Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1885 (part 8 of 31)

Geneseo. His stay in that place continued until 1866, when he bought a farm on section 24 in Colona Township and has resided on and managed the property. He has operated with success, and has become by purchase the owner of 560 acres of land, which is all in the finest agricultural condition and is managed on the same principles as the farms in the East. The family resided on section 24 until 1882, when they took up their abode on the southeast quarter of section 13. Mr. and Mrs. Stafford have had three children : Palmer \«as born in Vermont, Aug. 22, 1846. He married Marion, daughter of Osmyn and Elizabeth (Bartlett) Gilbert, of the township of Edford. A full sketch of Mr. Gilbert appears elsewhere in this volume. The children of Palmer Stafford and his wife are named Betsey, Clinton and Clarence. They are the owners of a farm on section 24 in Colona Township and one on section 14. Joseph I. is the second son of Mr. Stafford of this sketch. He was born Jan. 30, 1848, and he married Iola, daughter of Stephen and Lorenza (Whitehorn) Cook. Their children are named Cornelia, Lucy and Lavina. He died Oct. 2, 1882, in Wilson Co., Kan., where his family still reside. Jonas H. was born Oct. 29, r849, an^ he married Ella, daughter of Calvin and Armilda Sharp. The name of their only child is Joseph. He lives on the homestead on section 24, on which his parents first settled.

In T879, Mr. Stafford was first elected to the office of Supervisor. He was his own successor three years, and in 1885 was again elected to the position. He is the presiding official of the Union .Dairy Company at Green River.

nomas Mowers, Jr., of the village of Atkinson, is a prominent business man of Henry County, and is engaged in banking in the place where he is a citizen. He is of English origin, his father and mother having been born in that country. Thomas Nowers, senior, came from his native land to the United States in 1830. He landed at the port of New York, and he was a resident of that State until 1849, when he came to Illinois. He located in Mercer County, and interested himself in the business of a farmer. He was married in 1833 to Decima Foster.

Mr. Nowers was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., Feb. 12, 1834. He was reared in his native State and in his young manhood came to Henry County. He located at Atkinson in 1856, and has since been prominent in the development of the business element of the place where he has been one of the most useful and interested citizens. He has discharged the duties of his citizenship in the several capacities in which he has been called by the voters of his township to act for them and has served in the disinterested and capable manner which was anticipated. He has officiated 14 years as Supervisor, eight of which were consecutive. In 1882 he was elected a Representative to the Legislature of the State and his constituency testified to their approval of the quality of his services by making him his own successor in 1884. In March, 1881, the banking business which he has since conducted was established, and its affairs have been managed in a manner which makes the institution a leading benefit to the community. Mr. Nowers is the owner of a fine amount of real estate in the township of Atkinson. In his political views he is a Republican.

He was united in marriage Nov. 18, 1861, with Sarah A. Mussey. She was born in Rutland, Vt., Sept. 15, 1834. A daughter, Kate F., was born to Mr. and Mrs. Nowers, Dec. 7, 1870, and she is the only child.

There are in if Henry County a large number of highly ^i$WT'°"' resPected and at present well-to-do farm- '~4w ers who came from Sweden, and under the lijr most adyerse circumstances began to develop j and improve many of the farms of the county. Prominent among these is Mr. Augustus E. Anderson, who resides on section 1, Andover Township. He was born in Hille Parish, district of Gefleborgs Lan, Sweden, May 20, 1834. His father, Andrew, was a native of the same parish, and by occupation a farmer, and in his native place he married Anna Jarnberg, a native of the same place and a descendant of an old Swedish family. The parents of our subject brought their family to America in 1849. While passing through Chicago, on their way to Henry County, the father died, being taken with a disease similar to the cholera. The mother and wife, thus bereft of her husband and in a strange land, after many hardships made her way to Andover village. It was a terrible hardship to the family to be pioneers in a new country and in a foreign land without a husband or father, but a month after the death of the father the children were completely bereft of all natural watch-care and support by the death of their mother, which occurred in November, 1849, from typhoid fever, occasioned by her husband's decease. She had been the mother of six children, five of whom were with her on the journey to America, and of whom the following is a record: Mrs. Christina Ward, who died in Hutchinson, Kan., in December, 1880, leaving seven children ; the second was Andrew, who married and resides at Viola, Mercer Co., 111., and has retired from farm labors; the third is our subject ; the next, Abraham, who married and resides at Galesburg; next, Mrs. Regina Woodward, who resides in Steward.

Our subject, after the death of his parents, lived with Mr. H. G. Griffin, of Andover Township (see sketch), until the fall of 1855, when he began to farm on his own account. In 1856 he purchased 160 acres on section 27, of Cambridge Township, where he lived for one year. He then purchased a quarter of a section in Andover Township, and worked it from 1858 to 1867, when he came to his present home, consisting of T96 acres, all well improved, and upon which he has a fine residence and splendid farm buildings. He makes a specialty of Short-horn cattle.

During these years of hard labor and accumulation, Mr. A. did not forget the need of his adopted country. During the time of her peril he enlisted in its defense. On Sept. 1, 1861, he joined Co. B, Capt. J. H. Humphrey, of the Ninth 111. Vol. Cav. He participated in several battles, but only as a skirmisher. He was honorably discharged at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., Feb. 27, 1863, on account of disability. After his return home, as soon as his recovery was accomplished, he again resumed work on his farm.

Mr. Anderson was married Feb. 16, 1865, at the residence of the bride's parents, Saybrook, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, to Miss Mary E. Wright, daughter of Cyrus and Mary E. (Smith) Wright. The former was a native of Connecticut, and the latter of New York, and by occupation were farmers. Both came to Ohio when young, and were married in Ashtabula County, where Mr. Anderson of this notice was born, Dec. 11, 1842. She was the eldest but one of a family of four children, all of whom are living and married. Mrs. Gertrude Anderson resides at Viola, Mercer Co., 111.; Cassius E. was married to Emma Shepard, and resides at Austin, Minn.; Arthur married Miss Agnes E. Clark, and resides at the same place ; the second member of the family was Mrs. Anderson. The family first came West in the spring of 1856, and located in Andover Township, and the parents now live in Cambridge. Mrs. Anderson was educated at the academy of Kingsville, Ohio, and taught school a short time previous to her marriage. Four of her five children are deceased. Grace M. was born Dec. 7, 1880; Ernest S., Carrie E., Herbert and an infant are deceased.

The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. A. has been Trustee for 25 years. He has also served as Road Commissioner, and has been an earnest worker in his school district, and Clerk of the School Board for many years. He is a valuable worker in the interests of the Re publican party of his township and county.

The public will doubtless be pleased to see a portrait of Mr. Anderson in this work. Accordingly, it is given, in proximity to the above sketch.

ndrew Chinburg, mason, residing "at Orion, was born in Ostergotland, Sweden, May 11, 1847. He was brought to the United States by his parents when three years of age. His father, Nelson T., was a farmer in his native country, and for two years after he came to this county lived at Andover. From there the family, then consisting of five children, went to Galesburg. In that city the father, who now resides with his son in Orion, followed the trade of wagonmaking for 16 years. His mother, Carrie, died while the family were living at Galesburg, at about the age of 40 years. Andrew received his education in the common schools of Galesburg, at which city he learned his trade.

Mr. Chinburg was married at Orion on the 30th of May, 1874, to Miss Louisa C. Johnson, who is a native of Sweden. She was brought to this country by her parents, who now reside at Orion, when a girl of three years of age. Her family first settled at Andover, but subsequently came to Orion. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. C. they settled on a farm of 120 acres, which Mr. C. had purchased prior to that event. This land was located on sections 16 and 17, Western Township. He now, however, owns 160 acres on section 33 of the same township, having sold his first farm.

Four children have been born to bless the home of Andrew Chinburg and his wife. These they have given the following names : Anna C, Tilda H., Arthur and Frank J. Mrs. C. is a member of the Lutheran Church, and Mr. C. is a Republican.

iram J. Cady, a retired agriculturist, resident at Geneseo, is a pioneer of Henry County of 1837. His father, John Cady, in 1836, located 560 acres of land in the township of Geneseo, or rather in that portion of Henry County which was named so: The son came here to settle on the property, and located on the southeast quarter of section 15.

He is a native of Alexander, Genesee Co., N. Y., and was born Nov. 15, 1814. The maiden name of his mother was Anna Johns. The farm still owned by Mr. Cady contains 245 acres. It is a valuable place, and is in excellent condition for profitable farming. It is conducted by one of the sons of Mr. Cady. He remained the occupant of the place until March, 1881, when he removed to Geneseo, to pass the sunset of his life in the quiet enjoyment of the results of his years of effort. He has been an adherent of the Republican party since the days of its organization.

