Henry County, Illinois - The whole text, 1910 (part 16 of 32)

The subject of this review has spent his entire life in the county of his nativity, his youthful days being passed on the home farm and when he had mastered the branches of learning taught in the district schools he continued his education in the Geneseo high school and in the Northwestern Normal, also attending the Davenport Business College. He thus received training which well qualified him for onerous duties which have devolved upon him in the management of his property interests. He resided upon his father's farm until recent years and became a partner with his father in the operation of the old home place in Geneseo township, where they were owners of seven hundred acres. They also owned large bodies of land in Thomas county, Kansas, having altogether eleven thousand acres. In 1898 Mr. Weimer removed from the farm to Geneseo, where for seven years he was engaged in the grain business but for the past three years has concentrated his energies upon his investments in agricultural and manufacturing interests. He is now engaged in the manufacture of building stone, does contract work and has erected many substantial buildings in different cities, including the handsome armory in Geneseo. He is likewise a director and the vice president of the Geneseo Savings Bank and his name is an honored one on all commercial papers. In the fall of 1909 Mr. Weimer and his father erected an auditorium and garage, being seventy-five feet front on First street and one hundred and thirty feet in depth. The structure is two stories in height ; of rubble vitrified brick ; is modern in all its appointments and a handsome addition to the business section of Geneseo.

On the nth of January, 1887, Mr. Weimer was united in marriage to Miss Ella Tilfer, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Miller) Tilfer. Mrs. Weimer was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, August 2, 1869. Her parents were also natives of the Keystone state and they had two children, Ella B. and Belle. After the death of his first wife the father married again and there were two sons and three daughters of that union. Mr. Tilfer passed away in Nebraska, in which state his sons also died. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Weimer have been born eight children, five sons and three daughters: Harry W., Lillie D., Harley A.,

Mr. Weimer belongs to the Odd Fellows society, holding membership in Geneseo Lodge and Indian Encampment, while both he and his wife are connected with the Rebekahs, Mrs. Weimer having filled all of the chairs in the order while at the present time she is a past grand. Mr. Weimer also holds membership relations with the Yeomen, the Mystic Workers and the Modern Woodmen and Mrs. Weimer with the Royal Neighbors and the Ladies Circle. They are people of many social qualities, whose friendship is cherished by all who know them. Politically Mr. Weimer is a stalwart republican and for one term served as alderman from the second ward. He is a zealous advocate of the cause of education and while living on the farm served as a school director. He is an alert and enterprising business man, rejoicing in the opportunities for activity and in the improvement of chances which have come to him he has found the success which places him in prominent positions among the leading business men of this part of the state.

Daniel Olmstead Hinman

Daniel Olmstead Hinman, one of the agricultural community of Osco township, was born on the farm on which he now lives, September 17, 1868, and is a son of William White and Clara (Olmstead) Hinman. The father was a native of Connecticut and was a son of Willis Hinman. He brought his family across the prairies from Dayton, Ohio, in the winter of 1850-51, and entered land in Henry county, Illinois, for which he paid one dollar and a quarter an acre. During the progress of the Civil war William W. Hinman became a soldier in the Union army, having enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He served for three years, during which period he took part in many hard fought battles and participated is Sherman's march to the sea and in the grand review at Washington, D. C. Although always at his post of duty, Mr. Hinman was never wounded, though he was ill for a time. When his country no longer needed his aid, he returned to the farm and took up the life he had left, and was actively engaged in agricultural pursuits until a paralytic stroke compelled his retirement and removal to Cambridge. There, in Februaryi 1893, he passed away.

Daniel Olmstead Hinman spent his boyhood upon the home farm, assisting in its work as soon as he was able. He attended the district schools and went later to the Geneseo Collegiate Institute, at which his formal education was completed and from which he went forth to make his own way in the world. First he secured employment in the elevator and lumberyards of Elliott Hinman at Cambridge, where he continued to work until his father's incapacity compelled him to return home and assume the management of the farm. This embraces one hundred ninety-three and a half acres of the father's estate and is situated on section 26, Osco township. To its cultivation Mr. Hinman has devoted himself for the last twenty years.

In Osco township, February 2, 1889, he married Miss Kate Purviance, a native of Osco township and a daughter of David and Hannah (Morton) Purviance. They have two children: Earl Herbert, who was born in Cambridge and is a graduate of the high school there ; and Gladys Elizabeth, an interesting little daughter. Mr. Hinman has always given his support to the republican party, with which he finds himself in closest accord, but he has never sought public preferment. He is a member of Grace Episcopal church, Osco. Fraternally he is connected with Cambridge Lodge, No. 49, A. F. & A. M., and among his fellow members has made many stanch friends.

August H. Magerkurth

August H. Magerkurth is now a retired farmer living in Geneseo. Through the period of early manhood and through the prime of life he was diligently employed in the work of the fields and since 1901 has been enabled by reason of his former success to enjoy a well earned rest. He was born in Hanover, Germany, September 3, 1839, and was one of the five children of Frederick and Wilhelmina (Gremmes) Magerkurth. The father engaged in farming on a small scale in Germany, where he remained until 1871 when he came to America and lived with his son August in Clinton county, Iowa, remaining with him until shortly prior to his death. He passed away at the home of his daughter near Port Byron in Rock Island county, Illinois, in 1892 when seventy-seven years of age. His wife had died in Germany about 1867. Both were consistent members of the Lutheran church. Their family numbered four sons and one daughter.

August H. Magerkurth, who was the eldest and is the only one now living, was reared and educated in Germany, spending his youthful days on his father's farm. In 1864 when, twenty-five years of age he came to America, settling at Hampton, Rock Island county, Illinois, where he worked at farming by the month. He was desirous of engaging in business for himself that he might enjoy the profits of his own labors and in 1867 with the money which he had saved from his earnings he purchased sixty acres of land in Clinton county, Iowa, removing thereon in 1868. At length he sold that property and made investment in eighty acres in Edford township, Henry county, IlHnois, where he lived until 1892. He then purchased fifty acres in Geneseo township near the city of Geneseo and lived upon that farm for about nine years or until 1901 when he removed to Geneseo and has since made his home on West North street. He has disposed of his farm property and now lives retired for his financial resources are sufficient to supply him with the comforts and some of the luxuries of fife.

On the 8th of September, 1867, Mr. Magerkurth was married to Miss Maria Garnett, a native of Saxe, Germany, and a daughter of Henry Garnett, who was a blacksmith by trade. They have become the parents of twelve children, six sons and six daughters : Henry, the eldest, a farmer of Osco township, married Anna Ernst and they have four children, Ida, Walter, Albert and Edward ; Frederick, Johan and Wilhelm, all died of diphtheria when young; Emma is the wife of John Fisher; Louis is at home; Wilhelmina is the wife of Albert Stensel and they have two children, Helen and Elmer ; Margaretta, George, Anna and Qara are all yet under the parental roof; and Fred died in Qinton county, Iowa.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Magerkurth are members of the Lutheran church and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. He has served as road overseer and was school director in both Edford and Geneseo townships. Never remiss in the duties of citizenship he cooperated in many movements for the general good but his attention was chiefly directed to his farming interests and his work as an agriculturist was crowned with a substantial measure of success.

William Davis Colby

Among the leading, respected and representative citizens of Henry county is numbered William Davis Colby, who is now following farming on section 25, Cornwall township. He is the owner of five hundred and twenty acres of rich and valuable land near Atkinson and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place indicates him to be a man of excellent business judgment and progressive methods. He was born at Clary's Grove, Menard county, Illinois, November 25, 1838, and is a son of Jonathan and Lydia (Ingalls) Colby. The father was a native of Hopkinton. New Hampshire, and the mother of Abington, Connecticut. Each had gone to IVIenard county when single and there became acquainted and were married. The paternal grandfather, Timothy Colby, was also a native of Hopkinton, where he spent his days on the old homestead which had been the property of his father, William Davis Colby. The family for generations has been identified with agricultural interests. It was in the year 1834 that Jonathan Colby arrived in Menard county. He had previously acquired a good education and had spent two years in Boston. He was born in 1808 and was, therefore, about twenty-six years of age when he sought a home in the middle west. He brought with him some capital, which he invested in land, making the purchase from "Slicky Bill" Green - the man who sold Abraham Lincoln his store. In Menard county Jonathan Colby was married and spent his remaining days, giving his time and attention to general farming.

