Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1910 (part 12 of 32)

John F. Papenthien

John F. Papenthien is now proprietor of a breeding and feed barn in Geneseo and belongs to that class of men who owe their business standing and success entirely to their own efforts for he has worked diligently and persistently as the years have gone by, placing his dependence upon the substantial quaUties of unfaltering energy and determination. He was born in Prussia, Germany, May 25, 1862, and is a son of John and Mary (Shimelman) Papenthien. The father was born in February, 1838, and the mother's birth occurred in 1830. She has been dead now for nearly four years but the father is still living. He served for two years in the Prussian army and in the year 1868 came to America, settling first in Bureau county, Illinois, where he ^evoted his attention to farming for eleven years. The following year he removed to Wisconsin and in 1879 came to Henry county, Illinois, settling on a farm in Loraine township. He is now retired from active business and makes his home with a daughter in Geneseo. He is a republican in politics, having supported the party since becoming a naturalized American citizen, but has never sought nor desired office. His religious faith is that of the Evangelical church. Unto him and his wife were born nine children but only three are now living: Carrie, the eldest, is the widow of Henry Weber and resides in Geneseo. She has six children : Henry, who lives in Loraine township and has one child ; Jacob, who resides in Hanna township and has one child ; Ed, who lives in Geneseo township and has one child ; Herman, also of Geneseo township, who has two children ; Casper and Lydia, at home. John F. is the next of the family. Augusta, the youngest of the surviving children, is the wife of Philip Metzner, a resident of Ritzville, Washington, and she has six children.

John F. Papenthien was only six years of age when brought by his parents to the new world. He attended school in Bureau county, Illinois, but his educational advantages were somewhat limited for he began farm work when only nine years of age. He remained with his parents until twenty-four, when he started out in life for himself, following the occupation to which he had been reared. He then rented a farm in Henry county, upon which he lived for four years, after which he purchased his father's farm of two hundred and sixty acres in Loraine township. With charcteristic energy he began its further development and improvement, practised the rotation of crops as he carefully tilled his fields and continued to develop his place after the most modern methods until 1899, when he withdrew from farming and established a feed and breeding barn. He has three lots on North Center street in Geneseo and in addition to his office there has a horse barn and feed barn, an ice house and machine shop. The last two buildings he rents, while the former two are used in the conduct of his business. He owns several full-blooded animals, two of which he values at from fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars. He is regarded as one of the leading horse breeders of the county and also does a profitable business in conducting a feed stable.

On the 23d of February, 1888, Mr. Papenthien was united in marriage to Miss Eva Gestner, who was born in Baden, Germany, in 1869 and is a daughter of Valentine and Margaret (Masengarb) Gestner, who were likewise natives of Germany and came to America about 1870 or 1871. The father was a farmer by occupation and devoted many years to tilling the soil but at length retired from active business and established his home in Geneseo. His political support is given to the republican party. Unto him and his wife have been born ten children and the family record is a notable one in that the circle remains unbroken by the hand of death. Susan, the eldest, is still at home. Eva is now Mrs. Papenthien. 'Barbara is the wife of Charles Rose, of Geneseo, and has one child, Lester. Maggie is the wife of William Sautee, of Phenix township, Henry county, and they have two children. Dena is the wife of Emil Munter, a resident of Geneseo, and they have three children. Katie is the wife of Luther Henander, of Geneseo township, and has five children. Mary is the wife of Herbert Smith of Geneseo, and has one child. Elizabeth is the wife of Robert Crisop, living in Loraine township, and they have two children. Emma is the wife of James Ellingsworth, whose home is in Colona township, and has one child. John, a resident of Kansas, married Marsha Decker and has one son, Royce.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Papenthien have been born six children, all of whom were born in Henry county and are yet living. Hattie, bom September 13, 1899, is a 1908 graduate of the Geneseo high school and is engaged in the millinery business in Geneseo. Pearl, born September 17, 1891, is a 1909 graduate of the Geneseo high school and is now engaged in teaching in Geneseo township. Lloyd, born August 29, 1893, is attending school. Etta, born August 8, 1895, Mildred, born November 20, 1901, and Oral, born August 21, 1904, are all yet at home.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Papenthien are members of the United Evangelical church, in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested. Mr. Papenthien is one of the class leaders in the church and his wife belongs to the Woman's Missionary Society. Both are connected with the Mystic Workers and with the Tribe of Ben Hur, and Mr. Papenthien gives his political allegiance to the republican party, for he has firm belief in the efficacy of its principles as factors in good government. He is a self-made man for, although his father is well-to-do, he left his son to make his own way in the world, and John F. Papenthien became a man of self-reliant spirit, of determined purpose and laudable ambition. At the time of his marriage he was practically empty-handed but with the assistance of his estimable wife, who has been most careful in the management of the household affairs, he has won success and is now in comfortable circumstances.

Hon. Jonas W. Olson

An enumeration of those men of the present generation who have won honor and public recognition for themselves and at the same time have honored the state to which they belong would be incomplete were there failure to make prominent reference to the one whose name initiates this paragraph. He holds distinctive precedence as an eminent lawyer and statesman, has been long recognized as a prominent representative of the democracy, and in many questions of vital interest his position has been one of acknowledged leadership. He has been and he is distinctively a man of affairs, and one who has wielded a wide influence. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality have so entered into his makeup as to render him a natural leader of men and a director of opinion.

His birth occurred in Soderala, Sweden, June 30, 1843. It was not until he was fifty years of age that he obtained authentic knowledge of the exact date of his birth, for he was not only left an orphan at the age of three years but with one exception all of his relatives in America died, and had it not been for an aunt who cared for him he would have been left utterly alone. He was a son of the Rev. Olof Olson, who arrived in the United States in 1845 as the representative of a colony who desired to seek religious liberty in the new world. He was connected with a religious movement in Sweden which awakened the con- demnation of the established church, and the new sect were forbidden to hold services. It is said that the Rev. Olson was arrested and forced to pay heavy fines for holding meetings or conventicles in his own home and that had he been again arrested he would have been banished, in conformity with an old Swedish law which is now obsolete. The desire to worship according to the dictates of his own conscience led him to seek the freedom of the new world, and eleven hundred of the same sect determined to emigrate for the same reason. Accordingly the Rev. Olson was chosen to select a favorable location for the colony, and in 1845 he came to the United States accompanied by his wife and two children. While there their child, Jonas W. Olson, who was then in very delicate health was left in the care of his grandmother and his aunt, Catherina Wilhelmina Petronella Skoglund, who were to bring him to America with the colony the following year if he were then living, which seemed very doubtful when the parents sailed for the United States. Up to that time the Swedish people had in only very limited degree left their native land for the new world, the Rev. Olson being among the pioneers of his countrymen to seek homes in America. Journeying westward in search of location for the colony he at length selected Bishop Hill as a favorable site, and the following year he was joined by that band of devoted Christian people whose influence was to be widely felt in the affairs of Illinois.

Jonas W. Olson was brought by his aunt to the new world. His illness had terminated in the paralysis of one limb, rendering him permanently lame, and this was but one of many disasters which followed him in his boyhood, for the day before he reached his father's home his mother died. Not long afterward his sister and brother departed this life and in a brief time his father and his grandmother were called to their final rest. He was thus left entirely alone save for his aunt, who had married Peter Dahlgren and was living in Galesburg. For a time Jonas Olson attended the school in that city, and after the removal of Mr. Dahlgren to a farm five miles from Victoria he walked a distance of two miles to attend school at Center Prairie - a long and often difficult journey to one in his crippled condition. At the end of fifteen years necessity obliged him to provide for his own support, and he began learning the shoemaker's trade under the direction of Ira C. Reed of Lafayette, Illinois, the terms of apprenticeship being that he was to receive twenty-five dollars per year. His employer, however, was a just man and, recognizing that his services were of greater value, he gave him double that amount as a compensation for his labor. He was most diligent and thorough in his work, and after he had completed his term of indenture he engaged in shoemaking for a year thus earning the funds that enabled him to continue his education in Galva high school. When his money gave out he returned to his trade and thus worked and studied alternately for some time. His review of the business world led him to the determination to make the practice of law his life work, and while following the shoemaker's trade he devoted the morning and evening hours to the study of Kent, Blackstone and other commentaries. His law studies were afterward directed by the late Hon. John I. Bennett, and in 1869 he successfully passed the required examination demanded for admission to the bar. Advancement in the law is proverbially slow, still in no profession is there a career more open to talent ; yet the successful practitioner must not only be carefully prepared by a thorough understanding of legal principles but must also have thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life and of the underlying principles which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. In tha difficult school of experience Mr. Olson had learned many valuable lessons v^rhich now serve him in his practice, enabling him to understand human conduct, the various phases of life and the complexity of business interests, all of which are factors in successful law practice. Moreover, he has ever prepared his cases with great precision and care and has ever presented the case upon its merits, never failing to recognize the point at issue and yet never failing to give due consideration to details which bear in any way upon his cause. His retentive mind has ever excited the surprise of his professional colleagues, and he has won for himself very favorable criticism for the careful and systematic methods which he has followed. Thus, as the years have gone by, Mr. Olson has enjoyed an extensive clientage of an important character, being connected with many of the leading cases tried in the courts of his district.

