Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1885 (part 9 of 31)

He was first married, in the State of New Jersey, to Elizabeth La Rue, who was born in the town of Delaware, in Hunterdon County. They have four children now living, whose record is as follows : Arabella is the wife of Thomas Clark; Rebecca married William Duff; William and Albert are the two younger. The first marriage of Mr. Wilson took place Dec. 18, 1847. His wife died July 11, 1 88 1, and Mr. Wilson was again married in May, 1884, to Amanda, daughter of John D. Barnes, of Geneseo. (See sketch.)

H. Simmons, residing on section 28, Clover Township, where he is engaged in the occupation of a farmer, was born Jan. 4, 18 1 6, in Massachusetts, his parents being Edward and Charity (Daggett) Simmons, natives of Massachusetts, and where the father followed the business of ship-carpenter.

W. H. Simmons was a resident of the parental homestead until 1 2 years of age, having enjoyed the advantages afforded by the common schools. After leaving home he worked in a brick-yard for four years. On attaining his 16th year he engaged to learn the carpenter's trade, to master which he served an apprenticeship for three years. Two years after learning his trade he worked in Massachusetts, and then went to Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade for two years longer. His next move was to Ohio, where he remained 12 years, all the time engaged in working at his trade. In 1855 he came to this county and located at Kewanee, where he worked at his trade for five years. He is a skilled mechanic, and during the time that he has been employed in the active prosecution of his trade he has taken jobs that amounted to $10,000, and has had in his employ as many as 40 hands at one time. In i860 Mr. Simmons came to Clover Township, this county, and located on section 28, where he had purchased 1 60 acres of land. He located on this land, and by honest, energetic labor, good judgment and economy he has added to his original purchases, and now owns 20 acres adjoining his first purchase of 160 ; also 160 acres on section 23, 60 on section 24, 160 on section 20, 160 in Knox County, 320 acres in Kansas, and 240 acres in Iowa. His accumulations of real estate is attributable to his own indomitable energy and good judgment, coupled with the active co-operation of his good helpmeet, to whom he was united in marriage Dec. 9, 1839. Her maiden name was Mary A. Briggs, and she was a native of Massachusetts.

The issue of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Simmons has been seven children, four of whom are living : M. Eugenia, L. Alice, Evelinda A., and Horace F.; M. Eugenia married Alfred Stickney, and they have one child, Carrie A. ; L. Alice married George A. Wood, at present residing in Boston, Mass. Mr. Simmons, politically, is a supporter of the tenets of the Democratic party. He has held the different offices within the gift of the people of his township, and is one of those gentlemen honored and respected for their straightforward and manly dealings with their fellow men.

,aptain Joseph B. Brush, a pioneer of Henry County of 1838, was born in New York city, June 10, 1807, and is the son of Ebenezer Brush. At the age of 11 he went to sea. The ship on which he sailed was in the merchant service, and he followed a seafaring life for 20 years, gradually rising in his profession until he became the master of a brig. He operated nine years in the merchant service between China and the city of Boston. In 1837 he lost his vessel in the Baltic sea, and therewith closed his connection with the pleasures and perils of a seafaring life.

In the following year he came to Henry County and settled in Morristown, where he became interested in farming. He was also occupied in the prosecution of other business relations, and was the first mail-carrier between Geneseo and Morristown. He was engaged in that capacity two years.

On the first of April, 1836, he became the husband of Naomi, daughter of John Brush, of Long Island. She was born on that historic ground of the early

Captain Brash removed to Geneseo in 1856, and has since been a citizen of that place. He was a Whig in his early political relations, and in later years has been independent. He has had an eventful life, and the detailed account of his adventures by sea and land would fill a volume. He is in advanced life, but is passing his last years in cheerful serenity.

i.amuel Pritchard, of the township of Alba, became a citizen of Henry County in 1857. He was born in County Down, Ireland, Feb. 18, 1841, and when he was ten years of age he came to the United States with his brother William. They landed at the port of New York and proceeded thence to the city of Philadelphia, where Samuel entered the employ of a floriculturist and remained in the same service six years. At the end of that time he came to the township where he is now a resident, and in company with his brother he rented 75 acres of land, which they managed jointly two years.

In the first year of the Civil War Mr. Pritchard entered the military service of his adopted country. He enlisted in Co. H, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., under Capt. Thomas Martin. The regiment, commanded by Col. Richmond, was mustered into service at Alton, 111., and assigned to the 16th Army Corps, General Hurlburt, Corps Commander. The command was ordered to Tennessee and thence to Vicksburg. After the successful termination of the siege of that place the regiment was transferred to the command of General Steele, of the Seventh Army Corps, and was concerned in the prominent battles in Arkansas while completing the term of enlistment. Mr. Pritchard enlisted Aug. 9, 1862, and was honorably discharged July 12, 1865, after the termination of the war, at Pine Bluff, Ark.

He returned to Alba Township and entered upon the career of a farmer, and has achieved the success due to the quality of his efforts and the degree of his industry. He deserves the reward of the patriot who risks his life to secure the possession of a peaceful country, and the broad, well cultivated acres of his beautiful farm show that Providence has approved his course of action as well as the spirit in which he has operated. He owns 440 acres of excellent land, on which has been erected a fine dwellinghouse. The other buildings on the place are of a suitable and useful character. In political faith, Mr. Pritchard is a Republican, and has consistently supported the principles of his party. He is serving a term as School Director. He is a member of the Grand Army Post at Annawan, No. 290.

Dec. 3, 1868, he was married to Alice Pritchard, a native of the County of Down, Ireland. Seven children have been born to them, one of whom has passed to the silence and mystery of the world of the unseen. They were born in the following order : Robert H., Mary J., William John, Elmer (died in infancy), Alice G., David R. and Lizzie A. The parents are connected in membership with the Congregational Church.

. acob Smith, merchant at Colona, was born in the county of Northumberland, England, July 17, 1827. He is the oldest son of Thomas and Jane (Robinson) Smith, and they were residents in the colliery district in England after 1833, when their son was six years of they went then to the county of Durham and a year later he went into the coal mines to work. He was but seven years old ; but it is a well-known fact, that in the English mines the smaller the child who is placed there to work the better, in some particulars, as the veins of coal in some places are very narrow. The labor he at first performed was that of a pick-carrier. As he grew older he could do other work and he operated in various capacities until he reached the age of 19. He then commenced the work of a regular miner.

During the earlier years of his life he had attended the evening schools and had acquired a fair education. He continued to work in the collieries of Durham until 1853. In that year he came to America and went at once to the State of Pennsylvania, where there was an opportunity to obtain employment in the avenue in which he had spent the years of his life thus far. He entered the coal mines at

Johnstown and was there engaged from September, 1853, until July, 1854. He then came to Illinois and located in the county of Rock Island. He operated as a miner there until Jan. 20, 1856, when he came to Henry County. He engaged in mining in Minersville, in Colona Township, where he continued to work until his removal, in 1858, to the village of Colona. He bought a building for the purpose of engaging in mercantile affairs and put in a stock of goods. He embarked in the enterprise in company with James Bell, and they conducted their interests jointly until they dissolved in 1861. In 1865 he took in George Brown as a partner, who remained with him until 1876. Since that date Mr. Smith has pursued his business as a merchant alone. He keeps a stock suited to the demands of a country trade, and' is engaged in a popular and profitable business. In 1851 he was married to Ann Smith, a native of England.

athan B. Huntington, deceased, settled in Henry County in 1854. From the date of his removal hither to the time when failing health compelled his withdrawal from active participation in the affairs of the place, he was a prominent factor in the furtherance of all projects that seemed to bear a promise of permanent benefit to the community with whose interests he was identified.

He was a native of Ashford, Conn., and was born Feb. 22, 1810. His father, Dr. Andrew Huntington, was for a half century a practicing physician of Ashford. The family is well known in New England, and is of English Puritan descent. The original progenitor on the American Continent was William Huntington, who settled at Salisbury, Mass., in 1640. Mr. Huntington came to the State in 1838, settling in Tazewell Co., where he was engaged in farming until his removal to Henry County. He made extensive purchases of land, and became interested largely in real estate, in the city and adjacent country. He erected a considerable number of buildings, and platted a tract of land in the southern portion of the city, called " Huntington's Addition." In 1857 he went to Elbridge, in the State of New York, where he embarked in the wholesale manufacture of furniture and owned a saw-mill. In 1862 Mr. Huntington went from Elbridge to Galesburg, 111., and passed the next ten years in farming in Knox County. At the expiration of that time he returned to Geneseo to pass the remaining years of his life. He was interested in the real-estate business during the time that he was able to give his personal attention to his affairs. His death occurred Aug. ro, 1885.

The character and influence of Mr. Huntington were such in social and religious circles that his death is a common loss. He was prominent in his connection with the Congregational Church, in which he was a Deacon for many years. He was a Republican of decided opinions.

