Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1885 (part 14 of 31)

The date of Mr. Keleher's arrival in Western Township was April 7, 1856. On the 19th of January, 1863, in the city of Rock Island, he was married to Miss Ellen Curren, who was born in County Donegal, Ireland, and, like her husband, came across the Atlantic to America alone. This journey was made in 185 1, when she was quite young. She stopped at Philadelphia for a time, when she came West and resided at Cambridge, this county, with her brother Bernard, who lived at that place. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Keleher four children, whom they have christened as follows : Mary A., Ellen B., Daniel C. and Lizzie. All have received an excellent education in the pub-" lie schools of Henry County.

20 acres of Mr. Lloyd, his old employer. This was located on section 27. He has subsequently sold this back to its former owner and purchased 40 acres on section 14. This piece of land was at the time an unbroken prairie, Mr. K. being the first to undertake the development of this township. He has been eminently successful, and now owns 499 acres on sections 14, 23 and 24. All of this extensive tract he now has under the plow and otherwise well improved. He is looked upon as one of the most successful and progressive farmers of the county, and has won by his own unaided efforts the honorable name he now bears, and not only has he been prosperous himself, but has been of sterling worth to his community and the county. He has been actively engaged in the development of the public-school system in this county, and is especially devoted to the education of his children. Both he and his wife are members of the Catholic Church.

illiam L. Neuman. Prominent among the well-to-do farmers of Weller Township is the subject of the following personal narrative. He resides on section 6 where he owns an excellent farm of 200 acres. He was born in Germany, Jan. 23, 1823. There he received his education, and passed the first 20 years of his life. He then went to England, where he remained for six years, when, feeling that superior advantages were offered to young men in America, he set sail, and was soon put ashore to breathe the fresh air offered by the government of tnis country. Without any delay he made his way westward, and found a desirable location in Henry County, where he has since lived, taking an active and prominent part in the affairs of his community. He has served in some of the minor offices, and in politics claims to be a liberal Democrat. Mr. N. is a member of the German Lutheran Church, while his wife is a member of the Christian Union.

While a resident of London, Mr. Neuman was married to Jane Ekot, who bore him four children, - Mary A., William, Charles and Hugo. Mrs. N. accompanied him to America, and died at their home in Weller Township. He was subsequently married in Weller to Caroline Hoare, who was also a native of England. Before her demise she became the mother of five children, - Lena J., Sophia M., Fred S., Frank H. and Anna L. Mr. Neuman was married the third time Oct. 26, 1873, in Weller Township, to Kate Moody. She is a native of Morrow Co., Ohio, and was born July 8, 1827. Of Mr. N.'s children the following record is given: Lena is the wife of Wm. Munhall, of Rock Island County ; Sophia M , the wife of Edward Mahaffey, of Clover Township ; Fred and Frank live in Weller Township.

umner M. Harrington, a general farmer on section 1, Andover Township, was born in Joliet, 111., March 25, r84i. His father, Mark T. Harrington, was a native of Ontario, Can., of German descent, a farmer, and married Miss Lucy Mott, a native of Vermont and of New England ancestry. After their marriage they resided in Vermont for a time and emigrated to Joliet, this State, in 1840, where they lived 18 years; they then came to Geneseo, this county, where Mrs. H. died, March, T872. Mr. H. is yet living and resides with his daughter, Mrs. Lydia Smith, at Geneseo. They had eight children, seven of whom are yet living. There were four sons and four daughters.

Sumner M., the youngest but one in the above family, was educated in the public schools of Joliet; when 17 years old he came to Geneseo, and when 20 years old he enlisted in the war for the cause of the Union. June ro, 1861, he became a member of Co. H, 19th Regt 111. Vol. Inf., commanded by Capt. Garrett, now deceased. His regiment was attached to the Army of the Cumberland, and participated in the battles of Stone River, Mission Ridge, Peach-Tree Creek, and in the campaign to Atlanta, where Mr. Harrington was honorably discharged, July 18, 1864, at the expiration of his term of service. Dec. 31, 1863, he was slightly wounded at Stone River by a gunshot in his left side.

Returning to Geneseo, he was soon afterward married, in Sandwich, DeKalb Co., 111., Sept. 30, 1866, to Miss Cornelia Patty, daughter of Aaron and Mary W. (Ward) Patty, natives of New Jersey, and of New England and Holland-Dutch descent. Her parents

Mrs. Harrington was the eldest of a family of seven children, .was born in Tompkins County, Dec. 24, 1841, and was but two years old when her parents emigrated with their family to this State. She was educated in Newark, Big Grove, Kendall County, and from the age of 18 years until she was 24, the time of her marriage, she taught school. She is now the mother of three children : Albert E., who was born Sept. 20, 1869; Fay M., Nov. 27, 1874, and Harry L., July 1, 1880.

After his marriage, Mr. Harrington settled upon the farm in LaSalle Co., 111., and in 1869 moved to this county, renting a farm in the township of Munson one year, and afterward a year in Cambridge. In 187 1 he purchased 92 acres on section 1, Andover Township, where he has since resided.. He has made considerable improvements upon his place, and lias shown himself to be an enterprising and progressive farmer. All his land is cultivated, including 78 acres in Osco Township, adjoining his homestead.

In his political \iews Mr. H. was formerly a Republican, but is now independent. He and his wife are members of the Bapiist Church at Cambridge.

rs. Mary J. Van Landschoot is engaged in the business of a merchant in the village 1 of Atkinson. She was born in Indiana, in 1848. She became the wife of Ambrose Bernard Van Landschoot, April 7, 1869. He was a native of Belgium and was born March 6, 1821. He died Nov. 1, 1883, of inflammatory rheumatism. At the time of his death he was engaged in the management of the business which has been continued by his widow since his demise. He contracted the disease which was the final cause of his death while a soldier in the Union service. He was a soldier for four years, and during that period was several times confined in the hospital by the same disorder.

He was not only a graduate of the highest institution of learning in Belgium, the College of Ste. Neclonis,but he was also especially well read in history and versed in the Belgic, English, French, Greek and Latin languages.

Mrs. Van Landschoot is the daughter of John Verner Vincent and Anna Catharine (Hall) Holliet. Her father was born in Hanover, Germany, Feb. 15, 1818. The wife and mother was born in the same country, Dec. 17, 1812, and died Dec. 7, 1882, at Geneseo, 111. Their marriage occurred in Richmond, Ind., Feb. 13, 1839, and they were the parents of eight children, viz.: Mary C, Lucinda S., James G., Mary Jane, Mary Josephine, Henry, Eliza and Maria Theresa. Mrs. Van Landschoot is a Catholic in religious belief, as were also all the family except her mother, who was a Lutheran.

fllESI: Swedes residing in Henry County, the sub- W^ ject of this sketch is prominent. He is an J extensive farmer and stock-raiser, living on the north half of section 25, Western Township. He was born in the parish of Hasela, in Gefleborgs Lan, Aug. 10, 1839. His father, Erick, was a native of the same State, and by occupation a farmer. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of a Swedish farmer, and to them were born nine children, Peter being the youngest. Four of the number are still living. Andrew H., a resident of Sweden, is a brother. He was formerly a custom-house officer, but is now on the retired list, and is pensioned by the Swedish Government. Jonas is a successful farmer of Lynn Township, this county ; Mrs. Margaret Stolt is a sister and resides in Crawford Co., Iowa; Erick resides in Osco Township.

Peter Westerlund was educated in America, being only n years of age when his parents came to our shores. While they were on their voyage across the Atlantic, the mother and youngest daughter died, and their bodies were consigned to the deep. The father and the five remaining children came to Andover, this county, arriving here in November, 1850, experiencing many hardships on the route. After their arrival here, Peter's father hired him out to a farmer near Galesburg, for four years, but at the end of two years, he left his place and returned home. On the 17th of February, 1863, in Andover Township, he was married to Miss Elnora C. S. Hultman, who was born in Sweden, and came to America alone, then nineteen years of age. The five children born to them are named in the following record : Oscar William is the cashier in the bank of Orion ; John A., Melinda, Luther R., and Peter E. reside at home.

In 1865, Mr. W. purchased his first 80 acres of land, on section 25, being a part of his present farm ; since then he has increased its borders, until it now includes an entire half section, which is all admirably improved. He is not only one of the successful farmers of the township, but ranks among the leading agriculturists of the county. The land, when he first began to work upon it, was in its native wildness, but by hard labor and a watchful care and shrewd management, he has developed it to a high state. The family are members of the Lutheran Evangelical Church, of which Mr. W. is Trustee ; and he has held all the other offices of the society. He has also held some of the township offices.

ames Greenlee, deceased, was a pioneer of f Henry County, in 1856. He was born in Rockbridge Co., Va., April r4, 1813. His parents were members of the agricultural class, and he was reared on the farm of his father there and in Ohio, whither the family removed while he was still in early youth. He was a resident of the Buckeye State until the year named as that in which he came to Illinois, and which was that in which he located in Henry County. He settled in the township of Munson, where he became the owner of an entire section of land, and which is still included in his undivided estate, with the exception of one " 40."

He was married Aug 22, 1867, in Munson Township, to Gustafva L., daughter of Swan Walin. She was born in Sweden, and came to the United States in 1866.