Mr. Cady was united in marriage with Mary Bartlett, Aug. 19, 1841. Her father, Cromwell K. Bartlett, was a member of the Geneseo Colony, and one of the committee that entered the land in behalf of that organization. (An account of the operations of that body is presented in another portion of this work.) Mrs. Cady was born in Ames, Montgomery Co., N. Y., and is the mother of three children, two sons and a daughter: Allen.married Ella French, and resides at Geneseo ; Carl M. married Clara Heffelfinger, and they reside on the homestead ; and Nellie C. is the wife of M. A. Greene, of Colorado ; the old est child of Mr. and Mrs. Cady died Dec. 16, 1843 ; she was born March 14, preceding. The parents are members of the Congregational Church. The oldest son and the daughter belong to the same communion, and the younger son is connected with the Methodist Church.

ohn Anderson is one of the citizens of Geneseo who are included in the term prominent." He is a man of little pretensions, quiet and unassuming. His judgj £ ment is considered sound and reliable, and in I all his relations to the community of which he has been a member since 185 1, he has manifested the same unwavering spirit of uprightness and integrity.

He was born in Lancaster, Pa., Jan. 17, t8ii, and is the son of William and Rebecca (Walker) Anderson. His father was a descendant of the people known as Scotch-Irish, and his mother was of unmixed Scottish descent. His father transferred his family to a farm when the son was a lad of five years. There, in the vicinity of Pittsburg, the latter grew to manhood. At zo he left the farm to learn the trade of a tinner. He remained in the State of his nativity, engaged in the business, of which he acquired a thoroughly practical knowledge, until 1846, when he went to Bucyrus, Ohio. There he became interested in the hardware, stove and tinner's trade ; and, not long after his becoming settled, he established a hotel, which he managed on temperance principles. He entered into the promulgation of the general interests of the place and the surrounding country, and was one of the first to agitate the feasibiliiy of a railroad from Bucyrus to Fort Wayne via Crestline, and he advocated the scheme for the purpose of obtaining the passage of a through line thence to Chicago via Fort Wayne. Mr. A. appropriated much time and money to the furtherance of the project, and was one of the Board of Directors. He was a resident of Bucyrus 15 years, and while there was considered one of the leading and one of the most public-spirited of its citizens. He officiated in the leading positions of honor and trust, and was active in the promotion of

He finally became restless under the prolonged delay of the plans he had cherished, and he resolved to seek a new field of operation in the farther West. In the spring of 185 1 he set out with a horse and buggy for a trip of observation, in which he was accompanied by his wife. They set out for Galesburg, 111., as the first objective point, and came thence to Geneseo. They were pleased with the appearance of the country through which they passed, and all things, so far as they were able to judge, promised well for railroads eventually. In order to make what seemed assurance doubly sure, they continued to push on, and turning northward they traversed the southern portion of Wisconsin. They decided in favor of Geneseo, and Mr. Anderson drove to Michigan City. There they separated - Mrs. Anderson to return to their home to make all things ready for a transfer of their interests to Henry County, and Mr. Anderson to retrace his steps to Geneseo.

He opened a hardware store, and spent some time in the prosecution of that line of business. At that time there were but few settlers in Geneseo, and the price of land was but nominal. The termination of the construction of the railroad changed the state of affairs in both these particulars, and the business of the place and the surrounding country took what would be called in these days of concentrated expression a "boom." The pioneer squatters who had known the pangs of hope deferred were surprised and delighted, as the boon which they had hoped would follow close on their coming, and which had proved as delusory as the will-o'-the-wisp, seemed at last to have become an established fact. Their crop's wye no longer worthless because there was no transportation, and they took hold anew of the plans and projects which they had suffered to fall somewhat into arrears. Mr. Anderson continued the transaction of business at Geneseo four years. He had became largely interested in traffic in real estate, and was the owner of several farms. In the spring of 1855 he moved from the city to a farm which he owned in the township of Geneseo, and he passed the years until 1874 there, engaged in farming. He then returned to Geneseo, and has sold all the real estate of which he had become the owner, except the farm on which he was so many years a

On taking leave of the East Mr. Anderson resolved to devote his time and energies to the benefit of his private affairs, and he did so with the most satisfactory results. He adhered to this resolve, with the single exception of serving one term as Supervisor of the township of Geneseo, and he also discharged the duties of some of the minor school offices. In his political proclivities Mr. Anderson has passed the grades from Whig to Abolitionist and to Republican.

The first marriage of Mr. Anderson occurred in the State of Ohio. He was married in Fayette County, Aug. 31, 1835, to Sarah Redburn. They had two children : Mary is the wife of J. V. Thompson, of Uniontown, Pa. ; James married Mary Carter, and is a farmer of the township of Geneseo. The wife and mother died in June, 1844. In the summer of 1845 Mr. Anderson was again married to Mary, daughter of Alanson and Sally (Gates) Andrews. She was born in Ashland, Ohio. Their children numbered five: L. Duval is a dealer in pumps and windmills at Geneseo; he was a soldier in the Union service, and enlisted in November, 1864, in Co. B, 9th 111. Cav., and served until the fall of 1865; Sarah F. is the book-keeper and financial agent of the Female Seminary at Rockford, 111. ; Emily is the wife of W. A. Bickel, a merchant of Geneseo; David P. married Julia C. Day, and lives in Iowa; Frank L. married Stella Goff, and is a resident of Palo Alto, Iowa.

Hlliam L. RobinfeoJ]^ of Alba Township, is a pioneer in Western Illinois, whither 1^53^ he came in [840. He located in the ^> county of Whiteside and there he became a H land-holder by the purchase of 100 acres of land, on which he was a resident about 12 years. Selling out at the expiration of that time, he came to Henry County. In the same year (1854), bought 240 acres of land in Alba Township, and he is now the owner of 280 acres, which is in the best condition for profitable farming, and has all suitable farm buildings and fixtures. Mr. Robinson is interested in the breeding of fine horses for draught purposes, including Normans and Clydesdales. He owns valuable droves of Poland-China swine. In his political connection he is a Republican. He is a prominent Mason in his local relations, and was a charter member pf the Annawan Lodge, No. 433.

Mr. Robinson was born July 5, 1826, in Gallia Co., Ohio. He continued under the care and authority of his parents until the period of his majority, Oct. 25, 1848, when he was married to Eliza Mc- Neill, who is a native of County Monahan, Ireland, and was born April 11, 1828. John L. and Sanford E. are the only survivors of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson.

W. Reese, druggist at Colona, was born in Leyden, Lewis Co., N. Y., July 19, 1833. He was the son of John and Rachel (Matthews) Reese, and his parents were both natives of Wales. They came to America after their marriage and located in Lewis County, where many of their countrymen found a home. The father was a brick and stone mason by vocation, and he made Lewis County his home, and there followed the business to which he had been trained, as long as he lived.

Mr. Reese is the only child of his parents, and he was an inmate of the paternal home until the death of his father. He left his mother in the care of a half-brother and started to find his fortune, as there seemed little prospect of its coming to find him. He made bis way to Jo Daviess Co., 111., and there he made his good education available in teaching. He passed the first winter in that capacity and in the spring of 1858 he came to Henry County. He obtained employment on the farm of George Pomeroy, in the township of Western, and passed the summer of that year in farm labor. He spent the next winter in teaching in the township of Osco.

In the ensuing spring (1859) he was married to Lavina A. Pomeroy, the daughter of George and Nellie (Blanchard) Pomeroy, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Reese was born in Canada. After he was married, Mr. Reese rented a farm and operated as an agriculturist three years. In 1862 he went to the State of New York and remained there one year. In 1863 he came back to Henry County and engaged in the vocation of a butcher in the vicinity of Orion one year. At the expiration of that time he came to Colona and became interested in the sale of provisions, in which line of business he was engaged until 1870. In that year he established the business in which he is at present interested and which he at first carried on in connection with his former calling of a provision merchant.

In 1877 he bojught a tract of land on section 10 in Colona Township, and he has since become the owner of another farm on section 2, in the same township. The two estates monopolize nearly all his time in their management, and Mrs. Reese attends to the mercantile portion of their interests. The farms of Mr. Reese contain 293 acres.

ol. Anthony R. Mock, attorney at Cambridge, has been a resident of Henry County 30 years, having removed hither 4,h in I8SS- He was then 19 years of age, and ! |J he has since been identified with the general interests of this section of the State of Illinois. His birth occurred June 5, 1836, in Randolph Co. Ind.

In May, 1855, he set out for Henry County, arrived at Cambridge, and soon obtained employment on the farm of Dr. Norton. ^During the ensuing winter he attended the public school at Cambridge. He was variously occupied through the next year, and also assisted his father in his business as a blacksmith. He attended school through the summer and winter of 1857, and in the winter of 1858 he taught a term of school, He next obtained the position of Deputy Sheriff, undej P. H. Sniff, and began the study of law, which he prosecuted until the advent of of the Southern Rebellion, meanwhile teaching at intervals.

In the fall of 1859, he went to Indiana to complete the study of law under the supervision of Gen. T. M. Browne and E. L. Watson, and in the autumn of i860 he went to Cooper Co., Mo., where he engaged in teaching. His location was within the echo of the guns of the contending forces at Booneville, in the same State. The defeated rebels swarmed into the country, which became decidedly uncomfortable for a Northern man, and Colonel Mock, with difficulty, made his way into Union territory. By the time he reached his home, his fervor to enter the military service of his country was at fever heat.

