Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1885 (part 16 of 31)

1 illiam E. Kennish, residing in Galva Township, was born on the Isle of Man, near Ramsey, Great Britain, Sept. 15, 1833. The ancestors of Mr. Kennish were Manxmen. His grandfather, Robert Kennish,was a farmer by occupation, as likewise were his descendants. He, Robert, lived to a good old age, but was sorely afflicted before death by becoming blind. His son Edward was born and died on the Isle of Man. His (Edward's) wife, nee Christine Quale, was born on the island and is yet living there, aged 80 years. She is the mother of six children, - William E., subject of this notice; Robert, Christian, Anna, Maggie and Edward. Edward is in Manchester, Eng. Christian resides in the north of England, and the others are all living in this country.

William E. Kennish, whose name heads this notice, was educated on the Isle of Man. At the age of 22 years he left his native isle and emigrated to the United States. Arriving here, he located in Trumbull Co., Ohio; lived there nine years, engaged in farming, and then came to Galva, this State and county, arriving here in April, 1865. After a residence of less than two years in the village, he moved on a farm of 80 acres of land, located on section 12, Galva Township, which he had purchased Jan. r, 1866. He entered at once upon its improvement and cultivation, and has continued to reside on the same until the present time, meeting with success in his chosen vocation, agriculture. He now has 120 acres of land in an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Kennish was united in marriage with Mrs. Mary Claque, nee Skillicorn, in r856, of French extraction. She is the mother of nine children, six by her first husband and three by Mr. Kennish. Of the six children born of her former marriage, Mrs. Margaret May and Mrs. Mary Gell reside here. The three children by the latter marriage are Vincent W., William R. and Katie E. Mr. and Mrs. Kennish are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Galva, to which denomination all the children belong. Politically, Mr. Kennish is identified with the members of the Republican party.

W. Shetler,, residing on section r8, Clover Township, where he is engaged in the occupation of farming and stock-raising, is a son of William and Martha (Wolff) Shetler. He was born in Franklin Co., Pa., July 13, 1840. The parents of Mr. Shetler were natives of Franklin Co., Pa. His father died in that State in 1882, and his mother is still residing there, with one of her sons. J. W. worked on the farm in Pennsylvania, and attended the common schools until he was 22 years of age. At this age in life he left home to procure a competency for himself. His first effort on his own behalf was in farming, which vocation he pursued on a rented farm for one year, meeting with some degree of success. In February, 1865, he was drafted and served in the army until the close of the war. On the termination of the war, he returned to Pennsylvania, and remained there until r866, when he came to Illinois and located in Clover Township, at Woodhull. He rented a farm near that village, on section 22, Oxford Township, and was there occupied in farming for two years. He then rented another farm in the same township, and cultivated that for one year. At the expiration of that time, he bought- 80 acres of land, on section 26, same ' township, on which he resided until 1873. During ; that year he sold his 80 acres, and purchased 134 * acres in Clover Township, on which he has resided ^ until the present time. By economy and energetic / effort, he has been enabled to purchase 160 acres 0 adjoining, and 160 acres in Andover Township, 100 in Clover Township, on section 7, 320 acres in Barton Co., Kan., and 320 acres in Rush County, same State. We see from the number of acres of land owned by Mr. Shetler, that he is one of the largest land-owners, not only of his township, but in the county. Leaving home a poor boy, and having none to aid him in his financial operations, we may truthfully say that his accumulations of property were attributable to his good judgment, energy and economy, and not to the assistance of friends and relatives.

Mr. Shetler was married March n, 1869, to Miss Nancy J. Knox, a native of Pennsylvania. Their union has been blessed by the birth of five children, Edith M., William E., Fred C, Minerva G. and Laura B. Politically, Mr. Shetler is identified with the supporters of the Democratic party. Socially, he belongs to the I. O. O. F.

>rancis H. Eyer, a farmer of the township of Annawan, is located on section 22, where he owns 240 acres of land in advanced cultivation. He was born April 141 1823, in Clear Creek Township, Warren Co., Ohio. His father, Francis H. Eyer, was born in 1760, in Germany, and in the year 18 12 was married to Mary Nuble. She was born in 1764, in Rockingham Co., W. Va. Their marriage took place in Warren Co., Ohio, whither the elder Eyer went on coming to America. The deaths of the parents occurred respectively March 4, 1823, and Sept. 10, 1824, in the county where their marriage occurred. They had seven children, named Margaret, Mary, Christena, Catherine, Sarah, Francis H. and Nancy. Christena and Nancy are deceased; Margaret lives in Madison Co., Ind. ; Sarah lives in Warren Co., Ohio; Catherine is also resident of Warren Co., Ohio.

Mr. Eyer removed from the latter county to Henry County in 1857. He was previously married to Matilda F. Patton, their union in the bonds of matrimony talcing place April 18, 1841. She died in Sept., 1850, in Warren County, after having borne three children, - William J., George W. and Sarah J. In 1 85 1 Mr. Eyer was again married to Sarah Blinn, who is a native of Warren Co., Ohio, and was born June 20, 1831. The record of the births of their children is as follows ; Mary E., Oct. 16, 1853;

Annie L., Feb. 26, 1866; Charles E., April 24, 1868; and Jessie A., May 8, 1870. The family to which Mrs. Eyer belongs is of German origin. Her father, Daniel Blinn, was born in Ohio in 1802, and he married Elizabeth Fry on the 25th of May, 1829. She died Feb. 22, 1882, aged nearly 73 years.

The farm of Mr. Eyer is fitted with all necessary fixtures, including buildings and other appurtenances for successful agriculture. His cattle are chiefly thoroughbred, and consist of five Holsteins and a number of Short -horns ; his horses are Norman and English Draft. Mrs. Eyer is the owner of r46 acres of land in good condition for profitable operations.

Mr. Eyer is a Republican in political faith and connections, and in religious views is an adherent of the Church of the United Brethren. Mr. and Mrs. Eyer well represent that large class of well-to-do and prosperous farmers which we find in Henry County. Honesty, industry and good will toward all are prominent characteristics of these people. None hold a more worthy and honored place in the country's record, and we present full-page portraits of each in connection with this sketch.

eorge Buminell, formerly an agriculturist of Henry County, is a resident of Geneseo. r> He has been a citizen of the county since the spring of 1852, and has been identified with its development for a third of a century. He was born in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Sept. 11, 1819. His parents belonged to the farming class, and he was reared at home on the farm. At 19 he determined to learn a trade, and accordingly served the necessary time as a blacksmith. He made that his business for 14 years.

On coming to Henry County he settled on section 31, in the township of Atkinson. The land of which he became the possessor is situated in the townships of Cornwall, Atkinson and Geneseo, and comprises 310 acres. He was engaged in its management until his removal to the city of Genes-io, which transpired in 1873. He retains the ownership of his estate, but is not in active business. He has given considerable attention to the advancement of educational affairs, and has served a number of terms as School Director. In political faith he is a Democrat, Mr. Rummell was married at New Philadelphia

Ohio, in 1842, to Elizabeth, daughter of George and Christian Noel. She was a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Rummell had two children, both of whom were born in Ohio. Louisa, the youngest, died when 14 years old.

Marcus was born in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, and came to Henry County with his father. He was reared on the farm in Atkinson Township, and was married in the same township in November, 1863, to Eliza J., daughter of John Gaines. She is a native of the State of Illinois. Their children comprise two sons and three daughters, and are named J. Arthur, Ethel, Bessie, Harry and Hattie. The two last are twins. The mother and three older children are members of the Presbyterian Church.

Until 1870 Mr. Rummell, the younger, was occupied in farming in the vicinity of Geneseo. In that year he engaged in the business in which he is at present operating. He is a dealer in musical merchandise, and is a resident of Geneseo.

ohn Jacob Gottsche, one of the prosperous citizens of the township of Hanna, is an excellent sample of what is meant by a self-made man. He inherited only the fate common to the class to which he belonged by birth in his native land, in which there was the inevitable struggle for existence without the smallest hope or chance to advance either in fame or fortune. The laws of Germany provide for the disposal of the time of a boy, but make no provision for him to enter the competitive struggle for advacen.ent which is the birthright of every human creature. He landed in the United States in 1854, and was the possessor of $40 wherewith to begin his life in a strange land. He is now (1885) the proprietor of 240 acres of land, and while all credit is due to his efforts, good sense and energy, fairness entitles the " good wife " to her share of the honors. The children have added their assistance, and the worthy family rejoice in the results to which they have all contributed.

Mr. Gottsche was born June 18, i8i2,in Holstein, Germany, and from the age of 6 to 16 he went to sf hool principally. He then worked on a farm until 1854, when he sailed for the United States. He passed 42 days on the ocean, and landed at th e port of New York. He came with little delay to Chicago, and there engaged to go to the territory known to the laboring class as the Michigan Pineries. He passed a winter there, and worked during the ensuing summer in a saw-mill. He came then to Moline and obtained employ in the same capacity. He was frugal and economical, and saved his earnings, and in i860 made his first purchase of land. He bought at the outset but 20 acres, which were situated on section 3 of Hanna Township. Three years before he began farming on land which he rented, and all the property he owned was a cow and a pair of oxen. His estate lies on sections 3, 9 and 10, in Hanna Township. The stock on the place includes eight milch cows, a number of young cattle and ten horses.