Mr. Greenlee died March 29, 1884. He was a Republican in political sentiment, and was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He was a prominent citizen as an agriculturist, and so ordered his life that he was the recipient of the esteem and respect of his fellow-men.

ewis Shearer. One of the well known and prominent men of the county, as well as one of the large land owners, is Mr. Lewis Shearer, of Cornwall Township, whose portrait is given upon the opposite page. He is a son of James Shearer, a native of Saratoga County, N. Y., where Lewis was born, Oct. 16, i8r7. He" continued to reside with his parents, attending school and working on the farm, until he reached his majority.

When he was 17 years of age the family moved from Eastern New York and located in Livingston County, same State, where Lewis remained until he was about 22 years of age. He then concluded to move still further West, and came to Tippecanoe County, Ind., and settled near the famous battle-ground where General Harrison routed Tecumseh. While living here he married Miss Permelia Burget, March 14, 1843. He remained in Indiana until Nov. 22, r85o, when he came to Henry County. During the following March he bought 320 acres of land where he now resides, on section 18, of Cornwall Township, and on the 2 2d day of that month moved upon the farm. Though no favorable circumstances surrounded him at the beginning of his business career, he has so managed that to-day he is the owner of 694 acres of good farming land, and is one of the most influential and highly respected citizens of this part of the county. His land is beautifully located and is watered by spring creeks which run almost through the center of his farm north and south. Upon his home farm he has erected a splendid two-story brick dwelling and has good equipments for carrying on mixed farming.

Mr. Shearer has taken more than ordinary prominence in the local affairs of his township, and has been brought into considerable notice as a publicspirited citizen and one of safe and sound judgment in the general affairs of the county. He was the first Supervisor elected from Cornwall, and for 18 years since, has represented that district in the Board of Supervisors. ' He has also served as Town Treasurer for nine years In his political affiliations he is connected with the Republican party. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian Church. They are the parents of six children, as follows : Sarah, Mary Ann, Norman and Lewis R., are living. Bruce, who was killed by the fall of a horse in July, T867, and Albert J., who died in 1872.

'sel H. Talcott, deceased, was an early settler in Henry County and a pioneer of the State of Illinois. He was a native of the State of New York, and was 35 years of age when he came, in 1839, to Rock Island County, from northern Ohio, whither he had removed in 1828. In 1844, he removed to Rock River, and four years later he established " Talcott 's Ferry," in the township of Zuma, which he conducted from that side of the river until 1857, when he crossed the river into Hanna Township. He was a resident there about 20 years, his death occurring Feb. 9, 1876.

He was born in Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N. Y., March 15, 1804. The family of which he was a descendant was prominent in New England, where his immediate ancestors originated and whence his father removed to the Empire State.

Mr. Talcott was married to Jane M. Thayer, at Rome, in Herkimer County, Aug. 15, 1823. They went to the State of Ohio to seek wider privileges in a new region, and in May, 1839, located, as has been stated, in the township of Hampton, in Rock Island County. In 1844 he bought a farm in Zuma Township and became prominent in his relations to the community of the county through the interest he took in the development and progress of the affairs of Western Illinois. He was given to experiments in agriculture, and his fruit orchard was a model in variety and was a proof of the possibilities in that line on the course of the river. After his removal to Henry County he was the same in his interest in the general welfare. He served as Justice of the Peace a number of years. Up to the time of his death his habits were those of an industrious and useful citizen. He was a man of most correct morals and was

His first wife, to whom he was married in the State of New York, bore him five children. Dr. Edwin Talcott, a practicing physician of Spring Hill, Whiteside County, is the oldest ; Electa is deceased ; Dexter is a resident of Sharon, 111. ; Catherine is the widow of M. A. Stickney and lives at Greenfield, Iowa. Mrs. Jane M. Talcott died in Hampton, in April, 1841. Mr. Talcott was married, at Rock Island, Dec. 3, 1841, to Mrs. Minerva Newton. She was the widow of William Newton and was in maiden life Miss Shaw. She was born in the vicinity of Stockholm, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. By her first marriage she was the mother of a son, - Horatio, who died when eight years old. To Mr. Talcott she bore three children : William H. married Martha Edwards and is a resident of the State of Nebraska ; Lucy is the wife of Henry L. Angell, of Geneseo, who is represented in this work; Mary M. is the wife of F. R. Timmerman, of Spring Hill, Whiteside Co., 111.

euben McFarland, general farmer and stock-raiser, section r, Andover Township was born in Coshocton Co., Ohio, Oct. 15, 1826. His father, John, Ja farmer, and his mother, nee Hannah Fowles, were natives of Pennsylvania, and were married at Mifflin, Lancaster Co., Pa. After the birth of one child, - Elizabeth, now deceased, - they removed to Ohio, and resided there until T853, when the family, then consisting of three children, emigrated westward.

Two sons came to this county and settled at Cambridge, but Reuben, who had previously married, went to Louisa Co., Iowa, and located near Black Hawk. After a short residence there, he came here and purchased a house and lot in Cambridge, and for a year followed the trade of carpenter, which he had learned when a young man, in Holmes Co., Ohio. The first farm owned by Mr. McFarland was a tract of 80 acres in Osco Township, this county, which he purchased about 1856. After following farming there until r88r, he sold out and settled /[> upon a farm of 78 acres where he at present resides, and which he had bought; before his'removal there.

He is a progressive, enterprising and industrious agriculturist. In his politics he is decisively indentified with the Democratic party, is influential in his political opinions, and as a citizen every way. He and his family are zealous members of the Christian Church.

Mr. McFarland celebrated his marriage in Holmes Co., Ohio, to which place his parents had moved when he was but a boy. Dec. 20, 1849, he wedded Miss Sarah Sheldon, who was born Feb. 18, 1830, at Zanesville, Ohio. Her father, Thomas Sheldon, was a native of the State of New York, and his mother, nee Huldah Tharp, was born in New Jersey. Her parents were married in the latter State, and afterward settled on a farm in Holmes Co., Ohio, where her mother died in 1854; and her father died in Hardin Co., Iowa, in 1872. Mr. and Mrs. McF. have had 14 children, half of whom are now dead. The living are John E. (married), William I., Thomas, Reuben E., Emery W., Hayden and Herbert L. William and Thomas completed their education at the commercial schools at Davenport, la. The names of the deceased are Loretta, Flora R., Hannah, Sarah (who died after her marriage), Frank, Minnie B. and Burtie.

illiam G. Hawkins, a retired farmer and dealer in stoGk at Geneseo, was born in Providence Co., R. I., Dec. 15, 1827. His parents, Stephen and Abbie (Walden) Hawkins, are natives of the same State and are still living, aged respectively 93 and 85. The families of both are remarkable for tenacity of life.

Mr. Hawkins was reared to manhood and to an age when he entered upon the course of active business life, in his native town, and he became interested in the dairy line of farming. He was married there to Mercy M. Wilcox. She is the daughter of parents who were both born in that State, and were of English extraction by birth. Their names were John and Sarah (Whitford) Wilcox.

In March, 1859, Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins came to Illinois and located in McLean County. There Mr. Hawkins engaged extensively in agriculture until 1866, the year of his removal to Henry County. During their residence there one child was born to them, who died in infancy. He was named Byron. Mr. Hawkins has extended his agricultural relations until he is the owner of three farms in Champaign County, which comprise 600 acres, all being under advanced cultivation. He has besides 160 acres of valuable land in Lancaster County, near the city of Lincoln, Neb. Since his removal to Geneseo, he has conducted a prosperous business in the sale of agricultural implements and in traffic in stock.

In the early days of his political connection, he was a Whig, but he cherished Free-Soil principles and became a Republican when that party was organized. He has filled the office of Alderman at Geneseo two years.

yron H. Dilenbeck, a farmer of Edford Township, has been a resident of Henry County since 1855, a period of exactly 30 years. He is a prosperous farmer and a useful citizen. He was born in Le Ray, Jefferson Co., N. Y., March 6, 1840, and is the second son of Abraham and Barbara (Petre) Dilenbeck. He passed his youth after the manner in which the children of farmers commonly do, attending school and in rendering such assistance as he could on the farm. The family came to Henry County in 1855, and he was an inmate of the paternal home until he became the head of a household himself.

His marriage to Sarah C. Spickler took place in January, 1864. She was born in the city of Lancaster, Pa., April 26, 1843. After their marriage they located on the old homestead, which was situated on the southwest quarter of section 15, in Edford Township. A few weeks later Mr. Dilenbeck sold his family estate and bought the northeast quarter of section 23, which he owned and occupied until 1878. In that year he again sold and purchased the southeast quarter of the same section, on which he lived until 1 88 1. He then rented the place and bought a home in the city of Geneseo. He removed there in the same year and was a resident for three years. In 1884 he returned to the farm, and has since continued its management. The place is in creditable condition and well supplied with farm appurtenances.

United States in the first year of the Civil War. He enlisted in Co. I, 112th Reg. 111. Vol. Inf., and was in the field about nine months. At the end of that time he was discharged on account of disability and returned to his home.