William Davis Colby remained with his father until he went away to school, pursuing his studies in Lee Center Academy in Lee county, Illinois, through two winters, while later he attended the North Sangamon Academy in Menard county for a short time. He began teaching in the country schools in Menard county, devoting two winter seasons to that profession. He was a young man of twenty-three years when, on the nth of August, 1862, he enlisted as a member of Company F, One Hundred and Fourteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was sent to Camp Butler at Springfield and was first under fire at Jackson, Mississippi. He also participated in the siege of Vicksburg, was again at Jackson and was in the engagement at Guntown or Brice's Cross Roads, where he was captured, being sent thence to Andersonville. Later he was transferred to Savannah, Georgia, then to Millen, afterward was returned to Savannah and subsequently was taken to Florence. South Carolina, and to Goldsboro, North Carolina. While at the latter place he was paroled and sent to Wilmington, North

Carolina, after which he returned to Menard county. The food suppHes at Florence were so scarce that he was nearly starved and suffered from breakbone fever and when the company left there he was forced to remain because of his illness. He was held as a prisoner of war for eight and a half months and as the result of the incarceration continued in ill health until after the close of hostilities. As soon as possible he resumed farming, however, and on the 31st of August, 1866, came to Annawan township and purchased a farm of two hundred acres of wild land, which he began to prepare for a home.

On the i6th of January, 1868, Mr. Colby was married in Menard county to Miss Mar}' E. Dodds, a native of Sangamon county, Illinois, born November 2, 1840, and a daughter of the Rev. Gilbert and Mary (Clinton) Dodds, who removed to Menard county when their daughter, Mrs. Colby, was but six years of age. She acquired a good education and taught school at one time. Five children were bom of this union. Alfred Ingalls, who was graduated from the Geneseo Collegiate Institute with the class of 1888, afterward entered the business college in Davenport. He was married in Geneseo, February 9, 1893, to Miss Eva Blanche Vail and later went to Andrew county, Missouri, where he engaged in farming. At his death, which was occasioned by the falling of a tree March 24, 1899, he left two children: Mary Ruth and William Davis. Lydia, who was graduated from the Geneseo Collegiate Institute in the class of 1890, afterward taught in the country schools and in 1895 entered the normal school at Normal, Illinois, where she completed the course in two years. She then engaged in teaching in Kewanee for two years. She received her diploma in 1899 a^d was then appointed critic teacher in the second and third grades in the normal school at DeKalb by President John W. Cook. She held that position for one year and then became ill as the result of an injury sustained while playing basketball at the normal. Alice Dodds, who was graduated from the Geneseo Collegiate Institute in the class of 1890, later attended the Columbia School of Oratory in Chicago, from which she was graduated in 1898. She was married on the 20th of October of the same year to Rev. William George Ramsey, who is now pastor of the Congregational church at Eldora, Iowa, where they make their home. Mary died in infancy. William Davis Colby, the fifth to bear that name in different generations, attended the Geneseo Collegiate Institute and also the Wesleyan University at Bloomington, but left school on account of ill health. He was married December 25, 1901, to Miss Fannie Jane Vail, of Geneseo. He is a farmer in Cornwall and has two children, Alfred Vail and William George.

Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. William Davis Colby lived in Annawan until 1877, when he purchased a farm on section 27, Cornwall township, of one hundred and sixty acres. He made it his home for a few years and in 1885 purchased his present farm on section 35, Cornwall township. He is today one of the extensive landowners of the county and one of the leading citizens. His wife died May 19, 1907, and was laid to rest in the Liberty Congregational cemetery in Cornwall township.

Mr. Colby is a republican and attended the big rally at Springfield in i860. He always supported the party since casting his first presidential ballot for Abraham Lincoln, whom he heard deliver a temperance speech when Mr. Colby was a small boy. In community affairs Mr. Colby has taken an active and helpful interest. He has served as school treasurer for many years and was supervisor for one term. He belongs to the Baptist church of Tallula, Illinois, and his daughter Lydia, who is now acting as his housekeeper, is a member of the Congregational church and is also connected with the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at Geneseo.

William Hampton Sturm

Despite many hardships and discouragements William Hampton Sturm has come out ahead in the battle of life. His industry, thrift and perseverance, as well as his determination to win have overcome great obstacles, and he is now one of the prosperous farmers of Henry county, Illinois, In all he owns two hundred and sixty-six acres in Munson township, a part of it on section 12 where he lives, the remainder on section 13. A native of this state, he was born in Peoria county, February 18, 1850, a son of William and Mary Ann (Swiger) Sturm. He was reared on a farm, which remained his home until he became twenty-one, and received a good common-school education. His father owned a farm in Peoria county, on which he worked even after his parents removed to Stark county, in 1871, where the father had purchased another farm. He went to that county, however, a few years later when the father desired to work at his trade of blacksmithing. In 1875 he built a barn on the home place which continued to be his place of residence until he was twenty-nine years of age, when he bought eighty acres of land in Stark county. There he lived in bachelor's quarters for about two years, making a good home for himself, and to it brought his bride in 1881. A short time after his marriage he sold the Stark county farm and went to Marion county, Kansas, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of improved land. The move was not a fortunate one, however, for his crops failed him entirely and after a year and a half there he lost all he had started with and was compelled to look for work by the day as means of subsistence.

Mr. Sturm rented a house at Osceola, Stark county, Illinois, but after three months removed to Elmira township, that county, where he secured work by the day. The following summer he rented land, raised a good crop and made a fresh start. He continued to rent land, however, until 1899, when he bought one hundred and twenty acres in Annawan township, this county. This he sold after a few months with a little profit and in 1903 bought his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He paid sixty-six dollars an acre for the property, but it has so increased in value in the last six years that it is now worth more than twice that amount. Since coming to this farm fortune has smiled on Mr. Sturm, his crops have thrived and his harvests have been bountiful, and in 1909 he was able to purchase one hundred and forty-four more acres at one hundred and eighteen dollars per acre. He follows general farming but is also a breeder of Duroc Jersey hogs.

In Toulon, Stark county, May 9, 1881, was celebraed the marriage of Mr. Sturm to Miss Sarah AUett Woodward, a daughter of Daniel and Mary A. (Hoif labaugh) Woodward. She was born in Stark county and received a fair education from the country schools. Their union has been blessed with seven children : Loren Nelson, born in Stark county, living at home; Rose Raymond, also born in Stark county, living at home ; Jessie, born in Stark county, the wife of Louie Schnowske, of Munson township; one who died in infancy; Lloyd, born one mile east of Neponset; Glen, born in Bureau county; and Iva, born in Annawan township, Henry county.

In political matters Mr. Sturm gives his support to the democratic party, and while he is not an office seeker he served for one term as road commissioner in Stark county. When he was a resident of Toulon he became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but has not kept up his membership. Courage, fortitude and indomitable industry are the qualities that distinguish Mr. Sturm's life record. By these he has been able to conquer misfortune and by these he has been able to attain to a substantial position among the citizens of Munson township, among whom he has many friends who wish him well and are rejoiced at his success.

John Fischer

John Fischer, organizer and president of the Kewanee Savings Bank, is also connected with various other interests, which make his life record an integral chapter in the history of the city's business development and upbuilding. To those familiar with his life it seems trite to say that he is a self-made man who has worked his way upward from a humble beginning, but in a history that descends to future generations it is but just to say of him that his record is such as any man might be proud to possess in that he has never made engagements that he has not fulfilled nor incurred obligation that he has not met. He, therefore, enjoys in large measure the respect and confidence of his business colleagues and associates, and the wise use which he has made of his time, talents and opportunities constitutes an example that may well be followed by others.

Mr. Fischer was born in Schaffhausen, Prussia, Germany, February 20, 1858. and in the year 1870 was brought to America by his parents, Peter and Marguerite Fischer, who arrived in Kewanee in June of that year. His father, who had been a carpenter and mine boss in Germany, worked in the mines of Henry county for a number of years or until his death which occurred in 1878. His widow long survived him and died in 1892 at the age of seventy-two years.

John Fischer attended the public schools of his native land until coming to America when a youth of twelve years. He afterward spent two years as a pupil in a country school of Kewanee township and then began his business career by working in the mines with his father. He was thus employed for three weeks, which he says was one of the happiest periods of his life. It gave him his first days of earning his own money and the feeling of independence which comes therefrom. He afterward worked on a farm for two years and on the expiration of that period began delivering groceries for the firm of Wood & Lewis. When that partnership was dissolved and he was in consequence thrown out of employ- ment, he secured a situation with the Haxtun Steam Heater Company at seventyfive cents per day, but three months later L. W. Lewis again embarked in the grocery business and Mr. Fischer once more entered his employ, a fact indicative of his faithfulness as well as his capability. He afterward spent one year as a salesman in the employ of M. C. Quinn, and at the end of that time he purchased the store owned by Mr. Lewis and continued in the grocery business alone for three years. He was then senior partner of the firm of Fischer & Mayhew from 1884 until 1889, when he sold out to his partner and entered the real-estate loan business, his previous success equipping him for the conduct of a business of this character. He did the largest business in his line in the city. In 1890 he purchased stock in the First National Bank, of which he afterward became a director, and for five years he was vice president of the institution. He is now secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Kewanee Coal & Mining Company, and various other enterprises owe their successful conduct in no small degree to his indefatigable industry and sound business judgment. In November, 1901, he organized the Savings Bank of Kewanee and from the beginning has been its president, instituting the policy of its conduct upon which its success has been built. He also organized the Fischer Lumber Company of Kewanee, Missouri, which town was named in honor of his home city, Kewanee, Illinois. He is now the president of that comapny and is still a stockholder in the First National Bank. His business judgment is sound and his success is largely due in fact to his recognition and improvement of opportunities which others have passed by heedlessly.