Neither is Mr. Olson unknown as a law maker for in the state legislature he has been active in shaping the policy of the commonwealth. A recognized leader in political circles his fellow townsmen gave expression of their confidence in his ability and his loyalty in public affairs by electing him, in 1870, as a representative from Rock Island and Henry counties in the twenty-seventh general assembly. Although one of the youngest members of the house he took a very active and prominent part in its work, served on very important committees and on a number of occasions was called upon to act as speaker pro tempore. Only a short time prior to his election a very large number of the Swedish emigrants, who had obtained work on the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad, had through the insolvency of the contractors been swindled out of their wages and were left penniless in a strange land, among a people who spoke a tongue unfamiliar to them. To remedy evils of this character and prevent the recurrence of such injustice Mr. Olson procured the enactment of a law of which he was the author and which has ever since remained on the statutes of Illinois, giving to laborers who work for contractors or subcontractors a lien upon all property of the railroad corporation to secure their wages.

During the extra session of the legislature to consider the matter of the Chicago fire he visited that city, together with the other members of the house, and upon his reurn to Galva found his own home in ashes. Four times has he had to suffer that disaster, but his determined purpose and unflinching courage have enabled him to rise above all discouragement and resolutely undertake the task of retrieving his possessions. In 1881 he erected a fine business block in Galva, which stands as a monument to his enterprise and marked ability.

Mr. Olson has continued through many years as one of the leading representatives of the democratic party in this state and is regarded as the most prominent representative of the democracy among the Scandinavian people of the Mississippi valley. He voted with the republican party until the questions arising from the Civil war were settled, and then in 1872, like many men prominent in the party, he withdrew from its ranks and has since given stalwart allegiance to the principles of the democratic party. His position has never been an equivocal one. On the contrary, he has ever stood fearless in defense of his honest convictions, and while he might have attained higher political preferment in the ranks of the republican party as most of his fellow countrymen are supporters of that cause he preferred to maintain his poHtical integrity rather than enjoy the. fruits and opportunities of office. In 1880 his party nominated him for state's attorney, and although he could not overcome the strong republican majority, which the county always gives, he ran more than a thousand votes ahead of his ticket, a fact which indicates his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him by his fellowmen. In 1884 he was again defeated for that office. Political preferment, however, came to him following the election of Grover Cleveland, who appointed him to the position of postmaster of Galva, in which capacity he served during both Cleveland's first and second administrations. After the end of his second term as postmaster he was nominated by the democratic party of his district as its candidate for congress. He has also been a member for the state at large of the Illinois democratic state central committee, and his opinions carry weight in the councils of his party. He is a logical, entertaining and forceful speaker, and his public addresses have won votes for the organization in which he believes.

On the i8th of November, 1869, Mr. Olson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Matteson, a daughter of Anson Matteson, who at the time of his emigration from Sweden held the rank of major in the Swedish army. He received a silver medal from the king on account of his efficiency as a soldier and a swordsman. Mrs. Olson was born in Ugglebo, Sweden, June 5, 1848, and was a little maiden of eleven summers when brought to the United States. By her marriage she becames the mother of three daughters: Mary Aurora, born September 11, 1870; Maude Violet, born November 10, 1876; and Mabel Winifred, whose birth occurred October 24, 1880. The eldest was graduated from Knox College, June 12, 1896, and is the wife of Ivan Bell. Maude V. became the wife of Edward I. Seely, who was drowned in Cedar River near Mount Vernon, Iowa, a year later. Mabel W. is a graduate of the Knox College Conservatory of Music, where she engaged in teaching music for a year, and she is now teaching private classes at home, being recognized as one of the most capable instructors in music in Galva.

Such in brief is the Hfe history of Mr. Olson, and the record is a creditable one, for at all times he has lived up to a high standard of honorable and manly principles, making good use of his time and opportunities and exerting his influence for the betterment of the community in every possible way. At the semicentennial celebration of the arrival of the Bishop Hill colony at Bishop Hill, September 23 and 24, 1896, he was called upon to deliver a public address, from which we quote the following:

"In July, 1846, Olof Olson was joined by Eric Janson, and together they fixed upon Henry county as the place to locate the settlement, my father having already purchased forty acres of land in Red Oak Grove, but a short distance west of here, which to this day is known as 'Olson's field.'

"In the fall of the same year came the Jonas Olson party, among whom was my grandfather and aunt, who brought me over. I am told that the day previous to our arrival my mother had died. She had not yet been buried and I do not know whether I remember seeing her or not ; it seems to me that I have a sort of a dazed, hazy recollection of being ushered into the presence of some one dead, but whether I then knew that I was looking upon the face of my mother, knowing that it was cold in death, I do not know and cannot tell. If at the time of her death she knew that I was on the way, and so very near, that if her life could only have been spared another day she would have been permitted to see her unfortunate child once more, if only to greet him with a last parting glance expressive of what no tongue can describe - a mother's love. I can imagine that as that sainted mother closed her eyes to the last sad scenes of earth, in her unspeakable anguish her last thoughts were probably to wonder what would become of her poor crippled boy. My father, sister, brother and grandmother all died only a few days later, and it seems so passing strange that of the entire family I should have been the only one to survive and be allowed the privilege of participating in the celebration of this fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Bishop Hill. The feelings that overwhelm me make me almost wish that the doctrine of the spiritualists might be true. If disembodied spirits were permitted to look down upon the scenes of earth, it might be a consolation to that sainted mother to know that her then seemingly unfortunate child is thus honored and that the people in this world with whom his lot has fallen have been so kind to him."

Mr. Olson is an orator of more than average ability, and his well chosen language is the expression of clear-cut thought, logical deductions and wise reasoning. He is regarded as one of the most prominent and influential residents of the county, honored for what he has accomplished, while his ability has gained him the success that is richly merited.

Peter Herdien

The specific and distinctive office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest esteem of himself and his accomplishments but rather to leave a record establishing his position through the weight of public opinion. While Mr. Herdien takes no special credit to himself for what he has accomplished, a careful analysis of his record will show that his advancement is attributable entirely to his own efforts; that without family or pecuniary advantages at the outset of his career he has labored long and diligently to attain success and at the same time has gained his prosperity without sacrifice of other interests.

Peter Herdien was born in Lingbo Skog Parish, Sweden, May 23, 1844, his parents being Hans Hanson and Catharine Jonson, both of whom were natives of Sweden. The paternal grandfather was Hans Hanson (Check), the last name being a military title. He was a farmer by occupation but died in Sweden when almost eighty years of age. His wife, Anna, passed away a few years later and had also reached an old age. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters, of whom one is now living - Nels Rosen, a resident of Stromsburg, Nebraska. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Jons Jonson, a farmer, and both he and his wife, Christina Jonson, died in Sweden when well advanced in years. They had two sons and three daughters but all are now deceased.

The father of our subject was Hans Hanson Herdien, whose last name was also a military title. He also followed farming and for many years engaged in the milling business but afterward returned to farming. He died in Sweden about 1866 at the age of fifty-six years, while his wife survived him until 1891 and was seventy-six years of age at the time of her death. Both were of the Lutheran faith and Mr. Hanson was active in the church work and served as chorister of the church. He was also a volunteer in the regular army. His family numbered two sons and a daughter: Hans, deceased; Peter, of this review; and Christine, living near the old home in Sweden.

