr. Beach is a member of the Masonic order, and has taken all the degreies from E. A. to Knight Templar; he was School Treasurer for this township for two years, and is now a member of the City Council. He was married, in Erie, Penn., in February. 1870, to Amelia A. Hennessey, who was born July 11, 1816. They have four children - three sons, viz., Layton Fayette, Joseph Allen Hunter and James Blaney; one daughter, Maud Amelia. Mrs. Beach is a member of the Episcopal Church. Subject has built up a good trade, carries a large stoclc. and besides runs a store of general merchandise at Council Grove. Kan.; he is a Democrat.

About 1645, Sir James Claypo»l, of P^ugland, married a daughter of Oliver Cromwell. Tiiis is the earliest record of the family obtainable. Some ^^ears later, two brothers of the same family emigrated from England to America, and settled in Virginia. One subsequently left for Philadelphia, and joined his fortunes with William Penn, and he or his descendant. James C. Claypool, was a signing witness to Penn's charter in 1082. The other brother remained in Virginia, whore his son, William Claypool, was born about 1690, and lived to the extraordinary age of one hundred and two years William Claypool was the father of three sons - George, John and James, the latter born about 1730, who died leaving three sons - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The first, born April 21, 1762, died in May, 1845. He had six sons and five daughters. Of these sons, Jacob was born August 28, 1788, in Randolph County, Va., and died August 17, 1876. His son, Abraham C, moved from Virginia in 1799, and took up his abode in

The son of Abraham C. and the father of the subject of this sketcii. Jacob C. married Xancy Ballard, a lady of Quaker parentage from North Carolina, and had two sons - Perry A., born in Brown County, Oiiio, June 5, 1815, and died in Morris, 111., October 15, 1846; and L. W., born in the same place June 4, 1819.

Mr. L. W. Claypool spent his early years in a new settlement, going with his parents to Indianapolis, where the ague assailed them with such vigor as to drive thcra back to Ohio. In March of 1834, he set out with his father to explore the canal lands of Illinois for a new home. He was eager to get an education, and. with the meager fiicilitios afforded in frontier settlements, he managed to master the multiplication table and the elements of writing, and he still has in his possession a rudely-constructed diar}' with the incidents of this journey noted down in his boyish chirography. The stor}- of this trip and the sulisequent removal of the family to Wanponsee Township, in Grundy County, 111., has been told elsewhere in this volume. His life here was one of great activity, but he managed in the meantime to get quite a knowledge of arithmetic by improving daj'S too wet or cold to work out of doors, and he exhibits with some pride a curious record of the days or half days which he devoted to the study of the elements of mathematics. At the first election held in Grundy County, on May 24. 1841. Mr. Claypool was elected County Recorder, a position he held until 1847, in the meanwhile being appointed the first Postmaster in Morris. In 1848, he was appointed by the Canal Trustees Assistant .Vgent of the canal lands, having in charge the lands situated in La Salle and Grundy Counties. His duties called him to assist in laying out that part of Chicago in and around Bridgeport, and continued until the last of the land was closed out in 1860. Mr. Claypool has always taken a prominent place in tlie commuuitv in which he has lived so long. He was for years the Supervisor of Wauponsee Township, and is now acting in this capacit}' for Morris Village.

November 15, 18-19, he contracted marriage with Caroline B., daughter of John Palmer, of Ottawa, a pioneer of La Salle County, who came overland from Warren County, N. Y., in June, 1834. Mrs. Claypool was born March 12, 1831, before the family left New York. Two sons of the family born of this union are living - H. C, born March 31, 1852, and L. W., Jr., bom October 13, 1866.