On the 2d of October, 1883, was celebrated the marriage of John Fischer and Miss Etta R. Lyle, a daughter of George and Sarah (Snugs) Lyle. Mr. and Mrs. Fischer have three living children : Dr. Haydn L., a graduate of the University of Chicago and the Northwestern Medical University of Chicago, has been admitted to practice and is now an interne in Chicago. J. Emmons is a teller in the Savings Bank of Kewanee. George Lyle is still in school.

Mr. Fischer has been a stalwart advocate of the republican party since casting his first presidential vote for James A. Garfield, but is not an aspirant for office. In his religious belief he is a Catholic and in his social relations is connected with the Kewanee and Commercial Clubs. When once he marks out a course for himself he follows it with tenacity and he has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful man of business, while in his dealings he is known for his prompt and honorable methods which have won him the deserved and unqualified confidence of his fellowmen.

Andrew Weidlein

Andrew Weidlein, the owner of valuable farming property in Osco township, is now living retired in Geneseo, where he has made his home for fifteen years. Earnest, persistent labor and the intelligent direction of his business eflforts in former days brought to him the success which he now enjoys. He was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1840, his parents being John and Eleanora (Emert) Weidlein, both of whom were natives of Germany. The grand- father, John Weidlein, was likewise born in the same country and was a worthy representative of the Teutonic race. Attracted by the opportunities of the new world he came to America and devoted his life to general agricultural pursuits in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, until his labors were ended in death. His wife also died there. The family numbered three sons and two daughters. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Andrew Emert. He and his wife, Margaret Emert, also became residents of Pennsylvania when they crossed the briny deep to the new world. In that state Mrs. Emert died and Mr. Emert afterward removed to Henry county, Illinois. His death occurred in Morristown, this state, when he had traveled far on life's journey. Their family numbered eleven children.

John Weidlein, the father of Andrew Weidlein, was a blacksmith by trade. On coming to America he settled in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and in the fall of 185 1 arrived in Rock Island. Soon afterward he took up his abode at Morristown, Henry county, where he engaged in farming and stock raising. He entered six hundred and forty acres of land in Osco township in his own name, and although the major part of it was wild and "unimproved when it came into his possession he at once began its development and devoted three years to tilling the soil. He then sold out and removed to another farm comprising three hundred and twenty acres in Edford township, upon which place he lived until his removal to Geneseo, or about 1883. The remaining years of his life were spent in honorable retirement, for the fruits of his former toil were sufficient to enable him to rest without further recourse to labor in order to meet his expenses. He remained an honored and respected citizen of Geneseo for twenty years, or until his death in 1903, when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-nine years. His wife died in 1894 when about eighty years of age. Both were consistent members of the Lutheran church. When in Germany Mr. Weidlein served for three years in the regular army. Of the thirteen children born unto him and his wife seven are now living: Andrew, Philip, Louis, Jacob, George, Edward, and Valentine.

Andrew Weidlein was only eleven years of age when the family left the Keystone state and came to Henry county. Here he was reared on the home farm and early became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist as he cultivates his fields and cares for his live stock. He mastered the branches of learning taught in the district schools and when not busy with his text-books was usually employed in some work on the farm. He remained at home until he reached adult age and then, deciding to engage in business on his own account, he bought a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Edford township from his father. There he lived for four years, after which he bought two hundred and forty acres of land in Osco township. The years chronicled his prosperity, and as time passed and his financial resources increased he added to his Osco township farm until within its boundaries are included four hundred and sixy-five acres, which he still owns. At one time he had one thousand acres. He has sold his Edford township farm but his real-estate holdings are now valuable, and he derives therefrom a good rental. For fifteen years he has lived in Geneseo, leasing his farm to others. It is a finely improved property and therefore brings to him a good return.

On the 3d of April, 1864, occurred the marriage of Mr. Weidlein and Miss Sarah Elizabeth Conrad, who was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, January 19, 1844. Her parents, Allimon and Elizabeth (Pierce) Conrad were also natives of the Keystone state, and the latter was a daughter of John and Mary (Rice) Pierce. In the year 1856 Mr. and Mrs. Conrad arrived in Henry county, living most of the time near Morristown during the period of their residence here. The father passed away at the age of fifty-five years, and the mother was almost ninety years of age at the time of her death. She came of a family noted for longevity, for her father reached the age of ninety-six years and her mother was ninety-three years of age when called to the home beyond.

Mr. and Mrs. Weidlein have become the parents of three sons and five daughters : William Elmer, who now cultivates the old home place, married Miss Kittie Marlatt, and they have two children, Grace and Cleone; Joseph Clyde, living in Des Moines, Iowa, wedded Anna Glen, and they have five children, Boyd, Mildred, June, Oral, and Wilma ; Mary L. is the wife of Harry King, of Champaign, Illinois, and their five children are Jessie, Hazel, Laura, Florence and Henry; Elnora E. is the wife of John Schroeder, a farmer of Edford township, and they have two children, Lucille K. and John Arley ; Arthur, who died March 2, 1909, had married Gertie Rogers and at his death left a daughter, Marie; Margaret Jessie died at the age of eleven years ; Carrie A. is the wife of Louis A. Schroeder, of Edford township, and they have two children, Merl and Kenneth ; and Laura- Edith, the youngest of the family, is the wife of Louis B. Rastede, of Geneseo, and they have one daughter, Marjorie.

The parents are members of the Congregational church and are interested in all those things which pertain to the uplifting of mankind and the betterment of the community at large. Politically Mr. Weidlein is a democrat and has rendered capable service in public office as road commissioner, pathmaster, supervisor and school director. Being nearly killed by a drunken man when a little boy, he has become a stanch supporter of prohibition. So situated in life as to enjoy its comforts he and his family delight in dispensing the hospitality of their home to their many friends and in cooperating in movements which are directly beneficial to town and county.

Robert E. Taylor

Robert E. Taylor, whose life has been one of continuous activity in which has been accorded due recognition of labor, is today numbered among the substantial citizens of Kewanee, the extent and importance of his business operations being such as to warrant his classification with the leading and representative men of the city. He was one of the organizers and has continuously been cashier of the Kewanee National Bank, and his wise counsel and indefatigable enterprise have also been salient factors in the successful conduct of other interests. A native of Canal, Venango county, Pennsylvania, he was born on the 21st of May, 1862, of the marriage of John and Lavina (Deets) Taylor. The father, a farmer by occupation, came to lUinois in 1866 and settled in Burns township, Henry county.

where he purchased land, still owning three hundred and twenty acres there. He was descended from one of three brothers who arrived in America in colonial days, coming from Scotland, their native country, and taking up their abode in New Jersey, where they followed the occupation of farming. Later one of the number removed to Pennsylvania and became the progenitor of the line from which R. F. Taylor descends. Another of the brothers went to Massachusetts and the third to Virginia. Robert Taylor, the great-grandfather, enlisted as a soldier in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war, was captured by the British and made to take the oath of allegiance to the king. He remained, however, most loyal in spirit to the American cause. He took his family within the lines of the colonial army, where they did cooking for the soldiers. During the progress of the war he was sent by General Wool with dispatches to General Washington, and in order to reach the commander-in-chief he had to swim the icy waters of the Susquehanna river, for it was winter time, to escape the English. He safely reached the opposite bank, delivered his messages and in return received from General Washington messages for General Wool. He then swam the river again and ultimately reached his destination. The family continued residents of Pennsylvania until John Taylor removed to Illinois. He became a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1887 and has since lived retired there. Ten years before he had purchased a section of land, which he has improved and to the general supervision of which he yet gives attention. He also retains his farming interests in Henry county, and, as in all of his business affair, his interests have been so intelligently directed that prosperity has resulted. He entered banking circles in connection with the Columbia National Bank, of which he was a director until its consolidation with the First National Bank, when he retired. His business probity was ever above question, and his enterprise and industry constitute the foundation upon which he built his success. While residing in Henry county he was also prominent and influential in the public life of the community, serving for three years as supervisor of Burns township, also as school director for twenty years or more - the cause of education finding in him a stalwart champion,

Robert E. Taylor supplemented his preliminary education, acquired in the public schools, by study in Hillsdale College at Hillsdale, Michigan, where he was graduated with the class of 1885. After finishing his course there he went to Lincoln, Nebraska, and entered business circles as a clerk in a hardware store, where he remained for about a year. He then returned to Kewanee and purchased an interest in the hardware store of Dickey & Houle, with whom he continued for three years, when he sold out and again went to Lincoln, Nebraska, to which city his parents had removed in the meantime. There he entered the American Exchange Bank as collector and bookkeeper with the object of learning the banking business in principle and detail for the purpose of gaining experience that he might establish a bank of his own at a later day. He remained with that institution for about two years. Returning to Kewanee, after consulting a number of his friends and former business associates and thoroughly investigating the outlook, he organized the present Kewanee National Bank and has been its cashier since its inception. His equipment was good, his enterprise undaunted, and in the conduct of the institution he has carefully formulated his plans and carried them forward to successful completion. In 1903 he extended the field of his activities by becoming one of the organizers of the State Bank of Toulon and still continues as one of its directors. Since the organization of the Kewanee Star-Courier Company he has been a director and treasurer and is now also vice president of the same corporation. Mr. Taylor has invested quite largely in real estate in Kewanee and has been interested in a number of additions to the city and in the erection of a number of residences, whereby the attractive appearance of the city has been materially enhanced. He owns a business block on East Second street, also a brick block on Third street between Tremont and Main and has a frame business house adjoining it. He also has two hundred and forty acres of land at Lincoln, Nebraska, opposite W. J. Bryan's home at that place, and is interested in the First National Bank of Lincoln and some residence property. He has a magnificent country home at Sylvan Beach, Michigan, where he and his family spend their summer vacations.