Peter Herdien was reared in Sweden and acquired his education under his mother's instruction. He began learning the cabinetmaker's trade when sixteen years of age just after his confirmation in the church and served an apprenticeship of four years at cabinetmaking and fresco painting, attaining to a high degree of efficiency during that period. In 1864 he crossed the Atlantic to America and settled first near Oneida, Illinois, where he worked for a short time on a farm. The succeeding winter was passed in Knoxville, Illinois, at cabinetmaking, after which he again located near Oneida, Illinois, and was engaged at house building and carpenter work until 1869. Subsequently he spent one year at cabinetmaking in Woodhull and in 1870 came to Galva, where he purchased an interest in the furniture store of Headstrom & Peterson, the firm name being changed to Peterson & Herdien. They conducted a successful business until 1885, when their store was destroyed by fire, after which they dissolved partnership. They had also established branch stores at Cambridge, Illinois, and Kearney, Nebraska, but sold these. About 1876, they established a coal business on a small scale and it was eventually merged into the Herdien Coal Company, a corporation, which sank and operated a number of coal shafts. Air. Herdien next became closely and prominently associated with the development of the coal interests in Galva and the business brought to him substantial and gratifying success. From 1891 to 1895, while taking a vacation in Chicago, he was called home to assume the management of the Hayes Pump & Planter Company in the capacity of president and financial representative, which company is now reaping the benefit of his labor. He retained that position until 1908, when he resigned, leaving the company in a first-class business and financial standing. His business judgment is sound, his enterprise marked and his progressive spirit so strong that his cooperation has long been regarded as a most valuable factor in the business circles of the city and locality. He became one of the original stockholders of the First National Bank which was organized in 1882 and held the position of vice president of the bank until the death of Adam Deem, when he succeeded to the presidency and has continued in that capacity ever since. The bank was organized with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, with Adam Deem, president; Peter Herdien, vice president; and O. P. Stoddard, cashier. It has become one of the strongest financial concerns of the county, its policy being a safe, conservative one, while its methods of business are thoroughly progressive. The present officers are Peter Herdien, president; A. F. Deem, vice president; and V. A. Wigren, cashier; and the condition of the bank at close of business April 28, 1909, was as follows :

On the 6th of November, 1870, Mr. Herdien was united in marriage to Miss Martha Johnson, who was born in Bollnes, Sweden, and when nine years of age came to America with her parents, Lars and Brita( Ericson) Johnson, who settled near Victoria, Illinois. Her father there passed away, while her mother died in Galva. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Herdien have been born three children : Jennie Madelia, the eldest, is the wife of Fred P. Bodinson, president of the Citizens National Bank at Baker City, Oregon, and they have two children, Colleen Geneva and Earl Herdien Bodinson. Walter Lawrence, the elder son, is an attorney of Chicago, and married Mabel Sharp, of Kewanee, by whom he has one son, Walter Lawrence. Elmer Forrest is a practicing physician of Martinton, Illinois. He married Nellie Johnson of Kewanee. The mother has been in poor health for a number of years and has spent much of her time with her son, Walter, in Chicago, besides traveling a great deal for her health.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Herdien are members of the Methodist church. His political allegiance is given to the republican party which finds in him a stalwart supporter. He has served on the town board and has also been a member of the school board for many years. The consensus of public opinion is that he aims to do his duty in the affairs of Galva and Henry county, for the extent and importance of his business interests are such that his life work has had some bearing upon the material growth and development of the community in which he lives.

FRANCIS A. McHENRY. Francis A. McHenry, who for many years was a farmer of Phenix township, was born in White county, Illinois, September 27, 1828, a son of William and Susanna (Land) McHenry. The father was a native of Kentucky and was born in 1803, while the mother was a native of White county, Illinois, 181 1 being the year of her birth. In 1820 William McHenry settled in White county, and later came to Henry county, securing a claim of government land. There he passed the remainder of his life, being buried upon his own farm when death called him in 1868, for he had given of his land to make a cemetery. When he came to this state it was still a wilderness and Indians were frequently to be seen. His wife died in 1890. They were the parents of twelve children, eight of whom are now living. They were: Francis A., of this review; Coke, who Hves in Kansas; J. Benson, deceased; Charles Holiday, who lives in Cambridge; two who died in infancy; Elizabeth, the widow of Isaac Stafford, a resident of California; Mary, the widow of Brown Mapes and a resident of Davenport, Iowa ; Julina, the wife of George Imel, of Rushville, Illinois; Emma, the widow of Silas Aldrich, of Geneseo, Illinois ; Laura, the wife of Frank Cox, of Dakota ; and Malinda, who is the wife of Absalom King, of Nebraska.

Francis A. McHenry received his education in the schools of Phenix township, and until he became of age he worked for his parents on the home farm. He then bought of his father one hundred and twenty acres of the land the latter had procured from the government and on this he lived until he relinquished the active duties of life and retired to the pretty house he had built in 1881. There the closing years of his life were spent in the enjoyment of the fruits of his arduous labors and of the pleasures of home. On the ist of October, 1893, he passed away and was buried in the McHenry cemetery, known as Oak Grove. Since his death his widow has carried on his interests. She is a woman of considerable business ability and her investments have brought her proht.

In 1858 Mr. McHenry wedded Miss Polly Ann Foster, who was born in Macoupin county, Illinois, March 22, 1837. She is a daughter of William Y. and Mary A. (Park) Foster, both natives of Kentucky, where the father was born February 14, 181 1, and the mother July 22, 1816. Mr. Foster was a teamster in early life, but came to Illinois, in 1830, settling in Macoupin county, where he pursued farming. He later removed to Galena and then to Phenix township, this county, where he passed the last five years of his life in the home of Mrs. McHenry. He died in February, 1905, and was buried in Oak Grove cemetery. His wife had died many years before, in 1877, and was buried in the cemetery at Morseville, Jo Daviess county, Illinois. They were the parents of ten children, only one of whom has passed away. Of these Mrs. McHenry was the eldest; Nancy is the widow of Wellington McCreery, and lives in Dubuque, Iowa; Isabelle married S. C. Gault, who is now dead, and she lives with friends; S. Ellen Foster is a dressmaker in Cripple Creek, Colorado; Julia A. is the wife of I. M. Rawlings and lives in Colorado ; Martha married Milton Singer and passed away in 1893; Josephine is the wife of Harmon Hopkins and lives in Alma, Nebraska ; Rosana is the wife of Edward Arnold and also resides in Nebraska ; Henriette married Samuel Clay, now deceased, and she lives in Cripple Creek, Colorado; and Mary E is the wife of Frank Arnold and also makes her home in Colorado. Mr. Foster served in the Black Hawk war and as a republican occupied most of the county offices within the gift of the people. With his wife he was a devout member of the Methodist church and was a conspicuous figure in the early congregations.

Mr. and Mrs. McHenry had eight children: William, born April 26, 1859, in Henry county on the place where his mother now resides, died in 1903. Oscar, who was born October 4, i860, lives with his mother. Alvin, born November 23, 1862, married Miss Lottie Weimer and lives in Wayne county, Illinois.

They are the parents of three children - Harry C, born in 1892; Helen Irene, born in 1899; and Lloyd Alvin, born April, 1903. Frank, the fourth child of our subject died in infancy. Mary F., born May 23, 1867, is the wife of Wilber L. Roberts and lives in Phenix township. Park, born December 19, 1869 is unmarried and lives with his mother. Ollie A., born January 20, 1873, married John A. McKibbon and lives in Atkinson township. She has three children - Robert Orrin, born November 1901 ; Gertrude M., born November 23, 1903; and Ethel F., born May 16, 1909. Anna May, the youngest of the family, was born May 2, 1876, and died on the 19th of that month.

One hundred years ago, in October, 1809, Mr. McHenry's maternal grandfather, R. Land, came to Illinois to make it his home. His descendants have continued the work of development which he began and when Mr. McHenry himself passed away the stories he had heard from him were tales of the far distant past. During his life, he, too, did his share in the progressive work of Phenix township, for besides being a farmer and stockman who knew how to make his efforts pay he was a man of public spirit. In his political views he was a democrat, while his religious allegiance as given to the Methodist church, it being the faith in which he had been reared.

J. J. Hadley, who is well known in Osco as the proprietor of the largest business enterprise in the city, is a native of Osco township, his birth having occurred on a farm a half mile east of the town where he now resides, the date of his nativity being November 18, 1863. His parents were David and Susan (Kilmer) Hadley, the father a native of Lincolnshire, England, and the son of John Hadley. He came to America in company with a brother when about eighteen years of age and for three years remained in Lockport, New York. When about twenty-one years of age he came west to Illinois, where he had a brother residing in Munson township, Henry county. He became engaged in agricultural pursuits in this county and later became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Osco township. It was in that township that he was united in marriage to Miss Kilmer, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of William and Lucinda Kilmer, with whom she came to Henry county in early life.

The son, J. J. Hadley, whose name introduces this review, was reared to manhood on his father's farm about a half mile east of Osco, and acquired a good common school education, being a student in the Cambridge high school for a short time and also took a collegiate course in the college at Geneseo. After laying aside his text-books he remained on the home farm, continuing to give his father the benefit of his assistance until about twenty-eight years of age. In the meantime, under the latter's direction, he acquired a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil and in the school of experience learned many practical lessons concerning the value of industry, energy and perseverance. He was married on the 12th of August, 1891, in Meadow Grove, Nebraska, to Miss Cora L. Attwater, of that place, and the young couple began their domestic life upon a farm, which Mr. Hadley continued to operate for a few years. In 1897 he began buying and shipping live stock and a year later became identified with the grain business and has continued his connection therewith to the present time. For one year he bought and shipped grain, loading directly on the cars, and then, in 1899, erected an elevator to facilitate the handling of the business. In 1900 he began dealing in lumber and as the years have gone by has continued to extend the scope of his activities to include various enterprises. In October, 1908, he purchased the elevator and lumber trade of Samuelson & Company and his business now covers the following commodities: grain, flour, feed, salt, agricultural implements, building material, woven wire fencing, tile, etc. Under his careful management his undertaking has already assumed extensive proportions, being considered the largest business enterprise in Osco, and it is continually growing in volume and importance. His success indicates clearly the business ability which he has displayed and his untiring energy and unfaltering industry have been salient elements in the gratifying degree of prosperity which is now his.