Sept. 19, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Co. C, Ninth 111. Cav. Oct. 1, he was made Orderly Sergeant, and subsequently Second Lieutenant of Co. H. Oct. 1, 1862, he was transferred back to Co. C, and promoted First Lieutenant. Seven days later (Oct. 8) he was ordered to assume charge of the Quartermaster's Department of the regiment, which position he held until Jan. 1 following. Jan. 5, he was ordered to take command of Co. B, and he was made its Captain May n, 1863. He held that rank until March, 1864, when he veteranized with his company, and on the re-organization he was elected its Captain. Afterwards, he received a commission as Major; and, still later, he was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment. At the battle of Nashville he commanded his regiment, his ranking officer being wounded early in the engagement ; and he acted chiefly in the same capacity until the termination ot the war. He received his discharge and was mustered out, Oct. 3T, 1865, at Selma, Ala.

Col. Mock resumed his connection with legal studies on his return from the war, and in 1866 he was admitted to the privileges of the Bar of Illinois, and established his practice at Cambridge. His election as State's Attorney for Rock Island and Henry Counties occurred in r868. His term of service continued four years, since which he has given his whole attention to his professional duties at Cambridge. Colonel Mock has been prominent in political affairs, a>nd is a Republican of most pronounced type. He was for many years Chairman of Henry County Republican Committee. In 1876 he represented his Congressional District as a Delegate to the Republican National Convention at Cincinnati. In 1879 he was elected to the State Legislature from his district. In 188 r, he was re-nominated by acclamation, and re-elected.

Co., Ind., and is the daughter of William Vestal, of Logansport, Ind. Two sons and a daughter have been born to them, as follows : Horace J., Sept. 19, i866;!]Ruth, Jan. 12, 1868; Edward A., June 2, 1871..

eorge McHenry, a pioneer of Henry County, was born Sept. 26, 1799. ln War" * ren Co., Ky. His father, Wm. McHenry, was a soldier, and was engaged in the last campaign under Anthony Wayne against the Indians. During the War of 1812 he was a " Ranger " and was at the head of a command in that conflict. The maiden name of his mother was Hannah Blackford.

The family removed to the Territory of Illinois in 1 810, when Mr. McHenry was a child of n years. In 1808 they had taken up a residence in Henderson County, in Kentucky, and they came thence to what is now the State of Illinois. The journey was made here with teams. They first located in White County, and there were but five white families in advance of them in that county. The father took up a claim and became prominent in the affairs of the public welfare. He was a member of the State Constitutional Convention and served one term in the Senate. He was a Representative in the Assembly several terms. He died at Vandalia in 1834, while there in attendance at the last term of the Legislature that was held there. His wife died about ten years later. They were the parents of nine children, and the son who is the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth. He was a member of the paternal home throughout his mino'rity, and as soon as he was of sufficient age and size he assisted his father in clearing the homestead.

He was married April 25, 1825, to Lucinda Council. She was born in Kentucky, Feb. 7, 1808. At the time of that event he settled in the timber, as was the custom with the earliest settlers, as the prairies looked so far-reaching as to be forbidding to such as had been reared in a timber country. He built a double log house of hewn logs with a chimney of clay and sticks. In 1835 he sold the place and removed to Sangamon County. He there bought 80 acres of prairie and at the same time 40 acres of timber. This remained in his possession until 1837, when he sold out and came to Henry County, locating in the township now called Phenix. He bought a claim and as soon as the land came into market in 1839 he secured 40 acres on section 14. His first house was built of logs, and soon after he had settled to the business of improving his place he purchased a soldier's warrant and laid it on 160 acres on the same section where he had already fixed his home. Some years later he built the frame house in which he has since lived. The estate now contains 400 acres and the greater part of it is in advanced cultivation. When he came to the county he brought with him eight horses, eight head of cattle and 12 hogs. This constituted the stock with which he commenced farming in this county. To him and his wife ri children were born, only five of whom are now living. They are named Thomas J., Margaret, Charles, Celia and George W. (For the detailed history of the oldest son, see sketch of T. J. Mc- Henry.) Margaret is the wife of George R. Chisholm, and they life in Phillips Co., Kan. Charles entered the military service of his country during the Civil War, enlisting in Co. H, 51st 111. Vol. Inf. He afterwards veteranized and was in the service until after the termination of the war. His home is in Farmington, New Mexico. Celia is the wife of Talbot Andrews, a resident of Warren Co., 111. The youngest is in St. Joseph. Mo.

Shattuck, Samuel and Mary (Foutz) Shattuck, were natives of Massachusetts and Virginia respectively, and his father followed the occupation of a farmer, which vocation he continued un- , til his death in 1877, his wife having preceded him »<°/ to the realm of the unknown 2 6 years before, in 1851. A. F. Shattuck, of whom we write, was an inmate of his parent's family until he attained the age of 21 years, having received an education in the common schools, and assisted his father on the farm until that period in his life's history.

On becoming his "own man" Mr. Shattuck left the parental roof-tree and went forth upon the sea of life to battle against adversity and secure a competency. After leaving home he rented a farm in Ohio, which he cultivated for two years. He then came to Knox County, this State, and rented a farm in Sparta Township, which he cultivated for ten years. At the expiration of that time he purchased a farm in Clover Township, this county, consisting of 96 acres, located on section 15. He moved on his land and at once entered actively and energetically upon the task of its cultivation and improvement. He has since added 80 acres on section 16 to his original purchase, and is at present the proprietor of 176 acres. Mr. Shattuck has continued to reside on his farm on section 15 ever since he first settled there, and has improved the place by the erection of a fine residence, good bam, and the setting out of trees, etc. ; and the condition that his farm presents to-day is truly indicative of good management and energetic labor.

Mr. Shattuck and Miss Nancy Woolums were united in marriage in 1852. She was a native of Ohio, and their union has been blessed by the birth of four children : John, Mary J., Sarah C. and Hattie A. John formed a matrimonial alliance with Rachel Petta ; Mary J. was married to S. W. Bowen, and Sarah C. became the wife of G. H. McQueen.

Politically, Mr. S. espouses the principles of the Republican party, with which he always casts his vote. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which denomination he is a Deacon. He has held the office of Supervisor two terms, and at present is Road Commissioner of his district.

E&Jiarles H. Martin, of the firm of Duncan & Martin, at Geneseo, has been a resin^** dent of Henry County since 1856, and he has been a citizen of Geneseo for the tw same length of time. He is a native of \ Orleans Co., N. Y., and was born Jan. 18, 1832. His father, Samuel W. Martin, was of Irish extraction and, like his wife, who before marriage was Miss Emma Merry, was born in the same Sta'e where their son was born. The ancestors of the

On arriving at the age when he found it incumbent on him to engage in business he embarked Lin the lumber trade in his native Stale and operated there until his removal to Illinois. He was similarly occupied at Geneseo after his arrival there for a period of two years, and in T858 he was elected Constable. He officiated in that capacity five years. About the year 1870 he engaged with Mr. Duncan as an assistant in the business in which they are now interested and of which he became one of the proprietors by purchase in 1880. Their relations still continue, and they are engaged in the transaction of a prosperous business.

His marriage to Margaret Dillehay took place at Geneseo, Sept. 9, 1858. She is a native of Guernsey Co., Ohio. Of three children that were born to Mr. and Mrs. Martin but one is living. Owen S. died at the age of 19. One child died in infancy. Curtis C. was born Dec. 28, i86r. Mrs. Martin is a member of the Unitarian Church.

ienjamin H. Goodell, Sheriff of Henry County and resident at Cambridge, was born in Galesburg, Knox Co., 111., Dec. 28, 1846. His parents, Cyrus and Elizabeth (Holmes) Goodell, were born respectively in the States of Massachusetts and Ohio, and they had four children : Charles, Benjamin H., Ruhama and Nancy. The oldest daughter is deceased. The mother died in 185 1. The family removed to Knox County about the year 1835.

Mr. Goodell obtained his education in his native county ; and with it he acquired the love of his country, which made the American boy of that period a national institution, as the initiation of the Civil War proved to the satisfaction of one section of the country. Mr. Goodell was but a lad in years when the opening gun of the Rebellion proclaimed the folly which in its re-action brought such disaster to those whose hot-headed haste involved their own ruin. He made several fruitless attempts to enlist during the first three years of the war, but he was thrown out on account of his tender age. Early in 1864 he went to Quincy, and there he succeeded in enrolling as a soldier of the Union. He enlisted Feb. 23, in Co. C, 10th 111. Inf., and continued in the military service until the close of the war. His regiment was assigned to the Army of the West and afterward tg the command of General Sherman ; and he was a participant in the varied experiences of the Atlanta campaign and in the ever famous March to the Sea. On obtaining his discharge he returned to the same county in which he was born. He remained there one year and in 1866 he came to Henry County.