On the 29th of October, 1896, was celebrated the marriage of Robert E. Taylor and Miss Charity R. Palmer, of Kewanee, a daughter of Grove and Hannah Elizabeth (Livingstone) Palmer. Her father, a farmer by occupation, died in the year 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have two children, Margaret Elizabeth and Robert R. They are prominent socially, and Mr. Taylor holds membership in the Baptist church and his wife in the Congregational church. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias. His has been an active career in which he has accomplished important and far-reaching results, contributing in no small degree to the expansion and material growth of the city and from which he himself has also derived substantial benefits.

Frederick Francis

Frederick Francis, with highly developed artistic perception, takes genuine pleasure in having everything about him as perfect as his own good taste and skillful fingers can make it and therefore his is an attractive home amid beautiful surroundings. The material things, however, are not given undue prominence with him but are only a feature in that existence which should present the best that can be attained along material, intellectual, artistic and moral lines. He was born in Kewanee township, January 21, 1856, and was reared upon the home farm of his parents, Sullivan R. and Mary (Gardner) Francis. During his youthful days he attended district schools and at the age of eighteen entered the State University, from which he was graduated in 1878, being the first student that Kewanee sent to that institution. When he left he had placed his mark upon the seven foot dial clock in the west tower of what is now the oldest of the university buildings, for he made the drawings for that time piece, built the escapement and assisted in setting it up and it is still keeping excellent time. The clock was donated as a memorial by the class of 1878.

Having completed his scholastic course, Mr. Francis entered the employ of the Elgin Watch Company and after eleven years spent in its factory returned to Kewanee. The love of the beautiful and the artistic has ever been a dominant quality in his life and with a desire to establish a beautiful home he secured one of the best sites in Henry county, four and a half miles east of Kewanee. Thereon he erected a residence of stone and brick after designs and plans made entirely by himself, doing every detail of the building alone, not paying out one cent for help, and the place is appropriately named Woodland Palace. It is one of the most artistic homes in the county and is supplied with many conveniences of his own design, including a filter for rain water, by means of which he secures a water supply system that provides the family with absolutely pure water. Mrs. Francis, who presides with gracious hospitality over this attractive residence, was Jeanette E. Rice and afterward Jeanette E. Crowfoot. She was formerly a resident of Elgin, Illinois, and on the loth of August, 1890, gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Francis.

Having a great love for the sixty acres of forest trees that was left him by his father, Mr. Francis has not cleared his land or done any farming but lets it only for pasture. He has been an interested student of mathematics, having among the wall decorations of his home a frame containing about a square yard of drawing paper, on which is the abbreviated form of a difficult problem of circles that was solved after eight years of seeking and then only by an original method not found in the text-books. The work required the finding of an unknown quantity, which if put in the form of an equation, would be of about the twentieth degree and contain about one thousand terms. Not content with development alone along the line of the practical, however, Mr. Francis has studied oil painting and some of his works display a high order of talent. He has also devoted considerable time to literary work and has contributed a number of articles to various magazines on the subject of physical culture.

A man of wide reading and deep thought, those questions of vital national interest have always elicited his attention and that he thinks out along original lines is indicated in an article from his pen which appeared in the Physical Culture Magazine, entitled Our Idea of Arbitration. In this he said: "I have read what you have to say about Arbitration and Japan, and it makes me wish to express an idea that I have in regard to the disarmament of nations. To illustrate, let me suppose a country of individuals without law, each carrying a gun for defense. Now somebody suggests that these individuals arbitrate instead of using guns. The difficulty is that it takes two to arbitrate and this they will do or not as they feel like. The individuals could not be expected to discard their guns unless they had something more certain than this to take their place. When law is established this supplies the need and the gims are useless. This is the principle that should be applied to the nations of the world. They should be controlled by an international law which should be as supreme over nations as the laws of a country are over its individuals. This international law should be backed by an army and navy, if necessary, which should be the only ones on earth. Any other military force would be as much out of place as an individual or set of individuals taking up arms against their government or against each other. Any nation not wishing to be controlled and protected thus would be dealt with the same as an individual who does not respect the laws of his country. He must yield for the best good of the majority. I believe this is the way and the only way that nations ever will or can be expected to disarm. The individual would be a fool to lay down his gim in a country without the law to protect him. So a nation would be foolish to disarm without a supreme international law to protect it."

That Mr. Francis possesses considerable ability as a writer of poetry as well as prose is indicated in one of his poems which he styles Early Recollections :

"No carpet of tapestry, Brussels or ingrain, In palace of millionaire, lord or of king. Can ever compare with that velvety blue grass That grew 'neath my feet in life's beautiful spring.

The parlor and bedroom we had in our playhouse, In corner of that old Virginia fence, In front of the yard of our earliest homestead, Has never been equalled at any expense.

And then the great hogs that were out in the hogyard, They had a log shed with the roof made of hay. And even the mud-holes where they used to wallow Had wonderful charms on the long summer day.

The old stoned up well that was close to the doorstep, Where water was hoisted with windlass and chain; No fear was there then of the terrible microbe, That water was cold and as pure as the rain.

Now with hair turning gray and with step growing slower, We are looking again for the picture so fair ; Seeking the viewpoint of life's early morning; Father Time only answers with echo of - where?

Last even' while out for a short recreation, With fancies turned backward again o'er the ground, I wandered adown by the home of my childhood ; But alas ! what a change in the scene there I found.

And so to all friends and all brothers and sisters. Who still may unite on a reunion day ; I would send kindest thoughts and congratulations ; For soon from this earth we must all pass away."

While all this indicates much of the ability of Mr. Francis, there is perhaps nothing that so clearly indicates his position in life as the little poem clipped from one of the current magazines, entitled The Gates of Gold. Kindly and considerate, always mindful of the feelings of others, anything bordering on gossip is utterly distasteful to Mr. Francis, and the little poem given below indicates the guiding spirit of his life.

Three narrow gates - first, 'Is it true?' Then, *Is it needful?' In your mind Give truthful answer. And the next Is last and narrowest, Ts it kind ?'

And if, to reach your lips at last, It passes through these gateways three, Then you may tell the tale, nor fear What the result of speech may be."

Fred Bach

The success which has crowned the efforts of Fred Bach, making it possible for him to live retired, is an indication of what may be accomplished by a man of determined spirit and unfaltering energy, for without special aid at the outset of his career, Mr. Bach has steadily worked his way upward. He was born in Furstentum, Waldeck, Germany, April 13, 1841, and is the only survivor of a family of three children, whose parents. Christian and Christina Bach, were also natives of Germany. The father was a stonebreaker and died in Germany in 185 1, when in middle life. His wife afterward married William Yager, and in 1859 they crossed the Atlantic to America, settling in Edford township, Henry county, where they secured a farm of one hundred acres, upon which they continued to reside until called to their final rest. They had three children, Charlie, Caroline and Fred, but Charlie died at the age of fourteen years. Caroline be- came the wife of Herman Stensel, and both have passed away. They had four sons and a daughter, Mrs. Mary Long, William, Fred, Albert and Henry.

Fred Bach came to America in 1859 when eighteen years of age with his mother and stepfather and the other children of the household. He had secured a good common-school education in Germany, was reared as a farm boy and lived at home until twenty-one years of age.. In 1862 he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of Company K, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for about three years. He was seriously injured in the left hand in the battle of London, Kentucky, in 1863, and he participated in the engagements at Franklin, Nashville, Atlanta and Dalton, and many other hard fought battles of the war. He went with Sherman to Atlanta and then turned back to Nashville, the army going into winter quarters at Pulaski, Tennessee. He was mustered out at Newburn, North Carolina, at the close of the war, and his military record is one of which he has every reason to be proud, for he never faltered in the performance of any duty whether it led him to the firing line or stationed him on the lonely picket line.