The marriage of Mr. Gottsche to Catherine Korb took place in 1857. Their children are four in number; John is the oldest; Katie married Eugene Davis, and they live in Edford Township; Maggie married George Taylor, a farmer of Geneseo Township ; and Henry is the youngest. Mrs. Gottsche is a native of Hamburg, Germany. The family are members of the Lutheran Church.

H. Taylor, of Geneseo, was born Oct. 28, 1844, in Windham Co., Vt., and is the son flfeS*^ of Alfrecl and Martha (Hammond) Taylor. The parents were of New England origin, and were natives of Vermont. In 1854 they came to Illinois and located in Geneseo. Mr Taylor was united in marriage to Ella H. Hume, at Geneseo, Jan. 30, 1873. She was born in Moline, 111., and is the only daughter of S. T. Hume, M. D. Their two children are named Maurice H. and Louisa M. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are connected in membership with the Congregational Church. In politics Mr. Taylor is a radical Republican.

On arriving at the time when he desired to engage in business, Mr. Taylor chose the mercantile,in which he was interested until 1880, at which time he removed to Grinnell, Iowa, where he purchased 560 acres of land in the immediate vicinity of Grinnell and engaged in .agricultural pursuits, and operated there until the cyclone of 1882, at which time he rev| turned to Geneseo. He still retains his property at Grinnell. On coining hither he embarked in the grain business, and became the successor of Messrs. Lawbaugh & Dillenbeck, one of the oldest firms in the county, and who were among the pioneer grain dealers at Geneseo. Mr. Taylor is the proprietor of the elevator, and has added a feed-mill to its capacity. He is also interested in the sale of hard and soft coal. The capacity of the elevator is 65,000 bushels, and in good crop years Mr. Taylor handles from 200,000 to 300,000 bushels of grain. Steam power is employed, and a corn-sheller is connected with the establishment which has a capacity of 5,000 bushels per day.

letcher Van Auken, residing on section 28, Galva Township, was born July- n, 1842, in Monroe Co., N. Y. The ancestors of the Van Auken family, of which the subject of this sketch is a member, came from Holland and settled in Dutchess Co., N. Y., about 1836. They were members of a colony that were sent there by the Holland government, and a portion of their posterity still reside there. Their descendants took an active part in the Revolution of the Colonies from the unjust government of the old country. The record shows that the grandfather, Aaron Van Auken, was a Revolutionary soldier, and, after the war, engaged in the occupation of a farmer in New York. He was married in that State, and died near Albany, as likewise did his wife, aged 102 years. They were the parents of three children, of whom Aaron, Jr., was the only son. He was born in 1800, in Albany Co., N. Y., and is yet living, in Knox County, this State, where he came in 1858. He was for a time Superintendent of a section of the Erie Canal, and held the office of Justice of the Peace, and likewise participated in the War of 1812, being in the engagement at Sackett's Harbor. He married Catherine Ostrander, a native of Lowell, who is still living, at the venerable age of 82 years. She bore him six children, - Calvin, Anna, Wesley, Martha, William Harrison and Fletcher.

Fletcher, the subject of our notice, was reared in Rochester, N. Y., where he received his early education. At the age of 17 years, he came to Knox

County, this State, in 1858, with his parents, and has continually been engaged in the occupation of a farmer ever since that time. He first purchased land in McLean County, which he farmed for two years, then sold it and bought in Woodford County, lived in the latter county four years, sold his land and then came to Galva Township, this county. O.n arriving here, lie purchased 123 acres of the old Bon ham homestead, the oldest settler in Galva Township, which is located on section 28, where he is at present residing. Previous to this he had lived from 1866 to 1876, one mile southwest of Galva, on a farm owned by his father.

Mr. Van Auken was married in Knox County, Oct. r8, 1863, to Miss Margaret A., daughter of Joseph Armstrong, a native of Durham Co., England. She has borne him three children, viz. : Frank, Unnie and Ermina. The latter died aged eight years. Mrs. Van Auken is a member of the Christian Church. Politically, Mr. V. is a sympathizer with the principles of the Democratic party, and, socially, he is a member of the A. F. & A. M . belonging to Galva Lodge, No. 243.

oyal M. Wilcox, a farmer on section 20, Geneseo Township, has been a resident in Henry County since 1842. In that year he came to Geneseo to make the brick for the seminary building. He was the pioneer in in that line of business in the county. He is a native of the State of New York and was born in Bergen, Genesee County, May 30, 181 6. He was the son of Titus and Sarah (Stafford) Wilcox. His father died when he was two years old, and not long after the second marriage of his mother placed him under the charge of a step-father. The reconstructed family went to Riga, in the same State, and there Mr. Wilcox passed the remaining years of his minority. His step-father was a farmer and also a brick-maker, and he was instructed in both arts. When he was 2 1 he set out to operate in his own behalf and passed the few years next ensuing in the pursuits in which he had been trained. He found employ at different points in his native State until the year preceding that in which he came to Henry County. He spent a part of the year 1841 in Michv& igan and came thence to Geneseo. He opened a brick-yard for the purpose that has been mentioned and was occupied in its management several years. In 1848 he bought a tract of land on section 20, in the same township, on which 30 acres had been placed under the plow. It was also fenced. In 1850 he built a frame house of ample dimensions, of which his family took possession, and the place has sinec constituted the homestead. Mr. Wilcox has devoted his entire time to his agricultural projects and has made all necessary and suitable improvements on his farm until it is in excellent condition. He gives much attention to stock-breeding. His marriage to Hannah Wright occurred April 6,1847. Her birth took place in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., Feb. 6, 1830, and her parents were John and Anna (Hunt) Wright. They were natives of the Empire State. Following is the account of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox: George A. married Alice Batchelder and they reside at Logansport, Ind.; Frank D. married Lu Seymour and is a citizen of Elgin ; Flora S. is the wife of Edwin C. Jones. They are residents of Elgin. Marion L., Jessie V., Royal P. and Lucy May are the names of the younger children, who are unmarried. All the members of the family are connected with the Congregational Church. Politically, Mr. W. is a Republican.

acres of land in the township of Cornwall and also of the residence occupied by his family in the village of Atkinson. He was born April 30, 1808, in Rensselaer Co., N. Y. He had only the limited advantages of the district schools, and at the age of 17 he entered upon an apprenticeship to learn the trade of a tailor. After spending three years in the business, he went to Essex Co., N. Y. He was there married to Lorain E. Meacham, Feb. r, 1829. She was born in East Poultney, Rutland Co., Vt., in the town where Horace Greeley learned the art of printing in the newspaper office of A. Bliss. The father of Mrs. Follett, William Meacham, was born in Massachusetts and was the son of one of those who lost their lives at the battle of Bunker Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Follett are the parents of four children now living. They have lost three by death. Mary Janette, was born Dec. 22, 1829; John M-, March 18, 1832; William, March 28, 1834 (the latter was a soldier in the Union army and was killed at the battle of Resaca, Ga.); Melville C, June 7, 1836; Sarah F., Oct. 30, 1838; Maria I., Aug. 16, 1841 ; Martha E., May 14, 1843. AU three of the boys were in the Union army.

saac D. Buggies, a farmer of Geneseo Township, resident in the city of Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1856. He was born June 17, 1823, in Rutland, Vt. He represents one of the most prominent names in the business history of the East, as his father, Draper Ruggles, was the senior member of the firm of Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, the pioneer manufacturers of agricultural machinery on the American Continent. His mother, previous to her marriage, was named Nancy Corbett. His father removed to Worcester, Mass., when he, the son, was 12 years of age, and in the same year the business, which has been referred to, was established. The relations of the firm grew to extensive dimensions, and employed 300 hands.

As he attained to a suitable age, Mr. Ruggles acted as an assistant in the shops at Worcester, and also as a salesman in the ware- rooms in the city of Boston, and he was thus engaged until he was 18. He then carried out a resolution to try a seafaring life, and he became a sailor in the merchant service. He sailed from Boston to the East Indies, to the Mediterranean Sea, and to South America. He was in the ocean service about four years, and reached the position of second mate of a full-rigged ship. On relinquishing the idea of making a seaman's life the object of his ambition, he resumed his relations with the business of his father. He operated there until three years had expired, and then took charge of the homestead in Westborough, Mass., and was engaged in that line until 1852, when he went to Indiana. He there operated as a farmer, and also in the manufacture of farming implements three years.

In 1855 he came to Geneseo. He bought a farm near the city of which he was the occupant three years, and he then sold the property and removed to Davenport, Iowa. After two years he returned to Geneseo, and purchased the estate he has since owned, and resided in the city. When the foundry firm of Hammond & White had been in operation about a year, Mr. Ruggles became an owner of a third interest by purchase, and the firm name was changed to Hammond, White & Co.

In political views, Mr. Ruggles coincides with the Republicans. He was formerly a Whig. He is tolerant in his religious proclivities, having been brought up to accept the creed of the Unitarians.