He located in the village of Woodhull, in Clover Township, and in the year following Josephine B. Hill became his wife. Their marriage occurred at Quincy, 111., Aug. 22, 1867. Mrs. Goodell was born Feb. 15, 1849, in Athens Co., Ohio. To her and her husband the following children have been born : Gertrude G., Lilly A., Pearl M. and Bessie H. Mrs. Goodell is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Goodell belongs to the Order of Masonry, being a member of Cambridge Lodge.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Goodell settled on a farm in Champaign Co., 111., on which they were resident two years. They then removed to Woodhull, and Mr. Gjodell established his business as a liveryman. He had prosecuted his interests in that avenue but a short time when he sold out. In 1880 he received his first election as Sheriff of the county of his adoption. On the expiration of his term of service he was made his own successT or, and is, at date of writing, filling the unexpired term.

"aeob L. Deem, a resident on section 36, |jj- Colona Township, 18 north and 1 east, is a citizen of the United States by adoption. He was born Feb. 17, 1830, in Bavaria, Germany, and his parents, Alois and Ludovica (Heckel) Dumm, as the name was spelled in German, were also Bavarians by birth. (It may be well in a biographical sketch to state that it is almost impossible for the American tongue to givethe proper pronunciation to a name which, as in this instance, contains the umlaut letter u, as it is called in German orthography. The name is pronounced

Mr. Deem passed his youth in his native land. He was sent to school according to law from the age of five until he was 12, and he was then apprenticed to learn the trade of a maker of cord, laces, fringes and tassels, and other manufactured articles of that class. He served the terms of his indenture, which included three years, and then set out to pass the years that intervened before he was liable to military duty in the operations that belong to the life of a craftsman on the Continent, and in this country is called "jour" work. After two years he reached the age of 20 and he made it in his way to seek the refuge and privileges of the New World. He came to the United States in a sailing vessel and landed at the port of Baltimore. There he obtained employ at his trad«i which he followed two years in the City of Monuments and in New York. At the expiration of the time named he established himself in the business of which he had a complete knowledge, and he continued its prosecution in the city of New York until 1858. He came in that year to Illinois, and settled at once on the farm which he has since owned and occupied.

It should have been stated that his brother preceded him to America one year, and also that the cause of his removal to Illinois was the failure of his health in the business to which he had given unremitting attention since his arrival in this country. He bought the farm on which he lives in the year previous to his making a permanent removal to it.

In the fall of 1857 his brother Alois opened a coalbank on land adjoining, and in the same year in which he took possession of his place he also started a similar enterprise, and in company with his brother continued its management two years. He then sold his coal interest and applied himself to farming until 1866. In that year he began to operate as a carpenter and joiner, and followed that line of business until 1880, when he resumed his agricultural operations. He is the owner of 144 acres of land, which is in excellent condition for profitable farming. The place is supplied with all necessary buildings of a good type and the residence is situated in a fine location overlooking the Rock River.

seven of which are now living. Their names are Bernhard L., Lewis M., Mary A., Henry H., Maggie K., Frank J. and Charlie F. The family are Catholics in religious belief.

Mr. Deem has been active and prominent in the local official management of the township in which he is a citizen. He has served in the capacity of Police Magistrate n years and acted in that of Supervisor in 1883 and 1884. He has served in other prominent positions. He is a Democrat in political connection.

His parents died in Germany. His brother, who came to America, was named Alois, after their father. He married and settled in Colona Township, and died in 1874, without children. There were four sisters, namely : Ann married Nicholas Maas, and they are living in Independence, Iowa ; Ludovica is the wife of John Sehuge, of Colona Township ; Barbara married Fred Stottmeister, who is a resident in the same township, and Hannah is unmarried and lives in Minnesota.

rf^lfred Whitman Perry, agriculturist, resident at Geneseo, is a pioneer of Henry County of 1837. He was born Dec. 19, 1818, at Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., Mass., and is the son of Dr. Alfred and Lucy (Benjamin) Perry. He is of English extraction, his earliest known ancestors on the paternal side having settled in Derby, Conn., late in the 17th century, where the family was represented by descendants until the removal of David Perry thence to Berkshire Co., Mass., in the closing years of the next century. The latter died about 1815 in Richmond, Mass. Jerusha (Lord) Perry, his wife, was a native of Connecticut, and became the mother of 1 1 children - seven sons and four daughters. Her death occurred in 183 1, at Lee, Mass. Alfred, third in order of birth, was born in April, 1780, in Ricihmond, Mass. He was a graduate of Williams College in his collegiate course, and of Rush Medical College in the city of Philadelphia, when that institution was still under the management of its founder, Dr. Rush. He practiced medicine some years in the South, and afterwards settled at Stockbridge, whence he removed to Mercer Co., 111., in 1837. In the year succeeding, his family joined him there; and, although he had cherished the intention of quitting his profession, physicians were few and the necessities of the settlers pressing, arid in rare cases he attended to the calls on his skill. He died in September of the year 1838. His family included his wife and eight children, five of whom joined him in Mercer County. After his death his widow and children came to Geneseo. In August, 1839, she and her younger children returned to Williamstown, Mass., where she remained till about i860; then she came again to Geneseo, where her sons were then all living. In 1881 she went to Kansas, and is still living in Ottawa, aged 93. She is as actively interested in life as ever, and it has been for a long time her custom to write a letter every day throughout the year. She represents aline of humanity remarkable for tenacity of life. Four of her sons and two daughters are still living.

Mr. Perry, of this sketch, was educated to the age of 16 at an academy in his native State. In 1834 he went to Williams College, where he remained but a short time, and he came thence to Marion College in Missouri. He was a student there some months. In the winter of 1835-6 he came to Illinois, and passed a short time prospecting, returning in the spring ensuing to his native county. He passed almost the whole of the year 1836 in the city of Albany, N. Y. In the spring of 1837 he came to Mercer Co., 111., where his father had previously entered claims of land, and he settled there to enter upon the work of improvement on land which had not been broken, and also to manage a part of the property on which some improvements had been made. Within the same year he bought 245 acres of land in the township of Geneseo, 80 of which are now included in the site of the city. The remainder was on section 10, township 17. ' In 1839 Mr. Perry sold his land in Mercer County, and in the fall of the same year, in company with W. H. Holcomb, he assumed the management of a mail and stage route from Peoria to Oquawka, and later the route was extended to Flint Hills, now Burlington, Iowa. Still later the route was extended to the north and south in that State, and in 184 1 Mr. Perry established a mail and stage route to Iowa City, which then contained one log house. The business of Messrs. Perry and Holcomb was managed in harmony with that of Frink and Walker, the two man-

He came to Geneseo and interested himself in farming, having held his land and made further purchases of real estate. In the fall of 1843 he went to Chicago to traffic in stock and horses, and was also interested in a mercantile enterprise of considerable extent. In this line of business he continued until 1848. In that year, in company with his brothers, D. L. and N. B. Perry, he started with several loads of dry goods for a westerly point, but was detained by a storm in Kane County. The business prospects of that place seemed to warrant a continued stay there, and instead of pushing further on they made a permanent stop. They established their mercantile business there and remained two years. In the fall of 1852, in connection with their other affairs, they opened a private banking house at* Geneseo, which was conducted in connection with their commercial business, and they also engaged in farming, in which line they had extended their operations until it became a heavy enterprise. In 1855 they detached the business of the bank, and associated a Mr. Spaulding with themselves in that branch of enterprise. This was conducted until 1864, when Mr. Perry secured a charter for the First National Bank at Geneseo. He retained his interest therein until he sold to the present owners. In 1862 he closed his relations with mercantile matters, selling to his brothers.

In 1864 he and his brother Charles bought coal and farming lands, and also lands for the purpose of grazing. They continued to prosecute the business of mining to a considerable extent until 1 884, when Mr. Perry closed his interests in that line. He is still the owner of the coal-fields and fixtures, which are not now in active operation.

He has been continuously interested in farming and in rearing stock of excellent grades. His acreage is extensive, and he has been one of the chief factors in in the agricultural development of Henry County.

In his political connections he is a Republican. Although interested in local and general issues, he has refrained from holding official positions.

Columbia Co., Pa., and is the daughter of James and Hannah (Barton) Boone. In the spring of 1835 she accompanied her parents to Fort Clark, now Peoria. In the spring following another removal was made, to Mercer County. Mr. and Mrs. Perry have two children - Fannie L. P. and Clara B. The ^ former is the wife of Marshall F. Wolcott, to whom she was married May 9, 1866. She is the mother of three sons : Alfred P. is 18, George E. died in infancy, and Frank B. is 14 years of age.

ames M. Allan. The personal records of this gentleman are inseparable from the collated annals of Henry County, as he was one of those who were a part of the days of first things, and has borne a similar relation to every step in the development of the resources of the section of Illinois where he has been a continuous resident from the time when he came hither to seek a suitable location for a home to the date of this narration. Mr. Allan is a citizen of Loraine Township, and is the proprietor of a large tract of land located on section 29.