After the war Mr. Bach returned to Henry county, Illinois, and took up farming in Osco township, where he purchased forty acres of land. Prompted in all of his business affairs by laudable ambition he steadily worked his way upward, and making further and judicious investments in property he became the owner of a valuable and productive farm of two hundred and eight acres, on which he lived until 1901. He then rented the place and removed to Geneseo, purchasing a nice home on Mechanic street. He still owns the farm, however, and it is well improved, so that it rents at a good figure and materially increases his income. That he possesses the indispensable factors of success is, indicated in the results which have followed his labors, making him one of the men of affluence of the county.

On the 4th of July, 1867, Mr. Bach was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Zabel, who was born in Prussia, Germany, October 6, 1848, and is a daughter of Frederick and Julia (Detman) Zabel. Her parents were both natives of Germany, and her father died in that country near the village of Schwetz-Kreis- Marienwerder, when about sixty-seven years of age. His wife, surviving him for a number of years and coming to America, settled in Henry county, Illinois. She died in 1898 at the age of sixty-seven years. There were four children in the family - Bertha, Theressa, Paulina and Albert Zabel. Mrs. Bach came to this country when sixteen years of age, and her mother and brothers and sisters followed later. She has lived in Henry county for forty-five years and has therefore been a witness of its growth and progress. Her maternal grandparents were John and Caroline Detman, and the former died in Germany at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bach have been bom seven children : Theodore, who married Bessie Hampton ; Lizzie, the wife of Henry Small, of Geneseo, by whom she has one son, Arthur; Mary, who died at the age of twenty years ; Minnie, who lives at home ; Anna, the wife of John Wagler, by whom she has two children, Burtie and May ; and Fred and Carrie, twins. Carrie died when six months old, but Fred is still living and resides on a farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Bach belong to the Evangelical church and are deeply interested in all that pertains to its growth and progress or promotes the moral development of the community. Mr. Bach belongs to the Grand Army of the Repubhc and thus maintains pleasant relations with the soldiers who wore the blue uniform while he was fighting for the defense of the Union on the battlefields of the south. Politically he has always been a republican, standing loyally by the party which was the support of the Federal government during the dark days of the Civil war and has always been the party of reform and progress. For many years he was a school director in Osco township, has also been tax collector and highway commissioner, and the duties of these positions have been discharged with promptness and fidelity. Loyalty to any trust reposed in him has always been one of his strong characteristics, and he is known as a public-spirited citizen, whose cooperation can always be counted upon to further any movement for the general good.

Sullivan R. Francis

Sullivan R. Francis, who, combining farming and teaching, rounded out a useful life and had the satisfaction of knowing that his influence had always been directed toward the uplifting of his associates, was for many years numbered among the residents of Henry county. His birth occurred in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, in 1816, and he came of a family of English descent that was founded in the new world as early as 1630.

Thinking to enjoy better opportunities than were oflfered in New England by a removal to the west Mr. Francis came to Illinois about 1840 and soon thereafter located in Henry county, where he purchased eighty acres of land from the government. It was entirely wild and unimproved, not a furrow having been turned. On that tract he built a little log cabin and at once began farming, breaking the sod and tilling the fields so that in course of time the place returned to him bounteous harvests. Being a man of education his services were required during the winter months as teacher in the early schools and he did much toward shaping the educational progress of the county in pioneer times. His summers, however, were devoted to tilling his land and improving his home. In later years he became one of the school directors in his district.

In 1842 Sullivan R. Francis was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Hayward, who was born in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, and died May 30, 1845. His second wife bore the maiden name of Mary S. Gardner and was born in Bedford, Massachusetts, November 13, 1825, while her death occurred in Kewanee, October 22, 1889. For his third wife Mr. Francis chose Anna I. Pelton, a native of England, who survives him and is now residing in Neponset, Illinois. His family numbered eleven children, five of whom are yet living, namely: Frederick, a resident of Kewanee township, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume ; L. S., who is operating a sawmill north of Neponset ; Sullivan F., who is a resident of Kewanee and a dealer in fine horses; W. R. who is living in Adrian, Michigan ; and Gladys Galbraith, of Oakland, California. There are also two grandchildren: F. V. Francis, who is proprietor of pattern shops at Atlanta, Georgia; and Clara G. Matheson, whose husband died in Kewanee, December 24, 1909.

The death of Mr. Francis occurred September i, 1901. He was a sturdy farmer of remarkable force of character, an upright and worthy man, who was brought up to hard work and strict discipline on the farm. Probably to the fact that he always worked with all his might is due his wholesome life and the positions of responsibility he was given by the people. While some would have been restricted by the limitations of rural life and pioneer conditions his interests seemed to expand as he met those conditions and shaped them for his own betterment and the common good. His ambition prompted him to make the best possible use of his opportunities and his life furnishes an example of high purpose and upright manhood. While his religious views agreed with many of the most progressive Christians, he was an ardent spiritualist, and in his last illness expressed the desire that all should know that he lived and died happy in that belief. Whatever may be said of the truth of this doctrine, it was often rernarked that if his life was a sample it would be good.

Abram. B. Spickler

This is an age of marked commercial activities and the man who wins prosperity must be alert, energetic and determined ; must recognize and improve opportunities which others pass by heedlessly; and must take advantage of every legitimate chance offered by the trade for the development and expansion of his particular enterprise. Possessing all these requisites of success Abram B. Spickler is making substantial progress as one of the representative merchants of Kewanee, where as a member of the firm of Spickler & Warner he is engaged in business as a dealer in clothing and men's furnishings.

Abram B. Spickler was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1850, and is a son of Henry and Barbara (Stackhouse) Spickler. His father owned and operated flour mills. The son pursued his education in the public schools and after putting aside his text-books learned the mason's trade, which he followed for four years. He was a youth of seventeen when in the year of 1867 he made his way westward to tUinois, settling in Kewanee. His financial resources were such as to render immediate employment a necessity, and he sought and obtained a situation in the general store of J. L. Piatt. Subsequently he was employed with the firm of Shillon & Fezzler and afterward became a salesman in the employ of Lay & Lyman, with whom he continued for eleven years, his long retention in the service standing as incontrovertible proof of his fidelity and ability. Subsequently he went upon the road as a traveling salesman, handling agricultural implements for several years, and in 1887 he became identified as proprietor with the mercantile interests of Kewanee, at which time he entered the clothing and men's furnishing goods business as a partner of Henry C. Huntington, under the firm style of Huntington & Spickler. Later Morton K. Warner acquired an interest in the business and the firm name was changed to Huntington, Spickler & Warner. Since the death of Mr. Huntington the firm has been known as Spickler & Warner. It is regarded as one of the most reliable and progressive of Kewanee, its business constantly increasing. The secret of its success lies in the reasonable prices, the fair dealing and the earnest effort on the part of the proprietors to please their patrons. They have a well appointed and attractive store and their trade has reached gratifying dimensions.

On the 2ist of June, 1876, Mr, Spickler was united in marriage to Miss Addie Anderson, of Kewanee, a daughter of Robert Anderson, proprietor of a flour mill. They have become parents of three children : Blanche, who is now the wife of J. H. Frey, of Bloomington, Illinois, where he is engaged in the drug business ; Maud, the wife of W. F. Ingals, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, who is general manager of sales for the Central Tube Company; and Marjorie, at home.

The associations of Mr. Spickler outside of business connections are indicative of the character of his interests and the principles which guide him in all his relations. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is also a loyal representative of the Masonic fraternity and the Elks lodge. He belongs likewise to the Business Men's Association and is in hearty sympathy with its purposes of developing and promoting the trade interests of the city. He stands for progress at all times and seeks his own success and the city's advancement by no devious methods, but along lines of activity which will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny.

William Guest

William Guest, a retired carriage and wagon maker, has reached the seventieth milestone on life's journey, his birth having occurred in Devonshire, England, November i, 1839. His father, Joseph Guest, also a native of England, was a lime burner and remained in his native country until his demise. His wife bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Pickins and also spent her entire Hfe in England.

William Guest was reared in his father's home and acquired his education in the public schools of his native land but put aside his text-books in his youthful days and at the age of seventeen years was apprenticed to learn the trade of carriage and wagon making, at which he worked for one year. At the end of that time he went to Canada with the man to whom he had been apprenticed and there finished his trade. He made his home in Canada for six years, but, thinking that there were better business opportunities to be enjoyed in this country, in the spring of 1863 he crossed the border and made his way to Chicago, where he worked until the following August. He then came to Wethersfield, where he resumed work at his trade in the employ of James Wylie, with whom he was connected for four years. He then worked for H. H. Bryan & Son for some time, after which he engaged in business on his own account, manufacturing wagons and carriages and carrying on a general repair shop along the same lines. The years witnessed his growing success, and his capable management and indefatigable enterprise brought him a measure of prosperity that in 1904 enabled him to sell his business and retire from active life.