He was joined in marriage, by the Rev. Edwa'rd Everett Hale, with Catharine G. Crawford, at Worcester, Mass., in 1846. Mrs. Ruggles was born in Rockland, Me. Their children were born as follows : Ella F. was born at Worcester, and is a resident at Geneseo ; Katie was born in Westborough, and is the wife of John Scott, a citizen of Chicago ; the sons Henry and Edward were born in Indiana ; the former is in Chicago, and the latter married Clara Carl, and is the resident manager of his father's farm ; the two younger children were born in Geneseo; William married Martha Cressey, and is following the profession of a painter in the city of Chicago ; and Emma is the wife of Charles C. Flint, of Chicago.

lohn Henderson. This gentleman is largely vt identified with the farming interests of Henry County. His home farm is on section 15, of Oxford Township. He was born in Indiana Co., Pa., Sept. 9, 1831. Brice and Anna (Thomas) Henderson, his parents, were natives of the Keystone State and by occupation farmers. They passed their lives in their native State, and at the above mentioned vocation.

John received a good ordinary education at common schools, and at the age of 20 bid farewell to the old home and embarked in life for himself. For five years he engaged in farming on shares. In 1856, he came to Illinois, and soon made a location at Orion, Henry County, where he worked out by the month until i860. He then purchased the place where he is now living, which consisted of 80 acres at that time. To this he has added 160 acres, and has erected a fine residence, built barn, set out orchards and shade-trees, built fences and improved his farm until it to-day ranks among the valuable estates of the county, being worth $15,000. Politically, Mr. H. is a Republican, and is recognized as one of the representative men of his community.

In 1861, Jan. 10, our subject was married to Miss Eliza Cox, a native of this State. To them have been born five children, four of whom are living and bear the following names: Frank, William T. S., Jennie and Fannie. Annie is deceased.

ra R. Wells, M. D., has been a practicing physican at Geneseo since i860 and of the county since 1850. He was born Feb. 18, 1820, at Shawneetown, 111., and is the son of Joel and Mary (Edwards) Wells. His father, Joel Wells, removed his family to Illinois in the last of its Territorial days and the same year in which it was made a State. The father was born Aug. 1, 1775, at Deerfield, Mass.

He was married in his native State May 8, 1797, and his wife was a descendant of the celebrated divine, Jonathan Edwards. She was born at Deerfield, Mass., Feb. 9, 1778. Soon after their marriage they removed to Windham Co., Vt., and were among the pioneers of the Green Mountain State. They went thence to the (then) village of Buffalo, whence they were driven by the burning of the place during the progress of the War of 18 12, their entire personal belongings being at that time destroyed. They went to Cincinnati, and were there residents until 1818, when they came to Illinois and located at Shawneetown in Gallatin County. In 1827 they moved to Galena, whither they traveled overland, crossing the Illinois River at the point where Peoria now stands, and where there, was then only a single log house. An Indian ferryman took the party over the Rock River, crossing where Dixon is now located. After a stay of a year at Galena they went to Moline, where the family was the first to make a permanent settlement. The father died there Sept. 3, 1838. The mother's death transpired Dec. 4, 1846. At the time they located at Moline the family included four sons and three daughters.

Dr. Wells was a child of eight years when his parents settled in Moline. He received his primary education in the common school and in 1838, when he was 18 years old, he fulfilled a long-cherished intention to enter upon the study of medicine and he began his reading in the office and under the preceptorship of Dr. Gregory, of Rock Island. Subsequently, he took a course of lectures at the Medical College at New Orleans and finished his studies at the University of the City of New York. He was graduated at the latter institution with the class of 1846, and received the authority of one of the most prominent of the medical colleges of this country to enter upon the career of a practitioner. He had established his business at Polo, in Ogle Co., 111., in 1840, and after operating there two years he went to Missouri, where he remained seven years. While there he attended the University of the City of New York. After receiving his credentials as a Doctor of Medicine, he opened an office at Moline and prosecuted the duties of his profession three years. In 1849 he went to California, and during his stay there of one year he practiced among the miners. He then came to Henry County and commenced the practice of his profession in Green River. He remained there ten years, and in i860 came to Geneseo. Since the beginning of his relations as a physician and surgeon with the people of that place, he has had an uninterrupted career of success and has firmly established himself in the confidence of his patrons.

In political faith and connections he has been a Democrat since he began to vote. He has been County Supervisor two years, and has officiated one term as Mayor of Geneseo. He was Postmaster at Moline three years - from 1846 to 1849 - and after his removal to Petersburg, Mo., he held the same position there five years. During the progress of the war he operated as Hospital Surgeon at Mound City some time. He has been active in the interests of the Medical Societies of Iowa and Illinois, and has been the presiding officer of those bodies as well as a member of the American Medical Association. He has acted as County Physician 12 years.

Dr. Wells has been twice married. He became the husband of Susan L. Wells in October, 1840, at Rock Island. She was born in Massena, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and was the daughter of Elihu vVells. The issue of this marriage was five children, all of whom are living but one. George V. married Jennie McCurdy and they live in Chicago, where he is occupied in the business of a commission merchant. Helen is the wife of Geo. W. Baker, of Geneseo. They have four children : Phebe married Dr. H. T. Antes and is the mother of two children; Joseph E. married Elizabeth Sheriff, of Geneseo, and they are residents of Galena. They have two children, both sons; Henry V. was killed by a runaway horse when he was seven years old. The mother died Jan. 13, 1857, and the second marriage of Dr. Wells to Martha J. Graham, took place at Rock Island, July 25, 1857. Two children have been born to them. Henry, the eldest, died when he was four years of age. Mary is a teacher by profession. Mrs. VVells is the daughter of Joseph and Phebe (Madison) Graham, and, in the maternal line of descent is a descendant of President Madison. She was born in Gainesville, N. Y. The family are communicants of the Episcopal Church.

While the Black Hawk War was in progress, Dr. Wells, then a boy of 13, enlisted in the cavalry, and served during the war ; was honorably discharged at its close and " as honestly paid," he says, " by the Government."

eter M. Wickstrum, residing on section 19, Galva Township, was born March 3, 1827, If^^ Soderhamn, Helsingland, Sweden, and is a cb J son of Mathias and Anna (Nelson) Wickstrum. In that country his mother died. The father ' of Mr. Wickstrum emigrated to this country in 1866, and died here in 1873, aged 83 years. He had two children, - Mathias, a farmer in Clay Co., Kan . ; and Peter M , subject of this notice. The latter was educated in his native country, and at the age of 23 years, in 1850, emigrated to the United States, coming directly to Bishop Hill, this county.' He became a member of the "Colony" and worked with it until its dissolution, when he received 57^ acres of prairie and five acres of timber land, all in Weller Township, the date of his receiving the land being in the spring of 1861.

Sept. 14, 1861, Mr. Wickstrum enlisted in the 57th 111. Vol. Inf., Co. D, as private, and was appointed Orderly Sergeant. After the battle of Shiloh, April

6, 1862, he was promoted Second Lieutenant, and Sept. 3, of the same year he was again promoted, this time to the position of Captain, which office he held until the close of the war, receiving an honorable discharge July 7, 1865. He participated in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, siege of Corinth, battle of Corinth, Sherman's campaign before Atlanta and in his famous march from Atlanta to the sea. He was also in the battle of Bentonville while on his march to the sea, and also participated in many minor skirmishes and engagements.

After the war he returned home, cast aside his accoutrements of war, and once more entered upon the peaceful pursuits of life. He first sold his land in Weller Township, then purchased 210 acres located on sections 19 and 20, Galva Township, upon which he moved and at once entered vigorously and actively upon the task of its improvement, and on which he is at present residing, meeting with success in his chosen vocation.

Mr. Wickstrum was united in marriage, in his native country, with Miss Ingren Belgquist, who has borne him four children, - Jacob, John, Lottie and William, - the eldest of whom married Miss Church, of Galesburg.

ohn F. Smith is one of the most substanstantial and reliable of the agriculturists of Henry County, and is a resident on section 1 3, Geneseo Township. He was born in Kane Co., 111., Dec. 18, 1843, and is the son of Benjamin H. and Selinda (Emerson) Smith. His father and mother died on the homestead in Geneseo Township, respectively May 25, 1875, and March 15, 1868. They were of New England origin. The family removed to Henry County from Kane County in 1855. A house was purchased in Geneseo, where they lived until i860. In that year they took possession of the farm on which the son is now a resident. The place became their property in 1858, and during that year and the one following the farm buildings were erected. The place contains 192 cres and is a valuable estate. It was once the site of a village, - one of the first started in Henry County and which received its death blow when the Geneseo Colony took permanent root in the place it now occupies. The place was called Henryville and contained a dozen houses and a saw-mill, and its prospects were as good as any other of the small villages that have sprung up in different places, only to die out from some unforeseen cause.

Mr. Smith has been twice married. His first wife, who before her marriage was Miss Nettie Rogers, left the following children when she died : Salinda was born Feb. 8, 1868. Emmett was born July 2, 1870. Henry E., who is deceased, was born Aug. 19, 1872. The mother died Oct. 8, 1872. Sept. 1, 1876, Mr. Smith was a second time married to Katie J. Orcutt, of Erie, Whiteside Co., 111. She was born July 10, 1855, and is the daughter of Samuel and Martha M. (Thompson) Orcutt. Her children are named and were born as follows : Ralph O., Oct. 14, 1877 ; Pearl J., June 25, 1881 ; Floyd, Oct. 17, 1884. The father of Mrs. Smith was born in Centerville, N. Y., April 3, 1828. He enlisted in the Union service Sept. 2, 1862, in Co. I, 75th 111. Vol. Inf. He was made First Sergeant of his command March 22, 1863, and June 23, 1864, after a day of severe fighting, was captured by the rebels. He passed eight months in the prison pen at Florence and in the stockade horror at Andersonville, and never recovered from the effects of the terrible experiences of those modern Golgothas. He contracted the disease from which he died Dec. 14, 1881. He was married April 9, 1848. His wife was bom April 9, 1828, and is still his survivor. She lives at Erie, in Whiteside County. Mrs. Smith was bom in the city of Rochester, N. Y.