With the passing of the years the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hadley has been blessed with three children, George C, Alice L. and Attwater, all of whom are still under the parental roof. The mother, however, has been called to her final rest, her death, which occurred on the 19th of September, 1904, being a matter of deep regret not only to the bereaved family, who knew her as a loving wife and mother, but throughout the community where she was recognized as an excellent neighbor and true friend. In his fraternal relations Mr. Hadley is a member of Camp No. 2248, M. W. A., and in politics gives stalwart support to the republican party. Although he has never been an office seeker, he was elected to the office of assessor, in which capacity he served for one year. A man of resourceful ability, constantly watchful of opportunities which he improved to their full extent, he has made continuous progress in the business world, and the success which he now enjoys is all the more merited because it has come entirely as the result of his own well directed efforts and his honorable and upright methods.

Leonard R. Bothwell

Leonard R. Bothwell, who resides in an attractive home on Washington street, Orion, Illinois, was for many years identified with the agricultural interests of Henry county and is classed among those men whose industry, diligence and well directed efforts have gained for them a degree of success which now enables them to live retired and enjoy in well earned rest the fruits of their former toil. A native of New York, he was born in Jefferson county on the 28th of April, 1838, a son of David and Jemima (Spencer) Bothwell, both of whom were also born in the Empire state. The family is of Scotch lineage, the grandfather on the paternal side having been a native of Scotland. Unto Mr. and Mrs. David Bothwell were born five children, of whom our subject is the youngest. The others are: Mary B., who married James Scott and resides in DePere, Brown county, Wisconsin; Martin, a shoemaker of Watertown, New York, who mar- ried Marinda Chapin; Jeremiah, who wedded Sarah Davis, and resides in Oswego, New York, where at one time he followed the trade of a molder; and David, who married Maria Wilson and makes his home in Hannibal, New York.

Leonard R. Bothwell was a little lad of six years when he lost his mother and his father passed away when he was only eight years of age. At the age of ten years he went to Wisconsin with his sister, Mrs. Scott, and in the common schools of Brown county, that state, he acquired a fair education. The days of his boyhood and youth were there passed amid the scenes and environment of rural life and he gained much practical experience on the farm and in the lumber camp. In i860, when twenty-two years of age, he came to Henry county, Illinois, on his way to Knox county, but upon the road he met Mahlon B. Lloyd, who, in the course of a conversation which they held, learned that he was seeking work and offered him employment upon one of this farms in Western township. This Mr. Bothwell accepted and he was thus engaged until August, 1861, when, actuated by a spirit of patriotism, he enlisted under a recruiting officer as a soldier in the Civil war, becoming a member of the Eleventh Ohio Battery. He went to St. Louis to join his company and spent the winter of 1861 in central Missouri, being first under fire at New Madrid. He participated in the battle of luka, where on the 19th of September, 1862, he was wounded by being twice shot through the right arm and side. He was sent to the hospital at Jackson, Tennessee, and was there honorably discharged January 12, 1863, because of these wounds. After leaving the army he went back to his sister's home in Wisconsin to recuperate, remaining there until the spring of the following year. He then returned to Henry county and again entered the employ of Mr. Lloyd, with whom he remained until the fall of 1864, when he went back to Wisconsin. In the spring of 1865 he went to Tama county, Iowa, where he operated a rented farm until the spring of 1867, when he returned to Henry county and on June 6, 1867, was united in marriage in Western township to Miss Florence D. Lloyd, a daughter of his former employer, who was born in Western township, Henry county, on the 1 2th of May, 1844.

Mahlon B. Lloyd, the father of Mrs. Bothwell, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and was the son of Jesse and Ann (Yardly) Lloyd. He came to Henry county in the fall of 1837 and was the very first settler in Western township, locating on section 2"], He purchased two hundred and forty acres of land at two dollars and fifty cents per acre, and there in the spring of 1838 erected the first dwelling in the township, a frame house built of oak, in which he continued to reside until his marriage. He was a very successful farmer and one of the extensive landowners of the locality, becoming the possessor of eight hundred or more acres of valuable land. He was well known in Western township, being a prominent figure in community affairs, serving in various township offices. He was a school director in the first district, which comprised the entire township. He had himself enjoyed the advantages of good educational training and the cause of education ever found in him a warm champion. He served as justice of the peace for many years and also as supervisor for some time. His death occurred on the I2th of November, 1882. In 1840 he had married Miss Amelia L. Davenport, a native of Greenwich, Connecticut, who came to Henry county, with her parents in 1838, when about sixteen years of age. Charles Davenport, one of her brothers, had come to this county with the New York colony in 1836 and here entered land for the family in Edford township. Mrs. Lloyd survived her husband several years, her death occurring on the i8th of September, 1902. In their family were three children, of whom Charles, the only son, passed away in infancy. Mrs. Bothwell was the second in order of birth, while the youngest daughter, Isabelle, married WiUiam Love and became the mother of five children. Of this number John and Lizzie both passed away in infancy, while Mahlon, who is also deceased, married Grace Ferguson and left three sons. Arthus is an attorney in Chicago, and Edgar C, a farmer of Western township, is mentioned elsewhere in this volume.

After his marriage Mr. Bothwell took up his abode upon a farm which his father-in-law had given him on section 22, Western township, and upon that place he continued to reside throughout the remainder of his active business career. He devoted his entire energies to the development of this property and brought his fields under a high state of cultivation. As the years passed he prospered in his undertaking and was able to add to his farm until today he owns three hundred and six acres located on sections 22, 23, 26 and 27, Western township, all in excellent condition, constituting one of the valuable and desirable properties of the township. Industry, energy and perseverance have characterized his labors and were the salient elements in a success which later enabled him to retire from the active duties of business life, and consequently he left the farm and removed to Orion, where he has since resided in a home on Washington street.

Although well known throughout the community as a successful business man, Mr. Bothwell is perhaps equally prominent by reason of his interest and activity in community affairs. A stalwart republican in politics, he cast his first presidential ballot in 1864 for Abraham Lincoln, since which time he has supported every candidate upon that ticket. He has held various tovvnship offices, serving as assessor for a number of years and as collector for two years, while he filled the office of supervisor for twenty-one years continuously. Something of his personal popularity in the community was indicated when in 1909 he was elected to the office of mayor, his fellow citizens thereby conferring upon him the greatest honor in their power to bestow. He has already given evidence of a businesslike, progressive and beneficial administration, in which he has inaugurated various needed reforms and improvements, and his record thus far has not only brought honor to himself but reflected credit upon his constituents.

With the passing of the years the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bothwell has been blessed with thirteen children, namely: Ada F., who married Charles Anderson, of Western township, by whom she has six children; Herbert L., who married Otillia BHxt and makes his home in Orion; Amelia, the wife of Edward Reed, of Rock Island, Illinois; Esther, residing with her parents; Lizzie, the wife of Harvey Foster, of Maple Hill, Emmet county, Iowa; Elwood, who married Estella Nelson and is assisting in the operation of the home farm; Arthur C, also operating the home farm, who married Mabel Bell and has one child; WilHam, who is still under the parental roof; Clarence, a resident of Moline, Illinois, where he is engaged in teaching music; and four who died in infancy.

Mrs. Bothwell is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while her husband, although not identified with any special denomination, is interested in church work and recognizing it as a force for good in the community, is a generous supporter of all church organizations. Fraternally he is a charter member of the Modern Woodmen of America Camp, No. 261, and has held the office of quartermaster of Edgar Trego Post, No. 394, G. A. R., since the organization of the post in 1884. Mrs. Bothwell holds the office of treasurer of Edgar Trego Corps, No. 293, W. R. C. His active business career was ever such as to warrant the trust of his fellowmen, for at all times he conducted his transactions along the strictest principles of honor and integrity. His devotion to the public good is unquestioned and the honor bestowed upon him in his election to offices of honor and trust shows that he occupies a high position in public regard and enjoys in large measure the confidence of his fellowmen. Orion has benefited by his eflForts in her behalf and he is, without invidious distinction, classed among the foremost representatives of Western township.

William Wallace Seely

William Wallace Seely, who was connected with the agricultural interests of Wethersfield township for a long period and developed one of the valuable farming properties of the county, was bom in Barlow, Washington county, Ohio, April 17, 1853. His father, Joseph Seely, also a native of that state, was a carpenter by trade and died in Ohio at the age of seventy-six years. He was a great-grand son of William Seely, who served in the Revolutionary war. The mother, Mrs. Caroline (Richards) Seely, died when her son William was but four years of age.

In the public schools of his native town William W. Seely pursued his education and at the age of sixteen years began providing for his own support by working as a farm hand. He was thus employed to the age of twenty-one, when in February, 1875, he came to Illinois and settled in Kewanee. He was then employed at farm work near this city for three years, after which he was married and began farming on his own account.