On the death of Deacon Huntington, one of the local journals published the following memorial comments on his character and influence, which are here reproduced as eminently fitting, as coming from a contemporary : " He strove to exemplify the principles of the Sacred Word in his own life. Careful in arriving at conclusions, he sought always to be just towards others, to find the right, then to maintain it at whatever cost. Upon questions of principle there was never a doubt where he would be found. In business he was thorough, yet strictly honest, seeking to observe the golden rule. In benevolence he was large-hearted, having an open hand for every deserving cause. The poor health of his last few years was a great trial to him, in that it prevented his attendance upon the services of the sanctuary and his open participation in Christian labor. Still, his interest in these things never flagged, nor did his contributions thereto diminish."

The first wife of Mr. Huntington, to whom he was joined in marriage May 16, 1833, was Matilda Whiton previous to her union with him. She bore three children - one daughter and two sons. John married Harriet Smead and is a citizen of Sharon , Iowa. Maria is the wife of Cornelius H. Van Nechten, of Elbridge, N. Y. The mother died Oct. 1, 1841. Mr. Huntington was a second time married Dec. 9, 1841, to Rebecca Willard, whose death took place May 3, 1849. The_ third marriage of Mr. Huntington occurred Oct. 6, 1849, when Jane Charevoy became his wife. She was born Jan. 2, 1805, and died in April, 1870. In 1872 Mr. Huntington I was married to Mrs. Dr. R. J. Stough. Mrs. Hunt-

\* ington was born at Harwich, Mass., and is the (ji) daughter of Josiah and Deborah Smalley. Her ani%» cestors were Pilgrims and Puritans and the primal T ancestor who came to America was on the May- (%j flower. She came West in 1849 to accept a position in Muscatine, Iowa, as tutor in a private family.

illiam Nowers, a farmer of extensive relations, residing in the village of Atkinson, came from the State of New York with his parents to Illinois in 1847. His estate is situated on sections 27 and 32, of the town- I ' ship of Atkinson. He was born in the State of New York, June 17, 1838, and is the son of Thomas Nowers, an account of whose life and connection with the business history of this section of Illinois is given on other pages of this work. The son was reared on a farm and has passed his life since he ^^ reached the period of his independence as a citizen, ^5 m l'ie prosecution of that business. He had only ij8j the advantages of the common schools in which to *= secure an acquaintance with books, but he is natur- ^JV ally observant and has at command all the acquisi- ^ tions to be gained from intimate associations with the world of men and business. He is a Democrat in political persuasion.

Mr. Nowers was married in December, i860, to Miss Helen S. Scott. Their three children are living and are named Edward, John S. and Gertrude. The mother was born in the State of New York in 1838 and died in 187 1. Mr. Nowers was again married in 1872 to Elizabeth Roberts. Their union occurred Nov. 7, of the year named. Their two children were born as follows: Lurena S, June 2, 1876; William A., Oct. 8, 188 1.

M. Swanson, general farmer, on section 1 , Lynn Township, is the son of Swan Mangeson, who was a native of Sweden and a farmer, and who was married in Janspring Lan, to Sarah A. Larson. They are both now deceased. Mr. Swanson was born Dec. 21, 1820, and when 35 years of age, in 1856, he came to America and settled in Opheim, Henry

County, where he first worked two years as a farm laborer, and then rented for seven years. At the expiration of this time he purchased 80 acres on section 1, Lynn Township, about 1864, which was unimproved prairie at the time. He has since purchased 80 acres more, and on the whole tract he has now a well improved farm and a thoroughly equipped home ; he also is the proprietor of 90 acres of improved land in Western Township.

He was married in his native country Dec. 28, 1845, to Anna E. Anderson, who was born in Janspring Lan, Sept. 18, 1823; her parents both of Swedish nativity, were farmers, and both now deceased. Of the 1 1 children born in the family of Mr. Swanson, four are deceased. The living are: Christina, who married Valentine Miller, and lives in Phillipsburg, N. J.; her husband is a manufacturer of gas-pipes, etc. ; Andrew is married and is a skillful and reliable clerk in Cambridge; his wife's name was Lena Carlson ; Charles resides in Wayne Co., Neb., near Wayne City; Mary married Peter Sundburg and resides in Osco Township, this county; Tilla, Matilda, Joseph and Peter A. are at home. The family are members of the Lutheran Church at Andover, and the political views of Mr. S. are in keeping with the principles of the Republican party.

ilber F. Broughton, of Geneseo, has been a resident in Henry County since 1858. He was born Aug. 17, 1838, in Painesville, Lake Co., Ohio, and is the son of John and Sarah (Gundry) Broughton. He was brought up on the homestead farm of his father, and was 20 when he came to Illinois and located in the county in which he has since lived, with the exceptions herein mentioned. In the spring of i860 he went to Pike's Peak, and returned in the fall of the same year, fully satisfied with his trip.

He enlisted in the 112th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf. in August, 1862. was one of the non-commissioned officers of Co. I, and was in the service about two years. Aug. 8, 1864, he was severely wounded at the battle of Eutaw Creek, near Atlanta. He came from the field with four gunshot wounds, and his clothes showed that seven balls had passed through them. A musket ball carried away a part of his right hand, and he has always since suffered from the consequences of the action of that day. He received an honorable discharge Nov. 25 following, on account of disability caused by his injuries. After his return to his home he became interested in the sale of agricultural implements, and in 187 1 established a branch house at Oiion, in this county, meanwhile maintaining his residence at Geneseo. He was connected with the business there seven years. Since 1882 he has been operating in Nebraska.

Mr. Broughton is a Republican in political principles and connections, and in character is one whose consistent and disinterested course has won for him a permanent place in the esteem of those among whom the later years of his career have been passed.

The marriage of Mr. Broughton to Mary P. Cole took place at Geneseo, July 3, 1859. Mrs. Broughton was born in Erie Co., N. Y., and she is the daughter of John Cole. She has borne three children, all daughters. They are named Gertrude M., Kittie A. and Ella D. Kittie was married Feb. 3, 1885, to J. F. Walsh, and they now reside at Lyons, Rice Co., Kan.

arl P. Aldrich, deceased, was the second settler in Henry County. He came here in July, 1835, and located in Phenix Township, or in that division of the county which is now known by that name. He was born Jan. 15, 1810, in Gloucester, Providence Co., R. I., and was the youngest son of Samuel I. and Eliza (Mann) Aldrich. His parents were both natives of Rhode Island, and were of English ancestry. They removed with their families to Tioga Co., Pa., in 1817, and after a short residence there they pushed on to Perry Co., Ohio. After a brief tarry there, during which the mother died, they went on to Pickaway Csunty, in the same State, where they settled near Circleville. They were among the earliest comers at every point they reached, but they found so few attractions at the various stopping places that they invariably pushed on to find a location more satisfactory. After a brief stay in the vicinity of Circleville, they made another removal westward, and went to Tippecanoe Co., Ind.

wife to the home of his parents for a time. Soon after he commenced life independently, and managed as a renter until the year in which he settled in Illinois. The journey was made overland, the family traveling in a prairie schooner. The live stock they owned was driven through, and included five yoke of oxen, which were the draught power that brought the quaint wagon that was home and shelter during the trip across the country to Henry County. The party consisted of Mr. Aldrich, and his wife and his father. They carried with them their personal property and provisions for the needed supplies on the route. Their gipsy experience, while it had its" trials and discomforts, was full of novelty and enjoyment of a wholesome character. Their frequent removals previously had made them acquainted with inconvenience, and they had learned to make the best of the inevitable, which is the most useful lesson in life. They came directly to Henry County, and settled at first in Phenix Township. Mr. Aldrich entered a claim on section 30, and with the assistance of his wife and his father he built a loe; house. The roof was covered with clapboards, and the floor was of the kind called " puncheon." Until the structure was completed the family lived in a camp and in their wagon. Indians were plentiful, but they were not troublesome, as the events of the Black Hawk War were still fresh in their memory, and they preferred to conciliate their vanquishers and to live on friendly terms. The wild game was abundant, and included turkeys, hogs, deer and prairie-chickens. The nearest posroffice was at Farmington, in Rock Island County, which was then called Fort Stephenson. The only place of supplies was at the Government store at Rock Island.

The house was built with the chimney on the outside. The latter was made of sods above the foundation, and held together by sticks. The family had at first no bedsteads, and slept on beds of hay on the ground. In this building the first white child born in Henry County first saw the light. This house was the family abode three years. In 1838 Mr. Aldrich built what was then called a double hewed-log house, and it was of rather more aristocratic type than the common structure of logs in which the pioneers made their first homes. It was two stories in height, and was the residence of the household until T856. In that year Mr. Aldrich bought a farm adjoining, and took possession of a brick house stand- ing thereon ; here he lived six years, then came back to the old homestead and built a brick house, and .this was his homestead until his death.

After arranging for the comfort of his family on his removal to the county, Mr. Aldrich entered with earnest vigor into the work of improving his farm. He broke the land with the aid of ox teams, and he sold his first crop of grain at Rock Island, and afterward sought a market at Chicago. The latter place was 1 60- miles distant, and the wheat was sold there for 50 cents a bushel.