To him and his wife three children have been born, who are named Albert C, Elvine F. and Minnie V. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

eonard Sieben, Assessor of Phenix Township, is a resident on section 28, of the same township. He was born in Hesse- ~j£ Darmstadt, Germany, Feb. 15, 1844. His pa- 1 ^ rents, Joseph and Aboline Sieben, were also born { in the same part of "Das Faderland." In 1852 the family removed to the United States, and the father made a location at first in Whiteside County. There they lived as renters until the death of the father. That event occurred Jan. 1, 1859. The death of the mother took place in Chicago a few months after coming to this country. Joseph Sieben was married again after the death of his first wife, and of the second marriage there was one child born. The first wife was the mother of seven children, all of whom are now living and are located as follows : John, the oldest, is a citizen of Loraine Township; Teresa is the wife of Henry H. Hamman, of Osco Township; Valentine is represented by a sketch in another part of this volume ; Margaret is the wife of George Arnett, of whom a biographical notice is given elsewhere; Leonard is the next in order of birth; Henry lives in Montana; Jacob also resides in that Territory.

Mr. Sieben was a lad of T3 when his father died, and he was under the necessity of undertaking the settlement of the question of taking care of himself without aid, either in the merits of the problem or in the fact that presented itself with convincing force. He first obtained employment as a farm assistant in the vicinity where he had lived, but he was occupied there only a brief period. In 1864 he set out for the territories, and he went to that part of Idaho which I is now named Montana. In company with three others he made the journey to the distant West overland, and they traveled there in three months and seven days, landing at Virginia City.

He was first employed as a teamster and followed that occupation until the spring of 1866. He then bought a team and engaged in freighting goods between Fort Benton and Virginia City, to the city of Helena and to other towns in the interior which were then the sites of the mining camps. He operated in that line of business until the spring of 1870, when he went to Utah and there bought a herd of young cattle which he drove to Montana to sell. He devoted three years to the prosecution of that business and at the end of that time he settled in Meagher County, in Montana Territory, where he lived on a stock ranch until the fall of 1879. He then sold out and returned to the East, and soon after, in January, 1880, he bought a farm on section 28 in Phenix Township. This has since' been his home and his field of operation as a farmer. He has improved the place and all its appurtenances and has one of the most desirable places in the township. Mr. Sieben affords a good illustration of what a life devoted to worthy effort may bring forth. With nothing to aid him but a determination to make good use of his time in taking advantage of the opportunities afforded in a free land, where his privileges were not restricted beyond those of any other class, he has made his way to a position, not only of comfort and ease, but to one of confidence and trust in the gift of his fellow-citizens. He was elected to the office of Assessor in 1884.

April 9, 1878, he was married to Sarah, daughter of Henry and Susan (Henney) Hines. She was born in the township where she now lives. To her and her husband four children have been born, and they are named as follows : Olive, Sylvia, Ira and Erie.

two years, to the States. His father was born in the Stat-i of New York, Jan. 31, 1826, and went to Canada when but a child. He was there engaged in the business of farming, and was married in 1848. The lady who became his wife was also a native of the Empire State. They had three children : Maria E. was born in 1850; the subject of this sketch is the second child in order of birth; George P. was born in August, i860.

The family came to Henry County in 1855, and Dr. Adams commenced the acquisition of his elementary education in the common schools of the place where his parents settled. He passed the intervals of school in farm labor. In 1873 he was sent to the college located in the town of Abingdon, 111. He began teaching in 1872, and taught only winters during the period of eight years, meanwhile obtaining a slight knowledge of the principles of his profession by desultory reading. About 1880 he entered Rush Medical College at Chicago, where he passed three years in study. On the completion of his course he settled at Atkinson, and began the practice of the business for which he had fitted himself. He is the owner of an excellent library and has a good office. He is an adherent of the school of allopathy, and is sure to obtain prominence as a physician. He is a Republican in his political sentiments.

The marriage of Dr. Adams to Jennie M. Holliday occurred Dec. 26, 1877. They were married in Mercer Co., 111. Mrs. Adams is a native of Illinois. They are still childless.

'oseph Hammond, of Geneseo, became a prominent resident of Henry County in 1856. He made his first acquaintance with Western Illinois in 1854, when he came iC to this county and, associated with his brother, he bought 1,800 acres of land within its limits. The railroad was completed to the place that year, and the outlook of the adjacent region was favorable to business projects. On the incorporation of Geneseo, he was made one of its first Board of Aldermen, and he was the second Mayor, serving consecutively three years. He has since officiated as Alderman several terms. He acted in the capacity of Chair- man of the Board of Village Trustees two years before the organization of the city. He has also been active in school affairs and has been School Trustee several years.

Mr. Hammond was born July 9, 18 12, in Wardsboro, Windham Co., Vt., and is the son of Peter and Charlotte (Holbrook) Hammond. His father was in some respects the most remarkable individual in the history of Geneseo, and a detailed sketch of him has been placed on permanent record on these pages.

Mr. Hammond was a millwright and machinist in his native State, and afier he came to Geneseo he devoted himself to the pursuit of a gunsmith. At that date an artisan of that craft was in demand for obvious reasons, and he made his business successful and prosperous.

His marriage to Polly Converse took place at Wardsboro, Vt., Jan. 23, 1834. Mrs. Hammond is the daughter of Joseph Converse, and she was born at Palmer, Mass. John Hammond, the only child born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, is a citizen of Geneseo. The parents are Unitarians in religious views.

Hr. Hammond was in the days of his early political preference a Henry Clay Whig, but on the establishment of the Republican party he joined its ranks and has since been a faithful adherent of that element and aided as he could in support of its issues. He is a member of the Order of Masonry.

acob Jacobson, deceased, formerly a resi- " dent of Weller Township, this county, was a native of Sweden, in which country he was born March 18, 1817. Mr. Jacobson spent his life on a farm in his native country until he attained the age of 29 years. He emigrated to this land of golden opportunity in 1846, and came directly to this county, locating at Bishop Hill. They came to the latter place from Chicago with teams, the women of the company riding, Mr. J. walking the entire distance. A Swedish colony was located at the place named, which Mr. Jacobson and family joined, and with whom they remained until its dissolution. Mr. Jacobson then engaged in general mercantile business with Swan Swanson,

In 1872 Mr. Jacobson was stricken with paralysis, from which he never fully recovered. He owned about 300 acres of land at the time of his death, the major portion of which was in an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Jacobson's marriage occurred at Bishop Hill, this county, July 29, 1848, and the lady chosen as his helpmeet through life was Miss Helena Peterson, a native of Sweden, who came to this county and located at Bishop Hill at the same time Mr. Jacobson did. Their union was blessed with four children, only one of whom survived, - Jacob Jacobson, Jr. The demise of the three others occurred in infancy.

Mr. Jacobson was a member of the Methodist Church, of which denomination his wife is also a member. Politically, Mr. J. affiliates with the Republican party. He was Supervisor of his township, also Constable, and held other minor offices. His death occurred Dec. 15, T883. His wife survives him, and resides on Weller Township.

esse Bolles, a manufacturer of boots and f shoes at Orion and a Trustee of the village, was born in Thompson, Windham Co., Conn. His father, Dan Bolles, was a native of the same township, of New England ancestry and parentage, and of English descent. Jesse's grandfather, same name, was a native also of the " land of steady habits," was a shoemaker by vocation, and married, in that State, Hannah Nichols, a native of New England. They were considerably advanced in life when they settled in Thompson, Conn., where they passed the remainder of their days ; the grandfather died at the age of 87 years, and the grandmother some years previous, at about the same age. The former had occupied the position of Steward at Brown University, in Providence, R. I., and he also was for a time a resident of Woodstock, Conn.

Mr. Dan Bolles spent his early life at home, and later became a trader in shoes, etc., carrying his goods to the South and selling them to slave-owners. For a short time he was a soldier in the War of 181 2, being located at New London, Conn. His brother was for some years a professor in an institution of learning at Charleston, S. C. ' Dan was married in Thompson, Conn., to Pamelia Comins, who was a native of the same county, of New England parentage and ancestry. She died in her native county when about 37 years old, of consumption, and he died when a little more than 70 years old, at Cleveland, Ohio.

Jesse, whose name heads this biography, is the eldest in a family of three children, the other two being George, who was a sailor and was lost at sea by being blown off the yard arm of the ship " Boy " as it was passing around Cape Horn, S. A., and John L., also a sailor, and probably yet living.

Jesse resided at home, attending the public schools until he was about 16 years of age, when he began to learn the trade of shoemaker under the instructions and guidance of Alpheus Brown, of Thompson. After serving nearly three years he was married, and two years afterward he went to Providence and there followed his trade successfully from 1835 to 1852; he then emigrated to the wide West, reached La Salle, 111., by railroad and canal-boat, and then started across the country in a " prairie schooner," arriving at Rock Island city, where they made a settlement. Mr. B. followed his trade at that place for some time, when he crosse the river to Davenport, where he worked at shoemaking until 1869, when he returned to Rock Island and made his home there until 1875. At that time he came to Orion, this county, and established a shop for the manufacture of shoes, which he has since continued, and has proven to be an honorable and much respected citizen of that place. Much of the time since he came West he served as foreman in the larger shops where he worked.