On the 17th of August, 1864, Mr. Guest was married to Miss Diantha Mathews, a daughter of Anson and Sarah Jane (Patterson) Mathews who were natives of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, coming to this county some time in the '50s. Eight children have been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Guest, but two died in infancy. The others are : John P., formerly assistant treasurer of the Kewanee Boiler Company and now treasurer of the John Davis Company of Chicago ; Margaret, who teaches in Kewanee; Alfred M., who is engaged in the jewelry business in Kewanee ; William E., who is proprietor of the Model Laundry of Kewanee ; Mabel, who is assists her brother William E. in his office ; and Ethel, the wife of Eslie Pettitt, a draftsman with the Hennepin Bridge Company of Minneapolis.

Mr. Guest at one time belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Kewanee and is in sympathy with the principles and purposes of the organization. In politics he is a democrat and has taken an active part in local political interests. His life has been one of industry, determination and perseverance, and these qualities have given him standing among the men of affluence in the community and have brought to him a substantial competence which now supplies him with all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.

Frank S. Sears

The agricultural and stock interests of Henry county find a worthy representative in Frank S. Sears, who owns four hundred acres of fine land on section 22, Cornwall township, where he makes his home. He was bom in the house he now occupies October 13, 1861, and is a son of John and Mary W. (Jewett) Sears. The parents were natives of Connecticut and in that state were reared and married, coming to Henry county, Illinois, shortly after their marriage, in 1856. In Cornwall township, the father and his brother Vincent bought three hundred and twenty acres of land. Later John Sears purchased the other's share and added thereto eighty acres, and upon this farm of four hundred acres spent his remaining years. He was the father of seven children. Mary Jewett is the wife of E. J. Porter, of Nebraska, and they have two children. Frank S. is the subject of this review. John, living in Cornwall township, married Miss Mary Whiffles and they have five children. Sarah A. is unmarried and resides in Geneseo. Nellie G. died in childhood. William H. wedded Miss Nona Fick and they live at Cascade, Montana. Jessie is the wife of George Fehlman, of Geneseo and is the mother of one child. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sears lived to see a great change wrought in the character of the country and the latter died in 1888, while the former survived her for ten years and like his wife was buried in Atkinson cemetery. He was a stanch republican, and although not an office seeker served efficiently as town clerk and school trustee.

The years of Frank S. Sears' youth passed as did those of the average boy reared upon a farm, the summer months being devoted to plowing, planting and harvesting, and the winter months to acquiring such an education as the district schools afforded. He also attended the high school in Geneseo for a short time. Meanwhile, however, he was gaining a practical knowledge of agricultural methods, was learning the crops best suited to his soil and the means of obtaining the largest results for his labor, so that when he engaged in business for himself he was able to win a substantial success from his undertakings. He inherited one hundred and sixty acres from his father, to which he has added as he had opportunity until now he owns a tract of four hundred acres, while he operates eighty acres inore. He has brought his land to a high state of cultivation, and, bending his energies toward raising the best quality of cereals possible, annually gathers and markets good crops. He has also devoted considerable time to raising, feeding and shipping stock, deriving from this enterprise also a gratifying income.

In Cornwall township, April 14, 1898, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Sears and Miss Amy A. Funk, who was born in that township, January 24, 1876, a daughter of George and Rebecca (Funk) Funk. She received a good education, having graduated from the Geneseo Collegiate Institute with the class of 1894, and then taught for a couple of terms. Six children have been bom to Mr. and Mrs. Sears, namely: George, Attie, Charles, Mary, Susie and Frank, but the first died in infancy.

Mr. Sears gives his political supoprt to the republican party, but he never seeks nor desires public office, although his interest in the welfare of his fellow citizens is evident in the able manner in which he has fulfilled the duties of township clerk and school director. His wife is a member of the Congregational church, whose services he attends and in whose support he is liberal. He has had no false standard of life, but aware that earnest and indefatigable labor constitute the basis for advancement in the world's work has been diligent in seeking and winning prosperity, and that he has lived honorably is manifest in the fact that he enjoys the respect and confidence of those who have known him from boyhood.

James R. Batten

James R. Batten, numbered among the veterans of the Civil war, was born May 21, 1839, in Preble county, Ohio, a son of Eli and Heatha C. (Wilhoit) Batten. The father was born in Madison county, Virginia, in 1801, and the mother's birth occurred in the same place in 1808. Eli Batten was a farmer by occupation and in 1855 arrived in Annawan township, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits until about 1880. He then retired from active work and spent his last days on the farm. He died in the spring of 1890 and his wife passed away in 1893, the graves of both being made in Fairview cemetery. They were the parents of ten children, of whom eight are living: William A., who resides in Eureka,- Greenwood county, Kansas ; Louisa, who is the widow of Amos Conley and resides in Illinois ; John, whose home is in Wichita, Kansas ; James R. ; Mary E., who is the wife of Andrew Carroll and resides in Clinton, Iowa; Sarah, the wife of Thomas Dennis, a resident of Denver, Colorado; EH Gilbert, of Colorado; and Emmeline, the wife of Daniel Bolin, whose home is in Severy, Kansas.

James R. Batten began his education in the schools of Ohio and continued his studies in the district schools of Annawan. The periods of vacation were devoted to farm work, and he remained with his father upon the home farm until 1862, when he enlisted as a member of Company A, One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He participated in the battles of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Resaca, Georgia, and was in the Atlanta campaign. In the battle of Atlanta, on the 6th of August, 1864, he was wounded, being shot through the right forearm. He was in the field hospital for a brief time, after which he was sent to a hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, later to Nashville, then to Jeffersonville, afterward to a hospital in Mound City, Illinois, where he was honorably discharged May 12, 1865. His brother John was also a member of the same regiment, while another brother, William Batten, was a member of an Ohio regiment and was wounded while in the service.

After being mustered out James R. Batten returned to his father's farm but soon made arrangements for having a home of his own by his marriage on the 4th of July, 1865, to Miss Julia A. Blin, who was born in Ohio in 1845 and was a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Frye) Blin, both of whom were natives of the Buckeye state. The father occupied the farm on which he was born until his removal to Annawan township, Henry county, Illinois, in 1853. Both he and his wife are now deceased, their remains having been interred in Fairview cemetery. Both were representatives of old Pennsylvania German famiUes. They had fourteen children, of whom four are living: Sarah, a resident of Annawan; Mrs. Batten ; and Samuel and Daniel Blin, both of Kansas. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Batten began their domestic life on a farm east of Fairview church, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits until 1902, when he removed to the village of Annawan. He was afflicted with a paralytic stroke in June, 1907. He had suffered more or less from the age of twelve years with a white swelling of the knee, and as a result of wounds in battle he suffered the loss of one eye, which had been hit with a piece of steel. He now engages in no business, living quietly at his home in Annawan, his rest being well deserved. The government for some time granted him a pension of seventeen dollars per month, which has been increased to thirty dollars as the result of a special dispensation being made by congress, the bill passing the house of representatives in 1907, while the increase has been paid to Mr. Batten since 1908.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Batten have been bom eleven children, ten of whom are yet living: Heatha B. is the wife of John Templeton, of Cornwall township, by whom she has five children : Russell, Mabel, Florence, James and Fayette. John W. lives in Annawan township and has one child, Edna; Mary is the wife of Edward Greenhagen, of Kewanee, by whom she has six children : Bessie, the wife of Pearl Shultz, of Annawan ; Fred, Ernest, Scott, Hazel, and Helen Greenhagen, all of Kewanee. Addie is the wife of O. P. George, of Tampico, Illinois, by whom she has one child. La Moine. Howard is living in Tampico, Illinois, and has two children : James O. and Julia. Emma is the wife of Edward Harvey, of Annawan township, by whom she has four children : George, Howard, Grace and Edward. Curtis is a carpenter of Moline and has one child, Edward, George is timekeeper in the tube works of Kewanee and has four children : Earl, Vern, Mildred and Glen. Nora is- the wife of Morgan Machesney, of Annawan township, by whom she has four children : Lawrence, Bernice, Glen and Gladys. Milo is a mechanic living in Moline, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Batten now have twentyeight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

In his political views Mr. Batten has been a stalwart republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, never faltering in his allegiance to the party. He served for twenty consecutive years as road commissioner and has always been as loyal in his duties of citizenship in times of peace as he was when he followed the old flag on southern battlefields. Both he and his wife are members of the United Brethren church and are highly esteemed in the community where they have so long made their home. Since their marriage they have lived continually in Annawan township and has a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance. Mr. Batten is an entirely selfmade man, for he had no financial assistance when he started out in life for himself. Gradually he made progress in the business world, and the success which came to him was the merited reward of his earnest, persistent labor.

Walter Scoville Lambert

Walter Scoville Lambert, a son of Edward and Sarah Lambert, was born on a farm one and a half miles north of Geneseo, January 22, 1869. He was three years of age when his parents removed to Geneseo, where he now resides. When a youth of twelve years he left the high school to work in the department store of J. H. C. Petersen, of Geneseo, remaining with that house continuously for twelve years, after which he engaged in the retail business for himself. His success is indicated by the fact that he now conducts one of the largest and leading retail department stores in the city under the name of the Lambert Dry Goods Company.