The marriage of Mr. Aldrich to Caroline Imel took place Sept. 27, 1882. Her father, George Imel, was born in Shenandoah Co., Va. He was an emigrant from that State with his parents to Indiana when the latter was a Territory. He married Elizabeth Durham, who was born in South Carolina. Mr. Aldrich died Nov. 20, 1880, of typhoid pneumonia. To him and his wife nine children were born, and of the number five grew to mature life : Henry S. married Mary Richmond, of Whiteside County, and they have two children, - Ellis A. and Halcyon. Marshall M. married Samantha Richmond. Their children'are Marshall M., Robert Edmund Lee, Earl P., Henry O., Mabel E. and an unnamed infant. Phila N. married James L. Davies, a citizen of Phenix Township. Commodore P. married Lucy G. Mc- Henry, and died in 1878, leaving three children. Silas W. married Emma McHenry, and died in May, 1882, leaving two children.

Mrs. Aldrich is still a resident on the homestead where she settled in July, 1835, and is the oldest living pioneer in this part of the county. She is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Aldrich was a Democrat of conservative type.

The portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich are to be found on other pages. None of more value to the records of Henry County will be placed in this work. Mrs. Aldrich is still the survivor of her husband. The story of their pioneer experiences, told from a woman's standpoint, is full of interest, and is given with much satisfaction. She relates that their destination was at first La Porte, Ind. They went there early enough to get in a crop the year of their removal; but the cold was unprecedented. June 20, everything froze. The prospects were most discouraging, especially as the land was all held by pre-emption rights and road -scrip, and none could be entered. The frost coming at a time so unexpected settled the whole business and the family came to the Rock River country, as has been told. They camped at Prophetstown eight days, where they remained until they could prospect sufficiently to secure a suitable location.

July 28, the claim in the township of Phenix was made. It was a squatters' claim, as the county survey had not yet been made. When the land sales came on the title was secured, and the lady who supplies these particulars is still in possession of the original papers. About an acre of land was broken at first, although it was too late to put in any kind of a crop that year. But the proprietor busied himself in constructing buildings and in cutting prairie hay for the stock. The cooking was done out of doors. They were obliged to go to Knoxville for all supplies after the first, which were obtained from Fort Stephenson, where the Rock Island Arsenal is now located. The distance is 21 miles. The first milling was obtained at Le Claire, in Iowa. The mill fixtures were of the primitive kind known as " nigger-heads." This was in the fall of 1836, and three men went at the same time to get some crushed grain ; for it was little better. Mr. Aldrich took with him about 12 bushels of wheat. The others had their grists bolted, but he did not like to waste so much as that process occasioned, and he brought home the cracked wheat. The "bolt," so-called, was only of thin factory cloth, and the waste was enormous. The family had been four weeks without bread, as there was no flour to be obtained at Fort Stephenson.

The food of the pioneers was potatoes and " roasting-ears " (generally pronounced " roas'n-ears "). There was then a child in the Aldrich household, - the first white male child born in the county, - and he cried for bread. That made by Mrs. Aldrich from the grist brought by her husband tasted too strongly of bran. Her inventive resources were not exhausted, and she took the crown of her wedding cap, which was made of " bobinet lace,:' and, stretching it in a hair sieve, she sifted the flour and made bread that was the pride and boast of the travelers who stopped at the pioneer home, for the hospitality that was never withheld nor grudgingly bestowed. From the first they kept open house. Two men came and stayed all night the third night after their arrival, and partook of the accommodations, sleep-

The first Fourth-of-July celebration in the county was held at the Aldrich house. There was a dance, which was attended by 30 couples. Everybody attended, to look on or to dance. Those who danced paid $2 a couple : the remainder were fed without charge, as there was plenty for all. Mrs. Aldrich brought with her all the fixtures and supplies for cloth-making against a time of need. In the winter of 1836-7 she spun the rolls of wool she had brought on the spinning-wheel that traversed the route in the prairie-wagon. Mr. Aldrich and his father cut and hewed the timber needed to make a loom, in which were placed the reeds and other mechanical appliances necessary to the structure, and the harness was made by Mrs. Aldrich. She wove about a hundred yards of cloth, from which the needed clothing was made, besides a pair of bedblankets.

Mr. Aldrich kept public house about \\ years. It formed the first stage station between Rock Island and Dixon, and the changes of horses were kept there as long as the Frink & Walker stages run. The Indians . were plentiful but very friendly, and they were especially interested in the baby, the first white child many of them had ever seen. The story of the pioneer settler in any part of the country has its own local interests, and- it matters not how many times the tale is repeated ; it never grows tiresome or stale. But a few more years will see the last of the first settlers in Henry County, and the stories then remaining untold will pass to the oblivion of everlasting silence.

ndrew E. Aldeen, of the firm of Engdahl & Aldeen, at Geneseo, was born in Sweden, wUsT Apr'l 1 Pi 1845. He was instructed in the practical knowledge of the details of his business in his native country, whence he came in 1868. On his arrival in the United States he came immediately to Henry County. He came to the city in which he is now in business in 1872, and obtained a situation to work at his trade. The years inclusive from 1875 to 1878 he passed at Ottawa. At the expiration of that time he returned to Gen-

His marriage to Anna Anderson took place at Geneseo in 187 1. The young wife died 15 months after she was married. In 1879, Mr. Aldeen was again married, to Carrie Olson. They have two children:- Stella L. was born Aug. 7, 1880; Delia was born Oct. 5, 1883.

eorge A. Carter, Supervisor of Edford Township, has been a land-holder in Henry County since 1865-6. He was born March 1, 1845, i° Ashland Co., Ohio. His parents, Leander and Nancy (Richison) Carter, were natives of the State of Vermont, and they settled soon after their marriage in the Buckeye State. The date of their removal there was 1835. The father was a farmer, and he died on his farm in Ohio, in 1878. The family included nine children. Eight still survive.

Mr. Carter was reared to manhood in his native county. In the days of his youth he was an attendant at the public schools, and as soon as his size and strength permitted he made himself useful on the home farm. Just before he attained his majority he came to Henry County, as has been stated. Associated with P. H. Beveridge, he bought 400 acres of land on sections 34 and 35 in Edford Township, and has since been a resident of the same township. Mr. Beveridge was for a time a resident of the township, but is now a business man in the city of Chicago. Mr. Carter is the resident manager of the estate. While living in Henry County, Mr. Beveridge was one of the ablest and most useful citizens, and served as County Treasurer two terms. Mr. Carter has been engaged to a considerable extent in the business of a stock-grower and general farmer. The property of 400 acres is all in improved condition and supplied with all suitable farm fixtures. The buildings are ot excellent type and include all that are necessary on a first-class stock-farm.

Mr. Carter was married Feb, 23, i88r, to Miss Sarah Beveridge. Mrs. Carter was born in Ashland, Ohio, was a daughter of Peter and Ann (Watt) Bev-

In political faith, Mr. Carter is a Republican, and he has been in active public life in the affairs of his township for some years. He has served as Justice of the Peace four years.

F. Sargent has been connected with the |L business history of Geneseo since 1858, the year in which he fixed his residence there. He is the senior member of the manufacturing firm of D. F. Sargent & Son, who engaged in the prosecution of one of the most prominent industries at that place.

On coming to Henry County he opened a blacksmith shop, and, as he believed that the time and place warranted the trial of a new business venture, in 1861 he commenced the manufacture of wagons in connection with his other business relations. In 1872, his son, A. F. Sargent, became interested in the concern and they entered upon the exclusive manufacture of carriages. Ten years later they began to make the Maple City Road Cart, of which the junior member of the firm was the patentee. This was succeeded in August, 1883, by the substitution of the Geneseo Road Cart, as the article of manufacture, and which is the joint product of the inventive genius of A. F. Sargent and R. D. Farrell, and they are the patentees. A. F. Sargent purchased the claim of Mr. Farrell and the elder Sargent became the owner of a proprietary interest in it by purchase. The business has assumed extensive proportions and the house is engaged in the prosecution of a popular trade. They manufacture about 800 carts annually and employ 14 assistants. They find market chiefly in the West and South. Their vehicles have won speedy and permanent recognition, and the reputation of being of the most desirable character as a road or business cart, and one that is free from horse or shaft motion.

D. F. Sargent was born in New London, Merrimac Co., N. H., May 23, 1825. His father, Daniel Sargent, was a native of the same place. The son acquired a knowledge of the trade of a blacksmith in the city of Boston and he was engaged in it in that city several years. He transferred his interests from there to Sutton, N. H., and thence at a later date to Mill Village. In 1858 he came to Geneseo, as has been stated in connection with the account of his business career.

In addition to a considerable amount of property in Geneseo he owns a fine farm in the township of Phenix, which contains 147 acres. . He also owns a tract of land in Hamilton Co., Iowa.

Mr. Sargent is one of the most esteemed citizens of Geneseo. His course of life and his interest in the general welfare have amply testified to his public spirit and the type of manhood that he represents, and his value in the community of which he is a member is fully recognized.