Mr. Smith of this sketch was reared to the business in which he has won the meed of industry and good management. He is a man of much more than ordinary influence, and although he only received such intellectual training as the common schools afforded, he has made the best use of his faculties in acquiring a profitable understanding of men and of the world in general, and is the possessor of a well balanced mind ; and his abilities and stainless life have won for him the unqualified respect and esteem of those with whom he has been connected in business and in social relations from his boyhood. As it is his purpose soon to sever his connection with the people of Henry County, a faithful biographer feels justified in placing him on permanent record in the real position he occupies in the community in which he has maintained an undeviating course of honor and probity. He is a Republican in political connection, and has always sustained the principles of that party.

yman Stowell, of Yorktown Township, is a pioneer of the State of Illinois of 1836. From that date to 1848 he was working as a mechanic in various parts of Illinois. He was born in Colesville, Broome Co., N. Y., Feb. 19, 1810, and is the oldest son of Aaron and Elizabeth (Pratt) Stowell. His father was a native of Vermont, and his mother was born in Broome County. He was 12 when his parents removed to Bainbridge, in Chenango County, and he there attained to the estate of manhood. He was brought up on the farm, and received his education in the subscription schools, which were very good in the way of providing for the instruction of the children whose parents were early settlers of the country.

When he was 22 he went to Steuben County for the purpose of learning the trade of a millwright, as he had a natural aptitude for the use of tools. His brother Alanson was a craftsman of the same kind, and in 1836 they came together to Illinois and went to work in Quincy, where they passed two months in the construction of a mill. Malarial illness prevailing there to an alarming extent, they went thence to Pleasant Valley, in Scott County, in the then Territory of Iowa, and passed several months in the construction of mills. In the fall of 1836 they returned to Quincy, and there spent the ensuing winter. In the spring they went back to Pleasant Valley and resumed work at their trade, remaining until the last summer month of the same year. They went thence to Prophetstown, in Whiteside County, and built a saw-mill on Coon Creek. In 1838 they came for the first time to Henry County, and they built a mill at Spring Creek. They returned to Prophetstown and engaged in farming. They were the builders of the first frame house in the township of Prophetstown. In 1844 Mr. Stowell rented a farm at Woodward's Bluff, six miles from Prophetstown, and was its occupant and manager until 1848. In that year he made a claim on section 9, town 18, range 5, which is now Yorktown. On this the owner built a log house and covered it with shingles rived from burr oak. Six years later he entered the land and secured the claim. He had put it under excellent improvement, and he has since bought additional land and is now tha owner of 177 acres, including 17 acres of timber. The estate of Mr. Stowell is in good farming condition, and is supplied with all necessary structures for the comfort of the family, the well-being of the stock and the storing of the farm products. When he was a farmer of Prophetstown the nearest market to which he had access was at Galena, where he sold his produce to the miners. That place was 72 miles distant, and the trip there consumed five days.

The marriage of Mr. Stowell to Sarah Leech took place in 1843. She was born in Johnsburg, Warren Co., N. Y. The record of their children is as follows : Caroline E. is the wife of S. L. Sweeney, and they are residents of Arkansas. Emma J. married J. H. Sweeney, of Hamilton Co., Iowa. Wilbur married Lydia A. Luther. He is the manager of the homestead. Sarah A. is the wife of Rufus C. Burroughs, of Whiteside County.

arshall F. Wolcott, a farmer and stockman, resident at Geneseo, was born in the village of Wolcottville, La Grange 7^f\ Co., Ind., Oct. 2i, 1838, and is the son of f George and Margaret (Hine) Wolcott. His father was born in Connecticut and was a pioneer of Indiana, where he attained to wealth and influence. The town was named in his honor. The mother of Mr. Wolcott was a native of the. same State in which her husband had his origin.

On attaining to the age in which it became incumbent on him to enter active business life, Mr. Wolcott, of this sketch, embarked in a mercantile enterprise at Lima, Ind. He continued to operate there until his removal, in 1866, to Henry County. He at first gave his attention to the prosecution of mercantile affairs at Briar Bluff, and continued the business until September, 1883. He had meanwhile resided at Geneseo. Since the year named he has

Mr. Wolcott is a Republican in political faith, and he was the first Postmaster at Briar Bluff, tie officiated in that capacity from 187 1 to the time he disposed of his business there, in 1883.

Mr. Wolcott is associated with his father-in-law in the business of stock-rearing, and they are the proprietors of 1,500 acres of land in the township of Colona.

Mrs. Wolcott is the daughter of A. W. Perry, one of the pioneers of Henry County, and of whose connection with the development of its interests and resources a detailed account is given elsewhere in this work. Fanny L. Perry was born at Geneseo, and was married to Mr. Wolcott May 9, 1866. They have had three children. Alfred P. was born July 6, 1867. George was born May 21, .1869, and died in infancy. Frank B. was born April 9, 187 1.

iristian Urban, the present Assessor of Yorktown Township, is one of the prosperous farmers in Henry County. He was born in Alsace, France, Nov. 14, 1827. His parents were Lawrence and Barbara Urban. He attended the schools of his native province until he was 15, when he learned the trade of a weaver. He followed it as a business until his removal to America in 1847.

He sailed from the port of Havre De Grace, and after a passage of 40 days landed at New York. He had formed an intention to proceed westward, and accordingly he went up the Hudson River to Albany, where he took the Erie Canal and traveled in that manner to Buffalo. He made his way to Chicago, and went from there to the northern part of Cook County. It should have been mentioned that his mother died when he was but three years of age, and that his father accompanied him to America. Arriving at his destination in Cook County, he went to work as a farm assistant. The next year he went to Chicago, where he learned the trade of shoemaker, and he followed that as an occupation two years in that city. He then went into the country to pass a season in the harvest fields, and he remained there to work at his trade. After spending a year in the same vicinity, he went to the State of Pennsylvania. He proceeded to Warren county, where he continued to stay until 1853. He went th§nce to Indiana, where he bought 80 acres of land in Lake County. It was wholly uncultivated, and without house or shelter for stock. He bargained to pay $3 per acre for the property, and had but $80 to make the first payment. He worked at his business as a shoemaker, and also put in crops on land which he rented, and he was finally successful in procuring the needed funds to secure his title to his estate. He continued to manage the little farm of which he was the proud proprietor and to occupy it until 1865.

In the spring of that year he sold it and bought 80 acres on section 4 in the township in which he has since prosecuted his farming projects. He has been prospered in his frugality and industry, and is at present the owner of 180 acres on the same section, all of which is under excellent tillage and under good ' farming regulations. The place is well supplied with all needed farm buildings, and is devoted to the raising of grain and stock.

Mr. Urban was united in marriage to Mary Fisher in 1854. She was born in Warren Co., Pa. They have several children, who are named Louisa, George W., Martlia, Ida, Ella, Frank and Fred. The two last named are twins. Martha is the wife of M. E. Melvin, and they live in New Bedford, Bureau County.

Westmorelafid Co., Pa., and is the son of Alex- ]£ ander and Elizabeth (Steel) Hamilton. His \ father was born in Ireland, and came thence to America in the Rebellion of 1793. The mother was a native of the same county in Pennsylvania where the son was born. The latter was reared on a farm, and came from his native county in October of the year named.

He settled at Shabbona Grove in the township of Cornwall, where he became the proprietor of a farm comprising 166 acres. This was his home until 1876, when he went to Benton Co., Iowa. There he purchased 240 acres of land, of which he is still the owner, and on which he continued to reside until 1884. In that year he returned to Geneseo to make it his permanent home during the remainder of his life. Mr. Hamilton is liberal in religious opinions, and in political persuasion he is a Democrat.

He was married in the township of Atkinson, in Henry County, in 1840, to Mary E. Taylor. She was born in Antrim, N. H., and is the daughter of Andrew Taylor. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton : John T. married Annie Jones, and they are residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he is a dealer in agricultural implements and coal; William Wallace married Josie Allsup, and is a citizen of Mapleton, Iowa ; Porter married Lota Sargent, and they also live at Mapleton; Sarah E. is the wife of William Orr, who is a farmer in Cornwall Township ; the two sons of Mr. Hamilton who live at Mapleton are engaged in the sale of agricultural implements, coal and lumber. The children were all born in Cornwall Township. James W. married Bell Snow, and they live on the farm in Benton Co., Iowa.

. ames A. Tracy, one of the prosperous and energetic farmers of Osco Township, where he resides on section 18, is a son of Joab and Mary J. (Coon) Tracy, and was born in Lynn Township, this county, Feb. 16, 1854. His parents were "natives of Indiana, and came into Henry County in 1852, locating in Lynn Township, and reside there at the present time.

James A. was the second in order of birth of a' family of ten children, and received a fair education in the common schools of his neighborhood, and later attended Knox College at Abingdon, 111., for six months. Remaining at home until 21 years of age, he then engaged in farming on his own account. He made a purchase of 1 60 acres of land in March, 1878, located in Osco Township, and settled upon the same, which is all good tillable land, and by hard labor and industry has cultivated the same until now he is the possessor of some excellent farming land in Henry County.