He was still in his minority when, like Captain Underbill riding to Hilton Head on the same errand, he came to Illinois on horseback. The doughty Captain had shaken from his feet the dust of Massachusetts Bay to seek freedom from the strictures placed on the followers of Annie Hutchinson, and Colonel Allan sought the privileges of that portion of his native land that was free from the curse of slavery. He had grown up under its evils, and possessed a temperament that led him to an intuitive cpm prehension of all that is embodied in the principles of liberty, and he had a vague notion that the North afforded opportunities for the exercise of his inherent views.

He was born in Sumner Co., Tenn., Nov. 23, 1814. His father, John Allrn, was a native Englishman by birth, and was of mixed Scotch and English extraction. He came to the United States about 1800. The mother of Mr. Allan, Nancy (Hodge) Allan, came of a family of traditionary Irish origin in its earlier history, and recorded at a later date as English. John Allan removed his family to Huntsville,

Ala., and there the son grew ro approximate manhood ; and, as has been stated, just previous to reaching his majority, he left the South to escape the evils of a State government that sustained slavery.

He came to Illinois in the fall of 1835. He passed the first winter in Carrollton, Green County, and in April, 1836, made his first entry into Henry County. He made his first headquarters at the point now called Dayton, and entered a considerable quantity of land. The opportunity was fairly open, and he availed himself of it. His abilities were recognized as valuable to the interests of the country that was entering upon its period of development, and he was appointed County Clerk. He was also made Circuit Clerk, and was the first incumbent of those positions in the county. In that year he went on horseback to Vandalia, then the capital of Illinois, and by his exertions the separation of Henry from Knox County was effected. Mr. Allan was appointed County Clerk by the first Commissioners' Court for Henry County on the 27th of June, and on the 7th of August of the same year he was elected Circuit Clerk. Five days later the election for choice of an officer to command the battalion of the county was held, and Mr. Allan was elected Major, and duly commissioned by Governor Duncan. He had established the county seat in the first summer after his arrival, and he did it on this wise : With a sense of the eternal fitness of things, he recognized that the seat of government should have a location as near as possible to the geographical center of the county, and, by a process of his own, he fixed on a point which he considered to be the practical center of which he was in pursuit, bought the quarter section and staked out a town, which he named Richmond, and took the proper steps to secure its claims to the distinction of county seat. He was successful an his maneuvers, and Richmond became the government center of the new county. Mr. Allan established his headquarters there and held the fort until the few buildings that had been erected were destroyed by fire, in less than two years after. The court-house was a temporary structure, 16 x 24 feet in extent, and one and a half stories in height. The entire town burned, only a stable and a hay-stack being left to mark the site of the metropolis of Richmond. Mr. Allan saved the county records and papers and conveyed them to Geneseo.

of that place, and it was afterwards his home for nearly 50 years. He erected a handsome and expensive residence, which is now the building occupied by the Normal School. In 183- Mr. Allan was elected County Judge. He has served three years as a member of the Board of Supervisors, and has had other offices of less importance. In the course of the Civil War he took an active part in attention to the interests of the county in raising men and money, and was appointed Provost Marshal, in which capacity he served two years. He was sent to the Legislature in 185 1 to exert his influence to secure the charter for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and he succeeded in effecting the purpose. The opposition to the project in the counties lying north and east of Henry County was determined, as there was an apprehension that such a road would shut out others ; but it was overruled. The interest of Mr. Allan in the road was unmistakable, as he had been its untiring advocate for six years, and had kept up an unceasing series of efforts in its behalf. He first communicated with John Thompson, of New York, in relation to running a line of railroad through Henry County, and made the proper representations concerning the advantages of the location ; but his overtures were met with disapproval, on account of the credit of the State being in a low condition. But continued agitation of the subject and unremitting effort finally accomplished the desired end. From 1847 t0 I^S° Mr. Allan was interested in a mercantile enterprise at Geneseo. In 1837 he bought 80 acres of land situated about halfway between Geneseo and Cambridge, for which he paid $10. He was its owner until 1845, when he traded it to Royal M. Wilcox for a one-horse wagon, valued at $30.

The marriage of Mr. Allan to Susannah D. Stewart occurred in 1839. She was born in Geneseo, N. Y., and is the daughter of Roderick D. Stewart, one of the Commissioners of the Geneseo Colony who came here in 1836. Theirs was the first marriage in the place, and Mrs. Allan was the teacher of the first school in the county. Four children came to the Allan household, one of whom died in infancy. Sarah A. is the superintendent of the Kindergarten School at Fort Collins, Col. Mary Amelia is the wife of George West, of Geneseo. Frances married William Pearsall, of the same place. Louise A. L. is the wife of Frank Williams, of the township of Loraine.

In early life Mr. Allan was a Whig. At a later period he became a Republican and he has since preserved a uniform and unwavering consistency with the principles of the party and has supported its issues.

. oscph A. Sawyer, of Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1850, and from that date to 1877 he was identified with its business interests. He was born in the town of Sharon, Hillsborough Co., N. H., April 10, 1812. Abial and Sibyl (Buss) Sawyer, his father and mother, were both natives of the " Old Granite State," and were descendants of the Scoth-Irish who settled at Dunbarton, N. H., in ^19.

Mr. Sawyer was reared to the business in which he has principally passed his active life and in which he commenced his preparatory as a clerk at the age of 14. He came to Illinois in the fall of 1834 and spent the following winter at Peoria. In the spring of 1835 he went to Tremont, Tazewell County, where he became a member of the colony located there, and was engaged in the transaction of mercantile business three years. He was associated with Mr. James L. Wilson, who was so mysteriously murdered at Winetka in 1884. He went thence to Hampton in Rock Island County and operated there as a merchant until 1850, when he removed his interests to Henry County and located at Dayton. He established his business at that place and was engaged in its successful prosecution until his change of base to Geneseo, which transpired in 1861. At Geneseo he entered vigorously into the prosecution of his commercial interests and established branch stores, at Cleveland, Green River and Colona, where he conducted his commercial affairs until 1877. He then retired to private life at Geneseo, where he had maintained his residence from the date named as that of his removal there.

Mr. Sawyer has been actively interested in the establishment and progress of the Geneseo Collegiate Institue since the inauguration of the project. He was made one of the first Trustees, and has continued to discharge the duties of that position since.

He is of Democratic political views, and during his residence at various points has served in different official positions. Among the most prominent have been those of Justice of the Peace, Postmaster and as a member of Educational Boards.

He was united in marriage to Martha S. Richmond, Dec. 3T, 1835, at Tremont. She was born in the State of Rhode Island, and was the daughter of Braddock Richmond. They became the parents of two sons and two daughters. Edward S. entered the military service of the United States during the Civil War, and enlisted in the Ninth 111. Cav. Emma E. is the widow of Lewis W. Hanna, a son of Prior Hanna, one of the pioneer settlers of the county and whose name is given in one of its townships. (A sketch of Mr. Hanna may be found on other pages.) Mrs. Hanna lives at Peabody, Kan.; Louisa is engaged in the prosecution of a book, music and stationery business at Greeley, Col. Albert, who is the third in order of birth, was also a soldier and belonged to the r46th III. Inf. The mother died Jan. 25, 1849.

Mr. Sawyer was a second time married in July 1850, to Lucy A., daughter of Elihu Wells. They have three children : Laura A. is the wife of George W. Dexter, who is a wholesale grocer in Chicago ; Ella is the second child ; Henry W. married Cora L. Phares and is a resident of Chicago. Mrs. Sawyer is a native of Massena, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and came to the county in 1836, at the age of r7, with her father, mother and five sisters, in their own conveyance.

obert F. Steele, Justice of the Peace, insurance agent and dealer in real estate at Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1857. He was born in Antrim, Hillsborough Co., N. H., Jan. 10, T831, and he is the son of Robert and Betsey (Temple) Steele. He was reared on a farm and received a good common -school education, and afterwards attended an academy until he was liberally educated. After completing his course of study he passed his summers on the farm and his winters in teaching.

Geneseo, and, in company with Elihu Bryant, he embarked in a boot and shoe enterprise, under the firm style of Bryant & Steele. Their relations were in existence until May, i860. Mr. Steele enlisted in the late war Aug. 12, 1862, enrolling in Co. I> 1 1 2th 111. Inf. On going to the field he was appointed Commissary of his regiment and was in the service until July 5, 1865. He was then mustered out at Chicago. He returned to Geneseo and commenced to operate in the insurance business and as a loan agent, and also began his connection with traffic in real estate. In 1869 the present firm of Hosford & Steele was formed. The company represents the leading insurance companies, and are doing an extensive business in loans and in real estate.

In 1867, Mr. Steele was appointed Postmaster by President Johnson and he held the office two years. In 1866 he was elected City Clerk and continued to discharge the duties of the position until 1873. He was Mayor of Geneseo during the years 1874-5-6, serving consecutively as his own successor. In 1873 he was elected Justice of the Peace. He has been re-elected ever since, covering a period of 12 years. He is also serving his third term as Assistant Supervisor. He is a Republican of most decided stripe and has been an earnest supporter of the principles and issues of the party since its organization.