Mr. Bolles was married at Thompson, Oct. 7, 1833, to Miss Lucinda N. Stanley, who was born in Windham Co., Conn., March 30, 1815. She was the daughter of a Connecticut carpenter, and both her parents died in Massachusetts after her marriage. The family consists of three children, viz. : Elizabeth P., wife of Thomas Duncan, now of Republican City, Neb., and the mother of five children : LeonoraB.,William E., Jessie B., James and Fred. Jessie was fatally scalded; Edgar married Mary E. Watson, and resides at Chicago; William A. married, Sept. 30, 1869, at Davenport, Iowa, Miss Mary A. Salisbury, who was born in Preston, Lancashire, Eng., Feb. 9, 1848, and came with her parents to the United States when a girl 12 years of age. Her father was a tailor by occupation, and located in Davenport, but now resides at Afton, Union Co., Iowa. Mrs. B., is the mother of one child, Nellie A., who was born April 29, 1871. William A. Bolles, who is at present the editor of the Orion Times, served an apprenticeship at Davenport on a paper published in that city. He followed his trade in that city until 1873, being n years since he began as an apprentice. At that date he went to Burlington, where he was engaged on the Hawkeye for five years as assistant foreman. In 1877 he came to Orion for the purpose of establishing a paper; but, one having been previously started by A. H. Chaffee, called the Orion Videite, he connected himself with it for a short time ; then, in company with his nephew, Nelson J. Ludi, he purchased the paper from Mr. Chaffee and changed its name to the Orion Times. For a time after the purchase and while Mr. Bolles was connected with the Hawkeye, it was run by Mr. Ludi, also during the time of his connection with the Peoria Transcript. In 1883 Mr. Bolles became sole proprietor and editor of the journal. He has since placed the Times on a sound financial basis, and has been reasonably successful. It has a good circulation, both at home and in the West, and enjoys a fair advertising patronage. The paper is purely independent in sentiment, although Mr. Bolles is a Democratic of the first water. It is just such a sheet as every person who has an interest in the community should patronize.

j^orace W. Moses, proprietor of the Maple City Creamery, and also a dealer in produce at that place, has been a citizen of the county since 1869. He was born in Cumberland Co., Me., Oct. 15, 1839. He is the son of William and Adeline (Harman) Moses. He was reared to the estate of manhood in his native State, and on entering into active life interested himself in the purchase and sale of produce in the city of Portland in that State. He continued in business there until his removal to Illinois. In the fall of the same year he began buying poultry, and within the first year his sales amounted to tons. Its present estimate is about 90 tons yearly, in the single article of dressed poultry. The aggregate of his business, which is transacted principally in Henry County, is estimated at an average of 425 tons. His principal point of shipment is Boston. His sales amount yearly to about $125,000. Mr. Moses is associated in business with William Rideout, of Chemung, Iowa. In addition to the business of his creamery and that connected with the purchase and sale of produce, he was formerly interested in the manufacture and sale of wooden ware, but he sold his business in that line in 1872.

The Maple City Creamery was established at Geneseo in 1879, and was the first institution of the kind in Henry County. Mr. Moses was its founder, and he transacted' its relations singly until 1883, when he admitted J. F. Dearborn as a partner. The firm style is Moses & Dearborn. The establishment turns out a yearly product of 125,000 pounds of butter annually.

The marriage of Mr. Moses to Nellie Nelson took place at Portland, Me., Jan. 31, 1870. Mrs. Moses was born in Boston, and is the daughter of Samuel Nelson. Their children, three in number, are named Howard N, Harry S. and Drusilla A. Mr. Moses is a Prohibitionist in his principles of social economy. His wife is connected with the Baptist Church in membership.

ohn Owen, of the firm of Owen & Johnson, general dealers in merchandise at Orion, is a son of Morris and Catharine Owen, the ftther being a native of Wales. The father emigrated to America when he was 24 years of age, locating in Indiana Co., Pa., where he was united in marriage to Catharine Ashcroft. They followed the occupation of farming, and were enterprising and well respected citizens in the community in which they resided. Of their union were born n children, of whom our subject was eighth in order of birth.

John, whose name heads this article, remained under the parental roof-tree until he reached his 21st year, in the meantime having received his education in the public schools of his native county. After he arrived at his majority, he followed the trade of a carpenter, which he learned under no special apprenticeship. He came to Illinois in 1854, locating at Orion, and engaged to work at his trade. In 1857 he removed to Missouri, where he resided at the breaking out of the Rebellion. He enlisted in the 1 8th Mo. Vol. Inf., Oct. 2, i86r ; was captured Sept. T4, 1863, and taken to Richmond, Va. ; served six months in prison ; was exchanged March 21,1864, and joined his regiment at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., and was finally mustered out at Savannah, Ga., Dec 25, 1864. He then came back to Orion, in 1865.

In 1867 he estab'ished his present business as general merchant, operating it for some lime on his own account, but in T882 formed a partnership, taking his present partner in the business. Mr. Owen is the possessor of considerable property, located in the village, besides his store.

H. Long, practicing physician and surgeon, residing at Oiion, is a son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Long) Long, natives of Indiana Co., Pa , and of German and Scotch extraction. The grandfather of Dr. Long, William Long by name, is yet a resident of Indiana" Pa., being 94 years of age. He was born in Bedford County, that State. His wife, grandmother of our subject, was a Stanley, and came from Stanley's Green, Scotland. She was the daughter of an old Scotch silk manufacturer, and emigrated to this country when quite young, and died in Indiana County, in the winter of 1863. The parents of the subject of this article always resided in Indiana County, where the mother died March 16, 1884. The father is still a resident of the old homestead in that county, and is about 69 years of age. He has been during his life one of the prominent farmers of that county, and one of her honored and respected citizens.

Dr. Long, subject of this biographical notice, was reared on his father's farm in Indiana Co., Pa., alternating his labors thereon by attending the district schools, and the academy at Pine Flat, that county, and securing a good preparatory education previous to entering medical college. He remained at the parental home until he attained the age of 23 years, when, having received a good education as stated, he entered the office of Dr. Thomas Mc- Mullen, of Greenville, his native county, to study under his instructions for the practice of medicine. In the winter of T865-6, he entered the Medical Department of the State University at Ann Arbor, Mich. After six months' study at that place, he, late in the spring of 1866, came to Morn'stown, this county, and entered upon the practice of his profession at that place. In the following fall, 1867, he entered the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, where, March 5, r868, he graduated with honors. On receiving his diploma, he at once returned to Morristown, where he resumed his practice, which he continued at that place until the fall of r869. Nov. 15, of that year, he came to Orion and entered upon the active practice of his profession. Since that date he has continued to practice at Orion, and by carefully diagnosing his cases, and prompt and skillful attention to the same, he has established a good and increasing practice. He owns two village lots in the city, together with a good residence and office on Bank Street. The Doctor is also the proprietor of a farm of 200 acres of improved land, located on section 22, Western Township.

Dr. Long entered the state of matrimony May 5, 1868, at Swedona, Mercer County, this State, wedding Miss Mary L., the accomplished daughter of Edwin and Lucina (Chapin) Jordan, formerly of Vermont and Maine, and of New England parentage. Her parents settled in Wisconsin, where her father followed the vocation of a farmer in Green, Lake County, and where Mrs. Long was born, March 22, 1849. Her father was a native of Bangor, Me., and both parents are deceased. Mrs.~Long came to Rock Island County, and received a good education in the public schools. She is the mother of four children by Dr. Long, - Judson H., born Feb. 15, 1870; Mabel L., Oct. 4, 1872 ; Edwin L. and Edgar H. (twins), born July 31, r878. Dr. Long is a member of the A. F. & A. M., and also the I. O. O. F. He is Treasurer of the Masonic Lodge, No. 535, lolated at Orion, and is also President of the Board of Health of the village of Orion. He and his wife are members of the First Baptist Church. Politically, Dr. Long is a believer in, and a successful advocate of, the principles adopted by the Republican party.

eander Woodruff, who is engaged in agricultural pursuits and the raising of live stock on section 1, Andover Township, is a son of Amos Woodruff, who was a native of New Jersey, of New England parentage, and emigrated to Knox County, Ohio, and was married in 1837 to Miss Mary E. While, a native of Pennsylvania and of Pennsylvania-German ancestry* He died in 1841, and his widow in 1854 married Ira Parker, and in 1852 emigrated West, settling in Burns Township, this county, where she died March 13, 1855, aged about 37 years, and where Mr. Parker is still living, a prominent farmer.

Mr. Woodruff, whose name heads this biographical sketch, was born June 14, 1839, in Knox County, Ohio, and after the death of his father he continued to live with his mother until her death in this county, as above mentioned. He is the elder of two chil dren by his mother's first marriage. He then set out in the world to earn his livelihood and take charge of his own interests. He commenced as a general laborer and was thus engaged until he enlisted in the war for the cause of the Union. He became a member of Co. D, ri2th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., under Capt. A. A. Dunn, of Cambridge, Aug. 9, 1862. He at once went to the front, and during his term of service he participated in the battle of Knoxville and in the Tennessee campaign. He escaped being wounded or taken prisoner and was honorably discharged at the close of the war and after the expiration of his term of service, of nearly three years, June 20, 1865, at Greensborough, N. C.