JAMES CUNNEA, banker, Morris, was born in Ireland January 6, 1810, and is a son of Patrick and Isabella (Brown) Cunnea. Patrick Cunnea was born in Ireland in 1783, was a farmer and merchant by occupation, merchandized largely, and died in Ireland in 1840, having been sick but six days; his wife died the same year. The parents had sixteen children born to them, twelve of whom were raised to maturity - six sons, of whom subject is the oldest, and six daughters. Our subject received a limited education in the common schools in Irelaud. He began for himself by keeping store and farming, which he continued about six years, and then, in 1846, times getting a little hard there, he said to his wife, "We will go to America," and at once sold out his effects and emigrated to the United States, stopping about two years in New York; then he came to Illinois (1848), and, purchasing a large tract of land in Will County, began farming and stockraising, which he followed in connection with his sons till about 1866; from there he came to Morris, and opened a loan office for a few years, and, in 1872, purchased the First National Bank of Seneca, and removed the same to Morris, clianging the name to First National Bank of Morris. From that time to the present, he and his sons have run a general banking business here. The officers of the bank are as follows : James Cunnea (subject). President and Director; John Cunnea, Cashier and Director; John McCambridge, Director; George A. Cunnea, Director; James Cunnea, Jr., Director. Subject and sons also own considerable land in this and other Slates, besides other valuable property. Subject is a Democrat in politics. He was married in Ireland, March 4, 1834, to Ann Glackin, a daughter of Dennis and Catharine (Mcllugh) Glackin; his wife was born in March, 1817. They had twelve children bora to them; eight raised to maturity, one of whom, Thomas, died at the age of twenty-three years. Those living are three sons - John, James and George A., and four daughters, viz., Isabella, Maria (now the wife of John McCambridge), Catharine and Anna. .^Ir. Cunnea and wife and all the family are members of the Catholic Church. James Cunnea, Jr., was married in 1876, to Estella Smith, daughter of Patrick Smith, of Cleveland. Ohio.

JOHN CUNNEA, banker and cashier, Morris, was born in Ireland, July 22, 1840 ; is a son of James Cunnea, whose biography appears elsewhere in this history. Our subject came to the United States in 1846 ; stopped two years in New York City, then came to Illinois, and soon afterward settled in Will County, at what is now called Braldwood. There he attended school, and afterward completed his education at Bryant & Stratton's Business College in Chicago Mr. Cunnea purchased a considerable tract of land at Braidwood, and remained there engaged in farming for seventeen years. He came to Morris in May, 1866, and about a year afterward, in connection with his brothers, opened a loan office, which they continued till August, 1872, when the}- purchased of D. D. Spencer his banking business at Seneca. All the appurtenances of the bank they removed to Morris, where they still carry on a general banking business. The bank is known as the First National Bank of Morris, the proprietors being James Cunnea & Sons. September 1, 1875, our subject was married to Jennie A. Hoge, daugliter of Samuel and Matilda (Holderman) Hoge. This union has resulted in two children - Samuel James and Charitj- Isabella. Mr. Cunnea and wife are members of the Catholic Church. He is a Democrat.

DAVID M. COOK, grocer, Morris, was born in Perry County, Penn., January 13, 1837. His father, James Cook, died in Pennsylvania when David was nine years of age, and his mother moved with her family to Miami County, Ohio. Here his mother and one brother died. The three remaining brothers came to Warren County, 111,, in the spring of 1855. In the fall of 1856, they moved to Morris, Grundj- County, where he and his lirother. Joiin W., established a restaurant and provision store on Washington street. Our subject was married, November 2, 1860, to Miss Jane Claj'pool, daughter of Perr}' A. Claypool ; she was born in Grundy County, March 7, 1842. The family consists of four children, two of whom are living, viz., Nellie M., born March 25, 1864 ; Samuel D., December 4, 1870 ; William M., born December 23, 1875, died July 23, 1880 ; and John P., born April 5, 1877, died March 18, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Cook are members of the Presbyterian Church of Morris. Mr. Cook is now proprietor of a grocery and provision store on Libert^' street, in a building erected by him in 1861. He is a Republican.