Mr. Tracy formed a matrimonial alliance in Cambridge, 111., Feb. 7, 1878, the lady chosen to share his joys and sorrqws, successes and reverses, being Miss

Lena R. Molthrop, daughter of Oscar and Lasetta (Britton) Molthrop, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Tracy, wife of our subject, was born in Viola, Mercer Co.,, 111., Dec. 29, i860. Of their union has been born one child, who died in infancy.

eorge W. Goshorn, of Geneseo, removed to Henry County in 1853, and to Geneseo in 1859. He was born in the township of Tell, in Huntington Co., Pa., Aug. 9, 1812, and is the son of Andrew and Margaret (Goshorn) Goshorn. His father was born in Pennsylvania, and was of German descent, his greatgrandparents having come from that country to the United States. The mother of Mr. Goshorn was also born in the Keystone State, of parentage of Scotch- Irish extraction.

The son was reared on a farm. He was married in Juniata County, in his native State, to Eleanor J. McClure, who is a native of the same State, and was born in Mifflin County, Dec. 16, 182 1. In May subsequent to their marriage they removed to Wayne Co., Ohio. They have had eight children, two sons and six daughters : Mary H. was born in Congress, Wayne County, Feb. 20, 1840, is the wife of A. F. Murphy, and lives in the township of Cornwall; James C. was born July 30, 1847, in ChesterTownship, in Wayne County ; he married a Miss Motley, at. Deadwood, Dak., and resides at Aspen, Col.; Maggie E. was born at West Salem, Ohio, Jan. 31, 1856, and is now Mrs. J. Mitchell of St. Louis, Mo. ; Jennie, wife of George T. Wilkinson, was born in West Salem, June 27, 1856, and they are residents of Munson Township; the others died in infancy. Mr. Goshorn removed his family to Cornwall Township, or to the township that now bears that name in 1856. He was the owner of 80 acres that he had purchased there in the year named as that in which he came to Henry County, and was the occupant of the place until his removal to Geneseo. He bought 40 acres within the limits of the village, and engaged extensively in the rearing of hogs for market.

in political connection, but at present is a supporter of the tenets of the National Greenback party. He served while a resident of Cornwall as School Trustee. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

rederick N. Baird, a prominent farmer residing on section 12, Osco Town- *fr ship, was born in Bethany, Genesee Co., N. Y., May 14, 1827, and was the fourth in order of birth of a family of eight children. His parents, Frederick and Roxanna (Cone) Baird, were natives of Connecticut, in which State they were married and remained for a number of years. They then removed to New York, where they resided until 1856, when they came into Henry County, and settled in Edford Township, where he (the father) died in 1859. Mrs. Baird died in Colorado.

Frederick N., of whom we write, received a good common-school education by attendance at the district schools of his neighborhood, besides attending the College at Brockport, Monroe County, N. Y., for one term, and when 18 years of age he was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade. He followed the latter for many years, and in the spring of 1853 came to Henry County and worked at his trade for one season in Geneseo. He then bought a tract of 120 acres of land in Edford Township, and located upon it, where he resided seven years, when he sold it and removed again to Geneseo, and continued ' to follow his trade for five years. He next engaged as traveling salesman, selling marble monuments, for two years, and in 1873, determining to adopt the vocation of a farmer, he made a purchase of 80 acres in Osco Township, located on his present site, section 12, and has remained there ever since. He entered upon the task of its improvement and cultivation, and now is the possessor of some of Henry County's best farming land.

He was married in Genesee Co., N. Y., March 12, T856, Caroline M. Partridge being the lady he led to the altar. She was the daughter of William R. and Lucy A. (Starkweather) Partridge, natives of New York, and was the second of their family of nine children. Genesee, N. Y., was also the place of her birth, and July 24, 1832, .the date. Mr. and Mrs.

Baird have two children, - Charles E., ihe elder, was married at Hamlet, Siark Co., Ind., May 31, 1833, to Emma R. Dull, who was born in Wyandot Co., Ohio, June 24, 1857. They have one child, Carrie R. Norman W. is the name of their youngest son. Charles is a graduate of the Valparaiso (Ind.) College. Mr. B. has taken somewhat of an active part in the general affairs of his township, and has occasionally served in some official positions. Politically, he is a Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Infjjlll illiam Miller, formerly a farmer, then a carifel^Ir.. penter and a lumber merchant at Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1838. He has been a resident of Illinois since 1836, when he located at Peoria, and came thence to Henry Connty in the year named. He was born in Peekskill, Westchester Co., N. Y., March 31, 1816, and is the son of George and Mary (Oakley) Miller. He received his education and training in a knowledge of agriculture previous to his 18th year on his father's homestead. At that age he began to learn the carpenter's trade, at which he worked in his native State until his removal to Illinois. After his removal to Henry County he lived two years in the township of Andover. He came thence in 1840 to Geneseo.

In political preference he is a Prohibitionist; he was a Republican in the early days of his citizenship. Mr. Miller was joined in marriage Dec. 22, 1842, to Harriet T. Cone, who was born in the township of Victor, Livingston Co., N. Y., and who is the daughter of Elisha and Eliza A. (Hill) Cone, whose father was a member of the Geneseo Colony, and settled in the county in 1836. He built the first log cabin in the township of Geneseo. His death occurred Sept. 6, 1846. Mrs. Cone resides with her daughter. She is 75 years old, and has been a resident of Henry County nearly a half century.

Following are the children of Mr. and Mrs. Miller : George L. died in infancy; Emilie E.*is the wife of W. S. Read, of Pike Co., III. ; George W. was born July 7, T850, and is a resident of St. Jo'seph, Mo., and is the Auditor of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs and the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroads.

I ela Andrews, who is engaged in farming, and resides on section 34 of Osco Township, is one of the successful farmers as well as respected citizens of this county.

The parents of Mr. Andrews were Beri and Eliza (Hall) Andrews, and were natives ot Connecticut. The parents were married and settled in Connecticut, and in r834 removed to Lorain Co., Ohio, in which county they continued to reside until their deaths. The mother died April 21, 1857, and the father Oct. 9, 1868. Their children were four in number, namely: Bela, Hannah E., Sarah B. and William B.

Bela Andrews, the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this notice, was born July 28, 1830, in Connecticut. He attended the common schools, more or less, until he attained his majority, passing a portion of his time prior to that date in working on the farm. On attaining the age of majority he attended Kenyon College, located in Gambier, Knox Co., Ohio, and followed the curriculum of that institution, from which he graduated with honors after six years of hard study. Receiving his diploma, he engaged in teaching in the schools of Ohio and Connecticut, which occupation he followed for about four years. At the expiration of that time he was employed in a factory in Connecticut, where he passed ' two years more of his life. He then entered the Reformatory at Meriden, Conn., where he was employed as teacher and assistant for some twelve years. As a memento of the appreciation of his service as an instructor, the teachers and employees of the school presented Mr. Andrews with a magnificent family bible.

In the spring of 1874 Mr. Andrews came to this county, and settled in Osco Township. He is at present the owner of 320 acres of well improved land, and in the vocation in which he is at present engaged is meeting with success. His marriage, which occurred in Meriden, Conn., June ro, 1862, to Mary L.* daughter of Stephen R. and Elizabeth (Clark) Merriam, has been blessed by the birth of five children. The parents of Mrs. Andrews were natives of New Haven Co., Conn., in which State they were married, and shortly afterward emigrated to Portage Co., Ohio, where they died.

Mrs. Andrews was born in Summit Co., Ohio, Aug. 4, 1839, and the names of the children born of her union with Mr. A. are as follows : Wm. M., who died when nine months old ; Annie E., Mary F., Oliver B., Edward L. and Paul B.

Mr. Andrews has been honored by the citizens of his township by the office of School Director, Trustee and Road Commissioner, which offices he has filled to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. He and his wife are members of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

oshua Gilfillan, retired farmer, resident at Kewanee, Henry Co., 111., was born at Barnett, Caledonia Co., Vt, April 12, 1823. His father, William, was a native of Scotland, and his mother, Ruth, - whose maiden name was Blanchard, but when married to Mr. Gilfillan was a widow Chamberlain, - was a native of Peacham, Vt. Of theirfive children, three sons and two daughters, the subject of this biographical notice was the fourth. The senior Mr. Gilfillan was a farmer by occupation, and his sons in that regard followed his footsteps. He died in 1840, aged 72 years, and the rest of the family moved from Barnett to Peacham.

Joshua had the advantage of a pretty thorough education, and taught school several terms while a young man. Dec. 4, 1844, he came West, and for the first few years taught, " off and on," in the public schools. His elder brother, John A., was a graduate of Dartmouth, and fitted for the Bar; but, not finding the legal profession to his taste, abandoned it early in life, and sirfce 1850 has been connected with the schools of St. Louis, Mo. Another brother, Daniel W., was a graduate of Vermont University, and taught school several years, but finally left it off, and hus since followed farming.