Mr. Lambert is a member of Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A. F. & A. M., Geneseo Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M., and Rock Island Commandery, No. 18, K. T. He is also a noble of Mohammed Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., Oasis of Peoria, and likewise belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp of Geneseo. His family are all of the Methodist faith, holding membership in the Geneseo Methodist church.

Mr. Lambert is of English and French descent. His father, Edward Barton Lambert, a son of William and Avis (Barton) Lambert, was born in 1829 at East Farley, Kent county, England, twenty-six miles from London. When about eight years of age he came to America with his father, mother, sister Anna and his brothers Henry, John and Eph, his brothers William and George having previously come to the United States. They made their way to Rochester, New York, where the father died in 1843, his grave being made at Mount Hope. Edward Barton Lambert afterward removed to Rock Island, Illinois, where he engaged in the manufacture of shoe lasts, while afterward he conducted a brick manufacturing business at Geneseo, burning the brick which were used in the construction of many of the oldest brick buildings in this city. In 1854 he married Miss Sarah Scoville at Rock Island, Illinois, and to them were born seven children : Edward ; Anna, deceased; Flora, also deceased; Frank; Grace; Walter; and Ruby, who has passed away.

Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth (Scoville) Lambert was born in Seymour, Connecticut, March 30, 1836, a daughter of Everette and Elizabeth (Durand) Scoville. The Durands were of French and English lineage, the English name being Hull. Two of the uncles of Mrs. Lambert were French priests. Elizabeth Hull Durand was a niece of General Hull and a cousin of Captain Hull. When she was seven years of age she made the trip across the wilds of the United States with a minister, the Rev. Hitchcock, and his family, to Davenport, Iowa, passing through Chicago' en route. In some way, due to lack of proper mail transportation, she lost trace* of her parents and never saw any of her family again until forty years later, when through a similarity of names they were united at Mantua, Ohio. Her mother is still living, also her brothers : Bennett, residing at Naugatuck, Connecticut; Charles, living in California; and James, of Mantua, Ohio. The meeting was a most happy one after so many years of separation. The parents, brothers and one sister of Walter S. Lambert now reside at Vallejo, California.

Walter Lambert married Miss Grace Mabel Terpening on the 5th of February, 1890, and they have four children: Ceil Austin, born May 30, 1891 ; Zella Katheryn, May 12, 1895; Homer Kiner, February 25, 1899; and Dale, November 15, 1906.

Mrs. Grace Mabel Lambert was born September i, 1868, in Munson township, nine miles south of Geneseo, a daughter of Josiah B. and Catherine C. (Kiner) Terpening. Her father was born in Virgil, Cortland county. New York, December 13, 1815, and died in Geneseo, Illinois, December 17, 1889. He was a son of Henry and Sarah (Byrom) Terpening, of Holland Dutch descent. Mrs. Lambert's mother, who in her maidenhood was Catherine Kiner, was born March 31, 1825, in Blaine, Perry county, Pennsylvania, and died January i, 1904, in Geneseo. She was a daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Kline) Kiner, the former a soldier of the war of 1812. The Kiner family is one of the oldest on the continent. The original head of the family, Absalom Keinaedt, as the name was then spelled, emigrated from Wurtemburg, Germany, in 1625. He settled in the Old Dominion, as Virginia was then called, on the banks of the James river. The family flourished in Virginia for centuries. About a decade ago, there was a grand family reunion at the grave of the original bearer of the name in Virginia. A magnificent monument was erected over the grave. The great shaft is a picturesque feature of the beautiful old-time burial ground on the James. In the course of time scions of the Keinaedt family imbibed the restless spirit which is an element of the true American citizen, and began to scatter out from the Old Dominion. There was quite a delegation which found its way into the wilds of Pennsylvania. The sturdy old Wurtemburg stock contributed greatly toward making the wilderness to "blossom like the rose." The great Keystone state became one of the mightiest commonwealths of the Union. The names of the Keinaedts began to be changed, and were variously spelled, becoming Koerner, Coiner, Keirner, Keiner, Kyner and finally Kiner. This is the accepted spelling at present. The Pennsylvania branches grew restless again and began to emigrate west, some settling in Ohio and a goodly number in Illinois. Thus was founded the branch of the family from which Mrs. Lambert is descended.

Mrs. Lambert's father and mother were married December 27, 1866. Her half brothers and sisters are : William F. Calhoun, who served on General Sheridan's staff during the Civil war and is now postmaster of Decatur and editor of the Decatur Herald, while his political service covers four terms as representative in the state legislature, during which time he was twice chairman of the house ; the Rev. Scott Calhoun, who was for four years a soldier of the Civil war and is now living in Tuscola, Illinois; Mrs. Jennie Chamberlin, deceased; Rev. J. Dill Calhoun, of Winona, Illinois ; Mrs. Ella N. Hill, of Des Moines, Iowa ; Henry A.

Terpening, deceased; Mary E., who has passed away; Mrs. Emma Comstock, deceased ; George Terpening, who has also departed this life ; Sarah, the wife of Rev. Broom, of Geneseo ; and William R. Terpening, of Abingdon, Illinois.

George Arnett

Prominent among the successful farmers and old settlers of Henry county is George Arnett, who for over seventy-two years has been closely identified with the history of this region. He is a man of keen discrimination and sound judgment, and his pronounced business ability and excellent management have brought to him a high degree of success, so that now he is one of the wealthiest citizens of Geneseo, where he is now living a retired life.

His birth occurred in Warren county, Pennsylvania, June 6, 1833, his parents being Louis and Clara (Schotte) Arnett, the former a native of France and the latter of Germany. On coming to Illinois, the father settled first in Chicago, which at that time was a mere village, and he was offered a house and lot near the present postoffice for six months' work but refused to accept the proposition. In 1837 he came to Henry county and secured two hundred and forty acres of government land in Loraine township. Upon the wild unbroken prairie he built a log house and then began the cultivation of his land. Later he added more land to this farm but finally sold the place and purchased a farm in Whiteside county. There his wife died in March, 1866, and about four years later he disposed of his farming interests and went to live with his son-in-law, David Heller. His lack of a knowledge of the English language at the time he came to America caused him to meet with many hindrances in business transactions but he finally became able to use the tongue of his adopted land and to converse very fluently. He was a' member of the Evangelical church and gave his early political allegiance to the whig party, while later he supported the republican party. He died in January, 1868, honored and respected by all who knew him.

George Arnett was the eleventh in a family of twelve children, eight of whom were born in Germany, while the others were natives of Warren, Pennsylvania, where the parents located after their arrival in the new world. The children were: Louis, who died in Warren, Pennsylvania; Jacob, who died in Geneseo, Illinois, in 1899; Mary, who wedded Samuel Cogswell and both died in the Keystone state; Anthony, a resident of Colorado ; Catherine, who married David Heller and lived for some years in Loraine township, this county, but was a resident of Geneseo at the time of her death, which occurred in 1900; Joseph, who died in Geneseo ; John, who died in this county in 1898; Philip, who died in California in 1850; Susan, who married Simeon Heller, both of whom passed away in Henry county ; William, who died in Loraine township in 1898; George, the subject of this review; and Samuel, also a resident of Geneseo.

The educational opportunities which George Arnett was accorded during his boyhood and youth were very meager but, possessing an observant eye and retentive memory, he has added much to his knowledge and has also learned many valuable lessons through experience and through reading. He remained on the home farm until reaching manhood and on the 28th of March, 1853, started for California with the Hite family, to whom he was to pay fifty dollars for his traveling expenses and to drive a team half of the time. In an uncovered wagon he traveled across the plains and over the mountains and as there were no bridges the rivers had to be forded, and to keep the wagons from pushing against the horses in going down the mountains, trees had to be tied to them and trail behind, thus providing an obstacle to their rapid progress. En route the party with which Mr. Arnett traveled had several encounters with the Indians and their horses were stolen by the red men a number of times but were afterward recaptured. Stopping first in Oregon, he was there employed for a short time as a farm laborer but at the end of six weeks purchased provisions and with one horse started for California, traveling for five hundred miles through unbroken wilderness. On reaching Scott river he found employment with his brother at seventy-five dollars per month and for six months had charge of the pack train in the mountains. At the end of that time he purchased the train and outfit from his brother and engaged in the same business on his own account with good success. During his sojourn in the west he had many thrilling and interesting experiences which, if written in detail, would rival many of the stories of fiction.