He was joined in marriage to Annie E. Hardy, April 21, 1857, in Methuen, Mass. She is a native of ^Westminster, Vt., and is the daughter of Silas Hardy. Mr. and Mrs. Steele have one child - Abbie F. The entire family are members of the Congregational Church.

ichard Mascall, whose name has been for more than 40 years connected with Henry B County as a factor in its business development, came hither in 1840. At that time, this section of Illinois was in its primitive condition, awaiting the application of the forces needed to open its resources. The energy and perseverance brought here by Mr. Mascall were of the right stamp to win success, and in consequence he is the owner of nearly 900 acres of land in the county besides his property in the village of Cambridge. He also owns 1,280 acres in VVilkins

Co., Minn., and a quarter-section in Adams Co., Neb. The accumulations of Mr. Mascall are the fruit of judicious business principles and unwavering integrity.

He was born Feb. 1, 1812, 50 miles east of the city of London, in East Kent, England, of which shire his parents, John and Elizabeth (Neeves) Mascall, were both natives. His mother bore 24 children. She was married twice, Mr. Mascall's father being her second husband, and all the children born of her first marriage died in early life. Only five of her children reached mature life. Of this number John, Mrs. Biddie Hopper and Mrs. Mary A. Thurston are deceased. Richard and James, third and fourth in order of birth, are the sole survivors. The family came to the United States in 1830 and located in Litchfield, Bradford Co., Pa. He was there married June 14, 1832, to Abigail Elston. She was born June 22, 1814, in Bradford Co., Pa., and died April 8, 1873, after having become the mother of six children: Ransford P. deceased ; Annie, wife of Spaulding Cody ; John H. and Moses, deceased; Martha M. (Mrs. M. Bristol); and James P. Mr. Mascall contracted a second matrimonial alliance, with Mary J., daughter of 'Squire Wm. G. Heaps, of Annawan Township. Her mother's maiden name was Hester Green, and she was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., and died in Annawan Township April 12, 1885, aged 69. The family came to Adams Co., 111., in 1842, where Mrs. Mascall was born May 28, 1846. Her marriage was celebrated Aug. 18, 1874. She is one of n children born to her parents, of whom nine are living. Her father is a citizen of Annawan Township.

Mr. Mascall is a representative of a class of men who made their generation distinguished for enterprise and achievement. Their natural ambition to get on in the world, coupled with the rumored resources of the undeveloped Western country, served as an incentive to test the untried fields which fancy painted, lying in broad beauty in the then trackless West. Poor in purse but rich in the qualities which are the equipment of the genuine pioneer, Mr. Mascall turned his energies to good account in the labor of farmer in his native country and in Litchfield, Pa., until about the date of his first marriage, and after that event he conducted a saw-mill in Bradford Co., Pa., until 1836. In that year he yielded to the pressure, partly of ambition, partly of desire to judge for himself of the value of the promises of the prairied section of this, his country, and, accompanied by his brother James, he started for what was then the border of civilization. They traveled in pioneer style, in accordance with their circumstances and frugal habits, journeying overland 140 miles to Olean Point, on the Allegheny River in the State of New York. Here he bought a quantity of dry lumber, for which he paid $10, and secured assistance to build a, "float," otherwise termed a raft. On this craft the party embarked. The number included Mr. Mascall, his wife and two oldest children, James Mascall, William Stackhouse and another man whose name is now unknown, Jesse Elston, wife and two children, and Spencer Elston. The Elstons came only to the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to its load of humanity, the raft transported the household belongings of the families. The journey to Pittsburg, Pa., was of six days' duration, and formed an episode which will live forever in the remembrances of those who felt that it was a challenge to fate and fortune, and they watched the tide which bore them away from accustomed scenes with varied emotions. At Pittsburg, Mr. Mascall sold the raft for $40. The party took passage on a steamer at that city which was to carry them to Peoria, 111., via the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

They arrived at their destination at the end of three weeks. Mr. Mascall was seized by illness at Peoria, which proved of a lingering character, but in the latter part of August he went to Wyoming, Stark County, where he rented a farm of J. W. Agard, on which he was resident until the spring of 1837. At that date he rented a farm, which was the property of Francis Grady, situated one mile south of Toulon. After his engagement expired, at the end of two years, he re-rented property of Mr. Agard.

His father made an entry of 40 acres of land, and informed him that he (the father) would give him (the son) ten acres. Mr. Mascall relates that, though he now counts his acres by the hundreds, he has seen no moment so completely filled with content as that in which he learned that he was to become the owner of ten acres of land ! On his taking possession, his father deeded him 25 acres, and he asserts that he would not then change places with royalty itself. He had won the highest privilege a

In the spring of 1841, he came with his family to Henry County, and located on a farm of 25 acres in the eastern part of the township of Cambridge. He there made a success of agricultural pursuits until 1850, when he removed his family to Bishop Hill, where he operated as a buyer of grain and trader in behalf of the Swedish colony at that place. He remained there a year, and during that time performed services in the interests of the foreigners of incalculT able advantage to them. He superintended the American laborers employed by the colonists, and exerted himself in protecting their property and their lives from mob violence. They were the objects of frenzied fury, and the most strenuous efforts were made by the land sharks to expel thern from their estates. The time when the exertions of Mr. Mascall were most effective, was at the period of the struggle for social and religious liberty in the Swedish colony, which is treated with graphic power in another portion of this work. The murder of Mr. Jansen left the Swedes practically without a leader, - and they placed implicit reliance on the honor and advice of Mr. Mascall. He advised that they enter a quarter-section of land, on which extensive improvements had been made, and which was the especial object of the greed of the land-sharks. They sent him to the land office at Dixon to negotiate in their interests, and he found that the tract had been entered on a land warrant. He protested, on the ground that it had been settled and was under cultivation, and he deposited the Government price of $200, and urged a request that the warrant be removed, which was afterwards done. To Mr,- Mascall and to John Piatt, Sr., who espoused: the cause of the worthy foreigners, the Swedes owe' the preservation of their land claims, and, no doubt*, in some instances their lives, as lynching and extermination were frequently threatened.

The pioneer experiences of Mr. Mascall present a history full of interesting novelty, even though such would seem to gather a monotony through frequent repetition. He once took his fattened hogs to Peoria, where he sold them for a dollar each, and often drew his grain and pork to Chicago, when he slept on the ground from utter inability to secure the shelter of the hotels, his small returns from his yearly labors necessitating absolutely no expenditure while on his trips ! The generation of to-day would faint in view of such privations and hardships. Verily, the pioneers are worthy all admiration, honor and respect. They are the truly great, who proved their title to the soil they came to till and to secure as a heritage for their posterity. Mr. Mascall, now in the evening of life, can look back with retrospective satisfaction on the course he has pursued.

In 1851, Mr. Mascall returned to the management of his farm in Cambridge where he continued to operate until his removal to the village of Cambridge, which took place in December, 1873. He had spent a year previously at that place, associated with his brother, James Mascall, in a mercantile enterprise. Since fixing his permanent abode there, he has been connected with its active business prosperity and development.

In November, 1881, on the organization of the Farmers' National Bank, he was made its President, and still (1885) continues its chief official.

In political connection, Mr. Mascall is a Democrat, and he exerted the energies which have characterized his whole life in the success of the late Presidential campaign. In 1857, he was elected Supervisor of Cambridge Township, and was the first to occupy that official position after the organization of the township. He was subsequently reelected in 1858, i860, 1863, 1869 and 1875.

During the struggle for the removal of the county seat from Cambridge to Geneseo, in 1877-8, he took an active part in behalf of the opposition to the movement. He was made a member of the committee constituted to visit Springfield, where he was influential in the defeat of the project. While Supervisor, he was a member of the Poor-house and County Building Committee, and was Overseer of the Poor under the county organization for several years. He has always been prominent in his interest and efforts in the diffusion of general education, and has acted 2 1 years as School Director in School District No. 1, of East Cambridge.

In religious opinions, Mr. Mascall does not endorse the tenets of any denominational organization, but believes in the fundamental principles which underlie the system of Ghristianity.

the cognomen " Uncle Dick," which is familiar to the lips of every man, woman and child within the scope of his acquaintance. The addition of his portrait to the collated annals of Henry County will be warmly welcomed, inasmuch as it ensures a permanent shadow of a presence Jong familiar to travelers on the thoroughfares of the municipality of which he has been so faithful and disinterested a friend. He is a representative of a class of foreignborn citizens who bring the thrift and energy which are their only heritage in their native land to this country with its great possibilities, and accomplish the best results in their application under the influences of the institutions of America.

ames H. Mitchell, Mayor of Geneseo in 1885, is a prominent business man at that place. He came to Henry County in 1872. He is a native of Ireland, and was born Dec. 22, 1843. The names of his parents were James and Ellen (Donlan) Mitchell. In the spring of 1 849 the family came to the United States and made a location at Madison, Ind. Mr. Mitchell remained there until 1866, when he went to Shelbyville, 111., and there embarked in business. He was occupied in the management of his affairs there untM 1 868, when he went to Blairstown, in Iowa, and was engaged in the drug business there until his removal, in the year named, to Geneseo. He was a druggist at the latter place until 1878, when he closed his connection therewith and commenced operations as a dealer in real estate. He operated in that line until May 1, 1884, when he opened the business of a boot and shoe merchant, in which he is still interested.