In 1846, the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this article located upon a farm in Stark Co., 111., and there remained until 1880, when he gave up the cares and labors incident to farming, and retired to his home in Kewanee. He has been thrice married, first at Peacham, Vt., in 1846, to Miss Ann E. Way, who died at Osceola, 111., in 1854, leaving two children : Mary, Mrs. Henry Reedall, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Charles C, now a farmer of Bureau Co., 111. Mr. G. was married a second time in 1855, to Mrs. Lucy L. Sawyer, who died in 1875, leaving five children : Frank, a farmer; Cora V., of Salt Lake City; John W., James A. and Burton C, all of Stark Co., 111. Mr. Gilfillan was married a third time at Toulon, 111., in 1880, to Mrs. Ella Rowell, who has borne him two children : Fannie, and an infant deceased, not named.

Mr. Gilfillan has worked his way up through life, and by individual effort and industry has earned the handsome competency which now enables him to take the world easy. In addition to agricultural interests, he is a large stockholder in the Haxtun Steam Heater Works, at Kewanee, director in the First National Bank, and a large stockholder in the two great corporations known as the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and Illinois Central Railroads. A farmer that had the judgment and foresight to invest money in the stocks of those two corporations at a time when they were low, and to hold on to them, requires no further recommendation to the world as shrewd financier. Politically, Mr. G. is an independent Democrat.

evi A. Hamilton, a prosperous and energetic farmer, his residence being on section 15, Osco Township, is a son of James and Lucy (Nichols) Hamilton, natives of Massachusetts. They married and settled in the above State, but later removed to York State, where they remained some time, finally returning to the Slate of their nativity, and settling in Worcester County, where they died. Their family consisted of seven children, - Jefferson, Mary, Lucy, Levi A., William, James and Marcia.

The subject of this sketch was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., April 10, 1810, and when but six years of age removed with his parents to Brookfield, Mass., at which prace he remained until January, 1856. Having learned the shoemaker's trade, he, followed the same for six years, and that, in connection with farming, occupied his time until he came West. In January, 1856, he came to Geneseo, 111., where he lived until the spring of that year, when he settled in Osco Township, there purchasing 160 acres of land on his present location, and has since remained a resident of this township. His farm is in excellent condition, and mostly all improved.

His first marriage occurred in Brookfield, Worcester Co., Mass., the date of which was June 5, 1831, the lady being Miss Mary Walker, daughter of Ezekiel Walker, also natives of Massachusetts. She was born in Brookfield, the latter State, and bore her husband ten children, the following being the record of the living ones : Sarah F., William O., Emma W., Mary, Henry and Lucy. Sarah F. is now the wife of H. Crossley, and resides in this township. Mrs. Hamilton died in Osco Township, April 7, 1876. Emma W. is the wife of Henry Norton, and resides in Hampton, Rock Island Co., 111.; and Mary, now Mrs. Johnson Bennett, resides in Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. H. was the second time married in Coe Township, Rock Island County, June. 5, 1878, to Ruth, daughter of Stephen and Eleanor (Price) Odell, natives respectively of York State and Maryland, and widow of B. F. Bryant, who died in Canoe Creek Township, Rock Island Co., 111., Jan. 27, 1855. She had by that marriage one child, Frances J. Bryant, who is now the wife of Henry Quick, and resides in Port Byron, Rock Island County. Mrs. Hamilton was born in Guernsey Co., Ohio., on the 4th of May, 1830.

Mr. Hamilton has held the office of Supervisor one year, and other minor offices within the gift of the people of his township. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically he is independent.

illiam R. 'Goodrich, gunsmith and dealer in sportsmen's goods, at Kewanee, Henry County, 111., bears the distinction of hav- 5> ing been born in the Sandwich Islands. His father, the Rev. Joseph Goodrich, of the Congregational Church, was sent from Old Wethersfield, Conn., as a missionary to the Sandwich Islands in 1822, and there remained for a period of 14 years. To the student who gleaned his primary knowledge of important events from the Eclectic series of school readers, the name of Goodrich will always be familiar. The stories there related of the earliest attempts to Christianize the Sandwich cannibals, were first told by the father of the subject of this sketch, the Rev. Joseph Goodrich. He returnedto his native State in 1836, and proceeded at once to Illinois , where he was identified with the Wethersfield Colony for a number of years, and in 1 85 2 died, upon the farm now occupied by the Lathrop Coal Mining Co., in the 58th year of his age. His wife, Martha (Barnes) Goodrich, had preceded him by a few years to the mystic shore, and was the first person interred in the Wethersfield Cemetery. They reared three sons and as many daughters to men and women, and buried their eldest-born on the .Sandwich Islands.

William R. Goodrich, our subject, was born Feb. 20, 1832, and therefore when the family arriyed in the new and unsettled county of Henry, he was but about four years of age. He worked at farming until about 24 years of age, and in 1857 removed into the town of Kewanee, and established the first bread bakery at this place. He followed baking about six years, starting up in the meantime his present business. His first shop occupied the site of the present new Kewanee House, and was a small building erected in 1856. In 1857, he was married, at Kewanee, to Harriet M. Slocum, a native of New York State, and has had born to him five children, as follows : William B., Rolland S., Frederick G., Charles E. and Lewis J. Both Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. G. is identified prominently with the Independent Order of Mutual Aid.

-£Seorge Duff, a farmer of Henry County, has been a resident of the"*State of Illinois and "K of Henry County since 1857. Mr. Duff was born in Allegheny Co., Pa., March 24, i82r. He is the son of William and Mary Duff and was reared on a farm. He lived in the State in which he was born until he was nearly 40 years old, and was there occupied in farming. He was married there, Aug. 28, 1844, to Mary A., daughter of Philip Cypher. She was born in the same county in which she was married. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Duff were six in number. Nancy E. is the wife of Darwin Amsden and they live in Iowa. Sarah A. married George H. Wilson, and they are also living in Iowa. William married Rebecca Wilson. He is a farmer in the township of Edford. Mary F. is the wife of Charles Magee, of Osco Township. John died at the age of seven. One child died in early life, who was born in Geneseo. The five first named were born in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Duff purchased the farm he now owns in the township of Edford in 1862. He removed thence to Geneseo, Feb. 22, 1884. In his political connections he is a Democrat.

A. Peterson, owning 108 acres of land, located on section 30, Osco Township, where he resides and is engaged in the occupa- % Jv. tion of his life, that of agriculture, was born in Sweden, Feb. 15, 1834. Mr. Peterson lived in his native country until 1857. In the summer of that year, hoping to better his financial condition in a new country, he emigrated to the United States. One year after his arrival in this country he came to Henry County and purchased 80 acres of land in Lynn Township, on which he located with his family and actively engaged in its cultivation and improvement. He and his family resided on the latter place for seven years, when Mr. P. sold the same and made another purchase, the same being in Western Township and consisting of 160 acres. -Eight months later, Mr. Peterson sold the latter purchase and bought 177 acres in Osco Township, located on section 31, on which he and his family moved and continued to reside until the spring of 1883. At that time he sold his 177 acres and removed to section 30, same township. He is at present the owner of 108 acres of good tillable land, which is in a firstclass farming condition, and 160 acres in Iowa. On his farm he has erected a fine residence, barn, etc., second to none in Henry County, and the farm presents that appearance which is indicative of energy and perseverance on the part of its proprietor. What of this world's goods Mr. Peterson possesses is the accumulation of a life of toil and economy.

Mr. Peterson was married in Galesburg, this State, Nov. 8, 1859, to" Christine Aim, a native of Sweden, in which country she was born Aug. 15, 1828. In 1846 she crossed the waters with her par- ents and landed in the United States. She has borne her husband ten children. The living are John A. C, Emma A., August S. and Ella E. Emma A. is the wife of Capt. Chris Christerson, a resident of Chicago, and they have one child, Osher Theo. The children of whom Mr. and Mrs. Peterson became the parents and who have passed to the land of the hereafter, arc named Anna C. C, Joseph E., Gilbert M., Nettie R., Gilbert W. and Cora R.

Politically, Mr. Peterson is a believer in the principles of the Republican party. He has held the office of School Director, and is one of the respected and honored citizens of his township and of the county. He and his wife are active supporters of the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

ashington Dunbar. As a splendid example of what may be accomplished by an energetic, determined and economical man, we point to Mr. Dunbar. He is now engaged in farming on section 31, of Wethersfield Township, where he owns a splendid farm" of 320 acres, besides some other property in Knox County. His parents, William and Sarah (Prather) Dunbar, were married and settled in Kentucky, but very early in the history of Stark Co., 111., they moved there and for many years were prominent pioneers. The elder Dunbar then sold out and went to California, where he died, his wife dying in Lynn Co., Kan.

Washington was the seventh of a family of 13 children, and was born in Breckenridge Co., Ky., Sept. 20, 182T. He was a boy of about eight years of age when his parents came to Stark County. At so early a period there were only a few settlements anywhere in the northern part of Illinois ; and, as would naturally be expected, he enjoyed very limited advantages for an education. He worked on the farm, aiding in its developments, until about 15 years of age, when he began to work out by the day and month. This kind of life he followed until he settled in La Fayette Township, Stark County. Here he lived for about seven years, when, in 1852, he moved into Henry County and located upon section 31, Wethersfield Township. This farm, which consists of 320 acres, he has splendidly improved and brought to a high state of cultivation. He has been eminently successful and prominent in all the affairs of his township. His success is due to his energy, integrity and perseverance, and for it he deserves great credit.