Mr. Sargent has been twice married. Jane Foss became his wife in the East. She was a native of Bangor, Me., and died in Geneseo, April 3, 1862. She was the mother of three children: Anzonettie J. is the wife of Horace Ford, of Guthrie Co., Iowa; Adaline is in the millinery business in Sheffield, 111., and Adelbert F. married Vienna Huson and is in business with his father. The second wife of Mr. Sargent was, previous to her marriage, Miss Abra E. Dunning. She was born in Weybridge, Vt. They are the happy parents of four daughters - Lillie, Jessie, Clara and Gertrude. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent are members of the Methodist Church.

ames Slater, a retired farmer occupying sections 15 and 22, Clover Township, was born Oct. 5, 1 801, in Pennsylvania. His father, James Slater, was a native of England, a farmer, and died in Pennsylvania ; his mother, nee Mary Farmer, was born in Germany, and died in the State of Ohio.

Arriving at the age of 16 years, and receiving a common-school education, Mr. Slater left home and struck out into the world as a laborer, in Ohio. At the age of 20 years' he purchased a tract of timber land, and commenced the work of clearing it and laying the foundations for a comfortable and permanent home ; but after a residence there of ten years, he removed to a farm in Muskingum County, same

State, and resided there for 30 years ; but finally, in 1865, he sold out and purchased a quarter-section in Clover Township, this county, where he now lives, carrying on general farming, and also enjoying the fruits of a well spent life and the result of the earnings of many years of industrious toil.

His marriage to Rose Simmons, a native of Massachusetts, occurred in 182 1, and by that union there were four children, all of whom are now dead. For his second wife Mr. Slater married Elizabeth. A. Young, who was born in Loudoun Co., Va., in Feb^ ruary, 1832 ; and of the eight children by this mar-r riage five are living: George J., Isaac J., Martha M., Susan and Christopher C.

Politically,. Mr. Slater is Democratic, and religiously is a member of the Christian Church, while Mrs. S. belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

C. Graves, City Attorney of Geneseo, established his business as an - attorney at that place in 1876. He was born I S. in the town of Cherry Creek, in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Jan. 19, 1853. The personal account of his parents, Calvin and Martha (Kingsley) Graves, is presented on another page of this volume. The family came to the State of Illinois in the spring of the year in which the birth of the son occurred. They settled on a farm in Yorktown Township, where the young gentleman who had seen but three months of existence passed his boyhood. He was a youth of a good mental caliber and made the most of the advantages afforded by the primary schools, with a view to obtaining a more extended education in some institution of acknowledged repute, and he accordingly matriculated at the Wisconsin State University at Madison, and was graduated there with the class of 1874, when he had just passed his majority. The_ degree of LL. D. was conferred on him, and he entered upon his practice in the city of Janesville, Wis.; and in July, 1876, he commenced his business as an attorney at Geneseo. The qualifications of Mr. Graves and his method of practice have achieved for him a well-merited popularity in his profession, and he has acquired a reputation as an expounder of law and as an advocate

He has been twice elected to the position of City Attorney, being re-elected in 1885 to a second term. Mr. Graves is a Republican by inheritance and principle, and he has cast his vote with that party since he attained the privileges of his citizenship. He is liberal in his religious views.

His marriage to Miss Flora Spurlock took place Oct. 3, 1878. She was born in Abingdon, 111. Their daughter is named Flora. She is their only child.

parents by name were Tryansel and Mary (Tenyck) Slawson, natives of New York. His father is yet living in Albany County, that State, his mother having died in the same county in 1854.

Lewis Slawson, until he was T9 years of age, was under the care of his parents, having been sent by them to the common schools, in which he procured a good English education. His years prior to the age named, when not spent in school, were passed on the farm, assisting the father in the labors thereon. At an early age he left home and came to Galesburg, this State, where he was engaged in labor by the month for some 15 months. At the expiration of that' time he came to this county, and soon thereafter purchased a team, rented a farm, which he cultivated for one year, and at the expiration of that time was compelled to sell his team in order to pay his rent. He again engaged in farm labor by the month, at which he labored for nine months. In i860 he again purchased a team, and again rented a farm, which he cultivated for a time, and then worked out again for nine months. Once more he rented a fariu, and this time was successful in its cultivation, making some money, and continued to work in that manner until 1863. During that year he purchased 80 acres of land, located on section 35, Clover Township. In 1869 he sold this and purchased 160 acres on section 19 of the same township. He moved on the land and at once engaged in its cultivation and improvement, and has continued to reside thereon until the present time, meeting with success in the vocation which he has pursued all his life. In addition to his landed interests in this county, he is the proprietor of 320 acres in Kansas.

Mr. Slawson's marriage to Miss Wilhelmina P. Houghton, a native of Vermont, occurred Dec. 25, 1866. Four children have been born of their union - Horace, Luella, Edith and Caroline.

$J Darmstadt, Germany, April 17, 1815, and is the son of George and Catherine Sand. He passed the years of his minority in the manner common in his native country, - in school from the age of 6 to 14, and afterward was variously occupied until he left Germany to seek a better opportunity for himself than that afforded in his native land, where the chances in life are under hereditary monopoly. He sailed from Germany to the United States in 1836 and landed at the port of Baltimore after a journey on the sea of 60 days. He was practically penniless and the first move he made was in pursuit of work, which he had no difficulty in procuring. He passed a few months on a farm in Maryland and went thence to Ohio. There he obtained a situation in a blacksmith shop at $14 per month, but he was enabled to save little, as he had his board to pay out of his wages.

A year later he came to Illinois and stopped at Rock Island, where he learned to run a steam engine in a saw-mill and continued to operate in that capacity two years. At the expiration of that time, in company with several others, he made a trip down the Mississippi in a yawl-boat to the city of New Orleans, in search of employment. Their quest was unsuccessful, and they returned to Vicksburg, There they found occupation in the way of chopping cord-wood, in which line of business Mr. Sand was but a short time interested, as he soon after obtained a situation as engineer on a steam ferry-boat on the river, a position he occupied five years.

entered a claim on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 21, Loraine Township, and for three years ensuing he rented land of C. H. Kemmis, on section 10. He then built a log house on his own property, of which he took possession when it was completed, and entered into the work of a farmer. He had a pair of horses, a cow and calf and a litter of pigs. This constituted his live stock, and he has since prosecuted the various branches of mixed husbandry with the success due to well directed efforts and untiring industry. He is now (1885) the owner of 580 acres of land. The buildings are of the best and most approved character for farm purposes, and the stock includes a large herd of cattle, horses, hogs and poultry.

Mr. Sand was married in 1846 to Frances Rink, a native of Germany. Their children are Joseph, Felix, David, Francis, Albert, Charles, Sarah and Philip. Joseph and Frances reside in Minnesota. The latter is the wife of David Beers.

ohn Goss, one of the most respected and honored citizens of Geneseo in the capacity of a business man, is the pioneer lumber dealer at the place, where he established his trade in that line in 1855. In 1865 he became associated with his nephew and namesake, John W. Goss, and their commercial relations are still maintained. The firm handle about 2,000,000 feet of lumber annually, and also sell a yearly average of $1,500 tons of coal.

Mr. Goss was born May 26, 18 10, in Worcester Co., Mass. He is the son of John and Rebecca (White) Goss. He was trained in a complete knowledge of the business of a bricklayer, and he was known for the excellence of his work. At 19, he went to Boston, where he operated in the line of his trade until he came to Chicago, and there embarked in mercantile life, and continued his relations therein in that city until 1843. In that year he returned to Boston and remained a citizen of " the Hub " ten years. He then came to Chicago and passed one year there.* In 1855 he made a permanent removal to Geneseo; and at once embarked in the lumber traffic, in which he has operated 30 consecutive years.

Miss Geraldine Poole. They have two children, both daughters : Maria L. is the wife of George A. Kellogg, of Colorado : she was born in Boston ; and Martha, Mrs. Frank Curtis, was born in Chicago : they live in Colorado. Their mother died in 1843. The marriage of Mr. Goss to Mrs. Rebecca Leininger took place in January, 1874. She is the daughter of M. Zerbie, and was the widow of B. S. Leininger. She is a native of Pennsylvania.

In the days of his first political connections and interest, Mr. Goss was a Whig, but he had imbibed Free-Soil sentiments, and on the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks and has been from that date one of its most consistent adherents. The religious belief of Mr. Goss coincides with the tenets of the Unitarian Church.

Lamuel B. Bandall, agent of the United States Express Company, Police Magistrate, and insurance agent, resident at Cambridge, was born April 1, 1831, in Wallingford, Rutland Co., Vt. He is the son of John and Rosalinda (Davidson) Randall. His father was born in the same place in 1786, and was the son of John Randall, a native of Rhode Island. The latter was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and was in the action at Monmouth, N. J., and fought through the entire course of the war, with the exception of a short time when he was held a prisoner in Canada, having been captured at Fort Washington. In 1838 the family left Wallingford and went to Litchfield, Bradford Co., Pa., and they were there resident until 1851, when the father, mother, and a brother and sister came with Mr. Randall to Cambridge, settling on a farm on section ir.