After about four years spent in California, Mr. Arnett returned east by water, arriving in Henry county just before Christmas day in 1856. He then took charge of the farm and later made his first purchase of land from his father, becoming owner of one hundred and sixty acres in Loraine township. During the period of the Civil war he had the misfortune to have his house destroyed by fire. In the summer of 1864 when so many men were at the front it was impossible to find men willing to work on the farm and his wife drove the horses of the reaper while he and his hired man bound the grain cut on one hundred and seventy-five acres. Wheat advanced in price to three dollars per bushel and he was thus enabled to get a good start in life. From time to time he made further investment in property until he became the owner of thirteen hundred acres in Henry county and twentyfour hundred acres in Minnesota, thus becoming one of the most extensive landowners of this part of the state. In connection with general farming he raised and handled live stock, making a specialty of fine Durham cattle.

Mr. Arnett was married November 15, 1857, to Miss Margaret Sieben, a daughter of Joseph and Appolonia (Gabel) Sieben. Mrs. Arnett was born in the village of Abenheim, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, near the city of Worms, and was ten years of age when she came with her parents to America in 1852. They took passage on a Rhine steamboat at Mainz on the 8th of August, 1852, went to« Rotterdam and then proceeded to London. As passengers on a sailing vessel they came from the world's metropolis to the United States, reaching New York after a voyage of forty-eight days. The family made their way direct to Chicago and because of the illness of the mother were obliged to remain in that city. The death of Mrs. Sieben occurred in the following January and in February, 1853, Mr. Sieben with six of his seven children, went to Whiteside county and settled on the Rock river bottom near Crandall's Ferry. At that time the father went in debt to the extent of one hundred and seventy-five dollars. He rented a farm and took possession of a vacant cabin, which he made comfortable by chinking it with mud. He then obtained work, for which he received fifty cent.s per day, while two of his sons worked for thirty and twenty-five cents per day, respectively, and had to board themselves. In 1856 the log house was burned and the entire contents were destroyed. It was in that year that the father married a second time and he remained a resident of Whiteside county until his death in 1858.

His daughter, Mrs. Arnett, has been a resident of Henry county since 1857 or for a period of fifty-two years. She has been to her husband a faithful helpmeet and companion on life's journey, standing loyally by him in all of the struggles of his early business career and through her wifely sympathy and wise counsels has helped him to achieve success. She is a lady of refinement and an estimable woman and receives the love of her children and the esteem and confidence of her many friends. By her marriage she became the mother of six children: Harriet M., the eldest, became the wife of William Hudnall and died, leaving a daughter Inez, who married Otis Godfrey, a large sheep man of Montana. Julia is the wife of Lament Rowe of Washington, Iowa, and they have three children, Wilma, Margaret an^ Catherine. Franklin G., living in Culbertson, Montana, married Elma Brockman and has one daughter, Rowena. Minnie Alberta is the wife of Perry Kempster, of Prophetstown, Illinois, and they have three sons, Cecil, Arnett and Oliver. Perry Adelbert, residing ten miles from Laverne, Minnesota, married Catharine Lynch and has two children, Margaret and George L. Floyd Henry, the youngest of the family, is at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Arnett are devoted members of the Methodist church. Mr. Arnett is a stalwart republican in his political views and has taken an active interest in local politics. He served for twenty years as school director in Phenix township, where he also filled the office of supervisor for eight years. His history is one which is most commendable as it is the record of a man who has wisely placed his dependence upon his own energy and ability. In all of his business aflfairs he has been thoroughly reliable, and his industry has carried him into important relations with the agricultural and financial interests of the county. He has lived in the county for seventy-two years and his wife for fifty-two years arid they are among its most highly esteemed citizens. There is perhaps no resident of this part of the state who can speak in more comprehensive and reliable manner concerning events which marked the early pioneer development, characterized the later growth and have fostered the present progress and upbuilding of the county. He can remember when the greater part of the land was still uncultivated but has lived to see it transformed into rich farms, in the midst of which are beautiful homes. Towns and villages have also sprung up and the work of development and improvement has been carried steadily forward. Mr. Arnett rejoices in all that has been done on the side of advancement.

Judge Albert Eric Bergland

Albert Eric Bergland, judge of the county court of Henry county, has been a practitioner at the Illinois bar since 1894 and in November, 1906, was called to the bench, where his capable service shows him to be a man of comprehensive knowledge of legal principles with a mind at once analytical, logical and inductive. A resident of Galva, he was born upon a farm near that city November 9, 1869, his parents being Jonas and Helen Bergland, both natives of Sweden. The paternal grandfather, Andrew Bergland, was likewise a native of that country and lived at Helsingland. He came to the new world when his son Jonas was but three years of age, the family being among the first settlers of Weller township, Henry county, Illinois, where they owned a small farm, living in a dug-out until a more commodious, comfortable and modern home could be secured. They were among the band of Swedish people who were active in colonizing this part of the state. Andrew Bergland continued a resident of Henry county until called to his final rest at an advanced age, and his wife, Mrs. Britta Bergland, also reached old age. They left several of their children in Sweden but brought three of them to the new world, namely: Jonas, Eric and Christine. The daughter is now the widow of Olaf Olson of Bishop Hill, Illinois. Eric Bergland served through the Civil war, when a very young man, and was afterward sent to West Point. He then remained with the military service of the country until a few years ago, when he was retired with the rank of major. The Petersons, maternal grandparents of Judge Bergland, were also pioneers at Bishop Hill, and they and two of their children died during a cholera epidemic.

Jonas Bergland was only about three years old when brought to the new world by his parents, who settled at Bishop Hill in Weller township, where he was reared to manhood, his experiences including the usual routine of farm life. He died when a comparatively young man of thirty-six years and is still survived by his widow who now lives in Galva. At the time of his death he was acting as school director in his district, and he was an advocate of general progress and improvement. His children were four in number : Edwin, who is living on the old homestead near Galva in Weller township; Albert E. ; Victor A., a physician of Rock Island, Illinois ; and Fred E., who is also on the home farm.

Judge Bergland was reared in the usual manner of farm lads, spending his youthful days in Weller township, where he attended the district schools, while later he became a student in the Galva high school. He then entered Knox College at Galesburg, Illinois, and was graduated with the class of 1891. After teaching school for a short time he began preparation for the bar as a student in the law school of the University of Maryland, from which he was graduated in 1894. He was then admitted to the bar of that state and, upon his return to Galva in the same year, successfully passed the examination required for admission to the Illinois bar. Opening an office in Galva, he practiced continuously and successfully there until November, 1906, when he was elected county judge, taking his seat upon the bench in the following December.

On the 14th of March, 1898, Judge Bergland was married to Miss Pearl J. Hendricks, a daughter of Dr. William S. and Martha P. (Johnson) Hendricks. Mrs. Bergland was born in Tennessee, McDonough county, Illinois, while her father was a native of Kentucky and her mother of this state. Her grandfather, Henry A. Hendricks, was likewise born in Kentucky and represented one of the old colonial families. The ancestry is traced back to Nathan Hendricks, who was killed in the engagement which brought about Braddock's defeat. He was a Virginian by birth and the father of John Hendricks who served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, belonging to the Tennessee Rangers. His son, John Hendricks,

Jr., was a soldier of the war of 1812 and was the father of Henry A. Hendricks, the grandfather of Mrs Bergland. He made farming his Hfe work and as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life chose Melvina Jones. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Bergland was John T. Johnson, a native of Ohio, who, in 1826, came to Illinois and settled in Hancock county. He, too, chose farming as a life vocation. He married Maria Wright, and both lived to old age, rearing a large family of ten children. The father of Mrs. Bergland is now a resident of Chicago, but her mother died in 1901, at the age of forty-five years. They were both members of the Baptist church. Their family numbered a daughter and two sons: Mrs. Bergland; Dr. Homer C. Hendricks, a resident of Williamsfield, Illinois ; and Hugh A. Hendricks, living in Chicago.

The marriage of Judge and ]\Irs. Bergland has been blessed with one daughter, Martha Helen. The parents are prominent socially, and their own attractive home in Galva is the abode of warm-hearted hospitality. Judge Bergland owns this property together with a half section of land in Manitoba, Canada. His wife is connected with the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the judge belongs to Galva Lodge, A. F. & A. M., the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Kewanee. Politically he is a democrat, interested in the success of the party and was an active worker in its ranks until called to the bench. He served for several terms as city attorney but has never held office outside the strict path of his profession. His election as county judge came as a logical sequence of the ability which he had displayed as a member of the bar. Devotedly attached to his profession, systematic and methodical in habit, sober and discreet in judgment, calm in temper, diligent in research, conscientious in the discharge of every duty, courteous and kind in demeanor and inflexibly just on all occasions, these qualities have enabled Judge Bergland to take first rank among those who have occupied the bench of the county court and made him the capable conservator of that justice wherein is the safeguard of individual liberty. His reported opinions show a thorough mastery of the questions involved, a rare simplicity of style and an admirable terseness and clearness in the statement of the principles upon which the opinions rest.

Thomas P. Pierce

The financial record of Kewanee would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make prominent reference to Thomas P. Pierce, who since its organization in 1880 has been the president of the Union National Bank. Moreover, he is active in republican politics, exerting a wide felt influence in the local ranks of the party.