Doubtless, one of the motives which inspired Mr. Dunbar to secure some property and settle down was his contemplated marriage, which occurred about the time he began farming for himself in Stark County. The day of the wedding was Dec. 24, 1846, and the lady who thus determined to be his helpmeet was Anna, daughter of Josephus and Elizabeth (Bennett) Lee. They were natives of New York State, and had come to Stark County about 1844. The former died there about 1847, January 18, and the latter Aug. 21. 1872. They reared a family of 12 children, of whom Mrs. Dunbar was the third in order of birth. She was born in Warren Co., N. Y., June 10, 1825. Their family record reads as follows: number of children nine, - Oscar, Orville, Orson, Albertus, Adelia, Burwell, Charles L., Effie L. and Harry. Oscar, Orville and Burwell are deceased. Adelia is the wife of DeWitt Winney, of Knox Co., 111. Effie is the wife of Bradford Snyder, of Stark Co., 111. Mr. Dunbar has served as School Director for many years, and politically, is a strong Republican.

j^dward Johnson, residing on section 32, Osco Township, where he is engaged in the cultivation of 142 acres of good tillable land, was born in Mercer County, this State, March 8, 1857. The parents of Mr. Johnson, John and Johanna Johnson, were in Sweden. In 1877 Edward, whose name stands at the head of this biographical notice, entered his father's store and engaged in the capacity of clerk, which occupation he continued until 1880, when he removed to Andover Township and there resided for one year. His next remove was to Osco Township, where he located on a farm belonging to his father, consisting of 140 acres of section 32.

Mr. Johnson has continued to cultivate the farm on section 32 since his removal thereon in 1881, meeting with success in that vocation. His marriage occurred in Western Township, Nov. 17, 1880, and the accomplished lady who became his wife was

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. In political matters Mr. J. always casts his vote with the Republican party.

ohn Chisnall, President and General f Manager of the Kewanee Wagon Company, was born in Lancashire, England, June 27, 1833, and came to America in 1855. At the common schools of England he acquired a fair education in the elementary branches, and after spending some time in the cotton mills began, when he was 16 years of age, to learn the trade of wagon-maker. In the United States his first stop was at Omaha, Neb., where he worked at his trade for several years. From Omaha he removed to Philadelphia, Pa., and seven years afterward came to Kewanee. Here he was employed by the O'Brien Manufacturing Co., until January, 1882. In business, Mr. Chisnall has been rather successful. Coming to America a poor boy, depending upon his labor for a livelihood, he has worked his way to the possession of a handsome property.

obligations of his minority to his parents, and when he arrived at the age of 21 he went to Iowa and studied law at Dunlap, in that State, for about six months. He then entered a private banking institution in that place and continued to operate there 18 months. At the end of that time he began business on his own behalf in the sale of jewelry, musical merchandise and sewing-machines in the same place, in which he was interested about 18 months.

Newell, at Annawan, associated with D. S. Way, and they managed their joint affairs under the style of Robinson & Way until 1879, when they sold to Messrs. Lawrence & Putney, and Dr. Robinson commenced the sale of jewelry, which he prosecuted until 1884. Meanwhile, for a period of five years, he had given much attention to the study of medicine, with the intention of fitting himself for the profession. In September, 1883, he matriculated at the Chicago Homeopathic College, and was graduated there in February, 1885. He established his business at Annawan, where he is building up a substantial practice. In his political connections he is an adherent of the Republican party. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Annawan. In religious views he is in sympathy with the Baptist denomination.

His marriage to Ellen V. Way took place Nov. 29, 1874, and they are the parents of four children, - Edna M., Julius W., Charles R. and Dwight S. Mrs. Robinson was born in Noble Township, La Porte Co., Ind., May 25, 1851.

The marriage of Mr. Litton took place in Knox County, this State, April 16, 1863. Miss Mahala Mullen became his wife at that time, and has shared his sorrows and joys, successes and reverses, until the present. She was born in Fulton Co., Pa., Dec. 31, 1846, and has borne her husband six children, - W. Grant, Charles W., Brady J., Bessie E., Ray H. and Mackie. Brady J. died aged three and onehalf years, having swallowed a nail, which caused his death in 15 minutes. Mr. Litton has been School Director in his township, and in politics is identified with the Democratic party. His parents were John and Sophia (Knable) Litton, natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania respectively. They were married and settled in Pennsylvania, where the father died Aug. 29, 1876. She yet survives. Their family comprised 13 children, of |whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth. Her mother's parents were Henry and Mary (Hull) Mullen, natives of Pennsylvania. They came to Knox County from their native State in 1855, and the mother died there, Dec. 21, 1878. Her father still resides in Knox County. The issue of her parents' union was five children, - Mrs. Litton being the third in order of birth.

H. Chesley, present proprietor and editor of the Kewanee Courier, was born in Walden, Caledonia Co., Vt., Oct. 22, 1857. He was educated at the public schools of Vermont, and at the age of 16 years began the printer's trade at Lyndon, that State. He completed his trade on the Green Mountain Freeman, a paper printed at Montpelier, Vt., and came West, landing in Kewanee in 1877. In company with his brother, he leased the Courier from C. N. Whitney in 1879, and became its sole owner in 1882. Almost all his life has been spent in a newspaper office, the minutest details whereof are as familiar to him as the alphabet. He is thoroughly a practical printer, a graceful and elegant writer, a courteous gentleman, and full of promise for the future.

His father, Albert Chesley, died in 1867, and his mother, Lucretia (Smith) Chesley, came West in 1878, and has since resided in Kewanee. Mr. Chesley was married in Kewanee, in the fall of 1881, to Miss Mamie Whitney, the accomplished daughter of the former proprietor of the Courier, and has had born to him two children - Merton and Willis F.

Mr. Tilden, who died on the 25th of April, 1879, was born in Windsor Co., Vt., in July, 1807. He came West in the autumn of 1853, when Central Illinois was being opened up by some of the earlier lines of railroad, and stopped at Galesburg for the winter. In April of the following year he came into Henry County and located upon section 35, Oxford Township, where he had purchased 240 acres of land. He was among the first of the earliest pioneers here and took an active part in the development of the county. Upon this place he lived, a well respected and prosperous farmer, until his death. Politically, he was a stanch Republican and a promnent local worker for his party, and had held many of the local offices, among which were Supervisor and School Director. He was an intelligent man, far above the average of that day. He loved books, was a great reader, and took a deep interest in educational matters. He was a prominent farmer as well as a successful one, and left his widow and children a fine home. His son Cyrus has purchased the interest of the other heirs and keeps the old homestead. Mrs. Tilden holds the house and 80 acres of land.

As a man worthy to be perpetuated as a representative of the sturdy, bold pioneers and as a leading and advanced agriculturist, the publishers are glad to present the portrait of Mr. Tilden accompanying this sketch.

There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Tilden quite a large family of children, the record of whom is given as follows : Josiah H. selected Lila Timberlake for

William Wolf, architect, contractor and builder, at Kewanee, 111., son of George and Saloma (Retmiller) Wolf, natives of Germany and Pennsylvania respectively, was born in the city of Philadelphia, Nov. 25, 1838. The elder Mr. Wolf was also a contractor and builder, and our subject took his first lessons while quite young, and under a man naturally interested in giving the best possible instructions. Mr. Wolf acquired such education as was possible before he was 14 years of age, for at that age he was apprenticed to the carpenter's trade. From Philadelphia he came to Kewanee in 1865, and here the largest and finest buildings show the genius of his handiwork, both as architect and builder.

He was married in Philadelphia in 1863, to Mrs. J. M. Zoll, a native of that city and of German parentage. The three children born to him are Franklin W., now a successful dentist at Kewanee; Paul A. K., a student ; and Emma Saloma, a young miss. Mr. Wolf devotes his time to his business and profession, and makes a success of them. He is a member of the I. O. O. F.

& amuel Schwab, a prosperous farmer residing upon section 23, Cornwall Township, was born in Berne, Switzerland, on the 25th of December, 1820, and consequently was a Christmas gift to his parents. Mr. Schwab remained with his parents in his native country until he was 28 years of age. On reaching his 20th year he entered the army in Switzerland, and served two years in the infantry and six years in the cavalry, acting as Orderly

Sergeant. When in his 36th year, in 1856, he concluded to emigrate to the United States, hoping to better his financial condition in life, and after a voyage on the briny waters, he landed at New York city. From the latter place he went to Ohio, where he remained about a month, and then came to this county, and has resided here since that time, 1856. The marriage of Samuel Schwab to Miss Elizabeth Magley took place in Switzerland in 1852, four years prior to the time that Mr. S. emigrated to this country. Mrs. Schwab was born in Switzerland, Nov. 1, 1817, and has borne her husband two children, - Elizabeth, born Jan. 3, 1853; and Catherine, born Dec. 24, 1856, - the former in Switzerland, and the latter in this country. Mr. Schwab has succeeded by his perseverance and economy in increasing his landed interests in this county to 375 acres of good farm land. He has a fine residence on his place, a good barn 60 x 48 feet in dimensions, and, in addition to the cultivation of his land, devotes much of his time to the raising of fine stock. In a religious point of view, he is a believer in the doctrines advocated by the Congregational Church. Politically, he votes with the Democratic party.

illiam Kirkland, farmer, residing on section 5, Clover Township, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, Sept. 6, 1813. His parents were James and Elizabeth (Anderson) Kirkland, natives of Ireland, who emigrated to the United States from the old country in 18 ro, and, after their marriage in Philadelphia, came to Ohio, where they purchased land and were engaged in the manufacture of cotton cloth. They soon sold out and moved to Indiana, where they again purchased land, which was somewhat improved. The father died there in 1817, and his wife sold out her interest, and with her son William, then only a child, went back to Ohio, on horseback, a distance of 300 miles, where they located and remained until

William grew to manhood in Morgan Co., Ohio, and at the age of 33 years, having received a good education in the district schools prior to his majority, he was united in marriage. The lady chosen to accompany him through the stormy trials of the future as well as the sunshine, was Miss Hannah Farley. Of their union six children have been born, - Mary A., Lisella, William P., John A., Davis 0. and Lloyd G. Mr. Kirkland came to this State with his family and mother, where he located in Boone County, on 100 acres of land which he purchased. He resided there for 18 months, when he sold his property and came to Clover Township, this county, where, the same year of his arrival, he purchased 160 acres, and soon thereafter 80 acres adjoining, and 140 acres on sections 14 and 4, Clover Township, where he at present resides. His mother died at the residence of her son, William, in 1865. Mr. Kirkland is a prominent citizen of his township, and, with his wife, is a member of the Christian Church. He has held various offices within the gift of the people of his township, and is respected for his honest dealings with his fellow-man. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland have three living children, - Mary A., who is the wife of Martin W. Hiller; Davis O., the husband of Flora Barman ; Lloyd G., who married Lillian Hanna; besides James C, deceased, who was next to the oldest and married.