It was on the 24th of December, 1878, that Mr. Seely wedded Miss Electa J. Fulper, a daughter of Charles T. Fulper, a native of Pennsylvania and a wheelwright by trade, who came to Henry county in 185 1. He followed farming in Wethersfield township, being actively connected with the cultivation and development of the soil until his life's labors were ended in death on the 28th of May, 1884. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Hoppock, was a native of New Jersey and a daughter of John Hoppock, who became a prominent farmer of Wethersfield township. The death of Mrs. Fulper occurred September 13, 1904.

Immediately after his marriage Mr. Seely rented the Hoppock farm of one hundred and ten acres on section 25, Wethersfield township, and following the death of Mrs. Hoppock about seven years later he purchased the farm and continued its cultivation until his demise. He made various improvements and in addition to tilling the soil and producing crops best adapted to climatic conditions here he also raised considerable stock, having about fifty or sixty head of cattle and an equally large number of hogs. In connection with his own he also operated other farm land adjoining and his practical methods and undaunted enterprise brought him a substantial measure of success. On coming to this county he borrowed money but acquired financial independence before his demise and so was enabled to leave his widow well provided for. He was widely known as a man of the highest integrity, thrift and industry, never taking advantage of his fellowmen in any business transaction but seeking his success along the legitimate lines of trade.

In 1876 Mr, Seely became a member of the Methodist church and lived an earnest Christian life, endeavoring to shape every action by the teachings and principles of Christianity. His membership was in the Saxon Methodist church, in which he had served as steward for twenty years prior to his demise. In politics he was a stanch republican and was strongly opposed to the Hquor traffic, doing all in his power to further the cause of temperance. His death occurred May 28, 1904, when he had reached the age of fifty-one years, one month and eleven days, and his demise was the occasion of deep regret to the many friends whom he left behind. In the fall of 1904 Mrs. Seely rented the farm and removed to Kewanee, where she has since resided. On the ist of May, 1906, she bought a modern eight room house at No. 106 North Vine street and in February, 1906, she purchased forty acres adjoining her farm. Her property there is a valuable one, returning to her a substantial annual income. Like her husband she is deeply interested in the work of the Methodist church, as treasurer of its missionary society and superintends the home department work of the church. She is kindly and considerate to others and her many good qualities have won her high estem.

Carl Edward Peterson

The progressive ideas which contribute so much to success in the field of agriculture have been conspicuous elements in the life record of Carl Edward Peterson, who owns and operates a fine tract of land in Colona township. He was born in Western township, near the place on which he now resides, November 5, 1874. and is a son of Carl P. and Mary (Erickson) Peterson. The parents came from Sweden in 1868, settled first in Andover, this county, and later removed to the vicinity of Orion, where they remained a few years. Finally they took up their residence in the locality in which the family has since lived. Here the father followed farming with a success that has rendered ample return for his labor. He is still living, but his wife passed away July 3, 1906. Four children were born to them : Hida, who is the wife of John Nelson, of Osco township ; Selma, who has remained unmarried; Louise, who is the wife of Otto Samuelson, of Orion township ; and Carl Edward, the subject of this sketch.

Carl Edward Peterson spent his youth upon the home farm, assisting his father in whatever work there was to be done, while he attended the district school, where he received a fair education as preparation for the responsibilities of' life. Even after he attained his majority, he gave his father the benefit of his labor, for it was not until 1905 that he married and established a home of his own. In that year he rented the eighty acres which constitute his place today and has since engaged in diversified farming, his success being the just reward for persevering industry. Progressive in his ideas, he has spared nothing in order to bring his place to the highest degree of cultivation, to improve the character of the buildings with which it is adorned, or to increase the abundance of the harvests, gathered from the fields. While these things have ministered to his own success they have also redounded to the total prosperity of the community in which he lives.

On the 22d of February, 1905, Mr. Peterson was joined in wedlock to Miss Lena Kuschmann, a daughter of William and Louise Kuschmann, of South Heights, Rock Island. Three children have been born to them : Marguerite, Paul and Marie.

Mr. Peterson is a consistent member of the Lutheran church and is closely identified with its work. A republican in his political views, while he has been interested in questions of public interest and has ever exhibited a deep concern in the welfare of his fellow citizens, he has never sought office and could never be persuaded to accept any evidence of the trust the people would place in him and his judgment were he to signify his willingness to be their servant. He has been very active, however, in the ranks of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, for he is a member of Riverside Lodge, No. 684, of Colona, in which he has held the greater number of the chairs. Keenly alert to the best interests of the people, industrious and progressive, Mr. Peterson is one of the splendid citizens of Colona township, enjoying the respect and good will of those who have come into contact with him. He and his wife are devoted to their home and their family, so that the harmony of their relations affords a striking example of domestic feUcity.

Philip John Stoneberg

Philip John Stoneberg was born in Bishop Hill Illinois, April 3, 1875. At the age of seven he entered the village school and finished the work presented in 1890. He entered Knox Academy at Galesburg in 1893 as a middle-preparatory student. He joined the E. O. D. literary society and was its essayist in the annual contest between it and the Zetetici, the other men's Hterary society in the academy, in 1895. In the last-named year he won the Lawrence preparatory Latin prize. He entered the freshman class at Knox College in the same fall, pursued the classical course for four years and was graduated in 1899 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

While a student in college he received the Lawrence freshman first Latin prize in 1896, likewise the freshman essay prize for the best essay on the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He was a member of the Gnothautii literary society throughout his college course and in his sophomore year won the society's Colton debate prize over three other debaters. In this debate he supported the negative of the following subject, "Resolved, That there should be a tribunal of three judges instead of the present jury system, the unanimity verdict being understood in each case." The affirmative was supported by another sophomore, while two juniors debated a separate question.

Mr. Stoneberg was a member of the Knox Young Men's Christian Association since his academy days, was one of its delegates to the Young Men's Christian Association summer conference at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1897, and served as its president in 1897-98. In his junior year he took part with three senior students in the Vivion currency debate when the three circuit judges of the ninth circuit served as judges of the contest; also participated in the junior oratorical contest. He was college reporter for the Daily Republican Register, a Galesburg paper, during the year 1897-98; served on the editorial staff of the Coup d' Etat, a college monthly, in the same year and on that of the Knox Student, a college weekly during both his junior and senior years. He was also in his junior year an associate editor of the '99 Gale, a college annual.

In his last year at Knox he was president of the Gnothautii Society, in which he had already held various offices; a member of the Pundit Club, an organization of instructors and students and limited in membership ; speaker of the Mock congress held jointly by the two men's college literary societies ; and a participant in the Knox-Beloit preliminary debate. In the latter part of his college course he studied vocal music in the Knox Conservatory in addition to his regular work, and in his last year was a charter member of the college glee club, which was then definitely organized.

He was interested in athletics and was a member of the track team during his last three years at Knox, receiving the third place in the mile walk at the intercollegiate contest in 1897 and second in 1898. He belonged to the Knox Cadet Corps from the time he enrolled in the academy until the corps was disbanded at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war. In that period he took part in two contests for the Mills' medal, winning second place the second time. When the corps was disbanded he was sergeant major of the battalion, the highest ranking non-commissioned officer. In his senior year the Roll of Honor for scholastic achievement was instituted by the college authorities and he was awarded a place on the same. He was the valedictorian of his class, his commencement oration being on the subject, "The Scandinavians in America."

Mr. Stoneberg took up the work of teaching in the fall of 1899 and was principal of the Bishop Hill public school for the next five years. As he had more than a year's extra work to his credit when he was graduated from Knox College he had only to write a thesis to entitle him to the degree of Master of Arts from his alma mater. In 1901 he accordingly wrote a thesis on the subject, "Was the French State Under the Bourbon Kings a True Monarchy?" The thesis was accepted and he received in the same year the aforementioned degree.

In 1904-5 he was a student at Columbia University, pursuing courses in history, economics and education. Fulfilling the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at that institution, which included the writing of an approved essay, he obtained this degree in 1905. The title of his essay was, "The Beginnings of the American Navy." In 1905-6 he studied at Harvard University, specializing in history and economics, after which he was at Bishop Hill until the fall of 1909, when he returned to Harvard for another year of study, elect- ing coursts in history, government and education. During the period intervening between his years at Harvard he was taken up with domestic duties, did some private tutoring, and in April and May, 1909, was again principal of the Bishop Hill school. He was also engaged in some historical research, chiefly in local history. He has contributed to this work the chapter on the Bishop Hill Colony, the sketch of the Swedish camp-meetings, the account of the Henry County Sunday School Association, and has rendered also some other assistance. He has at various times corresponded for some of the county newspapers. Since 1903 he has been an active member of the National Educational Association. At the Knox College commencement in 1909 there was a reunion of his class, when he was chosen class secretary.