Returning to this county, -he at once began farming, in which pursuit he has been successfully engaged. He lived in Burns Township until 1877, when he moved upon a farm of 300 acres on section 2, Andover Township, and after five years' residence there he removed to section 1, upon the Rockwell farm, where he is now a resident.

Aug. 14, 1862, five days after he enlisted in the war, Mr. Woodruff was united in matrimony, in Burns Township, this county, with Miss Rebecca M. Rishel, who was born in Light Street, Columbia Co., Pa., May 30, 1845, the daughter of a dentist by the name of Jacob Rishel. The latter married Sarah A. Kester, who now resides near Cambridge, this county. S^pC Qy^fift

Mrs. R. lived with her parents in her native Slate until 16 years old, when she came with them to Burns Township, above mentioned, where she resided until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. W. are the parents of two children, namely: Eva L., born Aug. 13, 1868, and Albert Burtis, born Aug. 28, 1872, died June 8, 1874.

John C. Woodruff, brother of the above, was killed at Jackson, Miss., by the bursting of a shell, while he was fighting for the cause of his country in the 3d Iowa Inf. He was with his regiment through the whole siege of Vicksburg, and eight days after the surrender of that place, July 12, 1863, his birthday, he was killed, being then just 23 years of age. His rank was that of Orderly Sergeant. He was buried near by, at a place which cannot now be traced, as no monument or other sign has ever been placed upon the grave of this hero.

j^ugh W. Pritchard, a well-to-do farmer of Alba Township, located on section 29, is the son of Henry Pritchard, who was born in the County Down, Ireland, in the year 1816. He was there married June 16, 1836, to Mary Warnock, and their union was blessed with four sons, who were born as follows: William, Sept. 26, 1837 ; James I., March 5, 1839; Samuel, Feb. 18, 1841; Henry, March 27, 1843. The mother died April 14, 1845, and Mr. Pritchard was again married in September following to Mary Boyd. Their children numbered seven: Alexander was born Oct. 15, 1846; Alice June 3,1848; Robert L., Dec. n, 1849; Hugh W. Oct. 6, 185 1 ; Mary J., July 15, 1853; Sarah, July 7, 1-856. In 1856 the family emigrated to the United States, and came direct to Henry County, where the father purchased 160 acres of land on sections 29 and 32, and where he passed the remainder of his life, dying March 4, 1885. The death of his second wife occurred April 14, 1881.

Mr. Pritchard was a lad of 13 when he crossed the ocean to his home in the United States, and he has since been a faithful adherent of the land which has since given him the privileges of unrestricted citizenship. He is a Republican, and has supported the issues of that political element since he secured the right to express his preference according to the forms prescribed by the laws.

He was married Feb. 7, 1883, to Augusta S. G. McCracken, and they have one daughter, Maud I., born Jan. 3, 1884. James and Eliza McCracken, the parents of Mrs. Pritchard are both natives of the County Down, Ireland. Her father was born in 1808; he was married to his wife there in 1831. Their children are five in number, - John, Agnes, Lizzie, Mary and Augusta.

Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. Pritchard is the owner of a half interest in an undivided tract of land containing 920 acres, all lying in the township of Alba. He is extensively interested in rearing Durham Short-hoin cattle, and in breeding Clydesdale, Norman and English Draft horses. He exhibits fine droves of Poland-China swine.

Four-fifths of the place is fenced with hedges and the remainder with wire, and with three, four and five board fences. It includes 22 fields, which are watered by Green River and the creeks by which they are traversed. There are 995 rods of tile ditch. At convenient locations there are five wells and three windmills. On the farm are two excellent orchards and two gardens.

ijienry L. Angell, a resident of Geneseo, is 'is considered one of the model farmers of Henry County. He is the owner of 300 acres of land, which lies in this and in Rock Island counties. The entire tract is in a condition which reflects the utmost credit on the skill, industry and judgment of the proprietor.

Mr. Angell was born Sept. 27, 1836, in South Corinth, Saratoga Co., N. Y., and is the son of Tames and Sally Hodges (Lincoln) Angell. His father was one of the leading agriculturists of that section, and the son was trained in a complete knowledge of all farming relations, which he brought to bear on the prairies with the most satisfactory results. He came to Illinois while he was still in his early manhood, and was married to Lucy Talcott, at Port Byron, July 2, 18 - . She was born in the township of

Zuma, in that county, Oct. 16, 1847, and is the daughter of Asel H. Talcott. A detailed sketch of the father of Mrs. Angell forms a portion of these records, and are to be found on another page.

Mr. and Mrs. Angell were occupants of the homestead of her father, in the township of Zuma, until their removal, in July, 1883, to Geneseo Township.

They have ten children, - two sons and eight daughters. Six are still living. A pair of twin children, who were born third in order of birth, died in infancy. Florence T., Jessie L., Edward S., Bernice (drowned at the age of two), Judd S. (died in infancy). Myrtle L., Vivia M. and Eva L. are the names of those living.

Mr. Angell is a Republican in political relations, and is foremost in his practice and advocacy of the principles of temperance and morality.

>j|'l|j( ndrew Peterson, residing on section 4, Lynn Township, where he is engaged in 18 the occupation of farming, was born in Linkoping Lan, Sweden, Dec. 20, 1827, of which country his parents were both natives, and where they followed farming until their death, which occurred when Andrew was about 8 years old.

From the time of his parents' death Andrew lived among strangers, working around for a living. At 24 years of age he emigrated to the United States, and after stopping a short time at Andover he went to Knox County, this State, where he remained for a time, following different occupations, and then came to this county. He was -united in marriage April 1, 1854, in Andover, this State, with Christina M. Anderson, a native of Sweden, where she was born Sept. 16, 1826. Her parents died when she was a young lady, and she afterward emigrated to this country with her brother, in 1849, two years prior to the emigration of Mr. Peterson. She located with friends in Andover, this county, where she continued to reside until her marriage to Mr. Peterson. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters : three sons and one daughter are deceased ; Mary E. married William Gabrielson, and they now reside in Lynn Township, where he is engaged in farming ; Joseph^

The first purchase of land which Mr. Peterson made in this county was in 1853, and consisted of 26 acres of unbroken prairie, where he at present resides. By energetic effort, good judgment and economy he succeeded in accumulating sufficient to purchase 290 acres additional, and at present is the proprietor of 316 acres of land, the major portion of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. His residence and outbuildings are good and substantial, being comparatively new and well built, and his farm presents the appearance of thrift and labor. His family are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Swedish Church at Orion, in which denomination Mr. Peterson has held the position of Trustee and Treasurer for several years.

Mr. Peterson has held the rrlinor offices of his township, Commissioner of Highways, etc., and politically, is a believer in and a supporter of the principles advocated by the Republican party.

-Ssmyn B. Gilbert, a farmer of Edford Township, has been a resident of Henry County since 1845. He was born in the town of Italy, Ontario Co., N. Y., Dec. 12, 1828. Joseph O. Gilbert, his father, was born in Bristol, in the same county. He was converted in early life and joined the Baptist Church. He fitted himself for the duties of a ministerial life, and was licensed to preach in Jamestown, in his native county. His wife, the mother of Mr. Gilbert of this narration, was named Speedy M. Tayler previous to her marriage. She was born in the town of Middlesex, in a part of the county of Ontario, now included in the county of Yates. She was born Aug. 24, r8io. Her father was a native of Connecticut, and her mother was born in Massachusetts. They were pioneers of Ontario County.

The parents of Mr. Gilbert removed when he was a child of about two years to Mt. Morris in the same county, and a year later they went to Chautauqua County, in the State of New York, and were resident there two years. In 1833 they went to the State of Michigan, and settled near the present site of Manchester, in Washtenaw County. They were the very first settlers in that neighborhood, and were 18 miles distant from any white settlers. Indians and wild game were abundant. The first home there was a log cabin of the smallest dimensions possible for their accommodation, and as soon as possible the father built a hewed-log house of a quality to make ample amends for all former inconvenience. After the transfer of his interests to Michigan, the senior Gilbert changed his religious views and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he became a preacher. The family remained in the Peninsular State until the year named as that in which they removed to Henry County - 1845.

The first winter was passed in Cambridge, and in the following year they located in the town of Colona. After a residence there of 12 years, they went to Edford Township, and there bought a farm on section 18. Soon after fixing his residence in Edford Township, Mr. Gilbert was called to the Pastorship of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Rock Island. Later he filled the charge of Pastor of the Church'in Moline. He held the position in both places as long as the rules of the Church permitted, and afterwards preached in various places. At the time of his death, which transpired Feb. 14, 1863, he lived at Kewanee. His widow still survives him, and she lives with her son.

The latter lived with his parents until his father became Pastor of the Church in Rock Island, and then took charge of the farm. Later, he bought land adjoining, on section 17, and he has continued his operations as an agriculturist until he takes rank with the leading farmers in Henry County. His estate now contains 320 acres of land, and he has a dairy of considerable dimensions, which business he is prosecuting with reasonable success. In 1878 Mr. Gilbert purchased an interest in the Green River Cheese Factory, and in T884 he became the sole proprietor. The capacity of the enterprise is arranged for the use of the milk of nearly 300 cows, and the product finds ready market in the cities which are within easy reach.