WILLIAM R. CODY, furniture dealer, Morris, was born in Oneida County, N. Y., December 1, 1825, and received his education in his native State. He came to Illinois when eighteen years old, and settled in Lisl)on, Kendall County, where he lived for six years, teaching school in various places in the county. He was first married to Miss Martha Hobson, of Naperville. 111.; October 10, 1854 ; she died June 28, 1855. and is buried in her native town. September 10, 1856, Mr. Cody was again married, tiiis time to Miss Sarah M. Conant, a native of New

York, born December 17, 1835. They have had six children, two of whom are dead - Caroline, born August 24. 1857, died October 5, 1857 ; Nellie F.. born December 21, 1858, married to N. C. Davis, of Morris ; Susan E , May 21 1861, married to E. H. Quigley, of Morris ; Eddie, July 24, 1843, died November 5, 1870 ; Annie, born May 7, 1867 ; and Grace, September 12, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Cody are members of the M. E. Church of Morris. He is now engaged in the furniture business, in partnershi[» ship with- N. C. Davis ; place of business Nos. 94 and 96 Liberty street.

WILLIAM H. CURTIS, retired, Morris. The subject of this sketch is a native of Rutland. Vt., born December 24, 1817, son of Thad deus and Charlotte (Kimball) Curtis, who came to Grundy County, 1848. His father died in Grundy County, September 3, 1857, in his sixty-sixth 3'car. The mother died in Grundy County, Januarj' 9, lSli2, in her seventy-fifth year. Subject came to Grund}' County in 1846, and bought land in Vienna Township, where he made his home until coming to Mor ris, Januarj", 1880. Raised and educated in Vermont. Married June 12, 1860, to Mrs. Jane A. Hollenbeck, widow of Abraham Hollenbeck. She is a native of Dutchess County. N. Y., February 13, 1817, and came to Grundy County about 1850. Mr. Curtis is now retired and is living in a beautiful residence on corner of Benton and Spruce streets. Besides his large landed interest in Vienna Township, of this county, he owns a farm of 1 1 2 acres in Section 25, of Brooktield Township, La Salle County. "Wolves!" said Mr. Curtis, "I can tell you a big one, but nobody will believe i1." "Let us have the benefit of the story," said the interviewer. " I was aroused one morning to find a wolf with a chicken. I had no dog of my own, but Dr. Antis' dog happened to be under my shant}-. He gave chase, and was soon joined by William Hinchman's dog. In order to encourasfc the dogs, I got on a horse.

not stopping to put on a bridle, and followed after. The^' overhauled him on a pond which had a considerable thicivuess of ice, but they were not equal to the wolf not being used to his method of defense. Thinking to help the dogs, I got off my horse and caught the wolf by the tail. No sooner had I done so than the dogs left me to engage the wolf while they indulged in a fight with each other. In this dilemma I conceived the idea of killing my game b3- swinging it ovor-handed and bringing its head in contact with the ice. This proved a failure, for the first impression broke ihe ice, letung us into three feet of water. Xow my only chance was to drown him, and after sever,il attempts, coupled with the pitchfork in the hands of a boy, the wolf was numbered with the slain."

JOHN B. DAVIDSON, broker, Morris, was born in Beaver County, Penn., Jauuarv 28, 1815, and spent his boyhood in Eastern Ohio. He resided about twentj' }'ears in the towns of Middleton, Poland and Lowellville, fifteen years of which time he was engaged successfully in the dr}- goods trade, and was five years Postmaster of Lowellville. In 1845, he married Miss Kate Butler, daughter of Mrs. Julia Alt'ord, of the city of .^lorris ; she died April 13, 1858. Before his arrival here in 1854, Mr. Davidson had invested exteusivel}' in city real estate and farming lauds of the surrounding tountr}-. The first year, he engaged in clerical work until he could arrange to go into business. lu 1855, he, in connection with Walker and Alford, established the first boot and shoe house in Morris ; he soon after bought the interest of Mr. Walker. This store was located where Goold's drug store now is, and in 1858 Mr. Davidson and his partner sold to Edwards & Galloway. Mr. Davidson was elected Alderman of the Second Ward in 1857. and in 1860 was elected Circuit Clerk, which office he held tmtil 1868, declining another term. He was married again. May 28, 1861, to a daughter of the Rev. Reuben Frame, at the time pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Morris. Our subject is now engaged as a banker and broker, being among the leading capitalists of the county. He is a Director and stockholder in the Morris Bridge Company, the Grundy County Bank, and the Morris Gas Company, and is justly regarded as one of the city's leading benefactors. He is a Republican.