Mr. Stoneberg was clerk of the village of Bishop Hill from 1899 to 1905 and trustee from 1908 to 1910. He has also served on the Weller township republican central committee and has represented that township in the Henry County Anti- Saloon League. He is a member of the Henry County Historical Society, representing Weller township in the collection of historical data. He has been secretary of the Bishop Hill Old Settlers Association since 1899 and treasurer of the Bishop Hill Memorial Association since 1907.

He joined the Swedish Methodist Episcopal church at Bishop Hill on probation August II, 1889, and was received into full membership February 9, 1890. He has held various offices in its quarterly conference and was licensed by this body a local preacher August 21, 1908. He was secretary of the Sunday school in this church from 1889 to 1893, and superintendent from 1899 to 1904. He was teacher of the men's class in this Sunday school in 1908 and 1909, likewise served as superintendent and teacher on Sunday afternoons in the Maple Hill Sunday school one and one-half miles west of Bishop Hill. He has been secretary of the Henry County Sunday School Association since the fall of 1899. He is a charter member of the Bishop Hill Epworth League, which was organized in August, 1890, and is the oldest Swedish Epworth League in the world. He has held various offices in this chapter. While a student at Knox he was one year president of the Galesburg Swedish Epworth League. He was at one time secretary of the Galesburg District Epworth League, Central Swedish Conference, and later its president. He was secretary of the Galesburg District Camp Meeting Association, Central Swedish Conference, from 1897 to 1905; treasurer, from 1906 to 1908; and was elected secretary again in 1908, which office he still holds.

Dr. Henry P. Loomis

Dr. Henry P. Loomis, a dental practitioner of Galva, who is likewise extensively engaged in the real-estate and insurance business as a member of the firm of Loomis & Riner, was born near Morrison, Whiteside county, Illinois, on the 17th of December, 1866. He was adopted by Henry F. Baker and his wife, Martha R. (Loomis) Baker. He was taken to Chicago when eleven months old and obtained his education in the Brown public school, which was located on the west side of that city. In 1880 he came to Galva, this county, and for the following eight years lived in the old Baker House. Subsequent to his marriage he returned to Chicago and took up the study of dentistry in the American College of Dental Surgery, now known as the Northwestern University Dental School. He completed the prescribed course in that institution in March, 1892, and in 1896 returned to Galva, where he successfully practiced his profession for about nine years. He erected the stone building next to the Baker House and soon gained recognition as one of the most substantial, progressive and enterprising citizens of the community. For the past five years he has devoted his attention to the real-estate business and for three years has been in partnership with Charles P. Riner under the firm style of Loomis & Riner. They do a general real-estate and insurance business and now have a large clientage in this connection. Dr. Loomis has thoroughly informed himself concerning realty values and their appreciation or diminution in prices and is thus enabled to assist his clients in making judicious investments and profitable sales.

On the 4th of February, 1890, Dr. Loomis was united in marriage to Miss S. Isabella Clark, a native of Galva and a daughter of Dr. Chester M. Clark. Dr. Clark, who was born in Vermont, became an early settler of Galva, this county, where he practiced his profession for many years. Subsequently he estabhshed a drug store and conducted the same until the time of his retirement from active business life. His demise occurred on the 25th of April, 1909, when he had attained the venerable age of eighty-four years. He was an exemplary Mason and held a number of city offices, the duties of which he discharged in a manner highly satisfactory to his constituents. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Loomis has been born a son, Donald B. C. Loomis.

Dr. Loomis gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has served as alderman of the third ward for one term. His fraternal relations are with Galva Lodge, No. 243, A. F. & A. M., and Kewanee Chapter, R. A. M., while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congregational church, with which his wife is also identified. He is a man of strong character and sterHng worth and well merits the high regard in which he is uniformly held.

E. Percy Davies

E. Percy Davies is one of the agriculturists and stock raisers of Henry county, who owns an up-to-date farm on section 30, Phenix township. He was born on the same section, though not on the same farm, February 6, 1865, and is the son of James L. and Phila N. (Aldridge) Davies. The father was born March 11, 1825, in Wales, and there grew to manhood. Upon coming to America he went first to Ohio, where for some years he found employment in the coal mines, and then came to Henry county, Illinois, where he met and married Miss Aldridge. She was born on section 30, Phenix township, a daughter of Earl P. and Caroline Oliva (Imel) Aldridge, and is still living, though her husband has been dead a number of years, his death having occurred October 11, 1895. After coming to' Phenix township, Mr. Davies became an extensive landholder and was highly respected when he passed away. Two children were born to him and his wife. CaroHne Oliva, the older, married James Good and died January 9, 1891, leaving two children : Mary C, who is the wife of Arthur Johnson and lives in Geneseo; and Fanchon, who married a Mr, Race and lives in Battle Creek, Michigan. E. Percy, the younger of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. James L. Davies, is the subject of this sketch.

E. Percy Davies spent his boyhood's days upon the home farm and in the little district school received such an education as it was able to furnish boys who could attend only a few months in the year. Until he became of age he gave his father the benefit of his labor, but on attaining his majority he embarked on life for himself. He began as a renter on his father's land and then in 1890 he bought the farm on which he now resides. It is one hundred and sixteen acres in extent, and in the years that it has been in his possession Mr. Davies has made a number of important improvements, remodeling the house and the barn, and erecting a new barn, a corn crib and a hog house. He has also bought one-half interest in the home place of one hundred and twenty acres, and as his affairs prospered, he purchased half an interest in two hundred acres in Louisa county, Iowa, which is well improved land. He raises and feeds a great deal of cattle each year, and finds a ready market for his stock in the large cities of this state and elsewhere.

On the farm on which now lives, December 25, 1889, Mr. Davies was married to Miss Mina Kerr, who was born in Hanna township and is a daughter of Thomas Walker and Amanda (Henninger) Kerr. The former was a native of Ohio, the latter of Pennsylvania, but the couple were for a number of years residents of this county. To Mr. and Mrs. Davies have been born two children: Harley Hobart, who was brought into the world August 5, 1897, and Gilbert Kerr, whose birthday was January 2, 1900.

In his political views Mr, Davies finds himself in sympathy with the principles of the republican party, but he is not a seeker for public recognition nor has he evinced a great interest in political concerns. He has, however, served as school director and in this capacity has given satisfaction, for he is greatly in favor of increasing the effectiveness of the schools.

Am. Withrow, conducting a profitable business as the owner of a hack line in Geneseo, was born in Henry county, Illinois, December 8, 1850, his parents being William and Sarah Caroline (May) Withrow, both of whom were natives of White county, Illinois. The father was born in 1812 and was a farmer by occupation. At the time of the Civil war, however, he put aside business and personal considerations that he might aid the government in the preservation of the Union, enlisting in 1862 as a member of the Ninth Illinois Cavalry. He afterward enlisted for one hundred days' service in the One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Infantry and was later transferred to the Sixty-fifth Regiment, receiving three honorable discharges. At the close of the war his was one of the last regi- merits that was mustered out. He had passed the designated military age when he entered the service but his patriotism prompted his ready response to the country's call. It was in the year 1830 that he and his wife became residents of Henry county, being among its earliest settlers, and for many years they were identified with agricultural interests in this district. Mr. Withrow died while 00 a visit to Oregon about twenty-five years ago and the mother of our subject passed away in this county twenty-four years ago. They were the parents of five children, of whom four are yet living, namely: Am., of this review; Solon; who is a traveling salesman; Sarah, the wife of Frank Earl, of Los Angeles, California ; and Mary, the wife of P. Verage, living at Sawtelle, California. The mother of these children was twice married, her first husband having been Joshua Colbert, by whom she had two children, one of whom is living, Albert A. Colbert, a resident of Galesburg, Illinois.

Am. Withrow was educated in various schools of Henry county and at the age of eighteen years bought his time of his father, after which he worked for a short period at farming. He also engaged in teaming and in handling horses and thirty-five years ago turned his attention to the hack business, running a hack between Geneseo and points on the Rock river, also to the fair grounds and to camp meetings. In this connection he has built up a good business, which makes constant demands upon his time, and his obliging service and reasonable prices have insured the liberal patronage which is accorded him.

On the I2th of September, 1885, Mr. Withrow was united in marriage to Mrs. Margaret Hunter, the widow of Daniel Hunter. She was born in New York, September 20, 1840, and is a daughter of Leander and Rebecca (Kinney) Pickard, both of whom were natives of New York, the former born in 1810 and the latter in 18 13. The father chose farming as his life vocation. Coming to Illinois in 1854, he settled in Bureau county and afterward removed to Henry county. His political allegiance was given to the republican party. In his family were twelve children, of whom five are now living: Jane, now the widow of Addison Palmer and a resident of South Dakota; Maria, the wife of James Pierson, a resident of Tiskilwa, Bureau county, Illinois; Mrs. Withrow; Harriet, the wife of Charles D. Marenville, of Atkinson, Illinois ; and Annie, the wife of Albert Clifton, of Atkinson. The mother of these children died in March, 1893, while Mr. Pickard survived until February, 1903, and both were laid to rest in Henry county, Illinois.