Mr. Randall was educated primarily at the common schools, and as he was fond of books he made the most of his leisure by study, and thus acquired a mental training of the most practical value. After coming to Henry County he taught about ten terms of school. He bought a farm on the southwest quarter of section 1 1 , on which he spent the agricultural seasons in farming until 1865. He then established a small mercantile enterprise at what was then East Cambridge, and he also operated largely as a buyer of wild game, poultry and furs, which he bought chiefly of hunters, his traffic commonly averaging $45 daily. On one day he shipped 1,200 quails, the result of four days' purchase. He made shipments to the city of New York. After three years' operations he came to Cambridge, where he bought the mercantile interests of James Mascall and engaged in business, in which he was interested until 1873. His relations took extensive shape, and if the crisis in the year named had not caused a fatal shrinkage of values, the enterprise would have had a very different ending. The hasty action of a New York firm caused the suspension of the business at a time when none of its liabilities which had matured were unpaid.

Mr. Randall was trained a Douglas Democrat, but his conversion to the most radical Republicanism was the work of but the shortest space of time possible, and was effected by the tidings that the rebels had fired on the flag of the United States at Fort Sumter. Mr. Randall was elected Justice of the Peace in 1857 and served 12 years. In 1883 he was elected Police Magistrate of Cambridge.

He was married July 4, 1855, to Lucy A., daughter of Daniel and Lucy A. Williams. She was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., and was married in Davenport, Iowa. She died June 28, 1882, of cancer. Feb. 1, 1883, Mr. Randall was again married to Anna Louisa Carlson, daughter of Carl Peter Samuelson. The maiden name of her mother was Christine Johnson. Her parents both died when she was four years old, their deaths occurring within the same week. They had four children - two sons and two daughters. Mrs. Randall was born Dec. 25, 1864, at Hulsby, Fingard, Alsada, Sweden. She is the mother of two children : Frank A., born Nov. 1, 1883 ; and Samuel J., April 18, 1885.

The ancestors of Mr. Randall were remarkable for tenacity of life. His paternal grandsire lived to the age of 90, and his grandmother attained to great age. Following is the record of his brothers and sisters: Albert, born March 15, 1810, died May 14, 1864; Edwin, born May 20, 1812, died March 31, 1813; John O., born Jan. 12, 1815, died May 20, 1816; Lucina M., born April 15, i8i7,died Feb. 23, 1840; Edwin D., born Dec. 7, 1819, is still living: Abel M., born Dec. 22, 1821, became a member of the 112th

Jpkk has prosecuted the latter business since 1879. He was born March 1, 1829, in Washington Co., N. Y., and is the son of James and Jane (Hall) White. His father was a native of the north of Ireland, and came to the United States in childhood. The mother was born in the State of New York.

Mr. White passed the years of his boyhood and youth in the State of his nativity, and there he acquired a complete knowledge of the business of a machinist, for which he had a natural genius. In the fall of 1853 he came to |Illinois and settled in the county of De Kalb. He came thence to Geneseo in the spring of 1855. He devoted the next few years to the perfecting of an important invention known as White's Steam Governor, and in 1859 he erected a structure for the ^purpose of its manufacture. In 1865 the firm of Hammond, White & Co. was formed for the manufactureQof stoves at Geneseo, the members of the association being A. H. Hammond, I. D. Ruggles and Mr. White. The business of the house was managed at Geneseo until 1870, when the firm removed their relations to Rock Island, and there were incorporated as the Rock Island Stove Company. Mr. White was made superintendent and for upwards of five years officiated as secretary and superintendent. In r879 he, removed again to Geneseo and established the business of a hardware merchant, and has continued the management of his relations therewith ever since.

The connection of Mr. White with the inventions of the West has been of marked importance, as he has made several which have had a local value, notably those relating to the improvement of stoves used in burning the soft coal, which is one of the leading resources of Henry County. He invented a self-feeding soft coal burner, whose value is obvious to those who have used that article of fuel. His invention was the first of its kind in the market. Another, of nearly equal practical utility, was that of a perforated attachment in the rear of mica windows, to prevent their becoming smoked, and which has been widely adopted and has been in general use for a period of 13 years.

Mr. White was a Democrat in the days of his early citizenship, but when the evolutions of the Whigs transformed the issues of the political elements he adopted those of the Free-Soil party, and on the regular organization of the Republicans he fell into line and has since been an inflexible supporter of its principles. He has served two terms as Alderman of Geneseo.

The marriage of Mr. White to Edith M. Munson occurred in Washington Co., N. Y., March ro, r8so. She was a native of that county and is the daughter of Nathaniel Munson, a prominent citizen of the county. Mr. and Mrs. White have had three children, only one of whom is living - Ella R. Two died in infancy. The parents are members of the Presbyterian Church.

Nowers, Sr., a retired merchant of Atkinson, was born in the parish of Lenhan, Kent Co., England, Aug. 24, 1805. In 1830 he came to the United States and located at first in Oneida County, in the State of New York. There is a portion of the beautiful lake which bears the name of the county, which is called the " Bar,'' and Mr. Nowers settled on that particular spot. He was there a resident about r7 years, and was heavily engaged in the management of several saw-mills and in the lumber trade. In 1847 he removed to Mercer Co., 111. After about one year he came thence to Moline, in the county of Rock Island. He was then the proprietor of the " Moline House " three years, and in 1857 he came to the county where he has since resided, and where he has been identified to a considerable extent with the development and progress ^of the business interests.

He was a farmer until 1861, when he commenced to operate in grain at Atkinson, and also established a store in connection with that enterprise. He was associated with Mr. Dean for a time, the firm style being Nowers & Dean. At the expiration of a year their relations were brought to a close and Mr. Nowers received into partnership with himself his oldest son. They purchased the interest of Mr. Dean, and the affairs of the firm were transacted under the name of Nowers & Son. After a continuous trade of 20 years, Mr. Nowers sold out to his two sons, John and Thomas. (See sketches.) Henry Lyon was also associated with the sons of Mr. Nowers for a time. At the date of his disposal of his business, Mr. Nowers retired from active connection with any business. He has been prominent in the administration of the affairs of the local government and has served 15 years as Highway Commissioner. He has acted as Supervisor three years, also County Treasurer one year.

Mr. Nowers was married Oct. 26, 1830,10 Decima Foster. She is a native of England. Of their nine children seven are living. Thomas was born Feb. 2, 1834; John F., Jan. 20, 1837 ; William, June 17, 1838; Elizabeth, Sept. 10, 1840; Mary and Edward (twins), Dec. n, 1842; Louisa, May 2, 1845 ; James, Aug. 7, 1847 ; Henry C, Jan. 4, 1852. They are all married. The mother died March 22, 1875. She was a communicant in the Church of England, as is Mr. Nowers. He has 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

sha Co., Wis. He is the son of Francis and Ophelia M. (Kellogg) Metealf. His father was a merchant, and in 1854 removed his family to the city of Boston, where he conducted his interests in the same avenue six years, returning at the end of that time to Wisconsin. Prof. Metealf was then 16, and he had been carefully educated in the English branches of study. He matriculated at Lawrence University, in his native State, and was graduated there with the class of 1867 . He went next to Warsaw, Wis., in the same year, and after passing one year there in teaching he attended the Observatory in Chicago as a student, and continued there two years. In 187 1 he became an attache of the Lake survey, with which he was connected seven years. He passed two years (1873-4) at the Northwestern University at Evanslon, where he was employed in the capacity of teacher of civil engineering. He passed five years in the position of a book-keeeper in the city of Detroit, Mich. ; and in 1884 came to Geneseo to enter upon the duties of the situation he is at present filling.

alentine Sieben, a farmer of Phenix Township, is a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. He was born Oct. 14, 1839, and is \*t the son of Joseph and Aboline Sieben, who ( were both natives of the same German province. , He was a pupil in the public schools of the place where he was born, and after he reached a suitable size he became a farm assistant. The family came to the United Slates in 1852, and settled in Whiteside County, this State. The son came to Henry County and engaged in farming in the township of Phenix, and for his services he received at first 25 cents a day and boarded himself. He made his home for five years with Joshua Crocker, for whom he worked a considerable portion of the time. When he was 15 and 18 years of age he received from $12 to $16 per month as wages during the agricultural seasons of the year. He worked as he found suitable situations until i860.

On the 10th of July in that year he was married to Caroline Butzer, and they have five surviving children, who are named Fred, Annie, Ella, Carrie and Frank. The oldest child, George, died when he was eight years of age. Two others died in infancy. The mother is the daughter of George Frederick Butzer, of whom a sketch is given on other pages of this work. Her parents are pioneers of Henry County, where she was born.

For a time after he was married, Mr. Sieben passed the seasons in breaking prairie and in threshing. In 1862, associated with his brother-in-law,

Jacob Butzer, he bought a threshing-machine. In the year following he bought the first land he ever owned, consisting of 200 acres on section 3 in the same township in which he has since lived. He took possession of the farm in September of the year in which he bought it, and it has since been his homestead. He has built a large frame house and two barns, which are respectively 40 x 64 feet and 58x72 feet in dimensions. The place is finely stocked with good grades of horses and cattle.

l^lisha M. Stewart, who removed to Kansas in the fall of 1879, was one of the Geneseo Colony, and settled near the site of that city in 1836. He was born in Livingston Co., N. Y., and was 17 when he accompanied the family of his father to Illinois. He was married March 9, 1848, to Clarissa Cone, who was the daughter of one of the members of the same colony. They had five children, - three sons and two daughters. In the autumn of 1879 the family removed to Butler Co., Kan.