PHINEAS DAVIS, retired farmer, P. O. Morris. Mr. Davis was born in Livingston County, N. Y., January 24, 1827. He came to Illinois in 1847, and settled in Kendall County, where he purchased a farm and lived for twenty-seven years. In March, 1874, he moved to Morris, Grundy County, and bought a beautiful location on the corner of Liberty and High streets. He was married, January 22, 1848, to Miss Maria L. Phipps, of New Jersey. She was born in 1822, and died January 29, 1879. The family consists of two sons - James L., born March 28, 1849, married to Elizabeth J. Boj-er ; and Uriah C, born November 15, 1851, married to Miss Nellie Cody. Our subject was married the second time, Februar3- 24, 1881, to Sallie C, Frasee, widow of Barnard Frasee. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Morris.

OLE ERICKSON, dry goods, boots and shoes, Morris, is a native of Norwaj' ; was born October 6, 1850, and came to the United States in 1866. He is a son of Erik Erickson, of Norway, born in 1803 : the latter came to the United States July 20, 1880, and settled in Minnesota as a farmer, that being his occupation ; he still resides there. His wife. Marit (Svarthaugen) Erickson. was born in Norway in 1812, and died there November 29, 1879. They were the parents of three children, one son, who is the subject of this sketch, and two daughters. Subject was eJucated at the common schools in Norwaj- ; was raised on the farm, and worked at that pursuit a short time after starting for himself, but soon went into a store. When he first came to the Unites States in 1866. he l)egan as clerk at Chicago in a groer\- store, where he continued some three j'ears ; from there he came to Morris, May 17, 1869, and started a drj' goods business with a partner. This he continued for three years, when he sold out, and again engaged as clerk, which he followed about eight years. On the 12th of November, 1880, in partnership with W. B. Hull, he opened a full store of dry goods, boots and shoes, and they are now doing a lively business. Mr. Erickson was married in Morris, September 10, 1871, to Mary M., daughter of William Frey, of this place ; she was born November 23, 1851. They have two children, one daughter, Anna M., born November 1, 1872 ; and one son, Albert E., born March 19, 1875. Subject is a Lutheran, and his wife a Methodist. Mr. Erickson has been Town and City Collector for two years. He is a Republican.

DR. S. T. FERGUSON, Morris, was born in Auburn, N. Y., March 7, 1845, and came to Grundy County in 1854 ; son of Daniel Ferguson, who was also a native of New York ; of Scotch parentage, born about the year 1800 ; was a blacksmith by occupation, and died of cholera in 1854. Immediately after his death, his wife, Parmelia Fowler, also a native of New York, born in 1802, came to Grundy Count3- with her children, and died in Morris in 1875. The parents raised five children - two sons - of whom our subject is the younger, and three daughters. Mr. Ferguson was educated at the common schools at Morris, afterward taking a medical course at Ann Arbor, Mich., and Chicago, Hi., graduating at the last-named place in the class of 1865. He began business for himself as clerk in a drug store in Morris, which he followed about seven years ; thence to Ann Arbor, where he attended the medical school one term, and then to Seneca, in La Salle County, and practiced medicine about one year ; next he went into the army, where he was Surgeon of the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Illinois

Infantry for four months. He was then appointed United States Surgeon, and sent to Topeka, Kan., where he remained about a year, including what time was spent at Lawrence. From Topeka, he came back to Morris, and engaged in the drug business ; next went to Minooka, and entered into partnership with Dr. William P. Pierce in a general practice, where he remained about thirteen years ; from there, subject again returned to Morris, and resumed the practice of his profession. He has had now nearl3- twent}- years practice. While at Minooka. Dr. Ferguson spent two winters at Chicago studj'ing g^-nccology, which he now makes a specialt3' of. Dr. Ferguson was married at Seneca, August 2, 1863, to Emma, daughter of Joseph R. Obdycke, of Grundj' County. She died April 15, 1881. The Doctor is a Mason, and has taken all the degrees, from E. A. to Knight Templar. He is a Past Master of Minooka Lodge, No. 528, and has filled different olHces in the Chapter and Commandery. Subject owns some farm lands in this and Kendall Counties. He is a Republican.