Mr. Gilbert has been twice married. Elizabeth Bartlett became his wife, in September, 1848. She was a native of Chemung Co., N. Y., and her death occurred May 20, 1863. She had borne six children. Four are now living, viz. : Mariam is the wife of Palmer Stafford, of Colona Township; Mortimer lives in Richardson Co., Neb. ; Addie is the wife ot

D. P. Allen, and they are residents of Carroll Co., Iowa; Joseph E. lives in Richardson Co., Neb. July 20, 1864, Mr. Gilbert contracted a second marriage, with Fannie Grant. She is a native of Henry- County, and was the daughter of Michael and Jane (Dack) Grant. Her parents were pioneers of this county. Osman A., May, Fannie E., Charles G. and Jessie H. C. are the names of the children of the second marriage.

ames Warnock, resident on section 33, Alba Township, came to Henry County in the spring of 1873. He was born in Ireland, in County Down, March 26, 1834. His parents were natives of the " Green Isle " also, and came with their son to the United States in 1848 and landed at the port of New York. James Warnock proceeded thence to Philadelphia, Pa., and was a resident of that State until 1855. He was a painter by trade and he pursued that business while he continued in the Keystone State. The years 1855 and 1856 he passed in the city of Chicago, where he was similarly occupied. In the fall of 1857 he went to New Orleans and also remained until the latter part of the following year. In 1858 he came back to Pennsylvania and remained in the Quaker City until he entered the military service of the Government of the United States.

He enlisted April 26, 1861, under the first call for troops, in the 29th Pa. Vol. Inf., and was mustered in July 4, following. The regiment was ordered to Harper's Ferry. The first battle in which Mr. Warnock was a participant was the hard-fought field of Antietam, and afterwards the command was assigned to the Corps of General Banks, and took part in the fight at Winchester and in the three-days contest at Chanc"ellorsville. The next engagement was at Gettysburg, where the brigade to which his regiment belonged was commanded by General Kane. Mr. Warnock has never recovered from the effects of wounds received at the battle of Chancellorsville. He was in the actions at Lookout Mountain and at Wahatchee, in Tennessee. He also fought at Mission Ridge and at Ringgold, Ga. He held the rank of Sergeant Major when he .went into the action at Gettysburg, and was there promoted to that of

Second Lieutenant. In the engagement there he was in the thickest of the fight, and came out with clothing pierced with bullets. In 1864 he resigned his commission and returned to his home after a military service of three years. He continued in the city of Philadelphia until the 30th day of March, 1873, when he came, as has been stated, to Henry County. He bought 120 acres of land in the township of Alba, on which he has since founded a home. Mr. Warnock is following the trade of a painter in connection with his business as a farmer. In the latter he is successful, and has a fine assortment of graded stock. He is the present Supervisor of Alba Township, and is serving as School Director, in which latter capacity he has operated six years consecutively. He is the Past Commander of Post T. T. Dow, G. A. R., located at Annawan.

He was united in marriage to Miss Sarah B. Moreland, Sept. 14, 1859, and they have had five children, viz.: Mary Ann was born June 23, i860; James, Feb. n, 1862 ; Hugh, Oct. 9, 1864; Sarah, Feb. 15, 1868; Jane E., April 5, 1875. The oldest child died when seven months old. Mrs. Warnock was born March 1, 1837, in County Down, Ireland. Mr. Warnock is a Republican and is a member of the Congregational Church. Postoffice, Annawan.

|nton Becht, a wagon-maker and general blacksmith at Colona, was born in Hohengp65 zollern, Germany, Nov. 30, 1830. He is the son of Anton and Catherine (Hinger) Becht, who were both natives of the same Prussian State.. Mr. Becht passed through the routine prescribed by the laws of his native country for the management of the youth of the land, and attended school from the age of six to fourteen years. He was then apprenticed to learn the trade to which he has devoted his life, and he passed between two and three years in the acquisition of a knowledge of. its details. He then passed some time in doing " jour work. He acted in that capacity until 1853, when he left his native land and came to the United States. He left Germany in September, and landed at the port of New York on the nth of November following. He had no difficulty in obtaining employment at his trade in the great city, and he remained there three years. He came thence to Davenport, and there operated as a wagon-maker until 1858. In that year he came to Colona, and was engaged in mining one year. In 1859 he came to the village in which he has since resided, and opened the business which he has since continued to prosecute. He is engaged in the manufacture of wagons and sleighs, and maintains a general repair shop. His business relations are extensive and profitable.

Mr. Becht was married in the city of New York to Antonia Beck. She was born jin the same province as her husband. Their children are five in number, and was born in the following order : Josephine, Frank, Bertha, John and Polly. The oldest daughter is the widow of Henry Buckholz. Bertha married Charles Pyle, and they live in Colona.

Co., Ohio. His father was a native of Greenbrier Co., Va., and his mother was born in Versailles, Woodford Co., Ky." Soon after their marriage they settled in Darke County, in the Buckeye State, and were among the earliest of the pioneer settlers there. On their way from Kentucky they passed through Cincinnati, where then stood three log houses. The father bought a considerable tract of timber from the United States Government and proceeded to improve a farm. On this place he passed the remainder of his life. The family passed through the experiences of pioneers whose stories have filled the pages of fiction with tales more interesting than those of the imagination, and which in many instances have shared the fate common to the structures of fancy, being too remarkable for credibility. But the Indians were then on the frontiers, and as this period preceded that of the Black Hawk War, the red-skins were still without the bounds of the control which was in force soon after the defeat of the haughty chief named. The senior Brawley was accustomed to take his gun with him to the field where he worked in order to protect himself from the

Mr. Brawley spent his minority on the Ohio farm, and obtained his education in the log school-house of that period. The structure was of the most primitive kind, a log being left out to admit the light, the aperture being covered with an oiled paper to keep out the wind and let in the light. All his schooling was obtained in the sessions of winter school, his summers being passed in farm labor.

He was married Jan. r4, 1847, to Permelia, daughter of Ellis and Cerilla (James) Thomas. Her father was born in Virginia and his mother was a native of the District of Columbia. Mrs. Brawley was born in Tyler Co., Va.,May 1, 1828. In the autumn of 1830 she accompanied her parents to Darke Co., Ohio, where she was married to Mr. Brawley. Soon after their union they set up housekeeping in Hollensburg in the same county, and Mr. Brawley embarked in a mercantile enterprise in which he was interested one year. Two years subsequent he passed in the calling of a hotel-keeper, and he then became interested in the hardware business, which he followed one year. He then assumed the management of the family homestead, and he continued his connection therewith until 1856. He then came to Illinois, and located in the county where he has since operated as an agriculturist. He came here six weeks previous to the removal of his family and bought a claim on section 29, of what Was then town 17, and is now Edford. The entire tract was in a state of nature, and when Mr. Brawley decided that the place was suitable for a location he erected a small frame house for the temporary occupation of his family, in which they lived until their circumstances permitted the enlargement and rebuilding of the little home where the family was contented, if they could not boast of splendor.

In the same autumn in which he removed to Henry County the proprietor broke a few acres and put in a crop. In 1857 he raised the first full crop in the place, and he also rented the same year 40 acres of improved land, on which he raised a crop of wheat. The yield averaged 40 bushels to the acre. He was the owner and occupant of the place until 1876, when he removed his family to Geneseo. He had acquired the ownership of property at that place, and he was a resident of that city until 1884. In that year the family returned to the homestead in Edford Township. The farm contains 280 acres, and it is all under cultivation. The place is well supplied with all necessary farm buildings and all appurtenances for the well-being of the stock.

The record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Brawley is as follows: Ellis T. lives in Peoria; Civilla is the wife of Fremont Allford, and they are residents of Indianapolis, Ind. ; Melena married Felix Smith, and they live near Lenox, Taylor Co., Iowa; Cassius M. is at home, as is Florence L. and William H. ; George was born April 27, 1859, and died June 9, 1879; he sustained an injury from the kick of a horse, which caused his death ; Mary E. and two children unnamed died in infancy.

The parents of Mrs. Brawley are still living, and are each 81 years of age. Mr. Brawley is a Republican and has been from the foundation of the party. He has no idea of being anything else, whether the party is triumphant or defeated.

ohn Lewis, retired farmer, resident at Gen- '-^ eseo, has been a citizen of Henry County since 1850.. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in Indiana Township, in Indiana County, April 17, 1820. His parents, William and Elizabeth (Lydia) Lewis, were natives of the Keystone State, and when their son was three years old they effected a removal of their family and interests to Jackson Co., Ohio. They located in the township of Richland, and were residents on a farm.