.dward S. Whiting, dealer in agricultural implements and farm machinery, at Kewanee, 111., is a son of Seth and Abigail ^ b- (Chapin) Whiting, natives of Massachusetts and descendants of the old Puritans, and was born at Chicopee, Mass., June 17, 1884. His father was born Jan. 1, 1803, married at Springfield, Mass., and in the year 1858 came to Henry County, 111., and settled upon a farm in Wethersfield Township, where he lived up to 1875, when he moved to Kewanee, in the same county, where he still resides. He accumulated, of his own industry, a handsome property, and enjoyed all his life the reputation of a good citizen and an honest and upright man.

The subject of this sketch was educated at the public schools of Illinois, and at Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College. From the age of 18 to 20 he taught school, and when 21 purchased a farm, and followed agricultural pursuits until the year 1877, when he engaged in his present business. When the Order of the Modern Woodmen of America opened their organization in Kewanee, Mr. Whiting became their first President, a position held by him at this writing (November, 1885). He is a member of the Congregational Church, and is looked upon as one of its most substantial and consistent supporters.' Taking but little interest in politics, he seeks no official preferment; unostentatious in his manner, fair and square in his dealings with all men, Mr. W. may truthfully be written as one of Kewanee's best citizens.

|wan P. Peterson, a farmer residing on secpi I tion 31, Osco Townstip, was born in Swelo den, Oct. ro, 1829. Mr. Peterson passed 20 years of his life in his native country, engaged in the occupation of a farmer, and in the summer of 1849 emigrated to the United States. In 1850 he entered a tract of Government land in Andover Township, this county, on which he moved, cultivated and improved until 1872, when he sold his interest in the same, and moved to Osco Township, locating on section 3r. The opportunities which Mr. P. expected to find in this country for the accumulation of a competency were found, and he is to-day the proprietor of 505 acres of good farm land, the major portion of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. He has a good residence on his farm, together with good out-blildings, and his landed, estates in Henry County, together wiih his personal possessions, have been accumulated through his own indomitable energy," perseverance and economy.

Mr. Peterson was married in Rock Island, 111., Dec. 15, 1853, to Johanna Forsburg, who was born in Sweden, July 16, 1834. She emigrated to the United States when 18 years of age, and has become the mother of 1 1 children by her marriage with Mr. Peterson. Their names are as follows : Christine A., Charles H., Augusta M., John A., Frank E., Julia E. William E., Martin J., Vernie A. and Dora T.; Mary E. died when four years old.

and Commissioner of Highways. He and his good wife belong to the Swedish Lutheran Church, and are active and energetic supporters of the tenets of that denomination.

. onas Westran, an industrious and energetic farmer of Wethersfield Township, residing on section 9, was born in Sweden, Nov. 4, 1842. He emigrated to America in 1864, and later came to Henry County, and settled in Wethersfield Township, on a tract of land of 160 acres, all of which is improved and in excellent condition.

In Sweden, May 29, 1864, our subject formed a matrimonial alliance with Christina Erickson, who was also a native of Sweden, born Jan. 8, T838. Of their union have been born 1 1 children, eight of whom survived. The following are their names : John, William, Edmund, Bina, Christine, Emma, Amanda and Jonas.

illard A. Bowen, enterprising dealer in jewelry and musical instruments, Kewanee, 111., where he located in. business in 878, was born at Albany, N. Y., Aug. 31, 1855. His parents, Prof. Truman H. and Jane (Brown) Bowen, natives of " York State " and of old English extraction, reared a family of five sons and two daughters, the subject of this sketch being fifth in order of birth. Prof. Bowen, now deceased, was for many years of his life .Professor of Mathematics, Music and the Science of Government in the State Normal University at Albany, N. Y. In 1857 he removed to the State of Iowa, where he laid out the town of Sand Spring, in Delaware County, and there spent the rest of his life, dying in 1880 at the age of 55 years.

After receiving such education as was practicable at the common schools of Iowa, Willard A. Bowen began the trade of watchmaker and jeweler, which he has since followed. He spent about three years and a half in Dubuque, Iowa, and came to Kewanee in 1877. After about eight months' " jourship " with a Mr. Graham, he set up for himself by opening a small repair shop in a window of what is now the Union National Bank building. From this beginning his present splendid business has grown. All his watches and most of his jewelry are manufactured specially for him, and bear the imprint of his name. His present quarters are in the Merritt Block, Main Street, where he has by far the finest jewelry store ever kept in Kewahee.

Nov. ri, 1877, he was married in this city to Miss Nellie F. Wright, daughter of B. H. Wright, Esq. (see biography of B. H. Wright) and one of the reigning belles at the time. What Mr. Bowen has of this world's goods he has acquired by industry and effort.

eorge Hachtel, one of the thriving and representative farmers of Henry County, 5 where he resides, on section 17, of Wethersfield Township, was born in Germany, "f" April 1, 1835. His parents, John M. and

Margaret Hachtel, both died' in Germany. George, of whom we write, was the eldest son of his father's family, and remained in his native country until 17 years of age, receiving all his education from the schools there. Shortly after his arrival in America, he came to Seneca Co., Ohio, and for about three years worked out, when, at the expiration of that period, he came to Stark Co., 111. Here he lived until the fall of 1863, and then removed into Henry Country, where he located on his present homestead, since which time he has been a resident of Wethersfield Township. He is the owner of 400 acres of valuable land, all of which is in excellent condition and well equipped, and upon the same he has erected a magnificent residence. He keeps about 60 head of cattle and 12 horses, and fattens annually 100 head of hogs.

Mr. Hachtel and Miss Elizabeth S. Sultzer were united in marriage in Wethersfield Township, on the 30th of December, 1863. She is the daughter of Frederick C. and Fredericka (Fritz) Sultzer, natives of Germany. They reside in Kewanee, and Mrs. Hachtel was the eldest of their family of four children. She was born in St. Louis, Mo., May 19, 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Hachtel's family consists .of seven children, - George C. F., Reuben E., George fames Johnston. One of the well known l|- agriculturists of Wethersfield Township is the gentleman whose name heads this notice. He was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y., about 1836, and came to Henry County with his parents, James and Ann (McLane) Johnston, when six years old. They settled in Wethersfield Township, and there the mother died. The elder Johnston's demise occurred in La Fayette Township, Stark County.

James, the subject of this biographical notice, was the seventh in order of birth of a family of eight children. He has been a resident of Henry County since boyhood, where he has followed the vocation of farming. At present he is the proprietor of 1 60 acres, the major portion of which is in an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Johnston is yet enjoying a life of single-blessedness. Politically, he is a believer in and a supporter of the principles of the Democratic party.

June 18, 1836. Mr. Westerlund continued to reside in his native country until the fall of 1850, when, at the age of 14 years, he accompanied his parents across the black deep and landed in America. His mother died on the voyage, and her grave was the black deep of the ocean. Mr. Westerlund continued to reside with his father, who had located in Andover Township, this county, until he had obtained his majority. On becoming his own man he went forth to fight the battles of life single-handed and alone, and his first work in which he realized a remuneration from others was that of farming. He continued to " work out " for a time, and then purchased 80 acres located on section 28,

Osco Township, upon which he settled, and at once entered vigorously and actively upon the task of improvement and cultivation, and where he is at present residing. He has fine improvements upon his farm ; has erected a nice residence and barn, and by economy and energetic labor has increased his landed interests until at present he is the proprietor of 290 acres of good farm land, the larger portion of which is under an advanced state of cultivation. Mr. Westerlund keeps on his farm about 40 head of cattle, 12 head of horses and colts, and fattens from 60 to 100 head of hogs annually, and is meeting with financial success in the vocation which he has followed all his life, that of agriculture.

Mr. Westerlund was united in marriage at Moline, 111., Feb. 7, 1857, to Christine Anderson, who was born in Sweden, Jan. 30, 1843, and of their union six children have been born, namely: Sarah E., Emma C, Sophia J., John O., Annie and Julius O. The father and mother are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. In politics Mr. Westerlund affiliates with the Republican party.