CHARLES D. FERGUSON, Sheriff, Morris, was born near Rochester, N. Y., May 31, 1839, and is a son of Daniel Ferguson, who was also a native of New York, born in 1809, a blacksmith by occupation, who came to Grundj' Countj-, III., in 1854, and purchased a tract of land, but was taken with cholera and returned to New York, and died in 1854, onl}- living about twenty -four hours after I'caching home. His wife, Amelia (Fowler) Ferguson, was born in New York in 1804, and came to Illinois in 1854, shortlj' after her husband's death, bringing her family, and settling in Morris, where she died in 1874. The parents raised two sons - subject is the oldest - and three daughters. Subject was educated in New York ; began business as a blacksmith, which he followed about twentj--five years. In the fall of 1880, he was elected Sheriff of Grundy Country, an office he now holds. He has had charge of the steam fire engine for eleven years - from 1869 to 1880. Mr. Ferguson married first in Geneseo, N. Y., April 9, 1861, to Louisa Hall, daughter of John Hall of that place. She died November 24, 1861. His second marriage was in this county, March 25, 1865, to Elizabeth A. Ent, born March 25, 1844, at Stockton. Hunterdon Co., N. J., and is an onlj' daughter of Asa Ent, of New Jersey. Tlie children are as follows : Fred C. born March 31, 1866 ; Harry M., born September 19, 1870, and Eugene Ray, born January 24, 1874.

JOSEPH FESSLER, saloon, Morris, is a native of Germany, born December 16, 1850. When our subject was'two years old, his mother emigrated to the United States, and settled in Chicago, his father having died in Germany in 1851. In 1861, Mr. Fessler went to Minooka, Grundy County, and lived there with his uncle (John Schroedor) until the fall of 1866, when Mr. Schroeder was elected Sherift'of the county, and moved to Morris, where Mr. Fessler has since lived. He was Assistant Warden at the time of the lynching of Alonzo Tibbits in 1868. December 8, 1872, he married Miss Eva Becker, of Morris. She was bora in Indiana November 25, 1852. They have three children - Carrie L., born February 14, 1875 ; Bertha M., July 5, 1878, and Ernest J., May 4. 1880. Subject engaged in the saloon business in 1873, witii Charles Wagner, which he continued until April, 1875, when he purchased the interest of Mr. Wagner, and has since conducted the business alone. His saloon is located on Libert}- street ; his residence on Jefferson street. He is a member of the I. 0. 0. F.

HIRAM C. GOOLD, druggist, Morris, III., was born in Orleans County, N. Y., October 23, 1821, but moved to Ontario County, N. Y., at three years of age, where he attended the common schools during his earl}- childhood. His education was completed at the Wesleyan University, at Lima, N. Y. When twenty years of age, he began teaching, which occupation he followed several years. Came to Illinois in 1845, and located in Putnam County, where he taught one year in the Granville Academy. Went to Michigan and taught two years, and then came to Morris, Grundy County, in 1848. Was in a dry goods store two years as clerk. Then went to California by the overland route, being 100 days on the road. Was engaged in Northern California in mining three years. Then returned to fMorris and engaged in the real estate business, and where he eventually went into the drug business. Was elected County Superintendent of Schools in 1852, and filled the office three consecutive terms or ten years, the duties of wiiich office he filled creditably to himself and to the full satisfaction of the people. He was married, at Morris, in the fall of 1853. to Clementine L. Baker, born in Genesee County, N. Y., in 1824. They have one son, Hiram B., who is his father's assistant in the drug business. Mr. Goold has been a member of the Congregational Church since seventeen years of age. Has always taken an active part in the temperance movements of the county, and was one of the charter members of the Sons of Temperance of Morris, organized in 1848. Has been a life-long worker in the Sunday school, and since his residence in Morris has been identified with the Sunday schools of that place, the principal part of the time as Superintendent of the Congregational school.