Mr. Lewis of this sketch was reared on the Ohio farm, and thoroughly instructed in the various details pertaining to agriculture. He was married in that State, to Mary Cozad. She is the daughter of Abram and Charity Cozad, and was born in the same county where her marriage took place. That event was celebrated May 4, 1847. She bore two sons while she and her husband continued to reside in Ohio. After their removal to Illinois, they had eight sons and two daughters. William F. resides in the township of Cornwall; Abraham is also a citizen of the same township, as are Samuel A. and John H. ; Andrew is unmarried, and is a resident of Geneseo ; George W. and Francis M. live in Cornwall ; Charles A. resides in the township of Atkinson ; Charity A. is the wife of James Fell, who lives in Burns Township ;W Stephen A. and Alfred are unmarried. Albert T. died in infancy, and is the only one deceased. He was a twin with Alfred. Robert and Mary E. are the two younger children.

Mr. Lewis settled in Cornwall Township on his removal to Henry County. He purchased a tract of land on section 21, where he is still the owner of 400 acres, all in the finest possible agricultural condition, as is the case with another farm, which includes 410 acres, and lies in the same township, with the excep- , tion of 40 acres. In 1878 Mr. Lewis removed to Geneseo, but still retains the control and personally ' superintends the management of the estate. J of age when his parents came to the State of Illinois. John J. Baum, his father, was a pioneer of Henry County and was - born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., June 4, 1805. He went to Jefferson County before he had attained to the estate of manhood, and when he was ready to settle in life he bought a farm in that county. He was its owner and occupant until 1848. In that year he came to Illinois. He had exchanged his land in Jefferson County for prairie in Colona Township, and the latter tract included 127 acres of farming land and 43 acres of timber situated on section 2. The property was wholly unfilled and without a house. Mr. Baum built a board house, 12 x 14 feet in dimensions, into which his family moved, and he turned his attention with all possible vigor and energy to the work of placing his land in a state of cultivation. He afterward made an addition to the house, and it was occupied by the family until their removal to the village of Colona in 1854. In that year they made the transfer referred to, and the father bought 75 acres adjoining the village plat, on which he erected a large frame house, and it was his home until his death. His decease occurred in December, 1874. He had been successful in all his business operations, and had an estate of more than 500 acres.

His wife before her marriage was Maria Petrie. [She was born Aug. i, 1802, in Herkimer Co., N. Y., ,and died April 9, 1876. Of the eight children born of their union but two are living. Franklin is a resident of Hutchinson Co., Neb., and is engaged in farming.

Mr. Baum of this sketch grew to manhood in the township of Colona, and he acquired his education in the public schools. The first eventful period of his life "was his marriage, which took place in 1867. rHis wife, who was Miss Angelina Meer before her > marriage, was born in Ohio. At the time of their union in the bonds of matrimony, they settled on lthe homestead, and were associated with the parents as long as their lives continued. Three children were born to them, - Harvey, Amos and Ettie. The mother died Dec. 29, 1873, at the age of 26 years. Mr. Baum is the owner of about 500 acres of land, ^ and it is all in first-class agricultural condition. He V ' is largely interested in growing stock.

eteorge S. Wells, a prominent citizen of Geneseo, has been identified with the de- IHpF*1* velopment of the farming interests o' sR?» Henry County since his removal hither in 1855. He was born in Guildhall, Essex Co., Vt., Oct. 27, 1834. John Sullivan Wells, his father, was born in Durham, N. H., Oct. 18, r8c>3. The name of Sullivan was given him because it was the family name of his maternal grandmother, who was the daughter of John Sullivan, of Berwick, Me., and the sister of Gen. John Sullivan, after whom Sullivan's Island was named, and of James Sullivan, who was one of the Governors of the State to which the island belongs. John S. Wells secured by active life in his younger days the foundation of a robust, physical development, and obtained a sound elementary education.

He entered upon the preparatory to the profession of a lawyer at Pembroke Academy, and was after- : wards a student of law in the office of Hon. D. C. *3? Atkinson, of Sanborn ton, and later he completed his t course under the preceptorship of Hon. W. Mattox, of Vermont. He began his practice at Guildhall, (® and five years after removed to Lancaster, N. H. In where he passed the remainder of his life in the active prosecution of his business, and in the service of his generation. He represented the town of Lancaster for four terms in the State Legislature, and in 1841 was the Speaker of the House. He acted in the capacity of Solicitor of the county of Coos several years. He was State Senator from his district, and in the session of 1852-3 he officiated as the President of that body. In 1847 he was made Attorney-General of New Hampshire, but resigned the position at the end of a year. In 1854 he was the Democratic nominee for United States Senator, and was elected in the Senate, but was defeated in the House by five votes, on account of his endorsement of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. In 1855 he was again a candidate for the same office, and received the unqualified support of his friends. In the same year he was appointed by Gov. Baker to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Senator Norris. In 1856-7, he was the Democratic candidate for Governor of the State, and managed the canvass in such a manner that the Republicans failed to carry the State on the popular vote, and the result was accomplished in the Assembly. Mr. Wells was a Delegate to two Democratic National Conventions, and in 1858 was one of the Visiting Committee to West Point. He was a man of refined tastes, scholarly attainments and spotless character. He was a gentleman of the old school, courtly, chivalrous and well bred, and under all circumstances, even in the heat of political debate, and in the ardor of a closely contested campaign, he never descended from the dignity which was his distinguished trait.

He married Rebecca E. Bellows, in 1832. The family to which his wife belonged is well known in the circles of influence and intelligence. She was the daughter of Josiah Bellows, of Lancaster, N. H., and was a member of the same generation as the Rev. Dr. Bellows, of New York. The family of Bellows is of English origin and were Normans. They settled in England in 1066, and fac similes of their coats of arms are preserved by the descendants. John Bellows, who came to America on the " Hopewell" in T635, is the first ancestor who settled in the United States. Benjamin Bellows, his grandson, was the founder of Walpole, N. H., and from him the line is distinct. He was the grandfather of Mrs. Wells. John S. Wells died at Exeter, Aug. 1, i860.

ing. They were born in the following order : Henry B., George S., Nellie, Kate V., John S. and Emma. The two oldest sons and the second daughter are the survivors. The latter married Thomas Reddington, and lives in the city of Washington, D. C. H. B. Wells is a merchant in Boston, Mass.

Mr. Wells, of this personal account, was 13 years of age when his father removed his family to New Hampshire. He went to sea before he reached the age of 20. He entered the merchant service, and sailed from Boston to Liverpool, making but a single voyage. Later he went to the city of New York, and there embarked in mercantile business, and was afterwards similarly interested in trade in the city of Boston.

He came to Henry County in 1855, and bought a farm in the township of Edford. It is situated on section 23, and comprises 160 acres. The proprietor has put the place under excellent improvements, and has erected a good class of buildings for farming purposes. In 1872 he removed to the city of Geneseo, but retains the ownership and personal supervision of his farm.

Oct. 4, 1859, he contracted a matrimonial alliance with Nellie P. Stewart, of Geneseo. She was born in Fowlerville, in the State of New York, and is the granddaughter of Roderick R. Stewart, one of the earliest settlers in Henry County, and of whom a full account may be found in another department of this work. She is the daughter of I. N. Stewart, who is deceased. Fred Burt, born Nov. 22, 1872, at Geneseo, is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Wells.

Mr. Wells is a Republican, and adheres to the principles of temperance. He has supported the issues of the former party since its organization. He has served in the capaqity of Alderman of Geneseo two years.

1 illiam McHenry, deceased, formerly a rebident on section 22, Phenix Township, '^a^d-j * was a pioneer of Henry County and also of the State of Illinois. He was born in Barren Co., Ky., Jan. 16, 1803. He was the oldest son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Jones) McHenry, and his parents were also natives of that historic State.

there the son who is the subject of this sketch attained to the estate of manhood. He was married there, Sept. 16, 1827, to Susannah Land. She was a native of that county and was born March 17, 181 1. Her parents, Robert and Lucy (Fike) Land, were born in South Carolina. Mr. McHenry became a citizen of Henry County, settling in what is now Osco Township, where he secured a claim of land. After making the necessary legal arrangements, he returned to White County and remained there until 1838, when he severed his connection with that locality and transferred all his interests to his new home in Henry County. He removed hither with his family and household possessions, traveling with five horses and a wagon and living, as the custom was in those days of no railroads or stage routes, after the gipsy fashion of the present day, cooking and camping by the way. They left White County the 1 st day of April, and they passed four weeks on the journey, arriving at the farm in Osco Township on the rst day of May. . The father made a camp for their accommodation and comfort, which, with the wagon, gave the shelter until their log house was completed. The family then included five children, and the duties of the head of the household were of a varied character, to suit the requirements of the case. The first crops wer£ marketed at Chicago and at Galena. The trips to the former city consumed two weeks, and as the returns from the products carried there were so small, there was little left to pay hotel expenses, and those who were obliged to go there on such errands were accustomed to sleep either on or under their wagons.