Mr. and Mrs. Withrow have had no children but Mrs. Withrow by a former marriage became the mother of six. On the 12th of September, 1857, she wedded Daniel O. Hunter, who was born in New York, June 28, 1823, and died December 20, 1878. In early life he followed farming and subsequently he turned his attention to merchandising. He lived for a time in Bureau county and afterward came to Henry county, conducting a general grocery store in Atkinson for twenty years, or up to the time of his death. He, too, was a soldier of the Civil war enlisting in the Ninety-third Illinois Infantry. His political support was given to the republican party and he served as notary public and justice of the peace for years. He was long a member of the Methodist church and was also an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity. At his death in 1878, his remains were interred in the Atkinson (111.) cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter were the parents of six children : Ida, the eldest, born October 7, 1858, in Bureau county, became the wife of William Hickox, of Colorado, and died June 21, 1907, leaving a daughter, Madge, who is the wife of Lavern McCalvey, of Colorado, by whom she has two children, Lavern Hickox and Franklin Robert. Florence Hunter, born in Bureau county, July 31, 1864, is the wife of I. A. Henry a resident of Bloomington, Illinois, and they have three sons: Clell E., who is married and resides in Chicago; Lale, who wedded Lou Buck, now deceased; and Harold Henry. Wilson Henry Hunter, born in Bureau county, June 2, 1866, is a barber residing in South Dakota. He is married and has three children. Harvey, Ira and Gaynal. Louisa A., born in Henry county. May 14, 1868, is the wife of Joseph Hunter of Putnam, Illinois, and they have four children: Oral, Cleo, Ruth and Icle. Leander Hunter, born in Henry county, December 3, 1871, is married and lives in Geneseo. Fay E. Hunter, born in Henry county, May 7, 1876, and married Miss Mattie Harmes and with their two children, Opal and Myrl, resides in Annawan, Illinois.

In the year 1868, Mr. and Mrs Hunter came to live in Henry county and her parents arrived a year later. Her brother, Wilson Pickard, served as a soldier of the Civil war in the One Hundred and Forty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Her brother-in-law, Mr. Pierson, was also a soldier of the Union army, while two half-brothers of Mr. Withrow, William and Albert Colbert, were defenders of the Union cause. The G. A. R. Post at Atkinson was named in honor of her first husband, being called the D. O. Hunter Circle. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Withrow is situated on Elk street and has been owned by the latter for twenty-three years. Mr. Withrow owns a part of his father's home place of seven acres and has two houses, each occupying an acre of ground across the road from his present place of residence. The dwelling which Mr. and Mrs. Withrow occupied was destroyed by fire December 3, 1903, but was at once rebuilt. They hold membership in the Methodist church and he gives his political allegiance to the republican party. Both he and his wife are held in high esteem in the community and have many warm friends throughout the county. He is regarded as a reliable and enterprising man and the success which he has achieved is due entirely to his own labors.

John P. Chaiser

As one looks back over the history of Bishop Hill during the last half century of its existence, noting the long strides of progress which have marked the life of the village and regarding the high moral tone which distinguishes it from many places of its size, he sees in this record the guiding hands of men who have cheerfully devoted the best of their talents and abilities to its promotion. Conspicuous among these is John P. Chaiser, who has retired from business, but is still actively interested in the welfare of the place and its residents, which has been his home and among whom he has lived since he was seven years of age, for besides being associated with the memories of childhood Bishop Hill has the added significance to him of being the haven toward which

John P. Chaiser And Family

Mr. Chaiser was born in Belinge, Socken, Uppland, Sweden, January i, 1844. His father, John Chaiser, came to this country in 1850 as a member of the Bishop Hill colony, with which he was associated as mason and cooper. After the dissolution of the colonial g-overnment and the establishment of the village, he went to Moline and thence to Cordova, finding in both places employment at his trade. In 1868 he returned to Bishop Hill, purchasing the Swedish printing outfit which had been established by the colony for printing the Svenska Republicanaren, probably the first paper in that language published in this country. Learning the printer's trade, Mr. Chaiser engaged in the translation and dissemination of English Adventist literature, giving to that his attention until his death. Having been a man of studious habits, well educated in his native tongue, in four or five years after his arrival here he became proficient not only in reading the English language, but in rendering it into Swedish, for the benefit of his compatriots. In i860, with a number of others from the colony, he joined the Baptist church, and about 1868 he became a member of the Advent church, devoting himself zealously to promoting that faith, even to the extent of translating and printing its tracts at his own expense. When his death occurred in 1890, he being seventy-six years, three months and twenty-five days of age, he was deeply mourned as one of the most earnest and efficient men of the village, whose influence was far-reaching. His good offices, however, would seem to have been transmitted to his son, who has followed in his footsteps in the performance of good works. His wife, Mrs. Anna Katrina Chaiser, the mother of our subject, was not permitted to witness the development of the colony, for she died shortly after her arrival here, December 15, 1854, when she was only thirty-seven years and twenty days old.

John P. Chaiser of this review was about seven years of age when his parents brought him to this country and was but ten when he was deprived of his mother's love and care. He received his education in the school of the colony and after its dissolution in i860 went to Moline to learn the cooper's trade, at which he worked in that city, Cordova and Chicago until 1868, when he returned to Bishop Hill, where he pursued the same occupation for one year. Then he became a salesman in the general mercantile store of Swanson & Jacobson, leaving the employ of that firm to take a course in the Great Western Business College at Galesburg. In 1872, having completed his studies, he received the appointment as station agent at Bishop Hill, being the second to occupy the position, which he retained until 1882. In the meantime, however, he had had other business experiences by which he had profited. About 1873 he engaged in the lumber business, which, although started in a very small way, grew to large proportions. In August, 1877, he increased the fields of its operations, adding grain dealings, and he formed a partnership with Fred Weyerhauser, now the lumber king, and a Mr. Denkman, under the firm title of J. P. Chaiser & Company. This enterprise also grew to be one of importance, doing such a large business in com and oats, that Bishop Hill was for many years a good grain market. In 1883 Mr. Chaiser sold his interests in the concern, and the following year retired from active business.

This abandonment of commercial life, however, was but the beg-inning of new undertaking's and the enlargement of his field of usefulness in the village. Through his good business management and his judicious investments, particularly in lands, he had acquired considerable property, owning several good farms in Henry county as well as in Nebraska, so that he was in comfortable circumstances. Yet he assumed the appraisership for the Svea Mutual Fire & Lightning Insurance Company, of Knox, Henry and Mercer counties, and the agency for the Phenix Insurance Company, of Brooklyn, and he also represented the White Star Line steamer company, thus keeping in touch with the world of affairs, although his main interests were given to matters of larger outlook. Ever a strong and zealous temperance worker, Mr, Chaiser has labored untiringly against the legalized saloon, so that the fact that Bishop Hill has for so many years been without them is due largely to him. In 1874 he voted the prohibition ticket for the first time, ever since that time exerting himself most actively in promoting the success of the party and the promulgation and acceptance of the ideals for which it stands.

On the 5th of February, 1870, Mr. Chaiser was united in marriage to Miss Betsey C. Linbeck, who was bom in Ockelbo, Gefleborg, Sweden, May 24, 1848. All her life, however, has practically been spent here, for her parents came to Bishop Hill in 1849, as members of the colony. Three daughters have been bom to Mr. and Mrs. Chaiser, namely: Alice E., who is the wife of Fred V. Johnson, of Sayre, Oklahoma; Winnie S., who is the wife of Andrew O. Lindstrum, of Galesburg; and Juna C, who married William B. Hiller, of Oakville, Iowa.

Mr. Chaiser has always been very active in public affairs of the village. For a number of years he was school director; he served as highway commissioner for a short period; was village tmstee for many years; and is now filling his third term as police magistrate. Shortly after the organization of the Good Templars here, in 1866, he joined their ranks and became very active in the work of the order during the period of its existence here, having been grand deputy chief templar for a number of years. Also when the Band of Hope was established here, he became the leading spirit of that body. But although there are patent evidences everywhere of Mr. Chaiser's interest in the welfare of the community in which he lives, what the village and its associations have meant to him personally from the time he was a child have found more adequate expression in the songs and poems which he has published from time to time, one of which is quoted below :

Old Town Clock Gustav E. Miller

Gustav E. Miller, a farmer, stock raiser, feeder and shipper of Geneseo township, who owns two hundred and thirteen acres on sections i8 and 19, about a mile west of the city of Geneseo, was born on a farm near Schwetz, West Prussia, April 15, 1848. His parents were David and Carolina (Sichmansky) Miller, the former also a native of Schwetz, of whose large family six are located in the United States. Herrmann, the youngest, also came to this country, but after remaining about two years returned to Germany and is now living on the old home place. David Miller died in 1893 in his native land. His wife had passed away many years before while her son Gustav E. Miller was still in the army.