JACOB M. GRIGGS, farmer, P. 0. Morris, is a native of Pennsylvania, born April 12, 1829. He came to the site of Morris in 1837, with his father, who built the second house in the place, in 1838. The father died in Morris in April, 1849. Our subject attended the first school ever organized in Morris. He was married. January 13, 1862, to Miss Emma Cochran, daughter of Samuel Cochran, of Morris, born February 28, 1840. The family consists of seven children, viz., Sigel A., born January 25, 1863 ; Henry B., February 5, 1866 ; Helen

J., March 1, 1868 ; Minnie M., November 14, 1871 ; Birdie W., September 10, 1875 ; Archie R., June 2, 1877 ; Gracie G., November 6, 1879. Mr. Griggs has about seventy-five acres of farm land in Section 9 of Morris Township, and one hundred acres in Section IG of Saratoga Township, valued at $60 per acre. He is associated in the brick and tile business with Messrs. Martin and Steep, the firm known as Griggs, Martin & Steep. Mr. Griggs is a persistent temperance worker and a Republican.

MILES GORDON, joiner, Morris, was born in Franklin County, Me., January 22, 1820. He came to Morris in 1843, and has been a leading contractor in his line of business during all the jears of his residence here. In August, 1844. our subject was married to Miss Betsey Judkins, of Maine ; this union has been blessed with five children.

DR. A. F. HAND, Morris. The subject of this sketch may be classed among the earl}' settlers of Grund}' County, having come to Morris in the spring of 1847, and re. sided here ever since. He was born in 1816 in the town of Shoreham, Vt, on the eastern' shore of Lake Champlain, directl}' opposite Fort Tieonderoga, and within a stone's throw of where Ethan Allen embarked to cross the lake in that famous surprise of his on the British forces. At the age of eighteen, he left the home of his parents and came West, stopping for a short time at Logansport, Ind., at the residence of his half-brother, Rev. Martin Post. He next found his wa^' to Jacksonville, 111., and two years later, entered the Freshman class as a student in Illinois College, graduating in the scientific course of that institution four years afterward. We next find our subject at Louisville, JIo., where lie taught school two 3'ears, and returning to Jacksonville again, entered the medical department of Illinois College, and three years later obtained his diploma as Doctor of Medicine. He now began the practice of his profession, and spent two years with the distinguished Dr. Charles Chandler, of Chandlerville, 111. In the spring of 1847, through the influence of Hon. Perry Armstrong, subject was induced to come to Morris, where he has since resided and practiced medicine. Now, at the age of sixty, with a moderate competence in store, he has declared his intention of retiring from the active pursuit of his profession, and enjoying the fruit of his labors. Dr. Hand was married May 1, 1850, in Morris, to Sarah E. Clark, born March 17, 1827, in Philadelphia, a daughter of Job Clark, a boot and shoe merchant of Milford, Conn. They have three children - Eduella Clark, Truman A. and Oliver H. Dr. Hand is a United States Surgeon for examining pensioners. He is a Republican in polities.

C. H. HANSEN, boots and shoes, hats and caps, Morris, was born in Denmark April 1, 1851, son of Hans Christen. Subject emigrated to this couutiy in the spring of 1868 and traveled for two or three years through Southern Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and finally settled in Chicago. He began business there in 1870, in partnership with his brother, and in 1873 came to Morris and opened a store, which the brothers have continued since. In 1875, our subject took a trip to Europe, and spent six months, traveling through Germany, Denmark. Sweden and England. In the spring of 1877. he went to the Black Hills, and spent about three years, running a mine and store. Afterward, was in Montana and Wyoming Territories. He came back to Morris in the fall of 1880, and after taking a business trip back to the Territories in the spring of 1881, again returned to Morris, where he has since remained. He was married in Canada, Januaiy 25, 1882, to Susan E. Mason, who was born in Canada in 1861. Subject is a member of the Knights of Pythias ; has a good stock of goods and a satisfactory trade. R. H. Hansen, brother of our subject, was born in Denmark March 5, 1848, and came to this country in 1867. After traveling for some time, he finall}- settler! and spent one summer in Minnesota. From there, he came to Cook County, III., where he was on a farm for some time. He next engaged as clerk at Chicago in a boot and shoe store, where he remained till 1870, and then started a store in that oitj^ for himself. This he conducted for six years, and in 1874, opened a branch store in Morris. In 187(5, he gave up the store entirely in Chicago and came to this place. He is non-partisan in politics.