Mr. Mitchell adopted the pains as well as the privileges %of the country to which he came to enjoy the benefits its form of government afforded, and when the Nation was in the throes of a Civil War he entered the military service. He enlisted Aug. 9, 1862, in the 67th Regt. of Vol. from Indiana, enrolling in Co. C. A month after going to the field he was in the hands of the rebels, captured by General Bragg in September, 1862, at Mumfordsville, Ky. He was paroled and a little later was exchanged. In

November of the same year he again found himself in the service. He continued in the army until February, 1863, when he was discharged for disability, having been seized with illness that precluded the discharge of military duty. Mr. Mitchell is a Republican of decided type. He has served as Alderman of Geneseo, and was elected to that position in 1883.

The marriage of Mr. Mitchell to Mary Sharon took place at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Aug. 14, 1872. They have six children, - four sons and two daughters. John P. was born Oct. 26, 1873 ; James, Sept. 13, 1875 ; Gertie, July 9, 1877 ; Julia, July 8, 1880; Francis, July 27, 1883. The family are Catholics. Mrs. Mitchell was born at St. Charles, 111., and is the daughter of Frank Sharon.

' rasmus Knorr, retired farmer, resident in Colona, is a citizen of the United Slates by adoption. He was born July 16, 1824, 5$. in Oldenburg, in the province of Saxony, Germany. He is the son of George and Elizabeth (Fleischer) Knorr. From the age of six until he was 14, Mr. Knorr was an attendant at the schools of the place in which he was born, and after he had completed the time there required by law he was apprenticed to learn the business of a flour miller. He served in that capacity until he acquired a thoroughly practical knowledge of the trade. When he was 20 years of age he entered the army and served four years.

In 1849 he came to the United States. He made the voyage on a sail vessel and landed at the port of New York after a passage of 72 days. He made no stop until he reached Wisconsin, where he interested himself in lead-mining. He passed three years in that business, and in 1852 went to California. He went in company with two friends. Mr. Knorr and one of the others bought three Indian ponies, which they loaded with provisions. They also procured a hand -cart, to which they contrived to attach one of the ponies, and the little procession made its way across the plains. They stopped at Placerville, where they engaged in mining for gold. With the exception of the summer season of 1858 they remained at the same place until 1862. The time named they were in British Columbia.

In 1862 Mr. Knorr returned to the East. He came via the Isthmus and ' proceeded to Henry County. In 1863 he bought a farm on section 5, in Hanna Township. It was unimproved and he put it in thorough condition for profitable agricultural operations. The buildings are of the best type for the purposes for which they are needed and include all that are required in general farming. Mr. Knorr also set out a well assorted orchard. In 1879 the place was sold, and Mr. Knorr bought a farm on section 2, in Colona Township. This was in the same state of nature as the other had been and the proprietor put forth the same efforts to the same end as in the first instance. The place is now in a condition that gives evidence of the- quality of the energy and industry of the owner. In 1884 the farm was rented and the family removed to the village of Colona, where Mr. Knorr is the owner of a residence.

He was married in 1863 to Mrs. Amelia (Schultze) Buckholz. She was born in Prussia, and was the widow of Henry Buckholz. They were married in their native land, and after their removal to the United States the husband entered the army of the Union. He enlisted in 1862 in the 112th 111. Vol. Inf. as a member of Co. K. He died the same year, while in the service. Their only child, T. Henry, is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Knorr have one child, - Charles E.

eorge Wells, a retired merchant at Geneseo, was born in Shelburne, Franklin Co., Mass., Jan. 14, 1814. He is of Puritan stock, his ancestors having come from England to the New England coast in the early history of the country, and they were among the most prominent in the exciting events of the times that " troubled men's souls." David Wells, his paternal grandfather, moved to Shelburne in 1872. He was an active participant in the War of the Revolution, and was famous for his daring and bravery. He was concerned in the entire course of the struggle for independence, and was an eyewitness of the surrender of Burgoyne. He was also a member of the Continental Congress, and died in his 91st year. His son, William Wells, was a Colonel of militia, and became prominent as a legislator, serving 30 sessions in the .State Assembly of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He died at Shelburne, at the age of 81. He was born in the State of Connecticut, which was also the native State of his wife, who, previous to her marriage, was Prudence May. Her family were distinguished for learning, and were among the leaders in society and in public affairs in the times in which they lived. Her father and seven of his sons and sons-in-law were graduates of Yale College. Prudence May Wells died at 94.

Mr. Wells of this sketch received a commonschool education, and was brought up with a thorough knowledge of farming. He did not take kindly to the vocation of agriculture, and when he was 18 he went to Troy, N. Y., to accept a position as clerk in a mercantile establishment. This was in 1832, and he remained in the position until 1835. In that year he embarked in trade himself, and continued to operate as a merchant there until his removal to Illinois in 1856. He settled at Geneseo, and opened a general store. He prosecuted his commercial interests about nine years, and closed his connections with active business about the time of the termination of the war.

In the early days of his political relations he was a Whig; but the issues that arose in which the fundamental principles of that element were founded caused him to adopt those of the Republican party, and he became one of its most consistent adherents on its organization.

Mr. Wells was married the first time Nov. 29, 1838, to Mary M. Coleman, at Greenfield, Mass., and they had one child, William P. He was born Jan. 6, 1839, and is now married, and a resident of the city of New York. The mother died July 20, r849, and Mr. Wells was a second time married, April 15, 185 1, to Helen Van Alen, who died without issue, Sept. 18, 1867. Her successor was Jane E. Stowe, of Troy, N. Y., whom he married July 1, 1869, and died Oct. u, 1883 ; she left no children; Mr. Wells was again married Nov. n, 1884, to Mrs. Caroline E., widow of A. H. Barnes and daughter of Isaac Foote. Her grandfather, Isaac Foote, was a Major in the War of the Revolution. One of her maternal great-uncles was Lyman Hall, one of the

'd'afiidrew Soliday has been a resident in Henry County since 1854. He has lived in the township of Yorktown since 1856. He was born in Alsace, then a province of France, since which time it fell into the possession of Germany in the late war between those two powers. His birth occurred Jan. 7, 1830, and he is the son of Andrew and Margaret Soliday. His father died in his infancy, and as he was the only child his mother brought him up.

When he was six years old she came with him to America. She remained in Pennsylvania a few months after landing in the New World, and while there was married to Jacob Grose, a native of Rhenish Bavaria. In the February following, the new family went to Allegany County, in the State of New York, where the step-father died, five years later. The son and his mother remained there and in Livingston County until 1853. He was her sole dependence after the death of her second husband, and he was also the maintainer of two half-sisters, who were the children of the step-father. He worked as a farm assistant to obtain the means needed for the support of the household, and he worked by the day. In the year named he came West to see if he could discover any chance for a poor man to get along in the world, and he determined to make a a trial of what he considered conditions that promised the reward of effort and frugality. He returned to New York, and in 1854 he came to Illinois with his mother and two sisters. He rented the farm of his uncle in the township of Loraine, on which he operated two years. He was successful in his efforts to save what he earned, and he took possession of the land which he had bought the year in which he came to the county. It was located on section 19 of the township of Yorktown, and he built a double hewed-log house, into which the family moved in the month of January, 1856. Mr. Soliday at once entered with characteristic vigor into the work of improvement, and he made telling progress with his old-country industry and thrift. He was the owner of a yoke of oxen and two cows, and in a very short time he exchanged the former for horses and proceeded with his work of reclamation until he had placed the entire acreage under tillage. In 1864 he sold the place and secured another on section 3r of the same township. There was a small frame house on the place, which was the first residence erected in the township, and was built by Daniel Crist ; and 50 acres had been put under the plow by him. Mr. Soliday is the proprietor of 276 acres, which is all in the best possible condition for successful agriculture, and supplied with the kind of farm buildings that show the quality of the efforts that have been exercised in Henry County, that have placed it in the ranks with those of older settlement in the State. Mr. Soliday is engaged in mixed husbandry.

In his political connection, he was at first a Whig. On the formation of the Republican party he became its adherent, and has been a consistent member of it ever since. He has served as Assessor and as Highway Commissioner, and has also filled the positions of Constable, etc. He has acted 19 years in the capacity of School Director.

The marriage of Mr. Soliday to Mary Baker took place June 14, 1856. She was born in Warren Co., Pa. They have seven children : Mary Ellen married Henry Minch, of Yorktown Township; Jacob E., Andrew J., Esther E., Ida S., Hannah A. and Charles A. are those who are still at home.