^on. John Tufts, deceased, formerly a resident on section 25, Edford Township, was born Sept. n, 1814, in.Wardsborough, Windham Co., Vt. His father, Rev. James Tufts, was a clergyman in the Congregational Church at Wardsborough for 47 years. He was a native of Worcester Co., Mass., as was his wife, who before her marriage was named Submit Hayden. After their marriage they removed to Vermont, where the father was in the active ministry, and was also the owner of a farm on which his children were reared.

Mr. Tufts was educated with care, and finished his general education at Brattleboro, in his native State, and he also attended school in Massachusetts. He passed the winter seasons for several years in teaching, and was employed in the agricultural portion of the years in the management of his father's farm. He took a prominent part in general affairs from the time he completed his education, and, being gifted with uncommon fluency of speech, he found abundant opportunity for the exercising of his talents in that direction in religious matters, and also in political circles, in both of which he became prominent and popular. His interest in the promotion of the general welfare frequently brought him forward as a candidate for official positions, and he served a number of years as Justice of the Peace, and twice represented his native State in the General Assembly in the capacity of Senator.

In r856 he came to Henry County and located on section 25 of the township in which he passed the remainder of his life. He purchased the southwest quarter, on which slight improvements had been made in the way of breaking a few acres of ground, and also in the erection of a small frame house. He devoted his time and energies to the improvement of the place, which he put in advanced agricultural condition and erected good and suitable buildings for the requirements of his farm and family. His death occurred Feb. 15, 1885.

Mr. Tufts was prominent through a long term of years for his active interest in the Congregational Church, of which he became a member in early youth. Soon after his removal to Henry County he was made a Deacon of the local Church at Geneseo, and he continued in the position until his death. He was ever an earnest friend of the Sunday-school, and when he died he occupied the position of Superintendent of the Ninth District of Henry County. He was equally active and prominent in the promulgation of the principles of temperance, and he was in the habit of expressing his solicitude for the public welfare. In physical development he was of fine proportions, being six feet in height and of symmetrical build. He possessed a genial disposition, and was remarkable for his ability to say the right thing at the right time.

Feb. 11, 1847, he was united in marriage to Desdemona, daughter of Calvin and Mary B. (Hall) Barber. The parents were born in Worcester Co., Mass., and the daughter was a native of Townsend, Vt., whither her parents had removed. Her birth occurred May 23, 181 9. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Tufts they settled at the parsonage, and the husband managed the home farm until the year in which the family came to Illinois. Seven chil- dren were born to them, of whom there are six survivors. John C. resides at Sioux Falls, Dak., and he is a farmer. Ella S. married Winfield Scott, and they live in Olin, Jones Co., Iowa. James P. lives at Grinnell, Iowa. Arthur is a practicing physician at Sioux Falls, Dak. Edward W. is a farmer at the same place. Francis B. is the manager of the homestead.

Fhomas W. Glenn, Assessor and Justice of the Peace, resident in the township of Colon a, was born Nov. 30, 1846, in Clinton Co., Ohio. He is the only son of Jacob and Julia (Daggett) Glenn. His father was the son of James and Sarah (Shoafanstall) Glenn, was born Nov. 8, 1809, in the State of Kentucky. The mother was born in Virginia, in 181 1.

The son was nine years of age when his parents went to Washington Co., Ky., and they resided in that State two years. They went thence to Ohio, and settled in Clinton County. Jacob Glenn grew to the age of manhood there, and when he was of a suitable age he learned the trade of a cooper. He worked at it in his native county when he was a resident therein. His brothers, James and Thomas, were the first settlers in Henry County who built a house in its limits, and he came here also at an early day, and was among the first to explore the territory, but could not persuade his family to remove here for a number of years. He continued a resident of Clinton County until 1854, when he removed to Colon a Township, this county, and bought a farm on section 32, which had been partly improved. He was from that time a citizen of the county until the time of his death. That event occurred June 1, 1882. His wife died in the fall of 1878. Their children were seven in number, namely : Sarah, the widow of John W. Briggs, lives in Colorado ; Louisa is the wife of William Stearns, a resident of the township of Western; Emma married James Craig, of Colona Township; Samantha married John Huntoon, of Rock Island.

Mr. Glenn of this sketch was nine years of age when his parents became residents of Colona, and he has since lived in Henry County. Just after the close of the first year of the war he entered the

Union Army, although he was but 16 years of age. He enlisted Aug. 26, 1862, in Co. H, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., and was in the military service of the United States until the close of the war. He was a participant in the battles of the siege and capture of Vicksburg, and in the engagement in the Little Rock campaign. He received his discharge at the same time as his regiment, at Pine Bluffs, Ark., in September, 1865. He returned to Henry County. In 1870 he went to Iowa and passed one year there, going thence to Missouri, where he continued a similar length of time. On his return to Henry County he took possession of the homestead of his father, and has since been resident thereon.

His marriage to Mary Holshoe took place in 1869. She was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., and they have nine children, - Annie, Louisa, Oscar, Leon, Dora, Louis, Jacob, Lizzie and George.

Miller, in the management of the Geneseo House, one of the most popular and best managed establishments within the range of the traveling public.

Mr. Miller was born in the town of Easthampton, Suffolk Co., Long Island, N. Y., Aug. 24, 18 16. He is the son of Uriah and Betsy (Baker) Miller, who were all their lives residents on the same island, where their parents were among the settlers before the land was cleared of its forest growth. Uriah Miller was born Oct. 4, 1784, in Suffolk County, and he was brought up to man's estate on the farm on which his father settled before he was born. His wife was born in the same county on the island, and their children were born as follows : Nathan, June 24, 1813, lives at Easthampton, L. I. ; George L., Nov. 16, 1821, resides at Bridgehampton, L. I.; Mary B., May 26, r824 (died March 10, 1828); Betsy B., Feb. 5, T830, married William Barnes (see sketch) : Uriah Miller passed his life in the business

Abrani Miller grew to manhood on the estate of his father, and before he attained his majority he learned the trade of a carpenter. In 1838 he set out westward in company with two others, with the purpose of seeking a wider field for the exercise of his abilities and ambitions than the crowded East afforded. He came to Geneseo, and hast been a continuous resident of Henry County since that year, and for a period of 47 years. For 16 years he was employed at his trade, and in other capacities, as opportunity served and occasion required, until, in 1854, he commenced the business in which he has since operated without intermission, save such interruptions as are hereinafter mentioned.

The building in which he made his first experiment as caterer to the necessities of the public was a primitive structure, half log house and half frame, which was located on the south side of Main Street, east of State. The patronage surpassed the most sanguine expectations, ana his house was, as a rule, filled to overflowing with the miscellaneous throng of land-lookers, prospectors, settlers and travelers of all varieties incident to a newly developed section of country. May 1, 1864, the pioneer hotel of Geneseo was destroyed by fire, a disaster which occasioned a loss of $6,000 to the proprietor ; but, not being a man easily disheartened or overwhelmed by a seemingly adverse fate, he replaced the old building with a new brick edifice, which proved a wise venture and renewed the prestige of the inn of the early days. Exactly 13 years later the alldevouring flames proved the destruction of the fine building, and at that time the loss was $5,000. Previous to the second " trial by fire " he had associated his two eldest sons with himself in business. They are a trio not easily daunted, and they at once set about the work of constructing the beautiful and well arranged hotel, in which they have done business since it was completed, in 1877, seven months after the burning of the second building referred to.

The Geneseo House has one of the best locations in the city. It is constructed of solid brick and stone, is four stories high, contains about 50 sleeping apartments and a full suite of other rooms necessary to the business of a first-class house, as it is in every particular. The hosts are all to the " manner born." No guest can find just cause of complaint in the manner in which his wants are anticipated. The hosue has a reputation which will sustain its popularity while it is under its present management.