Mr. McHenry lived but one year on the place in Osco Township. He then removed to the present town of Phenix, then designated on the Government charts as town 18, range 3, in which he made a claim on section 22, entering the land as soon as it came into market. He at first erected a log house for a temporary residence, which he covered with clapboards and " shakes," both of which were split by hand. He lived to see his family installed in a good frame house and to place his farm in a state of advanced cultivation ; and he also lived a sufficient length of time to rejoice in the progress of the county to whose development he had given the best years of his life. His death transpired March 15, (868, at his home. Ten of the 12 children born to him and his wife are still living. Their present record is as follows : Francis A. lives in Phenix Township ; Thomas C. is a resident of Pratt Co., Kan. ; Joseph B. lives in Phenix ; Charles H. is a citizen of Osco Township; Elizabeth A. is the widow of Isaac Stafford and lives in Geneseo ; Mary R. is the wife of L. B. Mapes, a citizen of Atlantic, Cass Co., Iowa; Lucy G. married G. W. Imel, of Phenix Township ; Malinda is the wife of A. Y. King, and they reside in Merrick Co., Neb. ; Emma is the widow of S. W. Aldrich, and resides in Phenix Township; Laura is the wife of F. M. Cox and lives in Chadron, Neb.

Mrs. McHenry and her widowed daughter, Mrs. Aldrich, reside on the homestead. The mother is also the owner of 160 acres of land in Osco Township, where they first settled.

osseter F. Schoonover. Burns Township, can justly boast of having many well-todo farmers within its borders. Prominent among these is Mr. R. F. Schoonover, who resides on section 34, where he has a splendid farm of 420 acres, well equipped for agricultural purposes and provided with comfortable buildings.

He was born in Washington Co., Ohio, April n, 1833. There he received a common-school education, which, however, was somewhat limited on account of the death of his father, when Rosseter was a small boy. He passed the years until he was 19 on a farm in Washington County. When he arrived at that age he journeyed westward, stopping in Bureau Co., 111., for a short time. He then went into Peoria County, where he lived for five years. At .the end of that time, in 1857, he came into Henry County and located on a farm in Burns Township, since which time this has been his home. His parents were Henry and Eunice (Hopkins) Schoonover, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Connecticut. On the 4th of March, 1842, the elder Schoonover was instantly killed by being thrown from a horse. They were the parents of six children, of whom Rosseter was the eldest. The second child born to them was Emeline, the wife of John T. Finch, of Burns Township, of whom a sketch appears in this volume.

married to Miss Margery Harlan, on the 1st of January, 1857. She was a native of Peoria County, and was born March 7, 1840. Her parents, Moses and Mary A. (Butler) Harlan, were early pioneers in that county, where the former died, Sept. 2, 1842. Both were natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Harlan afterward married, moved to Henry County and died there, Nov. 21, 1876. The children born to Mr.and Mrs. S. number ten. We give them in the order of their birth: Mary E., Joseph W., Lee, Adolphus A., Etta, who died when three years of age ; Emeline, John R., Grace, Ruie A. and Olive.

Paul, a farmer of Geneseo Township, is a pioneer of Henry County of 1856. WKffil On coming to Illinois he located in the {X^S township of Edford, and removed thence to section 20, in the township where he has since pursued the business of a farmer.

He was born in Union Township, in Tolland Co., Conn., June 5, 1823. Chauncey Paul, his father, was also a native of Tolland County, in the same State, and Wiis born in 1798. He is still living, and is a resident on the farm on which he was born, and which he holds as a heritage from his father. The maiden name of his wife was Polly Armour, and she was born in the same county in which she was married, in October, 1879. She died there Aug. 25, 1883.

Mr. Paul attained to the state of manhood in the township of Union, and received a good education. He obtained a fair knowledge of the English branches in the common schools, and afterwards attended a term of study at the academy at Dudley, in Massachusetts, two terms at Warren, in the same State, and the same length of time at Munson Academy. At the age of 19 he began to teach, and was occupied in that vocation in the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut for some years. In 1852 he went to Townsend, Mass., and there he engaged in the business of a turner of handles for farming implements, and other irregular work. He was thus employed in that place until the spring of 1856. Then, as has been stated, he came to Henry County. He became by purchase the owner of a tract of land in the township of Edford, located on section 14. He built a good and commodious frame house, and proceeded with the improvements on the place. In May, 1 860, the residence was destroyed by a tornado, being entirely blown away. It was necessary to rebuild from the foundation, which he did on the same site, and continued the labor of placing the farm under the best quality of improvements. There are 162 acres in the farm, and it is all inclosed and cultivated. In 1882 he bought the place on which he now resides, in the township of Geneseo, located on section 20, and containing 80 acres. The place is in first-class condition for profitable cultivation, and is fitted with all necessary buildings, fruit and shade trees.

The marriage of Mr. Paul to Ann E. Kinney took place March 16, 1852. She was born in Union Township, in Tolland Co., Conn., and is the daughter of Nathan and Lucy (Wales) Kinney. Addie J. is the name of the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Paul.

NjdjS^ Township, where he resides on section 34 .JjS!' is a son of James and Betty Broadbent. He "N was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1822. His parents are both deceased, having died in England, which was their native country - the father May 27, 1871, aged 78 years, and the mother May 17, 1879, aged 8r years.

William came to America in 1849,011 the 17th day of April, and may be called one of the pioneers of Henry County. He iocated in the Barren Grove, where he owns 320 acres of good land, 220 acres of which is under excellent cultivation, and finely equipped, and 100 acres of it is timber pasture. Upon this land he has erected a good substantial dwelling, 40 x 46 feet, being a two-story house. He has a herd of 90 head of Short-horn cattle of a good grade. His horses are of the English Draft breed, and he has an excellent flock of Cotswold sheep.

Before Mr. Broadbent left England he was united in ^marriage with Rose Ann Prince, their wedding day being the 8th of May, 1844. She started with him across tTle Atlantic to the New World, and while in mid-\)cean died, and was consigned to a watery grave. In 1851 Mr. Broadbent and Mrs. Martha Booth were united in marriage. She was born in 1826, in England. The record of the children are as follows : By his first marriage the following children were born : Benjamin, July 1, 1844, and Wilson, July 2, 1846. By his second marriage the following were born: George H, May n, 1853; Mary E., Nov. 27, 1855 ; Charlotte H., Jan. 9, 1858; James E., April 30, i860 ; Thomas A., Sept. 29, 1862 ; Alice J., Sept. 27, 1866. Mrs. Broadbent, by her former marriage to Mr. Booth, had the following children: Robert P., born March 7, 1846, and Eliza, May 22, 1848.

Mrs. Broadbent's father, George Prince, was also a native of England, and was born in 1782. He was married to Rebecca Wilson, who was born in June, 1796. They came to America, and located in the northern part of Illinois, where, on the 4th of May, 1862, in Bureau County, Mr. Prince died. Mrs. Prince died in Henry County. They were the parents of the following ten children : Sarah, Robert, George, Rose Ann, Martha, Mary, Anna, Rebecca, Ruth and Emma.

Mr. Broadbent is one of the prominent and wellto-do farmers of Henry County. He is a man highly esteemed for his many good qualities, and one of the old settlers of Henry County.

; liny Freeman, of Geneseo, is one of the solid citizens of the place, where he has ||jE5^ been a resident since the fall of 1869. He ffi*J is the proprietor of a large amount of propjlb erty in the city, which includes several busi- * ness blocks and dwellings. He is the owner of Freeman's Hall. He has passed the allotted term of human life by ten years, but is still actively interested in the personal supervision of his affairs Mr. Freeman was born in Sturbridge, Mass., in the same town in which his ancestors had lived from the period in which the first progenitor, so far as is now known, settled when he came thence from Newton, in the Bay State. The year of his removal is not known. His name was Samuel Freeman, and he probably became a resident of Sturbridge about the middle of the 18th century. The town was incorporated Feb. 13, 1739, and he located in what is now the central portion of the village. His widow afterwards married again, and died in 1807 at the age of 92. Their children were named Benjamin, Comfort, Jared, Samuel, Walter, Rachel, Martha and Mary (twins) and Raney. Comfort was the grandfather of Mr. Freeman, and was born Aug. 23, 1750 (0. S.). He was married May 6, 177 1. She was born at Sturbridge, Feb. 13, 1749 (O. S.). He died at Sturbridge, Dec. 4, 1796 (N. S.). Her demise occurred Aug. 5, 1832 (N. S.). She whs upwards of 93. They had nine children.

Pliny, second son and fifth child, was born Sept. 24, 1780. He was a farmer, and also worked to some extent as a carpenter, as he had a natural gift for the use of tools. He married Delia, daughter of Silas Marsh, and lived nearly the whole of his life at Sturbridge, where his children were born and reared. He died at the residence of his daughter in the town of Webster, in the same county, Oct. 10, 1855. His wife died in 1859. Their children were named Silas M., Pliny, Beulah, Delia, Florilla, Augusta and Dwight. The last named and Mr. Freeman, of this sketch, are the only survivors, and they both reside at Geneseo.

Mr. Freeman was brought up on his father's farm, and had only the advantages of the common-schools of the place and period, which were hardly of the character of the educational institutions of the State which are now the pride and boast of New England. However, those days were the time in which the material on which the prosperity of the West is founded was in its formative state, and it is a mooted question whether what was then considered the lack of education, was not the condition which ensured the future of the country. It is an established fact that those who were reared without the so-called advantages of these later times came to be the bone and sinew of the times when men were needed. Mr. Frepman inherited the privilege and. ability for hard work, and also the unassuming pretensions of the family tree, of which he was an offshoot. He learned the trade of a carpenter, finishing his knowledge of its details under the instructions of a man named Loren Merrick.