The mother lived with her son as long as her life was spared after coming to Illinois. She died at his home, March s, 1875. His oldest sister is named Elizabeth. Sophia married John Coplin, and they removed to Denver, Col.

iberty Stimson, now deceased, was a former resident of the township and city of Geneseo, and came to Henry County in 1836. He was one of the most widely known and {-) generally respected citizens of the section where he made his home from the year named until his death.

native of Massachusetts, and belonged to an old and well-established family in that State. The maiden name of his mother was Elizabeth Fuller, and she was the daughter of a sister of Benjamin Franklin, the philosopher and statesman. The father of Mr. Stimson died when the latter was in his nth year, \^ and he was brought up in the care of a family named Brown, at Dedham, Mass. His early life was passed on a farm, and subsequently he became interested in the business of a trader. He remained in the East until 1835, when he came to Illinois and at first made a location in Bureau County.

In the year following he came to Henry County. He located on section r5, in the township of Geneseo, and in 1837 began to make improvements on it. In 1838 he built a log house and barn of substantial character and had 40 acres broken. The house referred to occupied the site where the farm residence now stands. He was the owner of 240 acres, onethird of which was in timber. He continued the purchase and sale of real estate for many years, and ^ at the time of his death he was the possessor of only $ 96 acres, of which he was the owner originally, and a for which he held the Government patent. ^

Mr. Stimson was married three times. Leah s Clark became his wife in Bureau County, Dec. 25, $$- 1837. She died Dec. ro, 1843, leaving two chil- * dren, - a son and a daughter. The latter, who was named' Elizabeth, was born Nov. 18, 1840, and died Dec. n, 1843, one day subsequent to the demise of the mother. Charles was born Nov. 30, 1843, and died Nov. 4, 1864.

Mr. Stimson married Mrs. Remembrance (Evans) Ogden in 1844. She was a widow and the mother of several children by her first husband. She died Nov. 13, 1862. From the second matrimonial connection there is no issue. Mr. Stimson was married again at Rock Island Feb. 13, 1867, to Miss Hannah E. Reynolds. She was born at Berlin, Washington Co., Vt., July 4, 1824, and is the daughter of Elisha P. and Betsey (Stuart) Reynolds. Her father was of English extraction and was a lineal descendant of the celebrated " Sir Joshua Reynolds," the most distinguished painter of his time. Her mother was a " Stuart," and descended from the royal line of Scotland.

the families in which she had her origin in strength of character, stability of purpose and individuality. She received educational advantages of the best type in the East, and at 18 began the work of a teacher in New England. After some years she went to the State of New York and there continued the pursuit of her occupation. In the winter of 1858-9 she went to Texas to enter upon the duties of a plantation teacher at Marshall, in Harrison County. She made a success of the undertaking, and just prior to the culmination of the Southern infatuation and foolhardiness she transferred her field of operation to the Red River country of Louisiana. The consequences of the rebellion did not affect her position materially until the fall of 1862.

At that time the feeling of sectional bitterness began to penetrate to the remoter rural districts and she prepared to make her way Northward. About a dozen Northern women, who had been in the South on the same business, found it expedient to seek a return to their friends, and Miss Reynolds joined the party. The Governors of Texas and Louisiana had provided them with the credentials necessary to secure their immunity from detention in the rebel lines; and, after a series of adventures that would make a chapter in the history of the experiences of a life, she arrived at Vicksburg. The time was just subsequent to the termination of the second bombardment of that historic city. There the party were treated as prisoners of war and were transferred to the Federal authorities by the regular exchange. This method of facilitating their progress to their friends was an act of gentlemanly courtesy on the part of Gen. Kirby Smith, the Confederate commander. The ladies were placed on a Federal gunboat and transferred to transport. The latter belonged to a flotilla of 1 r that.were being conveyed by two gun-boats to the upper river. They carried a flag of truce, but it was ineffectual to preserve from rebel attack, and they were fired into twice by the guerrillas that infested the country on the Mississippi side. One of these occasions was full of intense excitement, as there was great danger of an invasion from the shore. The " Yankee schoolma'ams" proved themselves equal to the emergency, and at their own urgent request were supplied with " munitions of war " in the shape of shot-guns, wherewith to take part in the fray if the occasion should demand. The guerrillas held that discretion was, in their cases, the better part of valor, and deferred their purpose. Whether they knew that the young ladies were on board and desisted from the instinct of their traditional chivalry, or whether they hesitated to risk their precious persons in a double danger, is not certain ; and there may have been a deterring consideration in their susceptible hearts. Nobody knows, but more strange things have happened. The young ladies were landed safely at Cairo and again breathed the air of liberty.

Mr. Stimson was engaged in the business of a farmer and stockman in the township of Geneseo until the time of his demise. That event occurred July 26t 1878. He was a man who commanded the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens from the uprightness of his character and the integrity in which he discharged every known duty in his relations with them. He was a Democrat in his political relations and views, and was a consistent supporter of the tenets of that party.

obert L. Pritehard, a farmer on section 30, Alba Township, is a native of the pu?&. ' "Green Isle." He was born in County }\$? Down, and accompanied his parents to the United States in 1865. A full account of their lives, both in this and in their native country, is given with the sketch of their son, Hugh W., the brother of Mr. Pritehard of this sketch. The latter was born in 1850, and was therefore a well-grown lad when he came to the county where he has since resided. He remained under the parental care and authority until he had passed the years of his minority, attending district schools and working on the farm.

The first eventful act of his life was his marriage to Sarah Fleming. She is the daughter of John Fleming, of Geneseo, who is living in retirement in that city, whither he removed from the township of Cornwall, where he was for many years a prosperous farmer. (See sketch of John Fleming.) Mr. and Mrs. Pritehard have one child, a daughter, born Aug. 16, 1885.

Mr. Pritehard is one of the leading farmers of the township in which he lives. He is the half owner of an undivided tract of land in company with his brother who has been named, and they are interested in the management of their joint estate, where each is making a success of the business of stock-rearing on an extensive scale. The herds of Mr. Pritchard consist of full-blooded Short -horn cattle, of which he owns about 200, and he is the possessor of a number of thorough-bred Norman and English Draft horses, also Clydesdales. The swine on the place are of the Poland-China variety.

Mr. Pritchard is a Republican in political connection and belongs to the Congregational Church. He has served in several official capacities in the township.

oseph Weir. One of the prosperous, energetic and respectable farmers of Henry County is Joseph Weir, who resides on section 26, Clover Township. He was born in Guernsey Co., Ohio, Aug. 13, 1827, and is a son of Andrew and Ann (Duland) Weir, natives of Ireland and Pennsylvania respectively, who were engaged in the occupation of farming until they emigrated West. On arriving in Illinois they came to Clover Township, where he purchased 160 acres on section 36, and resided on the same until his death.

Joseph, our subject, remained at home under the influence of his parents until he reached his legal majority, in the meantime having received a common-school education. After leaving the parental roof-tree he engaged in farming by purchasing 80 acres of land on section 26, and later made another purchase on section 23, of 160 acres. By his energetic and industrious labor he has since put the same under the best cultivation, and has erected a beautiful house on section 26, where he resides.

Miss Margaret Davis, a native of Pennsylvania, was the lady chosen to share the joys and sorrows, successes and reverses, of the future with Mr. Weir, in the year 1848. They have become the parents of seven children, six of whom are living, namely . Julia A., James L., Ella, William, Carrie and John W., all of whom are married except the youngest ; Ida is deceased. Mr. Weir affiliates with the Democratic party, and

Until the latter was 16 he remained on the farm, and at that age he entered on an apprenticeship to learn the business of a tanner. After passing foui years in the business, and finding it altogether uncongenial, he abandoned the project of making it the pursuit of his life, and again turned his attention to ( J) farming. He continued to operate in the capacity^ of agriculturist until 1845, when he went from his^ native place to Mercer County, where he rented ea land and resumed the same business. He passed gift three years on the place which he had rented, and== in 1849 returned to the county in which he was^Y born. In company with his brother William he ated in common two years. At the expiration of that time he bought the claim of his brother, and was the resident owner of the place until 1856, when he sold it. He paid at the rate of $27 per acre, and sold it for $50 per acre. At the time he effected the sale his wife was in impaired health, and he thought it best to make a change in the locality of their home. Accordingly, he determined to come West, and located in the county where he has since been a citizen. He first made a purchase of 80 acres on section 32, Geneseo Township, where he made some improvements, and on which he pursued his business as a farmer three years. He then sold, and removed to a tract of 80 acres, which he bought in the township of Munson. It was situated"® on section 6, and was in a wholly unimproved condition. He built a frame house, planted trees, and* J set out hedges. He occupied the place until i874.^ when he removed to a farm which he had previ-^ ^ ously bought in the township of Geneseo, and which(& has since been his field of operation. At the tinier he took possession the place contained 80 acres, all of which is in excellent condition for prosperous farming. Mr. Wilson has set out fruit and shade trees, and erected two sets of frame buildings. He is interested in the growth of grain and live stock.