Mr. Miller was married at Spring Creek, Henry Co., 111., Jan. 6, 1842, to Miss Sarah A. Southworth. Her parents, Samuel and Rachel (Couch) Southworth, were natives respectively of Burlington, Vt., and Ellery, Chautauqua Co., N. Y. Her father was born March 31, 1792. He was about 14 when he accompanied his parents to Chautauqua County, where he was married. The family of his wife were among the earliest of the settlers in the western part of the Empire State. Samuel Southworth and his wife had eight children, viz. : Mehitabel, Perry, Sarah Ann, Hiram, James, Ira, Jane M. and Charlotte. Three only survive . James is a resident of Jamestown, Kan., which is named in his. honor, as he was one of the heaviest land-holders there; Mrs. Jane M. Faxon lives in Nebraska. The parents of Samuel Southworth were named John and Charlotte (Derby) Southworth. Rachel I. Couch was the daughter of Ira Couch. She was born at Ballston Springs, in the State of New York, April 12, 1793. She removed with her husband and family to the West in 1838. They remained a short time in Rock Island, and went thence to Shabbona Grove, in Henry County, where they settled on a farm, of which they were the occupants three years. In 1841 they went to Spring Creek, where they bought another place. In 1861 the family removed to Geneseo, where the parents passed the remaining years of their lives. Mr. Southworth officiated a riumber of years as Justice of the Peace, but was in no active business relations after his removal to Geneseo. His demise took place Oct. 16, 1876. The decease of his wife occurred Sept. 16, 1862.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller have four children. Ira Couch Miller was born Sept. 16, 1842. He was married Sept. 16, 1866, to Josephine, only child of Andrew and Keziah (McCloskey) McFarland. Their children were born as follows : Andrew A., Feb. 28, 1868; Lula Grace, Aug. 12, 1873; Percy, Oct. 8, 1880. The child last named died Dec. 31, 1882, of brain disease ; Clarence Burdette was born Dec. 29, 1845, and was married Sept. 7, 1882, to Fannie, daughter of William Barnes, of Geneseo, of whom a sketch is given elsewhere. They have had one child - June Ada, born June 5, 1885, and died the last day of July subsequent. De.Witt Clinton Miller was born July 31, 1848, and was married Sept. 16, 1874, to Ella, daughter of Nathaniel and Eliza (Hewitt) Persons. Hattie Persons, their daughter, was born Nov. 23, 1878. D. C. Miller is the proprietor of two flourishing hotels in Minnesota, situated respectively at Faribault and Rochester. Ada, the only daughter of Mr. Miller's household, was born July 19, 1852, and married Dec. 24, 1878, to C. B. Pillsbury, a physician of Ypsilanti, Mich. The father and youngest son are Republicans. The two elder sons are Democrats.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller are among the representatives of the early days of the settlement of Henry County and are inseparably connected with its history. The first Boniface of Geneseo and the oldest in the county in his line of business, is the same considerate, genial gentleman whose characteristics gave his house its popularity in the olden time. Mrs. Miller, who was, nearly 50 years ago, the merest slip of a girl, has laughed her way through life with the best possible results; and although she has nearly doubled her weight, she is as active and lithe as in the days of her girlhood, and she is still a prime favorite with young and old. Her hospitality is as noted as that of any other in the city where she lives and she is a ruling spirit in her social circle. Her closely united family are models of devotion to their home and its associations, and it is the universal hope that the home circle may long remain unbroken.

eorge Arnett, present Supervisor of Phenix Township, in which position he is discharging the duties of a second term, is a pioneer of Henry County of 1837, He was born June 6, 1833, and is the eighth son of Lewis and Clara Arnett. When he was four years of age his parents removed with their family from Warren Co., Pa., where their children were born, to Henry Co., 111. They settled in Loraine Township, where the family residence was maintained, with the exception of four years, until the death of the former, in 1868. The interval referred to was spent in Whiteside Co., 111.

direction'of his father. He remained at home until he was 20 years of age, when he went to California. He had fallen into a state of poor health, and he went to the Pacific coast for recovery, and to escape consumption, with which it was thought he was threatened. He set out with $50 in his possession, and journeyed across the plains in company with others. The journey was made from the Missouri River in three months. When he reached Oregon City he was the possessor of five cents. He arrived in the season of harvest, and with health sufficiently restored to engage in work, he obtained a situation in an avenue of labor with which he was familiar - the harvest field. After two weeks he was seized with fever and ague, and an illness of four weeks consumed all the money he had earned. As soon as he had sufficiently recovered he resolved to go to California, where he had a brother, and he obtained an Indian pony as an aid to the journey of 500 miles through a trackless wilderness. He spent his days in riding the faithful, hardy little animal, and at night he slept under the trees to one of which he tied his horse. He carried the provision he consumed on the route with him. On his arrival in the Golden Gate he obtained employment of his brother, at $75 per month, and he ran a pack train to the mountains during a period of six weeks. At the expiration of that time, in company with another brother, he bought the mules and other appurtenances of the brother for whom he had worked, and they engaged in packing goods into the mountains until r857, without intermission except about two months, when they were in the service of the United States fighting the Indians. In the year mentioned he returned to the East, making the route thither by the isthmus and New York. He arrived at home during the last days of the month of December.

His first business venture was the purchase of his father's homestead, in Loraine Township, and he was there engaged in farming until 1865. His house was then burned, and he was an inmate of the family of his brother Joseph about two months. He had bought a farm on section 1 1 in Phenix Township, and eight weeks after the burning of his house in Loraine Township he removed to the place where he has since made his home. He purchased the latter in 1864. It contained 127 acres, and the proprietor has made such successful application of his time and abilities that he is now the owner of

Mr. Arnett was married Nov. 15, 1857, to Margaret, daughter of Joseph and Aboline Sieben. She was born in Germany. To her and her husband six children have been born : Harriet M. is the wife of William Hudnall, a resident of Montana; Julia, Franklin G., Minnie Alberta, Perry A. and Floyd Henry are the names of the children.

The portrait of Mr. Arnett, which is presented on a preceding page, will be welcomed by the patrons of this volume with pleasure equal to that with which the publishers insert it in the collated records of Henry County. Mr. Arnett is a worthy citizen, and his record is unblemished.

^ohn P. Stewart, cashier of the Farmers' |f National Bank at Geneseo, was born in Rensselaer Co., N. Y., Nov. 3, 1835, ar>d is the son of George W. and Eva (Potts) Stewart. His parents were also natives of the Empire State. He remained in his native place until his removal to Geneseo, in 1856. He interested himself at first in the capacity of a farm assistant, and passed the alternating winters in teaching, operating in this manner until the spring of 1866, when he entered upon the duties of bookkeeper in the First National Bank, and continued in his connection with that institution in the capacity of accountant and as assistant cashier until the spring of 1876. He then accepted the position in which he has since officiated.

Mr. Stewart entered the Union Army during the Civil War, and served as a soldier nearly a year and a half. He enlisted in the fall of 1861, and was discharged for physical disability in February, 1863. He was promoted to the position of First Sergeant. His regiment was in the Army of the Western Division, and in the service of the Southwest.

He has been a Republican since the formation of the party, and has served the public in several local offices, among which are those of City Treasurer of Geneseo, and School Treasurer. He has officiated in the former 12 years.

He was joined in marriage, June 4, i87i,at Geneseo, to Helen L. Morton. She was born in Ohio, and is the daughter of S. W. Morton. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have three children: William M. was born April 25, 1872; Anna L. Feb. 20, 1874; and John P. July 31, 188 1. Mrs. Stewart is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Joeing Stokes, an agriculturist of Colona I- Township, of extensive relations, is a resident on section 3. He was born at a point near the banks of the Duck River in East Tennessee, Nov. 3, 1 810. His parents, Edmond and Judith (Taylor) Stokes, were both born in Burke Co., Va. After their marriage they made their first settlement in North Carolina, and after a short residence there they removed to the State of Tennessee.

They were there resident until the spring of 1810, when they set out on horseback for the State of Indiana. Mr. Stokes there rented land and raised a crop. They stayed long enough to secure the results of their toil, and returned to Tennessee. There their child was born, and when he was three weeks old the little household started for Illinois. The mother carried her baby in her arms, and she and her husband rede the entire distance on horseback. They located in Shawneetown, in Gallatin County, and took possession of a rented farm. On this Mr. Stokes raised a crop, and was the occupant of the place during the year 181 1. In 181 2 he secured a claim in White County and began the work of improvement. At the breaking out of the war which is designated by the number of that year (1812), the place where their home was located-was in constant danger from the depredations of Indian marauders, and the family removed to the fort on the Little Wabash River. The husband entered the service and operated for a short time as a ranger. After the declaration of peace he sold his claim and settled on a second which he made four miles below New Haven on the Wabash River, in Gallatin County. On this he also made some improvements, but did not retain his ownership therein. He sold it, and made a third claim in a portion of the county which was all in a wholly wild state. The same experience he often repeated, from the same spirit which

^r member of the family of an aunt, with whom he lived three years. He then returned to the home of his parents and worked with his father in farming until the death of the latter, when the entire estate and the management of the affairs of his father devolved on him, as he was the oldest child. In the spring of 1834 he took possession of a farm he had bought, and he was accompanied by his mother, two brothers and a sister to his new location. The place adjoined that occupied by the aunt referred to, and he was occupied in its improvement until 1843. He then went to Scott Co., Iowa, and his family then included his wife, two children, his mother, sister and a brother. The party took passage on a flat-boat to the Mississippi River, where they embarked on a steamer for the city of Davenport. Mr. Stokes had

$} sent two teams in advance overland with his stock, consisting of 50 head of cattle and horses. He rented land the first year in Pleasant Valley, near Davenport, which he managed one summer, and in the fall

(1 \ change of his property, and came to Henry County. He located on land which he bought in Hanna Township, situated on section 30, on which he resided one year. He then returned to Scott County and gave his attention to the improvement of the farm there, and was thereon resident until the spring of 1850. At that date he came back to Hanna Township and lived on his farm there until 1853. From that time until r86i he lived in Scott County. He again returned to Hanna Township, where he operated his farm until 1875. He then went to his Iowa farm, and was its occupant until 1880. In that year he took possession of a farm in Colona Township, which he had purchased in 1870. The property is situated on sections 3 and 10. The place was wholly unimproved, and Mr. Stokes built on it and put it in a well improved condition. The property is considered as valuable as any in the township, and the estate t contains 3T8 acres. The farm in Scott Co., Iowa, is still in the possession of Mr. Stokes, and it is a fine and valuable estate, containing 250 acres of excellent and under good improvements. Its value is ma-

The marriage of Mr. Stokes to Lucy Niver took place in 1839. They had ten children. Julia A. married Pitt Swan, from whom she was divorced. She is now the wife of Hiram Carroll, of Trenton, Mo., being married Aug. 26, 1885. Her daughter Tinnie was married to John Fisher, of Colona, on the same day of the marriage of her mother. Her daughters are named Minnie and Linna. William occupies the farm in Scott County. Melinda is deceased. Mary is the wife of J. J. S. Ellingsworth, of Hanna Township, who is adequately represented by a sketch in this work. Melissa is not living. She became the wife of Levi Fenno. Her only child - Frank - lives with his grandfather. George and Young are deceased, as are two others who did riot survive infancy. The mother died July 31, 1855.