Gustav E. Miller, the oldest of the family, was reared upon the home farm and received a good education in the public schools of his native land. In 1869, when he was about twenty years of age, he was called into the German army and during the three years of his service took part in many of the important battles of the Franco-Prussian war, among them being Gravelot, the siege of Metz and the siege of Paris. He was also at Dijon when Garibaldi was in command of the opposing forces, and where his regiment - the Sixty-first - lost its flag, although, through the bravery of one of its members, it was later recovered. In the fall of 1872 Mr. Miller was honorably discharged from the army and the following spring came to America. He embarked on a steamer, which took two weeks to make the voyage, and on landing at New York came almost immediately to Henry county, Illinois, where he had two uncles. He had brought a little money with him, but, thinking it wiser to save this for emergencies, he went to work by the month. After a short time he was able to purchase forty acres of land in Edford township. This he cleared of the brush and timber that covered it and on it built a house and barn. For about fifteen years it remained his home, although in that time the original acreage had been doubled. He had paid about forty dollars an acre for the land and toward the end of the '80s he sold it at some profit and bought one hundred and sixty acres, the farm on which his son Albert now lives.

He paid about sixty-five dollars for that land and made it his home for about seven years, when he bought the three hundred and twenty acres on sections 34 and 35, Geneseo township, on which his son Otto lives. In 1906 he bought the place where he lives today. It is almost unnecessary to add that he has been successful, for the fundamental lessons in farming he learned in his native land he has applied with excellent results in this country.

In Edford township, February 20, 1876, Mr. Miller married Miss Paulina Pobanz, who was born in Bagnevo, West Prussia, Germany, March 22, 1857, and is a daughter of George and Henrietta (Dettmann) Pobanz. She was about five years old when her parents came to this country. They were eleven weeks on the water and landed in New York, coming almost immediately to Henry county. In Edford Township they purchased a home, as they had brought some means with them. On that farm Mrs. Miller grew up, receiving her education in the common schools. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born nine children : Albert E., of whom mention is made in another part of this volume; Emily, who lives at home, Otto H., whose sketch appears elsewhere; Mary, who married Rev. Christ D. Reichle, of Missouri, and is the mother of a son, Richard ; Gustav L.. born May 30, 1884; Mathilda, a stenographer in Chicago; Ernst, born June 6, 1889, who lives at home; George, born June 19, 1891 ; and Grace, who died at the age of nine. The oldest daughter, Emily, is a graduate of a music school in Chicago, and Mary was graduated from the Geneseo high school, while Ernst and George are students in the Geneseo Collegiate Institute. Mr. Miller's son, Gustav, is a born musician and, though he has never had any instruction in the art, he is not only a teacher but a composer as well. He also organized an orchestra of boys, which in the winter of 1908-9, accompanied by a pianist, traveled in Illinois and Missouri, with pronounced financial success.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller and their children belong to the German EvangeHcal Lutheran church, of which Mr. Miller served three terms as trustee. Although he is not a charter member of the congreagtion he enjoys the distinction of having hauled the first load of bricks for the erection of the edifice. In his political views Mr. Miller is a republican, and for several years rendered efficient service as school director, collector and road overseer in Edford township. In 1909, accompanied by his wife, he returned to Germany for a three months' visit, with the result that he was well satisfied with his home in the United States, where the years of his active life have been spent and where he has made stanch and loyal friends among those who have watched his progress.

Albert E. Miller

Albert E. Miller, one of the native farmers and stockmen of Edford township, was born December 20, 1876, and is a son of Gustav and Paulina (Pobanz) Miller. He was reared on the old homestead and having attended the district school received a good education in the rudimentary branches of English instruction. He also learned the trade of a carpenter during his youth but until he became of age he worked for his father, receiving nothing in return for his labor. On attaining his majority he was permitted to keep his wages and found ready demand for his services in the county and in the city of Geneseo, and was soon able to undertake contracts for carpenter work. Until 1905, when he married, he devoted himself to his trade and then turned his attention to agriculture on the farm on section 34, Edford township, where he lives today. He purchased this from his father in 1902, paying one hundred dollars per acre for it. Since that time he has remodeled the buildings and has made many other improvements so that its value has risen to about one hundred and sixty dollars per acre. He follows general farming and stock raising. With persistence he has made the farm more than pay for itself and return him a large interest upon his investment. In Watertown, Rock Island county, Illinois, May 3, 1905, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Miller and Miss Anna Schultze, of Barstow, that county, where she was born and reared. Her father, Frank Schultze, was a native of Rock Island county, April 9, i860, having been the date of his birth, while his wife, who was Miss Bertha Lavien in her maidenhood, was born in West Prussia, Germany, and came to America with her parents. Three children were born to them, of whom Mrs. Miller is the eldest ; Frank lives with his father and mother in Rock Island county; and Amelia married August Vallrath and also lives in that county. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have one child, Alvera, who was born on the home farm, April 5, 1906. While not a seeker for public preferment, at the election in 1909 Mr. Miller was the choice of the republican voters for township collector. The success which has attended his agricultural endeavors and the high principles which have marked his intercourse with his fellowmen recommended him to the citizens as a man upon whose integrity they might rely. In religious matters he is a stanch Lutheran and with his wife attends the German Evangelical church in Edford township.

Otto Herman Miller

Otto Herman Miller, a member of the agricultural community of Edford township, where, on sections 34 and 35, he owns a farm of two hundred and forty acres, is a native of that township, and was born February 17, 1880. His parents are Gustav E. and Lena Paulina (Pobanz) Miller, of whom extended mention is made in a preceding sketch. His boyhood days were spent upon his father's farm in the township of his birth, and he attended the common schools of that district, becoming proficient in the English branches taught and also in the speaking and writing of German. Until he became twenty-one he gave his father the benefit of his labor, and then, upon attaining his majority, was paid wages for the five additional years he remained with him. In 1906 Mr. Miller married and began life for himself, renting of his father the farm on which he now lives and which he bought in 1909 for one hundred and forty dollars an acre. Here,^ in addition to general agriculture, he has engaged largely in the raising and feeding of stock, which he ships in quantity to market. Still a young man, he has many years in which to prove his skill as a tiller of the soil, and there is every reason to anticipate that his success will equal that of his father.

In Edford township, March i8, 1906, Mr. Miller wedded Miss Mary Erdman. She was born in that part of the county, June 27, 1884, and is a daughter of John and Anna (Hintz) Erdman, who are residents of Edford township. She received a good education in the common schools and also obtained a knowledge of German which enables her to read and write the language. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have no child living, Irene Pearl, born March 19, 1907, died ten days after birth.

Mr. Miller is in sympathy with the platform of the republican party, but while he never misses an opportunity to exercise his right of franchise, he has not sought for any pubhc office within the gift of his fellow citizens. In his religious faith he is a Lutheran, and with his wife attends the services of the German Evangelical church.

Orson Dunbar

Orson Dunbar, a well known, enterprising and progressive agriculturist of Wetherslield township, was born in La Fayette, Stark county, Illinois, on the 27th of November, 1851. The birth of his father, Washington Dunbar, occurred in Breckinridge county, Kentucky, on the 21st of September, 1822. The latter's education was limited to only three days' schooling but he was apt at figures and could calculate the price of a load of hogs mentally more quickly than another man could figure it out with pencil and paper. He was but a boy when he came to Illinois with his parents, who soon afterward established their home in Wethersfield township, Henry county. He immediately went to work as a farm hand for neighboring agriculturists, being thus employed for some years, and was still a lad when he bought a yoke of young steers and broke them. Logging and all kinds of team work likewise claimed his attention, and he came into possession of land by a method that was quite common at that day, being given a tract of forty acres as a remuneration for breaking twenty acres of prairie land within a certain length of time. He built the first hewn log house in La Fayette, and entered eighty acres of land on the northwest corner of section 31, Wethersfield township. He set out trees, built fences, erected buildings and prospered wonderfully in his farming operations, adding to his holdings by additional purchase from time to time until he owned three hundred and twenty acres of rich and productive land. About 1900, having accumulated a handsome competence, he put aside the active work of the fields but still continued to reside on his farm and there passed away on the 2t8h of October, 1907. Prior to his death he had divided his property, eighty acres falling to the share of our subject. His political allegiance was given to the republican party but he never sought the honors and emoluments of office and in fact cared little for the glamour of puWicity. In his later years he was a faithful attendant at the services of the Universalist church. His labors contributed in substantial measure to the early development and upbuilding of this section of the state, and when he was called to his final rest the community mourned the loss of one of its most respected and worthy residents. In early manhood Washington Dunbar wedded Miss Annar Lee, who as a child accompanied her parents on their removal from Ohio to Illinois, the family taking up their abode among the pioneer settlers of Stark county. The demise of Mrs. Dunbar occurred on the ist of April, 1897, when she was seventy-three years of age.