One of the pioneer experiences of the family on their removal to Illinois was that they were obliged to live in a house which had no door, as the father could obtain no nails nor boards. On one occasion, when he was absent on an expedition to a distant mill, the mother was compelled to keep fire all night to protect herself and her children from the entrance of wild animals into the house!

,dwin Farwell, a retired farmer living at Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1861, add to Geneseo in 1883. He was born in Wheatland, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 7, 1827, and he is the son of Hiram and Margaret I (Skinner) Farwell. He was trained in a practical knowledge of the business of a farmer, which has been the chief interest of his life. He was among the first to go to California, whither he went in 1849. He passed two years there in the mines and on a ranch; and, at the expiration of the time named he returned to the East and settled in the State of Michigan, whither he had removed in 1835 with his father's family. After a residence of ten years he came to Illinois.

He located in the township of Osco in which he was a resident for three years, and in 1864 he came to the township of Geneseo. He has been a farmer ever since he came to the county, and he was actively interested in agriculture until the time that has been named as that in which he removed to the city of Geneseo, to pass the closing years of his life. His farm, which he still owns, is situated on sections 33 and 34 of Geneseo Township, and contains 320 acres. It is in a valuable location and it lies but two and a half miles from the city limits, and it is in excellent condition for mixed husbandry. The buildings are of the kind most suitable for a farm of its character.

Mr. Farwell was married to Arvilla Rogers, in June, 1851. She was born in Lenawee Co, Mich , and is the daughter of Cary Rogers. She has borne four children - two sons and two daughters: Dolly was born in Michigan and she married G. H. Gates ; they are residents in the State of Michigan ; Seth E., the eldest son, was born in Michigan, and died there in 1872; Darwin married Delia Woodruff and lives in Geneseo; Lydia was born in Illinois and she remains unmarried.

illiam Glenn is the oldest son of the oldest living settler in Colona Township, James Glenn. A full sketch of his parents and of the pioneer relations of his father to Henry County are to be found on other pages of this work. Mr. Glenn was born May 18, 1838, in Mercer Co., 111., while his father and mother were stopping there temporarily; and when he was a few months old they returned to Henry County.

He attained to the estate of manhood in Colona Township, and was educated in the pioneer schools. As soon as he was of suitable age and size he assisted his father on the farm and lived at home until he was 25 years old. In 1864 he was married to Miss E. R. Reynolds. She was born Oct. 30, 1843, in the city of Moline, in Rock Island County, and is the daughter of Nazro and Sarah (Bennett) Reynolds, pioneers of the county in which she was born. Mr. Glenn settled on the farm on which he has since resided, at the time of his marriage. It is situated on section 31, in Colona Township, and is a magnificent place in the way of a farm, containing 285 acres, and all in first-class condition for profitable farming,

The buildings are of a type which corresponds with the other fixtures of the place. The proprietor has set out a grove and varieties of fruit-trees.

Mr. Glenn has passed one year in Texas, to which place he went with his father-in-law, who was there as a contractor on the International Railroad from Heron, Texas, to Shreveport, La. Mr. Reynolds was the first to cut the brush from the projected line of the track. Mr. and Mrs. Glenn have one child, James Nazro by name.

enry Manville, a pioneer of Henry County in 1837, was one of the colony of seven who formed a colonial organization and dispatched three representatives hither to purchase land in their behalf in 1836. Five of the projectors of the scheme came the same year to Henry County, but he was one of the two that remained in the State of New York until the following year. He arrived with his family on the 4th day of June, 1837.

He was born Oct. 25, 1801, in the town of White Falls, in Washington Co., N. Y., and is the son of Eliud and Hannah (Jones) Manville. He was brought up on a farm and trained in a knowledge of that occupation, and remained in the town in which he was born and where he passed the later years of his residence, in the business of a carpenter, until the year 1837, in which he formed a resolution to come to Illinois. Then he went to Bergen, in Genesee County, in his native State. It should also be stated that from existing circumstances in Washington County, he was interested in lumbering in addition to farming. He is the only surviving member of the original colonists at Geneseo. He has been a constant resident at that place with the exception of 12 years, in which he lived on his farm in the township of Munson. He was the builder of the first frame house in the village of Geneseo, and it was the first work as a carpenter that he did in his new home. He was also the builder of several other houses here.

dren that grew to the age of maturity, - nine sons and two daughters. A pair of twins died in infancy. Eight are still living, - six sons and two daughters. The mother died Feb. 24, 1863. Mr. Manville was again married Dec. 27, 1866, in Annawan, to Mrs. Julia Ann Loring. She was born in Penobscot Co., Me., and is the daughter of Samuel Chamberlain, of Geneseo. She was the widow of John H. Loring. By her former marriage she was the mother of four children, - two sons and two daughters. She came to Illinois in 1855.

.ohn Wesley Withrow, a farmer on section i of Hanna Township, is the son of one of the very first settlers in Henry County. In 1835 Neely Withrow removed his family to Henry County and passed the first summer at Red Oak Grove. The county was then unorganized, and the township of Phenix, where they settled, was designated by its number, - 18. The senior Withrow entered a claim on section 29 and built a log house on it. It was his home while he lived, and he gave himself unreservedly to the work of placing his farm in the best possible condition for profitable agriculture. But his hopes were doomed to early decay, as he survived only about three years, dying in 1838 from accident. He was thrown from a sleigh on the ice and died from the effects of the injury he received. He was born in Kentucky. The mother of Mr. Withrow, whose name was Polly Eveleth before her marriage, was a native of New York. She went with her parents to White Co., 111., when she was a small child, making the journey thither on a flat-boat on the rivers on which the emigrants traveled from the East to the West. The children of Neely Withrow and his wife were named and are recorded as follows : Amariah lives in the township of Phenix; James is a resident of Geneseo ; John W. is the next in order of birth; Neely is a citizen of Central City, Neb. ; Lucy married Robert Barge, and they live in Merrick Co., Neb.

parents removed to Henry County. He was born Oct. 19, 1834, in White County, and he was but four years old when his father died. His mother married Harvey Hickcox and the step-father came to live with the family on the homestead, which was thus occupied some time. Mr. Withrow lived with his mother until he was 24 years of age, when he became himself the head of a family. He was joined in marriage, Jan. 1, i860, to Arvilla M. Allen. She was born Feb. 12, 1843, and is the daughter of Jonathan and Charlotte (Hatch) Allen, and her parents were both natives of Jefferson Co., N. Y. They settled in Iowa in 1837, and formed a part of the earliest pioneer element of Lee County, in that State. They removed in 1848 to Illinois, and located in Phenix Township. Later her parents went to Geneseo to pass the remaining years of their lives.

Mrs. Withrow's father was born Nov. 10, i8i2,and died Feb. 23. 1876, and her mother was born Oct. 10, 1817, and died Aug. 23, 1882. They had five children, born in the following order : Adaline, Mary A., Arvilla, Lois A. and Dora A. The two oldest are deceased. Adaline was the wife of Charles Linnell,and lived in Phenix Township; Mary A. was the wife of James Withrow, of Geneseo ; Arvilla is the wife of the subject of this sketch ; Lois is the wife of Albert A. Colbert, and lives in Whiteside Co., 111. ; Dora A. is the wife of Byron Coe, of Hanna Township.

At the time he was married, Mr. Withrow rented land in the township of Geneseo, and was its occupant for two years. He then bought a farm on section 31, in Phenix Township, where he operated as an agriculturist until 1869. He then rented that place and took possession of the farm on which he is at present a resident, in Hanna Township. He has become prominent as a successful agriculturist, and owns three farms in the township where he is a citizen, and which lie on sections 1, 2 and 12. The land included lies in a solid body and comprises 500 acres. He is also the owner of 354 acres on section 31, in Phenix Township, in two farms, and has 160 acres on section 24, in Hanna Township, not connected with his homestead estate.